The Spectator

'Soldier beheaded' in Woolwich, south London - live reaction

Summary: A British solider has been reported to have been beheaded on the streets of Woolwich, south east London by two men at 2:20pm afternoon. The BBC is reporting the murder may have been filmed over cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ . ITV has released footage of a man carrying a bloodied knife saying ‘remove your governments – they don’t

Same Sex Marriage Bill: how MPs voted

This is the full Hansard of list of how MPs voted on tonight’s third reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. It was a free vote, and the Bill passed 366 to 161. AYES Abbott, Ms Diane Abrahams, Debbie Alexander, rh Danny Alexander, rh Mr Douglas Alexander, Heidi Ali, Rushanara Allen, Mr Graham Andrew, Stuart

Lions

‘We’re not “in the jungle, the mighty jungle” and we’re not “sleeping tonight”, so please stop singing that song.’

Vampire

‘You can tell your friends at Ukip that this has nothing to do with him coming from Eastern Europe.’

Annoyance

‘I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Sir. Your constant complaining about mobile phones is disturbing the other customers.’

Letters | 16 May 2013

The other side of fracking Sir: Peter Lilley’s article on fracking (‘The only way is shale’, 11 May) is right to outline the role that shale can play in addressing Britain’s energy crisis, creating jobs, and generating tax revenues. But he is guilty of several errors and omissions. First, he ignores the concerns of local

Barometer | 16 May 2013

The first filibuster A bill for an in-out referendum on the EU seems doomed to be killed off by a ‘filibuster’ — a campaign by opponents to keep on talking until it runs out of time. — The filibuster is often assumed to be an invention of Westminster, yet its first recorded use was in