Damien McElroy
Damien McElroy connects UK and European politics to global security, diplomacy and economic power shifts in his coverage for The National. He leads the London bureau and writes both reported news and commentary that track how decisions in capitals reverberate through conflicts, sanctions regimes and international institutions. His reporting brings together detailed accounts of events such as war crimes trials or suspected terror plots with analysis of the political context, giving his work a strongly geopolitical focus.
UK politics, foreign policy and leadership
McElroy follows UK political leadership closely, using it as a lens for Britain’s role in the world.
He has examined the government’s decision to sanction Israeli interests linked to illegal settlements in the West Bank, explaining how a tougher line on Palestine-Israel places Britain alongside European states pursuing similar bans and supports Palestinian claims to statehood. He reports on and analyses Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s choices, from resisting calls for an early general election to the implications of committing to a full parliamentary term for global stability. In coverage of Burberry’s push to restore tax-free shopping in London, he links a luxury brand’s demands to wider questions about Britain’s attractiveness as an investment destination and the economic impact of VAT policy on tourist spending.
His reporting on the foreign secretary’s rhetoric about “settler terrorists” and the formal reset of policy on Gaza shows a sustained interest in how senior figures frame Britain’s stance on Israel-Palestine, sanctions and human rights. Across these pieces, UK domestic decisions are treated as part of a larger foreign-policy and economic story, not in isolation.
Security incidents, sanctions and international justice
Security and the legal consequences of conflict are a second core strand in McElroy’s work.
He has covered the Kosovo war crimes tribunal that sentenced former president Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison, detailing the court in The Hague, the wartime role of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the protests that followed the judgment. His reporting on RAF Fairford describes a suspected bomb plot near a US military-linked airbase in Gloucestershire, including the discovery of explosives, arrests made under counter-terrorism legislation and the major incident response.
In a follow-up, he tracks the investigation into an Iran-UK dual citizen arrested in connection with the case, outlining intelligence exchanges over Tehran’s possible role and the prime minister’s public statements about “strong indications” of Iranian involvement. These pieces sit alongside his analysis of Britain’s sanctions on Israeli settlers, where he sets out how legal rulings, such as decisions by the International Court of Justice, underpin obligations on states to curb trade and investment tied to illegal settlements.
Taken together, his coverage links frontline security operations, diplomatic signalling and international law into a single narrative about how governments respond to threats and past abuses.
Global institutions, middle powers and AI
McElroy writes frequently about the behaviour of global institutions and mid-sized states in an era of technological and geopolitical change. In commentary on the UN, he focuses on the role of diplomats and the political operations that manage tensions between member states, arguing that the organisation’s future depends more on its diplomatic machinery than its bureaucracy.
His piece on an “alliance of middle powers” uses a visit by the Canadian prime minister to Europe to explore how countries such as Canada, the EU members and the UK might respond to an America that pursues its own path on artificial intelligence, stressing the need for cooperative frameworks when a dominant power acts alone.
Earlier, he has treated the reopening of shipping routes in the Red Sea as a test of US-led action, tying maritime security to broader strategic questions about coalition-building and deterrence. Across these commentaries, he returns to how institutions and middle powers can work around great-power unilateralism, whether in AI regulation, conflict management or global trade.
Commentary style and long-range themes
McElroy moves between reported pieces and commentary, and his columns often draw on long experience in conflict and political reporting. Before joining The National in 2017 to oversee its London editorial operation, he worked as an editor and roving reporter at major newspaper groups and covered politics and conflict across Europe, the Middle East, the US, Africa and Asia.
That background is visible in his analyses of defence policy, such as his assessment of the dilemmas facing a new UK prime minister over military commitments, alliances and spending. He also writes about technology platforms and media, using the removal of Twitter verification badges, including his own, to discuss how changes to social networks affect journalists and public discourse. Even in pieces about shipping routes or AI, he tends to frame issues in terms of strategic choices, alliances and the risks of instability over time.
His body of work combines close attention to UK political actors with a wide-angle view of crises, institutions and power balances, making his coverage distinct from beat reporting limited to a single parliament or policy area.
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