Marc Morris

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.

An illustration in the Alphonso Psalter, showing a young man riding a horse and hawking.

#OnThisDay 1273 Alphonso, son of Edward I, was born in Bayonne, Gascony. He died in 1284. Had he lived and reigned, Alphonso would now be a popular English name.

An illustration in the Alphonso Psalter, showing a young man riding a horse and hawking.

#OnThisDay 1273 Alphonso, son of Edward I, was born in Bayonne, Gascony. He died in 1284. Had he lived and reigned, Alphonso would now be a popular English name.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Prescott himself doctored Trump quote in his anti-BBC report A report alleging Panorama broadcast misleading Trump quotes contains misleading quotes itself

Michael Prescott, who refused to answer all media questions until his DCMS appearance, spent 90 minutes in front of the committee – and wasn't asked *once* about his own report misquoting Donald Trump. What a farce.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-e...

Good to know that all those technology lessons at Jennifer Arcuri's flat are finally paying off.

This afternoon I did a talk for BBC History Magazine and afterwards at least half a dozen people asked me what I thought about King and Conqueror, so I'm reposting this brief review I wrote back in August. www.marcmorris.org.uk/2025/08/king...

Windows Users Furious at Microsoft's Plan to Turn It Into an "Agentic OS" Microsoft is hellbent on transforming Windows 11 into a "canvas for AI," and users aren't left feeling impressed.

"Great, how do I disable literally all of it?"

Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system Files show then PM was walking dog, riding motorbike and hosting guests as pandemic planning stalled in ‘lost month’

Boris Johnson took 4 days off as NHS warned of escalating Covid crisis www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Join me next summer for a tour of Edward I's magnificent castles in north Wales. www.traveleditions.co.uk/tour/great-c...

Victory! We’ve won major legal battle exposing car industry lobbying After two years we can finally reveal “backdoor channels where corporate money hijacks our democracy.”

🚨 SCOOP: Toyota and Aston Martin secretly lobbied a Conservative cabinet minister to weaken Britain’s climate policy.

We only know this because Democracy for Sale won a two-year legal fight to force the government to hand over the documents.

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/victory-we...

Shown here is a promotional graphic for Canterbury History Weekend 2026. The weekend offers a fascinating programme of 20 in-person talks at the University of Kent, bring together leading historians, lively discussion, and fresh insights into the Middle Ages. Attendees can create their own itinerary using a pick-and-mix booking system, selecting from a range of talks covering four main themes: Religion and the Arts, Royalty and Nobility, War and Politics, and Social History. Among this year’s speakers include Helen Castor, Marc Morris, Rachel Koopmans, David Carpenter and Caroline Barron. Tickets are priced at £10.00 per person, per event. Discounts for students and bulk purchasing are available – visit history-weekends.org for more information. The weekend is organised by the Canterbury Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (CAMEMS) in collaboration with the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent.

Now booking: Canterbury Medieval Weekend
Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd May 2026

Join leading historians and writers as they uncover the ideas, people and events that shaped the Middle Ages.

📍 University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU
ℹ️ For details and tickets: history-weekends.org

Brexit Hit to UK Economy Double Official Estimate, Study Finds Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist.

Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist

#OnThisDay 1272 Edward I became king of England. It was the first undisputed succession since the Norman Conquest.

#OnThisDay 1272 Edward I became king of England. (Although he wouldn't know this for several weeks, because he was in Sicily at the time). He was the first king since 1066 whose reign did not commence with his coronation. bit.ly/2rcGnME

This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.

I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.

Ok BlueSky: what are your favorite history books in terms of sheer page-turning, narrative propulsion? Thinking along the line of Killers of the Flower Moon, etc. Nonfiction chronicles that read like novels or movies.

I assume Biggles is the hero and the guy on the right is the weapon?

#OnThisDay 1272 Edward I became king of England. (Although he wouldn't know this for several weeks, because he was in Sicily at the time). He was the first king since 1066 whose reign did not commence with his coronation. bit.ly/2rcGnME

🚨 BREAKING: Kent County Council is hurtling towards financial oblivion under Reform.

A shocking new council report reveals a projected budget black hole of £46.5 million for this year. The Reform Administration has completely lost control of our finances. 🔶

This section of Gerald of Wales' The Conquest of Ireland in which he praises his own family is essentially the Theme from Shaft.

This section of Gerald of Wales' The Conquest of Ireland in which he praises his own family is essentially the Theme from Shaft.

The serpent head of the Oseberg Viking ship, carved in 820, and shown for the first time to the public in the Oslo Historical Museum

It appears in Domesday Book as 'Scyr marsh', under its new Norman lord Hugues de Pantbaillie.

Road sign for 'Skirmish Paintball'

How delightfully quaint some of these old Devon village names are, their etymologies lost in the mists of time.

The head of the gilt-bronze effigy of Henry III.

#OnThisDay 1272 King Henry III died at Westminster. "He shone more gloriously in death than he did in life," said one contemporary chronicler.

What a photograph.

“Nearly two dozen arrested as faith leaders protested outside a federal immigration facility near Chicago…”

Arrested large amounts of peaceful clergy face first on pavement is a pretty good sign you’re not the good guys in the story. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...