Sam McPhail

2 months ago | spectator.co.uk | Sam McPhail

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain could be knocked out of the Champions League tomorrow night. So thank God for the tournament’s new format, or so say the pundits. Yes, there’s the glee that most football fans feel when two of Europe’s petro state-owned superclubs are struggling. But the pundits also see Man City’s scrambling as a vindication of the Champions League’s face-lift. Finally, an end to the ‘bore fest we’ve had for years’, says pundit Jamie Carragher.

2 months ago | spectator.com.au | Sam McPhail

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain could be knocked out of the Champions League tomorrow night. So thank God for the tournament’s new format, or so say the pundits. Yes, there’s the glee that most football fans feel when two of Europe’s petro state-owned superclubs are struggling. But the pundits also see Man City’s scrambling as a vindication of the Champions League’s face-lift.

Jan 19, 2025 | thespectator.com | Michael Evans |Cindy Yu |Sam McPhail |Katy Balls

They do say you shouldn’t take anything for granted and it seems Peter Mandelson is beginning to realize that too. He may have thought that his new appointment as UK ambassador to the US was set in stone — but it has emerged that the president-elect is considering, um, rejecting Sir Keir Starmer’s nominee. Ouch. As first reported by the Independent, it transpires that the Trump team says it isn’t certain that Mandelson will be accepted by the Republican leader after he becomes president.

Jan 17, 2025 | thespectator.com | Juan P. Villasmil |Mark Mason |Michael Evans |Sam McPhail

Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted of Ohio will replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in the Senate, with Florida attorney general Ashley Moody set to take Marco Rubio’s place. The imminent departures of Vance and Rubio from the Senate had led to a lot of speculation about their potential replacements.

Jan 17, 2025 | thespectator.com | Mark Mason |Michael Evans |Juan P. Villasmil |Sam McPhail

Donald Trump has form with the smelt. In his 2016 presidential run, he complained that California’s authorities were prioritizing the endangered fish (which are native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta) over farmers’ irrigation needs. “Is there a drought?” he asked a private audience of farmers ahead of a rally.