Tinker, tailor, China, farce
A clownish spy scandal has shown up the severe shortcomings of British security, and given the Labour government an even bigger Chinese problem
The Magazine
End this stupid Palestine Action ban now
Arresting a student for holding a copy of The New World shows how Britain’s crackdown on Palestine Action has become absurd and dangerous
Paul Marshall, the man who owns the right
The multimillionaire controls a network of news channels, publications and think tanks that the left could only dream of. If Reform or the Tories win the next election, he will become the country’s most influential non-politician
It had to be Trump.. and that’s embarrassing
A bullying autocrat has succeeded where years of calm diplomacy failed. Progressives must ask why
Jung Chang: ‘If I set foot in China now, I’d end up in prison’
Jung Chang on her family’s painful history with the communist regime – and her sequel to the bestselling Wild Swans
Have we reached peak podcast?
The old models aren’t working like they used to – it’s time for something different
Denmark’s social media ban for kids is a tragedy. But it’s right
For my generation, the internet meant connection. Now it only means division
Arts & Culture
Jung Chang: ‘If I set foot in China now, I’d end up in prison’
Jung Chang on her family’s painful history with the communist regime – and her sequel to the bestselling Wild Swans
The reliable joy of Andrew O’Hagan
Reality was fun while it lasted
Can we get Jack Kerouac’s America back?
Have we reached peak podcast?
Audio
The Power Broker: Inside Paul Marshall’s extraordinary network of right-wing influence
The Matts are joined by political editor James Ball whose cover story this week is an exhaustive investigation into the full extent of Paul Marshall’s bid to influence British society. The man who owns GBNews and The Spectator is also finding a broad array of influential think tanks, policy units and conferences – making him […]
Trump’s day of days in the Middle East: It’s a win… take it
The Matts marvel at the extraordinary day that has just passed – first in the Knesset in Jerusalem, then in Sharm Al-Sheik in Egypt – as Donald Trump’s whirlwind victory parade signals the start of what we should all pray is a lasting peace. How do we square the undoubted leap out of the catastrophe […]
Q&A: Is Donald Trump actually the right man at the right time?
Matthew d’Ancona and Matt Kelly again respond to your queries. They discuss whether the Gaza peace deal shows that Donald Trump, despite all his manifest failings, is actually the right man at the right time, if you now need a brown paper bag for your New World cover and who Conservative MPs could coalesce around […]
Why we are addicted to everything everywhere – with Joe Woof
The Matts begin with peace in the Middle East. Is it time to give Trump the Nobel? Then they turn to the outrage over a man being arrested in London for holding up his copy of The New World. Then after the break, a fascinating and troubling conversation with Joe Woof, author of this week’s […]
How do we deal with Islamism in the UK?
Britain has a problem. The presence within what we call our multi-cultural society of abhorrent groups with views that threaten not only our values, but our citizens. Islamists, anti-semites, fascists. What is stopping the government from isolating them and dealing with them? The Matts do what they do best – engage each other in a […]
Why Trump should never be given the Nobel peace prize
Peace is not just about bombs falling silent, but the humanity that goes into maintaining it
How to love our pets
The prevalence of dog attacks points to an underlying moral failing: too many owners are shirking their basic responsibilities
How to spot the charlatans
Moisés Naím’s new book unpacks how these snake-oil shysters deceive the public
Philosophers can’t tell you how to live
There is, so far, no philosophical consensus about how we should go about our lives. We have to keep thinking for ourselves
This week’s Two Matts Q&A: The case for Keir Starmer
Matthew d’Ancona and Matt Kelly again respond to your queries. They discuss what the case is for Keir Starmer leading Labour into the next general election, whether we should be preparing for authoritarianism in the UK and if the sight of a Metropolitan police officer makes them feel safe or not. Plus they talk about […]
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Puzzles
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Jigsaw
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Crossword
Codeword
Politics
Paul Marshall, the man who owns the right
Ganging up on Geert Wilders
Will France’s fragile peace hold?
Why is the mainstream media so uninterested in the Nathan Gill scandal?
Tinker, tailor, China, farce
The worst pro-Brexit book ever written
Letter of the week: The absurdity of the Palestine Action ban
How to save the newsroom (from itself)
Writers
Alastair Campbell
Why Trump should never be given the Nobel peace prize
Marie Le Conte
Will France’s fragile peace hold?
Matthew d’Ancona
It had to be Trump.. and that’s embarrassing
Patience Wheatcroft
London, the city that scares Trump
Tanit Koch
How to save the newsroom (from itself)
Paul Mason
This deal is a calamity for Gazans
Latest
Will France’s fragile peace hold?
Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus are Britain’s history, too
Ganging up on Geert Wilders
Why is the mainstream media so uninterested in the Nathan Gill scandal?
Sponsor at Farage’s own conference accuses him of ‘far right’ rhetoric
Tinker, tailor, China, farce
Podcasts
The Two Matts
The Power Broker: Inside Paul Marshall’s extraordinary network of right-wing influence
The Two Matts
Trump’s day of days in the Middle East: It’s a win… take it
The Two Matts
Q&A: Is Donald Trump actually the right man at the right time?
The Two Matts
Why we are addicted to everything everywhere – with Joe Woof
The Two Matts
How do we deal with Islamism in the UK?
The Two Matts
This week’s Two Matts Q&A: The case for Keir Starmer
Brexit
The worst pro-Brexit book ever written
An author hides behind a pseudonym to invent 75 reasons to celebrate Britain’s slow collapse
Labour’s overdue war on Farage and Brexit has arrived. Here’s how to fight it
Blaming Reform’s leader for impending tax cuts only makes sense if you push the UK closer to the EU, too
The unsettling state of settled status
In Farage and Badenoch’s eyes, is even paying taxes in Britain good enough for EU nationals like me?
Even Tory voters think delusional Kemi is wrong about Brexit
Leaving the ECHR would revive damaging wars with Brussels that Badenoch’s supporters don’t want
The right wing think tank talking rubbish about the Brexit reset
The Prosperity Institute’s plans have been tried and failed
Finally, Starmer pins the Brexit blame on Farage
By labelling the small boats heading to Britain’s coast with the Reform leader’s name, Labour are finally calling out the man responsible for Brexit
Ukraine
Are we already at war?
Russia is sending its drones and bombers into Nato airspace. Whatever this is, it feels like just the beginning
Inside Russia’s propaganda machine
Exceedingly wealthy and close to the Kremlin, the infamous Vladimir Solovyov has become a dominating voice on airwaves since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
The Ukrainians reclaiming Odesa’s history
Vladimir Putin claimed the city was Russian in 2023, but staking the claim doesn’t make it so
Why Trump can’t end the Ukraine war
Donald Trump says his interventions have brought Ukraine and Russia close to peace. So why does it feel further away than last week?
The warm embrace that could freeze Europe
Donald Trump has favoured Ukraine over Russia in recent weeks. But when he meets Putin in Alaska, all that could change
War in the quiet hours
Russia has intensified its aerial assault on Kyiv. One night may pass in relative calm, giving a fragile sense of normality. The next, destruction starts again
The big picture
Where nature calls: Toilets of the world
A new book collects the best of the world’s toilets – because even in an age of division, everyone needs somewhere to sit down
They keep on shooting: 40 years of Reuters
Forty years of news photos from the Reuters agency capture a world on fire – and makes a compelling case for the future of photojournalism
Great Lives
Junko Tabei, the first woman to conquer Everest
Thomas Sankara, the hopeful leader whose country proved ungrateful
Emilie Schindler, one half of a team of equals
David McCallum, the enigmatic star who wouldn’t be pinned down
Jimi Hendrix, the guitarist who kissed the sky
Salvador Allende, the Chilean too much for the Nixon White House
Hello, I’m Taiwanese. Give me all your money
When the Taliban shut off the internet