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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John Healey has delivered a fatal blow to Starmer’s premiership

Opinion

The defence minister’s resignation reveals the complete collapse of Keir Starmer’s authority, says Eliot Wilson The resignation of the Defence Secretary, John Healey, last week, with his Armed Forces Minister Al Carns a few hours behind him, was a very serious blow for Sir Keir Starmer. Let us be clear about the significance of this: [...]
One year after Brian Wilson’s death: Beach Boys founder a genius like no other

Life&Style

A year ago today, Brian Wilson, the introverted, vulnerable genius behind the Beach Boys, died in his sleep at home in Beverly Hills. He was 82 years old, and his health was ruined: his death certificate included respiratory arrest, sepsis, cystitis, neurodegenerative disorder, obstructive sleep apnoea and chronic kidney disease. His mental state had long been [...]
On this day: Britain’s first banking crisis

Opinion

On 8 June 1772 Alexander Fordyce, a partner at Neale, James, Fordyce and Down absconded to France to escape crippling debts caused by a sharp rise in shares in the East India Company, writes Eliot Wilson As 1772 opened, Alexander Fordyce seemed like a wealthy and successful man. He was 42 years old, a partner [...]

Electoral reform could destroy the Labour party

June 8, 2026

Labour is playing with fire to consider electoral reform at a time when it’s share of voter support is so low, says Eliot Wilson Electoral reform is one of those issues to which most people give little thought, but for those to whom it matters, it matters a great deal. Changing the voting system for [...]
On this day: The death of Ronald Reagan

June 5, 2026

On this day, 5 June 2004, Ronald Reagan died of pneumonia at his home in Bel-Air aged 93, writes Eliot Wilson.
100 candles in the wind: Celebrating Marilyn Monroe’s centenary

June 3, 2026

This week marked the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. It seems both absurd – she was younger than national treasure Sir David Attenborough – yet also somehow reasonable: she is now a figure from the past, barely even brushed by the outstretched fingertips of memory. Marilyn’s status as an icon is assured, hard-wired into [...]
Milburn NEET review: Anger crackles from the page but will Labour act?

June 1, 2026

Alan Milburn's review into Britain's economically inactive youth (or NEETs) makes for extraordinary reading, but will the government act?
On this day: Britain’s youngest ever Prime Minister is born

May 28, 2026

A prodigy and exception, William Pitt the Younger was Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister. On this day in 1759, he was born, writes Eliot Wilson
Supermarket price caps? Rachel Reeves is truly panicking

May 25, 2026

Rachel Reeves's impulse to meddle in supermarket pricing shows she is not seriously interested in growth at all, writes Eliot Wilson.
On This Day: Happy birthday Andrew Neil

May 21, 2026

Today in 1949, Andrew Neil was born. He remains one of the most compelling figures in the British media landscape, writes Eliot Wilson In a media landscape of interchangeable and forgettable talking heads, Andrew Neil remains an unmistakable and forceful presence. Readers who can recall a time when he was not a well-kent face in [...]

Healey condemns Reeves: ‘Our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury’

Brits urged to back UK pubs during World Cup amid booking surge

Old Pulteney releases 50-year-old whisky for 200th anniversary

By: Eliot Wilson

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