Lucy Reade
13 August 2026
Yesteryear is the smash-hit book of the summer – and it’s abysmal
Caro Claire Burke’s badly written best-seller is the worst novel I’ve ever devoured
Read the full article11 August 2026
The uncomfortable truth about Ariana Grande
The worst response to her story is voyeurism. The second worst is pretending there is nothing to see
Read the full article07 August 2026
What have they done with all of Clacton’s young people?
A day trip to Farageland turned into a hunt for the voters Reform has forgotten
Read the full article29 July 2026
Why is Trump fiddling US casualty numbers in the Iran War?
Four American soldiers were killed in Trump’s fight against Iran – but then their names were removed from the “Epic Fury? casualty list
Read the full article24 July 2026
This is why women are obsessed with stories about women being murdered
It’s not the crimes themselves - it’s a way to confront the possibility that it could happen to us
Read the full article23 July 2026
What Philip Larkin taught Andy Burnham
The ‘laureate of ordinary people’ has informed the new PM’s concern for the ignored
Read the full article17 July 2026
Andy Burnham is already saying the right things about Labour and the left-behind
His first speech as leader wasn't memorable, but it may end up being significant
Read the full article07 July 2026
Farage’s meltdown was the worst speech in modern British political history
Reform’s leader triggered a by-election at the end of a rant that veered wildly between incoherent defences and bizarre anecdotes
Read the full article07 July 2026
Gary Stevenson wants a wealth tax. Then what?
The inequality campaigner is certain that he’s right – but that may not be enough
Read the full article03 July 2026
Happy birthday, America. It’s a shame about your king
The architects of the Constitution drew it up to restrain men exactly like Donald Trump. He’s a scar on the July 4 celebrations
Read the full article30 June 2026
Badenoch is beginning to remind people why they hated the Tories
Scoring points against political opponents is part of the job – but the way you do it is crucially important. And the Conservative leader is getting it very wrong
Read the full article19 June 2026
Why Gen Z is giving up on learning to drive
It used to be a rite of passage. Now it’s unaffordable, impractical - and perhaps soon to be almost obsolete
Read the full article18 June 2026
How Gen Z fell for Andy Burnham
Like Zohran Mamdani, Andy Burnham understands how politics is consumed nowadays. But if he does get into No 10, he’ll need more than just good optics
Read the full article12 June 2026
As GB News turns five, here are 19 of its worst moments so far
From Bev Turner madness through amateur-hour blunders to flat-out Ofcom breaches, this is the far right channel’s very essence
Read the full article10 June 2026
Brexit: a burden carried by the young
A generation has grown up that didn’t vote in the referendum, but has had to suffer the consequences of leaving the EU. Now they want to rejoin
Read the full article05 June 2026
The worst and best bits of the Burnham v Kenyon Question Time
When the would-be next PM squared up to the sexist plumber in a Makerfield by-election special, there was only going to be one winner
Read the full article04 June 2026
Why we’ve finally fallen out of love with Love Island
Ratings for the ITV juggernaut have tanked as audiences abandon artificial glamour for reality shows with actual humanity
Read the full article29 May 2026
Who killed the dad book?
Non-fiction sales are declining as fathers swap weighty Churchill biographies for history podcasts
Read the full article22 May 2026
TikTok say they’re safe for kids. Our investigation says otherwise
Porn, drugs, self harm, eating disorders. This is what young teens can see on Tiktok.
Read the full article21 May 2026
The death of the after-school job
That first step into the outside world is harder now than ever before – the starting jobs simply aren’t there. The consequences of that are being felt across an entire generation
Read the full article18 May 2026
My problem with Rivals? It’s making the Tories look human again
If Badenoch had any sense, she’d order her party to embrace Jilly Cooper energy and show a bit of personality
Read the full article16 May 2026
Tommy Robinson’s pointless, confused, US-funded march
If the hard right rabble rouser has to cross the Atlantic for financial backing, what does that say about his level of support in Britain?
Read the full article13 May 2026
Sorry, but your Turkey Teeth have just fallen out of fashion
A shiny set of evenly-spaced gnashers used to be a sign of wealth and status. Not any more
Read the full article06 May 2026
Theydon Bois and the fight against the young
There is a battle in Britain to stop the future being built. And one Essex village encapsulates all that’s wrong about British NIMBYism
Read the full article29 April 2026
The Russell Brand media tour has proved one thing beyond doubt
His biggest addiction has always been to himself – and the best response is to ignore him
Read the full article24 April 2026
Westminster is obsessed with the Mandelson scandal. Voters are not
For most people, the Westminster fire-storm over Mandelson’s appointment is tedious, the details are impenetrable and none of it affects their lives. But even so, Starmer is still in deep trouble
Read the full article22 April 2026
Britain’s new class-based divide is here – and it starts with the children
The difference between those who depend on their screen-time and those who can do without it represents a deep social divide. But the full consequences will take decades to play out
Read the full article10 April 2026
Twenty Twenty Six is an own goal that veers towards unwatchable
Hugh Bonneville’s World Cup W1A spin-off founders on flabby dialogue and grating new characters
Read the full article08 April 2026
A Green wave is ready to wash away Labour London – and this is why
Zack Polanski is reaching out beyond the climate-and-Gaza coalition - while Keir Starmer’s party keeps upsetting its target middle-income urban professional voters
Read the full article01 April 2026
Why are Gen Z so ready to forgive Kanye West?
Calls for Ye’s London gigs to be cancelled over his racism and bigotry are causing a backlash on social media
Read the full article31 March 2026
OnlyFans and the new sexual arms race
People are being incentivised to do increasingly extreme things online to gain attention – and money. But this new culture is reducing people’s chances of intimacy in the real world
Read the full article25 March 2026
The risks Labour must take to beat Farage
Liam Byrne has written another note – this time on how the government can find its own story and stop Reform. Will No 10 listen?
Read the full article