Spending on pensions and healthcare is more popular with voters but Europe and the UK must make politically tough choices
Wishful thinking is not enough to forge strategy on this most important plank of foreign policy
The implications for global institutions, international law and order and the predictability of a world superpower are stark
The UK has at last avoided the twin traps of humiliation or dependent complicity with US presidents
Disputes in Northern Ireland indicate that power-sharing arrangements in the province may need to be updated
Voters in most developed countries feel that their contract with the state is fraying
Self-selecting activists or those committed enough to pay for a party membership will never resemble the electorate overall
While he faces a very constrained area in which to roam, much relies on the outgoing prime minister respecting convention
This careful retelling of two millennia of history celebrates the country’s economic and cultural success but ignores its dark sides
Governments cannot function without independent advisers and agencies
To back Boris or not? The UK chancellor must tread carefully and make difficult decisions
Public cynicism about British politicians will deepen if they fail to improve their behaviour
It is time to agree on some basic rules to guide the way the country is governed
Two new books by retired diplomats illustrate very different perspectives and options the UK has to remain relevant on the world stage
Responsibility for their fate could be a factor in the future of the Union
In her biography of the late Jeremy Heywood, his widow Suzanne captures his legacy as an outstanding cabinet secretary
John Preston’s timely book revisits the extraordinary fate and fortunes of a larger-than-life media mogul
Special advisers have power in British government, but no one knows how much until they test it
The prime minister must employ the economic arguments that the Brexit campaign sought to undermine
The government’s new proposals are driven by politics rather than economics
The UK prime minister has promised to resist Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a referendum on Scottish independence
John Bercow’s successor will face questions about the power of parliament and government
The challenge of keeping the border open remains one of the biggest obstacles to a deal
But he did not take account of the impact that a no-deal Brexit would have on growth
With scarcely more than a week until parliament returns, opponents have not united behind a plan
