Around half a million people leave the UK to each year. A survey by the British Council showed 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working overseas, with cold weather, the high cost of living, extortionate childcare, a lack of work-life balance and even poor romantic prospects among their motivations for leaving the country. The i Paper’
Earlier this summer, my family and I travelled home to England for a short visit. Home because England is where we are from; for a visit because we are temporary expats, living in Washington, DC, where we moved just over a year ago.
It has become fashionable, in certain circles, to denigrate this country. I had braced myself accordingly: we were all excited to come home, but I was anticipating shockingly high prices, chaotic politics, a general sense of malaise and of course, an unbearable heatwave making life practically not worth living.
How much parents could save from new school uniform rules
A new law coming into force in September means parents in England will save money by having to buy fewer branded items of school uniform.
What does the new law mean?
From September, uniforms will be limited to three items with a school logo, like a blazer, jumper or sportswear – plus a tie for secondary schools.
The government says the changes will save some families “up to £50 per child”.
How will the law be enforced?
Who is affected?
Around 23 per cent of secondary schools will have to change their uniform lists by September.
How will it be enforced?
The education secretary has legal powers to direct schools to comply.
The rest of the UK
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not have a cap on uniform items, but are encoureged to keep uniforms costs minimal.
How England could eliminate hepatitis C
England is “on the cusp” of becoming one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, health officials have said.
What have the health officials said?
Global health leaders have set out plans to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
NHS England said the nation is one of a handful of countries globally to have already exceeded the World Health Organisation benchmark of treating 80 per cent of all known cases.
It said that deaths from the virus have reduced by 36 per cent in the last 10 years.
What is hepatitis?
- Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood infected with the virus.
- Many people have no symptoms but if it is not treated it can cause serious, and potentially life-threatening, liver damage.
- A treatment course of antiviral drugs for eight to 12 weeks cures more than 95 per cent of cases.
- NHS England said that since 2015, more than 100,000 people have been diagnosed and treated for hepatitis C.
The expert view
With C curable in more than nine out of 10 cases, we are committed to finding and treating everyone who needs support and would urge those at greater risk to come forward by ordering a free and confidential home-testing kit online.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS national medical director
Why August is the worst month for drink driving
August is the worst month of the year for drink-drive crashes as summer events create “more opportunities” to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, according to new research.
What does the research show?
RAC analysis found an average of 721 people were injured or killed in drink-drive crashes in August between 2014 and 2024.
Before July, there was an average 704 casualties over the 11-year period.
December, which is often associated with drink driving, had an average of 663 casualties.
The expert view
Drink- is often seen more of a Christmas issue, but our shows collisions involving drivers who have consumed illegal levels of alcohol are actually far more common during the summer.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams
Williams added that warmer weather, longer evenings and “festivals and barbecues” create “opportunities and temptation” for people to drink and then get behind the wheel.
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Burnham to scrap Blair-era rule in ‘crackdown’ on new betting and vape shops
Andy Burnham has pledged to give councils more powers to block new bookmakers and vape shops in a bid to save Britain’s “hollowed-out high streets”.
The PM intends to scrap the “aim to permit” rule, which limits the ability of local authorities to prevent betting shops and 24-hour slot machine venues opening in their area.
Shake-up expected start of next year
- Planning permission will also be required for outlets selling e-cigarettes as part of efforts to give communities a greater say under the proposals.
- The formal definition of a vape shop will be tightened to stop businesses side-stepping the new rules by claiming to be a “convenience store or a retailer”.
- Adult gaming centres offering up to 24 hours of access will also require planning permission under the shake-up.
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What are closure orders?
Under proposals first announced by Sir Keir Starmer’s government, police will also be able to shut down “dodgy” barbers, vape shops and nail salons for up to a year.
The maximum length of so-called “closure orders” will be extended from six months to 12, to give officers more time to investigate premises linked to organised crime.
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Crackdown on ‘garish’ signs
- Officials said the Government would also set clearer expectations for the design of shop fronts, to pre-empt complaints about “garish neon signs”.
- It will publish “practical guidance” for councils on how to make town centres more attractive, they said.
The “aim to permit” policy was introduced when Sir Tony Blair’s Labour government, in which Burnham was a minister, liberalised gambling laws in 2005.
Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Seven rules to save your marriage
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
There are things that all mid-life men should know about keeping their hearts healthy.
From eating more purple fruit to avoiding large bowls of pasta, consultant cardiologist Dr Zoe Astroulakis [below] shares her simple lifestyle habits she wishes her patients would take on board.
Positive changes to make
Swap ‘bad’ fats for healthy ones
You don’t need to eat a fat-free diet; the key is to reduce your saturated fat. Reduce your dairy and swap your red meat for lean meat such as chicken and oily fish.
Control your portions
You don’t need more carbohydrates in a meal than you can fit in your hand. Enormous plates of pasta can cause blood sugar spikes, which can lead to health problems.
Positive changes to make
Look for purple
Blueberries, black grapes and aubergines are great for boosting “good” cholesterol.
Have oats
Porridge is one of the healthiest breakfast options because it’s full of soluble fibre.
Stop taking cocaine
It can provoke a massive heart attack, even in younger people who don’t have existing artery problems.
Stay below the alcohol limit
- The NHS guidelines of 14 units per week is still more than 1,000 additional calories.
- The safest level to aim for is zero.
- If you’re drinking, make sure you have some alcohol-free days each week and space it out.
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Positive changes to make
Do cardio too
Don’t only focus on lifting weights. It might make you look toned, but it says nothing about the health of your heart.
Check your levels
You can get free blood pressure checks in many pharmacies or you can buy a monitor for around £30 to use at home.
Avoid night shifts
It disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm and can lead to increased cholesterol.
A sign to look out for
A beer belly is a sign you need to make urgent changes
It’s usually a sign you’re drinking too much. By the time your belly starts to bulge, it’s a sign that you’re consuming excess calories and storing too much fat internally.
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Want a new career but worried it’s too late?
Mid-life is not too late to start again, says experienced recruiter Elizabeth Willetts [below].
Here, Willetts shares the best jobs to switch to during midlife if you want a change – without sacrificing pay.
Changing careers in your fifties
Mid-life career pivots can lead to higher earnings.
7.4%
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, workers aged 45 to 54 who voluntarily pivot jobs see an average wage growth of 7.4 per cent.
3.5%
And those aged 55 to 64 still see a 3.5 per
cent increase.
The AARP Global Employee Survey also found that over half of workers who changed jobs voluntarily experienced improvements in work flexibility and mental health.
So what job options are there?
Virtual assistant
As a virtual assistant your workload will be very varied and it could be anything from tidying inboxes, booking travel, sending invoices or updating spreadsheets.
You can start out earning around £20 to £35 an hour, but it can scale into agency work, launch support or even project management. Some earn very well.
What it involves
You will source, screen and interview candidates to match them with the right job roles.
Who it’s for
You don’t need any qualifications but it’s suited to communicators and commercially-minded people.
The pay
The salary van vary from £25 to £50k, but you can earn around £100k depending on commission.
Jobs to switch to in your fifties
Estate agent
It offers flexible hours and weekend staff can earn £15 per hour.
This form of coaching for businesses could earn around £250 to £1,000 per day.
In the lower end, a sales rep can make £30k and on the higher end £50-60k, plus commission.
Why coaching is a good option
Coaching is incredibly varied and can be anything from career coaching, to confidence and leadership coaching.
- As it is an unregulated industry, you don’t need qualifications but the more reputable option is the International Coaching Federation.
- It’s a great career option for older people because clients genuinely value your wealth of life experience.
- It’s flexible, scalable, and you can start doing it part-time alongside another role.
- It could make you anything from £200 an hour, all the way up to £500 p/h+.
This can be across HR, operations, marketing, finance, people strategy or project management, as it’s varied.
Price on value, not hours – if your advice saves a client £200k, charging £150 an hour undersells what you’re worth.
And sure, it was warm. Normally, a trip back to the UK necessitates the immediate addition of a jumper after exiting Heathrow; this time as we travelled north on the train we sweated in our t-shirts as we whizzed past stubble-cropped fields where the harvest had already long been gathered in, even though it was only mid-July. As we journeyed, we ate ready-made noodles from the buffet car that cost us £8.50 a pop.
So no, not particularly cheap and definitely not cool. But DC, when we left and when we returned, was a sweaty 36°C, with a humidity level that felt like being in a permanent jungle. England’s heat by contrast was dry and enveloping – terrible for the garden but balmy for the soul.
As for the prices – well, the joy of paying the advertised cost of something, without being stung for the tax and a tip on top at the till far outweighed the financial burden. Which really wasn’t that high anyway: when I bought a pancake – a pancake! – for breakfast at an American airport recently it cost me $16.50.
Call them rose-tinted spectacles, but in fact, living away from the UK has made me come to love it even more, in all its messy, contradictory glory.
Some of these glories never even crossed my mind when I lived there myself. Access to the countryside, for example. Sure, it’s arid and barren at the moment. But the joy of just being able to go for a walk! On miles of public footpaths! Through woods and fields and beauty! That simply doesn’t exist in America. There’s no right to roam; yes, there are stunning national parks and other state public lands, but no wandering into the countryside in general.
Taking the dog for a walk is, to my mind, one of the biggest small pleasures there is. Here, you can’t hop into the nearest field, or seek out a river to walk along. (Also, even if someone is just walking around the block to let their dog do its business, they call it a “hike”. The first time I heard someone talking about their recent hike I was impressed – until I realised they’d literally just gone for a Sunday afternoon stroll). You can’t even let your dog off the lead; in DC it’s illegal to do so.
After your walk (not hike) in England, you can then go and find a friendly pub (which will probably let your dog in too, and give it a bowl of water). Beats a sports bar every time. The beer’s better, for a start. Can anything beat an English pub garden at the height of summer? That lazy buzz of conversation; slightly sticky tabletop home to a couple of pints and several torn-apart packets of crisps? You can’t get good crisps in America. Oh how I miss crisps. Honestly, if you’re reading this now, just head to your local Tesco Extra and check out the crisp aisle. A thing of beauty.
As are groceries in general. When we were back, I took a quick trip to the local Co-op to stock up on goods for a few days. Milk, bread, eggs, cheese, pate, crisps (of course), wine, cereal, some cold meat, salad. Fine, it wasn’t quite farmer’s market fare. But everything I bought would – bar the wine, crisps and cereal – have gone off in a few days if we hadn’t eaten them.
When we got back to America after two weeks away, the milk I’d left in the fridge still tasted absolutely fine. There are many things that American supermarkets do well – massive bunches of herbs; excellent condiments; great ice cream – but food that hasn’t been preserved to within an inch of its life is hard to come by. They also still haven’t quite got their heads around sandwiches.
I could go on – about Britain’s understated humour, genuine friendliness (obviously it depends where you are in America, but DC is RUDE), comparatively good driving, general cosiness. People here stop for a chat at the drop of a hat; they appreciate a lazy lie-in followed by a fry-up; they’re not always exhaustingly trying to achieve the next thing (I often feel a bit behind the curve Stateside).
Even the politics are – crazy though it might seem – less mad, despite the fact that Nigel Farage is about to face off a bin in a by-election. Also, we have tabloid newspapers to cock a bit of side-eye and make you laugh – Americans take themselves seriously.
That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy living here, or that I’m not immune to the many joys of American life – air conditioning as standard for one; margaritas on tap in my local sports bar for another. But, dear England, though you may be a bit fraying round the edges, my heart still belongs to you. And wherever I go, you’ll still be home.