Martin Bright joins Spectator.co.uk

We have a new signing to reveal today: my old counterpart at the New Statesman, Martin Bright. We have long admired his writing here at Coffee House, and we’re delighted that The Bright Stuff will be joining Melanie Phillips, Clive Davis and Alex Massie under the heterodox, multicoloured Spectator e-umbrella.

It’s not just the sharpness of his analysis and strength of his contacts that makes Martin a must-read. From a left wing perspective, he has investigated what he calls “Whitehall’s love affair with radical Islam” as well as pretty much hounding Ken Livingstone out of office. So is he finally coming over to our side then? If only. He remains very much of the left, especially on issues like tax and the future of capitalism, which are now coming to the centre of the political debate. So this is, sadly, no defection. But we know that Martin will enlighten us about what the left think.