Politics
Councils of despair
Last month India managed to land a spacecraft on the moon for a third of the price of refurbishing Hammersmith…
A New Labour restoration
To understand the political journey of Sir Keir Starmer, look to Liz Kendall. This week the Blairite and one-time leadership…
‘We need to start the road to rejoin’
Gina Miller on Brexit, farmers and her ambitious plans for Epsom
Humour and harmony
A successful joke relies on rhythm, tempo, cadence, pause – so why does David Stubbs find comedy and music so antithetical, wonders Joel Morris
The battle with the Blob
Most prime ministers fall out with the civil service at some point. David Cameron attacked the ‘enemies of enterprise’; Tony…
All change at CCHQ
The winds of change are blowing through the corridors of 4 Matthew Parker Street. Having turfed team Truss out of…
Why Sunak backtracked over fines for missed GP appointments
Not surprisingly, Rishi Sunak has dropped plans to fine NHS patients £10 for missed appointments. It was one of the…
Barometer
Out to grass If Liz Truss is forced out of office (and doesn’t also resign her parliamentary seat as Tony…
Penny reign: why Mordaunt is the kingmaker
Tory MPs will likely have three candidates to vote for in Monday’s leadership race: Boris Johnson, Penny Mordaunt and Rishi…
How long can Liz Truss hold on?
How much trouble is Liz Truss in? Just six weeks into her premiership, the Prime Minister’s economic plans are in…
Removing PMs hardly ever ends well
As Tory MPs appear to descend into a panic of buyers’ remorse over the election of Liz Truss, they would…
Things can always get worse
As I was saying, way back in July, it is hard to love the Conservative party. Every time it tries…
‘We’re so close’
Cautious optimism at the Labour party conference
Labour surge to 33-point lead over Tories
Today Kwasi Kwarteng attempted to calm concerns in his party over the fallout from the not-so-mini Budget – telling MPs: ‘We…
Labour storm ahead of Tories in latest poll
Tonight’s YouGov poll in the Times is brilliant news for Keir Starmer ahead of his conference speech tomorrow. It has…
Parliament’s poignant tributes to the Queen
That so many people have wanted to say something about how the Queen touched their lives, whether or not they…
Full text: The PM’s first speech on the steps of No. 10
Good afternoon. I have just accepted Her Majesty the Queen’s kind invitation to form a new government. Let me pay…
Boris Johnson was a terrible strongman
The ejection of Boris Johnson from Downing Street today proves that the UK has not gone the way of Donald…
The problems of mid-term PMs
Any Prime Minister who takes over mid-term has to contend with a certain set of problems. Liz Truss will wish…
How to be PM
Ten rules for the next Tory leader to live by
The beauty of ‘theft-tanks’
The Conservative party leadership contest is a milestone for diversity and inclusion. This time, we get to choose between someone…
Sunak and Truss make final two – as it happened
Britain’s next Prime Minister will be either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss. Refresh this page for the latest developments. 4.45…
Advice to my successor
Boris Johnson completed his final PMQs this afternoon, offering some ‘final words of advice’ to his successor. Spectator readers may recall his…
The next PM must be ready for Putin
Westminster is understandably obsessed with the question of who makes the final two of the Tory leadership race, but today…
The Conservative party has ceased to be serious
I’m not sure that the Conservative party wants to win elections. Tom Tugendhat was knocked out of the leadership contest…
