Columnists
The UK’s immigration figures are a fantasy
Journalists filing to deadline are apt to dig only so deep when googling for statistics, which in themselves are sometimes…
‘Fear and bullying’ at the National Trust
Is Winston Marshall — guitarist, banjo player, composer of Mumford & Sons, and father of the west London ‘Nu-Folk’ music…
My voyage back through the landmarks of my life
I was looking forward to my dinner at Daquise in South Kensington, a Polish restaurant that’s been there for ever…
The cold reality facing Sajid Javid
The most difficult time for a new secretary of state is normally the first three months in the job. An…
Keir Starmer’s days are numbered
I think Keir’s had it. This may not discomfort you terribly, I know. Still less the fact that Labour will…
Why we don’t always say what we see
The official review into the Manchester Arena bombing was published this week. Four years after 22 mainly young people were…
Life is about to get harder for Boris Johnson
Covid restrictions are meant to end on 19 July. But parliament will not return to normal until September. The Commons…
Why private equity sharks are shopping at Morrisons
The late Sir Ken Morrison — founder of the eponymous supermarket chain that’s the latest UK target for US private…
The word ‘mother’ isn’t offensive. The Catholic church should say so
I’m used to waiting for the Catholic church to make sense. I’m a convert to Catholicism, and Catholic ideas sometimes…
Is J.D. Vance the right man for the right?
J.D. Vance is the man Republicans have been praying for since the day Donald Trump stormed to the party’s presidential…
Why the BBC believed Martin Bashir
If it is true, as Lords Hall and Birt told a Commons committee this week, that Martin Bashir succeeded in…
The biggest danger to Boris comes from the enemies within
Boris Johnson’s predecessor was destroyed by her inability to meet deadlines. Theresa May extended the Brexit transition period so many…
The difference between looking and seeing
By the side of the road from Sudbury in Derbyshire to Ashbourne, there is a lone eucalyptus tree. This is…
Foreign opportunists are turning Britain into a corporate car-boot sale
The snatching of a 12 per cent stake in BT by French entrepreneur Patrick Drahi, last seen here when he…
Air travel is in terminal danger
During the political car crash of 2019, I couldn’t imagine ever agreeing with Theresa May. Yet last week she exhibited…
A breath of fresh airwaves
A couple of decades back the Radio Society asked me to moderate a debate for its summer festival. ‘Between who?’…
Would you pay £80 for a video from John Bercow?
There is much to be said for meritocracy, and Adrian Wooldridge, in his new book, The Aristocracy of Talent, says…
Suddenly used cars are hot property
Companies should willingly pay tax wherever they generate profits — this column has long argued — because it’s fair they…
Why this G7 summit matters more than most
It’s risky planning a trip to the British seaside at any time of year. But if the weather forecast is…
My advice to Gareth Southgate
This is a difficult issue to raise on the eve of a major football tournament, but as a progressive individual…
The polarising power of plague
Now that the government has kindly allowed us to go out again, I wonder if anyone has discovered the same…
The forgotten joy of spontaneity
If you ask people what they’ve missed out on since the pandemic, they’ll probably lament their cancelled plans. Weddings postponed,…
Give the people what they think they want
I have a mean streak. Perhaps my cruellest urge is to give people what they claim to want. When political…
Will the new breed of retail investors cash in – or crash out?
‘Feed the ducks when they’re quacking’ sounds like advice from a foie gras farmer — but let’s leave gastronomy till…
Big Tech is turning into Big Brother
The Big Tech social media giants are having to rethink their policy of censoring anybody who suggests that Covid originated…
