Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson is not just a master of the art of political commentary, with unsurpassed insights into the workings of the British political system. His forensically argued columns on everything from the failures of Covid modelling and welfare dysfunction to Swedish drug gangs show that he is a writer of rare range.

His columns are extremely popular among Telegraph readers, performing consistently well even when subscribers do not necessarily agree with his conclusions. But Fraser is also one of the few columnists in Britain to have genuine cut-through among readers of other publications. He is influential because readers know that he writes carefully, and out of genuine knowledge and experience. He is also stylistically brilliant, with an eye for anecdotes, details and stories that enliven his arguments.

Fraser has a particular talent for identifying issues before they enter the political mainstream. He was the first columnist in Britain to write about the out-of-work crisis: the large numbers of people who never re-entered the workforce after the pandemic. His investigations into gang violence in Sweden highlighted deficiencies in the liberal integration model. He is consistently ahead of the pack in political commentary, in part because he knows all the key political figures. But he also knows the right questions to ask.