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Monday July 26 2021

 
 

By Chris Evans,
EDITOR

Dear Reader,

Adam Peaty won Team GB’s first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics in the early hours of this morning. More than just a single medal, his performance was a reminder that the country has in Peaty a generational talent. In this fascinating long read, Jeremy Wilson hears from the man himself and the key figures behind Peaty’s rise as he explores how the swimmer has become perhaps Britain’s most dominant athlete ever.

(With three gold medals, today is already a golden day for Team GB. For daily updates from Tokyo 2020, sign up to our free Olympics Briefing newsletter.)

Vaccine passports have been the on-again, off-again story of Britain’s pandemic. With similar efforts in France leading to a surge in vaccination bookings, ministers have decided that they will be used in the UK. In his column, Tim Stanley argues that the passports are simply the latest effort in a troubling redefinition of what it means to be a good citizen and the abandonment of our freedoms.

How to mend social care is a problem that has bedevilled prime ministers for over a decade. Boris Johnson hopes to have found a solution, but it’s likely to involve a 10 billion rise in National Insurance Contributions. The politics of such a move, given the burden it places on the young, are very difficult, but can the PM find a way out? Harry Yorke reports on why ministers think ending the pensions triple lock could be the answer.

Fifty years ago, the Rolling Stones would hardly have seemed likely candidates to still be performing in the 21st century, let alone with the same vigour, yet last week the band announced that they would resume their unfinished tour this year. Guy Kelly takes a look at the techniques that have kept the group going, despite a combined age of 308.

Chris

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My Choices

Adam Peaty

Unleashing 'the Beast': how Adam Peaty's second Olympic gold medal cements his position as the most dominant sportsperson in Great Britain today – and perhaps ever.

Vaccine passport

"Vaccine passports are a step on the road to Hell," says Tim Stanley. We may criticise China for its social credit system, but we too are on the way to big state surveillance.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak

No 10 and the Treasury have held talks about suspending the guarantee on pension increases alongside raising NI contributions amid concern over fairness to the young.

 
Illustration of house, sat in the palm of a hand and filled with sold signs

Bubble trouble brewing in the housing market. With property prices around the world now growing by double digits, how big a risk are central banks running? (Free to read)

Sarah, Duchess of York

The Duchess of York: "I am proud of my failings". At 61, "Fergie" has made peace with her past. In an exclusive interview, she discusses the Sussexes and supporting Prince Andrew.

Rolling Stones

Yoga, Keto, and sobriety: How the Stones keep rolling – at the combined age of 308. After a lifetime of hell-raising, they are back on tour. What do they know that we don't? (Free to read)

 
 

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