Keir Starmer’s foreign policy lacks substance
The Conservatives are in trouble. Their current unpopularity might pass, but Keir Starmer could soon become prime minister if Tory fortunes do not improve. For that reason,…
Ukraine can still hold its ground
We may be about to witness the largest set piece battle in Europe since the Second World War, and perhaps the greatest carnage in most of our…
Lazy Britain is now addicted to mediocrity
The education system has never been in better shape. The labour market is operating at peak performance. And given that the world has never been more peaceful,…
Vladimir Putin now faces a 1905-style national humiliation
The sinking of the flag ship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet provoked a sense of deja vu among military historians. Prior to the demise of the Moskva,…
Naming a park after Diane Abbott may delight the Left…but there’s one small problem
It isn’t enough to remove all memorials to those involved in the slave trade. We must remove all memorials to those related to those involved in the…
Whitehall must return to work
More than two years after it began, for the great majority of people the pandemic is over. There are still thousands contracting Covid every day but for…
As a former English teacher I’m shocked at the BBC reading list
“Put that book down, you’ll ruin your eyes!” Or so my mother warned me every day of my childhood (at night, I used to read secretly in…
Why Harry and Meghan must not be allowed to overshadow the Queen’s Jubilee
Ninety-six years ago on Thursday April 21, at 2.40am in the morning, in a house in Mayfair, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born to the then Duke and…
Not even the Queen’s Jubilee is safe from BBC preaching
BBC Arts and The Reading Agency have produced “The Big Jubilee Read”. They have selected 70 works of British and Commonwealth fiction to honour the Queen’s Platinum…
The UK’s poshest sheds
Up in Manchester, meanwhile, Tim Denton, a furniture designer, made his own to please himself. The exterior of his studio is clad in unusually shaped shingles inspired…
Why I joined the ranks of midlife men turning to tweakments and tried Botox
So, where had the 62-year-old Cowell gone wrong? It was a fate I was keen to avoid, though I was keener still to rid myself of my lockdown…
Love the clothes in Anatomy of a Scandal? Here’s your chance to own them
It has been touted as the most stylish show on TV, and certainly no-one who has devoured it in one sitting – or even rationed themselves –…
Decoding the messages in Meghan’s £38,000 Invictus Games wardrobe
While Prince Harry was busy supporting the Invictus Games, his wife was equally busy with a side hustle of her own – one not quite so worthy…
How to update your home with fresh paint and colour for spring 2022
The USP of the Heritage range is that it’s luxurious yet wipeable, and more practical than most matt finishes. Marianne suggests using it in a relaxed and grown-up…
I threw away all of my clothes, and discovered my true style in the process
Ellie Nap Dress, £115, Hill House I started slowly, buying outfits as I needed them. When my brother-in-law hosted a birthday lunch in December, I nearly froze…
Libyan PM: We can cover the Russian oil shortfall … for a price
The newest claimant to be prime minister of Libya has said that his country could help make up the shortfall of Russian oil if the West helps…
Tuesday evening UK news briefing: How Russia’s race to take the Donbas may give Ukraine the edge
The advance comes amid reports that Russian-backed separatists are dropping “bunker-busting bombs” as they storm the last remaining holdout of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol. Soldiers are zoning…
Macron’s chest-baring photoshoot shows he-vage is back
There he was, lilac shirt slashed open to the naval, drawing the curtain back on a leather thong necklace and fuzzy, tanned barrel chest. Comments ranged from…
Cult of Imran Khan lives on as supporters call for resignation of army chief
But a string of failures by Mr Khan’s government slowly persuaded the military they had made a mistake. A weak economy inherited by the PTI has got…
Poppy farmers face uncertain future as Taliban cracks down on opium trade
The main goal may be to persuade farmers from planting the crop for next year. If the ban is genuine, experience from 2000 shows that an interruption…
Mystery strain of hepatitis first detected in UK children found in Europe and US
A mysterious strain of hepatitis, first detected in UK children, has been recorded in four more European countries and the US, the EU health agency said on…
Emmanuel Macron’s father: The French are ungrateful after all my son has done for them
Whilst he was very close to his late grandmother, Emmanuel Macron is said to be distant from both his parents, who are separated, reportedly speaking to them…
US mask ruling causes confusion for travellers as Joe Biden’s flagship covid policy falls apart
The latest ruling comes months after the Supreme Court voted down Mr Biden’s plans to make large companies require that all their staff are vaccinated or masked…
Ukraine evening briefing: Five developments as UN calls for Holy Week ceasefire
Good evening. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday proposed a four-day “humanitarian pause” in Ukraine to coincide with Orthodox Christians’ Holy Week. Guterres added that the Easter period…
Ukraine morning briefing: Five developments as Britain prepares to send armoured missile launchers to Ukraine
Good morning. Russian forces have launched their anticipated offensive in eastern Ukraine, attempting to push through defences along almost the entire front line early on Tuesday in…