David Cameron
Gove, gone
‘There’s no shame in a cabinet to win the next election,’ declared an exasperated senior No. 10 figure on Tuesday…
The Spectator's Notes: this is the worst reshuffle since 1989
This must be the worst reshuffle since Mrs Thatcher demoted Geoffrey Howe in 1989. Unlike that one, its errors are…
Cameron was right to move Gove
I tried to reach Michael Gove on Tuesday shortly after the news broke that he’d been moved to the Whips’…
Could Michael Howard be the next EU Commissioner?
In recent weeks British government visitors to Berlin have been confronted with a persistent question: when will David Cameron make…
Accept it, embrace it: Conservatives aren’t cool
The Times headline on Tuesday was rather cruel: ‘Stars turn down No. 10 invitation.’ This was a reference to the…
Rebekah Brooks takes her place in a perfect picture of modern Britain
What image comes to mind when we think of Britain today? I was moved to contemplate this question after reading…
At the Chiltern Firehouse, smugness should be on the menu
Here then is Gatsby’s house, after an invasion by the Daily Mail. It is called the Chiltern Firehouse. It is…
Portrait of the week
Home The government scrabbled together material for the Queen’s Speech, which promised measures to allow money to be put into…
Nigel Farage is becoming a moderniser
There are many words that you might associate with Nigel Farage, but moderniser probably isn’t one. Yet the Ukip leader…
Jean-Claude Juncker is stale, grey and likes his booze. That's why Cameron should back him
David Cameron is surely right to think that Jean-Claude Juncker is not the man to relieve the European Union’s woes,…
Does Ukip believe in anything any more?
I’m worried about Ukip. It’s possible that my concerns are entirely misplaced but let me give you some examples of…
The truth about being a politician’s child
It was a Friday morning in 1992, Britain had just had an election, and I was on an ice rink.…
David Cameron's plot to keep us in the EU (it's working)
I write this before the results of the European elections, making the not very original guess that Ukip will do…
Why does Britain's fight for religious freedom stop at Dover?
‘We don’t do God,’ was Alastair Campbell’s put-down when his charge, Tony Blair, was tempted to raise the issue of…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said on television that he was ‘bullish’ about negotiating change for Britain in the…
Scotland’s fate is more important than David Cameron’s
‘It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.’ So wrote P.G.…
My tax avoidance tip – win literary prizes!
David Cameron is said to want a woman to be chairman of the BBC Trust, now that Chris Patten has…
What is David Cameron’s big idea?
In almost a decade as Conservative leader, David Cameron has tended to avoid talking about his political philosophy. He has…
Paul Johnson’s diary: Boris would make a great PM – but he must strike now
I feel an intense antipathy for Vladimir Putin. No one on the international scene has aroused in me such dislike…
Portrait of the week
Home The British economy grew by 0.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, disappointing hotheads who’d expected 1 per cent. It…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, appeared in public with George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer — the first…
A Protestant country is a free country
A Protestant country is a free country
Notes from Damascus
As I looked out of the window of my hotel bedroom, studying the view of central Damascus, the mobile phone…
Yes, Britain is a Christian country
I can’t say it was a great surprise to read a letter from a group of well-known authors, academics, comedians…
Nigel Farage’s diary: Comfort for Cameron, and the wonders of German traffic
What a week! I was thrilled to have a chance to confront Nick Clegg but my excitement was tempered with…
