Liz Truss's fate rests with the Bank of England
James Carville, an ostentatiously aggressive adviser to Bill Clinton, once said that when he died, he wanted to be reincarnated…
The case for an October election
Neither Liz Truss nor Rishi Sunak would name Gordon Brown as an inspiration, but I wonder if whoever becomes PM…
Why the Tavistock clinic had to be shut down
There are many reasons why what is sometimes crudely called ‘the trans issue’ is important. One is the political failure…
The bravery of Allison Bailey
Allison Bailey is a criminal defence barrister at Garden Court chambers in London, a large and important group of lawyers…
The Conservative party has ceased to be serious
I’m not sure that the Conservative party wants to win elections. Tom Tugendhat was knocked out of the leadership contest…
Is Labour changing its mind on trans issues?
Amid the noise of the Tory leadership fight, some significant comments in the papers could be missed today. Here’s the quote,…
A storm is coming – and none of the leadership candidates are ready
You’ve probably heard the joke about the two hikers facing an angry bear. One changes into his running shoes, telling…
Boris didn’t break the system
Britain’s Donald Trump. A constitutional vandal. A grave and potentially even systemic threat to the rule of law and representative…
The night that David Cameron sealed Britain’s Brexit fate
Friday 29 June 2012 isn’t a famous date in British history, but it deserves at least a footnote. Because I…
Are we heading towards a British Donald Trump?
The Tiverton and Wakefield by-elections are, of course, shatteringly bad for the Conservatives and Boris Johnson. They should finally destroy…
Why Starmer shouldn't relaunch
Yesterday’s Times carried a report that will only add to Sir Keir Starmer’s troubles. It quoted several members of the…
The Sue Gray media circus is political journalism at its worst
It’s a helicopter day at Westminster. I’m writing this at my desk, which is about 200 metres from the House…
Britain is accepting of trans people – but sceptical of the ideology
Two things all journalists and all politicians should always remember. Britain is not Twitter. Britain is not America. The nasty…
Starmer won't talk about sex and gender. That's a problem
Sir Keir Starmer doesn’t want to talk about penises. He’s going to have to do it anyway, and he’s not…
A history lesson for those calling Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'ungrateful'
In the latest installment from the idiot age of Twitter, #ungratefulcow has been trending. The reason? Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had expressed, mildly and politely,…
Care about the trans debate? Ask yourself this question
J.K. Rowling is talking about sex and gender again, which means a lot of people are getting angry. It’s striking…
The problem with the UK's transgender clinic
This is not a good time to be a girl. Research from Steer Education last month showed that far too…
Will Britain welcome Ukrainian refugees?
Immigration used to be the most-discussed issue in British politics. It gets less attention these days, for reasons too varied…
State schools and the rise of posh apprenticeships
Recently, a friend forwarded me a letter he’d received from his children’s school, an independent secondary in London, to mark…
Are sex offenders exploiting trans-rights policies behind bars?
A few years ago, there was some controversy about the facts relating to people in prison who identify as transgender,…
The energy crisis is a failure of politics
Many of the thorniest problems of politics come down to the same thing: timeframes. Big problems generally require solutions that…
J.K. Rowling and the death of nuance
There are few good things to say about the public conversation around transgender issues, which all too often shows us…
One man's campaign to protect free speech
Almost three years ago, I spoke on the phone to a man called Harry Miller. A Lincolnshire businessman, he’d just…
Boris won’t change. Why should he?
Boris Johnson is not short of troubles, or advice. Most of that advice, from colleagues and commentators alike, comes down…
The sex work divide in British politics
They seem like completely unrelated questions: ‘Is sex work real work?, and ‘Who will replace Yvette Cooper as chair of…
