Today’s birthdays

Lord Higgins, former Great Britain Olympic athlete and former Conservative MP, is 91; Chief

Emeka Anyaoku, Secretarygeneral of the Commonwealth, 1990-2000, 86; Dr David Bellamy, botanist, writer and broadcaster, 86; Mr John Boorman, film director, 86; Mr Raymond Briggs, author and illustrator, 85; Sir Clive Whitmore, former senior civil servant, 84; Sir Michael Bett, First

Civil Service Commissioner, 1995-2000, 84; Lord Howell of

Guildford, former Conservative MP, 83; Prof John Hume, former MP; joint winner, Nobel Peace Prize, 1998, 82; Lord Giddens,

Director, London School of Economics and Political Science, 1997-2003, 81; Sir Martin Laing, Chairman, John Laing plc, 1985-2001, 77; Mr Paul Keating,

Prime Minister of Australia, 1991-96, 75; the Hon Sir Rocco Forte, hotelier, 74; Vice-adml Sir

Tom Blackburn, Master of Her Majesty’s Household, 2000-05, 74;

Sir Alan Reid, Chairman of the Council, Duchy of Lancaster; Keeper of the Privy Purse, 2002-17, 72; Prof Sir Richard Friend, physicist, 66; Dame Alison

Carnwath, Chairman, Land Securities, 2008-18, 66; Mr Lionel

Barber, Editor, Financial Times; Chairman, Tate Galleries, 64; Mr

Kevin Costner, actor, producer and director, 64; Lord Deighton, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, 2013-15, 63; Sir Mark

Rylance, actor, theatre director and playwright, 59; Prof Shearer

West, Vice-chancellor, University of Nottingham, 59; Mr Peter

Beardsley, former England footballer, 58; Mr Richard

Dunwoody, former National Hunt jockey; three times Champion Jockey, 55, Mr Leo Varadkar,

Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland (Taoiseach), 40; and Miss

Angelique Kerber, tennis player; Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Champion, 2018, 31. Today is the anniversary of the birth of A.A. Milne in 1882 and of the death of Rudyard Kipling in 1936.