From our UK edition
Home The General Synod of the Church of England voted against the ordination of women bishops. The measure required a two thirds majority in each house of the Synod, but the voting was 44 for and three against with two abstentions in the House of Bishops, 148 for and 45 against in the House of
From our UK edition
From our UK edition
The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards were held at the Savoy Hotel on Wednesday. Here are the winners: Newcomer of the year Andrea Leadsom (Con). For her work grilling bankers on the Treasury select committee and setting up the Fresh Start Group. Backbencher of the year Alistair Darling (Lab). His campaign for the Union has
From our UK edition
Byron Rogers When TV presenters write history books it is the mistakes you treasure most, as when David Dimbleby blithely pronounced that Augustine had introduced Christianity to Britain (Christianity being over 200 years old in Britain, with Welsh bishops, before Augustine came). But Andrew Marr’s A History of the World (Macmillan, £25) is different. It
From our UK edition
From our UK edition
‘At least with you, David, I don’t get that sense of anti-climax.’
From our UK edition
From our UK edition
From our UK edition
‘We were hoping to adopt, but with my husband working for the BBC we’ve got no chance.’
From our UK edition
‘Have you tried turning it off and not on again?’
From our UK edition
From our UK edition
‘I got mugged on the way here.’
From our UK edition
‘I should warn you, Henry has no opinion as to who the best Bond is.’
From our UK edition
‘I can’t eat it all. Could I have a doggy bag?’
From our UK edition
‘You’re new to kickboxing?’
From our UK edition
‘Of course, it was just a shell when I moved in.’
From our UK edition
‘I’m after some Nadine Dorries repellant.’
From our UK edition
Brave new words ‘Omnishambles’ was declared the Oxford English Dictionary’s ‘word of the year’, but will not for the moment be added to the dictionary itself. Here is a selection of the 498 words which were added to the OED in September alone, a month which concentrated on words beginning ‘a’: — Affogato, n, coffee-based
From our UK edition
What the result says Sir: John O’Sullivan (‘Obama’s hollow victory,’ 10 November) says that after President Obama’s re-election, ‘America looks a less naturally conservative country, more a centre-left one.’ But we ought to consider what John O’Sullivan thinks of as left and right, conservative and unconservative; what Americans think; and what most of us British
From our UK edition
Home Abu Qatada, detained in Britain for seven years although not charged here, but wanted on terrorist charges in Jordan, could not be deported, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled, because evidence might be used against him that had been obtained from the torture of others; so he was freed on bail. The annual rate