Simon Jenkins

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist, author and BBC broadcaster. His recent books include England's Hundred Best Views, and Mission Accomplished? The Crisis of International Intervention

• FILE - Lord Peter Mandelson Resigns From Labour Party Over His links To Jeffrey Epstein(FILE PHOTO) Lord Peter Mandelson Resigns From Labour Party Over His links To Jeffrey Epstein. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 08: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Peter Mandelson, British Ambassador to the United States, as US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer looks on in the Oval Office at the White House on May 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. During remarks to reporters, Trump spoke about a trade deal that was made with the United Kingdom. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

  Leaked WhatsApps, embarrassing emails: it’s bad for British politics that privacy is now dead

  Simon Jenkins

  The principle underlying the release of the Mandelson papers is that officials are always ‘on the record’ – but our leaders must be able to speak their minds freely, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

• Students do exams seated at 10 rows of spaced-apart desks on a wooden parquet floor

  Sunak is right that our students need financial literacy – but that shouldn’t mean yet more maths

  Simon Jenkins

  Education should prepare young people for dealing not only with practical things such as insurance, pensions and taxes but also with tech and mental health, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
• Entrance to twin-bore tunnel on construction site

  HS2 is the wildest white elephant in British history. Please put it out of its misery

  Simon Jenkins

  The government is in thrall to the sunk-cost fallacy. Scrap the project, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

• • Politics has tossed friendship out of the window – as Keir Starmer is realising

    Simon Jenkins

  • Potholes – that’s what voters care about. But you wouldn’t know it from the local elections coverage

    Simon Jenkins

  • If I could vote in next week’s Senedd election, I’d choose Plaid Cymru. Here’s why

    Simon Jenkins

• Keir Starmer at Kenton United Synagogue on Thursday, the site of a recent attempted arson.

  Ousting Starmer over Mandelson would be madness – yet it’s open season in Westminster

  Simon Jenkins
• An Iranian national flag in the rubble of a collapsed building following strikes at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on 7 April 2026.

  Sanctions don’t result in regime change. Whether against Iran or Russia, western countries need shrewder tactics

  Simon Jenkins
• A cyclist passes the top of two wind turbines on a grassy hill in Wales

  These enormous wind turbine projects would damage Wales – and all to supply the rest of the UK with energy

  Simon Jenkins
• Donald Trump at an event for American farmers at the White House on 27 March.

  To a world at a loss as to how to handle Trump, I say this: the only answer may be to wait him out

  Simon Jenkins

• A US F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft approaches the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, as part of Operation Epic Fury, 8 March 2026.

  This is a key moment in the war on Iran – and Starmer must resist the UK being dragged into it any further

  Simon Jenkins

  This is not Britain’s war, it’s Trump’s and Netanyahu’s. The prime minister should be wary of becoming ensnared like Blair was with Iraq, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
• Donald Trump and King Charles at state banquet at Windsor Castle, on 17 September 2025.

  The king’s visit to the US must go ahead despite Trump’s terrible military aggression

  Simon Jenkins

  A state visit is a connecting of people, not governments – our national bonds should be honoured, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
• A police headquarters building destroyed by airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, 4 March 2026

  Trump broke his promises to pursue this unwinnable war. Britain must not follow him into the abyss

  Simon Jenkins

  The bombing of Iran is deeply unpopular. Despite the Tories’ urgings, Keir Starmer must not further embroil the UK in this disaster, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

• The Lady - Season 1LEFT BANK PICTURES FOR ITV AND ITVX EMBARGOED UNTIL 17TH FEBRUARY 2026. THE LADY EPISODE 1 Pictured NATALIE DORMER as Sarah Ferguson,CAROLINE FABAR as Ruth and ELLA BRUCCOLERI as Angela. This image is under copyright and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes in your print or online publication. This image cannot be syndicated to any other third party. For further information please contact: Patrick.smith@itv.com 07909906963

  Dirty Business, The Lady, Mandelson’s arrest – are they truth, ‘faction’ or just more drama?

  Simon Jenkins
• A police officer stands at the entrance to the Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, reported to be serving as interim accommodation for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

  Stripped of finery, detained by police as an ordinary citizen: now Andrew enters a new era – and Britain too

  Simon Jenkins
• Sir Keir Starmer speaks at PMQs on 11 February 2026.

  After a mad week, Labour is hopefully seeing sense: Starmer needs to stay

  Simon Jenkins
• George street at dusk. Hastings old town. East Sussex. England. UKHHWF4Y George street at dusk. Hastings old town. East Sussex. England. UK

  Here is a political lesson progressives need to learn, and fast: British pubs are crucial

  Simon Jenkins

• Prue Leith is standing down from The Great British Bake Off at the age of 86.

  Mary Berry, and now Prue Leith. Retiring in your 80s is the new 60s

  Simon Jenkins

  As long as you feel able to work and have wisdom to offer, you should continue to do so. Although some outstay their welcome, even on the world stage, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
• Donald Trump departs after making a speech at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, 22 December 2025.

  Panicking over Greenland plays into Trump’s hands – it’s time for cool heads and stalling diplomacy

  Simon Jenkins

  European countries sending troops to the island is only raising the temperature and generating fear – exactly what the US president wants, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
• Protests against US military action in Venezuela, outside the US embassy in Seoul, South Korea, 5 January 2026.

  Why the surprise over Trump’s Venezuela coup? US presidents promise isolation – and deliver war

  Simon Jenkins

  Last week’s events in Caracas come in a long line of American interventions. The White House has awesome power and is never shy of using it, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins