Leading article
The truth about British inequality? It has very little to do with income
This week the Institute for Fiscal Studies announced a five-year study into inequality in Britain, to be led by the…
A royal baby reminds us why the monarchy matters
Strictly in terms of its implications for the succession, the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son this…
The Tories are giving a masterclass in how to lose elections
When a political party is in trouble, we see infighting, leak inquiries, resignations, dismissals and botched attempts to depose the…
How not to fight a war on terror
It has become commonplace to describe terror attacks as ‘senseless’. The horrific Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, which cost…
Hope will rise out of the ashes of Notre Dame
‘Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of centuries,’ wrote Victor Hugo in Notre-Dame de Paris. ‘The man, the…
It’s vital to keep good relations with our EU allies – and we need a leader who’s up to the challenge
The European Union’s official goal — an ever-closer union of people — remains its single most attractive feature. Our continent…
If the EU refuses an extension, voters want a no-deal Brexit. MPs should listen
One of the many tragedies of Theresa May’s premiership is that, having come up with a coherent policy on how…
The absurdity of censoring anti-vaxxers
It is not hard to make the case that vaccination programmes have been one of the greatest contributions to mankind…
The Conservative Party bears the most blame for the Brexit mess
For many people, next Friday was supposed to be a celebration. Boris Johnson spoke about an ‘independence day’ marking the…
The Tories are squandering the opportunity of Brexit
In all the madness of the Brexit voting, it’s easy to forget that Philip Hammond revealed a mini-Budget this week. Even…
Why MPs must hold their nose and back May’s Brexit deal
It is becoming painfully clear that on Tuesday the House of Commons will be asked to vote on an EU…
Who will safeguard our democracy if local news dies?
The announcement this week that Capital, Heart and Smooth radio are cutting back their local news shows might not in…
Female unemployment has just hit an all-time low. So yes, Britain is working
At any other time, news that Honda intends to close its Swindon plant in two years’ time with the loss…
The EU and UK are one sentence away from a Brexit deal. Why the games?
Even the most fervent Brexiteer would have to admit to being impressed at the cohesion and chutzpah of the European…
Why David Harding’s £100 million Cambridge donation might save capitalism
The British are said to be among the most generous people on earth. When it comes to ordinary people scraping…
After Huawei, can we trust Chinese tech?
The world is a better place for China’s emergence from behind the bamboo curtain where it hid for half a…
Dyson’s move shows he thinks the Brexit opportunity will be squandered
If knighthoods could be removed by vote of parliament, Sir James Dyson would be first in line. Knighted for being…
Brexiteers’ faith in parliament is now being put to the test
An unexpected outcome of the tortuous process of Brexit negotiations has been the enhancement of Britain’s reputation as a parliamentary…
Political discourse in the UK is broken – here’s how we fix it
For several weeks now, a group of anti-Brexit protesters have found a way of regularly appearing on television news. They…
A dozen migrants in Kent is not a crisis. But government panic could turn it into one
It has been a messy start to the new year for Sajid Javid. For months now, migrants using small boats…
Britain is on the cusp of a great political and economic renewal. Will the Tories blow it?
Last Christmas, The Spectator set up an appeal — not for money to be given to charity, but for our…
If May goes, the Tories have just one chance to replace her
On Tuesday, MPs will face something rare: a Commons motion which really does deserve to be described as momentous. It…
Why we must reject May’s deal
While some may doubt Donald Trump’s claim to be a friend of Britain’s, his intervention in the Brexit debate this…
Britain must reject the European model
France has been in a state of organised uprising this week, with 300,000 motorists taking to the streets and autoroutes…
It’s a bad deal – whichever way you look at it
During last year’s general election campaign, Theresa May declared that ‘You can only deliver Brexit if you believe in Brexit’.…
