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20 Mar, 8 tweets, 3 min read
Every earl, duke, marquis, viscount and baron has the same passport to parliament: blood and, in most cases, their status as firstborn sons.

Whether measured by age, education or experience, they do not resemble those on whose behalf they make laws. thetimes.co.uk/article/reveal…
The 85 hereditary peers are allowed to vote on laws because they have inherited ancient titles
Aristocratic titles are still passed down to male heirs, rather than firstborn children - meaning no women are able to inherit the titles
Our analysis also shows the average hereditary peer claims more than the average life peers
The amount of land they own between them is equivalent to nearly half the size of Greater London
39 hereditary peers were educated at Eton alone, while another six went to Winchester, a further five went to Harrow
Our investigation today offers a comprehensive assessment of Britain’s hereditary peers: who they are, how much they cost and how they use their presence in parliament — more than two decades after they were supposed to have been abolished.
The aristocratic 'jobs for the boys’ system that gave the elite an automatic role in running the country has been running on borrowed time for 20 years.

Is it time for reform?
thetimes.co.uk/article/is-it-…

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13 Mar
Presenter @kategarraway’s husband, Derek Draper, has been in hospital since last March after catching coronavirus. She spoke to @DeccaJourno about the ordeal thetimes.co.uk/article/kate-g…
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7 Mar
Mothers are being hit hardest by the pandemic, says @PregnantScrewed founder, @Joeli_Brearley. But what is the motherhood penalty, and what can we do to counter it? #IWD2021 thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to…
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7 Mar
As the first lockdown took hold, a worrying picture for women started to emerge, writes @rebeccacmyers #IWD2021 thetimes.co.uk/article/how-co…
There was a bitter truth to the now infamous “Stay home. Save lives” government advert. The cartoon image showed four households, with women homeschooling children, looking after a baby and cleaning, while the only man was seen relaxing on a sofa
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The Sunday Times Profile picture
6 Mar
Cheltenham Festival - March 10, 2020

More than 60,000 people flocked to the opening of the four-day event. The day before, Sir Patrick Vallance had been put forward to explain that mass gatherings were not a big problem.

So began a national disaster. thetimes.co.uk/article/chelte…
“one person in a 70,000-seater stadium is not going to infect the stadium. They will infect potentially a few people they’ve got very close contact with.” Sir Patrick said.

The comments were quickly ridiculed on Twitter. In time, the latter’s view proved more correct.
The organisers of the Cheltenham Festival did take some minor precautions. Bottles of hand sanitiser were placed in the washrooms and around the racecourse.

But these measures, as we know now, proved largely useless against an airborne virus.
Read 6 tweets

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