Features
Fighting fit: Dominic Raab on karate kicks, cabinet unity and his Brexit strategy
At a dinner in the Irish embassy in London last November, Dominic Raab believed he was on the brink of…
The upsides of dementia: Forgetfulness can be a blessing
My 91-year-old father-in-law has always had a terror of hospitals. This dates from his time as a Royal Marine when,…
Why Ceausescu’s 1978 state visit was far more humiliating than Trump’s ever could be
The Queen has seldom had more holes in a state banquet seating plan. The leader of the opposition, the shadow…
Rod Liddle: Tunnelling my way into Gaza
I’m meant to be peering into a tunnel hacked out by Hamas a few hundred metres from Gaza City into…
Selfie-surveillance: Who needs Big Brother when we constantly film ourselves?
Did you see the Welsh Tory MP David Davies and a pro-Brexit protester arguing outside parliament, pointing cameras at one…
How Rwanda became an oasis of liberal Islam
Kigali, Rwanda To most outsiders, Rwanda is still synonymous with genocide. Nearly a million killed in 100 days; almost three…
From Amazon to Waitrose: how do companies get their names?
Poor Mr Bergstresser. He put up the money to start the financial reporting company but his name wasn’t as snappy…
Corbyn isn’t working – and Labour is being picked apart by its new enemies
Protestors on the anti-Brexit marches have sensed an eerie absence. ‘What is it?’ I thought back in March as I…
Keeping up with Farage: What’s next for the Brexit party?
‘Labour are in so much trouble here you can’t even believe it,’ says Nigel Farage as we sit in a…
Shelf conscious: I had no idea I was such a show-off
I’ve just had new bookshelves put up in the hall, a whole wall-full of them, and for the first time…
Iran alone: Tehran’s perspective on escalating hostilities
On 20 May, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, predicted that Donald Trump would fail to subdue Iran just as…
The day Turkish democracy died
‘It’s official. Turkey is a banana republic!’ My friend Mustapha, a serial entrepreneur, sends me a flurry of doom-laden WhatsApp…
Parent trap: WhatsApp groups are feeding our fears
The mother of a little girl in my son’s year at school recently committed suicide. On the surface she was…
The magic of the Chelsea Flower Show
Chelsea, the most famous flower show in the world, pulled in its devotees once more this week, with its accustomed…
Cometh the hour: Boris Johnson may be the Tories’ best hope
The worse things are for the Tories, the better for Boris Johnson. If the Tories were ahead in the polls,…
Meet the real Alexander Nix. An interview with the notorious former head of Cambridge Analytica
If you have heard of Alexander Nix, you probably think he’s a villain. He is the former head of Cambridge…
Writers blocked: Even fantasy fiction is now offensive
It was Lionel Shriver who saw the writing on the wall. Giving a keynote speech at the Brisbane Writers Festival…
Snog a Tory: Why you should learn to step outside your comfort zone
Ew! Are you squeamish? Are you grossed out by meat, by fish, by eggs, by scales and suckers and shells…
What one activist’s death tells us about war crimes in Syria
In the 1990s film The Usual Suspects, the detective character explains how to spot a murderer. You arrest three men…
The truth about air quality? It’s the best (and cleanest) in living memory
We are, of course, in the midst of an air pollution crisis which, like every other threat to our health…
How do Britain’s pubs get their names?
An easy one: what links Jack Straw’s Castle, The Labouring Boys and The Jolly Taxpayer? No, not the parliamentary expenses…
Train your brain: How to keep your mind young
‘Beep!’ This is one of the most maddening computer games I’ve ever played. I’m tracking a flock of birds, and…
Prue Leith: When did the Samaritans lose their way?
In the past few weeks, on three separate occasions, I have met three different women who for years (one for…
‘Come on, cancel me’: An interview with Bret Easton Ellis
‘I grew up in LA where we all thought fame was a joke,’ says Bret Easton Ellis. ‘My class was…
Grouse moors have destroyed Britain’s natural heritage – so we must rewild them
Britain’s hunting estates were once beautiful. Walking through the New Forest, we can all appreciate how the purchase of land…
