Quiz | World Cup

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When London Stopped Robbing Banks

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How the Economics of Crime Changed the Capital If you wanted to rob a bank in London in the 1970s, there was at least a certain logic to it. Cash was everywhere. Workers were often paid in cash. Pubs took cash. Shops took cash. Payrolls arrived in envelopes. Bank branches held large sums of money, … Read more

Writing a New England

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The World Cup starts today, with England hoping to be somewhere around the latter stages. I took my former in-laws to an England game once. They were Asian Doctors, and had lived for decades a few miles from Wembley yet had never been there. It was 2010 and the era of football hooligans was well … Read more

Reform in Durham: The Revolution Will Be Minuted

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There have been some noisy headlines about chaos in councils where Reform won seats last month: resignations, council meetings in disarray, councillors disappearing on holiday en masse. Durham became a Reform-controlled council last year, and I finally managed to catch some Reform councillors in action. I had spent months trying to speak to, photograph or … Read more

Another Summer, Another Right Wing Riot

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Another summer and, once again, another riot. By now the pattern is becoming familiar. A tragedy occurs involving a white victim and a non-white perpetrator. The victim’s family appeals for calm and asks that their loss should not be used to fuel racial hatred. The appeal is ignored. “We want to use Henry’s heartbreaking story … Read more

Net Zero Without Industry

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Britain has committed itself to one of the most ambitious net zero programmes in the world. Targets are set. Timelines are clear. Policies—subsidies, mandates, bans—are steadily pushing the economy towards decarbonisation. On its own terms, this is a success story. Emissions are falling. Coal is disappearing from the energy mix. Electric vehicles are becoming more … Read more

Small Boats, Big Silence

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The number of people crossing the Channel in small boats fell again in May. In May 2025, 3,738 people crossed the Channel in small boats. In May 2026, that figure was 2,713 — a reduction of 1,025 people. More importantly, this is not a one-off. Crossings have now fallen in eight of the last ten … Read more

Billingham, South Bank and Anthony Barber: Business rates and Britain’s Most Chaotic Chancellor

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In 1970, Ted Heath unexpectedly became Prime Minister, replacing Harold Wilson for what turned out to be a turbulent four years. His Chancellor, Anthony Barber, embarked on one of the most ambitious — and disastrous — economic experiments in modern British history. The resulting “Barber Boom” was a huge dash for growth: tax cuts, relaxed … Read more