World
Boris's reshuffle reveals his weakness
Boris Johnson’s attempted reset is underway, with a mini-reshuffle announced this afternoon. The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to…
The Starmer mob moral panic
In the long history of British democracy, politicians have from time to time been heckled and abused by rowdy loons…
A windfall tax on oil giants would harm – not help – pensioners
Look up this year’s performance of the shares and bonds which make up your pension fund and you will see…
The cost of online safety
Few people in Britain will have heard of the draft Online Safety Bill. Fewer still will oppose it. Protecting children…
Brexit-bashing bishops could ruin the Church of England
When politicians take to preaching, we feel uncomfortable. When bishops take to politics and managerialism, the sinking feeling gets worse.…
Boris Johnson is running out of options
The No. 10 operation’s decision to double down on the Starmer/Savile row after the Labour leader was accosted in the…
The new unpatriotic conservatives
The die against conservatives opposed to the Iraq war was cast by David Frum in a now-infamous essay for National…
Mob hound Starmer outside parliament
An uneventful Monday was enlivened this evening by some rather unappealing scenes outside parliament. Walking back from a Ministry of…
Le Pen, Zemmour and the two French far rights
Just about two months ahead of the French elections, a first poll for Le Parisién suggests that Marine Le Pen…
Cambridge's Jesus College is guilty of double standards
An event took place in Cambridge last week that was rare enough to reach the national press: a public hearing…
Why Queen Elizabeth’s accession matters
This week, the United Kingdom is celebrating 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne. The Spectator has come…
SNP councillor: 'Prosecute Jimmy Carr's audience'
Oh dear. It seems that the most illiberal party in Great Britain is at it again. In the nationwide haste…
Carrie Johnson and the problem with anonymous sources
The publication of extracts from a biography of Carrie Johnson this weekend is another stark reminder that we need a…
Can we trust our spies' claims about Russia?
In the Spring of 1988, the body of Britain’s most notorious Cold War spy was lowered into the ground at…
New No. 10 press chief: Boris is 'not a complete clown'
If Boris Johnson thought his new No. 10 hires would be less high-profile than their predecessors, he might want to…
Politics isn’t a branch of the entertainment industry
Rudy Giuliani has had quite the trajectory in public life. Those of us who remember the days after 9/11 will…
Glenn Youngkin’s brass-knuckled conservatism
How is the mood in Virginia these days? It appears to be a bit litigious. Last month, seven school boards…
Has Rishi Sunak blocked Boris's NHS recovery plan?
The Treasury on Saturday prevented an announcement pencilled in for tomorrow of the so-called ‘elective recovery plan’, the multi-billion pound…
Putin is unpicking the frayed bonds of Nato and the EU
Vladimir Putin doesn’t need to send troops into Ukraine. He has already achieved his strategic goals — for now. The…
Kirstie Allsopp is wrong about house prices
They could cancel their Netflix subscriptions, stop drinking chai tea or go a little easier on the avocados and the smoothies.…
Make capitalism real again
The emergence of Covid provoked a worldwide economic crash. That lasted a mere four weeks. By the time western countries…
Britain's unethical Covid messaging must never be repeated
Over the last two years – under the guise of a Covid-19 communications strategy – the British people have faced…
Could an uprising succeed against the Taliban?
The social media accounts of the new so-called ‘National Resistance Front’ (NRF) in Afghanistan give the impression of a raging…
The Cabinet Office's transgender toilet muddle
Transgender people need to be treated with dignity and respect at work. But our rights should not be allowed to…
The conservative case for reparations?
Clubhouse may be dead, but Cockburn hears from his niece that Twitter Spaces is the hot news tool for social…
