Leading article
Holiday from reality
In just over a week, Britain will have a new prime minister. No one can say that the 160,000 or…
The new benefits trap
It has become received wisdom that Brexit has condemned Britain to chronic labour shortages. Many of the migrant workers who…
Grade expectations
When A-level results are published next week, we will find out if the government has made any progress in stemming…
Can Truss be trusted?
Liz Truss has taken the lead in the Tory leadership race with an agenda that seems radical and ambitious, whereas…
Power struggles
During the eurozone crisis, southern European states had to go cap in hand to Germany to stave off national bankruptcy.…
Reckless caution
Trains were running even more slowly than usual. Schools were closed again. Offices were empty. No one would deny that…
Big tech’s big failure
A few years ago the Conservatives were excited about the march of the tech giants. Uber was offering an alternative…
Failure to govern
What is the purpose of a Conservative government? It’s a reasonable question for voters to ask. In 2019 Boris Johnson…
Sturgeon’s bluff
Nicola Sturgeon presents Scotland as a country outraged by Brexit and straining at the leash of the United Kingdom. She…
The only option
A little over a year ago, The Spectator printed a cover story about the risk of inflation. Britain, we argued,…
The deportation debacle
The problem with the bishops in the upper chamber is not that they speak too much, but too little. The…
Air pirates
If you have a flight booked in the next few months, it’s time to worry. A new era of air…
Queen and country
Rarely has a public figure taken a promise so seriously as the vow that Her Majesty the Queen made on…
Johnson’s guilt
An ability to survive narrow scrapes has been one of Boris Johnson’s defining qualities. The pictures of Downing Street’s lockdown…
Sanction Schröder
From the start of the war in Ukraine, the democratic world has shown striking unity in the economic boycott of…
Non, merci
The Ukraine crisis has transformed international affairs, forcing countries the world over to rethink their alliances and interests. New patterns…
It’s the cost of living, stupid
As Boris Johnson faced the possibility of a no-confidence motion earlier this year, a large number of Tory MPs decided…
Brexit’s first success
The purpose of Brexit was to strengthen Britain’s ties with both the world beyond Europe and with Europe itself, but…
The long haul
The first few weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine went so badly that it was tempting to see the withdrawal…
French lessons
In just over a week’s time, Emmanuel Macron will most likely win a second term. He has the opponent he…
A fine mess
Attending an impromptu birthday party in the office is not the most heinous of crimes, and of course Britain’s fixation…
Keep the faith
Whatever advantages money may have brought Rishi Sunak as he rose to become Chancellor of the Exchequer, his wealth has…
Partygate’s hangover
Afew weeks ago it seemed that the issue of Downing Street parties over lockdown had been usurped by a more…
Sunak’s salami slice
Next month, Rishi Sunak will break a Tory manifesto pledge by increasing National Insurance as the tax burden heads to…
Silent censors
The arrest of a reporter who held up a poster during a Russian news broadcast criticising the war in Ukraine…
