Who was the first suicide bomber?
The first suicide bomber Boris Johnson was criticised for likening Theresa May’s Chequers deal to a ‘suicide vest’ around the…
to 2373: Susurrus
The theme was The Wind in the Willows (suggested by the title). RATTY defined 9, 13 and 22; MOLE defined 7,…
The rise of Sajid Javid
Since being appointed Home Secretary, Sajid Javid has taken a series of bold and overdue decisions. On immigration, he understood…
Portrait of the week: Mark Carney’s kind offer, the return of Parliament and Steve Bannon vs the New Yorker
Home Mark Carney kindly said he would stay on as governor of the Bank of England if it helped the…
How did ‘wonga’ come to be used as slang for money?
Origins of Wonga The payday lender Wonga has gone into administration. How did ‘wonga’ come to be used as slang…
Letters: Chinese investment in Africa is insidious and destructive
Chinese burn Sir: Your leading article last week ended up saying ‘It is unrealistic to expect that we can achieve…
2372: Spot-on
The key phrase is LIKE A TANSY (39). The scientific name of the tansy is TANACETUM VULGARE (4A 12); remaining…
China is winning the new scramble for Africa. Brexit could change that
On her tour of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, Theresa May finally made a positive case for Brexit. For too…
Portrait of the week: Theresa May goes to Africa, Labour accused of anti-Semitism (again) and John McCain dies
Home Theresa May, the Prime Minister, flew off to South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria accompanied by a trade delegation. In…
Letters: The US sanctions against Venezuela have always been about regime change
Venezuelan sanctions Sir: Contrary to the impression given by Jason Mitchell, Venezuela does not have a socialist economy (‘Maduro’s madness’,…
to 2371: In a paddy
The unclued lights and those clued without thematic definition (2, 11, 26, 33 and 42) are Irish forenames. Nuala Considine’s…
If the UK economy is a wreck, why are jobs and exports booming?
Economies run on confidence — as Franklin D. Roosevelt observed when he told Americans, in his first inaugural address during…
Portrait of the week: Government surpluses, desperate Donald and a prisons meltdown
Home Government finances were in surplus by £2 billion in July. Public sector net debt rose to £1,777.5 billion, equal to 84.3…
How bad is the drugs problem in British jails?
Cultured tastes Dawn Butler accused Jamie Oliver of ‘cultural appropriation’ for coming up with his own recipe for jerk rice.…
to 2370: Problem XII
The numbers were linked to titles of classic works of FICTION (12): The Two DROVERS (26) (Walter Scott), The Three MUSKETEERS…
Terrorism isn’t ‘losing’. It has already lost
By now, the routine is familiar: a lone wolf strikes, roads are sealed off, buildings locked down and a biographical…
Portrait of the Week: Westminster attack, House of Fraser and bridge collapse
Home Unemployment fell by 65,000 to 1.36 million — at 4 per cent the lowest level since 1975. The economy…
Where does our food actually come from?
Black list Jeremy Corbyn was attacked for attending a ceremony for members of Black September, the terrorist group which carried…
to 2369: Prodigious
WUNDERKIND — given by corrections of misprints in clues — can be read as W UNDER KIND, indicating the unclued…
Boris wars
Ever since Boris Johnson resigned as foreign secretary, it was generally assumed that there would — in time — be…
Boris and burkas; Jeremy Corbyn and anti-Semitism; Donald Trump and Iran
Home Brandon Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative party, demanded that Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, should apologise for…
Letters
Why we love Boris Sir: Stephen Robinson is right: Boris Johnson is not loathed outside the Westminster bubble (‘Brexit means Boris’,…
to 2368: Cobbled together
The unclued lights (6, 20/9, 21, 23/31, 30D/13, 34/3 and 42/32) are characters in Coronation Street with its COBBLED streets. First…
Now May’s talking tough over Brexit, we might actually get somewhere
Ever since Theresa May declared that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ she has seemed to be drifting…
