Portrait of the week: back to the backstop, PC Harper’s death and the wrong kind of lightning
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, wrote to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, saying: ‘The backstop cannot…
How did Richard Braine become Dick Braine?
Name calling Richard Braine was appointed leader of Ukip, leading to jokes about the party being led by a ‘Dick…
Letters: civil servants have ruined our trains
Travelling in discomfort Sir: I don’t agree with much of what Matthew Parris says these days, but he was spot…
to 2419: Figures in place
The unclued lights are English place names which include a number in their spelling. These words appeared as figures in the…
Where’s Boris?
Before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister there was widespread expectation that his government would be chaotic. It was thought that…
Portrait of the week: All-women cabinets, employment growth and more Hong Kong protests
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, proposed an extra 10,000 prison places and the expansion of stop-and-search powers. PC Stuart…
Which country locks up the most people?
Girls only Polish village Miejsce Odrzanskie was reported not to have had a single boy born in the past decade,…
to 2418: Sweet
Unclued lights are all sweet wines. WESTERNISED, an anagram of DESSERT WINE, was to be highlighted.  First prize Erin Barrack,…
A US trade deal is good news for Britain
Now that America is offering a trade deal – or as John Boulton says, a series of mini deals – can…
Trade deals can destroy native industries – but they still boost wealth creation
Comments by the former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers this week, claiming that Britain will come off poorly in negotiations…
Portrait of the week: US shootings, a dam emergency and a rubbish straw policy at McDonald’s
Home If the government lost a confidence motion when parliament sits again in September, it could call an election for…
Dams, lives and statistics: the worst dam collapses in Britain
Dams, lives and statistics The town of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, was evacuated after heavy rainfall caused the partial collapse of…
Letters: Donkeys are the latest victims of China’s gross cruelty to animals
We don’t cut God Sir: The Revd Dr Peter Mullen suggests (Letters, 3 August) that Boris Johnson told him my…
The UK’s best beaches – according to Spectator writers
Tom HollandTrevone, Cornwall Pretty much every summer, my family and my cousins head for a farm in north Cornwall,…
to 2417: Six nations
The unclued lights are LAND OF (25A): MILK AND HONEY (11A), CAKES (12A), HOPE AND GLORY (39A), ENCHANTMENT (7D), MY…
If politicians are still in denial about Boris’s Brexit, the currency markets are not
In his first week as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has shocked those who had assumed that he is a joker…
Portrait of the week: Britain meets its new cabinet
Home The Conservatives’ poll ratings went up and the pound went down after a week of the prime ministership of…
The need for a poll of the people
The Need For A Poll Of The People, 2 August 1919: ‘It is not to be wondered at that during…
Hot topic: How many of us own fans?
Growing fanbase A photograph of the Queen meeting Boris Johnson revealed that she uses a Dyson electric fan. How many…
to 2416: Silence
Each unclued light contains a SILENT letter (with 11 containing two). First prize P.L. Macdougall, London SW6Runners-up Sir Graeme Davies,…
If Boris achieves a deal with the EU, he will be unassailable
It’s hard to think of a prime minister who has reached No. 10 with lower expectations. Boris Johnson has been…
Portrait of the week: The top job for Boris, gifts for Theresa and Carl Beech’s conviction
Home Boris Johnson became Prime Minister after being elected the leader of the Conservative party by its members, with 92,153…
What kills more people in the UK: hot or cold weather?
Losing confidence The government may soon face a vote of no confidence, the second this year. How often do these…
A way with words
From ‘Low talk’ by John Daniel, 19 July 1963: Everybody has heard of Dr Johnson’s dictionary, which is now not…
Letters: why Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the right choice for Bishop of Dover
Rose is the right choice Sir: Every Wednesday for the past nine years, it has been my privilege to attend…
