Portrait of the week: Brexit gets complicated
Home The government was defeated by 328 to 301 on a motion to take over the business of the House,…
How often has a general election been held on a Monday?
A Monday poll? The government was considering a general election on 14 October — a Monday. This raised eyebrows because…
Letters: History has not done justice to Neville Chamberlain
Helping the homeless Sir: The number of rough sleepers in one of the richest countries on the planet is surely…
to 2421: Tina
Fats WALLER (5), who has been called ‘THE BLACK HOROWITZ’ (40/37/1A), was born in NEW YORK (28) and died in…
The G7’s doomed effort to preserve the hegemony of white power
When the G7 was first convened in 1976 it made sense for those countries to gather. In a world divided…
Portrait of the week: Prorogation fury, cricketing glory and the PM’s pork pie
Home The government sought to prorogue parliament on 10 September and have the Queen’s Speech opening the new session of…
Is Trump’s suggestion to bomb hurricanes really that stupid?
Blowing against the wind President Trump was ridiculed for suggesting that hurricanes could be impeded on their passage across the…
Letters: Prince Harry has been searching for purpose since he left the army
Harry’s army career Sir: I believe Jan Moir has misread the situation over Harry and Meghan (‘By royal disappointment’, 24 August).…
to 2420: Crafty
1, 4, 23 and 30 are livery companies (33/22). They are found in The 21 and 2 (the singular of…
To get a deal Boris needs to show (or fake) some humility
There were many Brexiteers who were urging Boris Johnson to travel to Washington before he went anywhere else, to underline…
Portrait of the week: back to the backstop, PC Harper’s death and the wrong kind of lightning
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, wrote to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, saying: ‘The backstop cannot…
How did Richard Braine become Dick Braine?
Name calling Richard Braine was appointed leader of Ukip, leading to jokes about the party being led by a ‘Dick…
Letters: civil servants have ruined our trains
Travelling in discomfort Sir: I don’t agree with much of what Matthew Parris says these days, but he was spot…
to 2419: Figures in place
The unclued lights are English place names which include a number in their spelling. These words appeared as figures in the…
Where’s Boris?
Before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister there was widespread expectation that his government would be chaotic. It was thought that…
Portrait of the week: All-women cabinets, employment growth and more Hong Kong protests
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, proposed an extra 10,000 prison places and the expansion of stop-and-search powers. PC Stuart…
Which country locks up the most people?
Girls only Polish village Miejsce Odrzanskie was reported not to have had a single boy born in the past decade,…
to 2418: Sweet
Unclued lights are all sweet wines. WESTERNISED, an anagram of DESSERT WINE, was to be highlighted.  First prize Erin Barrack,…
A US trade deal is good news for Britain
Now that America is offering a trade deal – or as John Boulton says, a series of mini deals – can…
Trade deals can destroy native industries – but they still boost wealth creation
Comments by the former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers this week, claiming that Britain will come off poorly in negotiations…
Portrait of the week: US shootings, a dam emergency and a rubbish straw policy at McDonald’s
Home If the government lost a confidence motion when parliament sits again in September, it could call an election for…
Dams, lives and statistics: the worst dam collapses in Britain
Dams, lives and statistics The town of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, was evacuated after heavy rainfall caused the partial collapse of…
Letters: Donkeys are the latest victims of China’s gross cruelty to animals
We don’t cut God Sir: The Revd Dr Peter Mullen suggests (Letters, 3 August) that Boris Johnson told him my…
The UK’s best beaches – according to Spectator writers
Tom HollandTrevone, Cornwall Pretty much every summer, my family and my cousins head for a farm in north Cornwall,…
to 2417: Six nations
The unclued lights are LAND OF (25A): MILK AND HONEY (11A), CAKES (12A), HOPE AND GLORY (39A), ENCHANTMENT (7D), MY…
