James Forsyth

James Forsyth is Political Editor of the Spectator. He is also a columnist in The Sun.

Negotiating Scottish independence gives Unionists a winning chance

3 September 2020 9:38 pm

If the SNP win a majority at next year’s Holyrood elections, the UK government should be prepared to start independence…

Boris the builder mustn’t buckle over planning reform

29 August 2020 9:00 am

The government will pass the test it has set itself: schools in England will return next week. Pupils may well…

Boris Johnson's culture war strategy

25 August 2020 10:56 pm

Boris Johnson’s approach to the culture war is to wait for the other side to overreach – talk of taking down…

The government's new concern: winter is coming

1 August 2020 9:58 pm

It is remarkable to think that just 15 days ago, Boris Johnson was setting out a plan to end all…

Can Johnson save the Union?

24 July 2020 1:02 am

‘UK Prime Minister visits Scotland’ shouldn’t really be a news story. But so infrequent have prime ministerial visits been in…

Boris Johnson's post-Covid agenda

23 July 2020 5:12 am

Boris Johnson’s end of term address to Tory MPs offered a preview of what the government wants its agenda to…

The Union is in graver danger than ever

18 July 2020 9:00 am

The greatest single danger to this government is the state of the Union. Prime ministers can survive many things, but…

Will making face masks compulsory help us get back to normal?

14 July 2020 4:00 pm

The government will announce today that from 24 July face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets. Those who…

The young are the most vulnerable to the Covid crash

11 July 2020 9:00 am

Coronavirus is deadlier for the old than the young. But for the young, it is economically devastating. A third of…

Is Boris brave enough to stand up to the Nimbys?

10 July 2020 1:44 am

In the next few weeks, the government will publish planning reforms designed to simplify the system and free up land…

Target for half of kids to go to university dropped

10 July 2020 12:08 am

In a sign of how worried the government is about youth unemployment, it will – quiet literally – pay firms…

Rishi Sunak's two big fears for the future

9 July 2020 1:42 am

The summer economic statement made clear the government’s two big coming worries. First, the whole emphasis on jobs highlighted how…

Mission impossible: Boris’s attempt to rewire the British government

4 July 2020 9:00 am

Covid has revealed what is wrong with Whitehall

The looming Tory trade debate

4 July 2020 2:50 am

Post-Brexit, the UK needs to find allies on trade liberalisation. One obvious place to look is the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership.…

Will Boris's Whitehall shake-up really work?

2 July 2020 9:27 pm

There is a paradox at the heart of Boris Johnson’s political project, I say in the magazine this week. He is…

Brits want a tougher line on China

1 July 2020 8:37 pm

The scenes in Hong Kong are hugely depressing. The authorities are already using the new Beijing-imposed national security law to…

What happens if the Leicester lockdown fails?

30 June 2020 3:35 pm

The government’s decision to lock Leicester down, closing all non-essential retail from today and schools from Thursday for all but…

Why Biden might be better for Brexit Britain

27 June 2020 9:00 am

At the best of times, US presidential elections require the British government to walk a tightrope. In 1992, a Tory…

biden brexit britain

Why Biden might be better for Brexit Britain

25 June 2020 1:59 pm

At the best of times, US presidential elections require the British government to walk a tightrope. In 1992, a Tory…

Is a Brexit deal within reach?

20 June 2020 9:00 am

Trade talks between the UK and the EU are in a better place than they have been at any point…

Is this the deal that could break the Brexit deadlock?

18 June 2020 11:06 pm

Trade talks between the UK and the EU are in a better place than they have been at any point…

Normality won’t return until schools do

13 June 2020 9:00 am

From Monday, you will be required by law to wear a face covering on public transport. Paradoxically, this is a…

Whitehall on trial: how the government is preparing for the Covid inquiry

6 June 2020 9:00 am

During the pandemic, Nicola Sturgeon has developed a reputation for announcing things just before the UK government does. But there…

The growing rebellion against quarantine for UK arrivals

1 June 2020 9:09 pm

The government’s most unpopular policy on its own benches is its plan to make almost everyone arriving in this country…

Boris Johnson's majority is not as big as it first appeared

30 May 2020 7:02 pm

The last week has shown that Boris Johnson’s majority of 80 isn’t as big as it first appeared, I say…