David Rose

Oxford

Investigations Editor at UnHerd

UnHerd investigations editor. Awards include reporter and feature writer of the year, Trento mountain literature & David Watt prizes. Written 7 books. Caver.

Articles

Inside Britain’s underworld

2 weeks ago | unherd.com | David Rose

CavingExplorationGloucestershireSocietyUK There aren’t many opportunities left on planet Earth to boldly go where no one has gone before. One might think of the remote wastes of Antarctica, or of dense tracts of Amazonian jungle. But a new frontier has opened — and in a rather unexpected place. Under a sheep-grazed meadow in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean lies Britain’s biggest cave discovery in decades.
How Islamism infiltrated Downing Street

3 weeks ago | unherd.com | David Rose

Downing StreetIslamismKeir StarmerLabour PartyPoliticsPremiumUK Ahmed was not always so cosy with Labour. During the Blair-Brown era, he was the spokesman for the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC), a lobbying organisation driven by principles which include reviving the farid of Jihad and anti-Zionism. It also encouraged tactical voting against Labour MPs who didnât share Muslim concerns. As Ahmed said at the time: âThe Muslim vote is powerful.
How safe is the Letby verdict?

Mar 7, 2025 | unherd.com | David Rose |Cleuci de Oliveira

JusticeLawLucy LetbySocietyUK Late on 17 February, a document briefly appeared on the website of Lady Justice Thirwall‚Äôs public inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders. By morning it had vanished. UnHerd can now reveal that this was a statement to police by Dr Astha Soni, a paediatrician at the neonatal unit where Letby worked. And it raises serious doubts about the claims that Letby attempted to murder two babies by poisoning them with insulin.
The true cost of Net Zero

Mar 2, 2025 | unherd.com | David Rose

climate policyEd MilibandKeir StarmerNet ZeroPoliticsUK If you think your energy bill is already high, brace yourself. Labour may have promised a Net Zero electricity system that would cut average bills by £300 — but as new research reveals, the opposite is going to happen. We can expect the cost of electricity to increase by at least 75%.
How the BBC backs the Taliban

Feb 25, 2025 | unherd.com | David Rose

AfghanistanBBCBBC World ServiceInvestigationPoliticsTalibanUK Taliban. The word is synonymous with religious fundamentalism — vividly clear since the militants swept back into Kabul in August 2021. Amid public executions and gender apartheid, there has been an intensifying war on free speech. Since the Taliban returned to power, media have been censored and radio stations in particular forced off the air. Yet, curiously, one foreign broadcaster endures: the BBC.
Blunt knives won't tame Birmingham

Feb 12, 2025 | unherd.com | David Rose |Yasminara Khan

bankruptcyBirminghamLabournosSmall HeathSocietyUK Adam has lived in inner-city Birmingham all his life, spending his teenage years armed: sometimes with knives, sometimes with guns, always in a gang. And never particularly bothered by the police. ‚ÄúBecause we live in poor areas,‚ÄĚ he says, ‚Äúthe police don‚Äôt do anything.‚ÄĚ They’ll arrive after a big shooting, to be sure, ‚Äúlike it’s Christmas,‚ÄĚ Adam says, all flashing lights and excitement.
Why the Letby case isn't closed

Jan 31, 2025 | unherd.com | David Rose

Dewi Evans isn’t shy about his role in the conviction of Lucy Letby. After offering his services to the police in May 2017, the retired paediatrician claims it took him 10 minutes to work out that murder had taken place at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The rest, as they say, is history.
The sanctions-busters funding Iran

Dec 15, 2024 | unherd.com | David Rose

IranOilPoliticsrestofworldSanctionsTrump Donald Trump isn’t yet back in the White House — but his Iranian policy is clear. Like he did in his first term, he’ll pursue a vigorous policy against Tehran, hampering its nuclear programme and backing its rivals across the Middle East. If history is anything to go by, meanwhile, sanctions will be vital to this strategy, especially those targeting an Iranian oil sector worth billions of dollars each year.
The British scientists working for China

Nov 27, 2024 | unherd.com | David Rose

AcademiaChinaChinese militaryKeir StarmerPoliticsUKUniversityXi Jinping When Keir Starmer met his Chinese counterpart earlier this month, he gripped Xi Jinping’s hand and proclaimed the importance of a “strong” bilateral relationship.
Who verifies BBC Verify?

Nov 3, 2024 | unherd.com | David Rose

BBCbbc verifydisinformationPremiumPremium ArticleSocietyUK BBC Verify, the new fact-checking service inside the BBC, was launched last year with much fanfare and at great expense. Its verdicts are pushed across all the corporation’s channels. So why is it getting so many things wrong? And where is the accountability for these arbiters of truth?