Features
James Cleverly: the Tories are to blame for Corbyn
As Labour gathers for its conference in Liverpool this weekend, the Conservatives will be watching with trepidation, rather than the…
Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell was just fiction. Here are the facts
One of the many pleasures of writing the life of Thomas Cromwell was to reach out behind the various versions…
Second best: Why runners up are more interesting than those who come first
Who was the second prime minister? Everyone knows Robert Walpole was the first. Firsts get all the fame and glory.…
The Tory battle has only just begun
It looks as if the Conservative party is already at war. Fifty or so Brexiteer Tory MPs openly meet to…
Save us from Tiger, the posh Poundland of tat
There is a Tiger on the loose. It is stalking our high streets. It is prowling our train stations. It…
Elizabeth, the Eurosceptic queen
There has been much inconclusive speculation on the Queen’s views on Brexit. In 2016, the Sun asserted that she was…
Tom Tugendhat: the next Tory leader should be from my generation
When Boris Johnson compared Theresa May’s Brexit plan to wrapping a suicide vest around Britain’s constitution, the harshest response came…
The backlash to Trump has begun – and Republicans should not be surprised
Washington, DC Republicans observing a rising wave of liberal and progressive candidates, policies and election results in the United States…
In Idlib, the final chapter in Syria’s civil war has begun
Beirut The customs man wore a white linen suit. He had a large moustache. His ample belly touched the edge…
There’s a reason Unst is called the island above all others
‘I’d like a copy of the Times,’ said the visitor from the south. ‘Yesterday’s or today’s?’ the shopkeeper asked. ‘Today’s,…
Macron vs Salvini: the ideological battle for Europe’s future
The first sign that Matteo Salvini was destined to do battle with Emmanuel Macron came in June, a few days…
What has Pope Francis covered up?
The Catholic Church is confronting a series of interconnected scandals so shameful that its very survival is threatened. Pope Francis…
The myth of the ‘trustworthy’ Scottish accent
There was once a belief that for TV and radio commercials, a Scottish voice was more ‘trustworthy’. This was particularly…
Why becoming an MP can ruin your life
It takes seven years to know your way around Parliament. That’s what I was told when I arrived in the…
Ten years on: the world the crash made
With September marking a decade since the Lehman Brothers implosion, stand by for a slew of economic retrospectives. Any meaningful…
Did the crash create populism? If only it were that simple
We often hear it said that the financial crash created populism. It is now a familiar story: that the Lehman…
How Nike turned a protest about racial injustice into advertising
Every so often sport bursts its banks, spills from its usual courses and goes flooding incontinently onto the news pages.…
Tales of UFOs and mysterious big cats come as standard in Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is the long, low range of hills that’s visible to your right as you drive north up the…
The people vs Brexit: a very elite insurgency
The very best impressionists do not simply mimic the mannerisms, speech patterns and facial expressions of their targets — they…
The People’s Vote have one big advantage: their opponents are in disarray
It may seem odd that a cabal of politicians, celebrities and millionaires can successfully present themselves as a great democratic…
Sweden’s political panic attack
Uppsala, Sweden When I dropped off my kids at school early last week, I noticed that -another parent’s car was…
Why I’m a Muslim
When Muslims make headlines, it’s invariably for the wrong reasons. The fuss over Boris Johnson’s burka joke is a case…
The great British train wreck
A couple of weeks ago I met David Grime and Alan Noble, members of the Lakes Line Rail User Group,…
The Democrats’ dilemma: should they impeach President Trump?
Washington, DC The Democrats will face a dilemma if they win control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm…
Remembering Soho: A conversation on debauchery, drunks and Francis Bacon
Christopher Howse has just written a book about Soho. He drank there regularly with Michael Heath, The Spectator’s cartoon editor,…
