Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer

Cookies on FT Sites

We use cookies (opens in new window) for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to analyse how our Sites are used.
Manage cookies
Accept & continue
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
Open side navigation menuOpen search bar
Financial Times
myFT
  • Home
  • World
    Sections
    • World Home
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Middle East and North Africa
    Most Read
    • Donald Trump says he will leave office if Joe Biden’s victory is confirmed
    • ‘It’s finally got to rural America’: coronavirus surges in the Dakotas
    • UK dismisses ‘derisory’ EU fishing offer ahead of last-ditch trade talks
    • Swedes question Covid-19 approach as second wave hits
    • North Korea executes forex trader as Kim tightens grip on economy
  • US
    Sections
    • US Home
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
    • US Presidential Election 2020
    Most Read
    • Delta and Alitalia to launch ‘quarantine free’ flights from US to Italy
    • How Trump’s vaccine effort produced results at ‘warp speed’
    • Salesforce talks to buy Slack foreshadow showdown with Microsoft
    • Donald Trump says he will leave office if Joe Biden’s victory is confirmed
    • Google ordered to hand over emails in £453m divorce battle
  • Companies
    Sections
    • Companies Home
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
    Most Read
    • Doubts raised over AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine data
    • Delta and Alitalia to launch ‘quarantine free’ flights from US to Italy
    • German watchdog reports EY to prosecutors over Wirecard audit
    • Google ordered to hand over emails in £453m divorce battle
    • A hitchhiker’s guide to the City
  • Tech
  • Markets
    Sections
    • Markets Home
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Capital Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Fund Management
    • Trading
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
    Most Read
    • What Mrs Watanabe can tell us about how to handle low returns
    • UK digital watchdog planned to check Big Tech
    • The risks in the power of stock market indices
    • Further reading
    • Vaccine hopes set off rush for emerging markets
  • Climate
  • Graphics
  • Opinion
    Sections
    • Opinion Home
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Work & Careers
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
    Most Read
    • Bitcoin goes splat
    • Those who get vaccinated deserve more freedom
    • Emmanuel Macron’s illiberal plan to protect the French police
    • A hitchhiker’s guide to the City
    • Saudi crown prince and Israel’s Netanyahu meet after Biden win
  • Life & Arts
    Sections
    • Life & Arts Home
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
    Most Read
    • McDonald’s Chris Kempczinski: ‘Our menu is very Darwinian’
    • Diego Maradona: too grand to pity
    • Best Books of the Year 2020
    • Treasury enjoys boost in capital gains tax receipts
    • Rich People’s Problems: Should I book a holiday?
  • How to Spend It
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
MenuSearch
  • Home
  • World
  • US
  • Companies
  • Tech
  • Markets
  • Climate
  • Graphics
  • Opinion
  • Life & Arts
  • How to Spend It
Financial Times
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe

$50 for your first 3 months Get the print edition and steer from crisis to recovery

Subscribe now

Robert Shrimsley

UK chief political commentator and UK editor at large

Robert Shrimsley is UK chief political commentator and UK editor at large of the Financial Times. He writes a weekly column on British politics and for the FT weekend magazine. Before this, he served as the FT’s chief political correspondent, news editor, managing editor of FT.com and editorial director.

Email Robert Shrimsley @robertshrimsley (link opens in a new browser window)
Email Robert Shrimsley @robertshrimsley (link opens in a new browser window)

Add to myFT Digest

Add this topic to your myFT Digest for news straight to your inbox

  • Friday, 27 November, 2020
    FT MagazineCoronavirus economic impact
    Someone forgot to tell Covid it’s Christmas

    ‘Are we really to believe Covid-19 is unaware of the festive season? Has it not seen the John Lewis ads?’

  • Wednesday, 25 November, 2020
    UK spending review
    Sunak fighting a battle for traditional Tory values

    Conservative party is becoming hooked on the deficit financing they purportedly oppose

  • Friday, 20 November, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Princesss Nut Nuts and the WhatsApp messages of Thomas Cromwell

    The Dominic Cummings row has all the makings of a feud at the Tudor court

  • Wednesday, 18 November, 2020
    UK Government
    Boris Johnson needs more than one reset

    British PM has a chance for change but a softer tone should not be mistaken for big policy shifts

  • Thursday, 12 November, 2020
    FT MagazineUK politics & policy
    Time for the UK to put its big-boy pants on

    Britain needs to be less needy about the ‘special relationship’ with the US

  • Wednesday, 11 November, 2020
    Labour Party UK
    Joe Biden’s victory proves that anger is an enemy for Keir Starmer

    The Labour leader can learn from the president-elect’s ‘narrow pathway’ to power

  • Wednesday, 11 November, 2020
    UK politics & policy4 min
    Boris Johnson's battles with coronavirus, Brexit and himself | FT Opinion

    Aggressive politicking has left the prime minister little room for manoeuvre

  • Thursday, 5 November, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Magna Carta offers no way to get out of lockdown

    ‘Quoting clauses from a 13th-century document is a sure sign of a lost cause’

  • Thursday, 29 October, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    At last, a Highway Code fit for a Barbarian Plus world

    ‘This feels the right time to offer suggestions on how the new code might reflect the modern road-user’s experience’

  • Promoted Content
  • Monday, 26 October, 2020
    UK politics & policy
    A Biden win would save Britain’s Tories from themselves

    Alternatively, a Trump win would encourage the UK ruling party’s worst instincts

  • Thursday, 22 October, 2020
    FT MagazineCoronavirus pandemic
    Could you stick to a Covid 5:2 diet?

    ‘A regular “circuit-breaker” requires not just two weeks of social spinach but five weeks of self-discipline’

  • Wednesday, 21 October, 2020
    FT SeriesCoronavirus: Could the world have been spared?
    Will coronavirus break the UK?

    Covid-19 has already driven a greater wedge between the four nations, testing the boundaries of power. But could it push them even further apart?

  • Wednesday, 21 October, 2020
    UK devolution
    Gove pledges to reset relations with devolved capitals

    UK government aims to improve liaison after clashes during coronavirus crisis

  • Monday, 19 October, 2020
    UK foreign policy
    Brexit Britain adopts the Microsoft model

    After leaving the EU, the country is about to have another go at defining its global role

  • Thursday, 15 October, 2020
    ReviewBiography and memoir
    Boris Johnson: The Gambler — a sympathetic portrait

    The prime minister’s flaws are treated kindly in Tom Bower’s new biography exploring the impact of a miserable childhood

  • Wednesday, 14 October, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    I'm with the cyber squad in the ballyhoo about the ballet ad

    ‘One could take a positive view of the advert, which is not only defying gender stereotypes but encouraging people to think of other paths’

  • Monday, 12 October, 2020
    UK politics & policy
    Boris Johnson’s political fear is starting to show

    The UK prime minister must stop apologising for his Covid strategy and start evangelising

  • Thursday, 8 October, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    How to hack a second lockdown

    The PM’s mantra may be ‘hands, face, space’ but we know the real message is ‘haircut, Ocado, loo roll’

  • Tuesday, 6 October, 2020
    Instant InsightBoris Johnson
    Boris Johnson sings of a lovely day tomorrow

    UK prime minister serves a dose of medicinal optimism at the Conservative party conference

  • Monday, 5 October, 2020
    Boris Johnson
    ‘Maoist’ Downing Street faces its own revolution

    British MPs on both sides have found common cause in the need to hold Boris Johnson to account

  • Thursday, 1 October, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    University lockdowns: a whole new way to fail young people

    ‘They are a manifestation of the wider reaction of leaders behind the curve at every step’

  • Wednesday, 30 September, 2020
    ReviewNon-Fiction
    This Land by Owen Jones — Corbynism beyond Corbyn

    A critique of Labour’s election defeat seeks to give life to the manifesto without the man

  • Monday, 28 September, 2020
    Rishi Sunak
    Rishi Sunak leads the Tories back to tough love

    UK chancellor’s return to economic orthodoxy makes him a darling of lockdown sceptics

  • Thursday, 24 September, 2020
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Puff Daddy: a man, a clarinet, a midlife crisis

    Some people deal with ageing by buying a Ferrari. Others…

  • Monday, 21 September, 2020
    Boris Johnson
    Boris Johnson is not lost; he’s right in front of you

    UK prime minister’s weaknesses were never hidden and now he is torn between combative aides and his one-nation instincts

Previous You are on page 1 Next

Useful links

Support

View Site TipsHelp CentreAbout UsAccessibilitymyFT TourCareers

Legal & Privacy

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookiesCopyrightSlavery Statement & Policies

Services

FT LiveShare News Tips SecurelyIndividual SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsRepublishingContracts & Tenders
Executive Job SearchAdvertise with the FTFollow the FT on TwitterFT TransactSecondary Schools

Tools

PortfolioToday's Newspaper (ePaper)Alerts HubBusiness School Rankings
Enterprise ToolsNews feedNewslettersCurrency Converter
More from the FT Group
Markets data delayed by at least 15 minutes. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2020. FT and ‘Financial Times’ are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.
Financial Times

International Edition

  • Switch to UK Edition
  • Top sections
  • Home
  • World
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Middle East and North Africa
  • US
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
    • US Presidential Election 2020
  • Companies
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
  • Tech
  • Markets
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Capital Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Fund Management
    • Trading
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
  • Climate
  • Graphics
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Work & Careers
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
  • Life & Arts
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
  • Personal Finance
    • Property & Mortgages
    • Investments
    • Pensions
    • Tax
    • Banking & Savings
    • Advice & Comment
    • Next Act
  • How to Spend It
  • Special Reports
  • FT recommends
  • Lex
  • Alphaville
  • Lunch with the FT
  • FT Globetrotter
  • #techAsia
  • Moral Money
  • FTfm
  • Newsletters
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • News feed
  • myFT
  • Portfolio
  • Today's Newspaper (ePaper)
  • Crossword
  • Our Apps
  • Help Centre
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In