Gus Carter

Gus Carter

Gus Carter is the deputy editor of The Spectator’s US edition.

Did a Tory minister fail to help police in a Westminster sex assault case?

If an MP’s researcher is accused of sexual assault, what should the MP do? Co-operate fully with the police, of course, which is what Chris Skidmore claims he did when his assistant ended up in court. The Tory MP and minister for universities strenuously denies that he refused to provide the police with evidence. But questions still remain after what an officer said during the trial at Southwark Crown Court. You might have heard about the case: 27-year-old Callum Warren, Skidmore's former staffer, was cleared last week of molesting a teenager. The court heard descriptions of a legislature that runs on an endless supply of cheap lager and eager young graduates. But the trial itself brought up interesting questions about how helpful the minister was.

The unparalleled entertainment – and heartbreaking reality – of watching a court hearing

‘Barristers’ speeches vanish quicker than Chinese dinners, and even the greatest victory in court rarely survives longer than the next Sunday’s papers.’ So wrote John Mortimer in Rumpole of the Bailey. While no doubt true, a barrister delivering a well-honed speech is still something to behold. They are the last defenders of a rhetorical tradition that our politicians have all but given up on. Many QCs still use Cicero’s principles of oratory: to teach, to entertain and to move. The public are allowed to watch almost any court hearing, but few ever do. As a court reporter, I have been struck by how empty the public galleries tend to be, beyond a few elderly men who regularly turn up.

The Dominic Cummings approach to government: a beginner’s guide

The appointment of Dominic Cummings as one of Boris Johnson’s top No. 10 advisors caused a media storm last week, with the former Vote Leave strategist cast as some kind of shadowy Brexit Svengali. Cummings is seen by a certain section of Remain activists as the calculating mastermind behind the Leave vote – the man who turned a normal political campaign into a ruthless battle of data black-ops. Equally, his decision to freeze certain sections of what is now the ERG out of the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign infuriated several Tory Brexiteer backbenchers. There have already been endless column inches devoted to what Cummings thinks and how that will play out in the Boris government. Luckily, our readers don’t have to speculate.

The truth about the Cambridges’ anniversary video

In celebration of their tenth wedding anniversary, the Cambridges have released a 40 second vignette of their painfully British existence. It’s all Barbour jackets, laughing children and windswept beaches. It is, in other words, a John Lewis nightmare. But who wants an aspirational royal family? That’s kind of the point isn’t it, that they’re not like us? No, apparently the focus groups have spoken and Britain wants a set of Boden models to represent the nation. https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1387778071319781378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The Cambridges' performance is arguably just as confected as anything Harry and Meghan said on Oprah’s sofa Why can’t we just have a nice formal photo of the family together with the Queen?