Rob Lyons: It’s time to send McNanny packing

Holyrood has led the race for greater state intervention in people’s lives, and power has never felt more removed from voters’ concerns.

Garvan Walshe: To win back young voters, the Conservative Party should make feminism central to its platform

As Cameron once reached new voters by focusing on the environment, so the leader after May should take up the fight for gender equality.

Andrew Gimson’s Commons sketch: the former Foreign Secretary declares that there is a better way to lead us through Brexit

Though not as devastating as Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation statement, this one still pointed the Government on a new course.

Peter Marshall: The EU is the cuckoo in the WTO nest

The latter has never had the clout nor the resources required for it to do its ever-expanding task. It has had to play catch-up.
 


Why May – and all her predecessors – have failed to cut the Gordian knot of the EU

Andrew Adonis’ new study of Prime Ministers since Churchill shows how difficult it is to reach an acceptable, and practical, European policy.

Howard Flight: This Conservative Government has slipped towards socialism – the rot must be stopped

The tax take is at its highest ever, and yet the Government is looking at ways to raise yet more taxes.

Johnson. Britain is now “headed for the status of colony”.

This is not all about him. It is about the kind of country which the UK is going to become.

The Conservatives: not the Party of “f*ck business”, but not the Party of blind obedience to big business, either

Prioritising large over small, or current businesses over future businesses, would hurt workers, consumers, taxpayers, investors and the nation.

Alistair Lexden: Heath, the “almost great” Prime Minister who became the crosspatch of the century

This unusual leader still evokes passions in his Party even decades after his surprise election victory.

Chris Walker: Supercharged Free Ports, the visionary way to boost the north of England’s economy

In a balanced economy, the north would produce around £70 billion more. Here is one way to help close that gap.

Chloe Westley: Enough talk of tax rises from Tory Ministers. Let’s have tax cuts instead. Or else what are they for?

The Conservatives are not going to win the hearts and minds of the British people by proposing Labour-lite policies. There must be something different on offer.

Strength through joy?

Change, optimism and hope are a step up from paralysis, despair and pessimism. But successful politicians don’t necessarily radiate uplift.

Daniel Coughlan: Thirty years on from Thatcher’s ‘Sermon on the Mound’, faith is sadly excluded from public discourse

She spoke unashamedly of her religious beliefs, in a way that would sound shocking in today’s impoverished political culture.

James Frayne: The most effective case against nationalisation is the one that neither MPs nor businesses want to use

The injection of the truth that it would mean politicians in charge of services is enough to make most people see sense.

The CPS, Tory MPs, new ideas – and a debate we need on economic policy

Theresa May thought aloud about low interest rates. Mark Carney hit back and no more was heard from her. Time for others to do so?