Donald Trump is no friend to conservatives
P.J. O’Rourke saw Hillary Clinton as wrong, but wrong within normal limits. Donald Trump, by contrast, has weakened the western alliance, undermined the US constitution and demeaned his office and supporters. Conservatives should disavow him before the congressional elections rather than keep backing him out of hostility towards Clinton, Biden or Harris.

Portrait of the week: Burnham’s Brexit claims, Boots’s £6.7bn sale and the Pope’s cancer diagnosis
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he received confirmation of Russian interference in the 2016 referendum. MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned against giving Russian troll accounts unnecessary publicity. An incident at RAF Fairford was almost certainly directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, prompting the Iranian ambassador to be summoned. A ruptured gas main led to the evacuation of about 4,700 people in the City of London.

Kemi Badenoch knows the right way forward
Kemi Badenoch has steadied the Conservative Party after a difficult year: confident appearances, a by-election win in Aberdeen and Robert Jenrick’s move to Reform have strengthened her position. Despite Nigel Farage’s continuing lead and Labour’s strong majority, Conservative confidence in a route back to government is growing.

Portrait of the week: The US withdraws its bombers, Kemi promises a ‘Britannia shield’ and Christa Pike survives her execution
Terror investigations with alleged Iranian links, rising Channel crossings and the end of a migrant returns agreement with France dominate domestic politics. Kemi Badenoch promises tax relief and air defence, while Labour considers an EU referendum. Internationally, attacks, energy shortages, political crises and conflict deepen instability.

Andy Burnham begins the long march left
Andy Burnham steers Labour back to the left: more state control, reversed privatisations, stronger unions and a National Care Service. The programme is criticised for raising business costs, weakening growth and investment, and offering inadequate answers to migration, defence, energy prices and technological change.

Portrait of the week: the end of the triple lock, odd happenings in Gloucester and Pope Leo in France
Andy Burnham announces the end of the pensions triple lock from 2030, pledging more public ownership, lower electricity prices and a National Care Service. Empty or poorly maintained rented homes could be confiscated. Diesel and expected household energy costs are rising, while Heathrow now anticipates a third runway by 2039.

Andy Burnham should call an election now
Andy Burnham’s premiership has so far meant compromise and uncertainty: John Healey instead of a clear choice between Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband, delayed defence spending, and a Ten-Year Plan not due until November. Britain’s many challenges demand clarity and a reckoning with reality.

Portrait of the week: Earl Spencer’s accusations, Burnham meets Trump, the AfD’s advance
Claims surrounding Diana’s death renew tensions within the Royal Family as Prince Harry reportedly plans a documentary about his mother. Prime Minister Andy Burnham discusses the Falklands and Chagos with Donald Trump, calls for global AI rules at the UN and expands military support. Britain also mourns Bonnie Greer and prepares a memorial to J. R. R. Tolkien.

In Ausgabe 006/2026 von Spectator