Politics
Should Ukraine hold a general election next year?
Should Ukraine hold a general election next year?
Enjoyable and informative but where’s the drama? Political Currency reviewed
The first episode of George Osborne and Ed Balls’s new podcast, Political Currency, opened with an old clip of the…
Portrait of the week
Home Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, proposed reaching net zero in 2050 ‘in a better, more proportionate way’ such as by…
Politicians can’t win on illegal migration
It is eight years now since The Spectator sent me to Lampedusa to see the boats coming in. That was…
Letters
Whose victory? Sir: Politicians are often accused of engaging in doublespeak, and I fear in the case of Boris Johnson’s…
Australia’s disastrous indigenous voice referendum
My partner and I have just returned from the most magical trip. As guests of Western Australia’s tourist board we’ve…
Broken Britain: what went wrong?
Who broke Britain?
Will the collapse of councils be the next great scandal?
Last month India managed to land a spacecraft on the moon for a third of the price of refurbishing Hammersmith…
Does the public want reheated Blairism?
To understand the political journey of Sir Keir Starmer, look to Liz Kendall. This week the Blairite and one-time leadership…
‘We need to start the road to rejoin’: Gina Miller on Brexit, farmers and her ambitious plans for Epsom
Gina Miller on Brexit, farmers and her ambitious plans for Epsom
Should vintage comedy be judged by today’s standards?
A successful joke relies on rhythm, tempo, cadence, pause – so why does David Stubbs find comedy and music so antithetical, wonders Joel Morris
The battle with the Blob
Most prime ministers fall out with the civil service at some point. David Cameron attacked the ‘enemies of enterprise’; Tony…
All change at CCHQ
The winds of change are blowing through the corridors of 4 Matthew Parker Street. Having turfed team Truss out of…
Why Sunak backtracked over fines for missed GP appointments
Not surprisingly, Rishi Sunak has dropped plans to fine NHS patients £10 for missed appointments. It was one of the…
Has the pandemic made us appreciate nature more?
Out to grass If Liz Truss is forced out of office (and doesn’t also resign her parliamentary seat as Tony…
Penny reign: why Mordaunt is the kingmaker
Tory MPs will likely have three candidates to vote for in Monday’s leadership race: Boris Johnson, Penny Mordaunt and Rishi…
How long can Liz Truss hold on?
How much trouble is Liz Truss in? Just six weeks into her premiership, the Prime Minister’s economic plans are in…
Removing PMs hardly ever ends well
As Tory MPs appear to descend into a panic of buyers’ remorse over the election of Liz Truss, they would…
Things can always get worse
As I was saying, way back in July, it is hard to love the Conservative party. Every time it tries…
‘We’re so close’: there’s a cautious optimism at Labour conference
Cautious optimism at the Labour party conference
Labour surge to 33-point lead over Tories
Today Kwasi Kwarteng attempted to calm concerns in his party over the fallout from the not-so-mini Budget – telling MPs: ‘We…
Labour storm ahead of Tories in latest poll
Tonight’s YouGov poll in the Times is brilliant news for Keir Starmer ahead of his conference speech tomorrow. It has…
Parliament's poignant tributes to the Queen
That so many people have wanted to say something about how the Queen touched their lives, whether or not they…
Full text: The PM's first speech on the steps of No. 10
Good afternoon. I have just accepted Her Majesty the Queen’s kind invitation to form a new government. Let me pay…
