Editor at large THE NEW WORLD; Contributing Editor, @prospect_uk; Podcast @the2Matts with Matt Kelly Thurs/Sun. Visiting research fellow @QMUL
- Tweets 36,321
- Following 2,735
- Followers 59,435
- Likes 32,659
Pinned Tweet
RIP John Edward William d’Ancona CB (May 28, 1935-June 24, 2019). Beloved husband, father, grandfather, public servant, footballer, and patriot. He played for Newcastle and rose to the heights of Whitehall. But love of family came first. There was nobody like you, Dad. Thank you.
193
93
2,582
Just so I understand it: it was absolutely fine to say farewell to Number Ten officials in person. But not for families to say farewell to their dying relatives in person?
415
3,479
19,411
This is the book. It’s fantastic. Read it tonight. Defend its author’s freedom to write and publish it without apology or compromise.
466
3,148
16,759
An error to bench the brilliant @maitlis. Absolutely nothing she said was incorrect. @BBCNewsnight is a magazine programme, not a news bulletin. It is not a breach of impartiality to speak the truth incisively. This is no time to go wobbly. theguardian.com/media/2020/m…
461
3,137
13,496
Notice the speed with which Number Ten has tried to turn the Yellowhammer leak into a process/faction story - who leaked it, and why? Don’t be distracted. All eyes on the content. If there’s a fire, who cares about who sounded the alarm?
161
2,052
6,553
Imagine what it must be like being Jeremy Corbyn. To face the most broken, delapidated and fragmented government in living memory and yet not have a clear poll lead. Good job he has a nice big cult to tell him he’s perfect.
506
1,323
6,264
This is where we are. This is where we live. Happy now, all you nativists, take-back-controllers, supposed-somewheres, sovereignty-not-racism-bullshit-merchants?
This man on the train to Newcastle just asked me if I had a British passport, told me to “get back on the banana boat” and called me a “paki cunt”.
I don’t have a recording of that bit but here he is telling me to “fuck off”
966
1,794
5,100
You know a government is in deep trouble when it very publicly turns its fire on migrants in dinghies. thetimes.co.uk/article/migra…
208
1,054
5,005
What would it actually take for the Brexiteers to acknowledge that 'Project Fear' might conceivably be 'Project Justified Anxiety About Imminent Olympic-class, Ocean-going National Fuck-Up'?
192
1,186
4,866
You would never guess from today’s protests that - only a week ago - more Jews were murdered than on any day since the Holocaust.
Or that a great many brutally abducted Israelis, of all ages, still languish in captivity.
What is the matter with us?
861
826
5,299
2,452,768
I look forward to the day when somebody will explain to me how this is, in any meaningful use of the word, fair.
500 free final @IvyLeague championships: Lia Thomas, formerly of the @PennSwimDive men's team, won by over 7 seconds. You can hardly see the other women swimming at the far end of the pool by the time the race is over. For the women, "it was a race for second place."
365
821
5,078
Message for Boris: I’m mostly off-radar right now, supporting a relative in the High Dependency Unit of my (brilliant) local hospital. He’s had a rough ride but is on the mend. And I know it’s very un-English and impolite to mix the personal..1./
155
1,838
4,322
I am absolutely appalled at the treatment of @alstewitn. It is obvious that he did not mean to be remotely racist -and that he wasn’t - and the notion that his 40 years of distinction in broadcasting should end this way is beyond belief. 1./
161
588
4,870
1/ It’s seriously depressing to see how many people seem to regard the marking of 75 years since VE Day as jingoistic or naff or uncool or unworthy of their attention. More than 75 million died in that conflict, including six million Jews...
446
772
4,661
I add my name to those supporting @jk_rowling in this excellent letter. dailymail.co.uk/news/article…
163
497
4,647
One of the most consistent and least welcome aspects of being British is the sense that we are so often all at the mercy of a group of Conservative rebel MPs. Only the names change.
98
427
3,845
This is sensational. It’s an Edward R Murrow moment for @afneil - he’s speaking for the nation. Will Johnson rise to the (totally reasonable) challenge?
“It is not too late. We have an interview prepared. Oven-ready, as Mr Johnson likes to say”
Andrew Neil issues a challenge for Boris Johnson to commit to an interview with him, to face questions on why people have “deemed him to be untrustworthy”
bbc.in/2sP9AxU
215
1,247
3,844
This is not old-fashioned Tory grumbling about the BBC. This is Trumpian vandalism. And if you think a ‘subscription system’ will deliver anything like the world’s greatest public service broadcaster, think again. thetimes.co.uk/article/no-10…
677
1,164
3,835
1. So here’s where we are: Johnson’s authority is made of balsa. He depends upon the taxpayer-purchased votes of the DUP and the support of his own parliamentary party, many of whom want much more than the backstop excised from May’s deal....
133
2,070
3,549
Priti Patel’s ‘That’s a choice for them’ - on those booing the England team taking the knee - is the UK equivalent to Trump’s ‘very fine people on both sides’ at Charlottesville.
67
523
3,643
If the mere prospect of someone as decent and civilised as @Docstockk talking drives you to "welfare rooms" stocked with ear plugs and energy bars, you might want to ask yourself if you're cut out for the intellectual challenge of higher education telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05…
130
665
4,154
289,039
I’ve long been in favour of a Prime Minister’s Office. But the idea that all these parties, piss-ups and criminal breaches of the Covid rules happened because of the structure of civil service is utterly contemptible.
47
342
3,658
The BBC is framing the attack on Sir Salman Rushdie primarily with reference to the offence caused to some Muslims by #TheSatanicVerses. Where are the novelists, champions of free speech, believers in the core liberties of the pluralist world?
176
608
3,952
This is a disgraceful defamation of charities such as @Care4Calais and their volunteers. How low can populist politicians of the Right sink? telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…
2,225
767
3,412
545,284
This thread should be read by every Tory MP still shameless enough to say that ‘we must wait for Sue Gray’s report’ or ‘Number Ten staff were working 18 hour days’ or even ‘the PM thought it was a work event’.
A 66-year-old man from Brockley was accosted by police for meeting friends at his allotment to break up the loneliness.
He ended up with a £100 fine.
59
1,341
3,513
Tortoise
So, we lost on Brexit. Now stop whinging, get off the floor and get ready to defend the BBC from these maniacs. This thing has only just begun, and there’s work to be done.
631
442
3,354
Amazing that Michael Gove on #AndrewMarrShow won’t commit the government to abiding by any new law passed by Parliament this week to stop no-deal Brexit on October 31. Reserves right to wait and see what proposals say. Think that through.
196
1,243
3,201
But it won’t last. Playtime will be over soon. No more froth and nonsense: Number Ten can be an awfully lonely place when you’re not up to scratch. All eyes on you, Boris. Greetings from all of us in the HDU. /ENDS
107
357
3,051
Totally wrong. Whoever is doing this, stop. Decency has its rules, too.
This van has just turned up outside Dominic Cummings house @SkyNews
703
441
3,249
There is no better broadcaster today than @maitlis - I hope the BBC has the sense to offer her the role that @AndrewMarr9 has filled with distinction for 16 years.
125
205
2,863
If taking part in European elections would really pose an ‘existential threat’ to the Tory Party, it might be time for the party to have a long, hard think about its existence.
52
499
2,753
It is beyond shameful - surreal, actually - that Conservative MPs are attacking @GaryLineker for winning an award for human rights campaigning. Bravo, Gary.
187
285
2,902
1,459,251
Never forget this is a populist government to the core, one that regards the law and the rules as options rather than constraints. Never forget that it prorogued Parliament unlawfully. It threatened to break international law 1/
38
629
2,781
One of the lessons of the #CummingsAffair - not yet over - is that there is always a sufficiency of journalists whose reflex is to support entitlement but pretend that they are doing so in the name of calm impartiality.
50
595
2,743
So. Will whoever briefed the press on DC’s behalf that the original Mirror/Guardian story was ‘fake news’ now apologise?
49
515
2,785
Thought for the Day: ‘Just Get It Done!’ is bad principle when the task in question is an act of historic national self-destruction.
53
756
2,766
11. Or does this Parliament want to be remembered as the group of MPs that couldn’t get its act together against a PM with single, profoundly pernicious purpose? Only those MPs can know. But time is running awfully short. Tick tock. ENDS
103
650
2,662
I find it sad that so many people tweeting about the death of #DavidAmess even find it necessary to say ‘no matter what you thought of his politics’ - as if such a calculation could even be possible.
80
206
2,851
The Labour Party will be a poorer place without @RosieDuffield1 who was frozen out for years for daring to speak the truth about single sex spaces.
53
246
3,058
74,547
It’s not good news, really, when the most powerful person in the world suggests injecting yourself with Dettol.
102
371
2,657
The arrest of @Glinner is a disgraceful episode on so many levels. I hope he understands that this authoritarian over-reach is not in any way representative of decent liberal values. He has my uncompromising support. Enough
85
340
2,973
86,726
Tasteless, offensive...and brilliant. Satire’s task is precisely to make us feel uncomfortable and drill down to the truth.
74
562
2,354
You didn’t ‘edit’ the @Keir_Starmer interview. You falsified it. Words matter.
No need to edit this one
Watch another absolute car crash of an interview, this time from Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary 👇
43
576
2,283
My @guardian column: I have had it up to here with the Conservative Party - an ugliness has entered its soul theguardian.com/commentisfre…
347
870
2,240
Today is decision-day for the single issue group formerly known as the Conservative Party. I hope Rory Stewart gets the chance to face Johnson on the BBC tonight. He’s the only candidate who doesn’t seem to be applying for a job in the Johnson regime 1/
49
398
2,313
If this doesn’t bring inflation down, I don’t know what will thetimes.co.uk/article/peopl…
146
430
2,504
256,960
The year 2021 was the year in which a network of brave gender-critical feminists said: enough. They did so in the face of vilification, attempts (sometimes successful) to drive them from their jobs, and threats of violence. 1/.
61
419
2,457
One of the many unexpected delights of 2019 has been the speed with which the Labour Party has collectively decided that it didn’t really lose last week and can carry on with a few tweaks here and there. Genius.
86
441
2,198
Doubt this'll cause me any bother.
My @Guardian column: Let’s be honest about what’s really driving #Brexit: bigotry theguardian.com/commentisfre…
723
826
2,003
Keir Starmer’s speech is eloquent, rich in evidence and measured argument, and therefore hugely irritating to all the MPs who have decided that today is the day to throw in the towel.
46
459
2,032
There is nothing ‘inclusive’ about allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports. How much longer is this magical thinking going to persist? telegraph.co.uk/sport/2025/0…
42
271
2,456
34,798
Hoping with every fibre of my being that Salman Rushdie survives this unspeakable attack. A wonderful man, who has been opening minds and enchanting hearts for decades with his dazzling stories.
15
167
2,169
Whoever posted this was clearly trying to politicise private decisions taken by loving parents. Shocked.
16
494
2,045
Curious to watch @Keir_Starmer making his PMQS debut in such strange circumstances. No less striking is how good it is to have a functioning Opposition for the first time since 2015 #welcomebackLabour
139
190
1,990
The PM is truly obsessed by #TheLionKing. When he was Editor of The Spectator, he commissioned me to write a piece on Disney, partly inspired by his belief that the movie is a modern-day Hamlet. True story.
149
301
2,000
This is a story about a flagrant breach of self isolation rules by the PM’s most senior adviser. It’s not about @bbclaurak. It’s not about Brexit. It’s not about Cummings’s character or backstory. It’s about the rules. That’s it.
123
377
1,972
This is true. I went to Tesco today and literally all I heard was tearful gratitude about our emancipation from the tyrannous grip of the ECJ. It was the talk of the stir fry section.
Just been to a local supermarket.
The expressions of relief, joy and thanks that we are out of the EU were extraordinary.
Needless to say, I wasn't in Central London.
154
129
1,889
Here’s what’s happening, then. Pretty much everyone has decided that Boris Johnson is going to win, and the numbers so far certainly support that conclusion. However, this is leading to some pretty shabby and/or intellectually lazy stuff. 1/
66
886
1,833
I believe in capitalism. I also believe in free thinking. It is no part of the state’s remit to tell our children which economic system is the right one: the process by which they reach their own conclusions used to be called ‘education’. theguardian.com/education/20…
84
439
1,851
I'm not a Labour member, but, if I were, I'd be asking @jessphillips to announce her candidacy for the leadership as soon as humanly possible.
121
184
1,827
Time for the Cabinet to act like a Cabinet and not a cupboard full of ventriloquist’s dummies. They defended Cummings with haste and without due diligence. Time for them to demand his resignation, say sorry to the public, and GOVERN.
83
319
1,791
Tremendous to hear the great and mighty @MForstater on @BBCr4today discussing her hugely significant legal victory yesterday. A woman of courage and principle, finally treated with justice.
22
240
2,053
Disaster for the campaign against Covid if Cummings now survives. That campaign depends absolutely upon public collaboration in an increasingly complex set of guidelines. 1/....
46
338
1,731
This is just absurd. @Docstockk is a distinguished philosopher and a gender-critical feminist who invariably makes her case with calm decency. Can Oxford students really not cope with her appearance at the Union? Really? thetimes.co.uk/article/oxfor…
110
247
2,000
187,436
Real Britain. Decent, compassionate, pluralist, connected. The hill worth defending to the last.
If you can’t make it to a TV today, this is what happened when we surprised Terrence - who came on #bbcbreakfast yesterday to talk about loneliness - with a visit from the students at @OldhamCollege.
You might need some tissues
😭🎄
37
359
1,714
We have a hooligan governing class - and a national football team composed of philanthropic gentlemen. My @tortoise column #Euro2020Final #GarethSouthgate tortoisemedia.com/2021/07/12…
41
368
1,706
I agree with @joswinson's opinion of Corbyn. That said, this could be the biggest decision of her career. The No Deal Team has said it will pursue its ends 'by any means necessary'. What about those of us who oppose No Deal? How committed are we? Really?
173
276
1,607
I do not understand why this excuse for a man has not yet been arrested under caution for threatening a vile criminal act against a named individual. Guidance, @metpoliceuk? thetimes.co.uk/article/i-mig…
109
555
1,579
As a proud member of @royalacademy I am dismayed at its pusillanimous decision to stop selling the brilliant work of @JessDeWahls.
33
221
1,818
This is as unsurprising as it is horrific. When senior ministers nurture a political context and discourse that dehumanises refugees - when they ‘dream’ of sending them to Rwanda - such awful scenes will never be far behind theguardian.com/uk-news/2023…
485
411
1,489
364,828
It is extraordinary when you see all the talent - in some cases genius - amassed in the names of the signatories to this letter that none of them could muster the empathy even to mention the atrocities against Jews on October 7 artistsforpalestine.org.uk/2…
255
287
1,640
292,894
Legitimate concerns? The recent general election had asylum and immigration at its heart and the governing party - that was pursuing an aggressively populist policy on border control - suffered a record defeat. This is terroristic violence, nothing more.
178
320
1,371
98,462
I hope @lisanandy gets a big Cabinet role if Labour wins. She is the real deal.
Suella Braverman is wrong.
Multiculturalism isn’t the problem.
But we know what the problem is…
#bbcqt
116
169
1,435
217,223
‘Existential challenge’: this is way beyond the normal language of border management.
It is the idiom of far Right, nativist and conspiracist politics. Shocking from the holder of one of the great offices of state.
‘Unless we act, it will only worsen in the years to come.’
Suella Braverman warns that failing to control migration poses an “existential challenge” to the West.
📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604
🖥 GB News on YouTube bit.ly/3vAYaw0
310
348
1,438
318,369
So: wait for the infantile storm to pass. Stay frosty. Remember we are citizens not the audience in a political reality show. And that - when he’s long gone, to do his chat show and write many memoirs - we’ll still be here to begin the real work. ENDS
75
161
1,336
10. There is a clear majority in the Commons against no deal. Is it prepared to act as one and stop this extraordinary march into the abyss? Are its constituent parts ready to set aside tribalism and seek common purpose?....
32
322
1,250
1. KLAXON ELEPHANT TRAP WARNING: if the SNP tables a vote of no confidence this week - as Johnson has allowed minority Opposition parties to do - it will be doing exactly, to the letter, what he is hoping for...
161
806
1,351
The BBC, the civil service, judges, human rights legislation...now select committees. This lot are going to obstruct scrutiny, accountability and checks and balances whenever and however they can. ‘Liberal Boris’? Wake up, for Christ’s sake. theguardian.com/uk-news/2020…
60
771
1,246
Meanwhile, all you craven Tories out there with reversible portraits on the walls who are saying how great it is to have ‘liberal Boris’ back - open your eyes, for Christ’s sake. 1/
60
413
1,258
‘A woman saying no’: absolute tour de force by the great and mighty @suzanne_moore. Just read it. unherd.com/2020/11/why-i-had…
37
144
1,389
The difference between ‘Stay at Home’ and ‘Stay Alert’ is one of kind, not degree. The former is a simple top-down instruction. The second is a form of moral devolution to each individual. HUGE change in messaging.
128
315
1,296
I’ve always been a hawk in the debate about how to stop ISIS. But this has nothing to do with that. It is a disgraceful display of inhumane values, a profound betrayal of what it means to be British. These are CHILDREN. theguardian.com/politics/201…
84
441
1,151
.. @fairplaywomen and of course @jk_rowling…and many, many others. Real citizens, real heroes. Happy new year! ENDS
44
87
1,383
And now, Mr Prime Minister-in-waiting: it’s payday. You owe that money, to these people. They don’t need optimism, or poundshop patriotic slogan, or chatshow shtick, or jokes about cocaine and icing sugar, or dog whistle attacks on Muslim women 4/
8
169
1,162
The conversation that neither Cummings and the PM can remember fully is their equivalent of Nixon’s lost 18-and-a-half minutes of recording.
67
191
1,178
‘It was only much later that I was informed that the event I had attended was not in fact a policy seminar but a midnight roller disco. I now consider the matter to be closed’.
3
224
1,225
This is going to keep happening. Even if you don’t value theatre, consider the potential economic cost of a cultural collapse. This is a big collective decision, not an elite gripe.
Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre is closing for good. 60yrs of investment, training & serving its community. All profitable in normal times, just needed shortfall funding while closed & it didn’t come in time
So sorry to the 86 made redundant, & the locals who loved their theatre
46
466
1,197
Dear Boris and Dom: Well, I guess congratulations are in order. Less than an hour ago the UK left the European Union, and became a foreign country in the eyes of the EU. I’m guessing that you’re feeling good, and, honestly, who can blame you? 1/
50
382
1,124
They were gaslit, denounced as bigots and told to get on the ‘right side of history.’ Instead, they’re making history. So - in no particular order - thank you @MForstater @Docstockk @bindelj @BluskyeAllison @HJoyceGender @VictoriaPeckham @HadleyFreeman 3/
17
112
1,330
A bus that promised £350m extra per week for the NHS if we left the EU. Your bus. The £350m, it turned out, wasn’t even the right figure, but your campaign didn’t care. You were exploiting the deepest emotions of the voters, and you won 3/
21
173
1,147
Johnson using the classic Trumpian technique of claiming anger on 'both sides' and moral equivalence. I am not aware of an extremist Remainer having killed an MP while yelling 'Europe First!' #AndrewMarrShow
24
335
1,101