Ben Roback: Biden’s new administration. Are you not entertained? (No: and don’t expect to be.)

Ben Roback: Biden’s new administration. Are you not entertained? (No: and don’t expect to be.)

Ben Roback is Head of Trade and International Policy at Cicero Group. There is an iconic scene in Gladiator when Maximus (Russell Crowe) lifts his arms out and exclaims: “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained! Is this not why you were here?” Donald Trump’s departure from Washington aboard Marine One was markedly less…

Andrew Murrison: I voted for lockdown. But the choice between saving lives and losing freedom is hard.

Andrew Murrison: I voted for lockdown. But the choice between saving lives and losing freedom is hard.

Dr Andrew Murrison is a former Foreign Office and DfID Minister, a doctor, and MP for South-West Wiltshire. Breaking bad news, laying out unpalatable options, are among the most difficult conversations any doctor will have. With the government bringing the immediate COVID crisis to heel, difficult conversations are needed to test the boundaries of society’s…

Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: This unbrushed, unkempt PM reckons he can beat the Nats

Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: This unbrushed, unkempt PM reckons he can beat the Nats

“I have the confidence to do things my own way,” Boris Johnson’s hair declared. It was this week messier than ever: unbrushed, unkempt, uncut, as if the Prime Minister had washed it and fallen asleep with it in a wet and tangled mess, so that when he awoke it would stick out in every direction….

Ranil Jayawardena: A strong trading partnership with India will be a central feature of Global Britain

Ranil Jayawardena: A strong trading partnership with India will be a central feature of Global Britain

Ranil Jayawardena is Minister for International Trade, and is MP for North East Hampshire. Benjamin Disraeli once said that the secrets to success in politics were to “be amusing, never [to] tell unkind stories and above all, never [to] tell long ones.” I will make sure to abide by the latter two rules here, though…

Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Chair of UK Research & Innovation – and more

Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Chair of UK Research & Innovation – and more

Eight years ago, the TaxPayers’ Alliance reported that “in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories”. It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives. Despite the selection of…

Newslinks for Wednesday 10th February 2021

Newslinks for Wednesday 10th February 2021

Coronavirus 1) Imprisonment threatened for those who lie about holiday destination to evade quarantine “Families who lie about going on holiday to destinations such as Portugal face up to 10 years in prison – longer than the maximum sentence for sex offences with children or violent firearms crimes. On Tuesday, Matt Hancock announced that anyone…

Emily Carver: An online sales tax would be a clear-cut case of levelling down

Emily Carver: An online sales tax would be a clear-cut case of levelling down

Emily Carver is Media Manager at the Institute of Economic Affairs.  In recent months, my local high street has seen two notable casualties: an independent bookshop and a boutique toy shop. Both had been trading for over 50 years. For their owners, as for many small businesses across the country, the cost of stop-start-stop again…

John Macdonald: Are the Tories becoming the party of high taxes and picking industrial winners?

John Macdonald: Are the Tories becoming the party of high taxes and picking industrial winners?

John Macdonald is the Head of Government Affairs at the Adam Smith Institute. The idea that British state should pursue an “industrial strategy” was a key feature of the Mayite years. But it has received a substantial boost as a result of the pandemic. Last week, Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng announced that, now free from…