CITY VIEW

on their national day, especially in these circumstances,” said the economist, who in a no doubt unrelated turn of events was also a non-executive director of a Russian oil company between 2016 and 2021. He was joined at the party by Lord Balfe, a former

MEP, who described Ukraine as a “mess of a country… knocked together by Churchill and Stalin towards the end of World War Two”. This will no doubt be a surprise both to Ukrainians and to the many Russians in the Kremlin who trace modern Russian identity to –you guessed it –Ukraine, and the Kyivan Rus. These useful idiots are harmless enough on their own. But it does rather make one question the continued value of the House of

Lords, now the second-largest legislative chamber in the world, pipped to the post by the Chinese National People’s Congress. Is the House of Lords, at this point, fit for purpose? There are reams of smart, intelligent people on the red benches, active in our democracy and — generally — improving the quality of legislation, and preventing the government of the day from overstepping. That is not measured purely by experience or age; some

NEVER FORGET WATERLOO! Reenactors take part during the Battle of Waterloo reenactment in Waterloo, Belgium. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars former aides of the Cameron and May era have proven themselves to be of great value to our democracy in the Lord’s. But it is hard to see that a body that can encompass Skidelsky, Balfe, and the collection of inexperienced advisers and largely unimpressive MPs recently ennobled should be immune from some kind of reform. Unfortunately, with political attention elsewhere, we are likely stuck with the lot of them for a while yet.

What The Other Papers Say This Morning

The Telegraph

Quantum Computer Makes Breakthrough

Google has developed a quantum computer that instantly makes calculations that would take the best existing supercomputers 47 years, in a breakthrough meant to establish beyond doubt that the experimental machine can outperform its rivals.

THE TIMES SPOTIFY COUNTING COST OF BILLION DOLLAR FLOPS

Spotify has spent a total of $1bn signing up exclusive rights to podcasts, including one that featured Joe Rogan, but the project has not been a universal success. Last month, the company made big cuts in its podcasting division and cut 200 jobs.

The Guardian Almost All Top British Restaurants Now Charge For No Shows

A study by the Observer has shown that more than 90 of the top 100 restaurants in the UK charge for “no-shows” (where a customer does not turn up) or for late cancellations. A cancellation fee can be as far in advance as two weeks ahead.