The Week
The heatwave shows the lockdown instinct is still alive
Trains were running even more slowly than usual. Schools were closed again. Offices were empty. No one would deny that…
What’s the hottest it’s ever been in the UK?
Hot hot hot The Met Office said temperatures may hit 40˚C on Sunday, which would be the highest ever recorded…
Letters: In defence of Boris Johnson
Boris’s legacy Sir: It is grossly unfair to assert that Boris Johnson’s legacy was the lockdown (Leading article, 9 July).…
The Uber scandal highlights big tech’s big failure
A few years ago the Conservatives were excited about the march of the tech giants. Uber was offering an alternative…
Portrait of the week: Mo Farah’s secret, hot weather warnings and hot competition for the Tory leadership
Home The Conservatives began the process of finding a new leader, which involves balloting MPs and then sending two names…
Boris’s final days in No. 10
‘So what did he say?’ I asked the ministerial friend who went to tell Boris last week he had to…
The Roman roots of ‘colony’
The word ‘colony’ meets with a sharp intake of breath these days, but ‘province’ raises no eyebrows. How very odd.…
A Tory implosion
What is the purpose of a Conservative government? It’s a reasonable question for voters to ask. In 2019 Boris Johnson…
Portrait of the week: Boris on the brink, petrol price protests and a £3,000 swear word
Home Rishi Sunak resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Sajid Javid as Health Secretary. (Nadhim Zahawi accepted the post…
Letters: What Sturgeon has got wrong
Sturgeon’s single issue Sir: Nicola Sturgeon needs to be careful what she wishes for. Declaring that the next general election…
How has the Wimbledon prize money changed over time?
Blooming huge Botanists discovered the largest species of giant water lily at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with leaves more…
Boris, Sherwood and the politics of the past
It feels like the end, but we’ve been here before. The past months of Boris Johnson’s teetering administration have felt…
What Starmer can learn from Scholz
I made it through the airport crush to Berlin at the beginning of last week to see how Germany is…
Nicola Sturgeon's referendum stunt
Nicola Sturgeon presents Scotland as a country outraged by Brexit and straining at the leash of the United Kingdom. She…
Portrait of the week: Scottish independence, striking lawyers and the end of Roe vs Wade
Home Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said that military spending had to increase. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, reacted to…
The ancient Greek art of theatre criticism
Last week Lloyd Evans was wondering whether it was about time audiences started booing dramatic productions of which they disapproved.…
Letters: Why do we bully PMs’ wives?
Strong leaders Sir: Freddy Gray states that ‘voters seemed most enthusiastic about the leaders who removed their liberties’ (‘Leaderless’, 18…
Letters: How to face death
Be prepared Sir: The advice of Jeremy Clarke’s Aunty Margaret that he ‘must “get right with the Lord” as a…
The ancient art of love spells
An Oxford don has raised the prospect of producing a cocktail of hormone pills that would help you to fall…
Who’s still buying Russia’s fossil fuels?
Striking differences This summer’s strikes are unlikely to erupt as badly as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 in the…
Portrait of the week: Rail strikes, rates rise and a record-breaking stingray
Home A rail strike on three alternate days, bringing the system to a standstill for a week, was organised by…
How McCartney and I helped put pop on the map
In 1977, when I set up the South Bank Show for ITV, I wanted Paul McCartney to be on the…
Cutting the cost of government is the only solution to this crisis
A little over a year ago, The Spectator printed a cover story about the risk of inflation. Britain, we argued,…
Portrait of the Week: Knighthoods, Northern Ireland and Mick Jagger
Home The British economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in April after shrinking by 0.1 per cent in March, according…
Letters: Boris Johnson might be the leader we need
The leader we need? Sir: Matthew Parris excoriates Boris Johnson for administrative incompetence, mendacity, personal immorality and utter lack of…
