Comment The informal Labour-Lib Dem alliance could doom the Tories If the unspoken pact between the parties holds at a general election, the Conservatives face dramatic losses. By Philip Collins
UK Politics The by-elections show what a Tory wipeout could look like Labour and the Lib Dems don’t need a formal pact to inflict defeats on the Conservatives across the country. By Harry Lambert
Conservatives Will the Tories’ humiliating by-election defeats reignite the campaign to oust Boris Johnson? Freddie Hayward
Society Seventy per cent of British voters say the cost of childcare keeps mothers at home Alona Ferber
UK Politics Exclusive: How Tory seats hoovered up levelling-up funds Ben van der Merwe and Michael Goodier
Paralysis in Moscow: why Putin persists with his strategy The Russian president realises he must pick his fights carefully. Just as well, because the challenges keep coming. By Lawrence Freedman
How the empire degraded Britain Three new histories reveal the corrosive effects of colonialism and slavery on today’s British politics. а> By Laleh Khalili
TV Rowan Atkinson’s Man vs Bee: the most perplexing minutes I have ever spent watching TV Imogen West-Knights
World Review BONUS EPISODE: Will the world end its addiction to growth? With the Club of Rome Adrian Bradley
Economy Forget Right to Buy, what about Right to Rent? The UK’s rent crisis is a political choice Emma Haslett
The Environment Interview “Engineers build the fabric of society. We need them in government” Philippa Nuttall
Long reads Geoff Dyer: How to grow old in America A tennis injury – and a spell in the US healthcare system – helped cure my delusions of youth. By Geoff Dyer
Regional Development The government’s plan to level up adult skills is going backwards Michael Goodier
Healthcare The Policy Ask with Paul Farmer: “Cutting welfare support is counter-productive and punitive” Spotlight