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Israel seems more important — and less desirable — than ever for British Jews

Amid rising antisemitism at home, our lifeboat abroad seems less attractive

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This government is in many ways the party returned to its factory settings. But the product was faulty in the first place

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The party should be happy with its own leader but wary of a soft Labour prime minister

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Starmer and Badenoch are handling the far-right march all wrong

A look back to the days of Enoch Powell suggests a better model

16.09.2025 30

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Exit Mandelson — but not Number 10’s problems

Starmer’s backing of his ambassador was ill-advised but his speedy reversal was equally misjudged

12.09.2025 10

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Can Starmer dig his way out of yet another hole?

This reshuffle can be read in various ways — not all of them positive

10.09.2025 7

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Rayner’s resignation comes at huge cost to Starmer

The prime minister claws back control after deputy’s exit with major reshuffle

06.09.2025 5

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Labour needs to give up magical thinking on ‘reform’

Changing the way the government does things should not be seen as a money-saving exercise

03.09.2025 10

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Should you say ‘thank you’ to ChatGPT?

If we don’t watch our manners with machines we may forget to treat people with respect, too

26.08.2025 2

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Westminster forgets that inflation matters

Most of those in the political world chafe at higher costs but, unlike voters, they are not at the sharp end

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Britain’s medical exodus is a warning sign for the NHS

Doctors are increasingly prepared to travel abroad in search of better pay and conditions

06.08.2025 6

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The Lionesses’ triumph is all about the money

But larger crowds and bigger financial rewards could threaten what sets women’s football apart from the men’s game

29.07.2025 7

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How magical thinking came for net zero critics

Badenoch shows the temptation of just putting all this climate unpleasantness behind us

15.07.2025 10

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How Labour can resurrect itself

To recover from a dreadful first year, Starmer must acknowledge his failures

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Labour had a theory for acquiring power, but none for how to wield it

A lack of interest in the real meat of policy helps to explain why Starmer’s first year in government has gone so badly

01.07.2025 40

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Are we human or are we spammer?

As technology becomes better, a return to face to face encounters looks more likely

24.06.2025 9

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If we don’t watch TV together, can we still live together?

Fragmentation of both our entertainment and our news harms societies as well

17.06.2025 8

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If you don’t understand Nintendo Switch 2, you won’t understand the modern world

No savvy politician can get away with treating gaming as if it were a passing fad

11.06.2025 30

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There are some things in teaching that AI won’t change

‘Knowledge-rich’ curriculums will still be crucial in a world shaped by the technology

03.06.2025 10

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Britain’s two-child benefit cap must go

The government should recognise that it has a stake in its people having enough children

26.05.2025 10

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Trump and Farage are politicians for the post-TV age

Their apparent authenticity and tolerance for controlled anarchy leave their opponents looking tired and staid

20.05.2025 20

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Migration cuts are a luxury the UK cannot afford

Reducing freedom of movement comes at a cost and governments shouldn’t pretend otherwise

12.05.2025 4

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What the New York subway tells us about the future of the internet

Crime, divided leadership and problematic innovation could all hold back its potential

06.05.2025 30

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A $5,000 baby bonus won’t raise birth rates

Too much ‘pro-natal’ policy is the result of discussions between those who see maternity wards as the end of the story

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If only it were as simple as no more excluded children

It’s never just about the one pupil who is made to leave school

22.04.2025 10

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Generative images show us the risks of endowing the technology with magical powers

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‘Not quite enough’ may prove to be Labour’s epitaph

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26.03.2025 4

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Wishful thinking on climate won’t make it so

Badenoch’s ‘realistic’ approach to net zero is, in practice, that both politicians and the planet agree to put all this behind them

25.03.2025 10

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Starmer is zigging where Blair zagged

Labour’s controversial plans to reform welfare illustrate the divide between the two

18.03.2025 10

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How to stop the fruitless search for welfare savings

Governments chase illusory short-term cuts when what’s needed are routes back into lasting employment

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Kemi Badenoch needs to work out who her friends are

She attacks those whose aims she shares in a failed attempt to gain the support of those who oppose her

28.02.2025 9

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Captain America: not so brave new world

The latest film in the Marvel franchise is typical of Disney’s timidity in recent years

25.02.2025 10

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Blame bad laws on an excess of coyness

Cutting corners in debate has only one result: poorly formulated policy

18.02.2025 10

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Extreme violence is impossible to understand but we must try

The Axel Rudakubana case shows the importance of the government looking beyond ideology

28.01.2025 10

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The war on drugs needs a new tactic: shame

Liberal reformers have been too hesitant to spell out the negative consequences for others

21.01.2025 10

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Badenoch should learn from the failures of DeSantis and Pécresse

The Tory leader is the latest conservative to try to emulate a challenger from her right, but it won’t work

14.01.2025 10

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Dungeons & Dragons shows that modish guff doesn’t serve diversity and inclusion

Tweaks to the cult game’s rule book are an object lesson in how not to promote change

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What gaming really tells us about the human condition

From Mesopotamia to our kitchen tables, our love affair with games is undiminished

27.12.2024 30

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The case for school uniforms is compelling

Sensibly enforced, they can have an equalising effect in the classroom

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Good ideas know no borders

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Missing: a clear direction for Starmer

Labour’s obsession with winning the next election is distorting government

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Labour has a classic first act problem

Everything the government does for the rest of its term will be distorted by its pledges on tax

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The problem of politics in a noisy age

We are once again having to readjust to a vast expansion in the amount of conflicting information at our fingertips

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It pays to be clear about what public transport is designed to do

Too often politicians place conflicting demands on rail or bus networks

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Without hard thinking on tax and the state, Kemi Badenoch is doomed to fail

The new Tory leader can’t rely on Labour being derailed by global events or problems with its own model

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3. Why the first black British prime minister is likely to be a Conservative

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The problem with the term ‘global majority’

Endless searching for a label to describe ethnic minority groups is ultimately futile

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Categories

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Popular

Starmer needs to get serious about governing — and quick

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A $5,000 baby bonus won’t raise birth rates

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Anime lessons in the limits of AI

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‘Not quite enough’ may prove to be Labour’s epitaph

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Wishful thinking on climate won’t make it so

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Starmer is zigging where Blair zagged

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Blame bad laws on an excess of coyness

Stephen Bush

Extreme violence is impossible to understand but we must try

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The war on drugs needs a new tactic: shame

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Badenoch should learn from the failures of DeSantis and Pécresse