Status anxiety
The ‘public humiliation diet’ is very effective
As another summer approaches, I’ve embarked on yet another attempt to lose weight. You’d have thought I’d have learnt my…
How to mobilise the police
I wasn’t surprised to hear that six police officers raided a pub in Essex after a customer complained about the…
Are Queens Park Rangers cursed?
A dark cloud has descended over Queens Park Rangers, my beloved football club. On 22 October last year, when we…
There’s no bargaining with my wife
For me, one of the joys of going abroad is bargaining with the local sellers. They name an extortionate price;…
Who owns your child’s image?
On Monday, a bill was passed by the National Assembly in France that will give courts the power to prevent…
When is a crime not a crime?
On Monday, Suella Braverman published draft guidance designed to rein in the police habit of recording a ‘non-crime hate incident’…
Why I admire Isabel Oakeshott
I’ve been gripped by the Telegraph’s Lockdown Files. The 100,000 WhatsApp messages on Matt Hancock’s phone, handed to the paper…
The brilliance of Lime Bikes
I was disappointed to learn that the authorities are planning to crack down on dockless bikes and electric scooters. Westminster…
It’s hard work being a house husband
I’m currently sitting on top of a brownie point mountain. Caroline has departed for a two-week tennis freebie in Barbados,…
Mark Steyn and the free-speech question
James Delingpole and I had a blazing row on our weekly podcast on Monday. We were discussing the recent departure…
No wonder bosses are running scared
Some readers will recall the furore five years ago about the Presidents Club charity dinner at the Dorchester. The Financial…
Big Brother is watching me
About six months ago I was contacted by Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties campaign group, and asked if I…
Why I’m sleeping in the garden shed
Two and a half years ago, I wrote a column about how I’d started sleeping in my garden office. No,…
When did Steve Baker become a social justice warrior?
About ten years ago I thought seriously about becoming a Conservative MP. I jumped through a series of hoops and…
The trans rights conflict doesn’t add up
Last week, the Office for National Statistics published the data on gender identity in England and Wales, as revealed in…
My comically awful Airbnb break
Caroline likes to rent somewhere on Airbnb between Christmas and new year to break up the winter holiday. No, not…
The number at my Christmas table is growing ever smaller
When I imagine the perfect Christmas lunch, I think of the end of A Christmas Carol in which Scrooge turns…
‘Climate scepticism’ and ‘disinformation’ are not the same thing
According to a quote in a recent article by the environment editor of the Times, I’m ‘the most prominent UK…
Michael Beale has broken my heart
Most football fans have had their attention riveted on Qatar for the past couple of weeks, but for those of…
My prescription for surviving the winter
Winter is finally upon us and I’m relying on my usual array of tablets and powders to ward off seasonal…
Gary Neville’s fairweather morality
Should England be participating in the Qatar World Cup? On the face of it, the case for a boycott is…
The case against climate change reparations
I was a little disappointed by Boris Johnson’s argument against Britain paying reparations for the damage done to developing countries…
What to do about the Equality Act
Among people of a conservative disposition, it’s long been accepted that the Equality Act needs to be repealed. This legislation,…
At last, a PM I can look down to
Rishi Sunak’s victory is a testament to how much progress we have made on the equalities front. As recently as…
The embarrassing truth about how I got injured
I had a bicycle accident last week. Not terrible, but not great either. Of the five I’ve had since I…
