Leading article
Why wasn’t the Foreign Office prepared for Sudan?
The fiasco in Khartoum is being widely interpreted as a tragic failure of intelligence. James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, is…
We’ll miss Rupert Murdoch when he’s gone
The idea that Donald Trump was denied victory in the 2020 presidential election by conspirators determined to fiddle with the…
King Charles and a tale of two coronations
The United Kingdom is one of the last countries in the world to host lavish coronation ceremonies. Europe’s new kings…
The legacy of Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson was the most consequential chancellor in modern British history. He gave the world a case study in how…
The lessons of the trans debate
The World Athletics Council has taken the decisive step of announcing that transgender women who underwent male puberty before their…
The Boris distraction
Boris Johnson should not be forgiven for his handling of lockdown. He needlessly criminalised everyday behaviour when voluntary guidelines would…
Unemployment and Britain’s missing million
There was plenty of miserable economic news in this week’s Budget: the highest taxes imposed by any peacetime government, the…
Our duty to refugees
It is hard to deny that the government must take tough action on the issue of migrants arriving in Britain…
Matt Hancock and the anatomy of a scandal
Last summer, Rishi Sunak told this magazine about what happened inside government during lockdown. The policy, he said, had been…
The SNP’s purity test
It seems as if Kate Forbes is about to achieve the remarkable distinction of losing an election as a result…
Sturgeon, Sunak and the state of the Union
Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as First Minister of Scotland comes at a critical moment for the Union, since the question of…
What Turkey needs
This week’s earthquake in Turkey and northern Syria is a reminder that in spite of civilisation’s advance and human ingenuity,…
Britain is becoming a greener and more pleasant land
To listen to many environmental campaigners, you would think that Britain was a toxic wasteland. They tell us that our…
Britain’s asylum crisis
Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, 21, an Afghan convicted this week of murdering a man in Bournemouth last year, had previously murdered two…
The Boris delusion
Loyalty, it used to be said, was the secret weapon of the Conservative party. That hasn’t been true for some…
Why Britain’s space industry should be celebrated
The attempted launch of a rocket via a Boeing 747 from Spaceport Cornwall – the first such attempt in Europe…
Harry’s losing game
Four months into his reign, King Charles has seen his fair share of drama: two prime ministers and a wave…
A Christmas hope for Ukraine – and the world
This year, for the first time, millions of Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas on 25 December. The Orthodox Church had used…
What the census misses about Christianity in Britain
When asked about their religion in a census, many British people have the same response: that it’s none of the…
In defence of Brexit
Opponents of Brexit have been given plenty of ammunition in recent weeks. Trade with the European Union has taken a…
Will Sunak continue with the censor’s charter?
Had it not been for the Tory leadership contest over the summer, a new censorship law would have been passed…
The new era of austerity
It’s the Chancellor who will deliver next week’s Autumn Statement, but every-one knows it will have been ghost-written by Rishi…
What Scholz should bear in mind on his trip to Beijing
Olaf Scholz will be in Beijing this weekend, making the first visit of a western leader to China since the…
The economic storm ahead is losing some of its power
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, German protesters lined the streets holding placards saying ‘Better a cold shower than Putin’s…
