Why is the NHS denying women pain relief in childbirth?
Over the weekend it was reported that hospitals are implementing a ban on the gas and air used by women…
What Miriam Cates gets right – and wrong – about declining fertility
Fulfil your civic duty. Get married. Have children. That was the message from Miriam Cates, the increasingly prominent Conservative backbencher, to guests…
Childcare is broken in the UK
The Truss administration made many missteps, but on childcare it was on the right track. Though details were lacking, the…
The nanny state is making us poorer
As household budgets face their worst squeeze for decades, one wonders whether the public health establishment feels any remorse for their…
Why are councils blocking homes for Ukrainian refugees?
Over the course of three days in September 1939, 1.5 million evacuees were sent to rural locations across Britain considered…
Stop attacking billionaires
The $5.79 trillion budget plan Joe Biden submitted to Congress yesterday was more notable for what it didn’t include, rather…
Does anyone still believe in low taxes?
Speculation over which taxes the Chancellor will slash or, more likely, hike at tomorrow’s spring statement seems to have settled…
Can Britain afford to spend more on defence?
With rumours swirling that the Ministry of Defence will see its budget boosted in next week’s spring statement it’s hard…
The problem with International Women’s Day
Am I the only one wondering how long it’ll be before the organisers of International Women’s Day are forced to…
How much did the Covid crisis cost?
The true cost of Covid cannot be quantified only in death rates or GDP figures. Though it could have been…
It’s time for Rishi Sunak to become a low-tax Tory
This week marks two years since Rishi Sunak was thrust from relative obscurity into the political spotlight as Chancellor of…
The cost of online safety
Few people in Britain will have heard of the draft Online Safety Bill. Fewer still will oppose it. Protecting children…
Is Boris really serious about Brexit?
As the partygate furore rages on, Boris Johnson is retreating towards familiar territory: Brexit. A policy blitz is underway this…
How to fix the BBC licence fee
Nadine Dorries came out fighting over the weekend to declare it was time to discuss new ways to fund and…
How well is Brexit going?
Twelve months after a comprehensive trade deal was signed with the EU, where are we now? How has the UK…
Should businesses receive more Covid support?
As government considers whether to lock us down once again, should it put economic support for businesses affected back on…
Punishing the unvaccinated threatens everyone's liberty
How should we treat the unvaccinated? Should we stop them from participating in normal life? Castigate them in the media?…
The economic impact of the latest Covid restrictions
We don’t yet know whether the Omicron variant will drastically accelerate the spread of coronavirus, or whether it will circumvent…
The confusion at the heart of social care
Boris Johnson’s majority plunged to just 26 last night, following a rebellion over controversial changes to social care plans. Means-tested,…
Boris Johnson should trust the market to solve climate change
In a 368-page document published this week, the government announced its strategy to cut emissions to net zero by 2050…
Why is British Airways banning ‘ladies and gentlemen’?
British Airways is dropping ‘ladies and gentlemen’ from its announcements. In the name of diversity and inclusion, the airline has…
The misguided experiment of British childcare
Everybody agrees that childcare in Britain is an unholy mess. According to a new study, tens of thousands of parents…
On child vaccination, parents should have the choice
On Saturday, the Health Secretary made his most bullish comments on child vaccination so far. Writing in the Times, Sajid Javid argued that…
Should Boris pay people to take the jab?
The steady stream of mixed messages coming from government ministers have been one of the few constants during the pandemic. Boris…
Covid has revealed the limits of the big state
When Rishi Sunak turned on the spending taps last March, a triumphant Jeremy Corbyn said he had been proved ‘right’.…
