There’s a phrase I often used to hear when I lived in the US: "If you do what you’ve always done, then you’ll get what you’ve always got." I couldn’t understand that phrase because it simply isn’t true. If businesses like Kodak, Blockbuster or IBM do what they’ve always done, they soon disappear (as Blockbuster did). That’s because the world constantly changes. Businesses, even successful ones, reinvent themselves (like IBM and Kodak) or die.
It, therefore, seemed odd to me that until a few days ago there remained a strand within the British Conservative party that still wished to reinstall Boris Johnson as prime minister despite ... well, despite the fact that the scandal-magnet Mr Johnson has been a disaster for his party and his country. Finally, the Conservatives settled not on "doing what they’ve always done", but on Rishi Sunak.
That’s because unlike Mr Johnson and outgoing prime minister Liz Truss, Mr Sunak at least appears to be a grown-up. He works hard. He has a strong business background. He comes from an extremely rich family so you can be sure that – again unlike Mr Johnson – he will not spend a lot of time worrying about money and cosying up to rich (and at times unsuitable) friends. It’s also good news that we have as prime minister a person of colour whose family background reflects the diversity of Britain today.
The Tories settled not on 'doing what they’ve always done', but on Sunak
True, Mr Sunak did attend one of those exclusive English public schools, and his privilege shines through in everything from the way he dresses to the car he drives. (He once pretended to drive a much more humble model borrowed from someone else.) Also true, Mr Sunak has risen through a Conservative party that is riddled with incompetents and remains delusional in its post Brexit in-fighting. But I wish him well, and hope he picks a team of technocrats rather than the party faithful and useless ideologues who littered the Johnson and Truss administrations.
Yet, it is notable that even within his own Conservative party there are those who do not wish Mr Sunak well. Some find it difficult to see his talents and focus – sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly – on his race. In one remarkable radio interview with (full disclosure) an excellent British presenter of Asian background, Sangita Myska, who is a former colleague and friend of mine, a caller insisted that Mr Sunak could not really understand "the English". The caller preferred Mr Johnson as in some way being more British. Mr Sunak was born in Britain. Mr Johnson was born in the US. Mr Sunak is not white. Mr Johnson is. You may wish to draw your own conclusions from these facts.
Mr Sunak also now inherits a disastrous economic and political situation. The Conservative party is riven by factions, stuck in the past, still insisting that Brexit has been (in Mr Johnson’s phrase) a "Titanic success". The Titanic, of course, sank when it hit the iceberg of reality. Post-Brexit Britain has done something similar. Mr Johnson’s style was to bluster about negotiating an "excellent" Brexit so Britain would "have our cake – and eat it". The reality is that there is no "cake". Instead, we have trade bottlenecks, new bureaucracies, and a British economy that is underperforming compared to other European countries.
The way we have ended up with our third prime minister in seven weeks and our fifth prime minister since the 2016 Brexit vote means – quite rightly – that the UK’s reputation for stable government has gone. Since 2016, the future of the UK has repeatedly been in the hands of a tiny self-selected group of people who happen to be members of the Conservative party.
They have tolerated Mr Johnson’s serial plotting and disloyalty to other leaders as well as his lying and dodgy dealings. Next month, Mr Johnson will hear many of his scandals and misjudgments reconsidered in a parliamentary investigation. Instead of returning to Downing Street, Mr Johnson – who has spent most of the past three months on holiday rather than doing any parliamentary work – will be forced to contemplate the results of his disgraceful behaviour, including his loss of two ethics advisers who found it impossible to work with him.
Mr Sunak, therefore, has the chance to change and rise above the Johnson years of serial plotting. Mr Johnson undermined his supposed friend, prime minister David Cameron, in 2016. In 2018, he undermined Mr Cameron’s successor, Theresa May. He even undermined himself due to his extraordinary ethical failures. Some conspiracy theorists believe he only supported Ms Truss because he saw how incompetent she was, and so when she inevitably failed he would have a chance at making a comeback.
In rejecting Mr Johnson, the Conservative party may finally have recognised that if they do what they’ve always done since Brexit, namely to give way to back-stairs plotters and ideologues, then they will not get what they have always got – power. They will, instead, face electoral oblivion, and deserve it. Mr Sunak needs to replace Mr Johnson’s crisis conservatism with competent conservatism. That means facing up to the reality of Brexit, and also the toxic legacy of Mr Johnson.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
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TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
