by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6EBGX)
Genomics analysis indicates that at least 800,000 years ago breeding individuals sank to as few as 1,300Early human ancestors came close to eradication in a severe evolutionary bottleneck between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, according to scientists.A genomics analysis of more than 3,000 living people suggested that our ancestors' total population plummeted to about 1,280 breeding individuals for about 117,000 years. Scientists believe that an extreme climate event could have led to the bottleneck that came close to wiping out our ancestral line. Continue reading...
Museum-goers to be transported back to 1450BC by odours of oils, resins and beeswax with which noblewoman, Senetnay, embalmedMuseum-goers are to be transported back more than 3,500 years in a sniff after researchers identified and recreated the scent of balms used in the mummification of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman.While mummification may conjure up scenes of bandages and jars, the process was a fragrant affair in which the body and organs were embalmed to preserve them for the afterlife. Continue reading...
Researchers used genetic analysis to identify species that cannot be distinguished by appearance aloneSeven new leaf insect species, known as walking leaves", have been discovered.The insects exhibit a sophisticated twigs and leaf-like" camouflage allowing them to blend into their surroundings without detection, posing a challenge to both predators and researchers. Continue reading...
A rare blue supermoon, the closest full moon of the year, has dazzled stargazers around the world. It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon. If you missed it, it will be a long wait: the next blue supermoon will be in 2037 Continue reading...
Welcome to the world of rugged wellness podcasts and newsletters, fronted by bearded men with very big shouldersThe concept of wellness is a relatively undermined one by now, if not entirely disgraced - thanks to sterling work from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop - regarded by many of us with a healthy (not in the Goop meaning of the word) scepticism. If we would like to be well, we would also like not to be taken for suckers, and new entrants into the field must find an approach that, simultaneously, exploits what remains of audience credulity without triggering our kneejerk distrust. Or, to put it in terms framed so ably by Mr Banks in Mary Poppins, wellness these days has to avoid transmitting the vibe that it is still rooted in slipshod, sugary female thinking".Welcome, then, to the world of rugged wellness podcasts and newsletters, fronted by bearded men with large shoulders and Orson Welles scowls, or bearded men with large shoulders and frank open faces, or just bearded men. The prevalence of facial hair in this space is striking and also, I suspect, linked to a desire among providers to indicate maleness straight out the gate. No aromatherapy candles or vaginal eggs here! Just men, offering muscular insights backed by science - science, not vibes! - and a range of behavioural and therapeutic suggestions that have absolutely nothing in common with weedy self-help but, did I mention it, are rooted in science?Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Linda Geddes; produce on (#6EAW1)
Serving as a two-way electrical superhighway', the vagus nerve - which is actually a pair of nerves - allows for communication between the brain and the heart, lungs and abdominal organs. And because of this, it has been shown to help control things such as the heart rate, breathing, digestion and even immune responses. Now, scientists and health influencers are asking whether stimulating the vagus nerve could transform physical and mental health.Science correspondent Linda Geddes tells Ian Sample about her recent investigation into the hype and science surrounding the vagus nerve, and also whether her own experiment with an allegedly nerve-stimulating device is having any effectClips: TikTok, YouTube Continue reading...
Move in England comes after detection of highly-mutated coronavirus variant that is spreading around the worldHealth officials have brought forward plans for autumn flu and Covid vaccinations after detecting a highly-mutated Covid variant that is spreading around the world.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said vaccinations would be available from 11 September in England as a precautionary measure intended to protect the most vulnerable as the winter months approach. The vaccination programme had not been scheduled to launch until early October. Continue reading...
Differences in technique, speed and risk-taking suggested as reasons for surgery by men leading to more problemsPeople who are operated on by female surgeons are less likely to experience complications and need follow-up care than when males wield the scalpel, according to two major studies that suggest male surgeons have important lessons to learn.Doctors in Canada and Sweden reviewed more than 1m patient records from two separate medical registers and found that patients seen by female surgeons had significantly better outcomes with fewer problems in the months after the operation. Continue reading...
Spot where ancient people scanned the landscape for prey is now farmland near the Devon village of LustleighA stone age viewpoint from which ancient people scanned the landscape for prey has been pinpointed by archaeologists and volunteer helpers on a windswept Devon moor.More than 80 pieces of flint have been recovered during excavations of the spot, which is now farmland near the village of Lustleigh on Dartmoor. Continue reading...
Fungi should be recognised and protected on equal footing with plants and animals, says Fungi FoundationThe word funga" should be used alongside flora and fauna when discussing conservation issues to reflect the importance of fungi to ecosystem health, campaigners have said.The Fungi Foundation said in a post on a social media account of the secretariat of the UN convention on biological diversity (UNCBD) that it was time fungi were recognised and protected on an equal footing with animals and plants in legal conservation frameworks". Continue reading...
US research casts doubt on anecdotal evidence, but suggests drinking may give you courage' to approach attractive peopleIf you thought beauty was in the eye of the beer holder, think again. Scientists have poured cold water - or rather, vodka - on the existence of beer goggles": the idea that alcohol makes other people appear better looking. However, it may arm you with the liquid courage" to approach attractive people, the research suggests.The term beer goggles" is said to have been coined by male North American university students in the 1980s. Yet despite anecdotal evidence for the phenomenon, the link between alcohol intoxication and physical attraction has not been systematically studied. Continue reading...
After a live roundworm was found in the brain of an Australian woman, we take a look at other unusual casesAfter a live roundworm was found in the brain of an Australian woman, we take a look at other unusual cases of parasites turning up unexpectedly and explore how worried we should be. Continue reading...
Images taken in 1845 of Sir John Franklin and his crew on the ill-fated HMS Erebus and Terror - believed lost until recently - are to go under the hammer at Sotheby's in London Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Hibaq Farah, th on (#6E8JR)
Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian's technology reporter Hibaq Farah about Worldcoin, a new cryptocurrency offering users tokens in exchange for a scan of their eyeballs. Farah explains what the motives behind the company are, why they think we all need to become verified humans', and how governments have responded to the projectClips: Worldcoin, DW NewsRead more of Hibaq's reporting here Continue reading...
Newborns suffered less pain during heel-prick blood tests if they heard a Mozart lullaby, researchers reportPlaying music such as a Mozart lullaby to babies may help reduce their suffering during painful procedures, research suggests.Minor medical procedures such as injections or heel-prick blood tests are commonly performed on newborn infants, and while some people have argued that babies' brains are not developed enough for them to really feel pain, recent research has suggested that they experience it much like adults do. Continue reading...
There's lots of fascinating detail in this documentary about Virgin Orbit's attempt to get Britain into the space race. But like the flight itself, it falls shortEither you know what happened when Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit attempted to pull off the first orbital satellite launch from the UK at the beginning of this year, or it passed you by - although if you are watching a documentary about it, you probably have at least a semblance of an idea that Cornwall has not yet become the new Cape Canaveral. A Very British Space Launch follows the four months before the team's attempt to launch a rocket from Newquay in January.For the most part, it has the same corporate documentary jauntiness that usually accompanies Channel 4's brand-centred shows. It feels like an episode of the 90s documentary Airport, right down to its joker of a manager, an upbeat chap called Steve - although, as this is an aerodrome spaceport, there is a lot more money at stake. Perhaps the makers were hoping it would be called The Great British Space Launch; unfortunately, real life intervened. Continue reading...
Woman complained of forgetfulness and depression before doctors pulled out an 8cm roundworm normally found in pythonsIt was a fairly regular day on the ward for Canberra hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, until a neurosurgeon colleague called him and said: Oh my god, you wouldn't believe what I just found in this lady's brain - and it's alive and wriggling."The neurosurgeon, Dr Hari Priya Bandi, had pulled an 8cm-long parasitic roundworm from her patient, prompting her to call on Senanayake and other hospital colleagues for advice about what to do next. Continue reading...
From tedious blind dates to dud clinical trials, the right kind of failure always helpsYou've probably heard the cheerful quotes: Winston Churchill, with his success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm", or CS Lewis, who wrote failures are finger posts on the road to achievement". What about Billie Jean King, who enthused losing a tennis match isn't failure, it's research"? Maybe you find yourself thinking, Sure. Easy to say when you're famous and successful."For most people, failure is pretty simple: it's bad, even shameful. Life is going well if you're not experiencing failures, and we think that avoiding failure is obviously the right goal. We worry about what it says about us when we get something wrong (we're not good enough!). The social stigma of failure exacerbates that spontaneous reaction. Continue reading...
The DeepMind co-founder calls for the containment' of new technology in a heartfelt and candid exploration of what the future may hold for usWhat is it with wave metaphors? Technological determinists - people who believe that technology drives history - love them. Think of Alvin Toffler, who saw the history of civilisation as a succession of three such waves (agricultural, industrial and post-industrial). The idea is of immense power, unstoppable, moving inexorably towards us as we cower before its immensity, much as the dinosaurs must have done when they saw the mile-high tsunami heading in their direction.Mustafa Suleyman says he is not a determinist, but at times he sounds awfully like one. At its heart," he writes at one point, technology emerges to fill human needs. If people have powerful reasons to build and use it, it will get built and used. Yet in most discussions of technology people still get stuck on what it is, forgetting why it was created in the first place. This is not about some innate techno-determinism. This is about what it means to be human." Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6E7M7)
Small trial of Bemdaneprocel, which aims to replace dopamine-producing neurons, raises hope for treatmentScientists have reported early success in a trial of an experimental cell therapy for Parkinson's disease, raising hope for patients.Bemdaneprocel therapy is at an early stage, and the year-long trial involved just 12 patients, but the positive outcome is viewed as significant after decades of setbacks in the hunt for an effective treatment. Developed by BlueRock therapeutics, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Bayer, it was shown to be safe and the data gave a tantalising suggestion that patients may have benefited. Continue reading...
Beyond the Light, an exhibition developed in a collaboration between the Artechouse gallery in New York and Nasa, explores the universe through immersive technology-driven art. It includes newly analysed data from the James Webb space telescope Continue reading...
Exclusive: Bees may be source of pollen near remains but evidence still suggests bodies were buried with careBuried in a partial foetal position and surrounded by flower pollen, the discovery of Shanidar 4 - a Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in 1960 - prompted a dramatic reappraisal of our ancient cousins.Far from being brutish thugs, the Shanidar flower burial, as it became known, painted a picture of Neanderthals as empathic beings who cared enough for their dead to scour the mountains for funeral bouquets. Now, fresh evidence suggests this interpretation may have been incorrect - although Neanderthals may still have had strong funerary rituals. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The country's lunar landing was a triumph. This is how it quietly built a successful mission Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Last week India became the fourth ever country to land a spacecraft on the moon, and the first to touch down successfully near its south pole. It was hailed as a success for budget" missions, with the project costing 60m, less than half of the 131m it cost Christopher Nolan to make his 2014 space epic, Interstellar. Continue reading...
Earlier detection means more successful treatment - but also a drain on resources for an already creaking health serviceThis month, it was reported that England's existing screening programme for bowel cancer for 60 to 74-year-olds had prevented 20,000 cases of bowel cancer over the past 10 years. This comes amid an ongoing effort in England to extend bowel cancer screening to those aged between 50 and 59. And in June, the NHS national director for cancer welcomed a new blood test currently being trialled in the UK that can detect 50 types of the disease.More cancer screening seems like unqualified good news: generally, the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the higher the chance of successful treatment. However, there are harms that come with screening, too, both for people being screened and for the NHS as a whole that should be mitigated against. I am certainly not discouraging people from taking up screening offers, but expansion of screening programmes must come with concrete plans about delivery. This requires extra NHS fundingand capacity. Continue reading...
Lunar spectacle also qualifies as a blue moon by some definitionsThe second full moon of the month occurs this week. The first took place on 1 August, but this second coming will grace the skies on 31 August.Because it is the second full supermoon in the month, it is also called a blue moon - although definitions for blue moons vary. The above definition is known as a monthly blue moon but some prefer what is known as a seasonal blue moon. This is the third full moon in a season that contains four full moons - so the blue moon may not be the second of the month. Continue reading...
Research presented to annual meeting of European Society of Cardiology prompts calls for actionUltra-processed food significantly raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, according to two studies that one expert says should serve as a wake-up call for governments worldwide.Global consumption of heavily processed items such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food has soared in recent years. In the UK and US, well over half the average diet now consists of ultra-processed food (UPF). For some, especially people who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPF is typical. Continue reading...
by Andrew Gregory Health editor in Amsterdam on (#6E7AR)
Unique research shows cardiovascular gains recorded in patients who were shown TV comedyThe old adage that laughter is the best medicine" may contain an element of truth when it comes to heart health.A study has demonstrated that having a chuckle causes the tissue inside the heart to expand - and increases oxygen flow around the body. Continue reading...
The success of Chandrayaan-3 goes well beyond providing images from the moon's south poleI let out an involuntary whoop when it landed," my friend Shivansh told me. He was travelling on London Underground at the time. Everyone on the tube was staring at me."Shivansh is just one of millions of Indians all over the world who are celebrating the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission. Indians even broke YouTube's record for livestreams, with more than 8 million people staying glued to their screens last Wednesday, as the spacecraft edged close to the lunar surface. The excitement is understandable, especially considering the fact that just four years ago, the preceding Chandrayaan lander crashed into the moon after a software glitch. Continue reading...
In sniping at failures' on Covid, the former MI6 chief is reinforcing a false messageThe former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove is no stranger to the intricacies of intelligence. But it was his comments about intelligence of the artificial kind, and about science, on the One Decision Podcast, which he co-hosts, that generated a flurry of interest last week. Reacting to grave warnings from some scientists over potential dangers of AI, Dearlove professed scepticism, reasoning that such dire predictions cannot be taken overly seriously given the failures of scientists on Covid. Such comments betray a common and insidious confusion over what science is and how it should be interpreted, and risk emboldening scientific denialists.Part of the error stems from a mistaken conflation of science" and scientist". Science is not an arcane collection of dogma but an active and systematic method of inquiry. Science pivots on making testable predictions, which are updated as new findings emerge, to reflect the totality of evidence. Scientific positions are always transient, subject to revision when stronger evidence emerges. All scientific knowledge is provisional, therefore scientific advice is prone to change and can evolve at dizzying speeds during periods of intense discovery. Continue reading...
Ethical questions - not least, about risks to the donors - have been ignored in the excited coverage of this British medical breakthroughGood news stories can feel few and far between these days. The pace of progress means they are often medical; there's always new life-saving and life-changing treatments on the horizon.Perhaps that explains the breathy excitement with which the UK's first womb transplant was reported last week - transferred from an older sister who has had children to a younger sister with a rare condition that means she could not otherwise carry a pregnancy. Articles were packed with quotes from doctors heralding this as a profound development, the dawn of a new age", according to the chair of the British Fertility Society.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...
Fifty years after the UK sent its first satellite into space, a Scottish town is among rivals vying for another shotA large band of battered metal has been placed on a stand at the entrance of Skyrora's rocket manufacturing hall in Cumbernauld in central Scotland. Six feet in diameter, the loop is perforated, torn and twisted, a result of being blasted into space and then dropped on to the Australian outback where it has lain for almost 50 years until its recent recovery.The ring is part of the remains of Britain's only satellite launch, which took place on 28 October 1971 when a Black Arrow rocket placed a Prospero probe into orbit round the Earth. The programme was cancelled the same year. Continue reading...
My wife wanted to plan a week of dinners but I preferred to leave room for disorder. Mathematical thinking helped us combine our different approaches to lifeIn the black and white yin-yang symbol of Chinese philosophy, the yin represents disorder and the feminine, while the yang represents order and the masculine. In my married life the gender stereotype is reversed. My wife is order and I am chaos. She wants to plan what we are having for dinner every night for the coming week. I feel there isn't much point thinking about it, because what if we want to take the kids swimming one evening or meet up with friends?"Our differing approaches have led to a few animated discussions (to say the least) and it was after one of these that I started to think about chaos theory: the mathematical theory behind the parable of the butterfly and the storm that gives rise to the so-called butterfly effect - the idea that the flap of the wing of a butterfly in the Amazon can set off the atmospheric events that lead to a storm off the coast of Texas weeks later. Perhaps, I thought, I can prove that planning is pointless. That disorder is inevitable and we might as well accept our lack of control. Continue reading...
Large new study using UK Biobank data shows even a small reduction in salt intake can be beneficialCutting out salt from meals can slash your risk of heart problems and strokes by almost a fifth, the largest study of its kind suggests.Research has documented how adding salt to food increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Now experts have established just how big a difference you could make to your heart health - simply by reducing the number of meals to which you add salt or by ditching it altogether. Continue reading...
SpaceX has successfully launched its Dragon spacecraft with four crew members onboard from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The international crew includes the Nasa astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, the European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and the Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. The launch of Crew-7, as the mission is called, was originally scheduled for Thursday but was halted by Nasa and SpaceX to deal with lingering issues, according to officials. The spacecraft is due to reach the International Space Station on Sunday
The science reporter reveals the astonishing truth behind the stories in her new book, The Six, which follows the first women inducted into Nasa's astronaut programme in 1978Your parents both worked on the space shuttle programme for decades, and you have gone on to write about Sally Ride, Anna Fisher, Judy Resnik, Shannon Lucid, Rhea Seddon and Kathy Sullivan - the first six American female astronauts. Were you always interested in space?
On the ISS, astronauts from Russia and the west share a craft the size of a large family home. So what happened when Moscow started a conflict 250 miles below on Earth?One evening in January 2015, Terry Virts, a Nasa astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS), decided to pop over to the Russian quarters, catch up with his Russian colleagues and check out the view. For views, nothing beats the space station. From this orbiting perch approximately 250 miles (400km) above the Earth, scores of astronauts have waxed lyrical about the beauty of our planet: its mesmerising, fast-motion sunrises and sunsets, its brilliant colours and startling fragility.As a 47-year-old former space shuttle pilot, then on his second visit to the space station, Virts had experienced all of this himself and would do so many times again. But this night would be different. Continue reading...
by Presented by Savannah Ayoade-Greaves, written by L on (#6E652)
The Weekend team are taking a break. So this week, we're looking back at some of our favourite pieces of the year.Elle Hunt reveals the incredible story of one man's struggle to rebuild his life after being struck by lightning (1m35s); Amelia Dimoldenberg recounts her journey from the Chicken Shop to Vanity Fair's Oscars party (16m32s); and Chloe Hamilton describes navigating the heartbreak of fertility - shoulder to shoulder with her twin sister (33m56s). Continue reading...
by Andrew Gregory Health editor in Amsterdam on (#6E60N)
Stanford study shows that people with the common sleep disorder are also five times more likely to develop atrial fibrillationSnoring loudly and feeling tired even after a full night's sleep could leave people at an increased risk of a stroke, a study has shown.Hundreds of millions of people globally have sleep apnoea, a disorder with symptoms including stopping and starting breathing, making snorting noises, waking up a lot and loud snoring. Many have the condition but are undiagnosed. Continue reading...
This record of our existence is now gliding through space, way beyond our solar system - we may as well forget about it, writes Antony BarlowJoel Snape's article (Super-intelligent aliens are going to destroy humanity? Whatever, 23 August) raises the possibility of malevolent aliens.The great Carl Sagan posited that if alien life did exist and came to visit Earth, they would almost certainly be friendly, because based on our own destructive course, which is more than likely to end in our extinction, it is likely that the aliens would have survived having discovered the art of coexistence. Continue reading...
Linda Geddes' article on the body's vagus nerve reminded Prof Jack Price of a strange - but inadvisable - tactic to exploit itI very much enjoyed Linda Geddes' article on the vagus nerve (The key to depression, obesity, alcoholism - and more? Why the vagus nerve is so exciting to scientists, 23 August). It is, as she says, a nerve of marvellously diverse function, as we've known for some time. The auricular branch of the vagus, which, as Geddes notes, innervates the ear, used to be known as the alderman's nerve. Apparently, civic officials, overstuffed at state banquets yet still desiring dessert, were known to squirt cold water into an ear in the hope of stimulating gastric emptying, and making space for more.In my day, junior doctors were warned against syringing the ears of elderly patients with cold water for fear of stopping their hearts. But now a digital device attaches to your ear rather than cold water. Progress indeed.
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6E5HM)
Women were given chapatis containing radioactive isotopes as part of trial into iron deficiencyThe Coventry MP Taiwo Owatemi has called for a statutory inquiry into medical research in the 1960s on south Asian women in the city, who were given chapatis containing radioactive isotopes.A total of 21 Indian-origin women, identified through a Coventry GP, were given the bread containing Iron-59 (an iron isotope with a gamma-beta emitter) as part of a research trial in 1969 into iron deficiency in the south Asian population. Continue reading...
India released footage of its lunar rover rolling down a ramp on to the moon's surface after it made history by being the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole. The solar-powered rover will spend two weeks roaming the rocks and boulders and will run a series of experiments to help scientists understand the geology of the moon, find out if there are traces of water and carry out chemical analysis
by Andrew Gregory Health editor in Amsterdam on (#6E5DQ)
Semaglutide injections trigger very large improvements' in patients with hearts too stiff to fill properlyWeight-loss jabs can reverse the symptoms of heart failure, according to a global trial that experts say could revolutionise treatment.Heart failure is one of the world's fastest growing health threats. About 65 million people have the condition, with cases soaring in recent years. However, few treatment options are available. Continue reading...
Researchers say their pyramid-shaped pear tree structures could help certain marine habitats recoverReefs made from sunken trees can help restore biodiversity in degraded marine habitats, scientists have found.It is estimated that coral reefs support about 25% of all marine life. They provide housing, food and areas to spawn for millions of marine species and are the backbone of maintaining the aquatic life cycle. Continue reading...
Delay joining the Horizon Europe programme making it more difficult to attract and retain the brightest scientistsTop young cancer researchers are leaving the UK in a brain drain" fuelled by the continuing failure to reach an agreement over the EU's study programme, scientists warn.The two-and-a-half-year delay in joining the 85bn Horizon Europe scheme, the largest collaborative research programme in the world, has damaged the UK's reputation" and made it more difficult to attract and retain the brightest researchers into the nation's labs. Continue reading...
Predictive tool significantly outperforms' others available and could help avert about 40% of casesScientists have identified 11 risk factors for dementia and used them to develop a tool that can predict whether someone will develop the condition in the next 14 years.The number of people living with dementia globally is forecast to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, and experts have said that it presents a rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems. But targeting key risk factors, several of which involve lifestyle, could avert about 40% of cases. Continue reading...
The party had 407,445 members at the end of 2022, down almost 25,000 compared with 2021, annual accounts show. This live blog is closedAlbania was the country providing most asylum applications in the year ending in June 2023, the Home Office figures show.As PA Media reports, there were 11,790 applications by Albanian nationals in that 12-month period, 7,557 of which came from arrivals on boats crossing the English Channel. PA says:The number of Albanian small boat arrivals peaked during the summer of 2022 and by early 2023 had dropped below levels seen in 2021.Afghans were the second most common nationality applying for asylum in the year to June 2023, with 9,964 applications, almost double the number in the previous 12 months (5,154).These new statistics set out in stark terms the complete chaos the Tories have created in the immigration and asylum system.The asylum backlog has reached a new record high, with 175,000 people now waiting for decisions. Only one per cent of last year's 45,000 small boats cases have received a decision and the number of failed asylum seekers being returned is also down a whopping 70 per cent since 2010. This is a disastrous record for the prime minister and home secretary. Continue reading...