James Kirkup

Why Starmer shouldn't relaunch

15 June 2022 4:20 pm

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

25 May 2022 10:29 pm

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

29 April 2022 10:10 pm

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

29 March 2022 3:10 am

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'

23 March 2022 6:40 am

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

15 March 2022 1:45 am

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

12 March 2022 2:30 am

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?

1 March 2022 1:00 am

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

19 February 2022 1:44 am

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?

19 January 2022 6:00 pm

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

8 January 2022 2:35 am

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

6 January 2022 3:20 am

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

22 December 2021 7:25 pm

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?

18 December 2021 7:00 pm

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

15 December 2021 5:09 am

They seem like completely unrelated questions: ‘Is sex work real work?, and ‘Who will replace Yvette Cooper as chair of…

Gender is contentious. The BBC is pretending it isn't

8 December 2021 2:10 am

The BBC has produced its annual 100 Women list, a showcase for women who have done interesting, important things. There’s…

The vaccine cheer is gone

19 November 2021 6:55 am

I am 45, which means I’ve now had my third Covid vaccine. The experience of getting that injection crystallises a…

The BBC’s relationship with Stonewall is finally being scrutinised

16 October 2021 6:00 pm

I have often criticised BBC journalism on the issues of sex and gender because that journalism has often been quite…

Boris should keep copying Blair

8 September 2021 10:05 pm

Having written here at least once before that Boris Johnson is the heir to Blair, my first thought on the Prime…

The shameful evacuation of pets from Afghanistan

29 August 2021 1:56 pm

Two stories on the Afghan evacuation today combine to leave me full of bewildered rage. The first, from the Times:…

Where is our anger about Afghanistan?

14 August 2021 10:46 am

This is an age of anger. Social media amplifies rage and exaggerates polarisation. Twitter isn’t Britain, but too many people…

In defence of net zero: yes, we can afford it

14 August 2021 9:00 am

Ending emissions will cost less than tackling Covid

Has David Cameron any shame?

10 August 2021 4:42 am

$10million, or £7million. That’s what David Cameron is now reported to have made from Greensill Capital, the company he helped…

Is it fair for Laurel Hubbard to compete against women?

2 August 2021 4:33 pm

Today, the conversation about transgender rights and the interests of women turns to sport. At the Olympic Games, Laurel Hubbard…

The truth about Nick Gibb, history and ‘dead white men’

22 July 2021 3:30 pm

In 1983, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a great American sociologist and politician, wrote: ‘Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but…