Children should be banned from pubs
Before I begin, let me say this: I like children. To my amazement, I even have two of my own. But do I…
The scourge of parcel theft sums up modern Britain
‘We’re sorry we missed you; your delivery is scheduled for tomorrow’ the email reads. Another day, another bungled parcel delivery from Evri,…
Hex appeal: the rise of middle-class witches
In King James VI of Scotland’s Daemonologie, written in 1597, he vigorously encourages witch-hunting and, in particular, the tossing of…
Hands off my tumble dryer, Martin Lewis
I did not expect to have to write this, but I can say publicly and without reservation that I absolutely…
Confessions of a skip-diver
Call me disgusting, but I like rubbish, and I like it best from a skip. I am also in good…
Padel is a disgrace
Why the hell not? I thought to myself as a friend invited me for a game of padel at her Oxfordshire…
The rise of the private school ‘prepayers’
Best laid plans, eh? There have been a series of miscalculations when it comes Labour’s plans to charge VAT on…
Do men really want more paternity leave?
How do you solve a problem like modern fatherhood? According to Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade,…
Millennials don’t want brown furniture
For me, it was the sideboard that did it. Originally the centrepiece of my grandmother’s dining room, upon her death…
Is your private school dumbing down?
Bankruptcy, as Ernest Hemingway famously said, comes ‘gradually, then suddenly’. For Britain’s private schools floundering in the wake of the…
Is it ever acceptable to ask to swim in a friend’s pool?
I’ve always loved English swimming pools. I can’t help it – I am a pool-fancier. The lumpy feel of the…
The private school exodus has begun
‘Why did Albert [not his real name] leave before sports day?’ As is increasingly the norm, I am driving my…
Mothers need more than a mental health hub
New mothers everywhere, rejoice, for the NHS has your back. And your sanity, apparently. Data released last week shows that…
How ‘Boom Boom’ are you?
Do you Boom Boom? Or are you just Booming? Can Boomers Boom Boom or is it just for Zoomers? Can…
Is this the end of the White Van Man?
A third of van drivers under the age of 35 are privately educated – and nearly half hold foundation or…
Heaven is a Trad Dad
M y husband earns more than me. A lot more. I am, of course, extremely fortunate to be in such…
The curious predicament of Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Eleanor Roosevelt said that the role of the First Lady was not a job but rather a circumstance. For Sophie…
Childcare is mothercare
When I was a small child, my mother left me in the charge of an elderly neighbour so that she…
Have you had the school gate VAT chat?
Another day closer to the general election and I’m at my daughter’s prep school in Oxfordshire. As has come to…
Why Mummy smokes
It’s 7.02 p.m. and I’m standing outside my house by the bins smoking a fag. Upstairs, I can hear that…
The unique feminism of Ivana Trump
For a woman whose life was all about ascent, there is a cruel irony to the fact that Ivana Trump…
How Macron was outfoxed by a dead Napoleonic general
Skeletons don’t always lurk in cupboards, some of them hide under dance floors waiting for a particularly rousing party to…
Why a dog is a politician’s best friend
Is there a better way to boost a politician’s fortunes than a puppy? Everyone knows that dogs buy a certain degree of…
France, football and Marine Le Pen’s war on a French rapper
‘Dans ce rêve où ma semence de nègre fout en cloque cette chienne de Marine Le Pen.’ You don’t have…
The rapid rise of Pascal Blanchard, Macron’s favourite diversity tsar
In October last year Emmanuel Macron had a long list of around 300 to 500 names drawn up. These were no…
