Our Baillie Gifford boycotts aren’t about tearing down the arts – they’re about building them up

Finance is always an issue, but surely we are entitled to expect a higher moral stance from our cultural institutions, says writer Tom Jeffreys

London literary life excludes northern writers, prize organisers say

Prejudice has meant authors from the north of England struggle to find publishers and their stories go unheard

Bernice Rubens, first woman to win Booker, honoured with Cardiff plaque

Scholars and politicians to attend unveiling of memorial at family home of only Welsh winner of literary prize

‘Extraordinary’ Joseph Coelho novel wins Carnegie medal for children’s writing

‘Extraordinary’ novel The Boy Lost in the Maze takes prestigious honour while sister prize for illustration goes to Aaron Becker’s wordless The Tree and the River

Tracey Emin and Imelda Staunton get damehoods in king’s birthday honours

Others honoured from cultural world include the writer Monica Ali, choreographer Wayne McGregor and children’s laureate Joseph Coelho

Charity to offer books at food banks across the UK

Schemes established in London and Norfolk will give away books alongside food, with a programme of author events also planned

‘I’m blessed. I’m still here’: ex-MP Patrick Duffy, 103, publishes memoirs

Oldest surviving MP can clearly recall the 1926 general strike, part of his long and immensely eventful life

The Observer view on Baillie Gifford sponsorship row: writing is on the wall for book lovers

Now the investment fund is pulling out of literary festivals, what other sponsors will dare expose themselves to the scrutiny of Fossil Free Books?

Baillie Gifford cancels all remaining sponsorships of literary festivals

Cambridge, Stratford, Wigtown and Henley festivals say firm ended deals after protests over its links to Israel and fossil fuels

Baillie Gifford will no longer sponsor Borders and Cheltenham literature festivals

Investment management firm’s links to Israel and fossil fuel sector put sponsorship deals under pressure

Mr Fib and Little Miss Surprise join ranks of the Mr Men and Little Misses

Top-hatted liar and pink-haired character who never knows what the day will bring are added to classic series of children’s books

Hide the marmalade! Paddington Bear is back – and this time he’s gone immersive

The fluffy accident-prone favourite is donning his red wellies and duffle coat for a magical new ‘experience’ that is half-theatre and half-party. Our writer braces herself for a look behind the scenes

UK within British empire is like last person left at a party, says David Olusoga

Historian tells Hay festival audience that Britain needs to ‘liberate itself and have independence day from its own history’

‘A sign of hope’: why weeds are finally being embraced by gardeners

Species once viewed as a threat are undergoing a horticultural reassessment and being hailed for their resilience and beauty across the UK

Julia Gillard says progress on gender equality is ‘really glacial’

Former Australian prime minister issues warning that young men’s thinking on the issue is going backward