RAY OF LIGHT

In the 2015 general election, the SNP won 56 out of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster – a towering personal triumph for Nicola Sturgeon, untouchable party leader and First Minister, following that referendum reversal the previous year. Yet by the time she officially stepped down in March, the SNP was already unravelling, beset by persistent allegations of mishandled funds that would see Sturgeon and her husband briefly placed under arrest. A bitter and chaotic leadership race was eventually won by Humza Yousaf, who has since presided over a catastrophic byelection loss and a collapse in the opinion polls. An extraordinary nadir was plumbed in October, when SNP MP Lisa Cameron defected to the Conservatives. A thistle for the thoughts of Sturgeon, who famously once said: ‘I detest the Tories and everything they stand for.’

After Gary Lineker told 8.9 million Twitter followers that the Government’s language on small-boat migrants reminded him of ‘that used by Germany in the 30s’, the resultant furore led to the BBC whisking its highest-paid star off air. While both parties attempted to patch together an agreement on his future use of social media, Lineker’s Match of the Day co-presenters walked out in sympathy, leading to an eerie, almost sinister edition of the Saturday-night institution, stripped of all commentary and its famous theme tune. Normal service was resumed the following week, after Lineker agreed to adhere to ‘social media guidelines’ that apparently allow him to post a waving hand emoji when Suella Braverman gets sacked.

The splendidly bonkers film

Everything Everywhere All at Once picked up seven Oscars, most pleasingly Michelle Yeoh’s award for Best Actress. After a long career in movies, the 60-year-old Malaysian became the first Asian to win the category, for a role there’s no point even attempting to describe to anyone who hasn’t seen the film. ‘For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,’ she told the audience. ‘And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime.’ Speaking of which, the film also stars 65-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis in a surreal frankfurterfingered turn.

There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?

Back of the net: Harry Kane becomes England’s highest-ever goal scorer as he hammers home his 54th winner for the nation during a Euros 2024 qualifier. ‘It means everything,’ Kane said of overtaking Wayne Rooney’s record