thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--Jan Mustafa: Sister Of Murdered Mum Remembers A Talented Dancer Who Doted On Her Family

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Even with her hood and collar pulled up, the pouring rain had soaked her through. Mel Mustafa stayed where she was, marking the hours and keeping watch.
The downpour had sent most people hurrying for cover, so the Cardiff food market her bench looked out on was nearly deserted. Yet Mel kept up her vigil, scrutinising every figure who passed, desperate for a glimpse of her missing sister.
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They had both suffered numerous rib fractures while Henriett had sustained “dreadful” head injuries and Jan’s sternum and larynx had been fractured. The victims had been subjected to “very significant violence” and suffered injuries consistent with kicking or stamping.
Jan Mustafa's remains were found in a freezer in Canning Town last year. She had been missing for almost 12 months Supplied
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For Mel, the discovery of her sister’s body brought to an end a year of dedicated searching, a search the Turkish family feels was driven entirely by their own efforts. A vivacious and spirited individual, Jan had fallen on hard times and was using drugs at the time of her disappearance.
Mel told HuffPost UK: “When I first rang the police, they asked if she was a drug user. I said: ‘Yes’. I told them where she had last been seen, I asked them: ‘Please can you get the CCTV?’ and they didn’t take any interest in it. She was a medium priority, she was never a high priority because of her drug use.”
Henriett Szucs (left) and Jan Mustafa were both murdered by Zahid Younis PA
Mel had rushed to Cardiff after being tipped off by a stall holder at the market who had spotted the family’s posters about Jan. The contact was able to take a short video of the woman they believed was Jan and sent it to them.
“The girl was the spitting image of Jan. She looked so like her and she was going by the name Mary. It was so much like Jan, even the way she was standing,” Mel explains.
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“When I got to Cardiff I sat outside in the rain. It was pouring, for hours. I sat there just to see if this girl would come back. She didn’t turn up though. I rang the police and missing persons unit, explained exactly where I was, all of the shops that were around me, I begged them, please, do what you can, check the cameras. They said they’d call me back so I waited there, but no one did. The next day I called again to ask if there was any news and they said they hadn’t been able to reach any footage.
“I even walked to a nearby shopping centre that had its own CCTV, went to the office and asked them for the footage and they said they couldn’t get it because the cameras weren’t working.”
For the year that Jan remained missing, Mel and their cousin Ayse Hussein found themselves travelling the country, even as far as Edinburgh, responding to alleged sightings of Jan. One such call saw Ayse – unable to find last minute childcare – forced to bundle her daughter onto a train at 10pm in a race to get to Victoria Station, where someone claimed to have seen Jan begging. It wasn’t her.
Relatives of Jan outside court after Younis was jailed, including her cousin Ayse Hussein and sister Mel Mustafa in the foreground PA
Mel’s searches took her to forests, brothels, alleyways and drug dens, where she would have to carefully pick her way across floors strewn with used needles and other drug paraphernalia. During one outing, she found herself searching through bags at an informal homeless camp, desperately searching for any sign Jan had been there.
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She said: “I can’t explain to you the fear that was in me, and the adrenalin that I was going to find her. That’s what kept me going. I never got tired of looking for her. I had so much adrenalin.
“I’d sleep two hours and then I’d be up because I’d think: ‘There’s more to do’. Everyday there was a plan, I had to do something.
“We were our own detectives,” explains Mel, showing me a box of posters and scribbled notes and telephone numbers – all tip-offs collected by the family about potential sightings of Jan.
Mel says she passed all these to the police in the hope they would access CCTV cameras and try to confirm or rule out sightings – “but they didn’t do anything. Nothing was done.” Jan’s case was being handled by the Newham Missing Persons Unit, whose office would close at 7pm.
Zahid Younis will serve a minimum term of 38 years behind bars Shutterstock
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She said: “If people called me to say they’d seen her, obviously I’d go to that spot and meet the person and have a look around. I’d ring the police and tell them I was on my way, and if it was after 7 you couldn’t get through to them. They were closed.
“When they were open, I phoned several times to say she had been seen going into houses with groups of people. They told me to go and check myself. This happened a lot.
“The last one we went to was a drugs den in north London. Someone had called to say they thought they’d seen my sister go into a block with a few men and I thought: ‘Oh my god, what if it’s her?’ I called the police and begged them to check but they said they couldn’t straight away and they’d go the day after. So, I had to go. They move quickly, these people. I told them I’d be going out there myself immediately and all they said was: ‘Let us know.’
“I had to walk into these drug dens on my own or with my cousin to look for my sister.”
HuffPost UK has put these allegations to Scotland Yard, particularly those which suggest the force consented to members of the public putting themselves at risk searching for vulnerable missing persons in potentially dangerous and threatening environments.
Jan would regularly host sleepovers for her children and their cousins, creating movie nights and cooking their favourite foods Supplied
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The force responded: “Various lines of enquiry were conducted throughout the missing person investigation in an attempt to try and locate Jan.”
After Jan’s death, the Met referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), under which an investigation is ongoing. The force added: “No officers are currently subject to restrictions.”
It has also since emerged that Younis, a registered sex offender, was regularly visited at his property by officers monitoring him – while Jan and Szuch’s bodies lay in the freezer.
HuffPost UK met with Mel the week after he was sentenced. Now that Jan has been laid to rest and her killer is in prison, Mel feels empty and unsure of her purpose.
She said: “I’ve kept going every single day since she went missing. This is the first time I’ve not had to look for her or go to court. Every single day I’d go out, put up posters and question all these random people.
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“I’m just trying to get on with normal life but I’m finding it so difficult. I’ve got nothing left in me and I don’t think I can adjust to the loss. I died the day she died. I’m on medication to numb me but it makes me forgetful. I wish it could wipe my brain, that I didn’t have to think about it.”
Mel has felt offended by some of the press coverage of the case and the portrayal of Jan as simply a flighty drug addict who had fallen out with her family and who willingly got involved with Younis.
HuffPost UK was given access to Jan's diaries, which revealed her agony over her drug addiction and her yearning to beat it Supplied
Supplied
The Mustafa family are fiercely protective over a woman they remember as exceptionally gentle and brimming with love for her own children, as well as her many nieces and nephews.
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A talented dancer, Jan had won contests from the age of 12 and as a young adult shared her gift by teaching choreography to teens, often renting out venues to hold classes where she demonstrated hip-hop moves – often to songs by her favourite artist, Brandy.
On weekends, she would invite Mel’s children to join her own brood, hosting movie nights with popcorn, taking them to the park and whipping them up a spread of spaghetti bolognese and dumplings.
But Jan’s life began to slip when she lost her sales jobs in TK Maxx and New Look, resulting her in being evicted from her flat for falling behind in her rent and becoming homeless.
Supplied
She and her children moved in with her mother and that was when Mel noticed Jan had begun using drugs. The shame of losing her home and her inability to secure another, saw marijuana and occasional cocaine use eventually give way to crack and heroin, and Jan began spending nights on park benches and in garden sheds.
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“She said it made her numb and helped her forget,” said Mel, who battled for years to try and help Jan into recovery.
Just a few months before she went missing, Jan had tried to go cold turkey but had to be taken to hospital after suffering severe withdrawal symptoms. Mel remembers dashing to their mother’s house in the middle of the night and lifting her sister into the ambulance, and reeling at how frail she had become. Weighing under six stone, Jan was also diagnosed as anorexic and was referred by her GP for immediate admittance to a local rehab centre.
Mel Mustafa at sister's graveside Supplied
Mel said: “The GP wrote to them and said she needed to be in rehab, ASAP. She came home crying with the letter, saying: ‘Mum, I’m going! I’m getting it! I’m going to get better’, we all cried with happiness.
“But when she got to the centre they said: ‘She’s not ready’. They said she wasn’t picking up her prescriptions on time and wouldn’t admit her. Jan had the problem where because she was on drugs, she could sleep all day or night and miss an appointment for her methadone prescription.
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“If she’d get up late, she’d still walk down there, she’d still go, even though she was four or six hours late. And they’d say: ‘We can’t give you your prescription, the doctor’s left.’ So she’d go out and buy it off someone. That was what her life was like, she’d get so excited… then she’d be dropped and return to the drugs to numb her pain.”
It’s still not known how Jan and her killer’s paths crossed, but it’s clear that Jan was at a very low ebb in her life and particularly vulnerable when she went missing.
After he was sentenced, it was revealed that Younis married a 14-year-old girl in an Islamic ceremony at a mosque in Walthamstow, east London, in 2004.
Jan would hire venues to teach teenagers how to dance Shutterstock
He was jailed for two and a half years for assaulting the teenager and unlawful sexual activity with a child and was put on the sex offenders’ register.
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He was later sentenced to four years and 11 months imprisonment for two counts of wounding and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an abusive relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Mel wells up as she recalls facing Younis in court: “My parents brought us up never to hate anyone in this world, but believe me, I do hate him. I wish him a slow and painful death. I stood up as a witness and I came face to face with him, the man who murdered my sister. I looked into his eyes as I was talking and I thought: ‘You’re sick.’”
HuffPost UK has been shown diary entries by Jan in which she pleads with god for help to come clean and talks of how deeply she loves her children. She speaks candidly of her addiction and warns others not to follow her example.
Mel said: “Jan wrote a letter to women, explaining her life and what led her to drugs, she was trying to tell women not to take this path, and if they need help to call Jan. She had written her number on it. When we read that letter we knew that’s what she wanted to do, to help others.
Jan's handbag, which was found in the flat of her killer Shutterstock
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“I need to get justice for my sister. She left these letters for a reason.”
Other diary entries describe physical abuse from some of the men in her life, abuse Mel says Jan never divulged to her family.
“She was beaten up by a lot of men. It’s like she knew she was going to die. We are going to set up a charity for her, for women who’ve suffered domestic violence. She wouldn’t tell me these things to protect me. I should have seen it in her, I just could never imagine anyone wanting to hit Jan, it breaks my heart. She was so soft and gentle, she’d never even told me to shut up.
“I believe that when he [Younis] was hitting her, she was taking the hits. Because she would never fight anyone back.
“She was like an angel, she was here to do her task and that was to save other women. Because someone else would have died if it wasn’t my sister and Henriett.
“When you look at it, these two harmless women, they’ve saved other women from him and they’ve died doing it.”
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If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--Too Much TV Is Made Through A White Gaze. That Has To Change, And The BBC Must Lead The Way

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HuffPost UK has been ahead of the pack with a hard-hitting investigation of racism at the biggest broadcasting organisation in the world, the BBC, in which Black staff allege systemic bullying and a glass ceiling for Black journalists and programme makers.
It is important to stress that many of the issues raised in the investigation are also issues in commercial television. Long before I became an MP I worked as a television journalist, first for then London region broadcaster Thames Television and then for breakfast television provider TV AM.
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Everything that HuffPost report happens at the BBC now was an issue in ITV over thirty years ago. But it can be argued that the BBC has a particular responsibility as a publicly-funded, pubic service broadcaster.
The BBC is admired around the world. So it is important that our national broadcaster is an example of best practise when it comes to fairness and diversity. Put simply, what the BBC does matters.
“For 12 years I walked into the BBC newsroom every week to present the This Week politics review show. For those 12 years, I was usually the only Black person in a busy newsroom.”
I support the licence fee, but one of the justifications for it is that the BBC should set a gold standard. Those high standards should not just be about the programmes, it should also be about how it treats staff and programme makers.
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Some things have improved at the BBC in relation to race. The main advance is that there are many more Black and brown faces on screen. For decades, the majestic Moira Stuart ruled unchallenged as one of Britain’s top newsreaders and virtually the only Black one at the BBC. Now there are many others, including the great Clive Myrie, but it is noticeable that many of the non-white faces that we see on our screens came up through children’s programmes, like Andi Peters and Floella Benjamin, or cookery shows like Ainsley Harriott. This is possibly a clue as to how the decision makers at the BBC see Black people. But it is the diversity behind the cameras that has moved much more slowly.
For 12 years I walked into the BBC newsroom every week on a Thursday evening to get ready to present the This Week politics review show. For those 12 years I was usually the only Black person in a busy newsroom. There was occasionally a solitary Black camera operator, but that was it.
Andrew Neil; Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, and Michael Portillo on the set of This Week. Jeff Overs via Getty Images
London is one of the most diverse cities on earth. The BBC’s failure to recruit people of colour for even quite ordinary roles like production assistants, let alone camera crew and producers, remains remarkable.
Some people might argue what does it matter who is behind the scenes, but I argue it is absolutely crucial – more important, in some ways, than the colour of the programme presenter or newsreader. It is the people behind the scenes – at the top of the production food chain in television, the commissioning editors, the heads of department, the executive producers – who decide what programmes get made and who gets promoted.
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When almost all those people are white, it creates all types of difficulties for Black programme makers and would be programme makers. And further down the food chain producers, assistant producers, researchers, production assistants, camera operators make hundreds of decisions in the course of a production that shape television drama, documentaries and news bulletin.
And when crucial decisions are made and there is no Black person in the room, or no Black person who feels senior enough to intervene, no wonder you get issues like the row about the use of the N-word on BBC television. Too much current affairs television is made from a particular white perspective, by teams of people who don’t look like modern Britain.
“If we want to build a world where there is more social and racial justice, the media is key.”
Tacking on a Black or brown presenter at the end of the process does not alter the systemic problem. And it is striking, as the HuffPost investigation reveals, that Black staff are increasingly disillusioned by what they are experiencing.
So why does it matter if there is institutional racism at the BBC? Partly because these stories are simply very sad. But it is also the case that if we want to build a world where there is more social and racial justice, the media is key. It is not just about the careers of individual journalists or programme makers. Although everyone is entitled to a workplace that is fair and just.
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The media frames how we see each other and the world. And a media that is made by people who look like the society, will be a better and more informed media. And in turn we will be a better society.
Whenever the issue is raised, the media makes promises. Usually the proposal is some traineeship or the other. The BBC has recently appointed the estimable June Sarpong as its first director of creative diversity, and we all wish her the very best. The BBC also told HuffPost in response to its investigation that it had set a new mandatory 20% diverse off-air talent target in all new network commissions from April, and a prioritisation of £100m of its commissioning budget over three years towards diverse and inclusive content, with £12m for radio.
This all sounds excellent. So let us hope that, after decades of painfully slow progress, the BBC is on the verge of a transforming moment around race and diversity. It will be better for the BBC and better for our whole society.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--Why Boris Johnson Will U-Turn On Policy – But Not Failing Ministers

It was 15 minutes into the phone call when Theresa May was forced to ask Boris Johnson: “Are you resigning?”
“I suppose I am, prime minister,” came the reply from Johnson, who after a weekend of pondering decided to pull the plug on his foreign secretary job over May’s Chequers Brexit plan.
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The 2018 story was raised with HuffPost UK by a well-placed source in response to the question of why the prime minister is happy to U-turn on policy – 12 and counting since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – but not on his personnel.
Three sources who have worked with the PM independently note: “He hates confrontation.”
One goes on: “He absolutely hates difficult conversations, he’s not ruthless in that regard, he’s a really kind person and he only wishes, most of the time, goodwill to other people in that constantly optimistic friendly manner.
“He cannot bear to call them in and say they’ve not done the job he asked.”
It does not tell the full story of a leadership style which has left many wondering whether ministers and aides are still held accountable for their mistakes, and why the PM is so willing to spend political capital hanging on to underperformers.
The questions started with top aide Dominic Cummings’ infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle, and spanned a summer in which housing secretary Robert Jenrick faced calls to go for backing a controversial housing scheme linked to Tory donor Richard Desmond, and education secretary Gavin Williamson provoked a huge backlash with the exam results fiasco.
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Others suggest Johnson is happy to let underperforming ministers take the flak rather than him, some see it as simply a question of loyalty and a tight “paranoid” inner circle, while a botched February reshuffle may have tied the PM’s hands until he can get through Brexit and the worst of coronavirus.
Boris Johnson and Gavin Williamson as foreign and defence secretaries ahead of a meeting with Japanese counterparts PA
But there are plenty of examples of Johnson failing to tackle failing individuals head on.
Two sources recall an episode from Johnson’s London mayoralty, when he had agreed with a senior City Hall figure to sack an underperforming member of staff.
By the time the meeting was over, the staff member had come out of Johnson’s office with a new title and a pay rise.
Then there was February’s reshuffle, botched after chancellor Sajid Javid sensationally walked out just three short months after the Tories’ thumping general election win.
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Gathering in the PM’s study, Johnson heaped praise on Javid’s role in that victory and suggested a closer involvement inside No.10 for the chancellor.
But in an almost throwaway remark at the end of their chat, the PM told Javid he would have to sack all five of his special advisers and submit to a joint No.10-Treasury team, which the chancellor refused.
The PM pleaded with Javid not to quit, even at one stage offering a compromise on the plan, but it was not enough and the chancellor walked out.
It was seen as a plan hatched by Cummings to get rid of Javid, and which could be delivered by a PM who really didn’t want to wield the knife.
As one insider recalls: “Boris thought he was asking a relatively minor thing and he was taken aback.”
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It appears to be a trait born out of Johnson’s insecurity and need to be liked, and some worry it could cost him.
“Over time, people lose respect because you have got to have a bit of a ruthless streak in order for people to understand where the power lies,” a source says.
“And my fear is that in the long term people will take advantage of him and that good nature and people think they can run rings around him, which possibly they can.”
But while some have spotted a potential weakness in the prime minister, others see his approach as a sign of strength.
Johnson and Javid during December's election campaign PA
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Salma Shah, former special adviser to Javid, sees Johnson as a more ruthless operator who does “what serves him best”, including getting rid of a whole tranche of City Hall staff after winning the mayoralty in 2008 with “no issue”.
“He’s not as foolish or soft as people suggest, he won’t fire people because he’s told to,” she says.
“I suspect he will decide when people have served their usefulness and then he will act.”
Johnson may in fact be happy for underperforming ministers like Williamson or Jenrick to take the flak for the government’s mistakes.
Labour former adviser Matthew McGregor, who fought against Johnson in the 2008 mayoral election, suggests Johnson likes to disappear from view when trouble strikes.
Discussing Johnson’s election strategy, which may well apply to this campaigning Vote Leave government, McGregor once noted on HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that the PM “makes himself as small a target as he possibly can and just tries to dance his way through without taking too many hits”.
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Johnson may be using this approach to let Williamson take the hit for the exam chaos.
“I don’t think he is oblivious to all the critics, it might feel that way, but it’s a tried and tested strategy,” Shah says.
It would certainly explain why Johnson is hanging on to Williamson despite many Tory MPs calling for his sacking in private.
One Brexiteer MP directly draws the comparison between the U-turn on A-Level and GCSE grades and Williamson holding on amid mass student protests.
Students march to the constituency office of Williamson in South Staffordshire amid the exams fiasco ASSOCIATED PRESS
They suggested the government could have held firm on using a controversial algorithm to hand out grades instead of relenting to pressure to allow teacher-assessed grades to be used – if Williamson had done his job.
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“If you believe in it and you’ve thought it through properly you follow it through,” they say.
“It was clear Gavin hadn’t thought it through at all.
“I don’t know if he’s just not intellectually curious.
“He massively fucked up and there have to be consequences for that.”
The MP notes that Williamson is seen as dangerous due to his former role as chief whip, that he knows where the bodies are buried.
“So shove him in a minister for paperclips role,” they say.
Williamson also played a key role in Johnson’s leadership campaign and the PM is keen to reward him for his loyalty.
But there may also be an element of paranoia about the Vote Leave-focused team of outsiders that run the show in Downing Street.
“They are paranoid because they can’t naturally let new people into that circle and therefore they can’t easily push people out because it will get increasingly small,” a source says.
“They think they are not perfect but it’s better the devil you know, and we couldn’t possibly let new people into that circle.”
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They went on: “The loyalty is nice but it doesn’t extend itself very far.
“And it’s based on paranoia about what Gavin Williamson for example might do if he is fired.”
But a colleague does not buy it.
“The myth that Gavin is really powerful, it’s hilarious,” they say.
“Don’t take my word for it, ask 10 MPs.”
The second MP goes on: “Yes, the chief whip will know somebody had an affair and they had to pay a newspaper to hush it up, those sorts of things.
“But the prime minister really only cares about the prime minister.
“And a lot of those things got flushed out in the leadership contest.
“If there was anything about anyone that really mattered, we’d know about it.
“There will be stuff about random backbenchers, but why would the prime minister give a shit?”
They feel the PM does not want to respond to media “witch hunts” for sackings, because they simply promote more.
“You saw that with the Blair government, they never got over it because Blair got rid of people after witch hunts,” the MP says.
It is an approach towards the media certainly followed by Cummings, who is unlikely to ever get sacked, according to one source who knows the team inside No.10 well.
Again, Johnson’s aversion to confrontation is at play.
Is Cummings unsackable? PA
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“He will never sack Cummings, ever.
“Someone else will come along and they will start to be in more of the meetings and Cummings will grow bored, tired, frustrated.
“The PM will say ‘sort it out between yourselves’ and Cummings will walk off in a huff – that’s the most likely scenario.”
In any case, most believe Johnson is likely to wield the knife in a potentially big reshuffle once Brexit is done.
At the moment, there is a feeling of “why cause trouble” with a mini-reshuffle when they have “squared off” the likes of Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who lost her international development secretary role when the department was subsumed into the Foreign Office.
There is also no need to rock the boat with the battle for Brexit entering its precarious endgame.
“Once Brexit is behind us, you are in a different place,” the second MP says.
“Everyone accepts the last reshuffle was poorly done with the wrong people in the wrong jobs.
“That’s why as early as June they were thinking of doing another one, if they’d done it right in February they wouldn’t have needed one.”
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When the reshuffle comes, it could include a major reconstitution of government departments and how Whitehall is run.
“That will tend itself to be later,” they say.
“I think it will be quite big, I think it will be reconstituted, I think that’s when the machinery of government stuff will happen.
“It will be very refocused, they will be much less bothered about the Brexiteer stuff and much more bothered about who’s good.
“Because I think they have realised they need better people.
“And that will mean it will be a bit longer.
“And then if you do that right you then have only one more big one before the election.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--MPs Call For Inquiry Into BBC After 'Institutional Racism' Allegations

Roijoy via Getty Images
A number of prominent MPs are calling for an inquiry into allegations of “institutional racism” at the BBC made by its own staff.
Former shadow cabinet members Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler are among those to speak out following our exclusive investigation into claims by staff that they were denied career development opportunities, or bullied and silenced by an ineffective complaints procedure.
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“The BBC needs to listen to its own Black staff and stop paying lip service to diversity,” Abbott told HuffPost UK.
Current staffers with total experience spanning over 100 years have called out a “toxic working environment” at the national broadcaster. Morale is also said to be at an “all-time low” among Black BBC staff who were banned from publicly supporting Black Lives Matter but watched on as their employer defended its use of the N-word.
In response to the allegation of institutional racism, the BBC said it was “an inclusive and welcoming organisation” and was “saddened if anyone is experiencing any form of discrimination at work.”
A spokesperson added: “That is why, as an organisation, we have put so much effort into ensuring that we have robust processes in place for staff to raise complaints which will be dealt with the utmost seriousness.”
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Labour MP Abbott, who spent 12 years working on the BBC programme This Week, said the claims were “very concerning”.
The former shadow home secretary told HuffPost UK: “Over the years we are seeing more Black and minority ethnic presenters on the BBC but the numbers of Black producers are still pitifully small. The BBC needs to listen to its own Black staff and stop paying lip service to diversity.”
Calling for government intervention on the matter, Abbott added that other media companies also have improvements to make around racism and diversity – but stated the public licence-fee paying corporation should be held to account.
House of Commons - PA Images via Getty Images
“There is no reason to believe that the BBC is any more institutionally racist than private sector media organisations. But as the nation’s broadcaster it ought to be setting an example,” she said.
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“I do think that it would be appropriate for a select committee to take evidence from the BBC Director-General and his opposite numbers [at other news organisations] on institutional racism. Equally there should be an external investigation into all of them on these issues.”
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the Labour MP for Streatham, has also supported an investigation. She told HuffPost UK: “These reports of workplace racism at the BBC, coupled with the mass departure of BAME staff, are deeply alarming and must be taken very seriously.
“I support calls for an external investigation. Big publicly funded employers like the BBC must set an example by actively listening to their employees and taking a much more proactive approach to addressing institutional racism.”
This comes as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) confirmed that it will not be investigating the BBC for racism following calls from campaigners.
In July, the Campaign for Broadcasting Equality asked the commission to investigate the matter. CEO Simon Albury, who is the former head of the Royal Television Society, wrote to the commission asking it to look into the matter as an extension of its investigation into suspected past pay discrimination against women at the BBC.
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However in a response, seen by HuffPost UK, EHRC chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath wrote: “It’s important to flag that, particularly due to the immense pressure on our resources and the breadth of our statutory remit, our aim with any investigation or inquiry is to produce recommendations that are relevant to wider issues and sectors.”
Hilsenrath said the commission’s recently-announced inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on ethnic minorities is hoped to include on ethnic minority workers that are in “low paid, precarious and insecure employment”.
She also pointed to the commission’s 2019 inquiry which assessed racial harassment in the higher education sector and updated guidance for increasing diversity in the television and broadcasting industry.
Responding to this news, Albury told HuffPost UK: “When it comes to racism and diversity in broadcasting, the EHRC is not prepared to act and Ofcom is toothless. At least BECTU and the Sir Lenny Henry Centre are stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum.
“It is great that Bectu and Marcus are creating an independent safe space where people can report racism. David Olusoga was clear why it is needed when he said (reflecting on his McTaggart lecture). Black people are punished for ever suggesting anything is to do with race. for describing the way actions intentionally or unintentionally affect them. These are things that cannot be said, these are truths that have to remain unspoken.”
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On the same day our expose was published, the head of Britain’s leading broadcasting union BECTU announced that she will be writing to BBC director general Tim Davies about the concerns raised.
Other media outlets have also followed suit, reporting on this issue, such as a recently published exposé on allegations of racism from south Asian staff.
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In a letter seen by HuffPost UK, Leicester MP Claudia Webbe has written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging government intervention.
The Labour politician told HuffPost UK: “The allegations of institutional racism within the BBC are incredibly serious and require urgent action.
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“In the era of Black Lives Matter, our taxpayer funded, public service broadcaster can no longer be diseased with institutional racism. The BBC must reflect the best of British values – not the worst.
“I have written to the prime minister urging a full, public inquiry into this engrained discrimination. Yet an inquiry alone is not enough. To ensure that the lived experience of African, Asian and minority ethnic staff at the BBC does not go ignored, the government must immediately enforce existing diversity recommendations to combat the systemic racism within our public service broadcaster.”
This week, Dawn Butler MP wrote to the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee about the matter.
In the letter, seen by HuffPost UK, she stated: “I believe the substantive allegations made by the BBC’s own staff in the above suggest we have
a problem at the BBC, which as a publicly funded institution, must be held to account.
“I believe with the arrival of a new Director-General, this is an apposite moment to find out exactly how the BBC intends to ensure there is no room for racism in its organisation. My view is that it is fine to have words, but what my constituents are looking for are deeds and actions from a national treasure which celebrates 100 years in 18 months, and yet it has never had any
person of colour or female at its helm or in sufficient numbers in meaningful and change-making positions.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--29 TV Picks Coming Later In 2020 That Just Might Help Make Staying In More Bearable

BBC/ITV/Netflix/Channel 4/Disney
After spending most of the first half of 2020 cooped up indoors, the prospect of autumn – meaning trips to the park are looking less inviting, as is enjoying some sun in a family member’s garden – might not be the most welcome to a lot of people.
What could help cushion the blow even just a little, though, is the fact there’s some great new TV to get into over the coming weeks and months, catering to a whole range of different tastes.
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Here’s a round-up of our top TV picks for the rest of 2020 that might just take the edge off stopping in...
I Hate Suzie
Available now to watch on Now TV, with new episodes on Sky Atlantic every Thursday
I Hate Suzie Sky Atlantic
What is it? Billie Piper takes the lead in this new black comedy, which centres around the titular Suzie, a minor celeb who suddenly finds herself back in the headlines when personal photos of her are leaked online.
Described as “excruciatingly honest”, the series pulls precisely zero punches, with each episode presented in a completely different I May Destroy You-esque fashion from the one before it.
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I Hate Suzie also reunites its star with Lucy Prebble, who previously penned Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, and with its frank approach to taboo themes, it will appeal to a lot of the same audiences.
Watch it if you liked: I May Destroy You, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, Fleabag
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Available to stream on Netflix now
Im Thinking Of Ending Things Mary Cybulski/NETFLIX
What is it? A new psychological horror film starring Jessie Buckley and Toni Collette, the film centres around a young woman who, unenthused about her new relationship, agrees to accompany him to meet his parents, who just happen to live in the middle of nowhere.
From there, things all start to unravel.
Directed by Charlie Kauffman, whose past writing credits include Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Being John Malcovich, it doesn’t take a detective to work out that it doesn’t take long before things take an unsettling turn.
It’s definitely a bizarre watch, but also a thoroughly depressing one, so maybe have an episode of Friends or Love Island to treat yourself to afterwards, especially if you’re watching before bed.
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Watch it if you liked: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Midsommar, Russian Doll
Britain’s Got Talent
Airing every Saturday night on ITV
Britain's Got Talent Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock
What is it? For obvious reasons, things are running a little differently than usual during this year’s Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals.
With the show having been on pause since the spring, this year’s semi-finals are now underway, with weekly pre-recorded shows airing on a Saturday night. Former champion Ashley Banjo is also a new addition to the panel, filling in for Simon Cowell, who recently injured himself in an electric bike accident.
At this stage, you already know whether or not BGT is your cup of tea, but for those who’ve turned their nose up at the talent format in the past, surely right now is the perfect moment to give it another go?
Watch it if you liked: The X Factor, The Greatest Dancer, Strictly Come Dancing
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark
Available to watch on Now TV now, with new episodes on Sky Crime every Sunday night
I'll Be Gone In The Dark Sky Crime
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What is it? A definite must-watch for any fans of true crime, I’ll Be Gone In The Dark is a new documentary based on the critically-acclaimed book of the same name by Michelle McNamara.
The series tells the story not just of the Golden State Killer – who committed at least 50 rapes and murdered at least 13 people in the 1970s and 80s – but also Michelle’s quest to find the killer’s true identity decades later, which sadly ended in tragedy.
Fans of the book should definitely tune in, though, as the series includes plenty of details not included in Michelle’s book, including events that have transpired since it was published.
Watch if you liked: Making A Murderer, The Jinx, Unsolved Mysteries
Mulan
Available to purchase for Disney+ subscribers
Mulan Disney
What is it? The latest in a long line of Disney’s live-action remakes, this is the much-awaited re-imagining of the animated classic Mulan, given a more grown-up twist by director Niki Caro, who has stripped the film of its original songs and the main character’s dragon sidekick, Mushu.
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Instead, the new Mulan is a film more focussed on “realism”, intended as an epic the whole family can enjoy.
However, the film did take some heat earlier this year following comments made by its leading actor Yifei Liu, while the decision for Disney to charge existing subscribers to watch a film on a service they were already paying for was met with a mixed response.
Watch if you liked: Aladdin, A Wrinkle In Time, Pirates Of The Caribbean
EastEnders
Now airing on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer
EastEnders PA Entertainment
What is it? What do you mean “what is it?”. It’s literally EastEnders.
The long-running BBC soap came off air for the first time in its 35-year history back in June, but with production now up and running again (albeit with huge changes, due to social distancing guidelines), the show is finally back on our screens.
Rather than picking up exactly where we left off, though, Walford is a rather different to when we last paid it a visit, with three months having passed for both us and the residents of Albert Square.
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How has time changed things for the characters we know and love? We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?
Watch it if you liked: EastEnders (before it went off air in the first place), Coronation Street, Holby City
Love Island USA
Airing now on ITV2
Love Island USA ITV
What is it? The US version of the much-loved British reality show usually takes place in a villa in Fiji, but due to the pandemic, producers have had to think on their feet, instead moving the whole thing to a luxury hotel in Las Vegas.
Once you get over the fact the horizon is peppered with bright lights and skyscrapers – and the “bants” are a lot more American than you’re used to – it’s pretty much business as usual for Love Island, which should be music to the ears of anyone who missed their usual fix this summer.
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Watch if you liked: Love Island, Too Hot To Handle, Love Is Blind
Des
Debuts on ITV on 15 September
Des ITV/Shutterstock
What is it? ITV is continuing its long line of true crime miniseries based on infamous British murder cases, following in the footsteps of recent offerings like Appropriate Adult, Dark Angel and The Pembrokeshire Murders.
This new three-parter sees David Tennant in the lead role of Dennis Nilsen, who murdered at least 12 young men and boys in North London in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Des will almost certainly not be one for the faint of heart, given the truly horrific nature of Nilsen’s crimes, but for true crime devotees, this will be a must-watch.
Watch it if you liked: Broadchurch, Appropriate Adult, The Pembrokeshire Murders
Criminal
Debuts on Netflix on 16 September
Criminal Colin Hutton/Netflix
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What is it? Alternatively, for those who like a crime drama that’s a little more detached from reality, Netflix has you covered with brand new episodes of Criminal, the police-based miniseries that debuted last year.
Katherine Kelly is once again leading the cast, with Netflix pulling it out of the bag in terms of guest stars, including Kit Harington in his first post-Game Of Thrones role, Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan, Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory fame and Sophie Okonedo, soon to be seen in Ratched and Death On The Nile.
For anyone who loves the interview room sequences in Line Of Duty but finds the rest of the show a bit heavy, this short-and-sweet series is well worth a stream.
Watch it if you liked: The Stranger, Line Of Duty, Silent Witness
Ratched
Debuts on Netflix on 18 September
Ratched SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX
What is it? Ryan Murphy has been well and truly on a roll with his Netflix output in 2020, debuting Hollywood (one of our favourite shows of the year) as well as a second series of The Politician, not to mention documentaries he produced like Circus Of Books and A Secret Love.
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However, with American Horror Story on ice for the time being, Ratched is the series that Ryan Murphy fans who prefer when he takes a walk on the dark side have been most looking forward to.
Putting his frequent collaborator Sarah Paulson in the leading role, the show serves as an origin story for Nurse Ratched of the classic book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
And as if Sarah in a leading role wasn’t enticing enough, the supporting cast boasts Cynthia Nixon, Rosanna Arquette and Sharon Stone, as well as past players from the Murphy-verse like Charlie Carver, Jon Jon Briones and Finn Wittrock. We are ready.
Watch if you liked: One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, American Horror Story: Asylum, Girl, Interrupted
Five Guys A Week
Series two begins on 18 September, with the first series available to watch on All 4
Five Guys A Week Channel 4
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What is it? One of our favourite shows of the first half of 2020 is already back for a second series, and it can not come soon enough.
This dating show has a simple enough premise, with a woman moving five guys into her home for a week, and kicking the ones she doesn’t fancy out one by one until she finds her match.
Compared to other dating shows – like Love Island, Too Hot To Handle or even its Channel 4 neighbour First Dates – Five Guys A Week feels a lot more low-fi and less glossy, but that’s what makes for such compelling and addictive viewing.
The contestants very much feel like real people of all ages and backgrounds living ordinary lives, giving it more of a Gogglebox, Don’t Tell The Bride or Come Dine With Me-esque feel than the dating shows we’ve become used to in recent years.
Watch if you liked: First Dates, Come Dine With Me, Celebs Go Dating
Drag Race Holland
Debuts on WOW Presents Plus on 18 September
Drag Race Holland World Of Wonder
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What is it? 2020 has been a rough year for everyone, but one thing we definitely can’t complain about is not having enough Drag Race to watch.
As soon as series 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race came to an end near the beginning of lockdown, we were treated to the fifth All Stars run (not to overlook RuPaul’s *whispers* Secret Celebrity Drag Race in the middle of all of that, too). And by the time Shea Couleé took her place in the Hall Of Fame, the first series of Canada’s Drag Race got underway.
Now that’s over, did you think that we were done with Drag Race for another? Well, think again.
WOW Presents Plus subscribers will soon have access to the first ever run of Drag Race Holland – so get ready for some niche Dutch pop culture references that will go straight over your head, an obligatory Vengaboys lip sync and a whole lot more phoned-in messages from RuPaul, because even though we done already done had ourses, there’s still more to come.
Watch if you liked: RuPaul’s Drag Race (in its various incarnations), Drag SOS, Glow Up
Us
Debuts on BBC One on 20 September
Us BBC/Drama Republic/Colin Hutton
What is it? Based on the much-loved novel by David Nicholls (of Starter For 10 and One Day fame), Us tells the story of a middle-aged couple, whose marriage hits a bump in the road when their 18-year-old son leaves for university.
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When mum Connie tells Douglas, her husband of almost 25 years, that she’s fed up and wants to leave him, he convinces her to let him take her and their son on one last family holiday, which just happens to be a “grand tour” of Europe.
Expect lots of awkwardness, set against some beautiful backdrops.
Watch if you liked: Normal People, One Day, Life Begins
Great British Bake Off
Returns on 22 September on Channel 4
Great British Bake Off Channel 4
What is it? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many feared the Great British Bake Off would not be able to go ahead in 2020, at a time when what the nation really needs is some bakery-based escapism, a few softly-spoken innuendos and a nice bit of colour blocking from Prue Leith.
Fortunately, those sneaky Channel 4 bosses managed to film a whole series in secret without telling anyone, the results of which are about to be revealed.
Quite how it’ll go ahead with new host Matt Lucas and a whole lot of coronavirus restrictions (we’re guessing Hollywood handshakes are out the window) remains to be seen, but we’ll definitely be tuning in to find out.
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Watch if you liked: The Great Pottery Throwdown, The Great British Sewing Bee, Strictly Come Dancing
Enola Holmes
Debuts on Netflix on 23 September
Enola Holmes Netflix
What is it? This new film centres Enola, the younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, who has to put her family’s skills for solving mysteries into effect when her beloved mother goes missing.
Enola Holmes boasts an all-star cast including Henry Caville, Helena Bonham-Carter and Millie Bobby Brown, in her first leading role outside of Stranger Things.
And while it’s a family comedy, it was also helmed by Harry Bradbeer, best known for his work with Phoebe Waller-Bridge on more grown-up shows like Fleabag and Killing Eve, so maybe don’t write it off on that basis.
Watch if you liked: Sherlock, Killing Eve, Stranger Things
Little Mix The Search
Debuting on BBC One on 26 September
Little Mix The Search BBC
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What is it? Another TV show hit hard by the pandemic, the frustratingly-titled Little Mix The Search was supposed to be done and dusted by now, and instead we haven’t seen a single episode. Fortunately, the auditions will be coming to us before long, and Little Mix fans will finally get their fix of one of the biggest acts in the UK today.
The Search has a fairly simple premise, that sees Little Mix putting together new bands, mentoring them and offering the winning band a supporting spot on their next tour (whenever that may end up being).
Probably not the most challenging of watches, admittedly but who doesn’t love watching Little Mix having some fun together?
Watch if you liked: The Voice, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent
The Boys In The Band
Streaming on Netflix from 30 September
The Boys In The Band Scott Everett White/NETFLIX
What is it? Yet another offering from super-producer Ryan Murphy, this is a new feature-length film directed by Joe Mantello.
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The Boys In The Band is based on the play of the same name, and features the very impressive cast of a 2018 Broadway revival, including Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells and Michael Benjamin Washington.
Set in the late 1960s, when the original play first debuted, The Boys In The Band features around a group of gay men, who gather together to celebrate one of their birthdays, with tempers quickly flaring as they revisit their past.
Watch if you liked: American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson, Looking, Hollywood
Honour
Debuts on ITV later in the autumn
Honour ITV
What is it? Keeley Hawes takes the lead in this new ITV drama, which she’s also produced, in which she plays real-life detective chief inspector Caroline Goode, who fought for justice in the Banaz Mahmod “honour killing” case.
Honour has already faced controversy, with many – including Banaz’s own family – criticising the decision to centre the story on Keeley’s character, claiming it perpetuates a white saviour narrative.
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Keeley later said of the show: “With something like this – and especially with this – we were all so mindful that we were dealing with real people. Banaz, Caroline, their families, everybody involved, the team, so there is that element of course, and with this, even more so. Much more so, probably, than anything I’ve ever worked on.
“But the responsibility is huge. It’s huge. I felt it every day. I’ve felt it every day since. I really have.”
Watch if you liked: Bodyguard, Line Of Duty, Mrs Wilson
The Haunting Of Bly Manor
Streaming on Netflix from 9 October
The Haunting Of Bly Manor EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX
What is it? *shudders* It’s taken us since 2018 to get over the trauma of watching The Haunting Of Hill House, and now there’s a brand new horror series to give us nightmares.
Although The Haunting Of Bly Manor is from the same team as Hill House and features many of the same cast, Netflix is taking a leaf out of American Horror Story’s book with this one, setting the new story in a completely different universe, and with returning stars playing brand new characters.
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Instead, The Haunting Of Bly Manor is based on the Victorian novella The Turn Of The Screw, telling the story of a young governess who experiences some supernatural goings on when she arrives at a new country manor.
Frankly, it sounds absolutely chilling, but we’re probably going to have binged the whole thing by Halloween, let’s be honest.
Watch if you liked: The Haunting Of Hill House, American Horror Story: Roanoke, Paranormal Activity
Small Axe
Debuts on BBC One later this year
Small Axe BBC
What is it? Steve McQueen’s first TV project has been six years in the making (it was first announced in January 2014!), but by all accounts, it’s going to be well worth the wait.
Small Axe is an anthology series made up of five short films, telling the story of a West Indian community in London spread across three decades.
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And the Oscar-winning director has truly assembled an absolutely epic group of actors to bring it all to life. Among the show’s stellar cast are Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, Star Wars’ John Boyega and Malachi Kirby, who previously appeared in Roots and the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire.
Watch if you liked: Sitting In Limbo, Widows, Top Boy
The Undoing
Debuts on 26 October on Sky Atlantic
The Undoing Sky Atlantic
What is it? Nicole Kidman’s latest TV venture doesn’t sound like it’s a million miles away from her award-winning stint in Big Little Lies, which is no bad thing for fans of the hit drama.
She plays a hugely successful New York City, whose life is changed overnight by “a violent death”, “a missing husband” and a subsequent “chain of terrible revelations”.
She’s joined in the new series by Hugh Grant (who’d have thought Paddington 2 would give his career the jolt it needed) and, fingers crossed, at least one or two fabulous wigs.
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Watch if you liked: Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, The Night Manager
The Mandalorian
New episodes on Disney+ from 30 October
The Mandalorian Disney
What is it? Having to wait for a new episode every week, despite the fact it had already been seen in the US months earlier, rather took the shine off The Mandalorian when Disney+ launched back in March. But this time around, we’re getting it at the same time as our American cousins, so it’ll be much easier to avoid spoilers.
The Star Wars spin-off is our only contact with that galaxy far, far away now the most recent trilogy is done and dusted, and we can’t wait to see what’s transpired since we last checked in.
And by that we, of course, mean… what kind of scrapes is Baby Yoda going to get himself into this time around?
Watch if you liked: Star Trek: Discovery, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Guardians Of The Galaxy
Strictly Come Dancing
Returns to our screens in the autumn
Strictly Come Dancing BBC/Guy Levy
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What is it? It’s still not clear (including to the BBC, apparently) exactly what form Strictly Come Dancing is going to take in 2020, but times are hard, and we’ll take whatever sparkle we can get at the moment, quite frankly.
What’s interesting to us is that Strictly has managed to get its best line-up in years under such strange circumstances, with Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo, Olympic boxer Nicola Adams, former home secretary Jacqui Smith and comedian Bill Bailey among the contestants we’re most excited to see on the dance floor.
And if nothing else, this year’s Strictly will be appointment viewing when Nicola Adams makes history as one half of the show’s first ever same-sex couple.
Watch if you liked: Dancing On Ice, Great British Bake Off, Britain’s Got Talent
We Are Who We Are
Debuts on BBC Three later this year
We Are Who We Are BBC
What is it? After a summer that saw so few of us actually able to enjoy a holiday abroad, who doesn’t fancy losing themselves in sunnier climes as autumn approaches?
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Enter: Luca Guadagnino.
The director perfected sun-drenched romance in Call Me By Your Name, and it looks like he could be about to do it again in We Are Who We Are, a new limited series about two American teenagers who find themselves on a military base in Italy.
“With We Are Who We Are we are attempting to portray the here and now of two families, few generations, many exciting people,” Luca explained. Count us in.
Watch if you liked: Call Me By Your Name, Euphoria, Waves
The Crown
Series four debuts on Netflix on 15 November
The Crown Courtesy of Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix
What is it? As much as we’d watch Olivia Colman do pretty much anything at this point, the most recent series of The Crown did feel like it largely set the scene for what’s coming next.
And now, our patience is finally about to be rewarded. Because series four of The Crown finally sees the arrival of Princess Diana, played by newcomer to the show Emma Corrin.
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Fans should also ready themselves for one of the series’ most controversial introductions to date, with Sex Education’s Gillian Anderson joining the cast as prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Watch if you liked: The Queen, The Iron Lady, The Tudors
I’m A Celebrity
Returns to ITV this autumn
I'm A Celebrity ITV/Shutterstock
What is it? After almost 20 years, I’m A Celebrity is ditching the jungle for something a little closer to home, with this year’s contestants setting up camp in a spooky castle in Wales.
Admittedly, this measure is ITV’s response to coronavirus restrictions, but we have to say, we think this could bring something fresh to I’m A Celebrity that we’re looking forward to checking out.
Watch if you liked: Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls, The Crystal Maze
Industry
Debuts on BBC Two later this year
Industry BBC
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What is it? Set in the fast-paced financial district of London, Industry is a new eight-part series looking into the fast-paced world of international finance, as seen through the eyes of a group of young trainees.
If the show rings a bell, that’s probably because of its famous director, Girls co-creator Lena Dunham, who spent time living in Cardiff during production (and, if you recall, got weirdly hooked on Love Island).
Watch if you liked: Girls, Normal People, The Apprentice
Adult Material
Adult Material Channel 4
What is it? Channel 4′s big new drama for the final quarter of 2020 is Adult Material, focussing on the porn industry, starring Hayley Squires and Rupert Everett.
Hayley plays Jolene, a run-of-the-mill mum of three, who also happens to be one of the UK’s most famous porn stars. According to Channel 4, the show hones in on “Jolene’s world... a place that influences all of our lives, whether we know it or not, but none of us ever truly see”.
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Perhaps not one for sitting down with the whole family to watch of an evening, but one we can’t wait to devour all the same.
Watch if you liked: Shameless, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, Footballers’ Wives
Debuts on Channel 4 later this year
The Circle
Returns to Channel 4 later this year
The Circle Channel 4
What is it? One of our most surprising reality TV obsessions of last year, we were over the moon when The Circle (which kind of introduced the world to social distancing before it was cool, just saying) announced it would be back for a third series in 2020.
And not only that – Channel 4 is also going to be throwing a load of famous faces into the mix for a separate celebrity mix. After seeing Richard Madeley’s all-singing, all-dancing, all-twerking stint in last year’s regular series, we can’t wait to see who they can rope in for the celeb series, and how it all plays out...
Watch if you liked: Love Is Blind, Big Brother, Love Island


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--'Bad With Money'? 6 Easy Ways To Improve Your Spending Habits

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Listen to our weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? about women’s health, bodies and private lives. Available on Spotify, Apple, Audioboom and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
“Would you like to see your balance before withdrawal?” Absolutely bloody not. I used to be that person who’d quickly withdraw another twenty quid from the ATM without thinking how much was actually in my bank account because I was afraid to face facts. Sound familiar? I know I’m not the only one.
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For the longest time, I shied away from talking about my finances and identified as a person who was reckless with money, often impulse buying things I didn’t particularly need. But in the past five years, I’ve gone from cowering at the sight of my bank balance to checking my finances every day and finally being able to put down a deposit on my first home. By no means was this a straightforward journey though. It took a lot of change and adjusting.
Money shouldn’t be a taboo subject but the way we talk about it doesn’t always help. Think of your relationship with your bank balance like a marriage. Cultivating a healthy, solid approach to money requires time and work. Taking control of our finances can feel overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be.
We spoke to financial experts and money coaches for their tips and advice, who told us there’s no such thing as being “bad with money” – but there are some easy ways to start feeling a whole lot better about checking your balance.
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images
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Say ‘yes’ to an open relationship
Openness is key when it comes to healthy finances. The more honest you are with yourself about your situation and what’s in your accounts can help you shrug the feeling of shame and seek or offer support during tough times, especially during the current pandemic and impending recession.
Alex Stedman, founder of The Frugality, a website about sensible spending, explains to HuffPost UK: “If you’re struggling, being honest with friends, family, or a helpline is the best way forward,” she says. “I am very open in my relationship about outgoings with both work and my personal expenses. Tracking your expenses is so important to understand your money.”
Develop a positive money mindset
Steer away from labelling your money habits as ‘bad’. There’s no such thing as being ‘bad with money’. Don’t short-change yourself in this way. We’re all learning. “There is this expectation that you’re either good or bad, but no one is automatically good with money,” says Ellie Austin-Williams, millennial money coach and founder of This Girl Talks Money.
We need to take the moralising out of the money chat and be aware of the close relationship between spending and mindset, as well as our mental health.
“Following money accounts on social media have really helped me understand the psychology behind my habits and take away a lot of shame associated with it: not earning ‘enough’ (or whatever that means), and being ‘stingy’ or ‘cheap’,” Alex Stedman explains. “We all have different journeys and it’s important to remember everyone spends and approaches money differently.”
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Bin your budget for a spending plan
The term budgeting can feel restrictive when you’re already living frugally or you’re trying to tighten your purse strings in order to save. Focusing on the things you can’t have or cutting things out of your life completely is no fun for anyone and can quickly make life feel miserable.
“Make sure that you allocate enough space within your plan or your budget, to be able to do the things that are important to you,” Austin-Williams explains.
“Set up a fun pot that’s used for going out or other enjoyable things and ensure it’s completely separate. Whatever you’ve managed to set aside for savings for the month and anything leftover can go towards the fun pot in treating yourself as – it’s a tough balance sometimes to strike between being financially sensible and keeping up a social aspect in your life.”
Comparing your situation to others rarely helps either. It’s never a competition. Each person’s spending habits are unique and shouldn’t be judged. “There isn’t a one-size budget that fits all,” Nicholas Agwuncha, co-founder of Money Medics, explains. “It’s about realising how you want to spend your time, and the type of goals you want to achieve by a particular time horizon.”
ljubaphoto via Getty Images
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Make some appy savings
“Use banking apps for debit or credit cards because that way you can set up notifications and limits on how much you want and are allowed to spend this month,” Agwuncha says. “Experiment and dial down how much you spend on social media platforms to prevent you from impulse buying.”
With new technology, comes new innovative ways to save. From Plum and Tandem to Starling, there are plenty of money-saving apps out there to help count the pennies for you, so you don’t have to. I’ve switched my current accounts to Monzo and it’s a great way to track your money’s whereabouts.
Stedman signed up to Chip at the beginning of the year. “It has an algorithm that works out how much money you can afford to save,” he says. “Sometimes it’s £13, other times it’s £1! But it’s the only way I’ve managed to save lately.”
Be more credit-conscious
Obviously, there are lots of reasons we build up credit – a card or loan can help with unforeseen circumstances and act as a safety net when we really need it. “It boils down to understanding boundaries and your goals and that should dictate the type of credit card that’s best suited to your needs,” says Agwuncha.
Pay as much attention to the interest and your repayment plan as you do that enticing credit limit, and try not to see it as free money. “It’s really important to set up those direct debit mandates to prevent you from overspending,” Agwuncha advises.
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Pause before you pay out
Of all the ways to prevent yourself from overspending, being mood aware is one of the best. We’re often driven by our emotions depending on what’s happening in our lives – some of us used retail therapy in lockdown as a way of coping, for example. If life isn’t moving according to our plan then we can feel powerless amid the chaos and turn to money to make things – or ourselves – feel better.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--TV Chef Rachel Khoo: 'The Pandemic Has Left Me Without Work'

Audible/ Getty
In What Works For Me – a series of articles considering how we can find balance in our lives – we talk to celebrities about wellbeing and self-care.
Surfing, pole dancing, running, HIIT, Pilates and yoga. These are just some of the eclectic – and exhausting – hobbies of TV chef and presenter Rachel Khoo.
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“I love the mental aspect of exercise, it’s not just about the physical things,” she tells HuffPost UK. “With surfing, for example, you’re waiting for your next wave, you’re focussed, you’re in the moment. For me, exercise provides escapism.”
Keeping active is now Khoo’s main form of self-care, but she used to hate exercising when the fitness industry was “all about losing weight”. In more recent years, though, the narrative has been more about feeling good – and the 40-year-old has thrown herself into trying everything.
“I follow this Instagram account called See my Strong [started by journalist and author Poorna Bell],” says Khoo. “It’s really championing exercise, not as a form of looking slimmer or getting into a bikini shape – which I’ve always struggled with – but it’s more about feeling your best.”
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Pre-pandemic, the account inspired Khoo to try pole dancing, because she’s always been fascinated by the strength of performers. When the studio was forced to close, she signed up to a weight training programme on the app FIIT and discovered a new love.
“I really enjoy it, because I feel really strong afterwards,” she says. “I’ve got to pick up a 15 kilo toddler when he’s screaming, so I want to be strong for that. I want to feel like I can do these things.”
Khoo has two children: a four-year-old and an 18-month-old. She moved to Sweden in 2016, so hasn’t had to deal with months of homeschooling like her British friends, as her eldest has continued nursery. But, she says, the pandemic has still been a challenge. All her work is based in the UK – and Sweden was only added to the government’s “travel corridors” list this week.
“I was a week off filming a TV project [when lockdown hit] and that got postponed, and there’s still all this uncertainty,” she says. “I don’t have any work. I’ve lost out on a lot of work and I’m continuing to lose out on work because I can’t travel. So, I’ve had to grapple with the situation.”
Audible Rachel Khoo:
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Khoo acknowledges she’s in “a very privileged situation” financially, because she has the support of her husband, but says work still forms a key part of her identity.
“I built it up from scratch and I’m very proud of my career, it’s a lot of blood sweat and tears that have got me to where I am,” she says. “I’m losing out on all these jobs and I have no security. You start thinking: ‘Should I go and get a job at the local supermarket?’”
Another source of frustration during the pandemic has been the government’s obesity strategy, says Khoo. As a chef, she’s taken an active interest in it.
“The government keeps saying people need to lose weight and there should be a tax on unhealthy food, but I think they should also be making fruit and veg more accessible and encourage people to eat it,” she says. “If buying some fruit and veg is more expensive than getting a bucket of fried chicken and chips, what are people meant to choose?”
Khoo herself identifies as a “flexitarian” and limits the amount of meat she buys, usually settling on one organic chicken a month. It’ll be used for a roast, then a pie the next day. The bones will make stock, and that will form the basis of a chicken risotto.
“If you’re going to use meat, you have to make sure you really use it all the way and that you’re not wasting anything,” she says. “My biggest bugbear is food waste.”
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She isn’t likely to make the jump to vegetarian or vegan anytime soon, though – even after delving into sustainable diets during her recent podcast venture, A Carnivore’s Crisis, recorded earlier this year.
“I think you have to do the best you can,” she says. “Don’t get into this moral guilt and think you’re the cause of the end of the world and climate change. I don’t think the responsibility should fall on the individual to solve climate problems, it needs to be a joint effort between the government, big corporations and the individual.”
Her attitude of “doing the best you can” extends towards parenting, she jokes. “If they need to watch Peppa Pig, so be it! At the end of the day, they will be alright. It’s about not being so hard on yourself.”
Until her work situation resolves itself, Khoo is staying positive with her daily exercise routine, coupled with the occasional online cookery class. She may need to “pivot” her career plans to suit the new world we live in, but she’ll no doubt land on her feet, with the same tried-and-tested methods.
“I find a lot of comfort in action and doing things, rather than being in the moment and feeling sorry for myself,” she says. “Everything I’ve done in my career is because I’ve gone and knocked on doors. A lot of doors haven’t opened, a lot of doors have been slammed in my face.
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“But persistence pays off, I really believe that.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--Can't Stop Arguing With Your Partner About Covid-19 Risks? Here’s What To Do.

“I love you, you’re perfect, but could you please wear a mask more often?”
In the age of coronavirus, many couples have been getting into arguments about their exposure comfort level and their willingness to take risks: Should we rent a nearby Airbnb for a staycation or stick it out at home? Should we let the kids go back to school or keep on homeschooling? Should we let our parents come over or just FaceTime them again? Should we dine on a patio at a local restaurant or is it still too unsafe?
“How to deal with the stress of the restrictions and mandates is coming up with everyone, but especially couples,” said Kurt Smith, a therapist.
In the last few months, Smith has heard it all as it relates to Covid-19: spouses who aren’t on the same page with their risk analysis, couples fighting over how to keep their kids safe, partners debating how to stay financially afloat as mortgage payments and credit card bills come in.
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“Quite a few people are dealing with having less income than they had earlier in the year,” Smith said. “I’ve had patients who’ve had their hours cut, lost jobs, or have chosen not to work.”
Last week, one client told Smith that she’s resistant to going back to work as a teacher’s aide, worried that she’ll get sick if she goes in. Her husband is understanding but after five months of being the sole financial provider for the family, he’s getting less patient.
“The loss of family income and her unwillingness to consider any other option than stay at home and wait this out hasn’t gone over well with her husband,” Smith said. “He’s trying to be supportive, but the decision not to work makes him feel they aren’t a team in this area.”
Masks are a particularly prickly subject for couples. (No surprise, since studies have shown that men are more likely to opt out than women, believing masks to be “shameful,” “a sign of weakness” and “not cool.” This, despite the data showing that men are at higher risk than women of dying from the coronavirus.)
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“A guy told me yesterday that he and his wife were fighting this week about wearing a mask,” Smith said. “Where, when, how often are common conflicts between partners over masks as individuals see the risks differently. Another couple fought about the purchase of masks ― not about buying them, but about what kind and how much to spend.”
Many couples aren’t equipped to handle the sustained stress the pandemic has brought, especially if their communication skills were lacking in healthier times.
“Relationships that were not in a good place before the coronavirus have been really hit hard by the stay-at-home orders and months and months of restrictions,” Smith said.
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Coronavirus concerns can put a spotlight on a host of underlying relationship issues, said Jennifer Chappell Marsh, a marriage and family therapist in San Diego. She pointed to differing values (Are you a rule follower or anti-authoritarian?), matters of trust (Can I depend on you to keep me safe?) and yes, poor communication skills.
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“Plus, because of the coronavirus threat, it’s more likely for each partner to get flooded with anxiety triggering the ‘fight or flight’ mode when they’re reacting to these fights,” she said. “It causes both people to be out of control.”
And of course, having children complicates these issues even further, Chappell Marsh said.
“Parents are dealing with the added stress of economic uncertainty and meeting their child’s needs with schools closed and child care options limited,” she said. “For those who already had differing viewpoints on childrearing decisions, those differences are exacerbated by the fear, anxiety and realities surrounding the coronavirus.”
Unfortunately, the threat of Covid-19 doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. So how do couples at odds over exposure and risk reconcile their differences before those differences get worse? Below, marriage therapists offer the advice they’re giving their clients right now.
Don’t fight in the heat of the moment. Talk about it later, when cooler heads prevail.
Maybe you’re bothered that your spouse just sprung it on you that he wants to take you and the kids boating with a co-worker this weekend. You might be fuming ― “We haven’t even seen our relatives in months. What makes you think I want to break quarantine by hanging out with Kevin and his family?” ― but slow down. There’s no urgent need to talk about it right then and there.
When conflict arises, don’t blow up or stonewall your spouse. Plan a mutually agreed-upon time to talk like cool, calm and collected adults, Chappell Marsh said.
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“Identify a time when you can both come to the table with a clearer head,” she said. “The best time to talk is when both parties are calmer and there are little distractions to discuss the issues. Couples with small children find more success when they talk during child nap time or after the kids go to bed.”
Make a genuine effort to understand your partner’s concerns about socialising.
Your goal going into any conversation this delicate should be mutual understanding: If your partner is hesitant to go back to work or send the kids back to school, ask yourself where those feelings might be coming from before trying to solve the issue at hand, said Kelifern Pomeranz, a psychologist in Menlo Park, California.
“Listen to your partner with generosity, curiosity, and in the spirit of connection,” she said. “You want to ask open-ended questions (‘Can you say more about what you are afraid of?’) to learn more about your partner’s beliefs, what is important to them, their concerns and their needs.”
Put aside judgment and defensiveness for this talk. “This is about understanding your partner more fully and deeply, not about being right or trying to convince your partner of your position,” she said.
Start the conversation on common ground.
Begin by identifying what is mutually important to you as a couple, Chappell Marsh said. Make a list of what you both can agree on surrounding the issue. For instance, you might disagree on whether you should hang out at someone else’s home, but agree that a socially distant picnic outside or a hike with masks on most of the time is fine.
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“This approach is more likely to set the stage for cooperation and teamwork vs. feeling like your partner is working against you,” she said.
Then, brainstorm a variety of possible solutions where you both can get your needs met, Pomeranz said. For instance, maybe you Google socially distant events and agree that it’s probably safe to watch a concert or movie in a drive-thru setting.
“Be creative,” Pomeranz added. “The answer might be something neither of you have ever previously considered.”
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Choose a solution that feels good to both of you.
If you don’t both feel happy at the end of a conversation like this, you haven’t done it right.
“Both partners should feel like they were seen, heard, and their opinion matters,” Pomeranz said. “The solution should feel satisfying for both of you. If only one of you feels like you’ve won at the end of the discussion, then you have both lost.”
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If the conversation is a success, it will feel more like a collaboration than a compromise, the therapist said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--Trump Stayed Silent About What He Knew About Covid-19. Now My Dad Is Dead

The author's father sketching the author's mother at Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid, Spain, in March. He died of COVID-19 later in the month. Courtesy of M. Blake Hargrove
I took Dad to the hospital on a Thursday afternoon and he died early on a Friday morning. Full of morphine and out of oxygen, Dad took his last breaths apart from his family, without the solace of my mother’s touch and without the presence of his loving sons and grandchildren. After his death, the pandemic prevented my family from holding a funeral and sharing our grief with other loved ones, friends and our community. Too many Americans know Dad’s Covid-19 story all too well: the families of more than 190,000 people who have died of the disease in the U.S.
Some things, however, Americans did not know about the Covid story until Wednesday. On Wednesday, I learned that my dad died because of President Donald Trump’s silence. And on Wednesday, the world learned of Trump’s inexcusable failure to do his sworn duty to protect the American people.
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According to Bob Woodward’s new book “Rage,” Trump knew on Jan. 28 that Covid-19 posed a critical national security risk. On that date, the president received a warning from his National Security Council. And in a recorded phone call with Woodward that took place on February 7, Trump made clear his understanding of the grave health risk associated with the virus. Trump shared his knowledge with Woodward, but said nothing to the American people.
Trump knew. Trump was silent. My dad died because Donald Trump stayed silent.
Dad died on March 27. That put him somewhere around the 1,330th U.S. Covid fatality. At 84 and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Dad fit the high-risk profile for mortality from this awful disease. Though I cannot be positive, he probably caught the coronavirus due to exposure in the airport in either New York or Madrid on March 14.
Mom and Dad loved to travel together. Dad loved art, architecture, and great food. In the spring of 2019, I told Mom and Dad I received a Fulbright in Spain. They responded immediately with a plan to visit. Mom meticulously planned the trip; Dad prepared to enjoy every minute of his first time to Spain. They bought their plane tickets and made their hotel reservations. This time, they also purchased travel insurance, something they had never done before. They insured their trip because they knew that there were many reasons that they might need to cancel. After all, they both used walkers and Dad took medicine every day to treat his COPD.
The author's mother and father, who were married for 63 years Courtesy of M. Blake Hargrove
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When we heard about a new respiratory virus emerging from China, we took notice. Dad’s COPD put him at risk for these kinds of flu-like viruses. As a family, we decided to keep the travel plans in place, knowing we could cancel them at any time without cost. We vigilantly watched the news as we learned of the first U.S. cases in January and first deaths in February.
In February, while working on my Fulbright in Madrid, I carefully watched the progression of the disease in Europe and paid special attention to Spain. My wife planned to accompany my parents, and she and I spoke every day about the possible risk of the trip. My brothers, aunts, and uncle back home became anxious. They urged my parents to reconsider the trip. On March 4, two days before their departure, my brother Dave made one more plea to my dad to cancel. Dad kindly but unhesitatingly responded that he intended to go to Spain.
Ultimately, however, the decision belonged to me. Without the aid of my wife and me, Mom and Dad could not make the trip. They depended on us to get around and relied on my Spanish to make the most of the trip. I obsessively checked the Covid numbers during the days before they arrived. On decision day, March 5, Spain had 259 cases and four dead from the virus. The social scientist in me concluded that, in a country of 47million, my parent’s trip held acceptable risk. Based on the information available to me by my government and my own research, I greenlighted the trip. My parents and wife arrived in Barcelona on March 6.
The first four days seemed to ratify my decision. On Sunday, Dad visited the Sagrada Familia and declared it the most beautiful example of modern architecture he had ever seen. While in Barcelona, we also visited the Picasso Museum, a joy-filled experience for him. We traveled to Madrid and on Tuesday purchased a three-day pass for the Prado. That afternoon Dad ordered a guided tour of the museum to make sure he saw the greatest hits of the enormous collection.
Dad tasted dozens of tapas and delighted in the open-air dining so iconic of Madrid. By Wednesday, Spain began shutting down. We never used our other day passes to the Prado ― it closed due to the spreading virus. On Saturday, March 14, my wife and parents returned to Barcelona for their flight back to New York’s JFK airport.
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My dad wanted to go to Spain. He insisted on it. However, he relied on me to make the final risk assessment. He went on the trip, enjoyed every moment of it, and died as a result of it. Since my father died, the reality that my choice to greenlight the trip led to my dad’s death has haunted me. How could it not?
I made the decision based on the best information available to me at the time. But, Trump had much better information. He knew the virus was deadly and likely to spread rapidly. In his own words to Woodward, he said Covid-19 was much more deadly than the flu. Trump had information from the government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health at his disposal. His own national security team reportedly warned him. And still, Trump was silent.
The author enjoying tapas at Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid, Spain, with his parents and his wife in March. Courtesy of M. Blake Hargrove
I am an American and so was my dad. We both held the expectation that our government should provide us with reasonable protection. If our government had told us it was unsafe to travel, we would have listened. I made my decision on the information made available to me, but the president did not provide me or other Americans with the critical information we needed.
One highly respected medical expert, William Haseltine, estimates that Trump’s one-month delay from calling for a nationwide shutdown resulted in 180,000 deaths in the U.S. For me, this is personal. Very simply, had the Trump administration shared the nature of the emergency to us in February, my parents would not have gone to Spain in March.
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I have become numb to the lies, malfeasance and incompetence of the Trump administration. Trump’s narcissism, complete lack of empathy and consistently immoral behaviour need no more elaboration. However, this failure ― the failure to inform the public ― cost lives. This failure killed my dad.
I long ago abandoned any hope that Trump was fit for the office to which he was elected. He failed and continues to fail to approach the bare minimum of competence we expect from a president. Each time I persuade myself that this president cannot be worse, new information proves me wrong. Seemingly, there is no bottom for this man. And now my dad is gone.
I guess it should not surprise me that Trump wasted a month before focusing on the pandemic. I guess it should not surprise me that Trump did not use his enormous power to mobilise the immense forces at his disposal. I guess it should not surprise me that this incompetent, immoral, egotistical man chose not to provide critical information to the American people when it could have done some good.
Had Trump warned the public about the true dangers of Covid-19, I would have made a different decision and canceled my parent’s trip to Spain. Instead of the Sagrada Familia and the Prado, they would have hunkered down in their one-bedroom apartment on the 16th floor of a 30-story high-rise in Dallas (a building in which there have been only two cases of the disease and zero deaths from it). Mom and Dad would be sitting beside each other drinking coffee and sharing newspapers. They would be reading their books and watching their shows. My dad would be bringing my mom supper on a little tray.
I guess it should not surprise me that Trump’s silence would kill my dad. But it did.
Dr. Hargrove serves as Professor of Organizational Behavior in the John L. Grove College of Business at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-13--UK Could Be Battered By 'Hundreds Of Thousands' Of Redundancies Over Autumn, Study Warns

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The UK is likely to face hundreds of thousands of redundancies over the autumn – the highest level in a generation, a new study has warned.
An analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) found it was likely the UK will be hit by around 450,000 redundancies in the coming months.
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However, analysts warned that redundancies could exceed 700,000 if job loss notifications continue to rise.
If half a million jobs are lost, it will be the highest level since at least the mid-1990s, the think tank said, calling for urgent measures to support those affected.
Between May and July 2020, employers notified the government of nearly 380,000 staff at risk of redundancy – more than double the peak reached in the financial crisis a decade ago, the IES said.
IES director Tony Wilson said: “This data lays bare the scale of the jobs crisis that we’re facing in the autumn, with half a million people likely to lose their jobs in the coming months.
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“The sad reality is that this restructuring cannot be averted entirely, but we can do a lot more to minimise the job losses and support those who are most at risk.
“Our top priority must be to support those facing the prospect of losing their jobs to find new, secure and good quality work as quickly as possible.”
Hundreds of thousands of redundancies could be announced in the autumn, the highest level in a generation, a study suggests. PA
Meanwhile, the UK must realise that not all of the redundancies are inevitable, Wilson said.
“Although most of those who were furloughed by their employers are now back at work, there are still many parts of the economy where perfectly viable businesses cannot bring people back because of the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic.
“So we need tightly targeted support to help these firms ride out the next few months, where they can commit to not laying staff off.”
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Responding to the study, a government spokesperson said supporting jobs was an “absolute priority”.
“Which is why we’ve set out a comprehensive Plan for Jobs to protect, create and support jobs across the UK by providing significant, targeted support where it is needed the most.
“We are continuing to support livelihoods and incomes through our £2 billion Kickstart scheme, creating incentives for training and apprenticeships, a £1,000 retention bonus for businesses that can bring furloughed employees back to work, and doubling the number of frontline work coaches to help people find work.