The Week
I lost to Harry Kane at darts
Gareth Southgate has always been a man interested in life outside the football circus. When he played for England, I…
Portrait of the week: gambling politicians, gender rows and a free Julian Assange
Home The Conservative party withdrew its support from two parliamentary candidates, Craig Williams (who was parliamentary private secretary to the…
The ideas-free election
On the face of it, 2024 is a great year for democracy. Britain is one of 50 countries to hold…
Letters: the courts are not trying to subvert parliament
Judge not Sir: The claim by Ross Clark (‘Keir’s law’, 22 June) that the left can achieve what it wants…
Who was our most popular PM?
Close encounters The last time a parliamentary election in Britain was tied was in 1886 in Ashton-under-Lyne, when Liberal and…
What British voters could learn from the Romans
When the forthcoming election result is announced, the triumphant party will presumably proclaim: ‘The British people have spoken!’ That will…
Letters: the Tories’ fatal flaw
Major error Sir: Even as a former Tory voter, I acknowledge that the predicted scale of the Conservative electoral defeat…
Voters still don’t know what Keir Starmer stands for
Keir Starmer is frustrated. He wants to talk about the future but interviewers like me will insist on asking him…
Portrait of the Week: Supermajorities, falling inflation and rammed cows
Home The electorate mulled over the words of Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary: ‘You don’t want to have somebody receive…
Starmer and Le Pen’s similarities
Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap election in France is turning out to be a blunder of Sunakian proportions.…
The Greeks were right: Trump shouldn’t live for revenge
Donald Trump’s book on business Think Big and Kick Ass makes taking personal revenge a very high priority. Given recent…
What was in the first manifesto?
Made manifest What was in the first manifesto? The word ‘manifesto’ is first recorded as being used in English in…
How the Tories lost their way
Do you pack up the flat or not? That’s the question that everyone who lives in Downing Street faces as…
Portrait of the Week: Sunak’s D-Day misstep, Michael Mosley’s death and Macron’s snap election
Home The Conservatives promised to reduce National Insurance from 8 per cent to 6 per cent (and abolish it for…
The danger of a Labour supermajority
We are witnessing what could well be the last few weeks of a constrained Labour party. Sir Keir Starmer is…
Letters: could Nigel Farage ever be a statesman?
Debunking the debanking Sir: Toby Young is wrong to say the Conservatives have ‘failed us on debanking’ (No sacred cows,…
Letters: the problem with Ozempic
At your service Sir: National service is a contentious issue with many people including the Armed Forces themselves (‘Identity crisis’,…
Who is allowed to play Richard III?
On Tuesday night I was body double/understudy for the brave, brainy, beautiful Rachel Riley, at a packed ‘support Israel’ evening.…
Portrait of the Week: Farage returns, Abbott reselected and Trump guilty
Home Nigel Farage took over leadership of the Reform party from Richard Tice and is standing for parliament in Clacton.…
How would Athenians have dealt with Donald Trump?
Has Humpty-Trumpty had a great fall, or a great bounce? That will depend on what the Great American Public thinks…
The EU ‘elections’ vindicate Brexit
If Britain had not left the European Union, we would be going to the polls this week as well as…
Letters: why the Tories need to lose
Back to blue Sir: What a pity your leading article (‘The valley of death’, 25 May) did not reach Downing…
Why won’t Rishi honour our £1,000 bet?
When I interviewed Rishi Sunak in February, I told him I thought his Rwanda plan for ‘stopping the boats’ was…
