Can the Tories bounce back before the next election?
When David Cameron was prime minister, the Tories flirted with the idea of a Queen’s Speech with no bills in…
Boris’s plans for a new Brexit clash
Boris’s plans for a new Brexit clash
EU: normal disservice resumes
In the past few months, relations between the UK and the EU have been the best they have been since…
The hole at the heart of Boris Johnson's premiership
No. 10 will be waiting nervously at 10pm on Thursday. Will the end of voting in the local elections bring…
Miss Brexit? Another bust-up is looming
In the past few months, relations between the UK and the EU have been the best they have been since…
The Tories’ summer of discontent
Mid-term unpopularity is a given in British politics. Veterans from the Thatcher era like to joke that a government that…
Boris isn’t safe yet
It is worth thinking back to late January when Boris Johnson’s premiership seemed in the greatest danger. As I say…
The three stumbling blocks to a Ukraine peace deal
A month in, and the war in Ukraine looks very different to how anyone expected. On the first day of…
White House backtracks on Biden's claim that Putin can’t stay in power
In his speech in Warsaw today, Joe Biden said of Vladimir Putin: ‘For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in…
The Chancellor’s difficult choices
The Office for Budget Responsibility was designed to protect the Chancellor from accusations that he is cooking the books. If…
What can save China from Covid?
It is tempting to believe that we have gone from one crisis to another: Russia invaded Ukraine hours after Covid…
How to stop China from attacking Taiwan
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the West has got many things right. Yet there is no doubt that Western mistakes over…
The West has to bite its lip for Saudi oil
It would be ridiculous to claim that Boris Johnson’s visit to Saudi Arabia is not morally problematic. He is going…
David Frost's solution to cool UK-EU relations
Since David Frost quit the government in December over its political direction, he has not said that much about the…
Rising energy bills are a price worth paying to stop Putin
Nato countries are being careful not to do anything that Russia could claim is an act of war. Just look…
Can Boris get the Saudis to pump more oil?
The oil price is up by more than 40 per cent since the start of the year. It is being…
Can Nato help Ukraine without provoking Putin?
Nato is trying to walk a tightrope in Ukraine. It wants the Russian invasion to be defeated, as the US joint…
The free world’s new reality
We are about to see brutality in Europe on a scalethat will be almost beyond our comprehension. Russia is turning…
Britain should spend more on defence
Britain must spend more on defence. As I say in the Times today the defence budget is already being increased but…
'Staying Switzerland' on Ukraine is impossible
The striking thing about the financial sanctions on Russia is not their severity, but just how many countries are joining…
Germany's defence spending boost will improve European security
In yet another sign of how dramatically Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has changed Europe’s attitude to both Russia and security,…
A new Europe is emerging from this crisis
With every hour that Kiev holds out, the geopolitics of Europe changes more. Germany, which so values its prohibition on…
For Russian sanctions to work, they must hurt the West too
No British soldiers will go to fight in Ukraine. The UK’s military involvement will be limited to weapons shipments and…
To hurt Putin, go for oil and gas – not Swift
Both the British and the Americans have been explicit that it is the Europeans who are blocking Russia being cut…
Boris Johnson needs even tougher sanctions to deter Putin
Boris Johnson has just outlined a series of further sanctions on Russia. They are considerably more substantial than the ones…
