By: Eliot Wilson

Eliot Wilson is a writer, commentator and contributing editor at Defence On The Brink. He was formerly a clerk in the House of Commons and writes regularly on politics, defence and international security, and Parliament and the constitution, including for The Spectator, The Hill, The i Paper and CapX

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On this day in 1940: McDonald’s is born in a strange kitchen in California

Opinion

On this day in 1940, Mac and Dick McDonald opened an octagonal kitchen in San Bernardino and changed food forever, writes Eliot Wilson.
Starmer serves up his best and empty platitudes

Opinion

If today’s relaunch-not-relaunch buys Keir Starmer any additional time in Downing Street, it will only be due to the extraordinary fecklessness of his would-be challengers, none of whom has anything significant to say about change either, says Eliot Wilson Is Sir Keir Starmer all right? There is a reason I ask. At last week’s local [...]
This accidental Finnish defence startup can teach the UK some lessons

Opinion

The UK is home to some of the world's most significant defence companies, but also its most inefficient procurement systems, writes Eliot Wilson.

On this day: Tony Blair’s New Labour landslide

May 1, 2026

A new dawn broke on this day in 1997, ushering in an era of Cool Britannia, writes Eliot Wilson Do you remember where you were on Thursday 1 May 1997? It was 20°C in London that afternoon: Michael Jackson headed the singles chart for the seventh time with “Blood on the Dance Floor”, while the [...]
Spare us Zack Polanski and Zohran Mamdani’s empty progressivism

April 25, 2026

Mamdani’s victory in New York proves it’s time to take Zack Polanski and the Green Party seriously. That means recognising how much their policy platform depends on wishful thinking and fantasy economics, says Eliot Wilson Harold Wilson, perhaps Labour’s wiliest Prime Minister, supposedly coined the phrase “a week is a long time in politics”. It [...]
On this day: The Suez Canal reopens

April 24, 2026

Today 69 years ago, on 24 April 1957, the Suez Canal reopened after six months of closure. What can history teach us about the current predicament in the Middle East, asks Eliot Wilson A strategically vital global waterway was re-opened to maritime traffic after conflict between a Middle Eastern state and Western powers had seen [...]
Wales First Minister’s radar station objections show she is out of her depth

April 20, 2026

Wales's First Minister has urged Keir Starmer to halt work on an AUKUS radar station. He would do best to ignore her, writes Eliot Wilson.
The golden boy: What we can learn from the late Henry Kelly

April 16, 2026

If you’re of a certain age – by which I mean at least in your 40s – you may have memories of wasting afternoons watching the extraordinary Reg Grundy-produced Euroquiz Going for Gold. Its genius loci was an affable Irishman called Henry Kelly, a man whom you suspected of having a different brass-buttoned blazer for [...]
On this day in 1660: The birth of Sir Hans Sloane, father of the Sloane Ranger

April 16, 2026

On this day, 16 April, in 1660, Sir Hans Sloane, whose name would later be lent to London socialite class the Sloane Rangers, was born.
The defence industry can’t wait for the government to find its courage

April 13, 2026

The government slips from one deadline to another and insists all is well. But the damage is already being done, to our industrial base, our capabilities and our reputation, says Eliot Wilson Sir Keir Starmer’s government cannot be blamed for all the shortcomings in Britain’s defence posture and capabilities, the roots of which can be [...]

‘I’ll be standing’: Streeting gears up to join leadership race as Burnham vows to save Labour

London Marathon’s staggering popularity isn’t about running at all

Why now is the perfect time to visit Cyprus

By: Eliot Wilson

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