Leading article
The case for amnesty: why it’s time to offer citizenship to illegal immigrants
There is an unspoken truth about British life: we have two classes of citizen. The first are those born or…
Boris is taking a huge gamble with an election – but it could pay off
Contrasting Boris Johnson’s enthusiasm for a general election with Jeremy Corbyn’s reluctance, it would be easy to assume that the…
Brexit and the power principle
It has become perceived wisdom that we are heading for a ‘people vs parliament’ election. But that is a false…
The vindication of Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy
Before the referendum, David Davis thought that the Brexit process would be straightforward. ‘The first calling point of the UK’s…
Boris needs to be explicit: it’s the UK’s offer or no deal
The past few months have been characterised by weeks of high drama which, for all the excitement, have resolved nothing.…
The Conservatives have become the true workers’ party
The party conference season has showcased two very different visions of Britain. Jeremy Corbyn speaks of the country as one…
The balance of power in our constitution has been lost
Until recently, we used to comfort ourselves with the thought that the United Kingdom’s uncodified constitution was a great national…
Why would Britain want to be a member of a club like the EU?
The past three years of agonising non-progress on Brexit have damaged Britain in many ways. Our political institutions have looked…
Britain’s jobs miracle proves there is no reason to fear technology
Another week, another set of economic figures that suggest the country is showing remarkable resilience while politics implodes. Rather than…
The next election will be a referendum – on Corbynism
The next general election will have been precipitated by, and will inevitably be fought over, Brexit. Yet it will also…
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…
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…
Where’s Boris?
Before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister there was widespread expectation that his government would be chaotic. It was thought that…
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…
If politicians are still in denial about Boris’s Brexit, the currency markets are not
In his first week as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has shocked those who had assumed that he is a joker…
If Boris achieves a deal with the EU, he will be unassailable
It’s hard to think of a prime minister who has reached No. 10 with lower expectations. Boris Johnson has been…
It’s not just Scotland’s drugs shame – it’s Britain’s
Twenty years ago, the Scottish parliament was reconvened after a lapse of almost three centuries. The logic for devolution was…
The Tories can profit from Labour panic
In some alternative universe the Labour party, as under Tony Blair in the mid 1990s, is busily preparing for government,…
The Hong Kong protesters deserve Britain’s full support
When the tanks were rolling into Tiananmen Square and the Cold War hadn’t yet formally come to an end, it…
Britain will soon have to pick a side in the US-Iran spat
Crises in the Gulf and Conservative leadership elections come around with unnerving regularity. It is not unknown for both to…
The Tory party has no choice but to bet on Boris
When Boris Johnson was appointed editor of this magazine two decades ago, an unkind soul said it was like ‘entrusting…
The leadership contest exposes how few Tories have a clue about the economy
‘Choice’ is a word that is used liberally in Conservative thinking — whether it be about schools, hospitals or consumer…
Playing chicken: Trade deals with the US will make Britain stronger
Why is it that free trade, which almost everyone agrees is good when conducted with other European countries, suddenly becomes…
The Trump card: We should welcome Donald Trump’s visit – and treat him as a friend
The day after Britain voted to leave the European Union, Donald Trump arrived by helicopter at Turnberry, his golf course…
The end of May: Theresa must go so the Tories can heal
This week’s European election was always going to be pointless, at least from a British perspective. It is possible that…
