First-class day for Mr Bates

Sir Alan Bates is a patient man. The 20 years he spent fighting for justice against the Post Office proves that. Equally, Suzanne Sercombe is a patient woman. The 20 years she supported Alan in the struggle proves that too.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that it took the couple 34 years to tie the knot. As we report, when ­Sir Richard Branson flew them to the Caribbean for a holiday on his private island, Alan used the occasion to spring a surprise wedding. His proposal — a mention at breakfast that the register office was booked — was perhaps unconventional, but romance takes many forms. It is first-class news, and the nation will cheer the couple on.
Alan’s dogged determination was