Boris and Rishi are failing our Armed Forces
Putin’s criminal invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. It is a moment as significant as the fall of the Berlin Wall or the terror attacks on 11 September…
What is the point of Keir Starmer?
Whatever his faults, nobody can claim that Sir Keir Starmer had the easiest start as Labour leader. He’s had to deal with the reputational damage of Corbynism,…
If he captures Odessa, Putin will dominate the Black Sea
Kyiv has great resonance in both Ukrainian and Russian culture, as the capital of medieval Rus, a city still adorned with Byzantine frescoes and mosaics in the…
The world can’t ignore Russia’s use of rape as a weapon of war
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, reports of conflict-related sexual violence have started to emerge. One woman described how two Russian soldiers broke into her house, in a village…
The BBC’s working-class quota demeans us all: real change takes time
Now, I have no axe to grind when it comes to inclusion and diversification, and I have, on occasion, among friends, been known to partake of mild…
Conservatives should be seeking to keep taxes down
In the Commons yesterday Boris Johnson reasserted his commitment to tax cuts. Yet this month, the taxes of millions of earners will go up, partly through the…
Priti Patel’s underling gives off a ‘computer says maybe’ vibe in face of Ukrainian visa complaints
“This is Kafkaesque! What on earth is going on?” shrieked Yvette Cooper. The eve of parliamentary recess beckoned, but the shadow home secretary had squeezed in a…
The German economic miracle no longer exists
It is a surreal situation. The ECB is still conducting quantitative easing and holding rates at an historic low of minus 0.5pc, severely damaging the business model…
The public have lost faith in our NHS religion
Are we starting to fall out of love with the NHS? Time was when it was considered heresy to even ask such a question. In 1992, Nigel…
I used to hate public speaking. Now I’ve learned the key to confidence, I rather enjoy it
Apparently, throughout life, levels of confidence typically follow a bell curve, rising during late teens, peaking in middle age and declining after 60. I tell you straight:…
Mark Hix’s spring menu of beetroot salad, braised oxtail and apple coupe
When it comes to hosting, dinner or lunch menus should be thought out and not left until the day itself. I usually prepare things a few days…
‘I was adopted at six months – and used social media to find my birth mum in Chile’
The first time I saw Ximena, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. I was on a call to my cousin Katy, who lives next door, and…
The unlikely mother-of-six behind Audrey Hepburn’s favourite shoes
Later, the label’s leopard-print coats and strong-shouldered suits call to mind an Italianate Alexis Carrington. ‘She had very good taste, but in a sober way – which…
Three cosy outfit formulas now that it’s cold again
The clocks have gone forward but with temperatures plunging to mid-January levels, it feels as if our wardrobes have gone backwards. As April begins, there is snow…
Straight shooter, 81, gives up Las Vegas retirement to teach Ukrainian ex-models how to handle an AK-47
Yulia Kharaba, 22, decided to attend the course because she wanted to “do what I can to protect Ukraine”. Before the war, she was leading cultural excursions…
Thursday evening UK news briefing: Race to beat price hikes tomorrow
Household budgets will be further squeezed from tomorrow by a raft of price and tax rises. Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of a “pathetic” response to…
Ukraine afternoon briefing: Five developments as Liz Truss urges China not to back Russian invasion
Good evening. Britain’s Foreign Secretary has urged China not to support Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Liz Truss, on a visit to India today, also called for…
Used as ‘cannon fodder’, the young Russians sent to their deaths in Ukraine
All the men in Alexander Bakharev’s family were soldiers – and he wanted to follow in their footsteps. Aged 18, he was drafted into the army, then…
Sticky wicket for Imran Khan as no-confidence debate gets underway
He has also been wounded by defections from his ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. “The prime minister is as good as gone,” the influential English-language Dawn newspaper…
Australian journalist Cheng Lei tried behind closed doors as relations with China worsen
China’s legal system can be opaque, with courts posting a 99.9 per cent conviction rate. Trials in China don’t have a prosecution and defence making arguments before…
UN helicopter shot down in DRC as fears mount of a proxy war
“Most people fled as soon as the attack started,” she said. “There is a risk of children being separated from their families, a risk of opportunistic rape…
Joe Biden hits out at ‘dangerous, un-American’ anti-trans laws
Republican state lawmakers have filed more than 160 anti-LGBT bills in 2022, according to Freedom for All Americans, a non-profit organisation. Some 92 of those target trans people,…
Bruce Willis needed ‘earwig’ to remember scripts as concerns grew over mental decline
On the set of ‘White Elephant’ one crew member told the Los Angeles Times: “It was less of an annoyance and more like: ‘How do we not…
Nato-style security for Ukraine not on table for peace talks, says Dominic Raab
Britain will not give Nato-style security guarantees to Ukraine to secure a peace settlement, Dominic Raab said on Wednesday, despite a request from Ukrainian negotiators. The Deputy…
Ramzan Kadyrov’s boast about fighting in Ukraine is shot down by his own social media post
The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya has foiled his own attempt to appear as though he is in Ukraine by posting a photo of himself…