Theresa May
Was Graham Brady really the awesome power-broker he imagines?
His kiss-and-tell memoir implies that the past five Tory prime ministers all feared him. But the longtime Chair of the 1922 Committee was in reality no ‘kingmaker’
History will judge Rishi Sunak kindly
Memorably sweeping statements tripping easily from the tongue have a habit of worming their way into assumptions we make and…
One damned thing after another: Britain’s crisis-ridden century so far
The Iraq war, the financial crisis, Brexit and Covid have seen many prime ministers blown off course. Will Keir Starmer be any luckier than his predecessors?
Theresa May gets her pay day
It’s safe to say that most Conservative MPs will want to forget about 2022: three Prime Ministers, four Chancellors and…
Theresa revels in Boris's downfall
Of all those revelling in Boris Johnson’s downfall last week, few probably enjoyed it more than Theresa May. It would…
Boris may be toppled by accident
Every Tory leader fears a plot against them. Their paranoia isn’t helped by the layout of Westminster, which lends itself…
A must-see for Westminster obsessives: Riverside Studios' Bloody Difficult Women reviewed
Bloody Difficult Women is a documentary drama by the popular journalist Tim Walker, which looks at the similarities between Gina…
‘Operation Red Meat’ won’t beef up the government
Are you ready for ‘Operation Red Meat’? If not, then you should brace yourself. For it looks set to be…
Foreign honours for Hunt and May
Not many people here in Westminster have a good word to say about the Theresa May years. But down in tiny…
The best children’s books: a Spectator Christmas survey
J.K. Rowling Poignant, funny and genuinely scary, The Hundred and One Dalmatians was one of my favourite books as a…
Theresa May's risqué joke
Boris couldn’t make it but fortunately there was one Tory premier at last night’s Spectator parliamentarian awards. Former Prime Minister…
Blue on Blue: May savages Boris
The faults in the Tory party were on show for all to see today, as MPs were forced to debate…
Is troubled Trudeau the new Theresa May?
Oh dear. For years Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been at pains to prove his feminist credentials. Whether it’s correcting a…
Is Theresa May in any position to criticise Boris?
When Theresa May told a joke at her own expense at a reception of Tory MPs held to celebrate Boris…
Why is the government so reluctant to give freedom back to citizens?
One year on, we are no further forward. We have a devastated industry, jobs lost and global Britain shut for…
Alan Duncan rants about ‘idiot’ parliamentary colleagues and Britain’s waning influence
As a budding political apparatchik, my first job out of university was as a junior parliamentary assistant to Alan Duncan…
How did an enigma like Theresa May become PM?
Theresa May is not the easiest person to speak to in Westminster. She is reluctant to get drawn into a…
Is Donald Trump really anti-abortion?
At the Republican National Convention last month, he was repeatedly described as the ‘most pro-life President ever’. According to some…
Which former prime minister earns the most for corporate speeches?
Voyage into history How did the Labour government respond to the arrival of the Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948?…
How to run Number 10: An insider’s guide
Gavin Barwell was Theresa May’s chief of staff between 2017 and 2019. He was the MP for Croydon Central between 2010…
Portrait of the year: From May to a December election
January ‘If parliament backs a deal, Britain can turn a corner,’ Theresa May, the Prime Minister, said. The Commons defeated…
Viral videos, not leaders’ debates, could decide this election
You might well expect the final election debate, Johnson vs Corbyn head-to-head on primetime BBC, to provide the most watched…
Nick Timothy: Theresa May folded like a Brompton bike during the Brexit negotiations
As my train hurtles northward, my phone starts to buzz. Jeremy Corbyn has agreed to hold a December election. So:…
Tacitus knew how to handle stories from ‘insiders’ and ‘sources’
We read much about ‘fake news’ these days and of efforts to rid the internet of it. But what of…
Theresa May’s honours list makes me sick
The BBC featured a gay wedding on Songs of Praise recently. Of course it did. The thinking was, I assume:…
