Juliet Samuel

New Labour burdened councils and departments with so many layers of procedure as to render the state dysfunctional

A defence review that eclipsed vital contracts, a ministry unable to spend wisely and missed opportunities for investment­

Andy Burnham’s wonks are signalling a welcome shift away from welfarism, but left-wing fantasies will doom it to failure

Shabana Mahmood’s tinkering may ease the burden on councils but the home secretary ignores the potential risk of admitting violent strangers

George Cottrell’s chutzpah is the type of thing that has put Nigel Farage’s party top of the polls but this crew can’t govern

Power cuts on the scale of Spain’s could happen here too if we cut corners and go too fast in transition to renewables

Confidential reports contradict the account by the grid operator Neso that the system was secure during the hot weather last month

After Britain’s grid started behaving strangely during the heatwave in June, whistleblowers reveal risks of the green transformation

Surging numbers of household panels are making electricity supplies volatile, and control room staff are being forced to manage dangerous imbalances

A leaked report commissioned by the national grid operator says it is ‘flying blind’ because it cannot accurately forecast supply from renewable sources