Columnists
How could the Co-op be so insensitive to Jewish shoppers?
Between news bulletins of the Manchester synagogue attack last week, I popped into my local Co-op for some groceries. When…
In defence of Chris Cash
Can you be a spy by mistake? If, with no treacherous intent, without ever intending to disadvantage your own country,…
The real war is to come for the Tories
British politics often resembles a golden-age murder mystery, with multiple parties sitting anxiously on the sofas/green benches waiting for the…
The frustrations of the Tory mindset
‘The facts of life are Conservative.’ This sentence is often attributed to Margaret Thatcher, whose centenary falls next week. The…
Don’t surrender to soulless self-checkouts
A friend runs a small factory employing 60 skilled workers. He exports industrial components worldwide, competing with Europe for quality…
Sir Tony’s doomed crusade in the Holy Land
It amuses me that the two main parties most averse to the idea of honours, monarchy, chivalry etc are led…
Starmer has bought himself time. Can he use it wisely?
The Labour conference in Liverpool was a curiously upbeat affair. Much of the good spirit came from schadenfreude at the…
The Murray Test for TV drama
It is almost a century since Ronald Knox wrote his ‘Ten Commandments’ for detective fiction. Most of them still hold…
Transgenderism proves people will believe anything
For years, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) has wrapped itself in a guise of medical expertise, advising…
Crime and no punishment in Khan’s London
Those of us trapped in Mayor Sadiq Khan’s low traffic neighbourhood scheme are now obedient, resigned. We expect a car…
First they came for the Jews…
It was moving to watch Keir Starmer announce this week, from a corridor in Downing Street, that his government has…
Hard-won gay rights will be easily lost
In the Palace of Westminster a fortnight ago, I spoke at a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Tory…
What’s really behind Reform’s rise
It is the question dominating bars and fringe debates this party conference season: what exactly is driving Reform UK’s popularity?…
Housebuilding’s in crisis? Bring back Angela Rayner!
Barely noticed amid all the other bad news and political shenanigans, there’s a slump in UK housebuilding that makes Labour’s…
Pine martens for Palestine
How can the nature sector respond to the genocide in Gaza? These are not my words. They appear in the…
Let’s just ignore the Church of England
How important do you think it is to know what the Church of England thought about that ‘Unite the Kingdom’…
Don’t rule out a Mandelson comeback
Daniel Kruger is a good and thoughtful man, whom I used to employ as a leader writer before he left…
Starmer’s battle against the King of the North
After Keir Starmer’s calamitous fortnight, the No. 10 official was reflective: ‘Some people say: “Your worst day in government is…
Is Charlie Kirk’s murder really a ‘watershed’?
The Charlie Kirk assassination has triggered a spate of duelling death counts. The usual media suspects on both sides of…
Who marches against Tommy Robinson?
Isn’t it time we banned such marches as the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, given the thuggery and lawlessness which ensued?…
Bring on the robot-run railways!
I awoke on Sunday to what felt like a Brave New World moment: Radio 4’s news-reader reciting an unedited Downing…
The political resurrection of Christianity
There is a passage in Milan Kundera’s novelisitic essay ‘Testaments Betrayed’ where he writes about the nature of history. Man…
The Pret plunge isn’t quite what it seems
Gold goes on up: having risen by an unprecedented 40 per cent in a year to pass $3,600 (or £2,675)…
Reform’s success is far from set in stone
The current ‘Britain is on a knife edge’ mood is understandable. Our discontents are great and Sir Keir Starmer’s government…
The return of Keir vs Andy
When Labour MPs met to hear from their leader on Monday, there was one group who felt particularly aggrieved. In…
