Keir Starmer
Is Keir Starmer really Morgan McSweeney’s puppet?
Two lobby journalists portray the PM as the pawn of ‘the Irishman’ and as ‘a passenger on a train driven by others’ – but there is much more to Starmer than that
Starmer’s Scottish headache
What does a party get after nearly two decades in office, collapsing public services, an internal civil war and a…
Portrait of the week: US and Russia talk, Chiltern Firehouse burns and Duchess of Sussex rebrands
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said that, to guarantee the security of Ukraine, he was ‘ready and willing’…
Reversing our economic decline is not easy, but it is simple
We are becoming poorer because we keep choosing to increase spending, taxes and debt, rather than incurring any short-term discomfort, argues Jon Moynihan
Would Margaret Thatcher have joined Reform?
It is 50 years since Margaret Thatcher was elected Tory leader and at this week’s shadow cabinet meeting, Lord Forsyth…
Morgan McSweeney is urging Keir Starmer to go for the kill
Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, does not immediately display the demeanour of a disruptor. He speaks softly, picks…
Portrait of the week: Shoplifting surges, Trump eyes Gaza Strip and Norway’s government collapses
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, flew to Brussels for an EU summit, sought a ‘reset’ of relations and…
Letters: The army that Britain needs
Common ground Sir: Katy Balls asks ‘Lawyer or leader?’ (Politics, 25 January), but it became fairly clear which Keir Starmer…
Is Keir Starmer a lawyer or a leader?
Keir Starmer surprised his colleagues during his first week in power when he appointed his old friend Richard Hermer KC…
The truth about Southport
When I first saw the headline I was highly optimistic. Sir Keir Starmer had identified the threat to society posed…
Portrait of the week: Trump’s inauguration, Israel-Hamas ceasefire and cardboard humans comfort lonely fish
Home Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to the murder of three girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed…
The answers Starmer must give
It will probably only damn me further in the eyes of many, but when I was a government minister I…
Does Keir Starmer know what a ‘drag anchor’ does?
The language of sailing ships is as treacherous as a lee shore. Words seldom mean what they suggest or are…
The folly of Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal
It would be natural to assume that sinking bond markets would be the government’s priority this week, as low UK…
Why was everyone fooled by Rachel Reeves?
It is some time since I could claim any close acquaintance with the daily skirmishes of workaday Westminster. From risers…
What real justice would look like for grooming gang victims
It is always interesting to watch a dam burst. In the past week, as Elon Musk and other prominent Americans…
Donald Trump and new political disorder
Donald Trump isn’t back in the White House yet, but already his victory is being felt across the world. Greenland…
Lessons for Keir Starmer from Cicero
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and his chosen Attorney-General, Baron Hermer, both professional lawyers, seem to take the view…
‘I will die protecting this country’: Kemi Badenoch on where she plans to take the Tories
‘It’s like a start-up,’ Kemi Badenoch explains of her new job, as she plumps down on a sofa in the…
The joy of our village Christmas play
We are just recovering from the village play. This annual Christmas event was taken over last year by our son…
What’s in store for politics in 2025?
Santa will have a tricky time this year fulfilling all the Christmas wish lists in Westminster. Keir Starmer is desperately…
Labour’s confidence tricks
There is nothing new, nor necessarily fatal, about making a poor start in government. Margaret Thatcher had a torrid first…
Can Labour’s reset see off Reform?
Arriving on stage to accept ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards, Nigel Farage gave…
Portrait of the week: Storm Bert, Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and Putin gives cockatoos to North Korea
Home A white paper outlined measures to counter economic inactivity (which had risen by September to 41.2 per cent among…
