Olympic hero Sir Mo Farah’s revelations that he was an illegal immigrant smuggled into Britain aged nine by traffickers to work as a servant is jaw-dropping.
If we thought we knew everything about this exceptional track athlete, then we were wrong.
Now we know that Mo Farah isn’t even his real name, let us hope this true champion finds peace of mind in being open about a start in life that makes his achievements – including four Olympic golds – even more incredible.
But there is also a message here about how we should treat with great compassion those migrants in our country who didn’t tell the full truth yet enrich our nation greatly.
And in an era when Conservatives want to deport some with one-way tickets to Rwanda, we must recognise that embracing folk is better than fearing and mistreating them.
Slacker Shapps
With train drivers striking over pay on eight major routes, Transport Secretary and Tory leadership contender Grant Shapps should be rolling up his sleeves to do his day job.
Yet his inaction illustrates how the Conservative Government is a key part of the problem in the cost of living crisis, as squeezed workers take action to defend their living standards.
Train drivers are highly skilled key workers doing a vital job and, yes, relatively well paid.
Shapps should pull out all the stops to seek a settlement and avoid cancellations.
He holds the purse strings in a privatised industry where companies and their Fat Controllers do very well.
Expecting workers to swallow lower living standards is asking for trouble.
H elter-swelter
If you think it is warm now then slap on the sun block, buy a hat and fill the fridge with cooling drinks.
Britain hitting a record 40C – hotter than the Sahara Desert – will be a moment to sit in the shade and worry about a climate emergency changing the planet.
