Boris Johnson
My run-in with the New York Times
It’s never a good sign when you’re watching a scene of street terror in yet another gut-churning YouTube video and…
How Boris can get Britain back to work
This week was built up by the Prime Minister to be the moment that would mark the return of economic…
To save the Union, negotiate Scotland’s independence
The first cabinet meeting of the new term and Boris Johnson’s summer holiday were both dominated by one concern: how…
The best leader we never had
I spent Monday afternoon with The Wake Up Call, a new book by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge that lambasts…
Boris's U-turn defence
Is Boris Johnson’s government jumping from one crisis to the next or is No. 10’s agenda progressing roughly as planned? It…
Portrait of the week: BBC drops songs, museum drops Sloane, and KFC and John Lewis drop slogans
Home Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, made pupils wear face-coverings in school corridors. It didn’t take long for…
Leaked letter: Boris Johnson rejects Trump on Iran sanctions
A leaked letter to the UN Security Council shows that the British government has rejected the US position on Iran’s…
How No. 10 outsmarted Alastair Campbell
LBC broadcaster Iain Dale has moved his Edinburgh Festival ‘All Talk’ series to Zoom, and yesterday he spoke to Alastair…
Justin Trudeau’s prorogation memory loss
A prime minister better known for his charisma than his policy achievements proroguing parliament to ride out a political storm.…
Here’s Nicola: can Boris Johnson stop Scottish independence?
How can Boris deal with the looming question of IndyRef2?
Economies run on confidence – the government mustn’t undermine it
Throughout the past few months the government has appeared to face an unenviable choice between saving lives and saving livelihoods.…
Never has a virus been so oversold
There’s nothing unprecedented about Covid-19 itself. The equally novel, equally infectious Asian flu of 1957 had commensurate fatalities in Britain:…
We are living in a post-truth society
Activists wish to change the name of a school in north London because it is named after a road which…
Dear Boris: what happens if Trump doesn’t accept defeat?
How Boris should handle the US election
Can Boris avoid a winter lockdown?
As the government struggled on Saturday with the question of whether to impose a quarantine on those returning from Spain,…
How Boris should pick his peers
It is no credit to British democracy that we have the second largest legislative chamber in the world. The only…
Boris's red wall problem
When Boris Johnson met with his cabinet in person for the first time in four months on Tuesday, his aim…
Good memoir-writing should also be self-critical
A book about breaking confidences, not to mention friendships, rather begs the same in return. Reading Anne Applebaum’s brief memoir…
Will all roads soon lead to York?
Should the PM move parliament to York? There is, of course, historical precedent for such a move, as he very…
My plans for a Covid inquiry
The public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has already started. Not the official one, which won’t…
Boris Johnson’s leadership skills are in doubt
Two ‘c’s come easily to Boris: charm and cheerfulness. He has always believed that he can charm his way out…
The continued existence of the United Kingdom is now at stake
When they come to write the history of the Union’s demise, there will be three guilty men. Tony Blair was…
Why I will wear a face mask
We are enjoined by certain experts to wear face masks while having sexual intercourse. No change there, then, for me.…
The Union is in graver danger than ever
The greatest single danger to this government is the state of the Union. Prime ministers can survive many things, but…
Coronavirus has exposed the EU’s greatest flaw
Politics begins and ends with sovereignty: the duty and right to make the legitimate final decision. We have seen this…
