Letters: David Cameron’s real referendum mistake
Cameron’s fatal error Sir: Jo Johnson’s otherwise informative review of David Cameron’s For the Record (Books, 12 October) suggests Cameron’s…
to 2428: Tracks to the Isles
The unclued lights are stations along the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh train line, the pairs being 8/9 and 29/39.…
The vindication of Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy
Before the referendum, David Davis thought that the Brexit process would be straightforward. ‘The first calling point of the UK’s…
Portrait of the week: Brexit uncertainty, Turkey in Syria and a Chinese threat
Home Brexit teetered from uncertainty to uncertainty. Parliament had been summoned to sit on Saturday 19 October to debate what…
How violent are our jails?
Parliamentary days Could one of parliament’s longest sessions be followed by one of its shortest? — The shortest was between…
A paradise of postcards
From The Spectator, 15 July 1922: It is true that things so small as postcards cannot give one the…
Letters: Shoots should be about quality, not quantity
Bad sport Sir: At last a respected member of the shooting community has popped his head above the parapet. Patrick…
to 2427: In other words
The unclued lights are all constructed (as opposed to natural) languages, also known as conlangs. First prize Magdalena Deptula,…
Boris needs to be explicit: it’s the UK’s offer or no deal
The past few months have been characterised by weeks of high drama which, for all the excitement, have resolved nothing.…
Portrait of the week: Brexit approaches, Extinction Rebellion protests and Donald Trump tweets
Home After a telephone conversation between Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, a Downing Street…
A slice of history: how did Britain’s pizza industry begin?
A slice of history Pizza Express is to undergo financial restructuring, leading to fears that it could go under. How…
Letters: Remainers lost – and Richard Dawkins needs to accept that
Deny Remainers oxygen Sir: Your correspondent Richard Dawkins seems to have a very tenuous grasp of logic for an academic…
to 2426: Her love
The unclued lights relate to SUPERMAN (6D), his alter ego CLARK KENT (26A), nickname (the) MAN OF STEEL (8), planet…
The Conservatives have become the true workers’ party
The party conference season has showcased two very different visions of Britain. Jeremy Corbyn speaks of the country as one…
Portrait of the week: Tory conference, John Lewis cuts jobs and Duchess of Sussex sues
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, presented the EU with a proposed withdrawal agreement. It entailed Northern Ireland remaining for…
Are childhood vaccination rates dropping?
Who speaks what The Chancellor, Sajid Javid, included a little Punjabi in his speech to the Tory conference. How many…
Letters: We need judges with practical experience
Judges of experience Sir: In the midst of the furore about the Supreme Court judgment, many people are now questioning…
to 2425: Herein
The unclued lights are regular contributors to the pages of The Spectator week by week. 5/35, 8/10, 12/28, 13, 21A/33 and…
Portrait of the week: A Supreme Court ruling, Labour’s messy conference and Donald Trump’s ‘impeachment’
Home Eleven justices of the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that in advising the Queen to prorogue parliament ‘the Prime Minister’s…
How many people have swum the Channel?
Journey’s end Holidaymakers are being flown home after travel company Thomas Cook failed. The idea might have horrified the company’s…
Letters: We must grasp the dangers of cannabis before it’s too late
On judging the judges Sir: The spectacle of judges questioning essentially political decisions is not an edifying one. But we…
to 2424: Poem V
The poem is La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats. ATONY (2), CORYZA (3), LOCKJAW (6), ENTERITIS (8) and…
The balance of power in our constitution has been lost
Until recently, we used to comfort ourselves with the thought that the United Kingdom’s uncodified constitution was a great national…
Why would Britain want to be a member of a club like the EU?
The past three years of agonising non-progress on Brexit have damaged Britain in many ways. Our political institutions have looked…
Portrait of the week: EU negotiations, genderless babies and Brexit in court
Home ‘I will uphold the constitution, I will obey the law, but we will come out on 31 October,’ Boris…
