News and Opinion

In an exclusive serialisation of his new book, broadcaster and journalist STIG ABELL unpicks the ideas and institutions that make the nation tick. This week, he takes a look at law and order WHERE DO LAWS COME FROM? There are three places. The first is the ‘common law’, the collected precedents formed by judges’ rulings […]

A Conservative minister has been criticised for “oddly dark” comments about hanging following a plea for unity over Brexit from Theresa May. It followed a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee this evening ahead of a series of crunch Commons votes in which Mrs May told MPs to consider the signal that would be sent […]

Theresa May has begged Tory rebels not to undermine her negotiating position with the EU by backing amendments to Brexit legislation made by the Lords. Addressing a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee this evening ahead of a series of crunch Commons votes, the beleaguered prime minister told MPs to consider the signal that would […]

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association has become the first trade union affiliated to the Labour Party to back a People’s Vote on Brexit. Union delegates at their conference in Leicester voted overwhelmingly in favour of a fresh referendum on the final Brexit deal. The union also voted to support remaining a member of the EU […]

Theresa May’s appeal for a show of unity from her warring MPs “must fall on deaf ears”, a leading anti-Brexit campaigner has said. The prime minister is seeking to avoid a series of damaging Commons defeats on the government’s centrepiece Brexit legislation. The EU (Withdrawal) Bill returns to the Commons on tomorrow with ministers seeking […]

At a pedestrian crossing in Bucharest a woman overheard us speaking English and said to us: ‘You are English, why are you in Romania?’ When we looked bemused at her question, she added: ‘The English, they hate the Romanians. I know. My sister lives in England.’ It turned out she had visited her sister here […]

However much hardship a straight white guy may have to deal with, there are whole worlds of hardship he’ll never experience, says MITCH BENN. Something which most outwardly progessive-thinking people can generally be expected to agree upon is the principle of the level playing field. This is, of course, the idea that a person should […]

In a troubled world, facing multiple threats, the Pope is emerging as an important counterweight to some of the most dangerous forces, says PAUL KNOTT. Stalin once dismissed the power of religion by asking sarcastically ‘how many (military) divisions does the Pope have?’ As it turned out, he does not always need any. Pope John […]

The self-proclaimed ‘bad boy of Brexit’ Arron Banks has been accused of conducting a series of meetings with Russian officials. The millionaire Brexit campaigner, who bankrolled the Leave.EU campaign, allegedly held several undisclosed meetings with Russian embassy officials and had discussions about a business deal involving six Russian goldmines. Banks was introduced to the ambassador […]

It is a familiar brand in the UK but almost unheard of in the US, where it is tainted with accusations of Chinese espionage. CHARLES TURNER reports. Huawei remains an obscure name in the United States, even after the Chinese company passed Apple to be the second largest smartphone maker in the world. It will […]

The failure of the European cause in Britain has many fathers, says PETER MILLAR, including some who might seem to be among ‘the good guys’. It was, the Prime Minister said, ‘a tragedy’. ‘Too many politicians have consistently failed to appreciate the reality of European integration and in so doing they have failed Britain’s interests.’ […]

Antonia Wimbush on the controversy being generated by a little-known chapter in the country’s post-colonial history. While the Windrush scandal has given Britain cause to look back at its treatment of post-Second World War migrants who were bought to Europe to help address labour shortages, France has had an opportunity to do something similar – […]

It was striking to note the portents of doom heralded by various sections of the media around the issue of the so-called constitutional crisis besetting Italy. This was, as they saw it, yet another nail in the EU’s coffin post-Brexit. Much to their disappointment, this issue was quickly resolved, with a new populist government comprising […]

The whole country now has a real need to step back and do a reality check as to where we actually are with regard to Brexit, and the unbelievably ridiculous proposals being put forward by people in charge. The justice secretary David Gauke has stated that prisoners will be able to fill the post-Brexit workforce […]

Following the cancellation of sitcom Roseanne, BONNIE GREER looks at the changing landscape of American television. America is and was built on myth. It is impossible to understand the US, to live and thrive there, without knowing this and somehow, in the end, becoming a part of it, too. Every American carries within herself/himself myth […]

PAUL CONNEW looks ahead to Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-un. Does it take a despot to know a despot? Is there Machiavellian method in the madness of Donald Trump? Big questions as the president prepares for Tuesday’s Singapore summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. Trump seems to have spent much of his preparation on […]

The showdown in parliament may end in a tactical victory for the government, but it represents yet another tragic strategic defeat, says ANDREW ADONIS. Theresa May’s High Noon is next Tuesday, when the Lords’ amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill are considered by the Commons. A political shoot-out beckons on the European single market and […]

STEVE ANGLESEY picks the losers and the losers – because there are no winners – from another week on Planet Brexit. MICHAEL GOVE Two years after driving around the country in his Big Red Lie Bus as part of his duties as joint-head of a Vote Leave campaign built on falsehoods, the environment secretary has […]

Richard Porritt, Steve Anglesey and Geri Scott return to review another wild week in post-common sense Britain Richard and Steve tackle hard man David Davis and ponder ‘exactly what is the point of Jeremy Corbyn?’ … answers on a postcard. And, as usual, another bonkers Brexiteer of the Week is crowned.

Brussels will not be “intimidated” by Britons who try to blame the EU for their inability to secure the Brexit deal they want, chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said. Mr Barnier was speaking as he said that Theresa May’s proposals for a backstop customs arrangement in Northern Ireland raise a series of “difficult” questions. Speaking […]

Since suffering a burglary, EMMA JONES has turned detective to get her belongings back. But when she receives a WhatsApp message things take a dark turn. ‘Women are coming, it’s a sea change, a tipping point, a paradigm shift.’ Eric ‘always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life’ Idle rejoices. But I’m confused. Astoundingly, the Monty Python hero is not talking about […]

Boris Johnson has stoked the Brexit fire within the cabinet delivering an extraordinary attack on the chancellor. The foreign secretary told a gathering of Conservative supporters Philip Hammond’s department was ‘the heart of Remain’ and said the UK could end up ‘in the customs union and to a large extent still in the single market’. […]

JO SWINSON guides you through seven steps you can take to help fight Brexit. It’s easy to wax lyrical about everything that is going wrong with Brexit. The Conservatives are stumbling their way through the negotiations and the Labour leadership is standing idly by. In the meantime, the rest of us are left to ponder […]

Negotiating a smooth exit from a fragmented EU is even more challenging, writes JAMES BALL. Once again the EU is reportedly in crisis and this time it hasn’t been caused by us. Italy’s new populist government almost collapsed before it had begun after its president rejected the appointment of a finance minister who wished to […]

Anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain today set out its road map for a People’s Vote on the final deal. The group is calling on MPs to force a referendum on the deal secured by prime minister Theresa May, with an option on the ballot paper of keeping the UK in the European Union. It […]

A Hard Brexit would wipe £5bn off the Welsh economy, says Plaid Cymru MP JONATHAN EDWARDS. Wales can’t afford this stormy outcome The bad weather in the first quarter of 2018 has certainly had a dampening effect on the UK economy, but boiling it all down to the weather ignores the red, white and blue […]

Tim Walker tells all about Daniel Hannan’s Twitter block, Boris Johnson’s latest vanity project and Sir Vince Cable’s hopes for Seabiscuit in by-election It says a lot about the Brextremists that few, if any, of the people who’ve worked with them recall the experience fondly. The researcher Dr Richard North, who laboured alongside the MEP […]

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL on why now is the moment to fight for a People’s Vote. Two years. That is half an Olympiad. The time needed to take the winning bid and turn it into foundations built, stadia emerging, infrastructure growing, ready to stage the greatest show on earth. Sticking with sport, two years was sufficient time […]

MICHAEL WHITE is on the hunt for solutions as Europe prepares for its showdown summit. Looking at all the problems crowding in on Brussels, Ed Conway, savvy economics pundit for Sky News and the Times, suggested that what the EU really needs now is its own Donald Trump, a disruptive force strong enough to dislodge […]

Theresa May and David Davis have been accused of a fudge after agreeing any “backstop” arrangement to prevent the return of a hard border in Ireland after Brexit should not continue for more than a year after the end of the transition period. A government technical note said the UK expected permanent customs arrangements to […]

TIM WALKER sees the Lib Dems put up a spirited fight in a Labour stronghold The Lib Dems may be starting a long way behind in Lewisham East – 4.4% of the vote against Labour’s 67% in last year’s general election – but the party is taking the race extremely seriously. Sir Vince Cable’s frequent […]

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown looks at the vocal Brexiteers campaigning from afar. Some of the most ardent of Brexiteers choose to live abroad and direct common folk on what to do and think about their sovereign nation – Great Britain. The most vocal include Nigel Lawson, previously chairman of the Vote Leave campaign, Louise Mensch, an ex-Tory […]