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'An exhilarating read' New StatesmanIn Feminism Against Progress, Mary Harrington argues that the industrial-era faith in progress is turning against all but a tiny elite of women. Women’s liberation was less the result of human moral progress than an effect of the material consequences of the Industrial Revolution. We’ve now left the industrial era for the age of AI, biotech and all-pervasive computing. As a result, technology is liberating us from natural limits and embodied sex differences. Although this shift benefits a small class of successful professional women, it also makes it easier to commodify women’s bodies, human intimacy and female reproductive abilities.This is a stark warning against a dystopian future whereby poor women become little more than convenient sources of body parts to be harvested and wombs to be rented by the rich. Progress has now stopped benefiting the majority of women, and only a feminism that is sceptical of it can truly defend female interests in the 21st century.

An unparalleled group of prominent scholars from wide-ranging disciplines detail ongoing efforts to impose ideological restrictions on science and scholarship throughout western society.From assaults on merit-based hiring to the policing of language and replacing well-established, disciplinary scholarship by ideological mantras, current science and scholarship is under threat throughout western institutions. As detailed by this group of prominent scholars – who range across many different disciplines and political leanings – the very future of free inquiry and scientific progress is at risk.Many who have spoken up against this threat have lost their positions, and a climate of fear has arisen that strikes at the heart of modern education and research. Banding together to finally speak out, this brave and unprecedented group of scholars issues a clarion call for change.Contributors: Richard Dawkins; Alan Sokal; Niall Ferguson; Gad Saad; Anna Krylov; Jay Tanzman; John Armstrong; Jerry Coyne; Luana Maroja; Sally Satel; Geoff Horsman; Alessandro Strumia; Roger Cohen; Amy Wax; Alex Byrne; Moti Gorin; Judith Suissa; Alice Sullivan; Dorian Abbot; Steven Pinker; Nicholas Christakis; Richard E. Redding.

A Telegraph Book of the Year 2025'Compelling and timely' Tirthankar Roy'Essential reading' David EltisMany now claim that Western countries should pay reparations to former colonies for the lasting damage they caused, especially through slavery. Why is this claim being made now? How far does it make sense? And, more generally, how can historic wrongs be righted?Reparations removes the sloganeering from a newly-fashionable cause, sets the issue in its proper historical context, and mounts an ethical counter-argument. The natural sequel to Nigel Biggar's bestselling and widely acclaimed Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, it makes a powerful contribution to an increasingly prominent public debate.

The idea that conservatism amounts to little more than being in favour of free market capitalism and a small state—widely held for decades—is seriously mistaken.Award-winning political theorist Yoram Hazony argues that the best hope for Western democracy is to return to a genuine conservatism that is distinct from the hollow promises of contemporary economic and social liberalism. He explains how this great Anglo-American conservative tradition – rooted in empiricism, faith and the nation – emerged and developed in England in the thought of men like Richard Hooker and Edmund Burke, and later inspired American figures ranging from the Federalists to Lincoln. He analyses how this tradition was corrupted and subverted from the 1960s onwards by the right’s misconceived embrace of ‘fusionism’ and liberalism, and how it can be revived today to respond to an era of progressive hegemony.Reflecting on his own first-hand experiences - and the importance of personal behaviour, piety and virtue in rebuilding the culture and politics of conservatism – Hazony makes a powerful counter-cultural case for a revivified conservatism that no-one dissatisfied with the current state of the political right can afford to miss.

People of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race gone so crazy?Bestselling author and acclaimed linguist John McWhorter argues that an illiberal neoracism, disguised as antiracism, is hurting black communities and weakening the social fabric.We're told to read books and listen to music by people of colour but that wearing certain clothes is 'appropriation.' We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being black makes you a victim. We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke, or worse, labelled a racist. According to John McWhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become, not a progressive ideology, but a religion – and one that's illogical, unreachable, and unintentionally neoracist.In Woke Racism, McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion, from the original sin of 'white privilege' and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics, to the evangelical fervour of the 'woke mob.' He shows how this religion that claims to 'dismantle racist structures' is actually harming his fellow black Americans by infantilizing black people, setting black students up for failure, and passing policies that disproportionately damage black communities. The new religion might be called 'antiracism,' but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past.Fortunately, for all of us, it's not too late to push back against woke racism. McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogramme friends and family. And most importantly, he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help, not hurt, black people.A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

HOW TO MAKE DEBT WORK FOR USWhen we talk about debt and its impact on our economy, we almost always mean ‘government debt’. However, this is only a small part of the picture: individuals, private firms and households owe trillions, and these private debts are vital to understanding the economy.In The Paradox of Debt, Richard Vague shows that the real factor that drives both financial crises and spiralling inequality – but also, paradoxically, economic growth – is ever-rising private debt. The paradox is that while debt is essential and our economy relies on it, it also brings instability unless it is periodically deleveraged – and that is very hard to do. It can, however, be carefully managed, and Vague demonstrates how to do so in areas ranging from trade and housing to financial policy and student debt.‘Richard Vague is a successful banker, brilliant author and contrarian economist with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of money and banking, and the parts of economic theory that are worth knowing. No-one else comes close to his blend of professional experience, oratorical flair and critical insights’ STEVE KEEN, author of Debunking Economics

‘Resounds with all the energy and enthusiasm of a man on a lifelong mission . . . This is a book for our time’ The House Magazine'A must-read for anyone trying to understand race, racism and social mobility in Britain today' Munira Mirza, CEO Civic Future'As a black Briton with Caribbean heritage, this book spoke to my heart' Katharine Birbalsingh‘A game changer . . . Tony Sewell debunks the myths without ignoring the harsh facts of the black experience in Britain, and shows how we are all moving forward. Excellently researched and deeply motivating’ Michael Dobbs, author of House of CardsIn this truthful and often surprising book, Tony Sewell weaves together memoir and argument to explore the drivers of black success. He traces black people’s hard-won achievements back to their source: family, education, hard work, discipline and the property market. He argues in favour of rejecting victimhood and low expectations and embracing high ambitions, drawing on a range of interviews and stories to offer a more exciting, sometimes visionary, new view of black life in Britain today.Five Star Reader Reviews‘Inspiring, uplifting and excellently written’‘The recipe for success … A call to the Black British community to focus on where we want to go’‘Essential reading … It gets five well-earned stars from me.

A FINANCIAL TIMES AND THE SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR'Important' Financial Times'Serious and thought-provoking' The Critic'Brave' Richard Reeves'Excellent' Jonathan HaidtFamily life has changed dramatically over the past 60 years.Greater choice and autonomy, especially for women, and a more equal domestic sphere have brought great gains for human freedom. However, argues David Goodhart, there have been losses and unintended consequences too – in family instability, children’s declining mental health, and the ever-rising demands on the welfare state and social care system. Sharply falling birthrates also present major challenges.For many people, especially in the bottom half of the income spectrum, the costs are now too high. The Care Dilemma argues that we need a new policy settlement that supports gender equality while also recognising the importance of stable families and community life, and that sees having children as a public as well as private good.

A FINANCIAL TIMES AND THE SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR'Important' Financial Times'Serious and thought-provoking' The Critic'Brave' Richard Reeves'Excellent' Jonathan HaidtFamily life has changed dramatically over the past 60 years.Greater choice and autonomy, especially for women, and a more equal domestic sphere have brought great gains for human freedom. However, argues David Goodhart, there have been losses and unintended consequences too – in family instability, children’s declining mental health, and the ever-rising demands on the welfare state and social care system. Sharply falling birthrates also present major challenges.For many people, especially in the bottom half of the income spectrum, the costs are now too high. The Care Dilemma argues that we need a new policy settlement that supports gender equality while also recognising the importance of stable families and community life, and that sees having children as a public as well as private good.

'Bracing, nourishing and wonderfully pro-woman' Victoria Smith, author of Hags'A big-hearted, infuriating, clever and highly entertaining read, just like the woman who wrote it' Kathleen Stock, author of Material Girls'Personal, passionate memoir-cum-cultural commentary' New Statesman'Excellent ... Discursive and engaging' Susanna Rustin, author of Sexed: A History of British FeminismWhat does it mean to be a lesbian now? Has the quest for lesbian liberation stalled, and if so, why?Part-memoir, part frontline reportage and part cultural commentary, Julie Bindel examines what defines lesbian culture, love, friendship and happiness today. She distinguishes the particular challenges facing lesbians from the very different experiences of gay men, and asks: why do lesbians so often seem to face particular hostility? Comparing past attitudes to today, she argues that lesbians continue to suffer from bigotry and discrimination because sexism and enforced gendered roles are still left unchallenged. She explores why many of the biggest assaults on lesbian freedom and wellbeing around the world now come, not just from conservatives, but also from so-called progressives, who are often antagonistic to lesbians organising and socialising autonomously.Rooted in her own remarkable story, this personal and passionate book is both an investigation into the obstacles to lesbian flourishing, and a testament to the particular delights of being a lesbian.

A Telegraph Book of the Year 2025'Compelling and timely' Tirthankar Roy'Essential reading' David EltisMany now claim that Western countries should pay reparations to former colonies for the lasting damage they caused, especially through slavery. Why is this claim being made now? How far does it make sense? And, more generally, how can historic wrongs be righted?Reparations removes the sloganeering from a newly-fashionable cause, sets the issue in its proper historical context, and mounts an ethical counter-argument. The natural sequel to Nigel Biggar's bestselling and widely acclaimed Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, it makes a powerful contribution to an increasingly prominent public debate.

Veteran Westminster journo and self-proclaimed liberal Remainer Nick Tyrone is no natural ally of Reform UK. So why is Nigel Farage his bet to be Britain’s next prime minister?        The Rise of Reform tells the inside story of the biggest new political party in a century, from its beginnings in 2018 up to the elections of May 2026. Through a series of exclusive interviews with major Reform figures, as well as dozens of activists and local candidates across the UK, Tyrone explores the personalities, strategies and contradictions behind the party’s unprecedented growth. Can Reform smash Britain’s two-party system? Who makes up its electoral coalition? And what would a Farage-led government mean for the country’s future?Informed, revelatory and grippingly told, The Rise of Reform is the definitive account of a political phenomenon.

Britain is broke. We have been living beyond our means for decades, piling up debt year after year. It is now costing the British taxpayer well over £100 billion a year just to pay the interest on our borrowings – more than we spend on either education or defence. Sooner rather than later, Britain’s debt problems will be impossible to ignore.In Britain is Bust, Ross Clark argues that a major rationalisation of public spending is inevitable, and likely to have profound impacts on the country’s political landscape. Cuts that might seem unpopular now will soon be inescapable if we want to avoid the kind of debt crisis that afflicted Greece in 2010. Our only choice is between taking the lead on those cuts now, or being forced by the bond markets into much deeper ones in the near future.This clear-headed, engaging and carefully argued book demonstrates that we really can’t afford to carry on as we are, and offers a set of solutions to avoid the worst.

In recent years it’s become fashionable to tell a certain kind of story about Britain. At its least offensive, this story emphasises the worst aspects of Britain’s past and neglects the best. At its most damaging, it denies, demeans or distorts the very fabric of our collective inheritance.In Our Islands’ Story, Nigel Biggar and Robert Tombs aim to tell a better story about Britain. Though not without fault, they argue, Britain's history is rich in achievements of enduring value that deserve our appreciation and care.This short and balanced history of the British Isles is the distillation of two lifetimes of esteemed scholarship. It offers both a powerful antidote to contemporary cynicism about Britain's past and an uplifting reminder of what we should carry with us into the future.

One of humanity’s greatest modern threats involves an area of life we thought we had mastered: energy. For the last century our energy system has delivered rising prosperity, increased lifespans and largely eliminated famine. Now it is being dismantled – with confidence, with public money and with almost no scrutiny.In this short, sharp book, Richard Lyon – electrical engineer, petroleum engineer and energy economist – strips the energy debate back to the physics. What he finds is alarming: fossil fuels are running out, the proposed replacements can't do the job and the people in charge don't understand the science well enough to realise, much less pursue solutions.The consequences could be severe, but they are not yet inevitable. In a series of lucid chapters, The Energy Trap sets out the problem and proposes a way forward – provided we are willing to stop wasting our remaining resources on energy systems that can't work and get on with building one that can.

'An exhilarating read' New StatesmanIn Feminism Against Progress, Mary Harrington argues that the industrial-era faith in progress is turning against all but a tiny elite of women. Women’s liberation was less the result of human moral progress than an effect of the material consequences of the Industrial Revolution. We’ve now left the industrial era for the age of AI, biotech and all-pervasive computing. As a result, technology is liberating us from natural limits and embodied sex differences. Although this shift benefits a small class of successful professional women, it also makes it easier to commodify women’s bodies, human intimacy and female reproductive abilities.This is a stark warning against a dystopian future whereby poor women become little more than convenient sources of body parts to be harvested and wombs to be rented by the rich. Progress has now stopped benefiting the majority of women, and only a feminism that is sceptical of it can truly defend female interests in the 21st century.

‘Bravely challenging the Establishment consensus … forensically argued’ - Mail on SundayThe British government has embarked on an ambitious and legally-binding climate change target: reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050. The Net Zero policy was subject to almost no parliamentary or public scrutiny, and is universally approved by our political class. But what will its consequences be?Ross Clark argues that it is a terrible mistake, an impractical hostage to fortune which will have massive downsides. Achieving the target is predicated on the rapid development of technologies that are either non-existent, highly speculative or untested. Clark shows that efforts to achieve the target will inevitably result in a huge hit to living standards, which will clobber the poorest hardest, and gift a massive geopolitical advantage to hostile superpowers such as China and Russia. The unrealistic and rigid timetable it imposes could also result in our committing to technologies which turn out to be ineffective, all while distracting ourselves from the far more important objective of adaptation.This hard-hitting polemic provides a timely critique of a potentially devastating political consensus which could hobble Britain’s economy, cost billions and not even be effective.

A TIMES AND DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2024Sharron Davies is no stranger to battling the routine sexism of the sporting world. She missed out on Olympic Gold because of doping among East German athletes in the 1980s; now, biological males are being allowed to compete directly against women under the guise of trans ‘self-ID’.This callous indifference towards women in sport, argue Sharron and journalist Craig Lord, is merely the latest stage in a decades-long history of sexism on the part of sport’s higher-ups. Unfair Play provides the facts, science and arguments that will help women in sport get the justice they deserve.‘A compelling account of how women in sport continue to be subjugated’ Daily Mail

ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS PROMISED THAT SWEEPING AWAY THE OLD ARISTOCRACY AND TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS WOULD LIBERATE US. To some extent it did – but it also undermined the things that nourished ordinary people: family, marriage, religion and local community. In Regime Change, Patrick Deneen examines the western tradition and argues that we must use the neglected resources of our philosophical heritage to construct a better way forward. Drawing on thinkers ranging from Aristotle and Machiavelli to Burke and Disraeli, Deneen develops a postliberal alternative.This iconoclastic book challenges the easy assumptions of left and right. It is a blueprint for the radical changes we need to negotiate the paradoxes of the 21st century, while remaining alive to the wisdom of the past.‘Regime Change offers a sober assessment of where we are and a way forward that will challenge ideologues on all sides of the political maelstrom’ — MARY HARRINGTON, author of Feminism Against Progress‘Articulates a vision for a populist politics that can rebuild what has been torn down’ — J. D. VANCE, United States Senator and author of Hillbilly Elegy