Features
My brush with doom in Tangier
I wait till early summer to spring-clean so I’m moving my study, a stirring-up that invariably releases powerful methane from…
Can Macron still outplay Le Pen?
Petulance, panic and performance. President Macron’s broadcast following the evisceration of his party in last weekend’s elections for the European…
The unlikely political resurrection of Keith Vaz
When Keith Vaz announced his ambition to stand as an independent for Leicester East in the general election, no one…
Why are students steered towards duff A-levels?
‘Women are more religious because they are socialised to be obedient and passive.’ ‘In Latin America, men often spend 20-40…
China’s ‘soft siege’ of Taiwan
‘There is only one China in the world,’ Wang Wenbin, the spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, declared at a press…
Madrí wouldn’t fool a true Spaniard
Four years ago, Madrí didn’t exist. Today, the faux Spanish lager is sold in a quarter of British pubs, which…
The quiet return of eugenics
Here follows a non-exhaustive list of my genetic flaws. I am short-sighted, more so as I age. I have bunions,…
Netanyahu thinks he’s Churchill, Israelis see Chamberlain
Aleading member of Israel’s wartime cabinet has threatened to resign should Benjamin Netanyahu fail to present a strategy for ending…
The 28-year-old who legitimised Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally – formerly the National Front – is expected to triumph for a third time running…
Scotland’s religious collapse
Last week, I had a drink with a Catholic priest friend who works with young people in custody. Inevitably, our…
The truth about Paul Hollywood
My husband and I are in New York, where everyone is talking about the approaching Trump-Biden debate. Well, I’ll be…
Would you dare to wear a Rolex?
‘London has become a jungle, right? Anyone with anything nice risks having it taken.’ Bobby, the manager of one of…
Have you had the school gate VAT chat?
Another day closer to the general election and I’m at my daughter’s prep school in Oxfordshire. As has come to…
Can the Tories survive Nigel Farage?
Nigel Farage had given less than a day’s notice, yet hundreds stood ready to welcome him on Tuesday morning on…
I’m a lifelong Tory. Should I vote Reform?
For more than 30 years, I have knocked on doors and dutifully recorded voting intentions. I’m sure every party has…
Tourists are the new pariahs
Think of Majorca and what do you picture? Maybe it is elegant tapas bars in the Gothic quarter of Palma,…
What war graves teach us about peace
Hugh Jones was 29 when he was killed in action. On Wednesday, the eve of the 80th anniversary of D-Day,…
Can the Tories avoid the fate of Canada’s Conservatives?
As the Conservatives edge closer to disaster in the general election, the hunt is on for a historical comparison. Tony…
The heyday of the gay guardsmen
In 1943 the music critic Desmond Shawe-Taylor placed an advertisement in Exchange & Mart offering a pair of trooper’s breeches…
Are any of the party leaders ready to be PM?
Since Rishi Sunak called the election last week, Tory MPs have been in a state of discombobulation. ‘It’s an absolutely…
The TikTok stars taking on the Tories
‘Sorry to be breaking into your usual politics-free feed,’ chirrups Rishi Sunak in his first-ever TikTok video. He is awkward,…
Putin’s purge of his top generals
In the past month, Vladimir Putin has had five top generals arrested on corruption charges. More are likely to follow…
Could Ozempic bankrupt the NHS?
The NHS spends around £6.5 billion every year treating obesity. People who are overweight cost the health service twice as…
Hell is a rented garden
For the past few years, I have been a joyful Chelsea Flower Show attendee. Every May, my phone’s photo album…
The moon matters to China
China’s Chang’e-6 moon mission was launched on 3 May. It reached lunar orbit a few days later and began waiting…
