Leading article
Doctor who?
Nye Bevan famously said that he was only able to persuade family doctors to support the creation of the NHS…
The protest test
The concept of normality has been so disrupted over the past 18 months that the Extinction Rebellion protests — usually…
Recovery position
At the start of this year, Britain looked as if it would be the first major country to vaccinate its…
Office politics
After seizing so much power during the pandemic, Boris Johnson’s government is having trouble working out where its remit now…
The mild West
An athlete seeking sanctuary in a foreign embassy after a state–sponsored attempt to spirit her home from the Olympics; a…
The new insularity
There is something bizarre about a sporting event designed to bring people and nations together but from which spectators have…
On the cards
Back when Boris Johnson was on a mission to stop identity cards being used in Britain, he made a very…
The bigger picture
There are two certainties whenever England’s football team plays; one that is long-established and the other a recent phenomenon. Players…
Opening time
A charge repeatedly made against Boris Johnson over the past 16 months is that he has ‘ignored scientific advice’. But…
Teach first
Aswitch of personnel at the Department of Health this week has brought a welcome change in the government’s tone. No…
The wrong track
Under what circumstances can a government restrict the liberty of the people? An example was given last year: in a…
Where’s the beef?
If Britain had been unable to agree a trade deal with Australia, then Brexit really would have been pointless. The…
Meat of the matter
Britain has already seen two ‘Brexit days’ — when it formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 and the…
Open road
It seems all but impossible to convince government scientists of the wisdom of proceeding with the final lifting of Covid…
A tragedy of errors
It is hard to deny the importance of the issues raised this week by Dominic Cummings. His decision to identify…
Variants and variables
The scare over the Indian variant of coronavirus this week is a taste of what to expect over the next…
Welcome signs
While the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has no formal role in devising the bloc’s immigration policy, his…
Data, not dates
A slogan can come back to haunt you. For Boris Johnson, the words ‘data not dates’ sounded powerful at a…
A moment of truth
Sometimes, Westminster unwittingly makes quite a good case for Scottish independence. Britain’s Covid emergency has ended, but the damage of…
Out in the open
Over the past week, the country has started to spring back to life. Trains and buses are no longer running…
Royal standard
Fourteen prime ministers; 18 general elections; seven changes of government. Even in a stable country like Britain it is remarkable…
On the cards
‘The government would love to put issues such as these beyond the bounds of debate by creating an air of…
Minority report
Almost 20 years ago, Michael Howard spoke about the ‘British dream’: that immigrant families like his could come to this…
Friends in need
During the referendum campaign five years ago, the pro-Brexit side argued that by freeing ourselves from the EU’s native protectionism…
A fight on our hands
The power wielded by Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish government means it’s hard to hold her to account for basic…
