World
UK set for highest inflation in G7 this year
You’d struggle to describe the start of 2023 as anything like ‘good economic times’. But according to the OECD’s economic outlook…
It won’t be long before Russell Brand releases his first show on X
It’s only a matter of time before Russell Brand, backed as he is by Elon Musk, releases his first show…
Why drivers are losing interest in electric cars
In his promised review of net zero policies, Rishi Sunak has already ruled out postponing the proposed ban on the…
What Horrible Histories gets wrong about history
I love the BBC’s Horrible Histories; in fact, I’m on record as saying it’s among the best things about being a…
Melvyn Bragg takes a pop at Gary Lineker
Radio 4 show In Our Time celebrates its landmark 1,000th episode this week. Host Melvyn Bragg is one of the Beeb’s…
The truth about Bedales
Every now and again, my alma mater is in the news, and why wouldn’t it be? Britain is obsessed with…
Are the Tories still going to ban conversion therapy?
The clock is ticking on a bill to ban conversion therapy, at least for this year. Let’s hope that time…
Macron and Starmer are made for each other
It is Keir Starmer’s misfortune that he arrives in Paris today for a meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the moment…
Why we’re all populists now
Fifteen years ago, populist politicians and parties were seen as a reactionary blip which would soon fade. They are instead…
NATO’s post-Cold War strategy has been a disaster
NATO is fighting for its life — and dying. The alliance has only grown larger as a result of Russia’s…
Why Democrats and Republicans are so worried about third parties
In the closing months of the 2022 midterms North Carolina residents began receiving text messages and phone calls from unfamiliar…
Donald Trump’s foolish abortion gamble
Abortion was the single biggest issue that led to Donald Trump winning the 2016 election. It may be the single…
The upside of living in Japan’s ageing society
For the first time more than 10 per cent of the Japanese population are aged 80 or older, according to…
Liz Truss is no fiscal hawk
Was Liz Truss a fiscal hawk inside No. 10? That is the rather startling claim made by the former prime…
Will Germany be the first to ditch its net zero commitments?
Things are not going well in Germany’s bid to reach net zero by 2045, five years earlier even than Britain’s…
Are we heading for a Sunak and Starmer podcast?
Theresa May always had a camp appeal. The clumsiness, the dancing, the incredible squareness. Mrs Thatcher never took that crown – she…
The best cooking podcasts
There comes a time in every home cook’s life when she is separated from her craft. This may be due…
World events are not going America’s way
Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the world situation is grim for America. And it could actually get far worse. Why,…
Watch: GB News hosts clash over Russell Brand
It all kicked off on GB News this morning, following a joint Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation into…
Who cares if this UCL academic ‘undermined’ Britain’s history?
There’s a long list of academics, some of whom are on the right, who have had their lives made difficult…
What Liz Truss’s big speech is really about
Liz Truss will take to the stage this morning for her first major intervention on the economy since leaving No.…
Russell Brand’s gags are coming back to haunt him
It has now officially all gone wrong for stand-up’s sex god. Ahead of Saturday night’s Channel 4 documentary about Russell…
The ‘naive cynicism’ of Russell Brand’s hasty defenders
I can’t imagine that Channel 4’s investigative slot Dispatches has had such an audience in living memory. On Saturday evening, many…
A driver’s case for 20mph limits
Speeding kills, we’re told. But in the right circumstances, exceeding the limit is no bad thing. Take motorways: few drivers…
Poland and Hungary could come to regret their Ukraine grain ban
The row over Ukrainian grain imports shows that politicians in Eastern Europe can be their own worst enemies. Five Eastern European…




































