The Spectator

Why British mothers need a tax break

Next week’s Budget marks George Osborne’s last chance to make a game-changing reform before the next election. The Chancellor will have his boasts ready: he’ll say that Britain has the fastest growth of any developed country. What he won’t say is that no developed country has needed to pile so much debt onto its citizens

Do wars always start in years ending ‘14’?

Years of war Imaginative souls have tried to compared the situation in Ukraine with that which preceded the first world war 100 years ago. Are years ending in 14 especially violent? — 1414 saw the Polish-Teutonic war, one of a dozen skirmishes between Poland and Teutonic knights between the 14th and 16th centuries. The war

Portrait of the week | 13 March 2014

Home Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour party, promised that, if elected, his administration would hold a referendum on membership of the European Union only if there was a new transfer of power to Brussels, which he called ‘unlikely’. If Scotland votes for independence, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds might have to

Ed Miliband’s speech on Europe: full text

In a speech today at the London Business School, Ed Miliband set out Labour’s policy on an EU referendum: unless there are further transfers of powers, there won’t be one. Here’s what he said: listen to ‘Ed Miliband on an EU referendum’ on Audioboo It is great to be here at the London Business School. For fifty

RMT leader Bob Crow dies – reaction

RMT leader Bob Crow has died aged 52, the Press Association is reporting. Only yesterday the union boss was giving broadcast interviews, including this one on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme. The RMT released a statement this morning saying: ‘It is with the deepest regret that RMT has to confirm that our General Secretary Bob

Nick Clegg’s ‘I love Britain’ speech: full text

Since I became the Deputy Prime Minister I have had the privilege of spending a bit of time representing Britain’s interests in other parts of the world. I have visited Latin America and Asia to boost exports. I have been to Africa, where we are building better education systems as well as helping fight corruption,