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Matthew Parris

Matthew Francis Parris (born 7 August 1949) is a South Africa-born British journalist, author, broadcaster, and former Conservative politician.^[1] Born in Johannesburg to British parents and educated across Britain and Africa, he began his career in the Foreign Office and as correspondence clerk to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher before entering Parliament.^[2]^[3] He served as Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire from 1979 to 1986, representing the Conservative Party during a period of significant political change under Thatcherism.^[4] After resigning from Parliament citing burnout and a desire for foreign travel, Parris transitioned to journalism, joining The Times in 1988 as its parliamentary sketchwriter—a position he held for nearly fourteen years—and establishing himself as a sharp, often irreverent observer of British politics.^[2]^[4] His columns, syndicated in The Times and The Spectator, have earned acclaim for their wit and independence, with notable awards including the British Press Awards' Columnist of the Year in 2015, the What the Papers Say Writer of the Year in 2004, and the Orwell Prize for Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics in 2002.^[2]^[1]^[5] As a broadcaster, he co-presents BBC Radio 4's Great Lives series and has appeared on programs such as Have I Got News for You.^[6] Parris's work often reflects a contrarian streak, blending liberal social views—such as his early public acknowledgment of homosexuality—with conservative skepticism toward expansive government and elite orthodoxies.^[7]

Early Life

Childhood and Upbringing

Matthew Parris was born on 7 August 1949 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to British parents whose professional postings facilitated a peripatetic existence across colonial and post-colonial territories.^[8]^[9] His father worked as an engineer for a Merseyside-based firm specializing in electric cables, initially selling and later manufacturing them in regions including South Africa, which drew the family there amid mid-20th-century British commercial expansion in Africa.^[10] As the eldest of six siblings, Parris experienced these relocations as a norm of family life, with subsequent moves to Cyprus—where some siblings were born—and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), reflecting the mobility of British expatriates in the waning era of empire.^[9]^[11] Early education occurred amid these shifts, beginning in South Africa and continuing in Salisbury, Rhodesia, before the family settled influences from Swaziland, where Parris attended Waterford Kamhlaba, a pioneering multiracial boarding school established to counter apartheid-era segregation.^[12] This institution, located near Mbabane in a British protectorate, exposed him to diverse racial interactions atypical for white children in the region, fostering early encounters with cultural and social transitions rather than insulated expatriate bubbles.^[10] The family's repeated displacements instilled a disciplined adaptability, prioritizing practical navigation of varied environments over ideological abstractions, which Parris later characterized as shaping a worldview attuned to empirical realities of human societies in flux.^[11] Such experiences, devoid of romanticized narratives about multiculturalism, emphasized self-reliance amid the pragmatic demands of colonial-era postings.^[9]

Education and Early Influences

Parris completed his secondary education at Waterford Kamhlaba, a pioneering multiracial boarding school near Mbabane in Swaziland (now Eswatini), which emphasized integration in a region marked by apartheid-era segregation.^[13] ^[5] From 1968 to 1971, he studied at Clare College, Cambridge, where he earned a first-class honours degree in law.^[14] ^[1] During this period, arriving as an 19-year-old from Africa, Parris immersed himself in university intellectual life, aspiring to careers in diplomacy, politics, or journalism, while cultivating an independent streak that led him to resist formal affiliation with the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA), which he later recalled as dominated by "cravats and ghastly sherry."^[15] ^[16] His Cambridge years fostered early skepticism toward the era's progressive currents, including the 1960s counterculture, which he came to view as lacking depth amid the rigorous debates and classical traditions of the university environment; this exposure reinforced leanings toward pragmatic conservatism rooted in empirical reasoning over ideological fervor.^[17] Parris prioritized personal candor in navigating his emerging awareness of his homosexuality within this conservative-leaning context, eschewing later-prevalent narratives of grievance in favor of straightforward self-acknowledgment that aligned with his developing emphasis on individual realism.^[18]

Political Career

Pre-Parliamentary Roles

Parris commenced his public service career at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, serving from 1974 to 1976 in an administrative capacity that involved diplomatic correspondence and policy support.^[19] ^[1] This role followed his rejection of an MI6 recruitment offer, opting instead for the structured entry into foreign policy administration typical of high-achieving graduates entering civil service via competitive examination.^[20] In 1976, he transitioned to the Conservative Research Department, where he worked until 1977, assisting in the formulation of opposition critiques against the incumbent Labour government under James Callaghan, including analysis of economic policies and international relations amid the UK's sterling crises and IMF interventions.^[19] ^[1] This position provided hands-on experience in party policy development, emphasizing empirical assessments of government failures in areas like inflation control, which exceeded 24% annually by 1975. From 1977 to the 1979 general election, Parris served on the staff of the Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, primarily as her correspondence secretary, managing incoming letters, drafting responses, and briefing on foreign affairs matters such as Soviet influence in Africa and European Economic Community negotiations.^[1] ^[2] His duties extended to preparing policy notes that informed Thatcher's public positions, demonstrating merit-based advancement through demonstrated competence in handling high-volume, sensitive communications during a period of intensifying party leadership challenges.^[21] This advisory function underscored a practical pathway into Conservative politics, reliant on analytical skills rather than inherited connections, as Thatcher consolidated support ahead of her electoral victory on May 3, 1979.^[19]

Parliamentary Service (1979–1986)

Matthew Parris was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire in the May 1979 general election, securing the seat with a majority over the incumbent Labour candidate in a constituency encompassing rural areas of the Peak District known for agriculture and mining interests.^[22] He retained the seat in the 1983 general election amid national economic divisions highlighted by the miners' strike and recession recovery efforts.^[23] As a backbench MP during Margaret Thatcher's governments, Parris aligned with core Conservative policies on economic liberalization, including support for privatization of state industries such as British Telecom in 1984, which aimed to reduce public sector inefficiencies through market mechanisms.^[24] He participated in constituency-focused debates on rural economy, notably addressing farming incomes in April 1984, where he advocated for policies responsive to West Derbyshire's agricultural sector amid fluctuating commodity prices and subsidy dependencies.^[25] This reflected the district's reliance on livestock and dairy production, distinct from urban policy priorities. Parris's parliamentary roles included a brief verbal offer in 1985 to serve as parliamentary private secretary to Environment Secretary Patrick Jenkin, though he did not advance to higher office amid perceptions of limited internal party mobility.^[15] He resigned on 17 April 1986 via appointment as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, citing a desire to transition to media work rather than enduring the procedural tedium and factional constraints of Commons life, which he later characterized as dominated by an unsavory party apparatus despite its electoral hold on his seat.^[22] ^[26] ^[27] This voluntary exit preceded his role presenting the political program Weekend World, prioritizing journalistic independence over continued legislative service.^[28]

Media and Broadcasting Career

Radio Contributions

Parris has served as the primary presenter of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives, a biographical series launched in 2001, in which a guest nominates a figure deemed exemplary and discusses their life with an expert panel chaired by Parris.^[29] The format emphasizes substantive analysis of achievements and flaws, often exploring overlooked or contentious historical personalities through archival material and debate, distinguishing it from superficial tributes by prioritizing intellectual rigor over hagiography.^[30] By 2021, the program had exceeded 450 episodes under his tenure, reflecting sustained listener engagement amid Radio 4's weekly audience of approximately 9 million during peak quarters.^[29]^[31] In Great Lives, Parris has facilitated episodes on diverse subjects, including wartime leaders and cultural innovators, applying a realist lens that acknowledges causal factors like personal resilience or policy impacts without deference to prevailing orthodoxies.^[32] His chairing style encourages unvarnished appraisal, as seen in discussions of figures whose legacies involve trade-offs between principle and pragmatism.^[33] Parris also contributes regularly to BBC Radio 4's The Week in Westminster, a weekly review of parliamentary events, where he offers panel commentary grounded in his experience as a former MP.^[34] These appearances provide direct, evidence-based critiques of political maneuvers, emphasizing empirical outcomes over ideological posturing—for instance, in a November 2024 episode, he analyzed the implications of politicians participating in reality television, weighing entertainment value against institutional credibility.^[35] His input consistently prioritizes causal analysis of Westminster dynamics, such as leadership accountability and economic policy effects, drawing on verifiable parliamentary records rather than media narratives.^[34] From 2020 onward, Parris's radio segments have addressed contemporary issues like post-pandemic governance and Brexit's structural repercussions, maintaining a focus on data-driven realism amid partisan debates.^[35] In The Week in Westminster discussions during this period, he has highlighted failures in fiscal forecasting and institutional adaptation, attributing them to misaligned incentives rather than abstract systemic flaws.^[34] This approach underscores the programs' value in delivering fact-centric political dissection to Radio 4's audience, which averaged 9.2 million weekly listeners in early 2025 quarters.^[31]

Television Appearances

Matthew Parris has served as a regular panelist on BBC Question Time, engaging in topical debates across multiple episodes spanning decades. In the 10 October 2013 episode from Cambridge, he clashed with panelists and audience members on issues including literacy standards and economic policy, notably dismissing Conservative MP Adam Afriyie's arguments as unsubstantiated.^[36]^[37] More recently, during the 23 January 2025 broadcast from Stockport, Parris critiqued Labour leader Keir Starmer's communication style as impulsive and questioned the efficacy of Donald Trump's divisive tactics despite acknowledging merits in some Trumpist positions.^[38]^[39]^[40] On BBC Newsnight, Parris has provided analysis of foreign policy, particularly opposing escalatory military actions. In a December 2015 special debate on Syrian intervention, he opposed airstrikes against ISIS, arguing that such measures risked prolonging conflict without addressing root causes like regional governance failures, prioritizing long-term stability over short-term symbolism.^[41] His appearances consistently favor data-driven scrutiny of policy causal chains—such as unintended escalations in interventionist strategies—over partisan rhetoric, distinguishing his contributions from more emotive panelists.^[41] This approach extended to critiques of post-2003 interventions, where he highlighted empirical failures in nation-building outcomes akin to those in Iraq.^[42]

Journalistic and Writing Career

Column Writing and Political Commentary

Parris joined The Times in 1988 as its parliamentary sketch writer, a position he maintained until 2001, before transitioning to a regular columnist role where he provided analytical commentary on political developments.^[2] ^[43] His sketches and columns in the publication frequently employed a sharp, observational style to critique parliamentary proceedings and policy decisions, drawing on his prior experience as a Conservative MP.^[44] Parris has also contributed columns to The Spectator, offering incisive dissections of political figures and strategies with a focus on pragmatic realism over ideological loyalty. In September 2022, shortly before the unveiling of Liz Truss's mini-budget, he warned that her anticipated premiership would likely result in disarray due to her limited administrative skills, despite her emphasis on economic growth.^[45] Earlier, in 2015, he contended in The Times that Jeremy Corbyn's ascent to Labour leadership positioned the party as fundamentally unelectable, a view rooted in assessments of Corbyn's appeal to the broader electorate beyond party activists.^[46] In more recent commentary, Parris has extended his skepticism to international affairs and domestic crises. An August 2025 Spectator column questioned whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had evolved into a liability for Western supporters, arguing that prolonged unconditional aid risked alienating allies like the United States and advocating for negotiated compromises given the stalemated conflict dynamics.^[47] His pieces during the COVID-19 era similarly probed the boundaries of state intervention, though specific instances highlight a broader pattern of challenging orthodox narratives in favor of evidence-based scrutiny.^[48] Throughout, Parris's work distinguishes itself by prioritizing causal analysis of political incentives and outcomes over partisan advocacy, often attributing missteps to failures in leadership judgment rather than systemic inevitabilities.

Travel Writing and Books

Parris's travel writing draws on direct experiences to offer candid, observational accounts of foreign cultures, often highlighting the discrepancies between idealized perceptions and lived realities. His debut travel book, Inca Kola: A Traveller's Tale of Peru, published in 1990, chronicles his fourth journey through Peru, encompassing encounters with urban chaos in Lima, remote Andean villages, and interactions with locals ranging from bandits to ordinary citizens.^[49] The narrative eschews romanticism, instead presenting empirical details of logistical hardships, cultural idiosyncrasies, and human behaviors observed firsthand, such as the pervasive influence of informal economies and social hierarchies in Peruvian society.^[50] In Parting Shots (2011), co-compiled with Andrew Bryson, Parris curates and analyzes over 200 "valedictory despatches" from British diplomats departing colonial and post-colonial postings up to 2006, sourced from Foreign Office archives via Freedom of Information requests. These documents provide unfiltered assessments of local customs, governance failures, and imperial aftereffects in regions from Africa to Asia, revealing patterns of cultural inertia and power dynamics that persisted beyond formal empire.^[51] Parris's commentary underscores the dispatches' value as raw data on societal truths, often laced with diplomatic candor that contrasts with official narratives.^[52] Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics (2002) serves as an autobiographical work extending Parris's observational style to personal history, detailing formative experiences including childhood relocations across Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa due to his father's engineering career, which exposed him to diverse African landscapes and social structures. Up to the year 2000, the book integrates these global vignettes with reflective analysis, emphasizing an outsider's detachment in perceiving political and cultural causation without ideological overlay.^[53] Parris has continued exploring themes of physical and exploratory vigor in later contributions, such as his essay in the 2015 anthology To Oldly Go: Tales of Adventurous Travel by the Over-60s, where he recounts swimming the length of the River Thames at age 60, marshaling personal evidence against assumptions of inevitable age-related decline in mobility and resilience. This piece documents the physiological demands and navigational challenges of the 215-mile route, from source to estuary, to illustrate sustained capacity for empirical adventure into later decades.^[54]

Personal Life

Family Background and Relationships

Matthew Francis Parris was born on 7 August 1949 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to British parents.^[5] As the eldest of six children—three brothers and two sisters—he grew up in a close-knit family that relocated frequently due to his father's career as an engineer and overseas manager for a mining company.^[9]^[55] The family's peripatetic lifestyle took them across several British territories and protectorates, including Cyprus, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Swaziland (now Eswatini), and Jamaica, fostering an adaptable upbringing amid colonial postings.^[9] Parris's mother, described by him as an unconventional figure who engaged in yoga, creative writing, occasional schoolteaching, and political activism, shaped a household distinct from typical British expatriate norms.^[56] He has maintained strong ties with his siblings, including public discussions with his sister Belinda about their shared nomadic childhood.^[55] Parris publicly identified as homosexual during a late-night debate in the House of Commons on 5 July 1984, though the disclosure passed largely unnoticed at the time.^[57] He has since reflected that remaining closeted during his parliamentary tenure may have constrained his political effectiveness, expressing regret over not disclosing earlier.^[58] In 2006, Parris entered a civil partnership with Julian Glover, a former political journalist and speechwriter, on 28 August; the couple had been together for 11 years prior.^[57] They divide their time between homes in Derbyshire—where they maintain a small herd of pet llamas—and London, prioritizing a private rural life centered on animals and intellectual pursuits over biological family expansion; Parris has no children.^[59]^[9]

Lifestyle and Later Years

In his later years, Parris has maintained a rural lifestyle at his home in the Peak District of Derbyshire, where he engages in animal husbandry by keeping a small herd of llamas. These animals, which he describes as easy to manage and curiously observant of human activities, form part of his daily routine on the property, reflecting a preference for self-sufficient, hands-on living amid natural surroundings.^[59] Parris advocates for an active approach to aging, emphasizing continued physical and exploratory pursuits to counter the notion that decline stems primarily from inactivity rather than inevitable biology. At age 74, he undertook a multi-day rail journey from Zambia to Tanzania in 2023, traversing remote African landscapes for £105, highlighting his commitment to adventurous travel as a means of sustaining vitality.^[60] His contributions to anthologies like To Oldly Go (2015) further showcase over-60s travelers, including his own experiences, underscoring empirical observation that mobility and engagement mitigate sedentary stagnation.^[61]^[62] As a confirmed atheist, Parris prioritizes empirical evidence and rational inquiry over religious doctrine, yet he has occasionally reflected on faith's pragmatic societal impacts. In a 2008 Times column, he acknowledged Christianity's role in fostering discipline and progress in sub-Saharan Africa, despite rejecting its theological claims. A 2021 Church Times profile explored tensions between doubt and faith in his life, noting his intellectual openness to religion's observable benefits without personal adherence.^[63]^[64]

Political Views

Core Conservative Principles

Parris's foundational conservative ideology, forged in the Thatcher era, centered on empirical advocacy for limited government and market-driven prosperity as antidotes to Britain's post-war socialist stagnation. As correspondence clerk to Margaret Thatcher during her time as Leader of the Opposition, he aligned closely with her push to curtail state overreach, promote deregulation, and prioritize enterprise over nationalized industries, principles that propelled the 1979 Conservative victory.^[2]^[58] Elected MP for West Derbyshire that year, Parris embodied the party's rejection of Labour's collectivist model, favoring policies that incentivized personal initiative through lower taxes and reduced welfare dependencies to foster economic self-reliance.^[1] His skepticism of bureaucratic state intervention stemmed directly from two years as a trainee diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1974–1976), where he encountered rigid hierarchies and inefficient processes that hindered effective governance, reinforcing his view that expansive public administration stifled innovation and accountability.^[65] This experience underscored a core tenet: governments should enable rather than supplant private endeavor, echoing Thatcher's method of confronting union power and fiscal profligacy with data-driven reforms that demonstrated superior outcomes from market mechanisms over planned economies. At root, Parris championed individual responsibility as the bedrock of societal progress, critiquing socialist emphases on egalitarian redistribution—which he saw as eroding personal agency in favor of state-mandated equity—as morally and practically flawed, much like conservative analyses of Labour's governance under Harold Wilson that prioritized collective security over merit-based advancement.^[66] This principle held that true welfare lay in empowering citizens to navigate risks and rewards autonomously, rather than insulating them through perpetual public provision, a stance grounded in observations of how over-reliance on state support correlated with declining productivity in 1970s Britain.^[67]

Evolution and Critiques of Modern Conservatism

Following his departure from Parliament in 1986, Parris's commentary increasingly diverged from traditional Conservative orthodoxy, particularly as the party embraced populist elements in the 2010s. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, he publicly supported the Remain campaign, emphasizing empirical economic risks over abstract notions of sovereignty, arguing that leaving the European Union would impose tangible costs on trade and prosperity without commensurate benefits.^[68]^[69] This stance marked a break from his party's leadership, culminating in his resignation from the Conservatives in 2019 after over 50 years of membership, citing the adoption of Brexit as a policy driven by emotional appeals rather than pragmatic analysis.^[70] Parris leveled pointed critiques at Boris Johnson's premiership from 2019 to 2022, portraying it as emblematic of a unserious drift in Conservative governance characterized by dishonesty and superficiality. He described Johnson as a "scavenger" lacking substantive policy depth, whose leadership prioritized personal charisma and populist posturing over competent administration, leading to governance failures exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[71]^[65] This period, Parris contended, exemplified a broader "nastiness" in the party's moral signaling, where ideological fervor supplanted evidence-based decision-making, eroding public trust in conservative institutions.^[72] In response to these shifts, Parris advocated for a return to "shampoo Toryism"—a metaphor for clean, practical governance stripped of ideological excesses and focused on competent, unpretentious delivery of public services. He contrasted this with the allure of populist purity, warning that conservatism's entanglement with crude appeals, as seen in Johnson's tenure and the Brexit aftermath, alienated moderate voters and undermined the movement's intellectual foundations.^[73] By 2024, Parris argued that modern conservatism must sharply differentiate itself from populism to regain credibility, attributing the party's electoral setbacks not to insufficient harshness but to a failure to prioritize empirical competence over demagogic surges.^[74]

Controversies

Euthanasia Advocacy (2024)

In a column published in The Times on March 29, 2024, titled "We can't afford a taboo on assisted dying," Matthew Parris contended that societal prohibitions against discussing or facilitating assisted dying for those in extreme senescence must be dismantled to address the realities of prolonged infirmity.^[75] He highlighted the extended post-retirement lifespans in Britain—over 20 years for men and more than 30 for women—as exacerbating dependency, with the country functioning as a "massive health service and attached care homes sector" strained by low birth rates and high longevity, akin to trends in Japan where adult nappy sales have exceeded those for infants.^[75] Parris cited personal observations of aged degeneration diminishing life's worth, arguing that such burdens on relatives and public resources necessitate a cultural shift toward realism over taboo, where "a healthy society must adapt its norms" for self-preservation.^[75] Parris explicitly welcomed the emergence of pressure on the infirm to consider hastening death, stating, "I believe this will indeed come to pass. And I would welcome it," framing such dynamics as a "healthy development" in response to demographic imbalances and economic costs that fuel reliance on immigration.^[75] He dismissed religious and emotional objections as insufficient against practical imperatives, emphasizing that questions of ending lives amid "intolerable misery, indignity or suffering" already haunt the afflicted, and societal evolution—rather than decree—would normalize assisted dying as an act of autonomy when life becomes a net burden.^[75] In a related Spectator piece on March 31, 2024, Parris reinforced this by predicting euthanasia’s inevitability under Darwinian pressures, noting the escalating "cost of prolonging human life way past human usefulness" and invoking historical examples like Captain Oates's self-sacrifice to underscore ethical precedents for prioritizing communal survival over individual prolongation.^[76] The column provoked reader backlash in The Times letters on April 1, 2024, where critics decried its "reductivist" utilitarian tone as pressuring vulnerable elderly toward suicide, with some attributing to Parris an implicit message that "old people cost too much" and "your time is up."^[77] ^[78] This stance contrasted sharply with pro-life elements in conservative thought, which uphold life's sanctity irrespective of productivity or cost, yet Parris maintained that individual autonomy in choosing death amid enfeeblement supersedes such norms, admitting potential coercion risks but deeming them an unavoidable facet of adapting to aging societies.^[79] ^[76]

Criticisms of Party Leaders and Policies

Parris expressed strong opposition to the 2003 Iraq War, warning in a February 16 Times column that success in toppling Saddam Hussein could embolden further interventions without addressing underlying instability, drawing on historical precedents of post-colonial quagmires in the region.^[80] He argued that the conflict risked entangling Britain in prolonged nation-building failures, a prediction borne out by subsequent insurgencies and over 4,400 U.S. and allied troop deaths by 2011, alongside Iraq's descent into sectarian violence.^[81] In critiques of Liz Truss's 2022 premiership, Parris lambasted her as possessing "overconfidence and ambition teetering upon a pinhead of a political brain," highlighting her reliance on untested supply-side economics that precipitated the September mini-budget's market turmoil, including a 3.5% drop in gilt yields and a £30 billion reversal in fiscal plans within weeks.^[82] He further described her leadership as destined for "a mess" due to deficient policy execution skills, evidenced by the Bank of England's emergency bond-buying intervention to stabilize pensions, which underscored the chancellor's misjudged tax cuts amid 10.1% inflation.^[45] Parris dismissed Truss's rhetoric as cliché-ridden and substantive-void, noting her failure to articulate original ideas beyond rote free-market advocacy.^[83] Parris has repeatedly targeted Boris Johnson for personal and policy shortcomings, accusing him in a 2016 Times piece of dishonesty, intellectual vacuity, sexual impropriety, and veiled homophobia, traits he linked to Johnson's opportunistic populism that eroded party discipline during Brexit negotiations.^[72] By 2019, these flaws prompted Parris to renounce Conservative membership after 50 years, citing Johnson's "stranger to honesty or principle" approach as surfing a "foolish populist wave," which contributed to internal divisions and policy incoherence on issues like Northern Ireland protocols.^[69] On broader party direction, Parris accused Conservatives of muddling core principles with populist appeals and faith-based signaling, urging in 2023–2025 columns a sharp differentiation from "deluded populist fantasists" to reclaim rational governance amid electoral losses, such as the 2024 general election wipeout reducing seats from 365 to 121.^[84] He critiqued the party's embrace of performative conservatism on faith issues as insincere posturing, contrasting it with empirical policy failures like unchecked migration (net 685,000 in 2023) despite rhetorical tough stances.^[85] This muddle, per Parris, manifested in reactive scandals and a "nasty party" shift, alienating traditional voters through vindictive internal purges rather than performance-driven reforms.^[86]

Reception and Legacy

Awards and Professional Recognition

Parris received the Orwell Prize in 2002 for his autobiography Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics.^[4] This award recognizes political writing that embodies clarity, honesty, and engagement with public issues.^[2] He has won the British Press Awards Columnist of the Year multiple times, including in 2011 and 2015.^[7]^[2] In 2015, he was also named Political Journalist of the Year at the same awards.^[87] In a 2010 Press Gazette poll surveying journalists and readers, Parris was voted the top comment writer in Britain.^[88] Earlier in his career, Parris earned the London Press Club's Edgar Wallace Outstanding Reporter of the Year award in 1990.^[89]

Influence and Ongoing Debates

Parris's columns have contributed to a strand of conservative realism in British journalism, emphasizing pragmatic assessment over ideological loyalty, as evidenced by his placement at number 84 on Iain Dale's 2017 list of the top 100 most influential people on the right.^[90] This influence manifests in his advocacy for evidence-based policy critique, influencing media discussions on party discipline and governance efficacy, though often at odds with populist shifts.^[91] His perceived abandonment of the Conservative Party during the Brexit and Boris Johnson eras has fueled right-leaning debates about loyalty versus principle, with Parris resigning his membership in November 2019 after 50 years to vote Liberal Democrat, citing irreconcilable differences over hard Brexit.^[69] Critics argue this stance undermined party unity amid electoral pressures, contrasting his earlier Thatcherite service, and exemplified a broader tension where personal realism prioritizes causal outcomes like policy viability over collective electoral success.^[72] In 2025 columns, Parris questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's intransigence, arguing in August for compromise as neither side could decisively win, positioning Zelensky as potentially a liability to Western interests.^[92] Earlier that February, he framed Ukraine negotiations under potential Trump influence not as appeasement but necessary realism, implicitly challenging the efficacy of indefinite foreign aid amid donor fatigue and strategic stalemate.^[93] These pieces sparked conservative debates on aid sustainability, with proponents of robust support viewing them as defeatist, while others praised the focus on empirical limits to intervention.^[94] Peer critiques underscore ongoing tensions, as in Jamie Franklin's 2023 analysis accusing Parris of a "terrible muddle" in reconciling progressive instincts with conservative heritage, highlighting how his pragmatism invites charges of ideological inconsistency from purists.^[85] Such exchanges reflect causal divides: Parris's influence persists in prompting self-examination within conservatism, yet risks diluting party cohesion by elevating individual judgment over institutional allegiance, a debate unresolved as of 2025.^[86]

References

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Matthew Parris - Political Columnist & Former MP
Matthew Parris is a Political Journalist, former Tory MP, and Guest Speaker. Born 7th August 1949 in Johannesburg, Matthew was educated in Britain and Africa.
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Matthew Parris | The Times & The Sunday Times
Matthew Parris joined The Times in 1988. He worked previously at the Foreign Office, as Margaret Thatcher's correspondence clerk, and as Conservative MP for ...
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Matthew Parris - Ed Victor Speakers Bureau LLP
Matthew Parris is a journalist, author, broadcaster and former Conservative politician. After turning down a job at MI6, his political career began in the ...
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Matthew Parris - Chartwell Speakers Bureau
Matthew Parris, a former diplomat and Conservative MP (1979-86), was the Parliamentary Sketchwriter for The Times for nearly fourteen years.
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Matthew Parris – The Fearless Voice of Truth: From Parliament to ...
Matthew Francis Parris was born on 7 August 1949 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to British parents. His early years were spent across continents, living in ...
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Matthew Parris - Better Known
Nov 7, 2021 · Matthew Parris is a columnist for The Times and presents Great Lives on BBC Radio Four. He was a Conservative MP from 1979 to 1986.
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Matthew Parris - Penguin Books
In this surprising and eccentric autobiography from a former Conservative MP, Matthew Parris writes of his personal and political life with equal candour.
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Matthew Parris - Biography - IMDb
Matthew Parris was born on August 7, 1949 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a writer, known for To the Ends of the Earth (1997), Have I Got News for You ...
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Conversations At Scarfes Bar: Matthew Parris - Culture
Matthew was born in 1949 in Johannesburg, the eldest of six into what he describes as a big, close, happy family. His father was overseas manager for an ...
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I'm both proud and ashamed of the Empire - The Times
I was sent to boarding school in Swaziland, a British protectorate. Working for a Merseyside company, Dad sold and later manufactured electric ...
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A running commentary | Biography books - The Guardian
Oct 12, 2002 · A mere six pages into his autobiography, Matthew Parris, sketchwriter extraordinaire, stakes his claim to being one of the weirdest men I have ...<|separator|>
[12]
Southern Africa's first multiracial school celebrates 50 triumphant years
Apr 29, 2013 · Waterford school in Swaziland reflects on its historic role with a ... Matthew Parris, the British MP turned journalist, and Mandela's grandson ...
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This isn't a to-do list, it's a raft of measures - The Times
Jan 23, 2024 · My secondary education was at Waterford, a pioneering multiracial boarding school in Swaziland ... MATTHEW PARRIS. Our ageing monarchs need ...
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Book Matthew Parris | Political Speaker
Feb 2, 2024 · Matthew Parris is one of the UK's most highly respected journalists. He became best known as the Parliamentary sketch writer for the Times.
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Matthew Parris - Nigel Farndale
Oct 3, 2002 · He attended schools in Cyprus, Rhodesia and Jamaica, and became a solitary, sometimes bullied child, but also an impatiently strong-willed and ...Missing: boarding | Show results with:boarding
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How Jeremy Corbyn may split – and, thereby, destroy - The Spectator
Mar 20, 2016 · When, aged 20, I arrived at Cambridge in 1969, I did not join the university Conservative association. CUCA was all cravats and ghastly sherry ...
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Were the Sixties really so liberated? - The Spectator
Dec 18, 2021 · Were the Sixties really so liberated? The era's famed sexual revolution involved the exploitation of teenage girls, misogynist films and ...
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Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics by Parris, Matthew ...
... Matthew Parris, then an MP, when he came to speak in Cambridge during my student days. Parris was the Conservative Member of Parliament for the safe seat of ...
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Parris, Matthew (Francis) - Encyclopedia.com
Career: Foreign Office, London, England, 1974-76, conservative research department, 1976- 77; Office of the Leader of the Opposition, staff member, 1977-79 ...
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Matthew Parris - DBA Speakers
Once offered a job as a secret agent, he worked instead for the Foreign Office, the Conservative Research Department, and then for Margaret Thatcher when she ...
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https://www.champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/matthew-parris
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Parliamentary career for Matthew Parris - MPs and Lords
Matthew Parris is no longer a Member, but was most recently the Conservative MP for West Derbyshire, and left the Commons on 17 April 1986.
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Parliamentarians on their past: Memories of the 1983 General Election
Jul 25, 2023 · For Matthew Parris, the election also highlighted growing economic divisions throughout the country, not just between communities north and ...
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[PDF] PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - Parliament UK
Jan 1, 2025 · In the long history of this Parliament, Margaret Thatcher was our first—and, so far, our only—woman Prime. Minister. She won three elections ...
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Farming Incomes - Hansard - UK Parliament
Matthew Parris. (Derbyshire, West). Share this ... Friend's devotion to the cause of agriculture in Derbyshire, West is well known and Column 938is located here.
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UK Politics | Resignations - BBC NEWS | UK
One of the outgoing MPs, Enoch Powell, became Crown Steward of the Manor of Northstead until he was succeeded by Matthew Parris in April 1986. Ministerial ...
[27]
We'll always have Parris - The Telegraph
Oct 3, 2002 · He attended schools in Cyprus, Rhodesia and Jamaica, and became a solitary, sometimes bullied child, but also an impatiently strong-willed and ...Missing: boarding | Show results with:boarding
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Art of the poisoned pen - Politics - The Sydney Morning Herald
Jan 14, 2010 · In 1986, Parris resigned from Parliament to present the television program, Weekend World. When that foundered, he began writing daily ...
[29]
BBC Radio 4 - The Great Lives of Great Lives
After more than 450 episodes, presenter Matthew Parris reckons it's time to find out what makes a great life. Back in the late summer of 2001, a new biography ...
[30]
Great Lives - Radio 4 - BBC
Matthew Parris is a writer for The Times and The Spectator and a frequent broadcaster on television and radio. From 1977 until the 1979 General Election, he ...
[31]
BBC Sounds continues to grow with an impressive 14.5% yearly ...
Jul 31, 2025 · RAJARS – live listening in Q2 2025 BBC Radio 3 had 1.9m listeners. BBC Radio 4 had 9.2m listeners with 5.8m tuning in for The Today programme ( ...
[32]
Great Lives, Winston Churchill - BBC Radio 4
Lord Digby Jones chooses wartime leader, Winston Churchill. With Professor David Reynolds and Matthew Parris. From 2010.Missing: audience figures
[33]
BBC Audio | Great Lives | Sir Ben Kingsley on Elie Wiesel
Actor Sir Ben Kingsley tells Matthew Parris why he regards Elie Wiesel as his great life. ... First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016. See more episodes.
[34]
BBC Radio 4 - The Week in Westminster, 05/11/2022
... Matthew Parris and Susie Boniface. Show more. Top commentators review the political week, presented by political editor of The Guardian, Pippa Crerar. With ...
[35]
BBC Radio 4 - The Week in Westminster, 30/11/2024
Nov 30, 2024 · ... Matthew Parris, and Observer columnist Gaby Hinsliff, to discuss the pros and cons of politicians appearing on reality TV. Show less.
[36]
Question Time, 10/10/2013 - BBC One
Oct 10, 2013 · On the panel are Jo Swinson, Diane Abbott, Adam Afriyie, Sarah Churchwell and Matthew Parris. Show more.
[37]
Matthew Parris Tells Adam Afriyie He's Bonkers - 10/10/2013
Nov 8, 2013 · 10/10/2013 Question Time:Matthew Parris Tells Adam Afriyie He's Stark Raving Bonkers David Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Cambridge ...Missing: appearances BBC
[38]
Question Time, 2025, 23/01/2025 - BBC
Jan 23, 2025 · Fiona Bruce presents an hour of topical debate from Stockport. On the panel: Lucy Powell MP, David Davis MP, Dale Vince and Matthew Parris.
[39]
“Starmer seems sometimes to say things just off the top of his head ...
Jan 23, 2025 · Starmer seems sometimes to say things just off the top of his head” Columnist Matthew Parris is concerned the wrong lessons were learnt from ...
[40]
“There's quite a bit of Trumpism that's right, but Trump is not the man ...
Jan 24, 2025 · Columnist and broadcaster Matthew Parris says Donald Trump's political methods “makes things more difficult” with his tendency to divide people.
[41]
Matthew Parris makes case against airstrikes on ISIS - YouTube
Dec 1, 2015 · This was part of a special Newsnight debate on air strikes in Syria. You can watch the full programme here (UK only): http://bbc.in/1RkBTHE ...Missing: appearances Question
[42]
BBC Daily Politics: Matthew Parris brands Iraq War worse than a crime
Jul 7, 2016 · A FORMER Tory MP has described the Iraq War as worse than a crime and criticised those who refuse to accept it was a 'total catastrophe'.Missing: criticism | Show results with:criticism
[43]
Matthew Parris - Atlantic Speaker Bureau
He worked as parliamentary sketch writer for The Times newspaper from 1988 to 2001. His writing has largely concerned current events rather than a ...
[44]
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/question_time/meet_the_panel/1001721.stm
[45]
The Liz Truss era won't be a disaster, just a mess - The Times
Sep 16, 2022 · MATTHEW PARRIS. The Liz Truss era won't be a disaster, just a mess. Even if the PM thinks she sees a clear path to growth, her lack of skills ...Missing: mini- budget critique
[46]
Opinion Polls, Jeremy Corbyn, Porn for Girlies and the ... - Barnet Eye
This morning I awoke to yet another article, this time by Matthew Parris in The Times, describing how Labour are in termoil, how they are unelectable, ...
[47]
Has Zelensky become a liability? - The Spectator
Aug 16, 2025 · I thought Matthew Parris had passed away. Or at least been stopped from writing due to his increasing senility. It's obvious is it, that ...Missing: 2024 | Show results with:2024
[48]
Why doesn't Britain regret lockdown? - UnHerd
Mar 23, 2023 · The latest wave of UnHerd Britain polling shows that only 27% of voters agree that lockdowns were a mistake, while 54% disagree and 19% are not sure.
[49]
Inca-kola by Matthew Parris | Open Library
Publish Date. 1990 ; Publisher. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing Group, Limited ; Language. English ; Pages. 225 ; Edition Notes. Published in: London ...
[50]
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/inca-kola-a-traveller-s-tale-of-peru-9780297810759
[51]
Parting Shots - Matthew Parris - Penguin Books
Jun 2, 2011 · Parting Shots is a treasure trove of wit, venom and serious analysis. Astute and often gloriously non-politically, they shed light on Britain's place in the ...
[52]
Parting Shots: Parris, Matthew, Bryson, Andrew - Amazon.com
Matthew Parris's Parting Shots is a treasure trove of wit, venom and serious analysis. Up till 2006 a British Ambassador leaving his post was encouraged to ...
[53]
Chance Witness: Matthew Parris - Books - Amazon.com
Book overview Turning down MI6 because he was gay, chastised by Margaret Thatcher for jumping into the Thames to save a dog - Matthew Parris was never destined ...Missing: 2002 Orwell Prize
[54]
To Oldly Go (ebook) - Bradt Guides
In stock 30-day returnsSep 1, 2015 · Dervla Murphy travelling in Cuba at the age of 74, Matthew Parris swimming the Thames at 60, and Colin Thubron climbing the last stronghold ...Missing: 2023 | Show results with:2023
[55]
Relative Values: Matthew Parris and his sister, Belinda - The Times
Feb 1, 2009 · There were six of us children, and we were all raised in different places. I was born in South Africa. Deborah and John were born in Cyprus.Missing: early childhood
[56]
Matthew Parris: At 90, she insists on her independence - The Times
Mar 25, 2017 · Other boys had mothers. We six Parris children had a yogic, creative-writing, sometime-schoolmistress, sometime-political-demonstrator, ...Missing: background | Show results with:background<|separator|>
[57]
Parris, the reluctant groom, says 'I do' - The Times
Aug 29, 2006 · The decision by Mr Parris, 57, and Mr Glover, 35, a political journalist on The Guardian, to make their 11-year relationship legally binding has ...
[58]
Matthew Parris wishes he had come out while a Tory MP - PinkNews
Aug 20, 2010 · Matthew Parris, the journalist and political commentator, says he wishes he had come out as gay while he was a Tory MP in the 1980s.Missing: 1976 | Show results with:1976
[59]
Matthew Parris on his llamas: 'They're interested in ... - Country Life
Aug 18, 2019 · Matthew Parris, the MP-turned-journalist/political commentator, keeps pet llamas at his home in Derbyshire. He spoke to Octavia Pollock.Missing: profession | Show results with:profession
[60]
Matthew Parris: my £105 rail adventure from Zambia to Tanzania
Dec 2, 2023 · I had just completed the most remarkable rail journey of my life. The route had taken me from the highlands of Zambia to Tanzania's largest city ...Missing: age | Show results with:age
[61]
To Oldly Go: Tales of Adventurous Travel by the Over-60s
In stock $6.99 next-day deliveryA brand new collection of remarkable travel tales from 'Silver Travelers'. Dervla Murphy traveling in Havana at the age of 74, Matthew Parris.Missing: 2023 | Show results with:2023
[62]
It's shameful how we have locked down our elderly | The Spectator
Nov 14, 2020 · I feel like lockdown has taken my grandad from me. 'Covid,' says my friend, bitterly, 'would almost be a blessing. 'Missing: overreach | Show results with:overreach
[63]
As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God - The Times
Dec 27, 2008 · Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas ...
[64]
Press: Faith and doubt in the life of Matthew Parris - Church Times
Nov 26, 2021 · Matthew Parris is a really good columnist, as well as a very nice man. If you want to provoke a reaction, it would be hard to improve on this.
[65]
Matthew Parris: my life in politics (I was right about Boris) - The Times
Times columnist Matthew Parris has spent 36 years writing aboutMissing: COVID overreach
[66]
Don't let nanny get too big for her boots - The Times
Jul 6, 2019 · Matthew Parris ... Modern western civilisation is on a centuries-long march away from individual responsibility in its purest sense, and towards ...
[67]
Thatcher stood for individual responsibility - Dayton Daily News
Apr 9, 2013 · As her former aide Matthew Parris once wrote, “I don't actually believe she had hidden depths.” Margaret Thatcher was a world historical ...
[68]
What everyone knows but no one says about Brexit | The Spectator
Oct 29, 2022 · I know, I know: that notorious mini-Budget. Yes, of course it was ill-judged. And of course it did spook the international markets; it did ...Missing: critique | Show results with:critique
[69]
Ex-Conservative MP Matthew Parris to quit party and vote Lib Dem
Nov 1, 2019 · Former Tory MP and prominent columnist Matthew Parris has said he will quit the party after 50 years in a call for Conservatives who oppose Brexit.
[70]
Matthew Parris to leave Conservatives and vote Lib Dem
Nov 2, 2019 · Of course I am aware of how perilously close to Brexit we have become. However I blame the Remain camp for the peril. We have graduated from an ...
[71]
The unbearable lightness of Boris Johnson | The Spectator
Mar 7, 2020 · Johnson would be the ultimate generalist: broadly across the policy and his ministers' work, and ready to set overall direction, but no micro-manager.
[72]
Former Tory MP's scathing Boris Johnson attack deepens party rift
Mar 26, 2016 · Parris, a former aide to Margaret Thatcher, denounced Johnson for alleged dishonesty, vacuity, sexual impropriety and veiled homophobia. “ ...Missing: criticism | Show results with:criticism
[73]
Matthew Parris: Lonely prophet of shampoo Toryism
Jul 3, 2006 · Parris was a vehement critic of the military interventions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and, above all, the Iraq war. In a Times in May, he ...
[74]
The Conservatives have been too soggy, not too harsh - The Critic
Jun 11, 2024 · In 2019, the Conservatives changed their tone away from steely competence and embraced a more exuberant form of populism. It worked. Despite ...
[75]
We can't afford a taboo on assisted dying - The Times
Mar 29, 2024 · The late Michael Foot, that cerebral thinker, superb orator and calamitous Labour leader, once taught me a truth I've taken to heart.
[76]
Euthanasia is coming – like it or not | The Spectator
Mar 31, 2024 · Throughout the short life of the Assisted Dying Bill which failed in the Commons, the 'faith community' (a quaint term for that category of ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[77]
Times letters: Assisted dying and how to value a human life
Apr 1, 2024 · Sir, Matthew Parris is to be congratulated on having the courage to present a cogent utilitarian argument (“We can't afford a taboo on ...
[78]
Assisted Dying - Hansard - UK Parliament
Apr 29, 2024 · The petition calls for the Government to allocate parliamentary time for assisted dying to be debated in the House of Commons and to give members of this House ...
[79]
Times readers slam columnist Parris for pressuring elderly and ...
Apr 5, 2024 · Legalising assisted suicide would have “untold costs for the most vulnerable”, readers of The Times have warned one of the paper's star ...
[80]
Cover story: The voices for and against war - The Times
Feb 16, 2003 · AGAINST Matthew Parris Former Tory MP I am not afraid that this war will fail. I am afraid that it will succeed. I am afraid that it will ...
[81]
Those who opposed the war must not allow themselves to hope that ...
Aug 23, 2003 · I am not sure that Americans alone can. There should be a role for Paddy Ashdown in Iraq. Matthew Parris is a political columnist of the Times.
[82]
There's no more to Truss than meets the eye - The Times
Aug 19, 2022 · Liz Truss is a planet-sized mass of overconfidence and ambition teetering upon a pinhead of a political brain. It must all come crashing down.
[83]
Ex-Tory MP Matthew Parris slams Liz Truss over cliche-full speeches
Oct 21, 2022 · 'Never said anything important!' Ex-Tory MP slams Liz Truss over cliche-full speeches · Matthew Parris served as the Conservative MP for West ...Missing: criticism | Show results with:criticism
[84]
It is now more urgent than ever that conservatism differentiate itself ...
May 8, 2025 · It is now more urgent than ever that conservatism differentiate itself sharply from populism. ✍️ Matthew Parris.Missing: modern | Show results with:modern
[85]
The problem with Parris | Jamie Franklin | The Critic Magazine
Apr 26, 2023 · He concludes that article with the suggestion that Christians “face up” to the shocking fact he thinks he has uniquely demonstrated, which is ...
[86]
The Conservatives 'have become a nasty party' | Matthew Parris
Dec 26, 2023 · ... Times Radio - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio Subscribe to our ... How I uncovered an alleged Chinese spy inside Parliament | Caroline Wheeler.Missing: sketch writer 1988
[87]
Matthew Parris | The Orwell Foundation
He currently writes columns for The Times and the Spectator as well as presenting the BBC Radio 4 biographical programme Great Lives. He was named Political ...<|separator|>
[88]
PG Poll: Matthew Parris voted top comment journalist - Press Gazette
Feb 3, 2010 · Despite claiming second place in the overall poll, Jenkins beat Parris to claim the prize as the leading commentator as voted for by Press ...
[89]
Matthew Parris - Speaker Profile
Matthew Parris was awarded the London Press Club's Edgar Wallace “Outstanding Reporter of the Year” Award in 1990; the British Press Awards' “Columnist of ...
[90]
For those that don't know, Matthew Parris is an ex-Tory MP. And In ...
Jun 7, 2020 · And In October 2017, the commentator Iain Dale placed Parris at Number 84 in his list of 'The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right', ...
[91]
FROM THE ARCHIVES: In Conversation With Matthew Parris
Apr 2, 2018 · It's family really. Wherever my family were, my father until he died recently, my mother and my five brothers and sisters, three of whom ...
[92]
Zelensky must give way - The Spectator World
Aug 14, 2025 · Zelensky must give way. The fact is that neither side seems capable of winning, so let's park the sermonizing and look for a compromise.Missing: 2024 | Show results with:2024
[93]
Keep calm, this isn't another Munich sell-out - The Times
Feb 17, 2025 · Putin's no Hitler, Trump's no Chamberlain and Zelensky's no angel: there was always going to be compromise on Ukraine. Matthew Parris. Monday ...Missing: foreign aid
[94]
Has Zelensky become a liability? - The Spectator Australia
Aug 16, 2025 · Is Volodymyr Zelensky becoming a liability for the West and for his own country? We are entitled at least to pose this question as we (I ...