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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Alex Salmond obituary: The Scottish firebrand who shook up British politics

October 14, 2024

Alex Salmond was the dominant figure in Scottish politics of the past three decades. He led the Scottish National Party for 20 years, was the first pro-independence First Minister of Scotland and brought about a referendum on the Union which ended his front-line career but put to bed any lingering notion that a separate Scotland was unimaginable.
Being ‘the grown ups in the room’ won’t cut it with investors

October 14, 2024

At today’s International Investment Summit, ministers must recognise that businesses want concrete assurances about the kind of returns they can expect, says Eliot Wilson Today is the government’s long-anticipated International Investment Summit, which will bring together potential investors from abroad and within the United Kingdom and is intended to show, in the business and trade [...]
Britain’s economy can’t run on industrial nostalgia

October 7, 2024

Just because an area like Port Talbot once supported a particular industry like steel, there’s no reason the state must ensure it always does, says Eliot Wilson When the government announced last month that it would give Tata Steel £500m to modernise its facility in Port Talbot, I noticed a revealing remark. The business and [...]
Labour’s relationship with business was never a love match

September 30, 2024

A shambolic ‘business day’ at Labour Party conference reveals the government’s true feelings about the City, says Eliot Wilson Only those addicted to Sir Keir Starmer’s own-brand Flavor Aid would claim that last week’s Labour Party conference was an unqualified success. Assessments were mixed, but it was not the joyful fiesta a new government might [...]
‘Grown up’ Sue Gray is looking like a political ingenue

September 23, 2024

Sue Gray awarding herself a more generous salary than the Prime Minister’s betrays a high-handed and naive approach to politics, says Eliot Wilson When the BBC revealed last week that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, earned more than her boss, the story developed in a number of different ways. Some felt that [...]
Port Talbot shows what ‘tough decisions’ really look like

September 16, 2024

The government’s £500m rescue package for the Port Talbot steelworks is an unsatisfactory trade-off between job losses and industry efficiency, says Eliot Wilson Was it a welcome reprieve or another sad measure of decline? Last week the business and trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, announced a revised deal with Tata Steel to provide a £500m subsidy [...]
Who’d be ambassador to President Trump?

September 9, 2024

Peter Mandelson and David Miliband are rumoured to be in the frame for British ambassador to Washington, but only if Kamala Harris wins. That’s a mistake. A Trump victory would demand a diplomatic heavyweight, says Eliot Wilson By the beginning of next year, Dame Karen Pierce will have served as British ambassador to the United [...]
The government needs a flight plan

September 3, 2024

Airport capacity is a vital national infrastructure issue critical to growth, but we have no idea where the government stands, says Eliot Wilson Michael O’Leary, the veteran CEO of Ryanair, is a reliable source of copy. Last week this paper reported his view that the next runway to be built to serve London would not [...]
Labour should not be taking inspiration from Kamala Harris

August 27, 2024

Labour has a long-standing love affair with the Democrats, but while the Vice President’s plans for price controls by any other name may be popular, but they are economically illiterate, says Eliot Wilson It is hard to believe that barely a month has passed since Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election in November [...]
The state is bad at picking winners. GB Energy will prove that

August 19, 2024

GB Energy is likely to prove to be another example of how the state can't pick winners, writes Eliot Wilson.

Former City traders’ fraud convictions overturned

Saudi Arabia still open to sport investing, insists PIF, despite drastic cutbacks

The Kaare Klint building refashioned as Copenhagen’s coolest new hotel

By: Eliot Wilson

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