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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People read less: Do we still need the Booker Prize?

July 30, 2026

The world and it’s reading habits have changed – but has the Booker Prize changed too? And what purpose does it fulfil, asks Eliot Wilson What is the point of literary prizes? The longlist for this year’s Booker Prize was announced on Tuesday, 13 works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, which must [...]
Breaking up the science department is a setback for Britain’s AI ambitions

July 27, 2026

Spreading AI across four different departments is a mistake Andy Burnham will come to regret, says Eliot Wilson Last Tuesday, on his first full day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham killed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. That has set back the UK’s approach to science policy by several years, for reasons which are [...]
On this day: the birth of Michael Foot

July 23, 2026

On 23rd July 1913, Michael Foot was born. He would go on to become a Labour leader known for his eloquence, his rigid socialist ideology and his jackets. What lessons does his career offer for Andy Burnham? Asks Eliot Wilson Michael Mackintosh Foot was born on this day in 1913 in Plymouth. He would rise, [...]
Victory wasted: The cautionary tale of Keir Starmer

July 20, 2026

Keir Starmer sold himself as a non-politician, and proved again and again why political skills matter, writes Eliot Wilson.
On This Day in 1865: Lord Northcliffe, godfather of the tabloids, was born

July 15, 2026

Alfred Harmsworth, founder of the Daily Mail, was born into poverty on this day and went on to change the face of the British media and become enobled as Lord Northcliffe, writes Eliot Wilson Newspapers go back as far as the early 17th century, with general agreement that the first was the Strasbourg-based Relation aller [...]
Andy Burnham is utterly delusional

July 13, 2026

Andy Burnham has pledged to “value and respect” every member of the PLP and to favour consensus building over point scoring. We’ll see how long that attitude lasts once he faces his first backbench rebellion, says Eliot Wilson Andy Burnham’s premiership is only a week away. By Friday last week, he had received the backing [...]
Has The Odyssey made the classics cool now?

July 9, 2026

Are they elitist or universal? Either way, they’re Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey shows they’re going viral, says Eliot Wilson Classics – the study of ancient Greece and Rome, their languages, literature, history and art – is perceived not only as elitist, but as irrelevant, abstruse, without concrete value and self-indulgent. That you could [...]
Nigel Farage asks the crudest question: are you with me or against me?

July 8, 2026

Calling a by-election in Clacton is a new tactic but Nigel Farage’s strategy is the same: simplify, polarise, demonise, says Eliot Wilson Whatever your opinion of Nigel Farage – and there’s a broad spectrum – he knows how to put on a show. The Reform UK leader has always been more Barnum than Bismarck, and [...]
Remembering Norman Tebbit

July 7, 2026

Norman Tebbit died one year ago today. He remains a mnemonic for the high days of the high days of Thatcherism, writes Eliot Wilson A year ago today, former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit died at the age of 94. The media coverage was extensive for a man who had left office nearly 40 years [...]
‘Number 10 North’ is no more than a gimmick

July 6, 2026

Number 10 North has been designed to attract headlines without having been put under any real scrutiny, writes Eliot Wilson.

Lloyds Bank and Halifax users unable to use app in latest outage

Uefa to call off Fifa boycott and step up talks over Infantino at Champions League draw

Golf, events and bags of nostalgia at Newport’s Celtic Manor

By: Eliot Wilson

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