The year women fought back... and won!

From a welcome victory on women's rights and the continuing rise of Reform, to more trouble ahead for the late Queen's favourite son and a possible new face in No 10, Daily Express columnists look back on 2025 and share their predictions for the coming year

- Carole Malone

Andrew rides a lonely path after scandal of his friendship with Epstein, above

Richard Madeley

NO ONE likes a smarta' so let me begin by holding my hands up to my less accurate predictions for the year ahead, made this time last December.

• Ceasefire in Ukraine;

• Iran's nuclear weapons programme flattened by Israel;

• Labour to row back its attacks on UK farmers.

Hey ho. You win some, you lose some. At least I correctly predicted the continuing failure to prosecute the perfidious Post Office bosses who persecuted their blameless sub-postmasters. We're still waiting on that one (and doubtless will be 12 months from now).

I also forecast 2025 would be the year Prince Andrew (as he was still known last Christmas) would crash and burn. And that brings me to my principal prediction for 2026, because this story is trembling on the brink of going nuclear.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will find himself firmly on the path to his ultimate destiny and downfall: a snug bunk behind bars in a US jail. Let me explain my thinking. Andrew has refused to respond in any way, shape or form to the US House Oversight Committee's request for him to tell them what he knows about Epstein's sexual crimes.

True, he was under no legal obligation to do so. Presumably, his disinclination to oblige stemmed from a fear he might incriminate himself during questioning. But Andrew's failure to even send a polite acknowledgement or explanation for his non-cooperation was a huge tactical error.