A few days ago I asked an American acquaintance – as one does these days – where he sees “it”, by which I meant the political situation, heading. He took a breath. “In my opinion, the US is in a very similar position to Germany in 1933-4,” he said. “And we have to ask, could … Read more
Three French governments have collapsed in less than a year, and the political crisis looks likely to continue, overshadowing Emmanuel Macron’s last 18 months in power and his domestic legacy. This week, the latest minority government narrowly survived its first vote of no-confidence. But it remains the weakest cabinet in decades and could be toppled … Read more
NASA Launches Mission to Map the Bubble Around Our Solar System
An Army of Robot Telescopes in Texas Makes the Stars Feel Closer Than Ever
Good morning. Rachel Reeves has gone to Washington for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – but the main audience for her public comments this week has been the one back at home. Ahead of what is certain to be a tough budget next month, the chancellor has sought to prepare people … Read more
They’re Ready to Go to Mars
Hosting European Union leaders in Copenhagen earlier this month, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, described Europe as facing “the most difficult and dangerous situation since the second world war”. There have been other moments of high tension, such as during the 1980s when US cruise missiles were deployed in Germany in response to an … Read more
Rachel Reeves has said tax rises and spending cuts are on the table for this autumn’s budget, as the government aims to tackle a growing shortfall in the public finances which she said was partly due to the lingering impact of Brexit. Speaking to Sky News, the chancellor said: “Of course, we’re looking at tax … Read more
Pressure on Downing Street to release evidence in collapsed China spy case Downing Street is under pressure to publish its evidence in the collapsed China spy case after the Crown Prosecution Service denied having blocked its release, Emine Sinmaz reports. Share Good morning. In a much-praised FT column yesterday, Stephen Bush argued that one problem … Read more
Britain and France do not share a fixed quota of political stability such that reduced volatility on one side of the Channel causes chaos across the water. It was just a coincidence that Keir Starmer won a huge majority at precisely the moment last July when legislative elections made France ungovernable for Emmanuel Macron. It … Read more