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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Reform UK and the Conservatives: a coalition of the unwilling?

December 8, 2025

How credible are rumours of a deal between Reform UK and the Conservatives to “unite the right”? Asks Eliot Wilson Last week, The Financial Times reported that Nigel Farage had told donors some kind of understanding between Reform UK and the Conservative Party before the next general election was “inevitable”. Whether a “merger”, a “pact” [...]
On this day: Enron files for bankruptcy

December 2, 2025

On This Day in 2001, Enron, once considered America’s most innovative company collapsed, writes Eliot Wilson It’s hard to remember an economic boom now, but the last decade of the 20th century was exactly that for the United States. Annual growth was 3.5 per cent, the jobless total fell until there was nigh on full [...]
Trial by jury is too important to be left to David Lammy

December 2, 2025

David Lammy is seeking to solve a shortage of resources in the justice system by fundamentally rewriting the legal and constitutional framework of England and Wales. That’s deeply wrong, argues Eliot Wilson The headline in The Times last week was extraordinary: “Jury trials to be scrapped except for alleged rapists and killers”. A memorandum from [...]
On this day: The resignation of Margaret Thatcher

November 28, 2025

On 28 November 1990, Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street for the last time, leaving the United Kingdom in a very,very much better state than when she came there, writes Eliot Wilson I doubt I am alone in remembering the day clearly, though I had only recently turned 13. Margaret Thatcher gave a short and emotional [...]
Is Keir Starmer trying to hard to be a human being?

November 24, 2025

Starmer’s cringe-making video address to his son for International Men’s Day only served to underline how odd and lifeless a politician he really is, says Eliot Wilson Last Wednesday was International Men’s Day. To mark the occasion – and, because he is a politician, and self-promotion is an intrinsic part of the role – Sir [...]
On this day in 1987: 31 killed in King’s Cross fire

November 18, 2025

On this day in 1987, a dropped match in King's Cross Station set a wooden escalator ablaze, costing 31 lives. Eliot Wilson looks back.
Labour: what the hell is going on?

November 17, 2025

Against a backdrop of catastrophic briefings and an upcoming Budget doom, contenders are vying to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership – but none of them have any idea how they would do things differently, says Eliot Wilson Last week was not a good one for the Prime Minister. With the latest opinion poll [...]
On this day: Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web

November 12, 2025

On this day in 1990, physicist Tim Berners-Lee circulated a memo for a relatively modest information sharing proposal that would go on to revolutionise commerce, writes Eliot Wilson At 35, Tim Berners-Lee was a fellow at the particle physics laboratory CERN. A physicist by training, he had become interested in computer networking and how organisations [...]
Prince Harry’s love letter to Britishness is thin gruel

November 10, 2025

Prince Harry has never posed as a deep thinker, but his paean to “banter” written from his mansion in Montecito is beyond a joke, says Eliot Wilson If immigration is one of the most contentious subjects in contemporary British politics, then British identity is in turn one of its knottiest elements. What does it mean [...]
On this day: The Gunpowder Plot

November 5, 2025

Remember, remember… on this day in 1605 Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament was foiled Today 420 years ago was supposed to see the State Opening of the Parliament for its second session. The 100-day first session had been frustrating and fruitless: a new king from a [...]

Defence splurge cannot fund planned expansion, military chief says

Game, set, appeal: Wimbledon’s £200m expansion hits the court

Ariana Grande to make London theatre debut with Wicked co-star

By: Eliot Wilson

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