Alex Stevenson

Latest stories

Hague admits colonial approach to African terror problem

Britain, France and others will divide up Africa on colonial lines as western states address the growing terrorist threat from the Sahel region, William Hague has suggested.

Confidence building? Hunt says NHS 'dotted' with failures

Shocking levels of care seen at Stafford hospital still exist in pockets "dotted" across the NHS, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

Podcast: Politics vs acting

Quentin Letts, the Mail's theatre critic and political sketchwriter, and Glenda Jackson MP, parliament's only Oscar-winning former actress, explore the parallels between the worlds of politics and the theatre.

Snow threatens triple-dip recession

Disruption caused by heavy snowfall across Britain could see the UK slip back into recession once again, in what would be an unprecedented setback for the economy.

Hague: Europe speech is about democracy

David Cameron's EU speech will hand the British people the chance to give their "fresh consent" to the UK's relationship with Brussels, William Hague has said.

Interview: Glenda Jackson

Politicians and actors have a noble calling of pursuing truth, but the realities of both career choices often involve getting one's hands a little grubby - as Glenda Jackson, parliament's only Oscar winner, knows all too well.

Blame game begins after British deaths in Algeria siege climax

The world must respond with "iron resolve" to the terrorist threat after the deaths of six British nationals at the climax of the Algerian hostage crisis, David Cameron has said.

Gone to ground? Fox-hunting enemies still wary of Tories

Modernisers in the Conservative party want fox-hunting to "go to ground", according to a Liberal Democrat MP.

Viva la revolution: Cities ready to break Whitehall's shackles

Local authorities could be on the brink of a revolution freeing them from subservience to Whitehall, the leader of Manchester city council has claimed.

Battle lines drawn: PMQs reveals referendum dividers for 2015 election

David Cameron's impending promise of a referendum on Europe is pitting Conservative claims of advancing Britain's "national interest" against Labour's warnings on the economy, today's prime minister's questions revealed.

PMQs as it happened

Follow our live coverage of PMQs here, as David Cameron reacts to news of the helicopter crash in Vauxhall.

Poisoned government: Ministers' war with civil servants reaches new depths

The mutual contempt between coalition ministers and their senior civil servants is now so bad it is putting the effectiveness of government at risk, a think-tank has warned.

MP: Stressed civil servants 'should meditate more'

Groups of meditating civil servants could be pursuing eastern mindfulness methods to enhance their efficiency, if a Labour backbencher gets his way.

Still powerful, still unaccountable: Full extent of royal veto power revealed

The Queen and Prince of Wales have been offered a royal veto on legislation at least 39 times, it has emerged.

Attack ads in the UK? Cameron's ex-spinner Eustice wants reform

David Cameron's former press secretary has called on broadcasters and ministers to review their "lazy assumption" against US-style political advertising in Britain.

Lords game-playing couldn't change boundary changes defeat

Tory and Lib Dem ministers split for the first time ever in the Lords last night, as the row over boundary changes stepped up another notch.

Where will they buy their box sets now? HMV collapse dismays politicians

High street "institution" HMV has gone into administration, prompting despair from the opposition in parliament.

Red-faced? Mali-bound RAF aircraft breaks down in Paris

A British military transport plane en route to assist French forces in Mali made it as far as Paris before breaking down, a minister has confirmed to MPs.

Everything you need to know about the Mali conflict in five minutes

Why an African country you might not have heard of poses a growing threat to Europe - and what France and its allies are doing about it.

Analysis: Lisbon treaty U-turn haunts Cameron's Europe long game

David Cameron's frustrating Europe obfuscation can be traced back to his other big crisis on the issue: abandoning the Tories' "cast-iron guarantee" over the Lisbon treaty referendum.