Sadiq Khan’s ‘T-charge’ is another bung for the car industry
As an object lesson in how the process of regulation is hijacked by rich and powerful interests, today’s introduction of…
Fixing social care is key to the future of the NHS
On 12 September, The Spectator hosted a round-table dinner, sponsored by Bupa, to discuss the future of healthcare in Britain,…
Can the Northern Powerhouse survive without George Osborne?
At a dinner at the Conservative party conference, in association with Aecom, MPs, local politicians, journalists and policy experts discussed…
Banking after Brexit: what does the future look like?
At a dinner on Sunday 1st October at the Conservative party conference, sponsored by Barclays, bankers, journalists, MPs and policy…
The government’s tin ear has undermined the triumph of Universal Credit
So the government has finally worked out that it isn’t a good idea to charge benefit-claimants 55 pence a minute…
Is the NHS open to new technology?
At a dinner on Tuesday 26th September at the Spectator’s offices, sponsored by Philips, entrepreneurs, doctors and healthcare experts discussed…
The Weinstein affair has exposed Hollywood’s culture. Let’s boycott it
Oh, the glorious hypocrisy of it all – the dozens of actresses, UN goodwill ambassadors among them, who have come…
The Clean Growth Strategy is yet another dubious government target
In August I wrote here about the government’s pre-announced ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by…
The left’s love for protest doesn’t apply to the issue of abortion
Funny, but I had picked up the idea, especially over the past year or two, that the Left was rather…
The Bombardier dispute could actually bring down May’s government
When governments fall it often comes from an unexpected quarter. Thirty eight years ago, James Callaghan’s government fell not as…
The first 100 days of Corbyn
Many assume that if an election were held soon, Jeremy Corbyn would win. But what if, say, the government fell…
The real winner of Germany’s election is Jean-Claude Juncker
Even if Germany had Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system, Angela Merkel would be struggling this morning to form a government. With…
Are old white men really to blame for climate change denial?
Funnily enough, you don’t come across too many pieces in the Guardian blaming black people for crime or women for…
Sadiq Khan has kowtowed to the protectionists over Uber
Let’s face it, the decision today by TfL not to renew Uber’s licence to operate in London has not come…
Ryanair’s chaos prediction is coming true – but Brexit isn’t to blame
So, the worst has happened, just as Ryanair said it would. The budget airline has had to cancel thousands of flights…
John Lewis doesn’t have a Brexit problem. It has a Waitrose problem
It used to be the weather that served as the catch-all excuse for poorly performing businesses – it is too…
Jean-Claude Juncker’s EU expansion plans make a powerful case for Brexit
The choice which faced us at the EU referendum has often been presented as lying between the status quo and…
When will Theresa May realise that Parliament hates a ‘power grab’?
Nothing has the potential to harm Theresa May’s weakened government more than a battle over the rights of Parliament. Just…
A civil servant has revealed that HS2 was a political vanity project
Political history, as is perhaps inevitable, tends to be written by the politicians rather than civil servants, so it was…
‘Bigot bashing’ is the fashionable new therapy for liberals
Were I to wake up one morning experiencing sudden doubts over my sexuality I don’t think I would turn to…
Footballers deserve their pay – can the same be said of university vice chancellors?
Louise Richardson, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, is, according to the university’s website, a political scientist whose research…
Blackmail and kisses: the Brexit week
It’s been a busy week for Brexit, with David Davis and Michel Barnier going head-to-head in Brussels, and Theresa May and…
Are those talking down our chances of prospering post-Brexit ever going to stop?
On Tuesday, the FT lead with a confident headline: May’s Hopes for Tokyo Dashed as Japanese Hold Back of Trade…
Question Al Gore on climate change and he’ll call you a ‘denier’
The subtitle of Al Gore’s new film is ‘Truth to Power’, which is supposed to give the impression of brave…
Mark Carney’s gospel: give us an interest rate rise, Lord – but not yet
Is there anything more predictable than a Mark Carney press conference? The poor sod in Groundhog Day got to enjoy…
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