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4 September 2024

This England: Too fast, too furious

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

A cycling race has been shortened and rerouted due to Wales’s 20mph speed limit in parts of the country, organisers have said. Three of the five stages of the Junior Tour of Wales, which starts on Friday, have been changed as support vehicles would not be able to keep up with the riders without speeding. The race’s finish has also been moved from Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire, the home of three-time Olympic cycling medallist Emma Finucane. The Welsh government said it had worked with organisers to make sure the race could go ahead safely.
Wales Online (Nigel Huddleston)

To exit or not to exit?

Drivers have been left baffled over a confusing sign at a Pitlochry car park in Scotland. “No extry” has been painted at the entrance – or exit – of the Perthshire town car park. A spokesperson said: “We apologise for any confusion this error at the Rie-Achan Road car park in Pitlochry may have caused, and be assured we will look at what went wrong here. Our team will be on this faster than you can say ‘spellcheck’ and the paintwork will be corrected this week.”
The Courier (Kate McIntosh)

Rolling in it

George Young said it was “pretty cool” to be crowned world gravy wrestling champion at the Rose ’n’ Bowl pub in Rossendale, Lancashire. Young, 18, won a trophy and £100 by grappling with rivals in a pool of gravy over two minutes. The contest raised money for the East Lancashire Hospice.
The Argus (David Lamming)

[See also: Labour’s battle for Britain]

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This article appears in the 04 Sep 2024 issue of the New Statesman, Starmer under fire