Leading article
The government’s net zero strategy doesn’t add up
The commitment to reach ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050 is the most expensive government proposal in modern history. Yet it…
What will history have to say about lockdowns?
Coronavirus may have fallen out of the news cycle but the threat of the virus has certainly not passed. Britain…
The real issues facing trans people aren’t pronouns
It’s a strange reflection of our times that with so much else at stake, the leaders of both main parties…
In blockbuster Britain, the BBC is being left behind
There’s a great revival under way in the British TV and film industry, but it’s not the BBC that’s behind…
How the Tories have fuelled Britain’s energy crisis
Britain is caught in an energy crisis of the government’s own making. It is true that gas prices have spiked…
The case for an asylum amnesty
Many feared mass unemployment as a fallout from Covid-19. Instead, we have ended up with the opposite problem: a labour…
The emergency is over. Now the government must relinquish its emergency powers
For 18 months, the government has held power over us as never before in peacetime. The emergency powers granted by…
It’s time for NHS GPs to stop hiding behind their telephones
Nye Bevan famously said that he was only able to persuade family doctors to support the creation of the NHS…
Freedom to protest is not freedom to cause chaos
The concept of normality has been so disrupted over the past 18 months that the Extinction Rebellion protests — usually…
It’s time to end furlough – and let the British economy recover
At the start of this year, Britain looked as if it would be the first major country to vaccinate its…
Working from home is a decision for businesses, not government
After seizing so much power during the pandemic, Boris Johnson’s government is having trouble working out where its remit now…
Why is the mild West afraid to promote its democratic values?
An athlete seeking sanctuary in a foreign embassy after a state–sponsored attempt to spirit her home from the Olympics; a…
Why a return to a free and open world is vital
There is something bizarre about a sporting event designed to bring people and nations together but from which spectators have…
Boris is in danger of becoming the Prime Minister he once warned against
Back when Boris Johnson was on a mission to stop identity cards being used in Britain, he made a very…
Yes, they're deplorable – but those football tweets don't prove Britain is racist
There are two certainties whenever England’s football team plays; one that is long-established and the other a recent phenomenon. Players…
Boris Johnson must hold his nerve over lifting restrictions
A charge repeatedly made against Boris Johnson over the past 16 months is that he has ‘ignored scientific advice’. But…
It’s time to repair the damage done to the Covid generation’s education
Aswitch of personnel at the Department of Health this week has brought a welcome change in the government’s tone. No…
The virus threat has changed. Now Test and Trace must too
Under what circumstances can a government restrict the liberty of the people? An example was given last year: in a…
The real value of the Australia trade deal
If Britain had been unable to agree a trade deal with Australia, then Brexit really would have been pointless. The…
It’s time to revisit the Northern Ireland protocol
Britain has already seen two ‘Brexit days’ — when it formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 and the…
Covid is losing its sting. It’s time to repair our society and our economy
It seems all but impossible to convince government scientists of the wisdom of proceeding with the final lifting of Covid…
The lesson from Dominic Cummings – avoid groupthink
It is hard to deny the importance of the issues raised this week by Dominic Cummings. His decision to identify…
Why Britain must unlock on 21 June
The scare over the Indian variant of coronavirus this week is a taste of what to expect over the next…
What Europe could learn from Britain’s new migration system
While the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has no formal role in devising the bloc’s immigration policy, his…
Data, not dates: there is no reason to delay a return to normal life
A slogan can come back to haunt you. For Boris Johnson, the words ‘data not dates’ sounded powerful at a…
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