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 : Space Shuttle Challenger is lost

January 28, 2026

On this day in 1986, millions watched on live TV as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded moments after launch, Eliot Wilson remembers On this day 40 years ago, NASA was preparing to launch the 25th mission of its Space Shuttle programme, STS-51-L, using the Space Shuttle Challenger on its 10th flight. During a six-day mission, [...]
Farage’s revenge on the banks proves he is more Trump than Thatcher

January 26, 2026

Nigel Farage's promise to tax banks more shows his Trumpian revenge coming out to play, writes Eliot Wilson.
On this day 1571: The Royal Exchange is opened

January 23, 2026

The Royal Exchange was opened by Elizabeth I 455 years ago on this day. Eliot Wilson traces the origins of its success.
U-turn on ID cards reveals a deeper flaw in Starmer’s Labour

January 19, 2026

With his latest U-turn, Keir Starmer has taken a controversial policy which nonetheless had a substantial support base and made it deeply unpopular. It’s of a piece with his whole approach to government, says Eliot Wilson Last week the government announced – or perhaps admitted? – that the digital ID unveiled last year will not [...]
On this day: The fall of Carillion

January 15, 2026

On this day 2018 Carillion, the construction giant, ran out of road Tarmac. It is easy to forget that the word we unthinkingly use for the everyday road material began life as a trademark, a mixture of coal tar and macadam aggregate which in 1903 launched a company. By the 1990s, Tarmac Group was a [...]
Mark my words: Starmer is set to approve China’s ‘super embassy’

January 12, 2026

Keir Starmer is set to travel to China and has appealed for business leaders to accompany him. You don’t do that if you’re anticipating holding a foreign government to account, says Eliot Wilson At the end of this month, Sir Keir Starmer is due to travel to China for the first visit by a British [...]
On this day 1799: Britain’s first income tax

January 9, 2026

On this day, 9 January 1799, Britain introduced its first 'temporary' income tax. Workers have been vexed ever since, writes Eliot Wilson.
Starmer promised to ‘rewire the state’ so why is the civil service bigger?

January 6, 2026

Civil service headcount has reached a 20-year high, bigger than it was during Brexit or Covid. Yet more proof that this Prime Minister’s only belief is in bigger government, says Eliot Wilson When Sir Keir Starmer appointed a new cabinet secretary and head of the civil service at the end of 2024, he made a [...]
Five predictions for politics in 2026

December 31, 2025

At the beginning of 2025 I gave caution the slip and made five predictions for the year in politics. One was wrong: I anticipated Liberal Democrat Mike Ross would be elected Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, but he lost to Reform UK’s Luke Campbell by 11,000 votes. The remaining four I claim as wins. [...]
On this day: Britain pays off its debt to America

December 29, 2025

On 29 December 2006, the government paid its final instalment of its post-war loan repayments to America, writes Eliot Wilson Nineteen years ago today, on 29 December 2006, the recently appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Ed Balls, made an historic announcement. The government was paying the final instalment of the loan given by the [...]

Private sector to decline but City to buck trend

Why Nike’s split with Raducanu is a conscious uncoupling

Penderyn Distillery launches its first 25-year-old single malt

By: Eliot Wilson

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