Has deporting illegals become illegal?: The circus around Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia – whose full name the New York Times likes to trot out as if citing an ...
spectator.co.uk/article/has-deporting-illegals-become-illegal/
The depressing rise of ‘direct cremations’: Twenty per cent of last year’s funerals in Britain were direct cremations – up from 14 per cent in 2020 ...
spectator.co.uk/article/the-depressing-rise-of-direct-cremations/
OpinionLabour MP’s migrants claim contradicted by own government data: Uh oh. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has found himself in a tight spot after his ...
spectator.co.uk/article/labour-mps-migrants-claim-contradicted-by-own-government-data/

OpinionJolyon Maugham wades into abortion debate: No one was especially interested in Jolyon Maugham’s take on next week’s abortion amendments ...
spectator.co.uk/article/jolyon-maugham-centres-himself-in-abortion-debate/

Can Pope Leo end the liturgy wars?: Last weekend, under windswept banners depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, nearly 20 ...
spectator.co.uk/article/can-pope-leo-end-the-liturgy-wars/
Is Xi Jinping’s time up?: Stories about Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun, are blowing up on social media. He died in 2002, so why the interest in him now? The ...
spectator.co.uk/article/is-xi-jinpings-time-up/
The burqa is 'pretty much the most misogynistic garment that exists' says Inaya Folarin Iman.
Should the UK ban the burqa? The debate was reignited after ... Show more


Why is the MoJ making life so hard for prison charities?: For 15 years The Clink charity has run commercial restaurants in prisons, training inmates to cook and ...
spectator.co.uk/article/why-is-the-moj-making-life-so-hard-for-prison-charities/
OpinionHow good was Brian Wilson?: Brian Wilson, the singer-songwriter has died. The Beach Boys star was, famously, plagued by mental illness during his lifetime
spectator.co.uk/article/how-good-was-brian-wilson/

Key FactsBrian Wilson’s Journey Through Music and Healing
23h · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: rollingstone.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: rollingstone.com
- Daily walks and family support are central to Wilson’s efforts to maintain his mental well-being.
- He released No Pier Pressure in April and is touring amphitheaters across the U.S. and Europe this summer.
- Wilson candidly discusses his troubled past with addiction and therapy, portrayed in the biopic Love & Mercy.
- Despite ongoing anxiety, he embraces life with gratitude, focusing on music and spending time with family.
I call myself Brian Willpower Wilson.— Brian Wilson discussing his mindset and approach to life.
Does anyone know what’s actually happening in Ballymena, in Northern Ireland? If you’ve just been following the news on the BBC ... Show more


Should Britain ban the burqa?
The debate over the burqa was reignited in British politics after Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin called for a national ban during her ... Show more



I’ve lost control of the kitchen: Looking back, I can pinpoint my fatal blunder. It was lunch. It was like the West allowing Vladimir Putin to help himself to ...
spectator.co.uk/article/ive-lost-control-of-the-kitchen/
The lure of St James’s: Procrastination may be the thief of time, but in the right circumstances, it can be fun. The other day, I was enjoying myself in St ...
spectator.co.uk/article/the-lure-of-st-jamess/

How many countries have banned the burqa? At least 24 have placed some restrictions around the wearing of full-face coverings in public ... Show more
The deadly curse of influencers: Why influencers are dying young and the hidden dangers of social media stardom. Why do so many influencers meet sticky ends?
spectator.co.uk/article/the-deadly-curse-of-influencers/

Save the miniskirt!: The miniskirt, once a symbol of liberation popularised by Mary Quant, is once again under threat as a Kent school considers banning skirts.
spectator.co.uk/article/save-the-miniskirt/
OpinionThe sad decline of reading: Reading enjoyment among young people has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, according to research by the National Literacy ...
spectator.co.uk/article/the-sad-decline-of-reading/
OpinionWhat is the point of the RSPCA?: The RSPCA increasingly feels like a relic that has lost its way
spectator.co.uk/article/what-is-the-point-of-the-rspca/
These days almost everyone you meet is a member of a gym, and instead of attending church every week – as they did in days gone by – they make regular visits ... Show more
OpinionLife is too precious for assisted dying: Assisted dying has attracted for me, and no doubt many other MPs, far more mail than any other issue ...
spectator.co.uk/article/life-is-too-precious-for-assisted-dying/
OpinionCould Donald Trump scrap Aukus?: The Donald Trump administration’s scepticism about Aukus’s value to the United States is officially on the table
spectator.co.uk/article/could-donald-trump-scrap-aukus/
Key FactsAUKUS Review Sparks Strategic and Financial Debate
Jun 12 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abc.net.au
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abc.net.au
- The Trump administration’s review of the AUKUS pact has been anticipated by Australia and is viewed as a routine reassessment.
- The US requires increasing nuclear submarine production to at least two per year by 2028 before transferring second-hand vessels to Australia.
- The review serves as leverage for the US to push Australia toward raising its defense budget ahead of an expected Trump-Albanese meeting.
- If the pact collapses, Australia faces significant financial losses and a critical gap in submarine capabilities amid a tense strategic environment.
Support from the US Navy and Congress will be critical.— Analyst Euan Graham from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on the need to convince the US Navy of the long-term benefits of the AUKUS agreement.
In defence of the Trump playbook: The standard explanation for why charges for plastic bags reduced waste is economic. People were reluctant to pay 10p for a bag ...
spectator.co.uk/article/in-defence-of-the-trump-playbook/
In praise of camels: Laikipia, Kenya For decades now I have kept only cattle, goats and sheep on the farm, but for the first time this week ...
spectator.co.uk/article/in-praise-of-camels/

I love sausages!: ‘Sausages,’ my son says to me, leaning forward from the back of the car, with the authority and confidence only a three-year-old can truly ...
spectator.co.uk/article/i-love-sausages/
Wine Club: a summer selection from Tanners of Shrewsbury: I’ve been in Vienna, drinking Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch like a fish ...
spectator.co.uk/article/wine-club-a-summer-selection-from-tanners-of-shrewsbury/
Pride continues to crumble: In the canteen of the House of Lords last week, a friendly server asked me if I’d like some ‘Pride pudding’ ...
spectator.co.uk/article/pride-continues-to-crumble/

How to ruin a city: Why would you choose to make a city crappy? Plenty of cities don’t have much going for them. But when they do ...
spectator.co.uk/article/how-to-ruin-a-city/

Why OnlyFans has young British women in its grip: The porn star Bonnie Blue offers a straightforward explanation for her decision to join OnlyFans ...
spectator.co.uk/article/why-onlyfans-has-young-british-women-in-its-grip/
My plan for Prevent: In the autumn of 1940, British cities were being bombed every night by large aeroplanes whose provenance was apparently of some considerable ...
spectator.co.uk/article/my-plan-for-prevent/
How to game the social housing system: Westminster council has announced that every single social housing tenant in the borough will receive lifetime tenancies ...
spectator.co.uk/article/how-to-game-the-social-housing-system/
OnlyFans is giving the taxman what he wants: Fenix International occupies the ninth floor of an innocuous office block on London’s Cheapside ...
spectator.co.uk/article/onlyfans-is-giving-hmrc-what-it-wants/
Rachel Reeves, the Iron Chancer: Gordon Brown may not be every teenager’s political pin-up. But as an Oxford student, Rachel Reeves proudly kept a framed photo ...
spectator.co.uk/article/rachel-reeves-the-iron-chancer/
OpinionWhy isn’t the BBC telling us what caused the Ballymena riots?: Wouldn’t it be easier and simpler if the BBC just said that two Romanian boys living in the area ...
spectator.co.uk/article/why-isnt-the-bbc-telling-us-what-caused-the-ballymena-riots/

OpinionReform gains another councillor in blow for Scottish Tories: Dear oh dear. With just days to go until the Scottish Conservative conference ...
spectator.co.uk/article/reform-gains-another-councillor-in-blow-for-scottish-tories/

'If they wanted a full-blown war, it would be explosive': will the Trump-Musk feud get even uglier?
Elon Musk and Donald Trump had a very public row last week ... Show more


OpinionBritain’s GDP decline is bad news for Rachel Reeves’ spending plans: GDP fell by 0.3 per cent in April, according to figures released this morning by the Office ...
spectator.co.uk/article/rachel-reeves-spending-plans-are-already-in-doubt/
The pro-immigration protests that erupted last week in Los Angeles have now spread across the United States. On Tuesday there were confrontations between ... Show more
OpinionIs Israel preparing to strike Iran?: The U.S. anticipates that Iranian retaliation against U.S. assets in Iraq could follow any Israeli strike on Iran
spectator.co.uk/article/is-israel-preparing-to-strike-iran/
Luigi Mangione and the terrifying speed of online hero worship in the digital age
Anthropologist Max Horder explains how the internet has transformed how ... Show more


Britain needs reform: This week’s spending review confirms that where there should be conviction, there is only confusion; where there should be vision ...
spectator.co.uk/article/britain-needs-reform/
OpinionDid Greta Thunberg refuse to watch the October 7 video?: Israel just saved you from a bloody warzone and you accuse it of war crimes? How about showing some ...
spectator.co.uk/article/the-question-greta-thunberg-must-answer-about-her-gaza-selfie-ship-jaunt/

NHS the only winner in Reeves’s spending review: Rachel Reeves has delivered the first spending review since the pandemic, setting her departmental budgets for ...
spectator.co.uk/article/nhs-the-only-winner-in-reevess-spending-review/

Key FactsLabour Sets Firm Economic Direction After Spending Review
Jun 12 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: theguardian.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: theguardian.com
- The 2025 spending review establishes the British state’s budget priorities until the next general election.
- Planned tax increases, including potential council tax rises, aim to support defense, health, and housing sectors.
- Reeves promotes a social democratic agenda emphasizing economic growth and social mobility outside London.
- Despite early challenges, Reeves maintains solid cabinet backing and strengthened her leadership through the review.
It really is a pivotal time for her.— A well-connected former Whitehall mandarin said this in the context of Rachel Reeves' challenging first year as Chancellor.
OpinionSNP plotters should think twice before moving against John Swinney: A secret summit of top SNP insiders has met to discuss moving against SNP First Minister John ...
spectator.co.uk/article/snp-plotters-should-think-twice-before-moving-against-john-swinney/
OpinionEngland’s defeat to Senegal might be their worst ever performance: I don’t think I have ever seen a worse performance from an England team than in that 1-3 ...
spectator.co.uk/article/englands-defeat-to-senegal-might-be-their-worst-ever-performance/

OpinionOnly proper welfare reform can bring true ‘national renewal’: This year, welfare and pensions will consume more than a quarter of all public spending ...
spectator.co.uk/article/only-proper-welfare-reform-can-bring-true-national-renewal/

OpinionUS urges UK to U-turn on Israeli sanctions: As if the Labour government didn’t have enough on its plate with Rachel Reeves’s spending review to be announced at ...
spectator.co.uk/article/us-urge-uk-to-u-turn-on-israeli-sanctions/

OpinionBritain doesn’t need more affordable housing: £3.9 billion a year is only the equivalent of 13,400 homes at the current average house price in the UK ...
spectator.co.uk/article/britain-doesnt-need-more-affordable-housing/
OpinionSpending review: smoke, mirrors and no strategy: Spending review: smoke, mirrors and no strategy There were few surprises in Rachel Reeves’s spending review ...
spectator.co.uk/podcast/spending-review-smoke-mirrors-and-no-strategy/
OpinionSwinney stages reshuffle amid SNP infighting: It’s a busy day in politics and the SNP is keen not to be left out of the action. The Scottish cabinet has ...
spectator.co.uk/article/swinney-stages-reshuffle-amid-snp-infighting/
OpinionWill Bangladesh’s leader mention Tulip Siddiq in his meeting with the PM?: Tulip Siddiq wrote to the Bangladeshi leader inviting him for “lunch or afternoon tea” ...
spectator.co.uk/article/will-bangladeshs-leader-mention-tulip-siddiq-in-his-meeting-with-the-pm/

Nadiya Hussain’s recipes have become staples in households across the country and acquired for the TV presenter and cookery writer the status of national ... Show more
OpinionDavid Lammy has scored a win against pro-Gaza civil servants: It is verging on dishonest to pick and choose which instructions you care to follow because of your ...
spectator.co.uk/article/david-lammy-has-scored-a-win-against-pro-gaza-civil-servants/

Rachel Reeves’s Spending Review is a recipe for trouble: That is a potent mixture for economic gloom – it is the economy’s mental health we should be worried ...
spectator.co.uk/article/rachel-reevess-spending-review-is-a-recipe-for-trouble/
Lucy Mangan: How Reading Shapes Our Lives: In this week’s Book Club podcast I am joined by Lucy Mangan, author of Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives ...
spectator.co.uk/podcast/lucy-mangan-how-ready-shapes-our-lives/
Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump have had a very public falling out. Musk, whose time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came to an ... Show more



OpinionWill the L.A. immigration riots reach Europe?: The anti-ICE protestors in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States are in the minority
spectator.co.uk/article/will-the-l-a-immigration-riots-reach-europe/
OpinionBritain’s sanctioning of Israeli ministers is a grave mistake: Britain’s stance in imposing sanctions runs directly counter to that of its most important ally: ...
spectator.co.uk/article/britains-sanctioning-of-israeli-ministers-is-a-grave-mistake/

An e-scooter revolution is coming to Britain whether the country likes it or not.
“The revolution will hurt a little, but it’s necessary ... Show more
OpinionNo, Nato: Brits had not ‘better learn to speak Russian’: The real threat Russia poses is less of direct military action but through its ‘hybrid war’ instruments ...
spectator.co.uk/article/no-nato-brits-had-not-better-learn-to-speak-russian/

OpinionBritain’s Holocaust memorial must focus only on the Jews: Who is to say there will not soon be a push to create the ultimate dissociation of the Jews from the ...
spectator.co.uk/article/britains-holocaust-memorial-must-focus-only-on-the-jews/

When did we become so boring?: From Oliver Reed to Keith Floyd, a call to bring back real characters to our screens and return to the era of the bon viveur.
spectator.co.uk/article/when-did-we-become-so-boring/

Rules for my dinner party guest: Common guest behaviours – from arriving late to trying to watch the football – that will get you struck off the dinner invite ...
spectator.co.uk/article/rules-for-my-dinner-party-guest/

The pretentiousness of the pop critics: Today's music critics treat every album like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony – and aren’t even very good at ranking Beatles ...
spectator.co.uk/article/the-pretentiousness-of-the-pop-critics/

Frederick Forsyth: The Day of the Jackal at 50: My guest in this week’s book club podcast is Frederick Forsyth, whose classic thriller The Day of the Jackal has ...
spectator.co.uk/podcast/frederick-forsyth-the-day-of-the-jackal-at-50/
Key FactsLegacy of Frederick Forsyth in Thriller Literature
Jun 10 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: cnn.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: cnn.com
- Frederick Forsyth died at home early Monday, surrounded by family, his agent confirmed.
- His early work as a Royal Air Force pilot and foreign correspondent influenced his bestselling novel inspired by an attempt on Charles de Gaulle's life.
- Forsyth also contributed to MI6 intelligence efforts during the 1960s Nigerian civil war without financial compensation.
- More than 25 books by Forsyth have sold globally, with a sequel to 'The Odessa File' slated for release in August.
We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers.— Jonathan Lloyd, Forsyth's literary agent, made this statement following Forsyth's death.
Greta Thunberg should thank Israel for intercepting her Gaza selfie ship: The Madleen, a boat bloated with virtue signalling and the vanity of performative ...
spectator.co.uk/article/greta-thunberg-should-thank-israel-for-intercepting-her-gaza-selfie-ship/


OpinionEd Miliband is an astonishing Commons performer: I’m not totally sure where they keep Ed Miliband in between his Commons appearances. Perhaps in deep freeze.
spectator.co.uk/article/ed-miliband-is-an-astonishing-commons-performer/

A Jewish guide to arguing : Daniel Taub, former Israeli Ambassador to the UK, joins Damian Thompson to talk about his new book Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the ...
spectator.co.uk/podcast/a-jewish-guide-to-arguing/

Tories score double the donations of Reform: How much have political donors gifted to their party coffers? Well, the results are now in ...
spectator.co.uk/article/tories-score-double-the-donations-of-reform/


Labour goes nuclear while Reform turns to coal: Rachel Reeves has pledged a ‘new era of nuclear power’ as the government confirms a £14 ...
spectator.co.uk/podcast/labour-goes-nuclear-while-reform-turns-to-coal/
Watch: Eco-activist Greta Thunberg deported from Israel – by plane: Well, well, well. After the failed attempt by Greta Thunberg and her comrades in the Freedom ...
spectator.co.uk/article/watch-greta-thunberg-deported-from-israel-by-plane/

I felt a mixture of annoyance and relief when I bought my first non-disposable Elf Bar last weekend, ahead of the disposable vape ban. Relieved ... Show more
The reasons young people feel like video game characters in their lives
Anthropologist Max Horder explains why young Americans feel like 'non-playable ... Show more


Labour’s National Insurance hike is starting to bite: The unemployment rate has risen to 4.6 per cent, the Office for National Statistics has revealed in figures ...
spectator.co.uk/article/labours-national-insurance-hike-is-starting-to-bite/

Civil servants told to quit if they don’t like Gaza stance: To Whitehall, where Foreign Office staff are kicking up a fuss about the UK government’s stance on ...
spectator.co.uk/article/civil-servants-told-to-quit-if-they-dont-like-gaza-stance/

Keir Starmer must raise defence spending higher and faster: His list of requirements was daunting: a 400 per cent increase in air and missile defence ...
spectator.co.uk/article/keir-starmer-must-raise-defence-spending-higher-and-faster/


How has the media wronged Nadiya Hussain?: Nadiya Hussain’s reaction to the BBC’s decision not to commission a new series from her leaves a bitter taste.
spectator.co.uk/article/how-has-the-media-wronged-nadiya-hussain/

Sizewell C won’t save Ed Miliband: Ed Miliband has promised that his green energy policy will reduce our bills by £300 a year by the end of this Parliament
spectator.co.uk/article/sizewell-c-wont-save-ed-miliband/


Growing up, like a lot of English girls, I was what was known as a ‘dirty blonde’. (An evocative phrase, the Dirty Blondes are now variously a theatre troupe ... Show more
Author Max Horder argues that the US is experiencing a change in its psyche and that left-wing violence is being normalised ... Show more


