The Spectator

How many people still send letters?

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issue 05 February 2022

Borderland

Few countries can have passed through as many kingdoms and empires as Ukraine — the ‘borderlands’. These are just a few of the political entities which have controlled parts or all of modern-day Ukraine before it became an independent nation in 1991:

Scythian Kingdom; Roman Empire; Ostrogothic Kingdom; Bulgar Kingdom; Khazar Kingdom; Kievan Rus; Mongolia; Galicia-Volhynia; Poland; Lithuania; Ottoman Empire; Cossack Hetmanate; Austro-Hungarian Empire; Russia; Free Territory of Ukraine; Soviet Union.

Schemes and scams

The government hopes to raise £12 billion through the 1.25% rise in National Insurance contributions from April. How does this compare with money wrongfully claimed under Covid relief schemes?

According to HMRC estimates:

8.7% of furlough claims were wrongfully claimed, either fraudulently or in error.

The same applies to 2.5% of Self-Employed Income Support Scheme payments, and to 8.5% of Eat Out to Help Out payments.

The money lost through these three schemes between them is estimated at £5.8 billion.

Separately, the Treasury estimated that £4.9

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