Damien McElroy
Damien McElroy
London Bureau Chief


British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to 10 Downing Street in London on Friday. Mr Zelenskyy arrived in the UK on a mission to ensure that Britain remains its loudest supporter. EPA
Starmer sees defence as an issue Labour can own

The UK is in the unfamiliar position of offering an outlook of stability at a time when turmoil is stalking other key members of the G7

July 22, 2024, 4:00 AM
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, and Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell at the Houses of Parliament in London. AFP
UK restores UNRWA funding

Foreign Secretary says UN agency is vital for Gazans as enclave faces polio outbreak

July 19, 2024, 12:03 PM
The Abbasid Bridge in the city of Zakho in Iraq's Kurdistan region last month. AFP
Elections crucial for Iraq's Kurdistan to hit the reset button

Despite the challenges, Bafel Talabani's positive vision for the autonomous region should be taken seriously

July 15, 2024, 4:00 AM
The Labour Party has been thrust into power at an extraordinarily uncertain moment. PA Photo
Starmer's biggest danger is the doubts from within

In part, the new British Prime Minister has been steeled for rebellions in the Labour Party and taken pre-emptive actions

July 05, 2024, 1:00 PM
Labour Leader Keir Starmer speaks to supporters on the final day of campaigning at the West Regwm Farm on July 3 in Whitland, Wales. Getty Images
Exit poll predicts large majority for Labour in UK elections

Based on data published after polls closed across the UK, Keir Starmer's party is expected to return to the political heights last scaled by Tony Blair in 1997

July 04, 2024, 9:03 PM
Labour leader Keir Starmer talks at a campaign event in London on Saturday. Getty Images
Starmer needs to give the British public some tough medicine

It won't be easy to fix the UK's problems, and the man most likely to be the next prime minister must come clean

July 02, 2024, 4:00 AM
Israel's war in Gaza has overshadowed the British elections, with voters asking tough questions of all parties. EPA
Majority of British voters want Israel arms ban, exclusive poll shows

Deltapoll survey for The National shows a third of voters will choose the next government based on Gaza policy

June 28, 2024, 4:00 AM
Grasping or grifting is not the persona British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives off. And yet he now owns the cyclical decline of the Conservative governing class. AFP
Busted-flush Tories are an easy target for political operators

With party officials under investigation for betting on the date of the UK election, the Conservatives look exhausted by their time in power

June 24, 2024, 4:00 AM
A supporter of Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf during a campaign meeting in Tehran on Saturday. AP
'Fomo' is having an impact on the 2024 super-election cycle

For a variety of reasons, even countries that don’t go to the polls are calling early elections

June 17, 2024, 4:00 AM
The Hay Festival is a 10-day event that takes place every year in Wales
Political extremism is sullying the UK's literary festivals

In the losers’ column is the book-loving public. Thinking society is at a loss, too

June 10, 2024, 4:00 AM
The National's Damien McElroy at Paracelsus clinic, Zurich. Photo: Paracelsus
Bentleys and blood tests at Swiss clinic for patients with everything except peace of mind

A chauffeur-driven transfer to check-in at Paracelsus Recovery is the start of a journey to wellness like no other

June 07, 2024, 6:00 PM
Chris Hayward, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation. Photo: City of London
UK financial firms triple investment in climate energy

City of London leaders hail increased rate of investment in clean energy projects but tell The National governments must do more

June 03, 2024, 9:30 PM
An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants crosses the English Channel in March. Getty Images
Students and migrants – the scapegoats of the UK and EU elections

The problem arises if Labour, expected to win, runs with the Conservative party's poor immigration policy proposals

June 03, 2024, 4:00 AM
Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer speaks in the UK House of Commons in London last week. AFP
Is Keir Starmer's Labour truly ready for power?

The left wing of UK politics is at once so weak yet in a strong position

May 27, 2024, 4:00 AM
Chelsea Flower Show
Islamic design forms centrepiece of Chelsea Flower Show garden

A previously used Damascene fountain sits at the heart of a new display at this year's prestigious London event

May 21, 2024, 6:22 PM