Margaret Thatcher
A dutiful exercise carried out in a rush
The final volume of Peter Ackroyd’s History of England feels like a dutiful exercise carried out in a hurry, says Philip Hensher
Margaret Thatcher vs everyone else: the making of the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement
Diplomatic negotiations are rarely fully described by their participants in books, for two reasons. They are usually secret until much…
This play is a wonder: Bach & Sons at the Bridge Theatre reviewed
Bach & Sons opens with the great composer tinkling away on a harpsichord while a toddler screeches his head off…
My voyage back through the landmarks of my life
I was looking forward to my dinner at Daquise in South Kensington, a Polish restaurant that’s been there for ever…
Confessions of a lifelong bitch
The return of the bitch is long overdue
The greatest threat to Boris's legacy
The government is starting to have an opinion poll problem, but it has nothing to do with any great threat…
Social mobility has become a meaningless mantra
‘Whatever your background,’ Margaret Thatcher told the Sun’s readers in 1983, she was determined that ‘you have a chance to…
My memories of Sir David Barclay
Even with its 27 amendments, the US Constitution is only 7,591 words. I keep it beside me, and find in…
The politics of handbags
‘Of course, I am obstinate in defending our liberties and our law — that is why I carry a big…
What if Thatcher won the 1990 leadership challenge?
Thirty years ago today, Margaret Thatcher was in 10 Downing Street. For almost eleven and a half years, it had…
Why academics hold Thatcher and Trump in such contempt
‘Has that orange baboon gone yet?’ asked a senior professor in the teacher’s room at my university yesterday. The remark…
The Spectator’s proud history of standing up for Hong Kong
This week in 1989, the Chinese authorities massacred protestors in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. I was editing this paper. It struck…
How much are people eating during lockdown?
People power Boris Johnson said that the reaction to the coronavirus crisis showed ‘There really is such a thing as…
How Boris Johnson can emulate Margaret Thatcher
An open letter to Boris Johnson: People, even including your opponents, are getting used to the idea that you are…
Labour’s failure isn’t necessarily the Tories’ success
A moment arrives when one does just have to admit defeat. We shall leave the European Union and there isn’t…
My friend Margaret Thatcher
By the time you read this it will all be over, but will it? I’ve had a bad feeling all…
Politics of a certain vintage – and wine to match
I wonder how they do things now at Tory headquarters. For the ’79 election, the preparations had been completed weeks…
Letters: David Cameron’s real referendum mistake
Cameron’s fatal error Sir: Jo Johnson’s otherwise informative review of David Cameron’s For the Record (Books, 12 October) suggests Cameron’s…
Nigel Farage had better hurry up and settle for a peerage
Last week, an angry Telegraph reader asked me why I had got through a whole column on Brexit without mentioning…
Letters: Shoots should be about quality, not quantity
Bad sport Sir: At last a respected member of the shooting community has popped his head above the parapet. Patrick…
We selfish gits must wear the name with pride
I walked down Villiers Street to Embankment Tube station. In front of me were two Extinction Rebels, a mother and…
A vintage tale of Thatcher, Reagan and some truly great wines
Poor Old Girl. The final act may not have been sanglante, but as the third volume of Charles Moore’s life…
Why didn’t Cameron realise the ‘strength of feeling’ about Brexit?
In his memoirs, David Cameron admits that he ‘did not fully appreciate the strength of feeling’ in favour of Brexit,…
The PPI scandal ends at last – but the nuisance calls will keep coming
Of all the stains on the reputation of UK banks, the PPI scandal is surely the most shameful, the most…
Boris Johnson is the EU’s nemesis. But could he be Europe’s saviour?
It is a curious and rather moving experience to see someone you have known for thirty-five years standing in front…
