Natalie Fleet was only 15 when she got pregnant by an older man. At the time, she says she didn’t really know how to describe what was happening; didn’t see herself as being groomed, or as a child still not legally old enough to consent. If anything, she worri... More »
You may have heard about JD Vance’s “childless cat ladies” riff. But even if you have, it’s worth revisiting the full quote — and reminding yourself of what it says about the movement that may wind up in charge of this country after this year’s election.In 202... More »
At the beginning of 2019 I wrote a column enthusiastically arguing that Kamala Harris was the Democratic Party’s strongest candidate to take on Donald Trump. My core argument was pretty simple: If Democrats hoped to defeat him, they needed the toughest gladiat... More »
In his first speech to the new parliament, Sir Keir Starmer told MPs: “The fight for trust is the battle that defines our political era.” It was a powerful call to attention. It was also wholly justified. Trust in politics, parliament and government has long b... More »
It’s always a good idea to pay attention to Nancy Pelosi and to judge where things are going by which direction she’s nudging them in, but that was especially true over the past few weeks. When she started sending President Biden signals that he should reconsi... More »
The government’s reluctance to remove the two-child benefit cap, and the punitive action taken against the Labour MPs who voted with their conscience on this matter, betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of deprivation in our country (Labour suspends sev... More »
I read the article by Susanna Rustin with interest (Dramatic deeds are remembered, but too many feminists of the past are forgotten, 21 July). In Manchester, the Pankhursts are indeed remembered for their deeds and their house has been restored as a museum and... More »
Training animals to do things they wouldn’t do naturally is cruel (Dujardin’s career in tatters after horse whipping costs her damehood and funding, 24 July). Nobody today approves of the chimpanzees’ tea party, which is hardly different from the fancy dress d... More »
My husband, Dan Collins, died this month. It was because of Covid and pneumonia. By the time he passed, Dan had been sedated for a while, and there’s a small controversy between me and my sisters over what was said the last time he and I actually exchanged wor... More »
Boring. That was the universal response to Wednesday’s first prime minister’s questions of the new parliament. Where was the screaming, yelling, insulting and air punching? This is supposed to be Strictly Come Politicking. Get off stage, the two of you. Zero p... More »
It’s hard to know where to start if you are a brand new government taking on a mega-survey of risk and potential emergencies in the UK. Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenges are many. I am an adviser in UK emergency planning and have worked on almost ev... More »
The summer after my mum died, my brother came up with a plan. Rather than mark the first anniversary of her death in London, where we had all lived together, we should take ourselves on the most extravagant holiday possible. Why cry at home, he reasoned, when ... More »