The beauty of pollution
On the back of the British £20 note, J.M.W. Turner appears against the backdrop of his most iconic image. Voted…
Drama on the London Underground
The girl lay slumped against a wall in front of me and someone ran to push the emergency button. I…
What I saw at the Okhmatdyt bomb site
Kyiv For weeks, Kyiv had felt relatively safe compared with just about everywhere else in Ukraine. People had adjusted to…
Can Labour solve our prisons crisis?
There is no doubt that the new government (and in particular the prisons minister, James Timpson) is faced with a…
The great bee-smuggling scandal
The principal concerns of the electors vary rather more widely than the pollsters and pundits would suggest. One man in…
Trade like a tradwife
I love to complain about my phone. It has ruined everything, from friendships to childhood to my memory. But if…
Starmer must move fast without losing his head
When Keir Starmer’s Labour party gathered on Monday to celebrate their election victory, the difficulty was finding a big enough…
The secret diary of Sue Gray
Once we entered Downing Street a No. 10 protocol adviser took Vic upstairs to show her the facilities in the private…
Who will lead the Tories next?
Rishi Sunak performed a mea culpa when his shadow cabinet convened on Monday, taking full responsibility for the election loss.…
What the Tories got wrong on housing
Sir Keir Starmer may be our first atheist prime minister, but his manner in parliament resembles that of what, in…
My future as a reality TV star
Magpies have long been thought to be birds of omen. I am not superstitious. Yet during the election campaign I…
Portrait of the Week: Starmer’s first steps, Biden’s wobble and Australia’s egg shortage
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, appointed several ministers who are not MPs, but will be created life peers.…
Why don’t international laws apply to Russia?
The Kremlin has denied it targeted the Kyiv children’s hospital that was struck by a missile on Monday. It was…
Why I fell out of love with Wagner
It’s four years since I gave up opera criticism. The pandemic had struck, I had hit a significant birthday, and…
Politicians have to be gamblers
Politicians pretty well have to be gamblers. You give up a promising career in, say, dentistry, teaching or accountancy for…
How to make perfect scones
I am evangelical about scones as a gateway bake – they are the perfect entry point for the nervous baker.…
Don’t bribe your dog with treats
‘Do NOT look Lulu in the eye. Keep your voice low and soft and ignore her barking. Do NOT make…
Are the best young ballerinas being lured away from dance by sport?
As graduation ceremonies go, the Royal Ballet School’s annual matinée ranks among the most spectacular. It takes place at the…
