‘Whose side are you on?’: How Keir Starmer alienated Britain’s allies over Iran
The American-Israeli attacks on Iran were publicly called Epic Fury, but behind the scenes it is Britain’s handling of the…
Revealed: Britain to get Islamophobia tsar
Britain is to get a new ‘anti-Muslim hostility tsar’ under plans to be outlined by the government on Monday, which…
Has it all gone wrong between Trump and Starmer?
‘The Special Relationship only exists when the Americans want something,’ a former Downing Street aide observed after Donald Trump rejected…
The winners and losers from the Gorton by-election
So Gorton and Denton has become another of those parliamentary seat names which enters the collective memory of British politics…
The truth about Britain’s hollowed-out armed forces
When Keir Starmer was told his pledge to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP in the next…
Palace ‘terrified’ Andrew could have shared secrets of defence deals
Keir Starmer has had a pretty torrid couple of months but, as the curtain comes down on another turbulent week,…
‘Authority is like virginity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone’: Inside Keir Starmer’s downfall
Years ago, Peter Mandelson shared a key lesson with his protégé Morgan McSweeney. Reminiscing about his involvement in Labour’s 1987…
Twelve things we learned this week
When I started out in Westminster in 2001, the parliamentary lobby was a very hierarchical place and the press gallery…
The case for Antonia Romeo
A few thoughts about the Antonia Romeo furore. This will doubtless not help her at all but Starmer would be…
Morgan McSweeney’s resignation won’t save Starmer
Morgan McSweeney has resigned, which felt inevitable but is still a shock to the government and to SW1 in general.…
Is Keir Starmer prepared for the AI-pocalypse?
Is there any area of public policy which Keir Starmer’s government has got right? ‘Where very little is working, AI…
Labour has bottled it – what happens next?
Where are we then, after the most consequential week in British politics since the last one? Keir Starmer no longer…
‘There’s an awful lot more bile now’: Jonathan Lynn on how politics has changed since Yes Minister
A few years ago, everyone in Westminster was obsessed by The West Wing, but a decade of chaos and populism…
What is ‘Starmerism’?
If Keir Starmer didn’t already understand Harold Macmillan’s warning about ‘events, dear boy, events’, he got a lesson on Saturday.…
Starmer’s Chinese trip changes nothing
I just had lunch with several European ambassadors and they asked me whether Keir Starmer’s trip to China was important…
The second coming of Gordon Brown
At a Christmas party I witnessed a showdown between two Labour movers and shakers, one a devoted Starmerite, the other…
Jenrick’s defection strengthens both Kemi and Farage
What a week. Robert Jenrick’s defection to Reform yesterday electrified Westminster and the fallout is still spreading. When our editor asked…
‘We will use the power of democracy to blow you away’: Reform plots a path to No. 10
As he made his way to lunch on Monday, Danny Kruger, the former Tory MP who defected to Reform last…
Six things we learnt about Starmer’s government this week
Keir Starmer began the year saying that any minute he wasn’t focused on the cost of living would be a…
The 14 questions that will define British politics in 2026
Contemplating a new year always raises questions. Was there a Third Protocol? What was wrong with Oral-A? Can Keir Starmer…
Starmer caves to the farmers
The government has delivered an early Christmas present to farmers by modifying the new rules on inheritance tax. Or that’s…
Is Starmer finally learning the art of politics?
The theme of British politics in 2025 has been the assertion of the fun fringe over the staid centre. Nigel…
Starmer should pick a UN ambassador who knows Trump
After three months of speculation, Keir Starmer has appointed a replacement for Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. The winner…
‘We must not be the Tory party 2.0’: Nigel Farage on his plans for power
Nigel Farage is signing football shirts when I arrive at Reform’s campaign headquarters in Millbank Tower, the building where New…
The 12 things that mattered in politics in 2025
We are in the pre-Christmas dog days and politics has, finally, slowed down a bit. Reflecting on 2025, here are…
