Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer

Cookies on FT Sites

We use cookies 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.

Accept & continue
Manage cookies
  • 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
    • China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile
    • Bank of England chief warns it ‘will have to act’ to curb inflation
    • Woman who won €1m literary prize turns out to be three men
    • Nato to expand focus to counter rising China
    • China’s energy crisis threatens lengthy disruption to global supply chain
  • US
    Sections
    • US Home
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
    Most Read
    • Apple’s privacy changes create windfall for its own advertising business
    • Nato to expand focus to counter rising China
    • Lex in-depth: does Uber deserve its $91bn valuation?
    • Former US secretary of state Colin Powell dies of Covid complications
    • Supply chain lessons from Long Beach
  • Companies
    Sections
    • Companies Home
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
    Most Read
    • Valneva says Covid jab yields stronger immune response than AstraZeneca’s
    • BMW left to play electric car catch-up after a pioneering charge
    • Is the army of lockdown traders here to stay?
    • Klarna overhauls UK ‘buy now, pay later’ service ahead of crackdown
    • Goldman Sachs granted full ownership of China securities venture
  • Tech
  • Markets
    Sections
    • Markets Home
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Capital Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Fund Management
    • Trading
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
    • Cryptocurrencies
    Most Read
    • Latest news updates: Supply chain problems cause biggest drop in US factory output in 7 months
    • ECB considers boosting purchases of EU recovery fund debt
    • Developing economies risk falling off the convergence process
    • US banks take diverging bets on direction of interest rates
    • Bitcoin exchange traded funds prepare for US debut
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    Sections
    • Opinion Home
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
    Most Read
    • Without an economic plan, patriotism is Boris Johnson’s last refuge
    • Supply chain lessons from Long Beach
    • France and the UK should be ashamed of their immature squabbles
    • The truth about the Anglosphere
    • Singapore: a haven in the pandemic, even if some pleasures are off the menu
  • Work & Careers
    Sections
    • Work & Careers Home
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
    Most Read
    • Young workers have a better grip on the need to unplug
    • Private equity’s strange love affair with hydra-headed leadership
    • Esther Perel: how to navigate the ‘next normal’ at work
    • The leadership challenges of reinventing a traditional industry
    • I was told I was the best but not given the job. How should I respond?
  • Life & Arts
    Sections
    • Life & Arts Home
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
    Most Read
    • Collagen supplements that really work
    • The truth about the Anglosphere
    • A dying rural dream — is this the end for the family farm?
    • C’est la visa: would you buy a house to get back into Europe?
    • Shortage nation: why the UK is braced for a grim Christmas
  • How to Spend It
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
MenuSearch
  • Home
  • World
  • US
  • Companies
  • Tech
  • Markets
  • Climate
  • Opinion
  • Work & Careers
  • Life & Arts
  • How to Spend It
Financial Times
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe

A new world is possible. Let's not go back to what wasn't working anyway.

If you think the same, join us

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  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)
Email Robert Shrimsley @robertshrimsley  on Twitter (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, 15 October, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Do I really have to watch Squid Game?

    I want to join in the water cooler chat, but I don’t want to watch a hyperviolent dystopian Korean TV show

  • Wednesday, 13 October, 2021
    Scottish independence
    Nicola Sturgeon is right — democracy must prevail

    Both unionists and separatists see advantage in postponing a new Scottish independence vote, but delay cannot be infinite

  • Friday, 8 October, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Excuses: one thing the government won’t run out of

    ‘The PM is hanging tough that Brexit turbulence was all part of his plan to turn Britain into a high-skill, high-excuse nation’

  • Thursday, 7 October, 2021
    InterviewNicola Sturgeon
    Scotland’s first minister on independence: ‘I’ve got time on my side’

    Sturgeon confident that impasse over another referendum will be resolved in her favour

  • Wednesday, 6 October, 2021
    Boris Johnson
    Boris Johnson can battle business but he can’t ignore economics

    Blaming shortages on companies ‘mainlining’ cheap labour will mean a brutal cold turkey for the public

  • Thursday, 30 September, 2021
    Labour Party UK
    Starmer’s Labour is serious about winning but there are no prizes for that

    He may be leading the party back to the centre ground but he still has to fight for it once he gets there

  • Wednesday, 29 September, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    My petrol station dash

    The government must realise there’s nothing irrational about filling up your car when supplies are erratic

  • Friday, 24 September, 2021
    FT MagazineParenting and families
    How to survive an empty nest

    ‘There are long periods of inactivity but duties and responsibilities can be switched on again at any moment’

  • Wednesday, 22 September, 2021
    Conservative Party UK
    Gap on the right gives Boris Johnson room on the left

    Economic security is the core issue for voters and the absence of challengers on his flank allows the Tory leader to capitalise

  • Promoted Content
  • Friday, 17 September, 2021
    FT MagazineAgeing Populations
    Why eternal life is too much of a good thing

    ‘I don’t want to get all ‘Logan’s Run’ about this but society is still struggling to cope with the extra longevity we already enjoy’

  • Wednesday, 15 September, 2021
    UK Government
    Reshuffle signals need for serious action on levelling-up

    Johnson has removed liabilities, built party bridges and repositioned Gove in a bid to meet expectations

  • Wednesday, 15 September, 2021
    Labour Party UK
    Starmer has chosen the New Labour playbook but still lacks a mission

    The opposition leader won on a pitch of unity but to appeal to voters he must identify a problem to which he is the solution

  • Friday, 10 September, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Dialling it back: are we losing the art of the phone call?

    For those of us whose formative years were pre-internet, talking to strangers on a telephone was as essential as finding a WiFi connection is today

  • Wednesday, 8 September, 2021
    UK social care
    Health and social care levy shows Boris Johnson’s big-state trajectory for Tories

    Prime minister will face three significant challenges if he takes higher-spending pathway

  • Friday, 3 September, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    Dad dancing? All you need is Gove

    The cabinet minister’s dance moves remind us that even politicians are human

  • Wednesday, 1 September, 2021
    Conservative Party UK
    Boris Johnson’s fear of Rishi Sunak is a serious danger for the Tories

    Divisions between the two will become more exposed as the battle over spending worsens

  • Friday, 27 August, 2021
    FT MagazineFT Magazine
    The pitfalls of doorstep politics

    It must go down as one of the less successful canvassing moments

  • Wednesday, 25 August, 2021
    UK politics & policy
    The time is ripe for citizens’ voices on assisted dying

    British politicians are nervous about supporting reform but public panels could break the logjam

  • Friday, 20 August, 2021
    FT MagazineLife & Arts
    How wild should we be about rewilding?

    ‘Boris Johnson is said to be keen on the idea, though if you’ve spent a couple of years in the Bullingdon Club, the notion of wolves roaming the country must seem entirely normal’

  • Wednesday, 18 August, 2021
    Afghanistan
    Afghan fiasco shows the hollowness of Global Britain

    If Boris Johnson is to play a convening role on the world stage, he must lead by example when it comes to both allies and refugees

  • Thursday, 29 July, 2021
    FT MagazineTokyo Olympics
    Britain goes for gold in Olympic overenthusiasm

    It is a bizarre situation when your first thought on waking is ‘did Adam Peaty win the breaststroke?’

  • Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
    UK politics & policy
    Boris Johnson scores a goal for new conservatism

    A potent form of identity politics explains the UK premier’s apparent willingness to regulate football

  • Friday, 23 July, 2021
    FT MagazineWorkplace diversity & equality
    More golf won’t bridge the office gender gap

    ‘I think it is just possible I would analyse the real problem as being a little broader than failure at swinging a stick’

  • Wednesday, 21 July, 2021
    Boris Johnson
    The consequences of hitting Peak Boris Johnson

    A slide in support will see the UK prime minister avoiding difficult decisions on green taxes and spending

  • Friday, 16 July, 2021
    FT MagazineCovid-19 vaccines
    Covid passport control: coming to a supermarket near you

    ‘Businesses are being nudged to bring in ID cards so Boris Johnson doesn’t have to’

Previous page You are on page 1 Next page

Useful links

Support

View Site TipsHelp CentreContact UsAbout UsAccessibilitymyFT TourCareers

Legal & Privacy

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookiesCopyrightSlavery Statement & Policies

Services

Share News Tips SecurelyIndividual SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsRepublishingContracts & TendersExecutive Job SearchAdvertise with the FTFollow the FT on TwitterFT TransactSecondary Schools

Tools

PortfolioToday's Newspaper (ePaper)Alerts HubBusiness School RankingsEnterprise ToolsNews feedNewslettersCurrency Converter

Community & Events

FT CommunityFT LiveFT ForumsBoard Director Programme

More from the FT Group

Markets data delayed by at least 15 minutes. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2021. 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
  • 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
    • Cryptocurrencies
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
  • Work & Careers
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
  • 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
  • FT Community
    • FT Live
    • FT Forums
    • Board Director Programme
  • myFT
  • Portfolio
  • Today's Newspaper (ePaper)
  • Crossword
  • Our Apps
  • Help Centre
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In