Most people probably won’t pay much notice to their calendars showing this is St George’s Day, a celebration of a long-dead Roman soldier whose connection to England has as much basis in fact as the dragon he was said to have slain.The day is sometimes marred ... More »
There will be a sigh of relief in No 10 with the passing of the Rwanda bill, as well as a degree of frustration. Having to steward another migration bill through parliament was not part of the government’s plan.With the Rwanda bill passing on to the statute bo... More »
Panic and a screeching U-turn. The prime minister dismissed claims there were too few nursery places for every two-year-old in England (with working parents) on 1 April, the day that entitlement to 15 hours a week began. He even said: “Staffing levels have inc... More »
For three and a half years, we worked in secret. Our families didn’t know what we were doing. Neither did our friends. We were making a film about the case that had triggered Spain’s 2018 #MeToo movement and secrecy was how we could best protect the survivors ... More »
In chaos theory, the flapping of butterfly wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This weekend, Ukraine experienced a butterfly moment. Donald Trump’s efforts to conceal the fact that he bought the silence of a porn star before the 2016 el... More »
Even by the low standards of his government, Rishi Sunak’s speech about the benefits system on Friday was disappointing. Worsening public health across the UK is widely recognised to be among the most serious challenges facing the country. For 2.8 million work... More »
I was disappointed by the court ruling on Michaela community school’s prayer ban (High court upholds top London school’s ban on prayer rituals, 16 April), and shocked to see the jubilant reaction from several prominent politicians. Children praying in school i... More »
The Guardian is right to identify the global sovereign debt crisis as one of the most critical impediments to sustainable development today (Editorial,16 April). Debt relief is urgently needed, but we must also learn the lessons of history. The historic Jubile... More »
It is now clear that the Post Office was advised by its lawyers to delay disclosing some evidence that would help subpostmasters (Post Office was urged by external lawyers to ‘suppress’ key document, inquiry hears, 18 April).Failure to disclose vital evidence ... More »
It is appalling that a police officer used the phrase “openly Jewish” when trying to move Gideon Falter away from a pro-Palestine march (Met apologises for calling antisemitism campaigner ‘openly Jewish’, 19 April). But it’s also ludicrous to suggest that bein... More »
The war in Ukraine will be a source of fascination and study for historians for decades to come. Even today, two years in, we’re starting to see research into some of the big moments that characterised the early days of the conflict, and which sheds light on t... More »
Almost everyone agrees the government’s Rwanda bill is a bad idea. Its effects on deterring immigration will be trivial. It fails to show that Rwanda will be a humane recipient of migrants. It delivers appalling value for huge sums of public money, and is a me... More »