United Kingdom

Home secretary Priti Patel has denied a claim by Dominic Cummings that the government’s original response to the coronavirus outbreak was to pursue a strategy of “herd immunity”. In a series of explosive tweets, the prime minister’s former top adviser said the policy – to build up resistance in the population by allowing some spread […]

The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox has been chosen by Labour to fight the Batley and Spen by-election. Following a meeting of the local constituency Labour Party, Kim Leadbeater said she was “overwhelmed and humbled” by the support she had received from party members in the seat her sister used to represent. Her selection […]

Restrictions might be easing and art galleries opening their doors again, but are virtual visits now here to stay?  So here I am in the National Gallery relishing the pulsating drama of Rembrandt’s Belshazzar’s Feast. By my side, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, director of the gallery, no less, is enthusing about the “huge emotional punch” of the painting which […]

Transport for London has retired its fleet of classic Routemaster buses, which has been running on the number 15 route, the capital’s last running heritage service. So, farewell then to the Routemaster bus – and while I fully appreciate that those of my readers who live elsewhere than the corporate death star formerly known as […]

From his royal faux pas to his fury over the Queen’s Speech, our editor-at-large Alastair Campbell on his week as a guest host on Good Morning Britain The first thing ITV sent me, shortly after I agreed to guest present Good Morning Britain last week, was the Ofcom list of words you’re not allowed to […]

The government will look at whether reforms of BBC governance are required in the wake of Lord Dyson’s “damning” report on the 1995 Panorama Diana interview, ministers have said. Lord Dyson’s findings that the broadcaster covered up the “deceitful behaviour” of journalist Martin Bashir in the handling of his interview with Diana, Princess of Wales […]

‘Really weird and properly frightening’. That was the tone of the horror film script Mark E Smith, iconoclast leader of The Fall, set out to write in 2007. Fourteen years later, The Otherwise is finally being published Friday February 16th 2007. I’m waiting in the reception at the BBC building on Oxford Road Manchester. I’m […]

A zero tariff, zero quota trade deal between the UK and Australia would damage Northern Ireland’s beef and sheep trade, the new DUP leader has warned. Edwin Poots said the prospect of such an agreement posed a “high level of risk” to farmers across the UK. Poots outlined his concerns in a letter to UK […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has released a video in which he is standing in front of an existing hospital and calls it “one of 40 new hospitals we’re going to build” VIOLATION OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS OF THE WEEK A few days ago, health secretary Matt Hancock released a video in which he is […]

Chris West, an historian of the contest, chronicles its greatest ever controversies After a year’s hiatus caused by the pandemic the Eurovision Song Contest returns this week, in Rotterdam. As ever, the event has been accompanied by a palaver about some of the entries. The main focus this year has been on Belarus, which has form for doing […]

UK ministers have a “shocking” lack of knowledge about the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland following Brexit, MPs have heard. The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee joined together with the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh affairs committees to hear evidence on the Government’s union capability. Appearing as witnesses were Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove […]

Former Commons speaker John Bercow on his anger at the government’s warped priorities and the Voter ID plan which proposes "a solution to a problem that does not exist"

Downing Street has denied that NHS Test and Trace delays in alerting local authorities in hotspot areas to positive cases helped contribute to the spread of the Indian variant. It follows a report by the BBC that for three weeks in April and May, eight local authorities in England – including Blackburn with Darwen – […]

Nearly five years since the Brexit vote it's proving to be far from the success the ringleaders promised

The creation of a new public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways will simplify a system that is “too complicated”, transport secretary Grant Shapps has claimed. Great British Railways (GBR) will own and manage rail infrastructure, issue contracts to private firms to run trains, set most fares and timetables, and sell tickets. It will absorb […]

TIM WALKER on Rishi Sunak’s latest spending, and why the theatrical Fox dynasty is a broad church when it comes to politics Although he scarcely faces much competition, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, prides himself on being the most ‘gym fit’ member of the cabinet. The lockdowns have meant he couldn’t attend any of the Digme gyms […]

It’s time for Labour to look for funding from those that share its internationalist social liberal values. I thoroughly agree with the views expressed by Alastair Campbell in his open letter to Keir Starmer. However, I would like to draw attention also to the important trends set out by Peter Keller in his excellent analysis. […]

Former BBC Gaza reporter JAMES RODGERS on why the region’s conflict has suffered from the world picking sides It is a part of the world still blighted by the scars of empire, the meddling of other states and the failures of its own leaders. And, with wearying familiarity, this month violence has broken out once more. As troops mobilise against […]

Losing the Batley and Spen by-election would mean “curtains” for Labour leader Keir Starmer, former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has suggested. Abbott, an ally of left-wing former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, used an article in the Guardian to claim Starmer’s time at the top of the party could be over if he fails to […]

We shouldn’t be shy of telling some home truths each time the cycle of violence spins once more Talking about ‘both sides’ of the Israel-Palestine issue makes us feel better. Every few years, the violence flares up again, like some hellish treadmill, rumbling forward to nowhere, each step another atrocity, another failure. Framing the situation as […]

Senior officials were “hounding” colleagues over the approval of a PPE supply contract worth a quarter-of-a-billion pounds to a hedge fund with “close ties” to the government, the High Court has heard. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are bringing legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), claiming that contracts awarded […]

Downing Street has refused to comment on reports the wallpaper in the prime minister’s lavishly furnished flat is falling down. Work on the No 11 apartment Boris Johnson shares with fiancee Carrie Symonds is the subject of a series of investigations. Johnson has insisted that he has paid for all the works himself but has […]

LIZ GERARD crunches the numbers on how Paul Dacre’s Daily Mail covered BBC stories and finds evidence that makes a mockery of the idea of him as an impartial arbiter. Over the last ten years of the Dacre reign, the Daily Mail carried more than 4,000 news stories with BBC in the headline or subhead, about […]

A decision on whether Paul Dacre will become the next head of Ofcom is expected imminently. That it is even being considered is a scandal that reveals much about the current administration There are any number of reasons why Paul Dacre should not be appointed head of Ofcom, the super-regulator that oversees not only our […]

The UK government remains “fully committed” to trying to bring about a meaningful ceasefire in Gaza, a foreign office minister has said. James Cleverly said the international community is “pulling together” to restore permanent peace in the region and called on all parties to work to “reduce tensions”. Cleverly also condemned “acts of terrorism by […]

Boris Johnson has laughed off claims that he’s planning “planning to throw our farmers and crofters under the Brexit bus” over trade negotiations with Australia. There had reportedly been a spat in cabinet over fears a zero-tariff agreement to benefit Australian farmers could inflame tensions in Wales and Scotland, as two areas where the farming community would […]

Boris Johnson has been questioned at Prime Minister’s Questions on the UK’s border policy after his former chief adviser branded it a “joke” and “nonsense”. On Monday, Dominic Cummings accused ministers of developing policy “based on nonsense memes” which claim that people in Asian countries, “all do as they’re told… it won’t work here”. Writing on […]

A new book about the Anglo-Saxons demolishes faddish myths that aspects of their culture live on today, and instead tells their own story in gripping style We are blessed to live in the golden age of straight-talking history. ‘Straight-talking’ rather than ‘popular’, because the people filling the windows of Waterstones are scholars of unimpeachable renown, often with […]

Boris Johnson is to face Labour leader Keir Starmer for Prime Minister’s Questions for the first time since the local elections and the Queen’s Speech. The prime minister could face pressure to clarify the confusion around international travel rules after one of his ministers said all international trips were “dangerous”. Would-be holidaymakers were left with […]

A chief constable has called on Priti Patel and the Home Office to “stand back” from the policing agenda and allow officers to assert their independence. Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Gareth Morgan told the Times he was concerned home secretary Priti Patel had interfered in operational matters, which could create the impression “policing is seen […]

Nicola Sturgeon has been re-elected as the first minister of Scotland by a majority of MSPs at Holyrood. The SNP leader said she wants to lead the country “to brighter and better times” and said recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was her “driving priority”. After her re-election, Sturgeon argued there was a “clear mandate” for […]

The government can keep the amount of public money spent on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) from two companies confidential, the High Court has ruled. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are bringing legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) claiming that contracts awarded to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda Capital were […]