Alice Thomson

Gangs raped ‘lost’ girls because no one cared The grooming inquiry must examine how we can prevent marginalised young women falling prey to disgusting abusers

Britain let predators abuse thousands of girls—because they were poor, vulnerable, and "trouble." Race was part of it. But class, misogyny, and institutional cowardice were just as deadly. My column. #Rotherham #CaseyReport

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Tristram Hunt: the man who opened the V&A’s Aladdin’s cave He quit politics when his constituency voted to leave Europe. Now the V&A’s director is engaged in a different culture war. By Alice Thomson

The V&A’s spectacular new outpost is part museum, part IKEA warehouse, part Generation Game. Tristram Hunt takes me round his Aladdin’s cave and tells me about using forklifts to democratise design #VAEast

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With every tax, Rachel Reeves does more damage The needy are priced out of a job, millionaires have fled abroad and private pupils are filling up struggling state schools

Reeves' tax hikes aim to fund fairness - but the unintended fallout is hitting jobs and growth. Policy goals don't mean much if the outcomes undermine them. #UKEconomy #TaxPolicy

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Abuse claims and rape culture identified at 1,600 primary schools After five years of challenging misogyny and sexual offending at secondary school, the charity Everyone’s Invited realised the problems are starting even younger

Child on child sexual abuse is starting at primary school. By thirteen, Soma Sara of Everyone's Invited tells me, it's too late to start educating children about how to behave with each other.

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Christo Grozev: how I became Putin’s public enemy No 1 Christo Grozev is the journalist who tracked down Alexei Navalny’s poisoners and identified the Salisbury agents. How does he get results when intelligence agencies fail?

He's the journalist who tracked down Alexei Navalny's poisoners, identified the Salisbury agents and exposed the spies convicted in the UK this month. Christo Grozev tells me how he became Putin's public enemy No.1.

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Motability scheme takes taxpayers for a ride The biggest benefits scam of all is brand new, top of the range cars, taxed, MoT’d and insured, for the not-so-disabled

The disabled desperately need help to make their lives not merely bearable but fulfilling. What they don’t need is their neighbours gaming the system to put a gleaming new BMW in the driveway. My column on Motability.

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Demystify the workplace for anxious Gen Z Unhappy and jobless young people need work experience and careers advice if they are to escape the benefits trap

We're proud to be highlighted by @alicettimes.bsky.social emphasising the critical need for #WorkExperience and #CareersAdvice to improve youth employment. Our work demystifies the workplace, helping young people gain the confidence and skills to pursue their career aspirations. bit.ly/3DDNqTZ

Demystify the workplace for anxious Gen Z Unhappy and jobless young people need work experience and careers advice if they are to escape the benefits trap

What we must do to save Gen Z from a world of carrot chopping ASMR videos. My column.

bit.ly/3DDNqTZ

Britain’s most historic trees From Newton’s apple tree to the oldest yew in the country, Alice Thomson celebrates the nation’s most iconic species. Plus: 13 of the UK’s most extraordinary trees

If you need a break from politics and war may I recommend this beautiful piece on British trees by @alicettimes.bsky.social - good for the soul.

More sex, please, it will save us from porn The Oscar success of Anora has challenged Hollywood prudes and can restore healthier attitudes than what is pushed online

Why Anora is the antidote to violent, degrading, porn. My column.

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Museums take note: we’re tired of colonial guilt Our great collections have become the battleground for culture wars — too much handwringing will drive visitors away

'A lot of political engagement with culture these days is a bit scoldy, a bit fingerwaggy'. Grayson Perry joined me Tom Holland, Margaret Casely-Hayford, and Simon Sebag Montefiore for the Times British Museum debate. Listen tonight at 7pm on @listentotimesradio.bsky.social

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‘It breaks my heart’: Tory peer on the damage done by violent porn Baroness Bertin, Lord Cameron’s former press officer, is determined to curb online content that degrades women and, she fears, rewires young people’s brains

'There is no safe way to strangle someone'. Baroness Bertin tells me why she wants to ban abusive, harmful, violent pornography.

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Alternative to prison isn’t just better, it’s cheaper Everyone in the justice system knows that incarceration is expensive and ineffective but the lock ’em up mindset rules

Powerful piece by @alicettimes.bsky.social in @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

The future depends on Gen Z connecting ‘Loneliest generation’ need our help escaping the strictures, some of them self-imposed, that make love so elusive

As a parent of Gen Z, this @alicettimes.bsky.social really resonates. We thought technology would bond young people closer together but, in so many unanticipated ways, it has often done the opposite
www.thetimes.com/article/92b3...

Surrogacy needs scrutiny, but don’t ban it While carrying another woman’s baby can raise moral and ethical qualms, with proper vetting it fulfils a vital need

Excel piece surrogacy @alicettimes.bsky.social tinyurl.com/y8bsx334. Friend suffered gruelling cancer treatment & unable to have own child. Generous, altruistic surrogate offered opport to have own baby. Can't deny women chance to have family, need to ensure UK surrogacy isn't banned & clarify laws

Calls for unit to tackle violence-obsessed ‘loners’ like Axel Rudakubana Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, is dubious about extending the definition of extremism and suggests setting up a unit

New policing unit is needed to monitor “lonely” and “autistic” boys obsessed with violence , independent reviewer of terrorism legislation told @thetimes.com Crime and Justice Commission @mattdathan.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

Bill Gates: Trump, Musk and how my neurodiversity made me He frequently failed at school, so how did the ‘weirdo’ teenager Bill Gates go on to found Microsoft and become a billionaire by 31? He talks about his memoir, Source Code — and what happened when he ...

He frequently failed at school, so how did the ‘weirdo’ teenager #BillGates go on to found #Microsoft and become a billionaire by 31?

He talks to @alicettimes.bsky.social about his memoir, #SourceCode.

✅ Bill Gates: Trump, Musk and how my neurodiversity made me
www.thetimes.com/life-style/c...

Bill Gates: Trump, Musk and how my neurodiversity made me He frequently failed at school, so how did the ‘weirdo’ teenager Bill Gates go on to found Microsoft and become a billionaire by 31? He talks about his memoir, Source Code — and what happened when he ...

Bill Gates tell me about being different at school and the day his best friend died.

bit.ly/3Eb2AA9

The RFK diet is just what America needs He may be dangerously misguided about vaccines but Trump’s chosen health chief could turn the tide on obesity

The Diet Coke button may be back on the Oval Office desk, but Trump, RFK and the crunchy mum alliance could be preparing to tackle America’s obesity crisis. My column.

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Cancel culture on campus: ‘Most of us are terrified’ The tragic death of ‘cancelled’ Oxford student Alexander Rogers made headlines earlier this month. But undergraduates at some universities are not surprised. Alice Thomson finds out what’s really goin...

University cancel culture—a pervasive issue for higher education—is eroding liberal values

Many students are terrified of having their university experience ruined because of one slip-up or allegation

Incisive piece by @alicettimes.bsky.social
@thetimes.com

www.thetimes.com/life-style/s...

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What the US ambassador saw (and what she thinks of Trump and Biden) Jane Hartley has had a unique perspective on the turbulence on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years. She reveals what she loves about the UK — and why Netflix’s The Diplomat is categorically not...

'I’ve served at the White House and as ambassador in Paris, but I’m in love with London...The Brits are witty and smart...kind and decent'. Jane Hartley, outgoing US Ambassador, tells me why she may hide in the basement rather than go home.

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Column to make you quail if you have Gen Z kids…and angry, if you want them to have a chance to roam in Europe.

Gen Z deserve chance to try luck in Europe They struggle to find decent jobs and are in a ‘relationship recession’ — let’s at least give them freedom to work abroad

Why we need reciprocal youth visas with the EU. My column.

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Been waiting till I had time to listen to this podcast.
This is a harrowing tale of grooming, child exploitation, fine journalism and a chasm in our system which allowed these rapists to act without fear for decades.

25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: Vote now – Awards.WhatsOnStage.com Voting is now open for the 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards You can find out who wins live at the event on 9 February 2025 - tickets are still on sale now. *You can read our privacy policy here.

Hello, I put my heart & soul into revisiting my childhood & conjuring it as the play Maggie & Me with a team of very talented people via @ntsonline.bsky.social lead by @subadasdirects.bsky.social Our ⭐️ sound & set designers are up for awards! Pls vote: awards.whatsonstage.com/25th-annual-...

Elon Musk’s claims about grooming have reignited the sex grooming scandal this week.

Our former chief investigative reporter, Andrew Norfolk, first revealed the abuse in 2011 and spent years uncovering the investigation ⬇️

🔓 This story is free to read

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

How a handful of X accounts took Elon Musk ‘down the rabbit hole’ on UK politics Tech billionaire’s posts about grooming gangs scandal have elevated issue

Fascinating piece on whether Musk is being radicalised by his own algorithm, rather than the other way round www.ft.com/content/8e91...

What’s eating Elon Musk? Why he’s fired up about the UK He once said he kept out of politics, now he rages against the British government. Helen Rumbelow reports

The brutalising effect of growing up in violent apartheid South Africa has taken its toll on present day Elon Musk

Once again, no one talks about the girls While politicians squabble with Elon Musk for the moral high ground on grooming gangs, the victims are forgotten

Nazir Afzal, “It’s scandalous no one is mentioning the victims. Some have rung me up in tears, they are so traumatised. It reminds them of how little they meant. They are still suffering from our neglect and struggling to cope.”

www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

@alicettimes.bsky.social

Once again, no one talks about the girls While politicians squabble with Elon Musk for the moral high ground on grooming gangs, the victims are forgotten

Once again, no one is talking about the girls. My column.

bit.ly/40pWFzR