World
Is Britain heading for a painful recession?
Given how inflation has taken off and sent real incomes into steep decline it is remarkable that Britain is not…
Can Rishi Sunak rescue the Tories from electoral wipeout?
‘At least I’ve been prime minister’ – those were the reported words of Liz Truss on realising that she had…
Six reasons to be optimistic about a Rishi Sunak premiership
Rishi Sunak now looks set to become prime minister, assuming Penny Mordaunt either doesn’t find 100 MPs to nominate her…
Tory troubles are a reflection of the crisis facing Britain
One of the quaint superstitions of the moment is a belief that our political dysfunction has a ready solution. The…
Even Rishi Sunak can't save the Tories
Once again, 357-odd Conservative MPs have complete control over what happens next in this country. There are three questions that…
Why I am not standing for the leadership
In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once…
Boris has avoided a nightmare scenario
Boris Johnson’s decision to pull out of the Tory leadership contest averts a nightmare scenario where he had got the…
Why Boris Johnson pulled out
Boris Johnson has this evening pulled out of the Conservative leadership contest, leaving the field clear for Rishi Sunak. Only…
Might Tory MPs refuse to recognise Boris Johnson as PM?
Might Tory MPs refuse to recognisee Boris Johnson as leader if party members choose him? George Osborne raises the prospect…
Mervyn King said the unsayable about Britain's economy
This morning the BBC hosted a current Tory leadership contender and the leader of the opposition on Sunday with Laura…
How Northern Ireland could torment the next PM
Whoever wins the Conservative leadership next week, one can’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for them. Even if…
Why do Brazilian footballers like Bolsonaro?
There are weeks when Jair Bolsonaro dominates the headlines in Brazil and there are weeks when that honour goes to…
Why is Macron's foreign policy such a mess?
Last Sunday I marched through Paris with tens of thousands of disgruntled Frenchmen and women. I was there to observe,…
Has Cambridge abandoned debate?
My views on gender identity are well known. I believe that biology, rather than a person’s feelings, determines whether they…
Ghislaine Maxwell’s daddy issues
Cockburn has just posted bail, after some post-AA meeting cocktails got out of hand yesterday afternoon. He apologizes for the…
My womanhood is not your costume
Today is my 10,369th day of “girlhood”. I don’t have a bow in my hair, nor am I wearing a Barbie…
The mystery of the Hu Jintao incident
A steward tries to lift Hu Jintao from his seat, but Hu doesn’t want to move. The former Communist party…
Watch: Xi’s predecessor marched out of CCP meeting
Is this the start of a new Xi Jinping purge? Earlier today, the former Chinese president Hu Jintao was manhandled…
The Boris strategy needs to change
Had Boris Johnson simply wished to use the current vacancy for prime minister to remind us all of his superstar status…
How Mussolini invented fascism
Benito Mussolini, the revolutionary socialist inventor of fascism who came to power 100 years ago this week, was one of…
What does Russia really want?
The question of ‘why’ Russia invaded Ukraine has been forgotten amid war’s fog. Greed and malice partially explains it. History, geopolitics…
The problem with Mordaunt’s trans conversion
Penny Mordaunt’s entry into the Tory leadership race was widely predicted and she has now become the first to throw…
What’s Rishi Sunak’s pitch?
Rishi Sunak has passed the 100 publicly-declared supporters which, it if is converted to nominations when Sunak officially declares, will…
Rishi Sunak and the triumph of managerialism
A few short months ago, Liz Truss dismissed Rishi Sunak’s business-as-usual managerialism on the economy. The former chancellor responded by…
Boris is no conservative
The current Tory breakdown is all the more remarkable given how quickly it has happened. As recently as last September…
