A toxic Tory civil war is brewing – and it threatens to leave the party in ruins
If Sue Gray’s report is bad enough (or even if it isn’t) there are now at least 54 Tory MPs ready to call a vote of no-confidence…
How Joe Rogan became the world’s most popular podcaster
The Joe Rogan Experience is a curious affair, taking the form of long, discursive, often rambling conversations, in which the host sounds off about whatever seems to…
Graeme Garden on Barry Cryer: ‘I will miss his laugh hugely. Won’t we all?’
There again. when you had a voice as great as Barry’s, why not use the phone? He’d call up to ask how I was doing. Every call…
Survivors: Portraits of the Holocaust, review: unbearable at times, but a necessary insight into history
Goldberg’s experience was heartbreaking. His younger brother Herman, aged only nine, was considered too young to work as slave labour, and was permitted to stay behind in…
Neil Young never stood a chance against Joe Rogan
I never expected to see the words “Neil Young”, “fight” and “Joe Rogan” in the same sentence. Not least because Rogan is a trained MMA fighter and a…
Thursday evening UK news briefing: Boris Johnson calls Afghanistan animal evacuation claims ‘total rhubarb’
On his trip, Mr Johnson dismissed the accusations he authorised the controversial evacuation of animals from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of Kabul as “total rhubarb”. The…
Business warns of higher prices from National Insurance rise as top Tory MP tells Sunak to change tack
Patrick Dardis, the chief executive of Young’s, said the Chancellor and Prime Minister must “wake up and smell the coffee” amid anger from businesses over the rise….
Boris Johnson attack on ‘insane’ EU over Northern Ireland Protocol maddens Brussels
Mr Johnson said he supported “passionately” the indignation DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson felt over the Protocol. “Frankly the EU is implementing this in an insane and…
London retains global financial crown in new Brexit boost
London has retained its crown as the world’s top destination for financial and professional services in terms of its overall offering in another boost for the City. …
Lord Fearn, Liberal MP known as ‘Mr Southport’ who used his time in Parliament to champion tourism and rail commuters – obituary
He also took up the cause of rail commuters, saying punctuality on some lines in Kent and East Anglia was so bad that if British Rail had…
Kier Starmer’s corporate love-in will not deliver the growth we need
Labour is on firmer ground with economists when it says it would aim to raise overall public and private R&D investment and invest more public funds into…
Rishi Sunak fighting hard to stop invoking Article 16, claim Boris Johnson’s allies
Boris Johnson could face his ‘Black Wednesday moment’ Former ministers from the Sir John Major era have claimed that Mr Johnson is heading for a disaster similar…
Prince Andrew’s ‘humiliation’ could be made public – even if he settles out of court
He will undergo intense training in preparation, not least after his disastrous performance on BBC’s Newsnight in Nov 2019. The grilling will be “humiliating” and thorough, legal…
Russia considers ‘serious’ offer to inspect US missile bases to defuse Ukraine crisis
Separately, plans for a “visible” European Union military training mission in Ukraine were at risk of being watered down on Thursday as some nations feared the move…
Joe Biden has issued more oil drilling permits than Donald Trump, despite gushing climate change promises
In the Senate, meanwhile, Mr Biden has failed to persuade holdouts in his own party to vote for his landmark $1.7 trillion Build Back Better bill, which…
Meet Sue Gray: Now the most famous civil servant in Britain
All eyes are currently on Sue Gray in anticipation of her findings into “partygate” after Liz Truss said on Wednesday 26 January that her report would be…
This could be the moment the establishment finally takes down Boris Johnson
It has been suggested that his principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, the Cambridge-educated former lawyer who sent an email to No 10 staff on May 20 2020…
Dogs, cats and a guinea pig with a peerage: animal spirits run wild in the Westminster jungle
With friends like Jacob Rees-Mogg, who needs enemies? In defending his boss, the Commons Leader’s tactics have moved from scorched earth to something closer to a full-scale…
My transgender reforms do not threaten women’s rights, says Nicola Sturgeon
The Scottish Government wants to remove the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria to obtain a gender recognition certificate, instead allowing people to “self declare”….
Ministry of Defence gears up for legal battle over thousands of homes sold off by John Major
The National Audit Office (NAO) has repeatedly criticised the original deal, saying the MoD had dramatically underestimated how much the value of the homes would rise. The…
Dozens who attended Downing Street parties can pay fines instead of being interviewed by police
If such explanations are not accepted, the police will then contact the ACRO Criminal Records Office, who will confirm the decision to issue the fine and will…
Boris Johnson tells allies there was no ‘ambush with cake’ at No 10 lockdown birthday party
Mr Burns stressed he was not trying to make light of the difficulties that millions of people experienced during the pandemic. He said: “One of my aunts…
Liz Truss ‘wasted £500,000 of taxpayers’ cash’ on private jet to Australia
Opposition parties seized on the revelation, with Labour accusing the Conservatives of spending “disgusting amounts of public money on their own vanity and comfort”, while the Liberal…
Revealed: the 330 civil service fat cats earning more than Boris Johnson
A record number of civil servants are earning more than the Prime Minister, new data have revealed. More than 330 civil servants are now paid more than…
Boris Johnson urged to sack more No 10 staffers amid fears ‘partygate’ reset will not be enough
On Thursday, Mr Johnson denied he was holding up the report. The Cabinet Office is keen to ensure none of its contents undermine the Metropolitan Police’s new…