How to defuse the pension timebomb
Another day, another smart report arguing for higher payments into our pensions. Standard Life and WPI Economics have published a…
A pension crisis is brewing
Ten years ago, George Osborne blew up the British private pension system. Because pensions are boring and complicated and move…
Britain is too sick
Britain is running out of workers. The UK population may be growing, but the share of that population that is…
Does Labour want an anti-CV revolution?
Alison McGovern, Labour’s shadow employment minister is one of those politicians who are always worth watching. She combines the ability…
The pension bomb facing Generation X
Happy birthday to me. Today I turn 48. I’m celebrating in an age-appropriate way: a trip to the physio for…
The surprising truth about ‘Nanny State’ Britain
This week, a Conservative Prime Minister announced he was banning something – disposable vapes. The reaction to that ban –…
I voted Remain, but there should be more pro-Brexit lords
Liz Truss has sent Matthew Elliott to the House of Lords in her resignation honours list. There are some obvious…
Alistair Darling was a great man
The death of Alistair Darling is a grievous loss. British politics has lost a man of decency, character, integrity and…
In defence of David Cameron’s comeback
David Cameron is back. This will make some people unhappy, because they dislike the man. Common reasons for disliking Dave include…
Are we diluting the meaning of ‘mental health’?
What does ‘mental health’ mean? Is the answer to that question undergoing a generational change, as younger people become more…
How Brits turned soft on crime
It is almost exactly 30 years since a young Labour politician told his party’s annual conference in Brighton that as…
I dislike David Cameron, but he was right on gay marriage
The other day, I found myself at a large event in a posh garden where David Cameron was present. Being…
Rowing back on his climate plan, Starmer is in it to win it
Over almost 30 years in and around Westminster, I’ve noted some persistent and essential differences in the culture and mindset…
What the campaign to abolish inheritance tax tells us about British politics
The Daily Telegraph, where I worked for a decade, has launched a campaign for the abolition of inheritance tax (IHT).…
The trouble with Britain’s net migration figure
Where to start with the net migration figures? As someone who has generally defended liberal immigration policies, I could just shout,…
The Tories would be lost in opposition
It is widely observed that many Conservatives are preparing to lose power at the next general election. The Conservative Democratic…
We need to talk about the Liberal Democrats
Since 2015, it has been common and rational for people in Westminster to ignore the Liberal Democrats. After the end…
Will the Tories become radicalised over the ECHR?
I’m writing this shortly after hosting Professor Tim Bale and David Gauke at the Social Market Foundation for a talk…
Women are being ignored again in the surrogacy debate
Just over five years ago, I wrote an article here about sex and gender and the issues raised by policies…
There’s still a hint of life in the Tory party
Westminster is a place of consensus, orthodoxy and prevailing wisdom. At any given moment, there is the Narrative, the story…
How self-ID helped bring down Nicola Sturgeon
In the years when I wrote a lot about sex and gender and politics and law, I made the same…
Why yesterday’s men will loom large in 2023
New year, old politicians. Yesterday’s men will loom large in the politics of 2023. British politics has a nostalgia problem,…
Rishi Sunak will regret his Channel crossings crackdown
Rishi Sunak’s latest promises on asylum and immigration suggest the PM has learned very little from his Tory forebears. Ken…
The choice between higher immigration and even higher taxes
‘Only the higher-than-expected numbers of migrants coming to the UK under the post-Brexit migration regime adds materially to prospects for…
What the Gavin Williamson saga says about British politics
I wonder if the fall of Gavin Williamson is the latest evidence that British political parties are becoming harder to…