The Debate: This house has confidence in the president-elect of the Oxford Union September 16, 2025 Following the horrifying death of Charlie Kirk, the president-elect of the Oxford Union, George Abaraonye, posted comments online appearing to celebrate his murder. Since then, many have called for him to be removed from the post. The whole affair has raised questions about the necessity and limits of free speech in a democracy – and [...]
Britain’s investment exodus and the slow death of animal spirits September 11, 2025 The merger of Anglo American with Teck and Ineos’ halt to UK investment highlight a deepening crisis of confidence in Britain’s business climate, with critics blaming government policy for driving companies and capital overseas, says James Price The dwarves of Moria may have dug too deep in The Lord of the Rings, but the British [...]
Britain must re-learn the lessons of VE Day May 8, 2025 On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, it’s not enough to simply remember World War II – we must face today’s challenges with the same spirit of unity, resolve and sacrifice, says James Price The editor of these fine opinion pages turns to me when she wants someone to really ham up a topic, presumably [...]
Could Britain survive a blackout? April 30, 2025 Blackouts across the Iberian Peninsula have exposed the fragility of our highly-connected infrastructure – and Britain is uniquely ill-equipped for a similar incident, says James Price In Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, society comes crashing down because the most talented people are not respected or rewarded for their endeavours, so they go on strike. Quickly, things [...]
Nationalising British Steel – again? Look where it got us the first time April 16, 2025 Nationalising British Steel is a story we already know the ending to. Repeating it is the definition of insanity, writes James Price.
Britain must not forget the lessons of Adam Smith April 8, 2025 Adam Smith taught us that trade is not a zero-sum game 250 years ago. Trump may not have read his Wealth of Nations, but the rest of the world now must, says James Price Much ink has been spilled over Trump’s tariffs in the past few weeks. At a glance, the bear case is that [...]
Booze, chocolate, meat, flights: What will Labour tax next? March 28, 2025 Pitiful growth forecasts will tempt Reeves to impose sin taxes on everything from a can of coke to a holiday, says James Price I’ve previously called the Chancellor Reeves the Roundhead in these pages, in honour of her fun-killing ways. But she’s not the first Chancellor to tax having a good time. A tax designed [...]
Radical honesty on net zero is Badenoch at her best March 20, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has said that net zero by 2050 is impossible and she has the evidence to prove it. Now she needs to prove she has the energy to take on the reform Britain so badly needs, says James Price At last, I have seen the Kemi Badenoch that her supporters see. The leader of [...]
Why it matters that The Rest Is Politics gets everything wrong March 14, 2025 On issues from Trump to Syria, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart’s wildly popular podcast The Rest is Politics is actively making its millions of listeners less informed, says James Price “I wasn’t fundamentally wrong because I was patronising to people. I was wrong because I’m an optimist and I hate the idea of being wrong [...]
Defence spending is one thing, but does Gen Z have the will to fight? March 5, 2025 It’s not just our diminished armed forces that leave Britain vulnerable to Putin, it’s a generation raised on the idea that Britain isn’t worth fighting for, says James Price In his “Politics and the English Language” George Orwell warned against using tired, old metaphors, as they reflected tired, old thinking. But the poor frog in [...]
