The Week
Barometer
Nuggets on May Some trivia about Theresa May — At 59, she is the oldest new prime minister since Jim…
Never again
From ‘Terms of peace’, The Spectator, 15 July 1916: As the man in the street might say, ‘The Allies are not…
Australian letters
True measure Sir: I prefer Peter Costello’s view of conservatism to that of Michael Davis (Conservative Notes 18 June), that…
Letters
Lurid about Leavers Sir: Matthew Parris has spent much of the past few months denigrating those of us who want…
Portrait of the week
Home Theresa May became Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party when Andrea Leadsom withdrew her candidacy for election…
Diary
I first met a boyish, sunny Tony Blair more than 20 years ago. Our encounters have always been slightly tense…
The shame of Iraq
‘If it falls apart, everything falls apart in the region’ — Note from Tony Blair to George W. Bush, 2…
Portrait of the week
Home Conservative MPs set about finding two candidates for the party leadership to be put to party members as rival…
Diary
All hail social media. In January, I lost my beautiful pussycat Mr Mew, and I have spent six long months…
Jeremy Corbyn and the oracle
Inscribed in the forecourt of the temple of Apollo in Delphi were the famous words gnôthi sauton (‘know yourself’) and…
The meaning of the Somme
From ‘News of the week’, The Spectator, 8 July 1916: On the surface of London life there is hardly a ripple,…
Letters
Junior elitists Sir: In response to Andrew Peters’s reminder that in many cultures it is the older and more experienced…
The shame of Iraq
‘If it falls apart, everything falls apart in the region’ — Note from Tony Blair to George W. Bush, 2…
Jeremy Corbyn and the oracle
Inscribed in the forecourt of the temple of Apollo in Delphi were the famous words gnôthi sauton (‘know yourself’) and…
Diary
All hail social media. In January, I lost my beautiful pussycat Mr Mew, and I have spent six long months…
The meaning of the Somme
From ‘News of the week’, The Spectator, 8 July 1916: On the surface of London life there is hardly a ripple,…
Letters
Junior elitists Sir: In response to Andrew Peters’s reminder that in many cultures it is the older and more experienced…
Portrait of the week
Home Conservative MPs set about finding two candidates for the party leadership to be put to party members as rival…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, standing in the middle of Downing Street with his wife Samantha alone near him, announced his resignation…
Diary
Referendum day is as nondescript and wet as the day before, happily spent in Cambridge at my son’s Leo’s graduation.…
Barometer
Repeat until fade More than three million voters disappointed by the result of the EU referendum have signed a petition…
Rome’s Hilton
A traitor to one man is a hero to another. So debate rages around the role of David Cameron’s old…
Preparing for peacetime
From ‘Preparation for peace’, The Spectator, 1 July 1916: All industrial development relies in the last resort upon human energy,…
Letters
A rational vote Sir: There has been a lot of bile poured out about those who voted Leave by the…
A vote of confidence
During the referendum campaign, it seemed at times as if a competition was on to issue the most hyperbolic claim…
