In March, parliament debated a motion supporting the director of public prosecution's position that prosecutions of friends and family members helping terminally ill people to end their lives should be judged on individual merit, taking into account motive. Parliament passed the motion without a vote. This meant no...

If lab-grown meat were the norm on supermarket shelves, vegetarians would have a strong argument for legislation banning the slaughter of animals for food.

It is possible that by the end of this year Heston Blumenthal will have cooked the first lab-grown burger for human consumption.

The...

"Hold on to your festival because this is a good one. Hop Farm is the people's festival." Patti Smith 30/6/12

Hop Farm Music Festival this year was, as Patti said, a good one - some great music and comedy, a mélange of aging folksters, drunken teenagers, beard strokers and summered...

With Barack Obama making a bold strategic judgement in stating his support for gay marriage, even while David Cameron quietly omits the issue from the Queen's speech, I speak to a London couple whose civil partnership is rapidly approaching, and Conservative MP David Burrowes who will vote against the bill...