A great Prime Minister's early death Thursday, 11 July, 2024 Prime minister at the age of 24, the Younger Pitt died when he was 46 in 1806 after serving in the highest political office for eighteen years, a term exceeded in length only by Walpole. His health was never robust. It is well-known that he added to his problems by drinking heavily, and it is often said that drink killed him. Far from that being the case, the illness that proved fatal to him can... Articles
Peers and the Coronation 20th October 2022 At past coronations, seats were provided for all peers who wanted them. Since the last coronation in 1953, life peers have come into existence and the number of... Articles
Painful reading for ex-Met commissioners 20th October 2022 On 17 October, the latest, and the worst, independent report on the problems of the Metropolitan Police was published. It showed that officers suspected of... Recent News
On this day, 19 October, a century ago: the Carlton Club Meeting 19th October 2022 This famous meeting changed the course of British politics. But It did not bring the Conservative 1922 Committee into being, as is widely believed. *** On the... Articles
An education system for the 21st century 14th October 2022 Britain needs to reform its education system to make it fit for this century. The Times newspaper set up an Education Commission in 2021 to work out what should... Speeches
Post-dated peerages 10th October 2022 It has emerged that No 10 is thinking of breaching a hitherto inviolable constitutional convention by announcing peerages, but deferring their actual conferment... Articles
Give Conservative Party members a role in policy-making again 4th October 2022 That was the message of a letter published in The Times on 4 October as the Conservative Party met in Birmingham for a particularly difficult annual conference... Articles
The most scandalous diaries of the twentieth century 3rd October 2022 Chips Channon, a Conservative MP from 1935 to 1958, wrote brilliantly about his own political and social life, and about the lives of others in his upper-class... Articles
The downfall of Lloyd George a century ago 1st October 2022 On 19 October 1922, David Lloyd George’s powerful coalition government, which had dominated British politics for six years, suddenly collapsed. Its fate was... Articles
Wellington's "dictatorship" 29th September 2022 The following letter was published in The Daily Telegraph on 29 September. SIR - It is good to see reference to the great Duke of Wellington’s two terms as... Articles