At 85, the actor has lived through much political upheaval. But, she writes, today’s hostile times feel like ‘the worst yet’. She reflects on her journey from teenage Tory to full-throated leftist – and says there’s still time to save the nation from the bad guys

A funny thing happened on the way to 2026: I got old and the world turned nasty. It happened very quickly and it’s to do with politics (the world) and pelvic floor weakness (mine). It’s strange being this old. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, it’s a shock to see wrinkles and grey hair, because inside I am still that naughty Oxford High School girl, risking detention just for the joy of entertaining her friends. People assume that with great age comes great wisdom, but actually we remain who we have always been, only more so, and we need to make our peace with that and with each other.

The Britain I grew up in, though – that feels almost unrecognisable, and everyone I speak to says the same thing. The historian Eric Hobsbawm, whom I knew and loved, argued that people invent the past they want for their own purposes – that the real past was quite different: “Today is the great age of historical mythology.” He’s right, but that past is still the safe haven I’d like to return to. People feel adrift, they don’t understand or feel a connection to the place they thought they knew.

North Sea oil, once the driving force of the UK economy, may be dwindling but it remains a symbol of prestige and a rich resource for political debate

When oil was first discovered off the north-east coast of Scotland in September 1969, industry folklore has it that the duty superintendent on the rig carefully poured it into a pickle jar commandeered from the canteen and took it back to Amoco’s Great Yarmouth office in Norfolk. There, it was emptied into an ash tray, sniffed and then set alight.

From that modest start, North Sea oil – as the huge basin of oil and gas reserves quickly became known – emerged as a driving force of the British economy and a symbol of national power and renewal as the UK emerged from the Opec oil crisis.

Friends close to Margarita Reutt are shocked she could allegedly plant bomb that killed Ukrainian defector Robert Shageev, while others recall a stubborn grit to see any plan through

It was just after dawn in Sevastopol when a powerful explosion tore through a quiet square in a residential district of the Russian-occupied Crimean port city.

Hidden inside a rubbish bin, a bomb containing the equivalent of about 500g of TNT detonated on 13 August as Robert Shageev, the deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea fleet submarine brigade, walked past in naval uniform. He was killed on the spot.

I am forever curious as to how these kind of sizzling places feel on a normal Tuesday two months in, especially when the celebrities are all off sunning their bottoms in Tuscany

Café Clement, the all-day restaurant inside Nick Jones’ new St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, opened with a bang in June and immediately rocketed to the top of every “sell your grandmother for a terrace table” list in London. Which isn’t that much of a surprise, seeing as Jones, founder of Soho House, is the master of restaurant rumpus.

Within days, Stanley Tucci, Nick Grimshaw and full-length-trouser-phobic heart-throb Paul Mescal were all there, tucking into oeufs mayonnaise and lobster omelettes while politely ignoring the fact that the place was still, in many ways, a building site. The hotel itself isn’t due to open fully until early autumn, when a rooftop restaurant, Lunette, will also arrive with some of London’s most wondrous views and Florence Knight at the helm. Still, Café Clement opened to frothy praise, and I am forever curious as to how these kind of sizzling places feel on a normal Tuesday two months in, when the celebrities are all off sunning their bottoms in Tuscany and, frankly, lunch is not free.

The idea of being deliberately unproductive is certainly tempting. The only concern is that you might enjoy it too much ...

They know what they’re doing when it comes to kissing, toast and horns, so get ready for a French Sunday. A new theory suggests that embracing this intriguing-sounding strategy might just be the secret to life, and, more importantly, to dreading Monday less.

Apparently in France the Sabbath really is a complete day of rest; not for the French any running of errands, cleaning or batch cooking. Rather than trying to do everything, they do nothing. And the hypothesis is that the French Sunday – or le dimanche français, as nobody is calling it – is transformative, and stamps out the Sunday Scaries for good.

Whether you love a traditional spritz or tend towards a wilder libation, this August there are bubbly and sophisticated drinks to suit every taste

This summer, UK web searches for “Hugo spritz”, an elderflower-flavoured aperitif, overtook searches for “Aperol spritz” for the first time. As the spritz craze shows no sign of slowing down, pub chains are taking wild liberties, calling anything fizzy and served in a large glass over ice a spritz – and charging £10-plus for it. Echo Falls blue raspberry spritz? Pink gin spritz (Slug & Lettuce)? Raspberry vodka and honey spritz (Young’s)? Malibu cranberry spritz (Stonegate)? Mamma mia!

Traditionally, the spritz is an Italian cocktail made from prosecco, a bitter aperitif or liqueur, and a splash of soda water to keep things steady. While Venetian bartenders are more likely to judge it by eye, there is a simple 3-2-1 formula for making a spritz at home: three parts prosecco, two parts liqueur and one part soda water. I’ve gone with 75ml/50ml/25ml – keep the same ratios to make a smaller (60ml/40ml/20ml) or larger (90ml/60ml/30ml) drink. Of course, you can then adjust it to make it stronger or weaker (I have been known to leave out the soda …).

Redcar MP says Teesside community is ‘reeling’ as PM offers condolences and asks public to avoid speculation

Tributes are being paid to two police officers who died on Teesside when a car travelling the wrong way along the A66 crashed head-on into their vehicle, also killing five young men.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the marked armed response vehicle they were in was struck by a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Exclusive: Analysis risks deepening perception of ‘unequal protection under the law’, say campaigners

Killers who take the lives of black people have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes than those who target white people, new research shows.

Analysis of unsolved homicides in London between 2019 to 2023 reveals a stark disparity: minority ethnic British people represented 61.7% of reported homicide victims, but 92.9% of all unsolved murder victims.

Move would allow mayors to greenlight large-scale developments and have more say on national housing funding

Andy Burnham will give mayors new powers to take control of local planning decisions and greenlight large-scale developments in proposals to be presented next week.

The move will allow mayors to “call in” the decisions and direct councils to take them forward or refuse them. They will also be able to grant upfront permission so developers can start building without having to apply.

Incident marks apparent escalation by Tehran in its in retaliation against UK over allowing US to use British bases

Hackers linked to Iran have been blamed for a cyber-attack that caused a British power plant to be temporarily shut down.

The incident involved a small-scale energy generator, according to the UK government and at no point was there there risk to the wider energy system.