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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Siddiq, Rayner, Mandelson: Starmer has proven himself a disastrous judge of character

September 15, 2025

Angela Rayner and Lord Mandelson are just the latest examples of Starmer's erring judgement when it comes to character, writes Eliot Wilson.
Will Trump trip up Nigel Farage?

September 8, 2025

Nigel Farage’s open admiration for Donald Trump may boost his profile abroad but risks alienating British voters, for whom Trump remains deeply unpopular, says Eliot Wilson If it is true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, then Nigel Farage can mark last week down as an unalloyed success. He travelled to Washington DC [...]
On this day in 1888: The Football League kicks off

September 8, 2025

Today in 1888, Aston Villa came to an anticlimactic 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Football League’s first season began.
On this day: The worst blazes of the Great Fire of London

September 4, 2025

On this day in 1666, the worst blazes of the Great Fire of London engulfed the City. Eliot Wilson tells us more.
A Treasury reshuffle on the eve of a Budget is a bad sign for Reeves

September 1, 2025

Handing responsibility for the economy to a man who was director of policy for Ed Miliband is a sign of desperation from Rachel Reeves, says Eliot Wilson Every time I see a new announcement from Rachel Reeves at the Treasury now, it puts me in mind of the poet Stevie Smith: “I was much further [...]
On This Day: When Britain led the atomic age

August 27, 2025

On this day in 1956, Calder Hall became the first nuclear power station to supply domestic electricity, so what went wrong? Asks Eliot Wilson Sixty-nine years ago today, on 27 August 1956, the United Kingdom reached an extraordinary scientific and industrial milestone. Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station near Seascale on the coast of Cumbria was [...]
Nostalgia won’t save the steel industry, no matter how hard Labour tries

August 25, 2025

As the government takes control of another beleaguered steel works, Eliot Wilson asks what, exactly, the long-term plan is?
On this day in 1968: Moscow crushes the Prague Spring

August 20, 2025

On this day in 1968, Alexander Dubček's experiments in "socialism with a human face" with the Prague Spring were met by the force of Moscow.
Sorry Nigel, appointing business leaders to government never actually works

August 18, 2025

Taking successful people from the business world and putting them in government sounds like a good idea, but history proves otherwise.
On this day: The special relationship is born with the Atlantic Charter

August 14, 2025

On this day in 1941, Churchill and Roosevelt made a joint statement that would come to be known as the Atlantic Charter - and the start of the special relationship.

G7 agrees to release diesel reserves after crisis meeting

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What’s on in October

By: Eliot Wilson

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