Starmer has failed to stand up for his own principles
2026: Already a big year for impotent political handwringing
ByThe Magazine
In this week’s issue
What Trump wants
My kidney stone was the least painful part of the new year
The only person who seemed to be having a worse time than me at this point was Keir Starmer
By
Britain according to The Traitors
Also this week: rereading Agatha Christie, and the golden age of journalism
By
A steam train in Essex helped me forget the frigid depths of winter
A trip to nowhere and an Abba sing-a-long are the stuff of escapist Britain
By
Partying with Piers and his peers
Plus: the death of cash, and a “once-in-a-500-year moment”
By
Letter of the week: Know thy party
Write to letters@newstatesman.co.uk to have your thoughts voiced in the New Statesman magazine
By
Why Starmer won’t condemn Trump on Venezuela
The real worry is whether the PM still has any influence over the US president
By
Greenland enters crisis mode
The island fears it will be next on the Maga hit list
By
Trump needs Venezuelan oil to power AI
Otherwise the US faces a future of energy scarcity
By
America kidnapped a president. Keir Starmer said nothing
The abduction of Nicolás Maduro marks a new phase of American imperialism – in which Britain is a vassal…
By
Does a £150k salary make you rich?
Exclusive poll reveals no matter how wealthy, Britons don’t see themselves as “the rich”
By
God loves Lily Phillips
The porn star’s conversion to Christianity seems unlikely, but God loves an outcast
By
Europe’s American Dream has become a nightmare
Britain and the continent have withered under US protection
By
The age of invasion
How Trump’s new global strategy will assert Washington’s hemispheric ambitions
By
Fiona Hill: “The UK needs to think of its own sovereignty”
The foreign policy expert on spheres of influence and what America First really means
By
America’s imperial overreach
In Venezuela, the Trump administration has blundered into a chaotic situation it cannot control
By
Donald Trump is leading the UK to a dark place
Keir Starmer is unwilling to accept that the terms of the special relationship have changed
By
The world after Trump’s Venezuela gambit
Jeremy Corbyn, Clare Short, Robert D Kaplan and others reflect on the consequences of the Caracas attack
By
The liberal dilemma on Venezuela
How the Monroe Doctrine came back to haunt the West
By
The rise of AI Face
Age-defying facelifts are reshaping what is aesthetically acceptable – and biologically possible
By
The best fiction to read this year
Despite the doomsters, novels continue to thrive. From Julian Barnes to Leïla Slimani, this will be a great 12…
By
The best non-fiction to read this year
From memoirs by politicians to biographies of poets, this will be a year in which life-writing abounds
By
The best film & TV to watch in 2026
While there are exciting movies and series to come this year, the industry feels like it’s out of ideas
By
The music acts to follow in 2026
It’s already becoming clear which musicians will break through
By
The best exhibitions to see in 2026
A large contingent of female artists – including Tracey Emin and Frida Kahlo – takes to the walls alongside…
By
The best theatre to see in 2026
Sexual politics dominate the year’s most anticipated plays
By
The indignity of Farmer J
Fast-casual cafés turn lunch into a trip to the metaverse
By
Should the NHS stop screening patients for cancer?
Some are subjected to unnecessary therapies, which can cause significant harm
By
I dream and smell of festive roast goose
It turns out that fatty food does not make my gallstones howl in agony
By
Beer and sandwiches: At the Old Nag’s Head in Derbyshire
A pub should comfort, relax, lift the spirits and loosen the tongue
By
From the archive: John Carey’s normal people
August 1987: Geoff Dyer reviews the writer’s selected works
By