It’s not just Waspi women, the government has taken everyone for fools December 18, 2024 You don’t have to agree with the principle of the Waspi women’s campaign to sympathise with their feelings of betrayal. Cynicism is one thing in politics, but saying absolutely anything to get in power will ultimately harm democracy, says Alys Denby Waspi stands for: Women Against State Pension Inequality. It’s a confusing name, because the [...]
Build a new town in London December 18, 2024 The government has committed to building new towns with at least 10,000 homes but where should they go? London is the obvious place, says Jonathan Seager If you were asked to picture a new town in England, what comes to mind? Some of the better-known settlements established in the mid-20th century may well feature – [...]
Labour’s growth gamble will decide Britain’s future December 18, 2024 Labour’s plan to invest for growth is Keynesianism 101. Delivering on it will require discipline and competence — recent history gives us plenty of reasons to be sceptical, says Damian Pudner Britain’s economic fortunes have hit a moment of reckoning. Public debt has ballooned to an eye-watering £2.8 trillion, roughly 100 per cent of GDP. [...]
Monarchists shouldn’t sweat over Prince Andrew December 18, 2024 Prince Andrew is an embarrassment but the Royal Family is still one of Britain’s greatest assets on the international stage, says James Price This Christmas, many of us will be forced to fraternise with embarrassing uncles (not you, if you’re reading this, Uncle Mike!) – and the Royal Family is no exception. As if his [...]
Starmer’s diplomacy downplays “epic scale” of Chinese spying December 17, 2024 Yang Tengbo insists that he is not a spy and that he would “never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.” He was speaking yesterday after instructing his legal team to disclose his identity following the “high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere.” Much of that reporting focused on [...]
Recent Conservative governments have been more left wing than Attlee December 17, 2024 Here’s a Christmas quiz: Which has been Britain’s most left-wing government? According to Paul Ormerod, it’s not the one you think…. The extended Christmas holidays loom. One way of filling the time is to think about crucial questions such as who is England’s greatest ever batsman, which football club side is the best the world [...]
The British left has questions to answer over Bristol graduate’s abduction in Venezuela December 17, 2024 Jesús Armas, a former intern at the Institute of Economic Affairs who stood up for freedom on the world stage, has disappeared in Venezuela. Why are the left so wilfully blind to the human rights abuses of those who share their beliefs abroad? Ask Emma Revell Last Wednesday morning I woke up to messages from [...]
Lies, damned lies and statistics: Why we can’t trust numbers anymore December 17, 2024 If we are serious about reform and achieving economic growth, we must first ensure that our understanding of our country is underpinned by accurate statistics, says Ben Sweetman There are lies, damned lies and statistics, as the saying goes. But robust and reliable data is the foundation of good governance. If we are to have [...]
We ignore security threats in space at our peril December 17, 2024 The next battlefields will operate in orbit and failure to prepare will leave Britain vulnerable to new forms of conflict and economic disruption, says Ben Bridge If anyone was in any doubt the world is in its most precarious state since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, then news that Vladimir Putin plans to spend more [...]
How to make green energy cheap energy December 16, 2024 Green policies don’t win votes unless they cut bills too. Britain has a chance to transform its system to make energy affordable and grow the economy at the same time, says Octopus Energy Generation CEO Zoisa North-Bond The government’s clean power 2030 action plan is looking to ensure the economic benefits of clean energy and [...]