Politics

Read about the latest political news, views and analysis

Monday

Druin Burch

How did Birmingham succumb to ethnic strife?

It is strange to see Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from a Villa match because the British state won’t protect them from Islamist mobs. I grew up in Birmingham – my formative under-age drinking took place by Villa Park – and it was a more racially mixed environment than any other I’ve come across outside my NHS work. Although I was Jewish, I never felt threatened. My experience of Birmingham – which might not have been yours, but was nevertheless mine – was of a city with a high degree of racial harmony. I thought the cracks I saw at 16 were superficial, that medieval impulses had no real purchase

James Tidmarsh

The Louvre heist shames France

Thieves broke into the Louvre in Paris shortly after it opened on Sunday morning and stole nine invaluable relics from France’s crown jewels. While the exact valuation of the loot is still being established, it could be worth hundreds of millions of euros. The thieves used a cherry-picker to reach a window on the Seine side of the building, smashed display cases in the Galerie d’Apollon, the ornate hall built for Louis XIV and home to the crown jewels. They escaped on motorbikes before police arrived. Among the stolen items was the crown of Empress Eugénie, set with 1,354 brilliant-cut diamonds and 56 emeralds. It was later found smashed in the street

Sunday

Jonathan Sacerdoti

The Gaza ceasefire isn't broken

The ceasefire in Gaza, barely settled just six days ago, has already been tested. Hamas was accused of violating the deal by firing rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire at Israeli forces while the US warned the terror group was planning an ‘imminent’ attack on Palestinian civilians. In response, Israel struck a wave of targets within the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing at least 11 people. It was a swift and forceful retaliation, prompting immediate speculation: is the war back on? Not necessarily. What unfolded in Gaza this morning bears a structural resemblance to events on the northern front nearly a year ago. In the days following the November 2024 ceasefire with

Steerpike

Tory councillors attack their own party

It’s a difficult time for Tory members. Down to barely 123,000 at the last count, the annual conference passed off well, given the circumstances. But while Kemi Badenoch’s speech received a thumbs up from the commentariat, those running local groups continue to complain of problems. For a leaked recording has revealed what senior members and councillors really think of their party.   A fortnight ago, Tory group leaders, councillors and activists turned up to speak at a members-only Conservative party conference event titled ‘Local Government Selection Rules – consultation with Association Officers and members of the CCA’.  The quotes offer some classics of the ‘disgruntled Tories’ genre. According to one member, the

Stephen Daisley

Anti-Jewish sentiment has poisoned our police

Amid the grim fluorescence of a police interview suite, a glimpse of where we are and where we are heading. The place is Hammersmith police station, the date August 30, and the time a little after 2 a.m. An unnamed lawyer in his 40s, whom we are told is Jewish, has been detained for allegedly repeatedly entering an area set aside for anti-Israel protestors.  He was there, he says, as an independent legal observer and was documenting a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington and the police response thereto. Since October 7, 2023, Jewish and pro-Israel groups have grown concerned at the Metropolitan Police’s handling of pro-Palestine marches. This

Steerpike

Wanted: a new man in Washington

Ever fancied going stateside? Enjoy travel, hobnobbing and schmoozing Republicans? Well, now you can, thanks to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) latest posting. After Peter Mandelson’s unfortunate demise last month, London is looking for an ambitious, industrious type to go be our new man (or woman) in Washington D.C. The job advert has gone up this week on the civil service website, with all applications welcome by 2 November. It trumpets how: His Majesty’s Ambassador to The United States is the largest and most complex Head of Mission role in the FCDO, testing every aspect of leadership. The US is one of our closest allies and the relationship

Alexander Larman

Nothing can save 'Prince' Andrew now

If the Royal Family had hoped the punishment meted out to ‘the Banned Old Duke of York’ would suffice in the court of public opinion, they would now be disappointed. Since Friday’s revelations that Prince Andrew would ‘no longer use’ his dukedom or other honours following the stream of scandals about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, more unedifying details have emerged. It seems that the nuclear royal option – to strip him of his princely title – grows more inevitable by the day. The nuclear royal option, to strip Andrew of his princely title, grows more inevitable by the day This final resort would undeniably be popular in many

Katie Jenkins

Don't underestimate Bolivia's election

Towering above the baroque low-rises of Bolivia’s largest city is the 29-storey presidential palace. Built by the then left-wing leader Evo Morales in 2018, the £25 million glass-fronted skyscraper comes kitted with a designer-furnished gym, spa, helipad, three underground floors and even a private elevator for the president’s personal use. ‘Morales claimed he built this for the people. That it was the symbol of the new Bolivia,’ said my ‘guide’, an unemployed biochemistry graduate, when I visited the building in La Paz last year. Gesturing at the golden motifs adorning its facade, he added with a wry smile: ‘This is what socialism really looks like. No?’ Today, the ‘Great House

Charles Moore

How did faith shape Thatcher?

38 min listen

How did faith shape Margaret Thatcher’s politics? To mark the centenary month of Margaret Thatcher’s birth, Damian Thompson introduces a conversation between the Spectator’s Natasha Feroze, Thatcher’s biographer Lord Moore and Bishop Chartres who delivered the eulogy at her funeral. They discuss her relationship with faith, how both her family background and her training as a scientist influenced her beliefs and her understanding of the relationship between wealth and society based on Jesus’s parables. Plus – what would Thatcher have made of the much talked about ‘Christian revival’ in the West? Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

Michael Bloomberg

Mayors are the real political powerhouse

In Britain, the leading political parties have just held their annual conventions. After a month of national political debates, lost in all the commentary about polling and positioning, is a larger and more consequential story about the changing dynamics of power. In a world where parties, prime ministers and presidents have long dominated the global stage, the spotlight is increasingly turning to a new group of leaders: mayors. And they are shifting the plot from talk to action. In recent years, mayors have emerged as increasingly entrepreneurial actors on national and even international issues. They’re not only collecting trash and fixing roads, they’re also pioneering new ways to tackle job

Saturday

Alexander Larman

The Duke of York's downfall is complete

After much speculation, Prince Andrew has relinquished his royal titles, most notably the Dukedom of York and the Order of the Garter. This represents an existential humiliation for the beleaguered ‘Randy Andy’. This represents an existential humiliation for the beleaguered ‘Randy Andy’ Yet it could have been seen coming a royal mile off. The latest Jeffrey Epstein revelations, that Andrew had continued to email the billionaire paedophile long after he’d claimed they’d ceased contact, were not only hugely damaging but potentially the tip of a very incriminating iceberg. That he has also had dealings with an alleged Chinese spymaster (not to mention a Beijing businessman now barred from entering the

Grigor Atanesian

Will Trump’s peace hold in Nagorno-Karabakh?

On the Armenian banks of the winding Aras River, which represents the border with Iran, I am approached by two boys offering local grapes. The fruit is more yellow than green, and translucent and very sweet. ‘Are you American?’, one boy asks in Armenian. I am not, I tell them, and they are disappointed. It is late September and I am in Armenia, on the banks of this river, surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Zangezur mountains, to film a programme for the BBC World Service about Donald Trump’s intervention in this country’s war with Azerbaijan. In early August, Trump announced with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan that

Michael Gove

Thatcher & Reagan's special relationship

40 min listen

To mark the centenary of Thatcher’s birth, Michael Gove is joined by Charles Moore, her biographer, and Peggy Noonan, speechwriter to Ronald Reagan, to reflect on the chemistry that bound the two conservative leaders. Both outsiders turned reformers, they shared not only ideology but temperament – ‘They were partners in crime,’ says Peggy. Yet it wasn’t all harmony. As Charles notes, the pair weathered serious rifts – over nuclear weapons, Grenada and the Falklands. Even in disagreement, they ‘wanted the same thing … to defeat the Soviet Union without fighting’. How did they navigate their differences? And what lessons can we learn from their special relationship? Produced by Natasha Feroze

Friday

James Heale

Prince Andrew stops using his titles

Prince Andrew’s humiliation is near-complete. He has tonight agreed to immediately stop using his Duke of York title after ‘discussion with The King,’ his family and ‘with His Majesty’s agreement.’ In a statement, Andrew said that ‘I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first.’ It comes after weeks of growing pressure about his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew’s statement is short, concise and lacks any apology or contrition. It does, however, contain a reassertion of his innocence: ‘I vigorously deny the accusations against me’. He will remain a prince – but will cease using the title bestowed by

Brendan O’Neill

The farce of the Maccabi ban

Tel Aviv Bemusement seems to be the main emotion in Tel Aviv following the UK’s mad ban on Maccabi fans. A Maccabi supporter sipping an espresso in bustling Dizengoff Square doesn’t get it. ‘You’re keeping the fans out because you’re worried they’ll be attacked?’ He screws up his face. ‘You should stop the attackers, not the fans.’ He has a point. Britain seems to have rustled up a novel way to deal with Jew hatred – just hide away the Jews. No Jews, no anti-Jewish mob. No Maccabi fans, no violent outbursts of Israelophobia from that unholy, unhappy union of Islamists and leftists who think Israelis are demonic. Problem solved. 

Freddy Gray

Is Trump on a roll?

30 min listen

Was this Donald Trump’s most phenomenal week yet? Freddy Gray and Kate Andrews discuss the President’s success in orchestrating a Gaza peace plan, his ‘Mean Girls style’ of dealing with world leaders, and how to interpret his comments about not being ‘heaven bound’. They also talk about how Trump might bailout Argentina – but only if Javier Milei wins upcoming elections. 

Lara Brown

Is the grooming gang inquiry headed for a whitewash?

Keir Starmer did not want to hold an inquiry into grooming gangs.  He did everything that he could to ignore the rape and torture of children which has scarred towns across England. Louise Casey’s audit of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse was almost certainly commissioned to get him out of a tough spot and get calls for an inquiry out of the papers.  It was only after Labour were left with absolutely no choice in the matter, damned by the scale of abuse documented in Casey’s report, that an inquiry was finally commissioned.  It should therefore be no surprise that before the inquiry has even begun, it is being undermined.

James Heale

Antisemitism, Chinese spies & GB's economic fragility

14 min listen

It’s been a rough week for the government: the row over the collapsed Chinese spy trial has rolled on, all while the Chancellor has been trying to lay the groundwork ahead of next month’s budget. Then, overnight, another issue has emerged as fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football team have been banned from attending a football game against Aston Villa next month, leading to accusations of antisemitism. Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons join James Heale to discuss the day’s developments. Tim reveals how the Chinese spy row has been picked up by American legislators, threatening to undermine the Five Eyes security alliance. Meanwhile Michael points out that the news

Edward Skidelsky

The battle for free speech in universities has only just begun

Earlier this week at HMS President – the Royal Navy Reserve’s base on the Thames – the government’s free-speech tsar, Arif Ahmed, delivered a quiet but unmistakable warning to the higher-education sector. Academic freedom, he told an audience of academics, politicians and policymakers gathered for a conference on the future of open inquiry, could not be regarded as secure merely because Parliament had legislated for it. It felt oddly appropriate that the message was delivered on the famous Tideway, just ‘downstream’ of Whitehall. At Durham University, ajob advert posted this month still contains requirements that appear to breach the new guidance At first glance, his claim might sound counter-intuitive. After

Nigel Jones

Banning Israeli football fans from Villa Park is a disgrace

The message could not be clearer: Israeli football fans are not welcome in Birmingham. I am no lover of football, but that doesn’t stop me feeling outraged and sickened by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being told not to attend their Europa League game against Aston Villa next month. The seats at Villa Park that had been allocated to the Israeli visitors for the fixture will now remain empty. In Amsterdam, Maccabi supporters were attacked by anti-Semitic mobs The appalling decision to tell fans of the Israeli club that they are not permitted to attend the 6 November game – meekly accepted, of course, by West Midlands Police and Villa –