The day of a party’s election campaign launch ought to generate some pretty straightforward policy coverage. Instead, Labour yesterday managed to cause confusion once again as Jeremy Corbyn tried to set out Labour’s position on Europe. In a speech in Manchester, the Labour leader asserted that the question of whether the UK would leave the
Listed below are the notable parliamentary contests that we can look forward to in the 2017 general election: England Conservatives: Returning: Richmond Park – Zac Goldsmith, who lost this seat in a by-election he triggered in opposition to the government’s stance on building a third runway at Heathrow, has rejoined the fold to try and win it back.
Aaron Lennon. Prince Harry. Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money. Each of these high profile people’s mental health has been in the spotlight in recent weeks and, thankfully, most of the public response has been sympathetic. But each has also faced a dark undercurrent of criticism that they’re not entitled to struggle with their
Once upon a time the Welsh didn’t much care for the Kippers. In successive European elections (1999, 2004 and 2009), Scotland always produced Ukip’s worst result and Wales was the second or third worst. It was a similar story in Welsh Assembly elections: in 2003, 2007 and 2011, Ukip talked up their chances of winning seats
Out on the campaign trail in Leeds today, Theresa May stated that she supports fox hunting. ‘As it happens personally I have always been in favour of fox hunting and we maintain our commitment – we have had a commitment previously as a Conservative Party – to allow a free vote,’ she said. The Prime
Jeremy Corbyn said this morning that Brexit was ‘settled’. Now, it seems, he isn’t quite so sure. The Labour leader was quizzed repeatedly on whether the UK would definitely leave the EU behind if he becomes Prime Minister on June 9th. Seven times, Corbyn refused to answer. Instead, Corbyn insisted that he would ‘get a good
Watching the general election from my newsroom is an out-of-body experience. I’ve been involved in the last five general elections variously as photocopy boy, parliamentary candidate, shadow minister, campaign manager and chancellor. This time I’m reporting on the election as editor of the Evening Standard. I have a lot to learn; but I have a
Labour MP Sarah Champion was ‘giddy with excitement’ ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s launch of the party’s election campaign this morning. Afterwards, she tweeted to say that the event was ‘stunning’. So it might be a fair bet to assume she’ll be proudly urging voters to back Jeremy Corbyn all the way to Downing Street? Not so.
Ever since the referendum result, the New York Times has adopted a decidedly gloomy tone in its Brexit coverage. The American paper even suffered a sense of humour failure when hacks read the Times‘s parliamentary sketch of an Emmanuel Macron rally as a serious news report — interpreting it as a sign of British superiority
I am afraid that whenever a politician asks to be judged on their record, it is sensible to assume this reflects a confidence they won’t be. At the very least such promises are hostages to future headlines. Take, for instance, Nicola Sturgeon’s boast that education – and specifically closing the gap between the best and
Better access to education. Tax cuts for anyone in the struggling middle. More affordable homes, and more money for the National Heath Service. There is nothing wrong with Theresa May seeking to stake out the centre ground of British politics and stop Brexit turning into a right-wing campaign to turn back the clock. But one
It’s great to be launching our campaign in Greater Manchester where you showed the way for the rest of the country by electing a Labour mayor, Andy Burnham.Andy will be a great mayor – but just think how much more he will be able to achieve if he is working with a Labour Government committed
Last night, Jeremy Corbyn confirmed many Labour moderates’ worst fears when he declared that he would not quit as leader — even if the party loses come June. Now it’s not uncommon for politicians to say this on the election campaign trail and then act differently in the light of defeat — Gordon Brown did exactly this. But
What should be done to our muddled and over-complicated pensions system? We (our politicians, that is) have created a pensions monstrosity that even hardened actuaries now fear and struggle to comprehend. The question I raise is one all the main political parties will provide their thoughts on as we painstakingly move towards June 8 when,
Jeremy Corbyn wins an unlikely supporter today: the Sun newspaper, which throws its weight behind the Labour leader’s plans to axe hospital car park charges. The paper’s support might come as a surprise for Corbyn – particularly as its editorial goes on to criticise the health secretary Jeremy Hunt for talking ‘tough’ on scrapping charges but doing little
For every hard-working individual who has built up a pension pot to fund their retirement, there is a criminal trying to scam their way into stealing some of it for themselves. Pension funds are often the second largest source of wealth behind home purchases and, as a result, are a tempting target. Sadly, scams are
It hasn’t taken long for the Tories to try to turn Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France to their advantage in this election. At first glance, the triumph of the pro-EU Macron—the warm up music for his victory address was the Ode to Joy, not the Marseillaise—who has talked about luring British business and research to
After John McDonnell praised Karl Marx’s Das Kapital on Sunday, Jeremy Corbyn today doubled down and described the philosopher as a ‘great thinker’. This has led to some light mockery today, with the Liberal Democrats’ Tom Brake getting in on the fun — claiming the Labour leader deserves ‘full Marx’ for this latest gaffe. But the
I’m a Brexiteer and I’m glad Le Pen lost. Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong. Brexit was democratic, optimistic, generous, a positive people’s strike for better politics. Le Pen’s programme, by
The Tories have just hit a new high in the polls: 49 per cent, handing them a 22-point lead over Labour. This margin is virtually uncharted territory for the Conservatives, with ICM pointing out that the party’s current lead has only been bettered once in the last 34 years of polling – back in May