Politics Archives

Sunday

1 February 2026

Britain is becoming a surveillance state, but no one seems to care

Shabana Mahmood’s announcement that facial recognition is to be rolled out across the nation is no vague statement of aspiration. Part of wider policing reforms and backed by the promise of fifty more camera-topped vans, the Home Secretary’s announcement signals the government’s determination to make mass surveillance part of daily life. Combined with the current consultation on facial recognition, it also confirms that Britain is becoming a surveillance state without any real thought or debate. Mass surveillance isn’t compatible with a healthy society The focus of the public consultation on a new legal framework for the use of biometric surveillance technologies by law enforcement agencies is framed in ‘when did you start beating

Philip Hensher

Kemi Badenoch’s favourite book is the perfect choice

Occasionally, the leader of a political party will be asked to name a favourite book. For years, this has produced a dispiriting response. Keir Starmer told an interviewer that he didn’t have a favourite novel or poem. On other occasions, he said that the comic Roy of the Rovers was his favourite book, and, more plausibly, two stories of helpless victimhood, The Trial and James Kelman’s unreadable A Disaffection. It might have seemed that the days were over, when Anthony Eden had been known to be passionately keen on Proust, Margaret Thatcher a great lover of English poetry, John Major an aficionado of Trollope (The Small House at Allington rightly singled out). No focus group would ever have

John McHugo

The End of Rojava

Recent weeks have seen a political and military earthquake in Syria. Nearly 14 months after driving Bashar al Assad from Damascus, President Ahmad al Sharaa is on the point of extending his transitional government’s complete control over the third of Syria east of the Euphrates. For all practical purposes, this will mean the end of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, which had been the West’s allies against Is is. Time is being called on the semi-independent and self-declared autonomous Kurdish province of Rojava which has been created by the SDF during Syria’s civil war. In a swift campaign lasting only a few days, the Syrian army unexpectedly swept

Saturday

31 January 2026

Alexander Larman

Epstein’s boys’ club has been blown open

It was widely suggested that many powerful people – from President Donald Trump downwards – would have preferred the notorious Jeffrey Epstein files remain sealed for years to come. Now, with the latest and perhaps most shocking release yet, the doors of his seedy transatlantic boys’ club have been blown open. Epstein had a rare quality in life for manipulating and flattering others. His posthumous influence is every bit as malign, to say nothing of humiliating for all concerned. Epstein’s posthumous influence is every bit as malign, to say nothing of humiliating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is, as expected, front and centre in the latest files. His public disgrace is, of course,

Philip Patrick

Japan doesn’t want to see Starmer

If Keir Starmer’s trip to China seemed unfathomable, then his follow-on visit to Tokyo today is even more mysterious. ‘Why on earth is he here?’ the Japanese are asking (those that have noticed he is here that is). There doesn’t seem to be any pressing business for the Prime Minister to discuss with his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi right now. If it is just a courtesy call, then it’s rather a discourteous one since the timing, for her, is terrible. Wags here are calling the visit a ‘boondoggle’, claiming Starmer just wants to enjoy the cheap shopping Takaichi faces a make or break snap-election on 8 February. She is seeking

Patrick West

Stop shoehorning diversity into BBC dramas

At last, the BBC has been forced to admit what even the dogs on the street know to be true: that the corporation is guilty of ‘shoehorning’ diversity into its television drama output, in series such as Shetland and This Town, and making them feel ‘preachy’ and ‘inauthentic’ as a consequence. Productions which distort history deliberately and cynically are even more exasperating A large swathe of the viewing public believe that the BBC tries too hard to represent diverse groups in its drama, according to a report commissioned by executives, involving a survey of 4,500 adults. Irritation is most pronounced in the area of historical dramas, with feedback indicating the

Alexander Kolyandr

What Putin learned from Iran's crackdown

After losing his erstwhile allies and clients in Syria and Venezuela over the past 13 months, Vladimir Putin ought to be breathing a sigh of relief at the bloody suppression of the protests in Iran. Russia and Iran are natural bedfellows – a marriage of inconvenience, if you will. Both languish under Western sanctions, though Iran’s are stricter and have endured longer. Both economies depend heavily on China hoovering up their sanctioned oil at a discount and Beijing flogging them technology. Both deploy shadow fleets to export their oil. Neither has access to global financial markets. The brutal suppression of Iran’s protests ought to reinforce Putin’s calculus that if dissent

Patrick Gibbons

How should the UK manage its relationship with China?

17 min listen

As Keir Starmer’s visit to China draws to a close, Sam Olsen – who runs the States of Play substack – and Times columnist Cindy Yu join Patrick Gibbons to discuss how the UK should manage its relationship with China. Starmer’s visit has drawn criticism from various China hawks – and from President Trump – but is there a way for the UK to balance legitimate security concerns with the need to trade with the world’s second largest economic power? Plus, to what extent to the British public care about these geopolitical concerns? Cindy and Sam explain why is it important for policymakers to explain how these trips link back

Friday

30 January 2026

Matt McDonald

Why I’m in the Epstein Files

‘Always knew you were a nonce.’ That text, from a coworker in London, is how I learnt my name had appeared in the latest tranche of the Epstein Files. In the moments prior, I had been sweating profusely – unlike a certain former prince. I can explain. Yesterday afternoon, the US Department of Justice released three million pages of documents relating to the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex trafficker and financier. Among the documents: an email from a certain ‘Duke’ inviting him for dinner at Buckingham Palace; messages to Peter Mandelson’s husband offering to transfer £10,000; mentions of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Bill Gates (all of whom

Tim Shipman

Starmer’s Chinese trip changes nothing

I just had lunch with several European ambassadors and they asked me whether Keir Starmer’s trip to China was important or significant. My answer was that it was important but not significant. Starmer has been given a respectable degree of pomp, will be able to point to multiple billions in Chinese investment in British firms and has today secured the lifting of Chinese state sanctions against British parliamentarians. Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat and others will now be able to travel to China should they wish. China got what it wanted – a massive new embassy near the Tower of London – having made clear Starmer would not be welcome

Sean Thomas

Sean Thomas, Mary Killen, Owen Matthews & Patrick Kidd

28 min listen

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Sean Thomas explains how an AI-generated goth girl became a nationalist icon; Mary Killen argues we should all regret the loss of the landline; Owen Matthews says that banning Russian art only weakens Ukraine; and finally, Patrick Kidd makes the case for letting children experience alcohol. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Sean Thomas, Mary Killen, Owen Matthews & Patrick Kidd

Freddy Gray

Who is the real Melania Trump?

14 min listen

Freddy Gray speaks to the documentary maker Fernando Sulichin who was behind the making of Melania soon to be released on Amazon Prime. They discuss the First Lady, how the ten days leading up to the inauguration unravelled, her relationship with Donald Trump and whether she was sidelined by the fashion industry.

Svitlana Morenets

Can Ukrainians trust Trump’s ceasefire deals?

When Donald Trump announced yesterday that Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop bombing Ukrainian cities for a week, officials in Kyiv were taken aback. Volodymyr Zelensky said there were no direct agreements between Ukraine and Russia to suspend air strikes on critical infrastructure despite the issue being discussed at last week’s peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainian President had no idea when this ceasefire was supposed to begin or end – and he wasn’t the only one. The Kremlin, it quickly turned out, didn’t have any idea either. The first to start the rumours were outraged pro-Kremlin military bloggers, who began reporting that Moscow had ordered its forces not

Terry Barnes

Australia’s Liberals are all at sea

Australian and British politics have one thing in common: in both countries the right of politics is shattered. Australia’s Liberal party, in coalition with the regional Nationals, was walloped at the most recent general election by the Australian Labor party. Its then leader, Peter Dutton, lost his seat, leaving behind a centre-right leaderless, rudderless, and at war with itself. Dutton’s deputy, long-serving former minister Sussan Ley (she added the extra ‘s’ for numerological reasons), took the reins of the shattered Liberals, while post-election the Nationals broke and re-formed the coalition. Ley and her vanquished party looked down and out for a decade or more, leaving Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese,

Daniel McCarthy

The unspoken logic of the anti-ICE mob

A basic question all Americans should ask themselves before they draw any other conclusions about events in Minneapolis is this: when is it right to interfere with law enforcement? The consequences of doing so are, obviously, potentially grave, even fatal. Obstructing or harassing officers of the law could put their lives in danger as well as yours, and bystanders’ as well. Law enforcement, of necessity, involves risks and the potential for violence, which officers are authorised to use and criminals – or third parties – are not. One side in the Minneapolis turmoil does not accept these premises, or at least doesn’t accept they apply when the laws to be

Tim Shipman

Rayner vs Streeting – and what is 'active government'?

18 min listen

In his column this week, Tim Shipman has finally hit upon an answer to the age-old question: what is Starmerism? After a concerted effort from his team to tie the Prime Minister down to a definitive ‘-ism’, he has delivered a threefold structure: firstly, the contestable claim that Labour has achieved macroeconomic stability by clinging grimly to the Chancellor’s fiscal rules, which will mean interest rates and inflation fall; secondly, Starmer will say Britain needs an ‘active government’ to intervene directly in retail offers; and finally, the PM will seek to tie together domestic and international policy by arguing that Britain needs ‘an active and engaged government abroad’ if it

James Heale

Starmer’s China trip has been underwhelming

Keir Starmer has this morning arrived in Shanghai after two days in Beijing. He is expected to spend much of today talking up the ‘wins’ he has secured from his China trip. Yet it is striking how much of the briefing from ministers is around future deals to come, rather than actual deals secured to date, with only a ‘feasibility study’ in place for a potential agreement on financial services. Currently, he is set to return without a single signed deal So far, Starmer’s main achievements seem to be halving the tariffs on Scotch whisky and 30-days visa-free travel to China. Both are welcome liberalisations – but it is a

Mark Galeotti

Ramzan Kadyrov is dying. This spells trouble for Vladimir Putin

For years, we have heard rumours that Ramzan Kadyrov, dictator of Chechnya, is mortally ill. Unlike the lurid tales about Vladimir Putin, these rumours appear to be true, and the Kremlin is bracing itself for a potential succession crisis at the very worst time. This week, one of the official news agencies even quietly updated their canned obituary of him, just in case. This means Putin may soon face a fearsome dilemma: risk losing Chechnya or lose what momentum he has in Ukraine? Daudov won Ramzan’s favour by literally bringing him the head of rebel Suleyman Elmurzayev, who had claimed responsibility for the murder of his father Kadyrov has had

Steerpike

Labour in fresh cash-for-access scandal

It’s a day ending in ‘y’ – so that means another scandal for Keir Starmer’s beleaguered team. This time it concerns a lobbying firm run by an ex-Labour MP. Jim Murphy, the party’s onetime Scottish leader, now heads up Arden Communications which has lobbied Sir Keir’s administration on behalf of arms manufacturers, oil companies and energy giants. Truly the best of Labour values… Ahead of the election, Arden provided support to more than 30 prospective Labour MPs in the run-up to the 2024 general election. And now, post-election, they are keen to make the most of their relationship with Britain’s governing party. For Arden has been caught by the BBC

Ian Williams

Starmer has got nothing from his demeaning trip to China

Sir Keir Starmer told Xi Jinping it was time for a ‘more sophisticated’ relationship, yet there is very little sign of that in his excruciating performance in China. This was supposed to be the moment the Prime Minister cashed in on a year spent cosying up to Beijing, during which he has been accused of jeopardising national security to avoid causing offence. Yet you do not need to be part of his large entourage of business people to calculate that the returns have been minimal, and the costs potentially enormous. Donald Trump was certainly quick with his verdict. Asked about Starmer’s pursuit of closer business ties with China while attending