Boris Johnson
Should Boris pay people to take the jab?
The steady stream of mixed messages coming from government ministers have been one of the few constants during the pandemic. Boris…
Boris Johnson’s popularity problem
The Westminster rumour mill is in overdrive today on the question of whether Rishi Sunak will be Boris Johnson’s successor in…
Boris’s poll slump isn’t such good news for Starmer
Labour narrowing the poll gap with the Conservatives has got to be good news for Keir Starmer, right? Wrong, actually.…
The danger of Boris Johnson’s eco-obsession
It is a notable feather in Nigel Farage’s cap that his new evening show on GB News has already become…
An unhealthy app-etite
As I begin, I’m tortured by the doo-do-doo-do of The Twilight Zone’s theme music. I’ve hurtled back in time. Suddenly…
Boris’s last shot
Last week there was acute concern in government about the country’s re-opening. Would restrictions need to be reimposed when schools…
The sorry state of the modern apology
I think I would like to apologise for this article in case someone who reads it takes offence. I will…
How Boris can save Northern Ireland
Over the past few weeks and months, there has been plenty of focus on the Northern Ireland Brexit Protocol, and…
Boris’s crime crackdown will be harder than he thinks
Can crime be beaten with a beaten down police force? The government certainly hopes so. Today, the Prime Minister launched…
Starmer faces a difficult summer
Like Covid data, polling data has a built-in time lag of several days. Those sifting the evidence on coronavirus typically…
Is Boris Johnson allowed to pick the next Archbishop of Canterbury?
A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was shirty with me when I asked him whether he was now…
Labour is picking the wrong fight with Priti Patel
The position of Home Secretary Priti Patel is clearly untenable. Presumably this means she must resign. Who says so? Why,…
The jab age
Party time depends on following the party line
The Spectator’s Notes
Anyone who thinks Boris Johnson lacks statecraft should pay attention to Dominic Cummings’s attacks on him. They often to seem…
Portrait of the week
Home On the eve of the day that most coronavirus restrictions were to be lifted, the Prime Minister and Chancellor…
Now what?
The government’s Covid optimism is fading fast
On the cards
Back when Boris Johnson was on a mission to stop identity cards being used in Britain, he made a very…
How do the Tories stop the rise of an ever-bigger state?
When Gordon Brown raised National Insurance in 2002 to put more money into the health service, it was seen as…
What the NHS pay rise says about Boris Johnson’s priorities
Well, that didn’t take long. Two days ago, a leaked report revealed that the government was considering using a national insurance…
When will Boris get serious about balancing the budget?
Should we be pleased that net government borrowing for June came in below expectations, at £22.8 billion – £5.5 billion…
Boris’s Brexit deal isn’t worth sacrificing Northern Ireland for
There will be chaos at the borders. Food will run out at the supermarkets. Travellers will face long queues, and…
Boris Johnson’s sombre ‘freedom day’ press conference
On the day that nearly all legal Covid restrictions go, one could be forgiven for presuming ministers would be in the…
Has Boris got cold feet over ‘freedom day’?
A very strange ‘freedom day’ greets us on Monday. Legally, almost all restrictions will be lifted. But practically, ministers are…
The march of the unwhippables
‘Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won,’ wrote the Duke of Wellington after…
Big Boris is watching
Has Covid killed the PM’s liberalism?
