World
What Lord Frost gets wrong about the Tories’ future
It hardly feels like a serious discussion of the Conservative party’s future until Lord Frost has indicated where the leadership…
Trump can hit Putin where it hurts – if he wants to
Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate a quick end to the war in Ukraine have run into trouble. As US negotiators…
Are climate scientists qualified to judge net zero?
Kemi Badenoch’s announcement that the Conservatives are no longer committed to the net zero target in 2050 represents a massive…
Is Rachel Reeves brave enough to slash the civil service?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is seeking to trim £2 billion from the government’s £13 billion administration budget, with up to 50,000…
Will Labour back ECHR withdrawal?
Amidst the U-turns, if there is one thing on which Labour has remained almost rock-solid until now, it is human…
The flaw in Labour’s plan to fix potholes
Ahead of last summer’s election, the Labour party made lots of grand promises about how it was going to fix…
Rayner’s request for safari tour on work trip rejected
It’s a hard time to be in Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, what with poor poll ratings and dismal economic…
The day I met Oleg Gordievsky in a Surrey safe house
Twenty years ago, I made a programme for Radio 4 on Soviet military maps from the Cold War. I needed…
The Bank of England should stop worrying about inflation
As the government makes growth its top priority, one critical lever risks being overlooked: monetary policy. Ministers are busy wrestling…
Why is Keir Starmer pretending he ‘likes and respects’ Donald Trump?
Anyone who relishes the humiliation of Sir Keir Starmer – and I know that in this respect, if only this…
Carney calls Canada election for 28 April
At long last, we have a date. In just over a month’s time, Canadians will head to the polls to…
Lord Frost floats a 2028 Reform pact
To Buckingham, for a blast of soundness at the annual Margaret Thatcher conference. Star of the show was David Frost,…
Can Israel take more war?
Israel No telling in Jerusalem this morning that Israel resumed war and poured hell on Gaza last night. In the…
Sunday shows round-up: Reeves says living standards will increase
Rachel Reeves: ‘I’m confident we will see living standards increase’ A report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that…
For Rachel Reeves the worst could be yet to come
Rachel Reeves has spent the morning touring the broadcast studios as she attempts to pitch roll for Wednesday’s Spring Statement.…
Is Keir Starmer a closet Tory?
Cindy Yu (CY): Slashing winter fuel allowance, keeping the two-child benefit cap, cutting foreign aid, cutting the civil service, axing…
Am I the only one who misses lockdown?
Five years ago tonight, Boris Johnson told us we were going into lockdown. In the run-up to the anniversary of…
I’m sick of social media running bores
The phenomenon of people living their lives vicariously through social media is nothing new. We’ve all got that friend who…
Would Richard III have claimed PIP?
Looking at the list breaking down the reasons for which people are granted Personal Independence Payments (PIPSs), up to £180…
The Zoom call that confirmed my fears about Just Stop Oil
Just Stop Oil are their own worst enemies. I support their aims and I do my best to minimise my…
Oleg Gordievsky: the double agent Russia never stopped hunting
The death of Oleg Gordievsky at the age of 86 comes at a moment when relations between his native Russia…
Cambridge must stop whining about the Boat Race rule changes
At some point in every sensitive young Oxonian’s life he admits that he should have gone to Cambridge. Since graduating…
The Spectator reflects on Covid five years on
Five years ago this weekend, the nation was plunged into what was expected to be a three-week lockdown. Weeks turned…
The SNP has a woman problem
John Swinney said this week the SNP doesn’t have a problem with women. I disagree. Of course, some of the…
Met Police urged to oppose China’s ‘super-embassy’
For years now, Mr S has been covering the long-running farce that is China’s proposed new ‘super-embassy’. Back in 2018,…
