Ideas | The Observer

Ockenden report

‘The hardest thing to change in the NHS is its culture’

The former health secretary says that an ethos of failing to care for women and babies, and of institutional cover-ups, must end

By Wes Streeting

Opinion

Politics

Tom Baldwin

Keir Starmer vowed to be an ‘ordinary’ PM, but it is not an ordinary job. Burnham should take heed

Our outgoing prime minister is said to be eyeing the role of Nato secretary general – an acceptance perhaps that after Downing Street life can never be the same again

State of the nation

Kenan Malik

From anti-racists to racists, the grooming gangs debate has betrayed the victims

If the official inquiry into these horrific crimes is to offer justice and answers, it must navigate a path through distortion and bigotry

Economy

Ben Zaranko

War bonds are back on the agenda, but history urges caution

A war loan has been suggested to pay for extra defence spending, but would appeals to duty and sacrifice really be enough to persuade savers?

Notebook

Ellen Peirson-Hagger

Crowded lanes, murky water – but the lido was the only place to be as the Earth turned

A solstice swim and a sticky gig serve as a reminder to learn to live in a spirit more in tune with the natural world

Frank Skinner

Keir Starmer’s speech cried out for a couple of gags

The tear in his eye just reminded us he didn’t pay for his specs – he’d have been better off with a twinkle

Andrew Rawnsley

Andrew Rawnsley is The Observer’s chief political commentator

Burnham is heady on hope but already short of time. He needs quick wins and clear priorities

Keir Starmer says the next Labour leader will have his ‘unequivocal support’. Let’s see about that

Remember Gordon! Why Labour should take a beat before parachuting in Andy Burnham

Operation Fubar: even Keir Starmer’s team players are abandoning the field of battle

Eva Wiseman

Eva Wiseman is an Observer columnist

The frenzy for squishy toys shows the squeeze of keeping up with a new fad

Sleep is the multi-billion-dollar global industry that keeps me up at night

The spermmaxxing industry is full of bad seeds

‘Lavatory deserts’ mean we are all likely to be caught short

Kenan Malik

Kenan Malik is an Observer columnist

Sentencing the Palestine activists for terrorism places civil liberties in grave peril

In weaponising Henry Nowak’s tragic death, the right has come full circle on identity politics

A tale of two tower block fires: in Milan, nine convicted – at Grenfell, we’re still waiting

The right of juries to follow their conscience is a vital bulwark of our democracy

World Cup 2026

From GOATs to goats

After Scotland’s recent 0-3 defeat, Melanie Reid finds some comfort in the company of the regulars at a community pub

Melanie Reid

Melanie Reid is an Observer columnist

It’s mayhem, it’s madness, but Scots will have the best World Cup party

Coin sets, footrests, rain gauges: all human frailty was apparent in Peter Murrell’s spending spree

Why we must spare a thought for the families

Róisín Lanigan

Róisín Lanigan is an Observer columnist

Jeffrey Donaldson was a dangerous predator. Where is Belfast’s anger now?

‘Violence in these communities is seen as entertainment’: how the far right stoked riots

How a sleepy German town became ‘Wag central’

Queueing for trendy food? I’ve had my fill

Simon Barnes talks to animals

My week as a spotted hyena

Each week, Simon Barnes hears what the past seven days have been like for a member of the animal kingdom

My week as a thick-legged flower beetle

Each week, Simon Barnes hears what the past seven days have been like for a member of the animal kingdom

My week as a flat-headed cat

Each week, Simon Barnes hears what the past seven days have been like for a member of the animal kingdom

My week as a swallow

Each week, Simon Barnes hears what the past seven days have been like for a member of the animal kingdom

Letters

Zinc rooftops are more than just a French fancy

We have a moral responsibility to keep our children safe online

Ukraine is not the only forgotten war

Tony Blair has lost his sense of direction on economic growth

The Observer view

It’s the climate, stupid

Welcome to Italy

A manifesto for children

The forgotten war

Profile

Barbara Ellen

Curry Barker: the young debut director terrifying Gen Z cinema audiences

Patrick Kidd

England’s great hope? The Thomas Tuchel story

James Tapper

Jeanette Dickson: combative chair of the royal medical colleges

Barbara Ellen

Mindy Kaling: The Hollywood multihyphenate rewriting the rules of the workplace comedy

Obituary

Abdul Ahad Momand: the first Afghan astronaut

Abdullah Ibrahim: the South African pianist described as ‘our Mozart’ by Nelson Mandela

Roy Hattersley: the deputy Labour leader who brought his party back from the brink

Alan Hale: a name written in the stars with his co-discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp

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