Robert Shrimsley

Friday, 2 June, 2023

Why motorcycle gangs will end with a whimper, not a rev

What will Harley-loving hellraisers do once electric motorbikes take off?

Thursday, 1 June, 2023

Brexit was built on two irreconcilable visions

Next Tory leadership election will be set against backdrop of MPs lamenting electoral deal struck to deliver Britain’s departure from EU

Wednesday, 31 May, 2023

Conservative Party UK

How the Thatcherites lost their Brexit dream and their party

The trade-off the original Tory Leavers made with populists handed the Conservatives over to an alien worldview

Wednesday, 24 May, 2023

FT MagazineSuella Braverman

Yes, Suella Braverman should go, but not for the reason you think

Breaching the ministerial code is bad, but an act of brazen stupidity is much worse

Friday, 19 May, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

How far would you fly for football?

The boy’s once-in-a-lifetime holiday has been saved by Arsenal’s poor performance

Wednesday, 17 May, 2023

Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer’s conservative path to power

Labour’s leader knows that UK voters want his party to rein in the radicalism and show he shares the population’s values

Friday, 12 May, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

Mordaunt mania? You cannot be serious

What does it say about the UK’s current politicians that carrying a sword without falling over is seen as leadership material?

Wednesday, 10 May, 2023

Conservative Party UK

US-style conservatism offers only a dead end for British Tories

The UK is not as polarised as America — and nor does it wish to be

Friday, 5 May, 2023

Instant InsightRishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak learns that ‘no longer a shambles’ is not a winning slogan

Local election results suggest the prime minister has much more work to do in separating himself from his predecessors

Thursday, 4 May, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

Swear to King Charles? So help me God

Even monarchists are puzzled by the idea of pledging allegiance. Robert Shrimsley offers some alternative oaths

Wednesday, 3 May, 2023

UK Government

Rage is no substitute for political strategy

Johnson’s antics provide a defining cautionary tale for both Sunak and Starmer. They should take note

Friday, 28 April, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

Humanity has built AI in its own image, heaven help us

The first signs of the computer revolt are upon us. It is not so much mass extermination as quiet ridicule

Wednesday, 26 April, 2023

UK politics & policy

Rishi Sunak’s big idea is a nation that is more like him

Six months into the job, the prime minister has established himself as a problem-solver but not a visionary

Monday, 24 April, 2023

UK foreign policy

UK foreign secretary calls for constructive ties with China

James Cleverly to face down hawkish Tories with speech stressing need to work with Beijing

Friday, 21 April, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

A liberal metropolitan elite apparently runs everything — if only

This all-powerful cabal of supposedly left-wing elitists appears to be not only rather powerless but also not particularly elitist

Wednesday, 19 April, 2023

UK politics & policy

Britain’s tiny Tea Party casts a big shadow

Reform UK’s populist rhetoric both scares and tempts the Conservatives as they try not to be outflanked on the right

Friday, 14 April, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

What’s with all the farmers’ markets?

There is an artisanal skill here. Just not the one we imagine

Wednesday, 12 April, 2023

UK politics & policy

New election laws will be a defining test of Rishi Sunak’s integrity

Contentious rule changes will show if prime minister can rise above partisan interests to protect democracy

Friday, 7 April, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

Elon Musk has given me a great idea

I’m thinking of applying a blue tick scheme to the spawn, to be paid either in a monthly stipend or with household chores

Wednesday, 5 April, 2023

Labour Party UK

Keir Starmer’s values are still a work in progress

After three years as Labour leader, and with victory in sight, the voters find his policies and principles vague

Friday, 31 March, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

Boris Johnson has become the equivalent of a dated ITV3 rerun

The former PM is a subplot, a character actor brought back for guest appearances

Wednesday, 29 March, 2023

UK politics & policy

Britain’s new stability is built on soft foundations

An end to the upheaval of the past few years is welcome, but the underlying ingredients of populism and Scottish separatism remain

Friday, 24 March, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

My 45 seconds on the government’s TikTok ban

Why worry about TikTok when you’ve still got HanCock and OakShok?

Wednesday, 22 March, 2023

Labour Party UK

A hefty shock awaits those who see little difference between Starmer and Sunak

Temporary policy overlaps mask huge ideological contrasts with a small state prime minister trapped in a big state moment

Friday, 17 March, 2023

FT MagazineLife & Arts

What to do if your bank decides you are ‘dormant’

To avoid your account being frozen, you’d better look busy enough to make it worth their while to pay you next-to-nothing for their trouble

UK chief political commentator and UK editor at large

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