The Week
Britain needs reform
This week’s spending review confirms that where there should be conviction, there is only confusion; where there should be vision,…
Letters: Pride has taken a nasty turn
Lionel is right Sir: Gareth Roberts’s piece (‘End of the rainbow’, 31 May) gave me pause to reflect. It’s not…
The Romans wouldn’t have put up with Thames Water
It is embarrassing to compare Thames Water’s efforts even to the Greeks, let alone the Romans. Most Greek cities got…
This is a dangerous moment for free speech
Britain without blasphemy laws is a surprisingly recent development. Blasphemy was abolished as a common law offence in England and…
How often do volcanoes erupt?
Under control UK air space is to be reorganised – the first wholesale change since the 1950s – to improve…
Portrait of the week: More defence spending, more migrant arrivals and more Jenrick stunts
Home The government said that the armed forces had to move to ‘warfighting readiness’ and accepted the 62 recommendations of…
Satire is nothing without contempt
On 30 April, the solicitors Mishcon de Reya asked me to join a panel commemorating the 25th anniversary of the…
Letters: Britain sold its fishing industry down the river
Hard reset Sir: Once again we must debate Brexit (‘Starmer vs the workers’, 24 May). The ‘reset’ agreement does give…
Should we give weight loss jabs to children?
I have seen the future of food. And some of you won’t like it. On a research trip to the…
Portrait of the week: Liverpool parade crash, Starmer sacrifices Chagos Islands and an octopus invasion
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced that ‘more pensioners’ would qualify for winter fuel payments, but did not…
Will any party stand up for ‘Nick’?
Meet Nick. He is 30 years old, has a good job and lives in London. He keeps himself to himself.…
How popular is Airbnb?
Tall order Two naval cadets were killed and 19 injured when a Mexican sail training vessel, the Cuauhtemoc, crashed into…
The Roman approach to tax
The Sunday Times rich list would have excited the male citizens over the age of 18 who determined state policy…
The truth about my relationship with Phil Spencer
I never thought I would read a headline like ‘Kirstie Allsopp’s husband enables upskirting’. Regrettably, this type of nonsense has…
Portrait of the week: Starmer’s EU deal, Lineker’s BBC departure and an outbreak of camel flu
Home Sir Keir Starmer was joined by EU representatives in London to celebrate new agreements with the bloc. EU access…
The BBC’s problems go far beyond Gary Lineker
As one might expect from a 103-year-old organisation, the BBC has a very high opinion of itself. Outside Broadcasting House…
Letters: In praise of the post office
Reeves’s road sense Sir: Is it stubbornness, denial, inexperience or some other agenda that prevents Rachel Reeves changing course in…
Letters: how to clean up ‘Scuzz Nation’ Britain
Decline and brawl Sir: Gus Carter’s insightful portrayal of ‘Scuzz Nation’ (‘Streets of shame’, 10 May) is less of a…
Can the British film industry survive Trump’s tariffs?
On the road with a new book, I recently spoke at a literary luncheon hosted by the Cambridge Festival. What…
The left is finally accepting immigration control
When it comes to immigration, Keir Starmer has been ‘on a journey’. As a young barrister, he authored a review…
Portrait of the week: Immigration pledges, trade agreements and a new pope
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said, ‘We risk becoming an island of strangers’ as the government published a…
Pope Leo XIV – lion or a pussycat?
Will Pope Leo turn out to be a lion or a pussycat? That depends on what he has to confront,…
Who could persuade you to fight for Britain today?
This week we celebrated VE Day. When Pericles remembered the dead from the war against Sparta in his famous Funeral…
