Garvan Walshe: The burkini ban is an attack on Western values
The mayors of Nice and Cannes have been goaded into a culture war without the least clue about the culture they’re attempting to defend.
Rebecca Coulson: Ten reflections on a Momentum rally
This is history in the making, and that’s what it’s all about.
Henry Hill: Davidson accuses Sturgeon of distorting EU vote to sow discord
Also: Corbyn moves to rule out coalition with SNP; Brokenshire embarks on Northern Ireland Brexit tour; Nationalists accused of ‘gagging’ journalists; and more.
Nadhim Zahawi: Both men vying for the Labour leadership pose a threat to our national security
The safety of the British people cannot be trusted to politicians who simply try to wish away dangers like ISIS and Putin.
Iain Dale: I watch Loughton become the second most popular Conservative in Scotland
Plus: Stingy Liberal Democrats. Stupid Owen Smith. And: at the Edinburgh Festival – and why those right-on comedians don’t get life beyond the M25.
Daniel Hannan: All the wonders of human civilisation can be found in a chicken sandwich
The miracle of the market combines the efforts of countless people to provide you with an affordable, accessible lunch.
Henry Hill: Labour raise the prospect of a pact with the SNP
Also: Mundell warns Sturgeon against referendum speculation; Smith attacked in Wales over Pfizer links; DUP and UUP clash over Brexit; and more.
Andrew Kennedy: How best to select local government candidates
The rights of incumbents should be balanced against the aspirations of new applicants. Here’s how we manage it in West Kent.
Iain Dale: Off I go to find The Gayest Thing You’ve Ever Seen
Plus: August, the best political month. Thatcher, the best post-war Prime Minister. Off to Any Questions. Off to Edinburgh. And: will I poison an MP?
Lewis Baston: Labour-inspired, Conservative-inclining. The swing seat story of the New Towns.
They have gone either way in successive elections, but their recent results show up electoral trends that helping the Tories.
Garvan Walshe: Why May is right to reopen the debate on grammar schools
Academic selection provides both an incentive to play by the rules that will stand children in good stead in later life – and a means of escaping those who don’t.
Henry Hill: May and Sturgeon both dismiss 2017 referendum rematch
Also: Fallon confirms Scottish base expansion; UKIP members decide fate of Welsh leader; Wales to scrap Right to Buy; and more.
Rebecca Coulson: Thinking about the first human head transplant makes my brain hurt
If the head of one person is attached to the body of another, which of them survives – if either?
Nadhim Zahawi: Why Trump and Brexiteers have nothing in common
Our vote was about delivering power back to the people, and removing it from distant powerful figures. “The Donald”, on the other hand, asks the people to give him the power.
Iain Dale: The UKIP leadership election. Five nonentities and Diane James.
Plus: Trump’s folly, Miliband’s mess, my first West Ham game at the Olympic Stadium – and Margaret Thatcher, Queen of Game Shows.