Norman Tebbit was a giant among Conservative politicians of the late twentieth century. His image on Spitting Image as the ‘Chingford Skinhead’ belied the reality that he was an immensely kind, softly ...

By Adrian Smith It’s Margaret Thatcher’s centenary this year. For anyone middle-aged or older it seems impossible – is it really 100 years since she was born, and 35 years since she left office? For ...

This article by Mary Beard was written for The Observer. couple of decades is a very long time in politics. Twenty years ago, I seethed with rage at the “crimes” of George W Bush. These days, compared ...

In opposition, Rachel Reeves used to do a monthly phone-in with me. She even did one on the evening of Jeremy Hunt’s last budget a year ago. Ever since she has been Chancellor I’ve been trying to ...

Assuming you don’t live there, think about the last time you thought about Northern Ireland. Events there are routinely ignored in the UK media, despite it being an integral component of the United ...

Fifty years ago today Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party by her fellow MPs. This week Kemi Badenoch celebrated 100 days as the tenth person to hold that position since ...

Feeling sorry for politicians is about the worst thing that can happen to them, but – and call me old-fashioned – even I have started to feel sorry for the flailing Keir Starmer. The poor chap has ...

Here were my predictions for 2024.... 1. The general election will take place in November or early December WRONG 2. Labour will win a majority of between 30 and 60 seats WRONG 3. The LibDems more ...

This arrticle first appeared in the i Newspaper. To survive and thrive as a political party and ultimately to achieve power, you need four things: charismatic politicians, a professional party ...

This article first appeared in the iNewspaper. Watching a wounded animal in its death throes is never an edifying experience, and that is exactly how it’s felt observing the Archbishop of Canterbury ...

Watching Phillip Schofield baring his soul on the Channel 5 show ‘Cast Away’ is something I watched so you don’t have to. For the uninitiated he was sent to a desert island off Madgascar, alone, with ...

This article was written for the iNewspaper minutes after the result of the third Conservative Party leadership ballot was announced at 3.30pm on Wednesday 8 October 2024. The original can be read ...