Robert Jackman

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Over the past ten years, few industries have faced changes as dramatic as retail – and, in particular, the British high street. While the high street itself remains a much-loved institution, it seems that hardly a week passes without another reminder of the unprecedented changes – from consumer habits to technology – it currently faces. On one hand we hear stories about the challenges for British retailers – from squeezes in living standards to the closure of major chains like Toys R Us, it seems some of us have become conditioned to expect the worst. But at the same time there are the success stories – like the new wave of independent retailers, over half of whom say they are optimistic about the sector’s future.

The decision by the popular liberal podcast Pod Save America to break ties publicly with Tim Miller – a Republican adviser and Trump skeptic – might not make ripples beyond the beltway. It’s an interesting story nonetheless. In a strangely sanctimonious statement posted on Twitter, Pod’s co-hosts – three ex-Obama staffers – announced they would be dropping Miller, a regular guest, because of his links with the lobbying firm Definers Public Affairs. They 'ultimately found it impossible to square that work with the values of our company’. Definers – for those who missed it – is currently caught up in a media storm regarding some advisory work it had been doing for Facebook.

Is the British media transphobic? Yes, according to a writer in the Outline, a US publication, who accuses the Times and the Guardian of rampant bigotry in the row about gender. Several prominent British feminists are also singled out for alleged ‘hate-peddling’. The logic here is muddled but is worth unpicking. The author appears to claim that the views of British feminists like Helen Lewis (who has urged caution over the Government’s proposal to reform the Gender Recognition Act) are somehow comparable to the Trump administration, which is – according to the New York Times – seeking to remove legal protections for transgender individuals. This is a complete misunderstanding of both debates.

William Sitwell, the writer and food critic made famous by Masterchef, has quit as editor of Waitrose's food magazine following the backlash against his response to a vegan journalist. When Selene Nelson wrote to Sitwell to pitch a series of 'plant-based' recipes, he replied with another idea: "How about a series on killing vegans, one by one. Ways to trap them? How to interrogate them properly? Expose their hypocrisy? Force-feed them meat? Make them eat steak and drink red wine?". This spirited response – which, if nothing else, suggests some confusion about the ingredients of red wine – has now cost Sitwell his job. For some it will come as no surprise – Sitwell is hardly the first person to have their career imperilled by a Twitter witch-hunt.