World
Why Oxford needs entrance exams
Here comes yet another blow to the rigour of Oxford’s entrance exams. Last December, they got rid of the in-person…
Japan doesn’t want to see Starmer
If Keir Starmer’s trip to China seemed unfathomable, then his follow-on visit to Tokyo today is even more mysterious. ‘Why…
Why I’m in the Epstein Files
‘Always knew you were a nonce.’ That text, from a coworker in London, is how I learnt my name had…
Stop shoehorning diversity into BBC dramas
At last, the BBC has been forced to admit what even the dogs on the street know to be true:…
What Putin learned from Iran’s crackdown
After losing his erstwhile allies and clients in Syria and Venezuela over the past 13 months, Vladimir Putin ought to…
In praise of Sundance
Despite the recent death of its world-famous founder, Robert Redford, the Sundance Film Festival is about to become much, much…
Starmer’s Chinese trip changes nothing
I just had lunch with several European ambassadors and they asked me whether Keir Starmer’s trip to China was important…
What to make of Kevin Warsh
The news broke this morning that Donald Trump has, after considerable deliberation, settled on Kevin Warsh as his nominee to…
Deng Chol Majek should never have been here
In July 2024, a Sudanese man named Deng Chol Majek entered the UK illegally, crossing the Channel in a small…
Can Ukrainians trust Trump’s ceasefire deals?
When Donald Trump announced yesterday that Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop bombing Ukrainian cities for a week, officials in…
Does America want to re-litigate 2020?
The collective memory of Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen has, for most Americans, been buried if…
The unspoken logic of the anti-ICE mob
A basic question all Americans should ask themselves before they draw any other conclusions about events in Minneapolis is this:…
Ramzan Kadyrov is dying. This spells trouble for Vladimir Putin
For years, we have heard rumors that Ramzan Kadyrov, dictator of Chechnya, is mortally ill. Unlike the lurid tales about…
The US has left the World Health Organization. What next?
At this year’s World Economic Forum America’s friends and enemies heard about what some are calling a new world order. In…
Starmer’s China trip has been underwhelming
Keir Starmer has this morning arrived in Shanghai after two days in Beijing. He is expected to spend much of…
Labour in fresh cash-for-access scandal
It’s a day ending in ‘y’ – so that means another scandal for Keir Starmer’s beleaguered team. This time it…
Starmer has got nothing from his demeaning trip to China
Sir Keir Starmer told Xi Jinping it was time for a ‘more sophisticated’ relationship, yet there is very little sign…
Why won’t Britain just ban the IRGC?
The European Union has finally done what it long argued it could not. Yesterday, the bloc formally designated Iran’s Islamic…
Labour is the nasty party now
Labour has long prided itself on being the party of compassion. Indeed, ever since Thatcherism, personified in the minds of…
Scottish bonds are an expensive mistake
Humza Yousaf’s inglorious year as first minister will not be remembered for many lasting achievements. But he does, at least,…
Has Harry Styles killed the music tour?
Whisper it, but Harry Styles – once talked of as the biggest British pop star since Robbie Williams – may…
David Abulafia was a rare, truth-seeking historian
Death arrives on a day just like any other, often rudely unheralded. We all know that, but it never ceases…
Is time up for Tesla?
Has Tesla run out of road? The electric car firm put plenty of spin on its annual results, talking bullishly…
What the decline of my comprehensive school says about Britain
Magdalen College School in Brackley is providing an ‘inadequate’ quality of education. Behaviour and attitudes at the school are also…
The Waspis never deserved a payout
I want to congratulate the Department for Work and Pensions. They’ve made the excellent decision to – once again –…
