How to prepare your garden for spring
Fergus, our painter, finished all of the outside paintwork – doors, window frames, greenhouses, water butts, plant containers and more – at the end of autumn 2021. …
How you can make a difference to the planet in 2022 – starting with your garden
Water butts are a great way to save water. I have nine, not all connected to down pipes as we have spring water only and the catchment…
Resist the ‘progressive’ attack on phonics
I always feared that, when I stopped being a minister at the Department for Education, the proponents of “progressive” education would begin their counterattack. The school reforms…
Thirty years of failed German foreign policy have brought Europe to the brink of war
The new German government is struggling to take a clear position in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, leaving some of its allies wondering whether…
As Plan B Covid measures are finally lifted, don’t expect an end to government doom-mongering
Perhaps you’re pleased about the lifting of Plan B Covid restrictions today and aren’t overly concerned about the spread of the mercifully mild Omicron variant. Well, don’t…
Voters are tiring of Labour’s legalistic Boris-hunting
Despite the gulps which will have been caused throughout Downing Street by the police starting an investigation into its partying ways, my impression is that the fury…
Once again, Brexit is threatening to derail Keir Starmer’s Labour
Just when everything is going Keir Starmer’s way, up pops a ghost from the past to threaten to wreck the Labour leader’s chances of ever seeing the…
I’m pro-vaxx, but I’d happily be treated by an unjabbed nurse
No patient wants to arrive at hospital, only to be told: “Sorry, madam, we don’t have any beds free. Because they’re full of unvaccinated doctors and nurses….
Whitehall waste must be taken seriously
In the midst of all the brouhaha engulfing the Government, a minister resigned with none of the fanfare warranted by the dramatic nature of his departure. Lord…
Boris Johnson scores in the Chamber while all hell breaks loose outside
Keir Starmer has never quite grasped the rough-and-tumble theatrics of PMQs – but pinning down the PM on specifics: inconsistencies, times, dates and so on, should surely…
Take it as a compliment, Boris. You know it’s a good party when the police are called
Because that’s a party, said Labour, not a legitimate business – though I have to tell them that for those of us who hate parties, every birthday…
Killers have more rights than care home residents – it’s a scandal that shames us all
Sue’s mother is in a care home. The care home manager’s husband has Covid. The manager tested negative so she can still go to work. Sue’s mother…
How high ceilings became the super-rich status symbol of 2022
It’s a good excuse for a statement staircase too, such as the one in the £55m penthouse at Centre Point, whose ceilings sit some 8.1 metres up….
Finally, allergy-friendly skincare that really works
If you’ve developed sensitive skin in adult life, or ever had an allergic reaction to a beauty product, you’re in the company of Scarlett Johansson, Dita Von…
How to go radically blonde…tastefully
It took me years to understand which hues of blonde suit my pale yet warm complexion, and that’s usually a combination of pale creamy blonde with warmer…
Owning one’s sex appeal is back – and it’s all thanks to a 58-year-old French woman
Leroy-Beaulieu, who lives in the chic 7th arrondissement, by herself, she says, has form when it comes to breathing oxygen into flat cyphers. In 2015, she was…
The Power Dress is having a moment, so why do so many women own a frock like this?
Meanwhile, the PD has come into its own in Westminster in recent months, poised to fill the power vacuum created by wranglings over just how many festivities…
Why skinny jeans are the fashion trend which refuses to go away
Skinny jeans, £98, Reformation The difference now is that they form part of a broader denim repertoire in my wardrobe. There are my charcoal straight-leg jeans by…
Russian invasion of Ukraine could bring ‘millions’ of refugees to Britain, ambassador warns
Britain will face a major influx of refugees from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, Kyiv’s ambassador to London has said. Vadym Pristaiko told the…
China signals shift on climate as president Xi Jinping says net zero must not impact ‘normal people’
Chinese president Xi Jinping has said climate policies must not impact “normal people”, as he sought to reassure the public over the cost of its net zero…
China denies telling Vladimir Putin to delay Ukraine invasion until after Winter Olympics
China vehemently denied that Xi Jinping asked Vladimir Putin to delay a potential invasion into Ukraine until after Beijing has finished hosting the forthcoming Winter Olympic Games….
The truth about Joe Biden can no longer be ignored
Over the years, shoals of public figures have fallen prey to the snare of the hot mic. Obama and Sarkozy were famously caught moaning about Benjamin Netanyahu…
Extreme makeover: Marine Le Pen is now a cuddly ‘kitten’ as she calls Eric Zemmour too ‘brutal’ for France
Ms Le Pen, on the other hand, has toned down hers, telling journalists at a New Year’s press conference on Wednesday that she had “definitively broken with…
Ukraine crisis explained: Why Russia might invade and what could happen next
The US agrees the chances are high. President Biden himself has said the military buildup looks like a threat. “It’s clear Russia has no intention of de-escalating,”…
Your questions on the Ukraine crisis answered
For example, the Russians would have a certain amount of tanks on this side of the Ural mountains and we would have a certain amount of tanks…