Columnists
Oxford Street reborn could be the model for every British high street
Oxford Street is ‘a dinosaur district destined for extinction’, says Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin – whose plan to…
Will tactical voting topple the Tories?
Boris Johnson has always been a celebrity politician. It is one of the reasons why the normal rules of politics…
All’s calm on my morning train — but it won’t be by autumn
Here I go again, in my occasional role as your intrepid transport correspondent. Last week I reported on airport chaos,…
The Spectator’s Notes
If anyone was suitable to be the Prime Minister’s adviser on ministerial interests, it was Lord Geidt. Self-effacing, professional, unself-righteous…
Central bank rate hikes are pathetic
Check out these hyperventilating headlines from last week: ‘What the Fed’s largest interest rate hike in decades means for you’…
What took you so long, Seb Coe?
There’s a left-wing internet advocacy group called 38 Degrees which suggests to its followers that all they have to do…
The shame game
In this most holy month of Pride I have been making my observances by thinking about shame. After all, shame…
British politics is stuck
One of the favourite phrases of British political commentators is ‘oppositions don’t win elections, governments lose them’. As with all…
Carry on Carrie
One is not usually surprised by opinions volunteered to parliamentary hopefuls by voters on whose doors the candidate has knocked;…
A case of double standards
Is it possible to hold two ideas in our heads at once? If so, I should like to put forward…
If only Tom Cruise would ditch his cult
I keep reading that Tom Cruise is the Last Great Movie Star, as if he’s some noble but endangered animal.…
Why Glastonbury is so white
The former comedian Sir Lenny Henry has questioned why there seem to be so few black people at rock festivals…
No wonder shares are falling but when will they turn?
Stock markets are tumbling, but given the tide of economic news, that’s hardly surprising. The S&P 500 index dived into…
The Spectator’s Notes
Even before the ECHR injunction, the bishops had issued their anathema. All 25 of them in the House of Lords…
Johnson’s loss of authority
There is an uneasy truce in the Tory party. The 148 MPs who voted no confidence in Boris Johnson last…
Send in the army
When Conservative prime ministers face a problem of logistics – from ambulance-driver shortages to border-force failures – there is a…
Who dares ask how far Brexit is to blame for UK inflation?
After the Jubilee dream of a lovely lost Britain, back to reality with a face-slap: the reality of the £8…
The Spectator’s Notes
It was reported gleefully that Boris Johnson was booed as he entered St Paul’s Cathedral for the Jubilee Thanksgiving service…
I told you so
‘Steady on, old chap. You’re a bit hard on the boy.’ The arm around my shoulder was that of Boris…
Did the British Empire exterminate mermaids?
I may have broken the law this week, without having intended to, so great was my rush to return home.…
A win for the film critics of Bradford
As a general rule, you should never talk about a film you haven’t seen. But The Lady of Heaven is…
Does advertising matter?
‘Stop! Don’t fast-forward. I love this advert!’ How often do you say that? Considering that some commercial breaks run to…
The Spectator’s Notes
Like many people who do not share his views, I have felt intermittent admiration for Peter Tatchell over the past…
How to win my vote
The repeated injunction that we should all ‘move on’ from worrying our silly heads about partygate is as otiose as…
In defence of masculinity
Anyone who has passed through an education in thepast decade will have encountered the term ‘toxic masculinity’. It is one…
