"Well-off, middle-aged women" are being blamed for a shoplifting spree in Surrey, amid rocketing rates of retail crime by the middle classes.

Shop owners in Haslemere told The Telegraph that the problem has become so bad, they've formed a WhatsApp group to update each other about thefts and share CCTV footage of key bourgeois shelf-raider suspects.

What are the middle classes swiping?
It seems that most middle-class shoplifting is carried out at big supermarket chains: robbing the comfortable to feed the comfortable. I "helped myself to more than £1,000 of goods" over 12 months, admitted Samantha Donnelly on the Mail Online. It all started when I forgot to scan a large bag of nappies hanging from my daughter's buggy. My shoplifting escalated before I was eventually caught when, for reasons I'll "never fully understand", I decided to "chance my luck and steal the whole weekly shop".

Another affluent shoplifter named only as Emma, a 37-year-old PR from south London, told London's The Standard that before using the self-checkout, she often "siphons off" some "small, higher-value items", such as smoked salmon, Brie or "a punnet of blueberries", into her tote bag.

Why are the middle classes shoplifting?
It's no surprise that the "middle-class crim with a sense of entitlement" is on the rise, said Zoe Williams in The Guardian. There is "an assumption of middle-class probity", which means "nobody checks my bag" and, "when there's an unidentified item in the bagging area, the assistant will wave it through without a glance".

For "well-spoken, nicely-dressed professionals", shoplifting has practically become "risk-free", said The Standard. "They know that, if they got caught they could say, 'Oh my gosh, how silly of me'," Emmeline Taylor, a professor of criminology at City, University of London, told the paper.

The trend in middle-class shoplifters has been growing "ever since self-service checkouts were introduced", she said. The cost-of-living crisis has "exacerbated the problem", because "even wealthier people are feeling the pinch". And, as "they've got used to a certain standard of living", they think "helping themselves to a few high-value items is the answer".

How bad has shoplifting got overall?
Between September 2023 and September 2024, the number of customer theft incidents reported by UK retailers increased by 3.7 million to 20.4 million, costing shop owners an estimated £2 billion.

Beyoncé's first Album of the Year Grammy is not only a "long-overdue recognition" but also addresses the "elephant in the room" that's been "lingering" over the Grammys for years, said Saeed Saeed in The National. The singer scooped the award last night for her genre-bending album "Cowboy Carter", which explores the Black roots of country music, and it "should help atone for past perceived snubs".

Beyoncé was already the most-awarded artist in Grammys history, and she now becomes the first Black woman to be awarded the Album of the Year this century. It ends her dubious honour of being the most-nominated female artist without a win in this category.

'Glass ceiling'
The Grammys have been "crazy in love" with Beyoncé since she first burst onto the scene in 1999 as a member of Destiny's Child, said the New York Post. Her success since has been "staggering", with 99 nominations. Yet, until last night, she had been forced to perfect the "beauty-queen smile-and-clap routine" after four nominations for Album of the Year without a win.

Despite "excelling in every possible way across her two-decade career", it wasn't quite enough to be "rewarded with the most prestigious award of the night", Leah Sinclair said in Stylist in 2023, after Beyoncé lost the category for the fourth time, to Harry Styles. "It may not be significant to some, it's a subtle observation that Black women, in particular, know all too well and can relate to." Even if you are "at the absolute pinnacle of Black excellence", there is still a "glass ceiling that remains firmly in place".

'Head and shoulders' above the rest
After such a "historic sense of grievance", this year's win is hugely symbolic as well as personal, said Neil McCormick in The Telegraph. "You might think that this was because she had ventured into what is arguably the whitest and most conservative popular music genre in America, but 'Cowboy Carter' pushes country into a whole new realm." It was "head and shoulders" above the rest.

"Making history is nothing new for Beyoncé", said The Hollywood Reporter. With her well-deserved Album of the Year win, she continues to "claim her rightful throne in music".

Wine sales are in general global decline – with one noble exception. The organic wine market is booming, and is expected to triple in value by 2030. With dry January over, here are some of the best to try.

Yalumba Organic Viognier South Australia
With its "gentle floral, honeyed touch", delicate notes of peach and apricot, and "creamy mouthfeel", this "beautiful winter white will transport you to warmer months", said The Independent.

Muscadet Chemin des Prières, Domaine Huchet 2022
Grown in the granite-based soils of Château-Thébaud, this elegant muscadet is "bursting with citrus and has a zippy saline flavour", said The Times. Its mineral freshness makes it the perfect pairing for light seafood dishes and charcuterie.

Morrisons The Best Organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
This "vibrant" montepulciano is made using organic grapes grown by Abruzzo's largest producer, said The Guardian. Ideal for pairing with rich, meaty dishes, the wine's notes of cherry and blackberry are expertly balanced with peppery dark chocolate.

Co-op Fairtrade Irresistible Malbec
"You'd be forgiven for thinking" this "dangerously drinkable" Argentinian malbec is "much more expensive" than it is, said Good Housekeeping. Savour the "plump, dark fruit flavours" with a "spicy finish" and "well-rounded savoury edge".

Vina Elena Pacheco Organic Monastrell 2023
This "robust and delicious" monastrell is "the kind of wine you want in terracotta jugs on a table filled with an abundant spread to share with friends", said The Independent. Notes of "brambly dark berries" are followed by a "sweet balsamic glaze finish".

Trump's trade war isn't as mad as it seems
Tim Stanley in The Telegraph
"Philosophically", writes Tim Stanley, Donald Trump's tariff policy "makes sense". He's "dragged a latent culture war into the open", pitting "liberals who believe the world must pool resources and sovereignty to save the planet" against "nationalists" who argue that "however well-intentioned this is", what it "means in practice is powerful democracies losing their edge" on the global stage. The world is a "jungle", and nation states should "put their own people first".

I thought I enjoyed drinking in my 20s, but this has changed my mind
Poorna Bell in The i Paper
A recent survey found that nearly half of people aged 55 and under no longer drink alcohol "aside from on special occasions", while older people are the "most resistant to drinking less", writes Poorna Bell. Some older drinkers "make alcohol their personality", but among the young, it's "much more socially acceptable" to "ask for something alcohol-free". I now view the boozing of my 20s differently, and "I would swap it all for sobriety if I could go back in time".

Primark's adaptive clothing does more for disabled Britons than the government does
James Moore in The Independent
Primark has launched an adaptive clothing range after having "recognised" that there are people "for whom everyday clobber doesn't always work so well", writes James Moore. Hopefully, other retailers will follow suit, because this range arguably "does more for disabled people than the British state has done for years". Even this "nominally progressive" government continues to treat the disabled with the "mix of hectoring and neglect we've had to get used to".