Mr David Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury after it was revealed that he had used parliamentary allowances to pay £40,000 rent over five years for a room in the house of a man with whom he had long had a sexual relationship. Mr David Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The idea that you can jack up prices — by taxation or other means — and thereby shape society seems to mesmerise politicians. So the new estimates by the Department of Heath that a minimum price for alcohol — of 50p per ‘unit’ — would mean precisely 43,800 fewer crimes a year and 296,900 fewer
Search any official document published by BP plc, the oil giant now battling not only to cap the Mexican Gulf oil spillage but to save itself from a terminal collapse of investor confidence, and you will not find anywhere the words ‘British Petroleum’. Search any official document published by BP plc, the oil giant now
Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson comments on the Commons’ bizarre new chemistry. James Forsyth notes that more than a thousand schools have applied for academy status, and watched David Cameron impress on his first outcome. David Blackburn analyses a PR disaster for Israel, and sees
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the bank holiday weekend. Fraser Nelson charts the rise and fall of David Laws. James Forsyth laments a disaster for British public life, and ponders the Labour leadership contest. David Blackburn considers the attendant irony in Lord Prescott, and thinks the Telegraph’s latest expenses campaign
Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers’ Wall. For those who haven’t come across the Wall before, it’s a post we put up each Monday, on which – providing your writing isn’t libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency – you’ll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no
Press Complaints complains Sir: Reluctant though I am to point out inaccuracies in Rod Liddle’s work, I would like to correct some of his suggestions about the Press Complaints Commission (Liddle Britain, 22 May). Mr Liddle claims that Paul Dacre is ‘Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission’s Editorial Code of Practice’. Incorrect. In common with
In her 58th speech at the state opening of Parliament, the Queen said: ‘My government’s legislative programme will be based upon the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.’ In her 58th speech at the state opening of Parliament, the Queen said: ‘My government’s legislative programme will be based upon the principles of freedom, fairness and
Why would a parent want to set up their own school? Aren’t exhausted parents busy enough without doing the job of the state as well? This has become the latest line of attack on the Conservatives’ radical proposals for school reform, launched this week. Why would a parent want to set up their own school?
When John F. Kennedy was sworn in as president in 1961, he shocked America by refusing to wear a hat during his inauguration address. His decision seemed to precipitate a sharp decline in the wearing of hats. The state opening of parliament is by no means the British equivalent of an inauguration and Samantha Cameron
Here are some posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Fraser Nelson outlines the death of the male working class, and says that Michael Gove must guard against the vested interests. James Forsyth watches the Tory right reassert itself, and sets out the tactical considerations over the timing of the AV referendum. Peter Hoskin
Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers’ Wall. For those who haven’t come across the Wall before, it’s a post we put up each Monday, on which – providing your writing isn’t libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency – you’ll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no
…here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson says that David Cameron should seek the common ground. James Forsyth advises Cameron to pay attention to recent friendly warnings, and watches Andy Burnham fail to explain the point of his candidacy. Peter Hoskin sees plenty of encouraging signs from David
George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said he would hold an emergency Budget on 22 June. He announced the setting up of an Office for Budget Responsibility under Sir Alan Budd, one of the original members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee in 1997. The office would publish its first economic and
When George Osborne attended his first meeting of European finance ministers on Tuesday, he may well have felt a pang of pity for his Continental colleagues. True, Britain has the worst deficit and the most rampant inflation in Western Europe. True, Mr Osborne may have been outmanoeuvred over the regulation of hedge funds. But the
How quickly Nick Clegg is adapting to government doublespeak. He hailed a radical constitutional reform programme this week and declared that he is ‘taking away the government’s right to throw out parliament’. The reverse, in fact, is true. The coalition government proposes changing the constitution so it takes 55 per cent of MPs — rather
Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Fraser Nelson interviews Graham Brady, and argues that a Bill of Rights would be useless anyway. James Forsyth says that it’s a shame Jon Cruddas isn’t running for the Labour leadership, and gives his take on Cameron’s reform of the 1922 Committee.
Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers’ Wall. For those who haven’t come across the Wall before, it’s a post we put up each Monday, on which – providing your writing isn’t libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency – you’ll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no
Here are some of the posts made over the weekend on Spectator.co.uk: Fraser Nelson highlights an important lesson for all new MPs, and outlines why Labour are still within striking distance of government. James Forsyth reviews David Cameron’s first TV interview as Prime Minister, and observes the Labour candidates moving towards the Cruddas position on
What matters most Sir: In last week’s Spectator there was an interesting section where writers and thinkers were invited to advise the new Prime Minister what his administration should urgently address (‘What the new government must do first’, 8 May). Defence was not included but surely with a war in Afghanistan, an uncertain world and