As 2025 draws to a close, veteran columnist Brian Reade has delivered his definitive and characteristically sharp take on the past twelve months, a period he describes as an "orange-tinted horror show" dominated by the figure of Donald Trump.
The Year of Trump and UK Political Shifts
Reade frames the year as being overwhelmingly defined by the former US President, from his January threats regarding Greenland and Canada to his December lawsuit against the BBC. Throughout 2025, Trump claimed to be resolving international conflicts while simultaneously imposing widespread tariffs, creating a backdrop of global tension.
Domestically, the UK witnessed escalating racial tensions and a series of prison escapes, while Nigel Farage saw his popularity surge in the polls. However, Reade notes it wasn't all bleak. He credits the Labour government with several achievements despite constant criticism, including cutting NHS waiting lists, raising the minimum wage, and lifting half a million children out of poverty. The government also began resetting relations with the EU and brought railways back into public ownership.
Cultural Winners and Losers of the Year
Reade's review highlights a series of memorable sights, quotes, and actions that defined the year's culture. He cheered at the sight of French President Emmanuel Macron being smacked by his wife, and when former schoolmates labelled Nigel Farage an "unadulterated racist". He found hope in the progress of the Hillsborough Law through Parliament.
His "Worst Sight" was a 150-metre-long fly-tipping eyesore in Oxfordshire, symbolising a decline in standards, while the "Best Quote" was awarded to Jack Osbourne for his poignant eulogy to his father Ozzy, borrowing from Hunter S. Thompson.
Acts of Courage and Epitomes of Greed
In the category of "Best Man," Reade praised Australian shopkeeper Ahmed al Ahmed for disarming a gunman in Bondi. The "Best Woman" was posthumously awarded to Virginia Giuffre, whose courage continued to resonate.
Conversely, the "Worst Man" was deemed to be FIFA President Gianni Infantino for his fawning over Donald Trump, even inventing a peace prize for him. The "Worst Woman" was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, for a grovelling leaked email to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Reade's review concludes with the "Best Laugh" of the year: the absurd report that Donald Trump had imposed a 10% tariff on Antarctica's Heard and McDonald Islands, whose sole inhabitants are penguins and seals.
