Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Friday

Iain Macwhirter

The sorry fate of Nicola Sturgeon

The first thing to say is that Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared in an investigation into the SNP’s funding and finances, with no case to answer, scot-free. That may seem a statement of the bleedin’ obvious, but there are many in and out of the independence movement who do not and never will believe that she is wholly innocent. No smoke without fire. Who was it that set up the £600,000 fund in 2017 for a referendum campaign that never happened? Are you trying to tell me that this micromanaging, control-freak politician was ignorant of what has been alleged to have gone on in her party under her very nose? Salmond and Sturgeon

Steerpike Steerpike

Veteran Nat threatens to stand against SNP in 2026

To Scotland, where the Holyrood exodus continues. Now SNP veteran Fergus Ewing – son of Winnie Ewing, one of the first nationalist politicians to be elected to Westminster – has announced that he will not stand for the party at the 2026 election. But on whether he will leave frontline politics altogether, Ewing is less sure – with the Inverness and Nairn politician suggesting he could stand as an independent candidate to rival his party. How very interesting… As reported by the Press and Journal, Ewing has announced that he will not stand as an SNP candidate next year, saying that he ‘cannot defend the lack of delivery’ by his

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Is foul play to blame for the Heathrow fire?

Ed Miliband has made the confident and somewhat premature reassurance that there is ‘no sign of foul play’ in the fire that has occurred at the electricity substation serving Heathrow airport. Nevertheless, investigators combing through the debris will presumably be starting with the question in their mind: ‘Could this be a work of sabotage by Russia or some other hostile organisation or state?’ We keep making the same mistakes in ignoring resilience when planning infrastructure projects Even if it turns out not to have been, bad actors will have gained a very useful indication of how vulnerable Britain’s infrastructure is to attack. With the airport due to be closed until

Steerpike Steerpike

The Guardian’s embarrassing Heathrow story slip-up

Uh oh. As the news about the closure of Heathrow airport circulates around the country, Mr S has been rather concerned to see instances of faulty reporting by the media. Both Sky News and, surprise surprise, the Guardian got rather confused in their coverage this morning – mixing up the Swedish airline SAS with British special forces unit, the Special Air Service. Awkward… Sky News broadcasted that ‘the Special Air Service says all 12 of their round trips to and from Heathrow are cancelled’, while the Guardian reported at 7 a.m.: ‘The Special Air Service, or SAS, has said that it [is] also impacted by Heathrow’s closure.’ An hour later

Noor Qurashi

Why are so many Oxford students told they have ADHD?

Exams at the University of Oxford are tough, but there is one test that students nearly always pass with flying colours: 98 per cent of those who took part in an in-house university-funded assessment centre to screen for learning difficulties, including ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), were told they may have a condition. The screening process involved answering questions like: ‘Would you describe yourself as a well-organised person?’ and ‘Do you tend to be on time to appointments?’. Students who met the criteria were then granted up to 25 per cent extra time in exams. If I’d gone through the screening for ADHD, that extra time in exams would have been

Alexander Larman

Why Prince William’s Estonia trip matters

It is a requirement of the Royal Family that they should remain politically neutral. They are, after all, the only family in the United Kingdom who are constitutionally not allowed to vote. However, this does not stop its various members from having opinions and expressing them, sometimes in embarrassing and distinctly un-regal fashions. Whether it’s the Queen Mother’s lady-in-waiting Helen Hardinge writing in her diary that her employer was a ‘diehard Tory’, the late Queen’s open and clear affection for the Labour PM Harold Wilson or, more recently, Prince Harry’s equally open and clear contempt for Donald Trump, the old royal adage of ‘never complain, never explain’ has been tested

Ross Clark Ross Clark

We’re all paying the price for Ed Miliband’s net zero rush

Pursuing net zero is the ‘opportunity of the century’ which will create tens of thousands of well-paid green jobs and slash our energy bills. That is this Labour government’s official line, at least, as it was the last Tory government’s. Now we know, thanks to a leaked study, that is not quite how the Department for Business and Trade sees it. Rather, it seems, net zero threatens the recession of the century. The Macroeconomic Impacts of the Net Zero Transition, prepared by the Economic and Strategic Analysis team at the Department for Business and Trade in November 2023, warns that net zero targets could provoke an economic shock on the scale

Michael Simmons Michael Simmons

Britain’s borrowing is out of control

Rachel Reeves is having to borrow more and more money to keep Britain’s show on the road. Figures on the public finances, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show that in the financial year to February we borrowed over £132 billion. That is nearly £15 billion more than at the same point in the last financial year and is the fourth-highest borrowing period since records began in 1993. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had expected borrowing to total £128 billion for the whole financial year and, by this point, that forecast is already more than £20 billion short. The OBR’s budgetary boffins will update that

Caroline Lucas

The Caroline Lucas Edition

35 min listen

Caroline Lucas was elected as the first ever MP for the Green Party and served as their leader three times. Having completed a PhD in English, worked for Oxfam, and been involved in local Green Party politics, she went on to serve in the European Parliament for a decade. In 2010, she was elected to Parliament as the MP for Brighton Pavilion and, during her 14 years in Westminster, the Green Party went from 0.9% of the national vote to 6.4%. Although she stepped down, a record 4 Green Party MPs were elected at the 2024 election. On the podcast – the 150th episode of Women With Balls – Caroline tells Katy

Jonathan Sacerdoti

Israel’s Gaza campaign is far from over

The war in Gaza has resumed with a new intensity, but it would be a mistake to see this as a straightforward continuation of what we have witnessed over recent months. This phase of the conflict suggests a shift in strategy – one shaped by Israeli military recalculations, a more accommodating US administration, and the failure of ceasefire negotiations to yield further meaningful results. Washington and Jerusalem are now aligned in their broader strategic objectives For some weeks, Israel has found itself in a strategic deadlock. The lull in fighting had given Hamas time to reorganise, rearm, and reinforce itself, while the humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza ended up helping

Jawad Iqbal

Only Seb Coe could have saved the Olympics

Poor Lord Coe. His dream of leading the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – the most powerful job in international sport – lies in tatters. He was roundly beaten by Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, the former Olympic swimming champion who will now become the first female president of the IOC. She received a whopping 49 of the 97 votes up for grabs. Lord Coe was widely seen as the most qualified of the candidates – having won two Olympic gold medals, run the London 2012 Games and been World Athletics president since 2015 – but he garnered just 8 votes. The other leading candidate, Juan Antonio Samaranch, bagged 28 votes. Coe

Thursday

Yascha Mounk

The World Happiness Report is a sham

Today is World Happiness Day. So, like every year on 20 March, you are likely to see a lot of headlines reporting on the publication of the annual World Happiness Report. ‘Finland is again ranked the happiest country in the world [while] the US falls to its lowest-ever position’, a headline in the Associated Press ran this morning. Forbes even got philosophical, promising ‘5 Life Lessons From Finland, Once Again the World’s Happiest Country’. Published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University, the basic message of the report has remained the same since its launch in 2012. The happiest countries in the world are in

Oscar Edmondson

Can Keir trust Macron?

13 min listen

It’s a big day in defence. Keir Starmer began the day in Barrow talking about nuclear subs and will end the day in a meeting of the ‘coalition of the willing’ on the outskirts of London. But that coalition seems like it could be undermined by the European Commission’s decision to exclude non-EU arms makers from the bloc’s new €150 billion defence fund. Officials are keen to stress that this is not a done deal yet, but this would be a massive blow for the UK (and the US) and a big win for France. With Europe rearming, who stands to benefit? And what should we expect from the meeting

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Protestors storm the House of Lords

There’s no such thing as a quiet day in Westminster. This afternoon, demonstrators invaded the House of Lords in protest at the existence of the unelected second chamber – carrying leaflets reminiscent of a Sex Pistols album, with the words: ‘Never mind the Lords, here’s the House of People.’ Charming! The rather rude interruption waylaid an ongoing debate, as chanting of ‘Lords out, people in’ broke out from the top of the room. The protestors – who have since said they were acting for Assemble, an anti-Lords organisation which campaigns for its abolition – then hurled their leaflets onto the unsuspecting peers, who looked on in bemusement at the scenes.

Daniel Thorpe

The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor could backfire for Erdogan

Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkish president Erdogan’s main rival and the mayor of Istanbul, was arrested in the early hours on Wednesday. The warrant was issued on allegations of fraud, corruption, and aiding a terrorist group. Imamoglu recently announced his intentions to run against Erdogan, even though no election is scheduled for another three years. Most opinion polls show Imamoglu as the most popular politician in the country. He is generally regarded as the man with the highest chance of defeating Erdogan in the elections. His arrest comes as a major blow to his People’s Republican Party (CHP) and the opposition at large. In recent months, government pressure on opposition groups surged,

Steerpike Steerpike

Ex-SNP chief appears in court as Sturgeon cleared of wrongdoing

Back to Scotland, where former chief executive of the SNP, Peter Murrell, has appeared in court charged with embezzlement. The ex-husband of Dear Leader Nicola Sturgeon was charged in connection with the ongoing police probe into the party’s funds and finances last April – and this morning appeared in Edinburgh Sheriff Court. And now, it transpires, Sturgeon and ex-treasurer Colin Beattie are no longer under investigation by Police Scotland. It’s the latest set of developments in the Operation Branchform investigation, which has limped on for a staggering four years. Speaking outside her Glasgow home today, Sturgeon told reporters it was ‘a day of mixed emotions’, adding: I am completely in

Michael Simmons Michael Simmons

Bank holds interest rate over inflation fears

The Bank of England has held interest rates at 4.5 per cent. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted eight to one to hold the base rate at its current level after reducing it by 0.25 percentage points six weeks ago. Markets and pundits had expected the decision, despite figures last week revealing the economy had contracted slightly in January. The Bank shares the government’s alarm at the lack of growth, warning in its report last month that ‘GDP growth has been weaker than expected, and indicators of business and consumer confidence have declined’. However, its fears that inflation may creep back up again – which the Bank predicts will peak

Steerpike Steerpike

SNP police probe suspect intends to stand again as MSP

What does it take to be excluded from the SNP’s candidate list? Quite a lot, it seems, as being arrested in connection with a police probe into your party’s funds and finances doesn’t appear to be a barrier anyway. Colin Beattie, the SNP’s ex-treasurer who was arrested as part of the Operation Branchform investigation, has revealed his intentions to stand again for the SNP ahead of 2026’s Holyrood elections. How very interesting… John Swinney has refused to comment on whether Beattie would be a liability to his party, with the First Minister telling reporters on Wednesday: ‘I’m not going to talk about any issues that have any proximity to a

Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

Macron wants to be France’s protector-in-chief

It has long been said by some of Emmanuel Macron’s opponents that he is a president who ‘governs by fear’. It began with his management of Covid five years, when he imposed on France one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world. ‘We are at war’, he declared in a televised address to the nation on 16 March. Now he is at it again, issuing dire warnings about the possibility of war just as America, Russia and Ukraine have started talking about peace. There is still a long way to go before the conflict in Ukraine ends, but the President of France appears pessimistic about the chances of peace.

Michael Simmons Michael Simmons

The British state is bigger than ever

The state is bigger than ever. The number of workers employed in central government has hit 4 million for the first time. Figures just released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show employment in the public sector hit 6.14 million in December, up 53,000 in a year. Employment in central government hit a record high and was up 105,000 in a year. Those employed by the NHS hit a record high too, of over 2 million, and was up by nearly 50,000 in a year. Yet, as Katy Balls and I point out in today’s cover story for the magazine, productivity has not kept pace. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the