UK politics
What Angela Merkel really wants (it's not good news for Dave)
The German Chancellor has a lot in common with David Cameron – which is why she can’t afford to help him very much
Deal with the debt, George Osborne? You’ve hardly started
George Osborne has declared victory over Ed Balls, the IMF and all the others who warned that his austerity measures…
It’s not just Ukip that’s changing Cameron’s mind about immigration
It is easy to mock David Cameron on immigration. Under pressure from the public and from Ukip, he’s having to…
How Cameron could make the EU a winning issue (and why he won’t)
I don’t think the PM will really campaign for an EU exit. But he still has the best chance of getting one
Escape from Omnishambleshire: the case for the old county boundaries
If you want real local identity to thrive in England, put the old county boundaries back on the map
Russell Brand and Nigel Farage remind me of myself five years ago
I’m often asked by other free school proposers what lessons I’ve learnt over the past five years. Any pearls of…
Ukip is in the middle of the most cynical political repositioning ever
I think I’ve cracked it. If you want to springboard your minor political party into the mainstream and take British…
Brighton has become an object lesson in why it is a disaster to vote Green
Brighton council’s disastrous experiments should serve as a warning to the whole country against voting Green
Who are Ukip’s new voters? The kind of people who decide elections
An opinion poll to be published next week will reveal that Labour leader Ed Miliband is slightly less popular with…
Yes, Wonga lent at shocking rates – but it was customers who lied
‘Payday Lady is not trading at this time,’ says her website, sounding a little like La Dame aux camélias. Indeed (since…
Why my friends love the idea of a nasty, stupid mansion tax
I see all the flaws with a mansion tax, I really do. And yet some little piece of me, some…
Why the real winner from George Osborne’s ‘Google tax’ could be Nigel Farage
George Osborne’s promise to crack down on multinational companies’ avoidance of UK taxes by the use of impenetrable devices such…
Nigel Farage’s class war
I initially thought Nigel Farage had made a mistake in unveiling Mark Reckless on the final day of his party…
Letters: Andrew Roberts on Cameron, and a defence of Kate Bush
Advice for Cameron Sir: David Cameron once saved my life from a school of Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish, so…
The surprise winners from the referendum? Scotland. Politics. Big ideas are back at last
Whatever the outcome of the referendum, Scotland will be better for having had the debate
It costs £34,000 to become an MP. No wonder they expect higher pay
Mark Simmonds has been in politics long enough to know not to expect much sympathy from his constituents. He resigned…
Mark Simmonds was just saying what a lot of MPs think
I feel some sympathy for Mark Simmonds, the Conservative MP who’s resigned as a minister and is stepping down at…
Sorry, but trains can’t really replace welfare lines
George Osborne proposed an attractive idea this week: that spending on state benefits should be diverted into new infrastructure in…
Here comes Boris! The next Tory leadership fight has just begun
The next Tory leadership battle has just begun
For Boris, choosing the right seat will only be half the battle
Choosing the right seat is only half the battle for Boris
Parliament's next crisis: a dangerous shortage of middle-aged men
The House of Commons is off for the summer. But few MPs and ministers expect to make it through to…
Our spies have stopped chasing subversives. That's why we're in so much trouble
Peter Clarke’s powerful report on the Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham schools is confirmation of the weakness of David Cameron…
Right-wing women are sexier
A lust that dare not speak its name
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…
How Wales was betrayed by its (Labour) government.
Devolution has left my country with catastrophic misgovernment
