The Spectator

Are Brits really 'the most evil in history’? British-born ‘actress, comedian, activist and presenter’ Jameela Jamil believes we owe the Indian subcontinent $43 trillion for our occupation and exploitation during the colonial era. The Spectator's Lara Brown takes a closer look Jamil's claims. Article | https://lnkd.in/eNcvMma2

On today's Coffee House Shots podcast: In the magazine this week, James Heale writes that Kemi Badenoch was in an upbeat mood when she addressed her troops last week. 'This time last year,' she told the 1922 Committee, 'people said Jenrick was taking over the party, Starmer was steady and Farage would be the next prime minister. A year later, Rob is under police investigation, Starmer has resigned and Farage is not even an MP.' It is a reminder of how quickly the wheel of politics can turn. So what is Badenoch's grand plan for taking on Burnham? Listen | https://lnkd.in/dBdXiBCN

If John Healey wants to succeed as Chancellor, he needs to get a grip on the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I've written about the troubles and tribulations of our hapless Newport-based statistics office many times now, both in this newsletter and the magazine, and the problems keep coming. Its most high-profile failure of recent years has been the delivery of the Labour Force Survey (LFS). That's the main source of our knowledge about Britain's jobs market: unemployment, inactivity, redundancies etc etc. ✍️ Michael Simmons Article | https://lnkd.in/dUhbiFjb | @Simmons__

The hottest car I ever owned was a 1982 Volkswagen Scirocco GTI in metallic dark green. I once drove it overnight from London to Tuscany with a blind date who never spoke to me again, but that's another story. My point is that VW built my generation's chariots of fire and some of us feel more sadness than schadenfreude at what the Telegraph calls 'the downfall of a German giant', as the flagship of its nation's industrial armada contends with multiple impacts of geopolitical and technological change. ✍️ Martin Vander Weyer Article | https://lnkd.in/dUSX7kS8

Top of Andy Burnham's list of new policies is to tackle homelessness – something he pledged to solve in Greater Manchester. What really needs to be done to fix Britain's homelessness problem? And will his policy of rent controls really tackle rough sleeping? Michael Simmons takes a look at the data. Watch Reality Check | https://lnkd.in/dwCXVUiE

Some years ago, I managed to get an invitation to a very exclusive party. One of the guests was Prince Philip and some way into the evening he drifted over in my direction. He used the classic royal conversation opener: 'Hello, what's been keeping you busy?' 'I work in marketing,' I replied. 'Oh dear,' he said. He turned away and went to find someone more interesting. I was officially boring. ✍️ Steve Morris Article | https://lnkd.in/dT2CHQMa

The picture that is revealed is not merely murky. It undermines any claims that the ICC and its counterpart, the ICJ, have to being impartial arbiters of truth. In reality, they are tools used by states to help pursue their policy agendas. In the specific case of the allegations about Khan, it seems clear that Qatar has been seeking to use the ICC to further its own agenda towards Israel – which is especially concerning given that Qatar positions itself as a mediator in the Gaza conflict and broader Middle East. ✍️ Stephen Pollard Article | https://lnkd.in/dDdT4Mw6 | @stephenpollard

The Greater Manchester Police force has made a jaw-dropping admission. It says it failed to check vital information contained on the Manchester synagogue attacker's phone – even though he was arrested twice before he carried out his terror attack last year. Jihad al-Shamie was shot dead by police on 2 October last year during the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Two worshippers were killed. ✍️ Jawad Iqbal Article | https://lnkd.in/dSh5zer2

Each of us, I suspect, has at least one pretty niche belief. A view so odd that its best chance of ever being revealed may be through the discreet inquiry of a pollster. A YouGov survey has discovered just such an unusual attitude among our population. A poll of 2,300 British adults found that a mere 6 per cent would volunteer to fight for their country in the event of an 'imminent' invasion. An astonishing figure, even in an unpatriotic age. ✍️ Alex Glover Article | https://lnkd.in/dmRh5P4Z

Since Wes Streeting became the UK's latest Secretary of State for Defence earlier this week, critics have claimed that he is unqualified for the role. Streeting replaces Dan Jarvis, a former British Army officer, who was defence secretary for the six weeks before this. The last Conservative defence secretary, Ben Wallace (also a former army officer) believes that replacing Jarvis with Streeting ‘shows a contempt for defence at a time [that] they need continuity, and someone who understands the new way of warfare and the men and women of the armed forces’. ✍️ Ash Bhardwaj Article | https://lnkd.in/dXcBgEs3