World
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson quits parliament
In the past few minutes, Tom Watson has announced that he is stepping down at this election. In a surprise…
Labour’s four-day week pledge doesn’t add up
Would you like to be paid the same amount of money for working fewer hours? It sounds like it’s too…
The Lib Dems’ £50bn ‘Remain bonus’ is nonsense
The schools will all get new books. The hospitals will all be rebuilt. Long-suffering public sector workers will finally get…
Jo Swinson’s Corbyn problem
The Liberal Democrat election campaign launch was beset by technical difficulties which meant that Jo Swinson was at times hard…
Who’s listening? Civilized debate is dead
This article is in The Spectator’s November 2019 US edition. Subscribe here. Today nearly all real public discussion has become impossible. Which…
Trans rights, voter wrongs
This article is in The Spectator’s November 2019 US edition. Subscribe here. Donald Trump will probably be reelected in 2020 – not…
Can tactical voting apps help thwart Boris’s majority?
“Was Red Wedge pro-Labour, or did we just hate Tories?” asked musician Billy Bragg, when he launched his tactical vote…
The fall of the Wall and my years as The Spectator’s man behind the Iron Curtain
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was strictly optional. Most of the heroes…
Sunday shows round-up: Nigel Farage – I will not stand at this election
Boris Johnson – I’m ‘sorry’ we did not meet our Halloween deadline Sophy Ridge began her show with a pre-recorded…
The hole at the heart of Tory economics
Whatever else is true of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, they have communicated a fairly clear idea of what they…
Corbyn’s class war is the last thing Britain needs
Jeremy Corbyn’s election launch was a declaration of class war. He was ‘going after’ some named individuals who he portrayed…
Confessions of a White House staffer
Oh no, the pipes in Stephen Miller’s office are leaking again. We need to fix them and apparently it’s up…
Corbyn is right to condemn Boris’s cynical fracking u-turn
For once, Jeremy Corbyn is right. The government’s announcement of a moratorium in fracking is an election stunt – and…
A Citizens’ Assembly on climate change is the coward’s way out
So is it good news that Citizens’ Assemblies are to sit to decide on how best to address the issue…
Why both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn think they’ll benefit from this TV head to head
Normally wrangles about TV debates go on for weeks before one is agreed. Yet, before the election campaign has even…
Brexiteers shouldn’t vote for the Brexit party
The only person ever elected for the Brexit party’s predecessor, Ukip, at a General Election, I really can’t see the…
The bizarre war on sombreros
Many Brits still bristle at the importation of Halloween. It’s easy to see why. It is an American holiday that…
What Farage’s Brexit ultimatum means for the Tories
There’s been much speculation this week about how the Brexit party will approach the incoming general election. Varying reports suggested…
Why the left wants a political advertising ban
An easy, crowd-pleasing opinion column would maintain that banning political adverts from social media platforms is wrong because it implies…
The Democrats don’t want to remove Trump
Democrats are eager for the 2020 election to be defined by something other than the issues. The impeachment of Bill…
Pelosi caved: what the impeachment rules resolution really means
Trick or treat, Mr President? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to deliver the former with the House resolution — passed…
The impeachment horror show
Is President Donald Trump spooked? The Democrats just pushed through a Halloween raft of impeachment rules. Nancy Pelosi’s smile has…
Barack Obama helped create cancel culture. Now he condemns it
Like many others, I was very struck by recent footage of Barack Obama criticizing cancel culture. Less than three years…
Why a Tory-Brexit party pact isn’t likely
Nigel Farage’s European election-winning machine is the guest that has not yet turned up to the 2019 general election party. This…
How our biased electoral system could change British history
Last night’s report in the Financial Times that Nigel Farage is considering a pact with Boris Johnson has terrified what…
