Robert Jenrick’s switch from the Conservatives to Reform UK is “by far the most significant in a string of recent defections”, said The Economist. The former Tory leadership hopeful told the BBC that his move would help “unite the right”, and denied that he was motivated by ambition.

What it means for the Tories
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party is “stronger” since Jenrick left. But it is “inarguable” that the Tories are still in a “massive mess”, said Henry Zeffman on the BBC. They have a genuine fear of being “usurped by Reform UK”.

Badenoch’s “swift manoeuvre” to oust Jenrick showed strength, said The Economist. “If you squint”, you can see her emerging well from this: “unencumbered by a troublesome rival”. 

What it means for Reform
Jenrick’s political credibility brings a “different dynamic” to the “one-man band” currently dominated by Nigel Farage, said Stephen Pollard in The Spectator. His move could also lead to more Tory defections.

But not all Reform members will be “offering a welcome mat” to their newest colleague. To say “there is no love lost” between Jenrick and Zia Yusuf, Sarah Pochin and others in “the upper echelons of Reform” does a disservice to “the levels of pure hate displayed” towards the former shadow justice secretary.

Farage was quick to thank the Tories for handing their “most popular figure” to him “on a plate”, but the jury is out on whether Jenrick will be a “help or a hindrance”, said the Financial Times. Reform risks becoming a repository for “relics of failed Conservative governments”, while Farage faces the prospect of working with someone who has “made no secret of his desire to one day run the country”.

What it means for the next election
Jenrick’s defection also “all but ended the chances of any deal to unite the British right”, said Bloomberg. A Tory-Reform pact is increasingly unlikely, opening the door to the “most widely contested” general election in years.

A Chinese app that requires you to check in to prove you’re alive and well has soared in popularity, thanks to people living on their own.

Are You Dead? (Sileme in Mandarin) this week became the most downloaded paid app in the country’s history, and put the spotlight on the increasing number of single-person households.

Droves of downloads
The concept of the app “is simple”: you must check in every two days by “clicking a large button to confirm that you are alive”, said the BBC. If you don’t, “it will get in touch with your appointed emergency contact”. The app was launched last year to “not much fanfare” but has has since “exploded” as young people who live alone have begun “downloading it in droves”.

One of the app’s developers, Guo Mengchu, told South China Morning Post he planned to sell a tenth of his shares for one million yuan (£106,000). Based on this, the app’s value has been estimated at more than 10 million yuan (£1 million).

Its popularity rests largely on the increase in lone living. In 2024, those who lived on their own accounted for about 20% of all Chinese households, compared with 15% a decade earlier. It’s forecast that, by 2030, there may be up to 200 million one-person households in China.

What’s in a name?
Sileme is a pun on the name of the popular food delivery app Ele.me (“Are you hungry?” in English). But some people were “quick to bash” it for being “less than cheery”, said the BBC, suggesting the name should be changed to “Are you OK?” or something else “with a more positive spin”.

Two days ago, it was announced that, “after extensive consideration”, the app will adopt its current overseas name, Demumu, in its next Chinese iteration.

Guo explained that “de” was an abbreviation for death, while “mumu” was a cute-sounding, nonsense word. But some users think the change is a mistake, arguing that its current name is part of its viral appeal.

Coco Gauff practises her serve in Melbourne, ahead of the start of the Australian Open on Sunday. The US tennis star is leading a prize money dispute between players and the Grand Slam tournaments – despite the Australian Open announcing a record 16% prize-pot hike this year.

William West / AFP / Getty Images

France: Manigod, Haute-Savoie
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Fear the Sphere
Christopher David LaRoche on Foreign Policy
After “decades condemning spheres of influence”, the US is now “claiming one”, writes Carnegie Endowment for International Peace fellow Christopher David LaRoche. By announcing that “it will ‘run’ Venezuela”, the Trump administration is asserting “exclusivity in its own neighbourhood”. But a system of spheres “requires mutual recognition”, and neither Russia nor China recognises America’s or each other’s. “Today’s spheres claims look more like a collision than a concert”, and “among nuclear-armed powers”, such a “collision could be catastrophic”.

The moral rot at Elon Musk’s X is criminal
James Baxter-Derrington in The Telegraph
Despite announcing restrictions, X is still allowing Grok to “produce sexualised images of children and unconsenting adults”, writes James Baxter-Derrington. It’s “disgraceful” to “entertain any other stance on this morally reprehensible act” than sheer “disgust”. It’s a “criminal” and “non-partisan issue” that has nothing to do with “bugs” in AI technology. “Grok is created and maintained by real human beings, each of whom is committing a crime” and “should be punished to the full extent of the law”.

Hot cross buns are for Easter, not for life
Melanie McDonagh in The Spectator
The evolution of hot cross buns “into a year-round staple” is proof that “we’ve completely lost it”, writes Melanie McDonagh. They “are cross because they’re for Good Friday” and, “eaten on the day of the Lord’s Passion”, were once thought to bring luck. “We’re playing fast and loose with symbolism when we use the cross out of context.” Keep it for “the one day” when it has “meaning”. And “if you want a toasted fruit bun at other times, go for a tea-cake.”