Columnists
There can be no Brexit deal without Tory unity
In a hung parliament, recess takes on a particular importance for the government. It is a chance for ministers to…
There’s a reason women sell roof tiles in hotpants
I would rather watch flies buzzing around a light bulb for two hours than Formula 1. At least the flies…
I miss Auberon Waugh. He’d know what to say about relentless women’s issues
Every now and then one suddenly misses somebody. I miss Bron, who died 17 years ago last month. There’s an…
Why not ban artists who forget to feed their cats or recycle?
Sometimes a picture — the big picture — is worth more than a thousand words. Consider this Art vs Artist,…
Could the Serious Fraud Office put an end to Barclays as we know it?
The Serious Fraud Office has upped the stakes in the case of the controversial $3 billion Qatari financing that saved…
Women’s suffrage was just part of a huge shift in the idea of who should vote
A reader writes: ‘In my last letter, I called you a numbskull. However I should have qualified this with “sometimes you…
Brexit belongs to the Tories — whether they like it or not
The Tory party is the party of Brexit, whether it likes it or not. The referendum was called by a…
Sometimes men deserve to be paid more
It is 100 years since women got the vote and I have been joining in the celebrations, on public transport…
There is no housing crisis. It would be easier if there were
Britain does not have a housing shortage. We have a problem with the cost not the availability of homes. This…
Extreme pain, of the purest intensity, changes everything
Since my pulmonary embolism a couple of years ago, I have become something of a connoisseur of pain. The agony…
Falling US shares tell us only that investors were too excited in January
If you were the incoming or retiring chairman of the Federal Reserve, you might be quietly pleased to see stock…
Conservatives gave women the vote – but you won’t be reminded of this
A hundred years ago on Tuesday, King George V assented to the Representation of the People Act. Women got the…
I wanted Ted Cruz to be President, but Donald Trump is working
In London last week I had the opportunity to talk about President Donald Trump with several politically mature friends. Most…
Stop trying to make football perfect: it’s the errors that make it fun
They’ve got this new thing in football. It’s called the Video Assistant Referee and it is designed to make the…
Ikea’s real genius is making furniture disposable
By all accounts, Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad was my kind of guy: may he rest in peace (on an Askvoll…
The real reason hospitals threw back that Presidents Club cash
I visited St Thomas’ Hospital on Monday, to discuss fundraising for a cardiology research project. On the way in, I…
The 300-year-old poem that perfectly sums up our drifting government
‘Dignity lost half its value yesterday’ began a news story in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph. As I read on, it turned…
The Tory drift goes on – but replacing May is impossible
‘We take the view that while things are bloody awful, we don’t want to risk making things worse.’ That is…
Women come last in Labour’s deranged victim hierarchy
I wonder if we are about to see a mass resignation of women from Labour, furious at the party’s collapse…
Nigel Farage is wrong: the French are doing us a big favour in Calais
Last week Nigel Farage described the deal we’ve done with France over the refugee camp near Calais as a ‘humiliating…
Forget a Channel bridge and celebrate Crossrail
This column has long been a sucker for a grand projet. ‘Time for a trip to Boris Island,’ I gushed…
UN ‘Peace-keepers’ abuse the girls in their care, yet no one is ever punished
Last week, women working for the UN became the latest to join the #MeToo gang, and for all the eye-rolling…
Why I won’t see The Darkest Hour
The BBC programme The Coronation, on Sunday evening, was extremely interesting, principally, of course, because of the Queen’s appearance on…
You can’t beat Corbyn with Miliband – but the Tories are trying to anyway
Tuition fees have all but killed the Liberal Democrats. The breach of their manifesto pledge to abolish the charges, compounded…
I recycle – then lie to myself that I’m saving the planet
‘I just want to say one word to you, just one word. Are you listening? Plastics.’ That iconic punch line…
