Boris Johnson
How will the ‘war’ on coronavirus change Britain?
In the past ten days we have seen the greatest expansion of state power in British history. The state has…
The government must be as ready to remove restrictions as it was to impose them
For days, the Prime Minister had been resisting the kind of measures which have placed many other countries into lockdown,…
France’s downward spiral of coronavirus repression
In France there is a palpable sense of administrative and political panic in how to deal with the coronavirus epidemic.…
Coronavirus will be a test of trust
We are in a make-or-break moment for trust, not just in this government but in the British state itself. The…
Rishi Sunak’s wartime economy
At least no one can say it isn’t bold. The United States is fiddling around with some possible cuts to…
Our politicians are only trying to do their best
This is a time for generosity and kindness; a moment for the cutting of slack and the making of allowances.…
UK quarantines elderly as over-70s told: stay at home
People over 70 will be instructed by the government to stay in strict isolation at home or in care homes…
Washington is furious at Boris's Huawei bid
Boris Johnson faced his first major rebellion of the new parliament on Tuesday. Parliamentarians are waking up to the fact…
The great Tory Budget giveaway
It’s always tempting for governments to respond to economic trouble with a debt-fuelled spending splurge, but it’s a notoriously blunt…
Inside the relationship between politicians and the media
Global system breakdown has defined all our lives for 13 years. From the banking system’s boom and bust to the…
The unbearable lightness of Boris Johnson
Months ago, not long after Boris Johnson’s 2019 general election triumph, I wrote a Times column of a cautiously hopeful…
The Budget’s corona contagion
When Sajid Javid resigned in a row with No. 10, there was much speculation about what would be in the…
Boris is taking an emperor’s approach to briefings
The PM is insisting that the briefings he finds in his red box every evening should be, well, brief, and…
Le crunch: are the Brexit talks doomed before they begin?
Two irreconcilable versions of Brexit are about to collide
Trade talks between the UK and the EU are heading for a blow-up
‘The reality is the talks will blow up shortly’. As I say in the Sun this morning, this is the…
Britain is booming – despite Brexit
After the vote for Brexit, it was often said that our departure from the EU was most likely to harm…
What Boris has in common with Roman emperor Augustus
The PM was filmed introducing his new cabinet by getting them to answer in unison how many hospitals, how many…
The Brexit reshuffle: Every great office of state is now held by a Leaver
One of the Tories’ tactical successes has been to push Brexit down the news agenda. But even if it no…
Northern lights: Seven steps for levelling up Britain
Seven steps for levelling up Britain
Borrow-and-spend Boris risks repeating Gordon Brown’s mistakes
The nature of the Johnson government is still not clear, but has become more so with the announcement this week…
Portrait of the week: Britain rules on coronavirus, HS2 is approved and Bernie Sanders powers ahead
Home The Department of Health classified the novel coronavirus (named by the World Health Organization Covid-19) as a ‘serious and imminent…
Boris wants a 2024 election – and wants to start his building boom now
‘The clock is ticking.’ It is surely only a matter of time before Michel Barnier returns to his notorious catchphrase…
Unspeakably prolix and petty: will anyone want to read John Bercow’s autobiography?
In his autobiography, John Bercow takes his peerage as a given. But that might be scuppered by accusations of bullying, says Lynn Barber
Sajid Javid’s departure doesn’t matter
Much of the reaction to Sajid Javid’s departure yesterday, alongside the sacking of several other Cabinet ministers, would have you…
Will Boris come to regret his Treasury power grab?
Has Boris Johnson made the first major error of his premiership? Choosing his adviser over his Chancellor could be seen…
