Issue: December-January 2026
Labour: a party of nostalgics
It’s difficult to imagine Keir Starmer’s government ever recovering from this disastrous year
Heroes, villains and lessons in life
Deeply erudite yet highly readable, laying many myths to rest
The decline and fall of the British Army
Our soldiers lack the ammunition, combat supplies and medical support to fight a war
The year the mob called the tune
So much political meddling in music and so little resistance
Most Read
American strategy in Iran is wiser than it seems
President Trump’s intervention will leave the world safer than it was
Saint Nicola
Nicola Sturgeon wants sympathy for her husband’s crimes—but after years spent avoiding awkward questions, her latest reinvention may be the hardest sell yet.
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
It’s time to ban the Brotherhood
Britain can no longer afford to ignore the Muslim Brotherhood’s quiet but far-reaching influence
Light my fire
A perfect spy requires a spark for his cigarette
Spaceships, ghost ships and sheep
The secret sauce of Project Hail Mary: it’s a laugh
Keep the state out of sex
Bureaucracy should not be allowed into the bedroom
Truth and consequences for ministers
Former Ministers should be hauled back before MPs to justify their poor decisions
Prosthetic, pathetic, human
Angela de la Cruz’s playful and ghastly art touches a raw nerve
A moment of profound national unseriousness
Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch know that the world faces crises — but are they part of the crises?
Where are Britain’s moral voices?
On decriminalising abortion up to birth, the Archbishop of Canterbury must talk the talk, not walk the walk
The games we play
Richard Holt’s sweeping survey of sporting history shows how games, from cricket to boxing, became one of Britain’s most durable cultural languages
The green myth
Tom, Chris and Graham explore our April edition
Two cafes, both alike …
Our correspondent investigates the north London front of the Israel-Palestine conflict