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Ian Birrell

Ian Birrell writes a weekly column for i. He is a former deputy editor of the Independent and an award-winning foreign correspondent. He was awarded Health Journalist of the year in the 2018 Press Awards and was highly commended in the feature writing category.

Article thumbnail: WASHINGTON, DC -JULY 31: Tahir Hamut Izgil documents his experiences leading up to him finding refuge in the United States. He is photographed in Fairfax,Virginia on July 31, 2023. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Ian Birrell

The Uighur refugee I met - and what he taught me about life's fragility

On our turbulent planet that no-one can predict the future with certainty

Ian Birrell

One woman's story should remind the West of its duty to Ukraine

Ian Birrell

Rishi Sunak predicted his own party's downfall

Article thumbnail: TOPSHOT - This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Emergency Service on November 25, 2023, shows a rescuer working at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv. Ukraine said on November 25, 2023 it had downed 71 Russian attack drones overnight in what Kyiv authorities said was the biggest attack on the capital since the start of the invasion. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /HO/ UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by HANDOUT/UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images)
Ian Birrell

Joe Biden has failed to grasp the difference between the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

Ian Birrell

I worked for Cameron and he is a clever politician - but this is a desperate move

Article thumbnail: Homeless man slept on a piece of cardboard with an old blanket.
Article thumbnail: Homeless man slept on a piece of cardboard with an old blanket.
Article thumbnail: These issues of arrogance, ineptitude, selfishness, shallowness and tribalism go beyond Boris Johnson and his toxic team (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Article thumbnail: These issues of arrogance, ineptitude, selfishness, shallowness and tribalism go beyond Boris Johnson and his toxic team (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Article thumbnail: October 1985: British prime minister Margaret Thatcher looking pensive at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Article thumbnail: October 1985: British prime minister Margaret Thatcher looking pensive at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Article thumbnail: JENIN, WEST BANK - OCTOBER 22: Relatives of Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attack on Jenin Refugee Camp, mourn during the funeral ceremony in Jenin, West Bank on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Article thumbnail: JENIN, WEST BANK - OCTOBER 22: Relatives of Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attack on Jenin Refugee Camp, mourn during the funeral ceremony in Jenin, West Bank on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)