Society

Monday

Andrew Tettenborn

Starmer must not kotow to the ICJ on climate change

Last week, 15 judges from the International Court of Justice at the Vredespaleis in the Hague, at the request of the UN General Assembly, pronounced solemnly on climate change. Every state, they said, owed duties in international law to take all reasonable measures to suppress climate change; duties, they added, which included exercising control over the activities of private companies. Furthermore, they went on, any state that had broken that duty faced potential claims for compensation from any other state that had suffered damage. Environmental activists went wild. Organisations such as Amnesty and Greenpeace swiftly welcomed the new era where polluting countries (meaning states like such as the US, the

Jonathan Sacerdoti

The leaked email that blows apart the BBC’s impartiality claims over Gaza

A leaked internal email from a BBC executive editor reveals that the Corporation has issued prescriptive instructions to staff on how to cover the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The memo, titled ‘Covering the food crisis in Gaza’, amounts to a top-down editorial diktat that discards impartiality, elevates one side of a deeply contested narrative, and imposes a specific anti-Israel legal-political framing as settled fact. The existence of this email is a telling sign of how the Corporation works to ensure its journalists stick to its own ideological angles. This latest leaked BBC email suggests it is failing in its duty The email, which was sent to BBC staff on Friday, begins

Ross Clark Ross Clark

What Trump gets right about Britain’s windfarms

Donald Trump is often treated in Britain as a know-nothing who speaks off the top of his head on subjects he does not understand. No one is keener to try to make this point than the BBC. Yet not for the first time, it turns out that he is bit more on the ball than some of his critics. After his game of golf at his Turnberry course in Ayrshire, western Scotland on Sunday, the president retorted: ‘It’s probably the best course in the world. And I look over the horizon and I see nine windmills at the end of the 18th. I said: ‘Isn’t that a shame?’’. The wind farms which

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

Starmer’s disingenuousness on free speech won’t fool Trump

It’s often the rotator blades of Marine One that blare over Donald Trump’s voice as he stands near the helipad on the south lawn of the White House. In Turnberry, in Scotland, it was bagpipes. Trump, playing host to the Prime Minister, performed his now familiar ingratiation ritual as he welcomed Sir Keir and Lady Victoria Starmer to his golf course. ‘Our relationship is unparalleled,’ he said, above the din. He flattered the PM’s wife and even suggested, in his delightful nonsensical way, that she is a well-known figure all over the United States. Finally, the bagpiping stopped and the world could hear as Trump and the reporters rattled through the

Stephen Pollard

The real reason two Jewish comedians had their Edinburgh shows canned

Two Jewish comedians have had shows cancelled by venues hosting the Edinburgh Fringe. Whistlebinkies told Rachel Creeger that she and her show Ultimate Jewish Mother were no longer welcome, while Philip Simon’s Jew-O-Rama, a rotating line-up of Jewish comedians, was also barred. Another venue, Banshee Labyrinth, followed suit, cancelling Simon’s solo show, Shall I Compere Thee in a Funny Way? It could hardly be more blatant: two Jews have been cancelled because they are Jewish The reason? ‘Safety concerns’ for staff. Those of us with the Jewish mothers of Creeger’s title can certainly understand why others might have concerns over our mental safety, but I don’t think that’s quite what the venues had in

Paul Burke

Sydney Sweeney has saved advertising

I’m only surprised it’s taken so long. And that anyone could possibly be surprised by it. ‘Beautiful girl appears in ad campaign for fashion brand’ is hardly a revolutionary concept and yet, since Sydney Sweeney appeared in a new campaign for American Eagle and lit up the internet, there’s been quite a lot of confected surprise, shock and outrage. How could a brand use a beautiful woman to sell jeans in 2025? The question they should be asking is how could this not happen? American Eagle shares have gained 10% today (adding $200 million of market cap) after unveiling a new ad campaign fronted by Sydney Sweeney. Based ad campaigns are

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Edinburgh Fringe is becoming a Jew-free zone

Is the Edinburgh Fringe a Judenfrei zone now? With just a week to go before the Fringe kicks off, Jewish comedians are being unceremoniously cancelled. One venue has allegedly cited ‘safety concerns’ from staff, saying the extra muscle to deal with the threats to Jewish acts made them feel more unsafe. So instead of protecting Jews, you ditch them? What a shameful capitulation to the anti-Semitic mob. Numerous Jewish-themed comedy shows have been binned at the Whistlebinkies venue in the city. Rachel Creeger, Britain’s only practising Orthodox Jewish comedian, has been told her show Ultimate Jewish Mother is no longer going ahead. Jew-O-Rama was next for the chop. That’s a

Philip Patrick Philip Patrick

Women’s football is better without the politics

England did two remarkable things in Basel last night: winning an international title overseas and doing it by that most un-British method, penalties. You have to hand it to Chloe Kelly’s heroes, it was quite a triumph. ‘I’m proud to be English right now’ said the scorer of the winning goal in successive Euros – not something you hear too often these days. The media will tell us that the tournament was a glorious success but as always with women’s football one must resist exaggeration The scenes at the end were glorious. It crossed my mind that Donald Trump would have loved to be in the huddle as the trophy

Sam Leith Sam Leith

Why Middlemarch is ‘the perfect beach read’

At the time of writing, I am not more than a few hours away from leaving this dismal hell-hole and hightailing it for the South of France in a battered Skoda Octavia. And there, I shall settle down for a fortnight, surrounded by all the paraphernalia of 1970s camping – the blue gas-bottles; the nylon sleeping bags; the fold-out chairs where the cup-holder in the arm is torn so your Orangina plummets to the floor when you absent-mindedly deposit it there. Bliss.   For most people of working age, the summer holiday is the one time when you can read continuously for a week or two – so what you

Laurie Wastell

The state will do anything but fix the migrant crisis

Migrant hotel protests are erupting across the country, as ‘tinderbox’ Britain catches fire. What began with a series of protests in Epping, Essex, over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl by a recently arrived Ethiopian migrant, has now spread, as Brits air long-standing grievances about asylum seekers they have been forced to host in their own communities. A powerful tendency now exists in the British state towards displacement activity Demonstrations have so far been reported in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, Norwich, Leeds and Wolverhampton, Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, Altrincham and even at Canary Wharf in London. With years of unaddressed anger rapidly making itself felt, the police, pulled in

Sunday

Matthew Wilcox

The Cotswolds is a Potemkin England

Have you heard the one where the vice president of the United States and a lesbian former talk show host walk into a farm shop in Gloucestershire? No, it’s not the set-up to a joke – it’s just another Tuesday in the Cotswolds in 2025. The Cotswolds still looks like England – hedgerows, pubs selling Sunday roasts – but what it offers now is something different Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that she’s staying put in the Cotswolds, where she’s been holed-up since the 2024 US presidential election. JD Vance – now vice president under Donald Trump – is also planning on spending part of the summer there too. Two Americans, worlds apart,

Charlie Griffin

Falling victim to a hate crime taught me a dark lesson about Europe

As a Brit, and in spite of a little Brexaustion, I hold a certain romanticised view of central Europe. I know I am not alone. It is, I am sure, a place of high culture, animated coffee shop conversations, and romantic walks through cobbled streets. The sun is always warm, and life plays out at a more relaxed pace than here in Britain – as three flags flying in Brussels’ Grand Place confirmed for me, it is a place to ‘love’, ‘live’, and ‘unite’. As they muscled towards us, in mixed Islamic dress, liberally spitting at our feet, we struggled to respond With a weekend to kill in Brussels, I

Saturday

David Abulafia

Is Angela Davis’s keffiyeh appropriate for a Cambridge University ceremony?

Cambridge University’s decision to honour the rap artist Stormzy with an honorary doctorate seemed odd. New universities, rather than our ancient ones, like to parade icons of popular culture. When the decision was announced a few months ago, I was asked by a national newspaper to write a piece questioning his nomination. I demurred, because Stormzy was being rewarded for generous benefactions that aimed to bring disadvantaged black schoolchildren to Cambridge University – despite my doubts about reserving scholarships for particular ethnic groups. Stormzy’s honorary doctorate dominated the headlines – and so, none of us really noticed who else was on the list. Looking back, it is almost as if

Robert Taylor

How middle-class shoplifting swept Britain

Middle-class shoplifting is pushing up high street prices, according to Dame Diana Johnson, the policing and crime minister. Can she be right? If my own middle-class acquaintances are anything to go on, the answer is clear: yes. Many of those pilfering from our shops look just like you and me OK, we know shop theft is on a steep upward trajectory. There are nearly 17,000 incidents every day in corner shops alone, costing £316 million each year. Shoplifting across the whole retail sector costs billions. The reality is that many of those pilfering from our shops look just like you and me. My own experience is that many reasonably well-off

Alex Klaushofer

Is this CS Lewis’ most prescient work?

It’s been 80 years since CS Lewis’ remarkably prescient, That Hideous Strength, was published. The final book in a sci-fi trilogy, the novel recounts the battle for the soul of humanity in the heart of England. Even in 1945, George Orwell saw that: ‘Plenty of people in our age do entertain the monstrous dreams of power that Mr Lewis attributes to his characters [the NICE scientists], and we are within sight of the time when such dreams will be realisable.’ Little did he realise how soon his fears would play out. Little did Lewis realise how soon his fears set out in That Hideous Strength would play out That Hideous Strength focuses

Friday

James Heale James Heale

Will Starmer recognise a Palestinian state?

Keir Starmer is facing mounting international and domestic pressure to formally recognise a Palestinian state. Dozens of MPs are expected to publish a cross-party letter this afternoon, urging Starmer to follow the lead of Emmanuel Macron. The French president last night declared that his country will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the UN General Assembly meets in New York this September. A report this morning by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has also called for immediate recognition, a position that would put the UK at odds with the US. Labour’s manifesto contains a commitment to recognise a Palestinian sovereignty. But the lack of a timeline has irritated parts of

Stephen Pollard

The BBC has finally done something right

This isn’t a sentiment you’ll have read much in recent weeks, given the BBC’s series of appalling misjudgements and editorial disasters. But here goes: Three cheers for the BBC. Its critics are completely wrong and its decision making is spot on. The BBC is quite right. The party conferences don’t need the broadcast army of hacks they’ve always had To be clear, I’m not referring to its coverage of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, the Gaza documentary narrated by the son of a Hamas minister or the BBC’s sacking of the two Masterchef presenters. I’m talking about something it has actually got right – but for which it is nonetheless being lambasted:

Iain Macwhirter

Scotland’s ‘Stop Trump’ movement is not what it was

Donald Trump touches down in Scotland today on what is ostensibly a private visit to open an 18-hole golf course dedicated to his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis. The State Visit isn’t until September. But Police Scotland aren’t taking any chances. Trump will be pursued by a ragged coalition of Scottish Green Party activists, Pro-Palestinian groups and trades unionists Around six thousand officers, including many drafted in from across the UK, will be on duty as the US president perambulates around his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and the Menie Estate near Aberdeen, pursued by a ragged coalition of Scottish Green Party activists,

Svitlana Morenets Svitlana Morenets

Can Ukraine forgive president Zelensky?

For six years in office, Volodymyr Zelensky never experienced the raging crowd beneath his window. But Ukraine’s wartime president grew too powerful, too confident, bathing in the unwavering support of Ukrainians in the face of a greater evil. He overstepped. When Zelensky signed the bill stripping the anti-corruption institutions of their independence, he assumed Ukrainians would look the other way. They didn’t. Protests against the law swept through the country. He did well to listen – and back down. But the damage to his image in Ukraine – and abroad – may now be beyond repair. The damage to Zelensky’s image in Ukraine – and abroad – may now be

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Is Bella Sankey sorry for calling the police on me?

The grotesque halfwit who tried to have me prosecuted for ‘incitement’ was on Newsnight on Wednesday night, spouting the usual gibberish. This is Labour’s Bella Sankey, who runs Brighton council, although her presence on the BBC was more a consequence of her past directorship of Detention Action, an organisation that appears to campaign against everything her government is trying to do regarding illegal asylum seekers. Sankey is one of the causes of the enormous trouble in which we now find ourselves, then. Seeing this besom jabbering, her eyebrows so high up they seemed to be behind her ears, reminded me of when she dobbed me in Seeing this besom jabbering,