John Healey’s ‘joint declaration’ with Germany is pure waffle
The new cabinet cannot be accused of laziness. John Healey, secretary of state for defence, has just been on a…
Starmer needs more than money to solve his Northern Ireland problem
Keir Starmer has been in office for less than three weeks, but his government has spent an unusually large amount…
Starmer’s ‘defence review’ is much-needed
While this new government’s approach to many issues – the NHS, prisons, China policy – seems to start with a…
Does Starmer’s ‘cast-iron’ defence spending pledge mean anything?
When the agenda for this week’s Nato summit in Washington DC was announced, one of the items on it was…
What will Starmer’s fellow world leaders make of him at the Nato summit?
In Westminster, Sir Keir Starmer is still in the honeymoon period as Prime Minister. In Washington, where Starmer heads for…
What will David Lammy’s ‘gear shift’ mean?
Next summer, David Lammy will celebrate 25 years as a Member of Parliament. At 51, he has just been appointed…
The election has left Irish unionism in crisis
The voters of Northern Ireland are used to being an impenetrable afterthought to most mainstream commentators in Britain. The general…
Mark Rutte can’t rescue Nato
No-one really thought that Klaus Iohannis, Romania’s president since 2014, was going to be the next secretary general of Nato.…
Unionists are right to feel furious with Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage likes to see himself as a reliable pal, so it was very much in that spirit that Reform…
Sunak’s D-Day departure was extraordinarily disrespectful
Rishi Sunak’s decision to leave Thursday’s 80th anniversary commemoration of D-Day in Normandy was extraordinary, stupid and disrespectful. He accompanied…
Have the Tories done enough for veterans?
The Conservative party is returning to defence and security for another election pitch and has unveiled a series of measures…
Starmer’s ‘national security’ pitch looks insecure
Still haunted by the memory of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Keir Starmer has devoted today to reassuring the electorate that he…
Labour’s law and order plans are pure vibes
Most observers would agree that Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, is a serious person. One newspaper profile last year spoke of…
Labour needs to be clearer on defence
It used to be axiomatic of British politics that the Conservative party held a reputational advantage when it came to…
The logic of national service
It would be hard to argue that the Conservatives have had a flawless start to the 2024 general election campaign.…
Can Rishi Sunak get Britain to like him again?
When Rishi Sunak stood in the rain in Downing Street to announce a general election on 4 July, he made…
Zelensky’s time as president is up, but he’s right to stay put
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term is up, but he’s staying put. Unsurprisingly, some of Zelensky’s critics – and the…
Why can’t Starmer be honest about reforming the Lords?
Sometimes life comes at you fast. Barely 18 months ago, Sir Keir Starmer, beginning to scent general election victory in…
Sunak’s dire warning will fall on deaf ears
Even on the most optimistic reading, Rishi Sunak is drinking in the last-chance saloon. Today the Prime Minister is delivering…
Does David Lammy really expect Donald Trump to forgive and forget?
David Lammy has never been much of a diplomat. The veteran Labour MP is fond of lashing out at his…
Could Andy Street be a future Tory leader?
Andy Street was a political outsider when he was chosen as the Conservative party’s candidate for mayor of the new…
Labour had a lucky escape in the North East
The election for the first North East of England mayor should have been a gift to the Labour party. Its…
Why did it take Rishi Sunak so long to up defence spending?
Britain is putting its defence industry on a ‘war-footing’, the Prime Minister has said, as he vowed to boost spending…
Why are the English embarrassed about St George’s Day?
How should the English celebrate St George’s Day? England is a country with plenty to boast about, but doing so…
Is there any way back for the Met Police?
‘You are quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march, I’m not accusing you of anything but I’m worried about…
