The big idea: are we really so polarised?
In many democracies the political chasm seems wider than ever. But emotion, not policies, may be what actually divides us
Hilary Mantel play to close amid Covid uncertainty
Royal Shakespeare Company cancels planned extension of The Mirror and the Light in West End
Beyond a Fringe review – the rise and fall of Andrew Mitchell
An engrossing memoir charts the Tory MP’s ascent to cabinet, the disaster of ‘Plebgate’ and his subsequent reinvention as a scourge of Boris Johnson with honesty, insight and wit
Why Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto is having a moment
The Canadian musician Grimes tweeted an image of herself with the 1848 document last week – just after her reported split from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. She isn’t the only one reading it right now
Chief of Staff: Notes from Downing Street by Gavin Barwell review – sympathy for Theresa May
In his inside account of May’s time in No 10, Barwell depicts her as a well-meaning victim of Brexit extremists and vicious politics – but lets her off the hook
‘The woke’ are just the latest faux enemies of Englishness conjured up by the right
The myth of a silenced English majority betrayed by a liberal metropolitan elite goes back decades, says author and broadcaster Patrick Wright
The big idea: should scientists run the country?
Covid has put academics like Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance at the heart of government, but smart politicians are essential too
My Secret Brexit Diary by Michel Barnier review – a British roasting
The EU’s chief negotiator found his UK counterparts bizarrely unfocused during the long haul to fix a Brexit deal – and believes they still don’t know what they’ve done
‘I Know Who Caused Covid-19’ review – the global blame game
Zhou Xun and Sander Gilman show how fear and poor terminology have fuelled racial prejudice during the pandemic
Trump may be gone, but Covid has not seen off populism
It is liberal fantasy to imagine that poor handling of the pandemic has lessened the allure of Modi and Bolsonaro. They are learning fast how to subvert voting
Chief of Staff by Gavin Barwell review – Theresa May’s one true blue
The former prime minister’s right-hand man recalls her torrid time in Number 10 in a candid and insightful memoir steeped in Brexit, backstops and backstabbing
Nadine Dorries should write what she likes. And I’ll read what I like
High brow, low brow – for heaven’s sake, just pick up a book
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Why are Nadine Dorries’ novels so full of Irish cliches?
Good women are beautiful. Bad women aren’t. And men will do anything for a Guinness and a potato. Our writer loses herself in the blarney-filled world of the new culture secretary’s oeuvre
Broken Heartlands by Sebastian Payne review – a tour of the red wall’s ruins
The Gateshead-born journalist toured former left strongholds, talking to politicians and local people, to write this illuminating study of a seismic shift in British politics
Booksellers warn over Christmas supplies amid UK lorry driver shortage
Shops build up stocks early to offset bottlenecks as publishers warn Brexit and pandemic are delaying distribution