Eliot Wilson

Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement last February that the government would increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP from April 2027 seems a long time ago. It was trumpeted as the ‘biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War’, bu... See more

Sunday round-up 11 January 2026 Birthdays for Jean Chrétien, Arthur Scargill, Matteo Renzi and (RIP) Lord Curzon of Kedlestone, remembering England's first lottery and reflections on the Lascelles Principles A small housekeeping note: this week the number... See more

Delivery for Sir Keir Starmer: the big push for '26 Axel Heitmueller has been announced as the new Head of the PM's Delivery Unit and Starmer is placing his political fortunes in the ability to deliver change this year The dangers of optimism Shortly afte... See more

Britain will struggle to put 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine The current conflict in Ukraine has frequently been compared to the first world war. There is an echo of the same grimness and intensity: the huge artillery barrages, the sprawling network of t... See more

The current conflict in Ukraine has frequently been compared to the first world war. There is an echo of the same grimness and intensity: the huge artillery barrages, the sprawling network of trenches, the horrifying casualty rates. Amid all that, Sir Kei... See more