Politics

When Barack Obama warned Brits on a visit to the UK ahead of the EU referendum that a vote for Leave would see Britain put to the ‘back of the queue’, on trade deals there was much anger – and also bemusement. As Brexiteers were quick to point out, Americans rarely use the word ‘queue’ – leading some to ask: did No 10 ask the US president to intervene? At the time, Cameron’s allies strongly denied this suggestion. However, it seems that the truth is quite different. Speaking on the Today programme, former White House staffer Ben Rhodes claimed that Cameron’s aides did ask their side for Obama to say Brexit

‘It’s not just backbench Conservative MPs who expect ministers to pull together behind May: the great swathe of the electorate which either voted Leave, or voted Remain but recognises that a united team will achieve a better trading relationship for the future than a divided one, expects it too.’ This is the warning Graham Brady issued to badly behaved Tory ministers over the weekend. Writing in the Guardian, the chair of the all-powerful 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, presented the feuding Cabinet with a choice: get behind May or prepare for a Corbyn victory at the next election similar to 1997. This isn’t the first time Brady has had

Michael Gove has literally ripped up Theresa May’s plan for a new customs partnership with the EU. As I say in The Sun today, to the surprise of the officials present, Gove tore the document in two at a meeting on Wednesday night. After the Brexit inner Cabinet couldn’t reach a consensus on what customs relationship to have with the EU after Brexit, it was split into working groups to look at the two options: the new customs partnership and a streamlined customs arrangement, dubbed MaxFac. Gove was put on the one looking at the new customs partnership—which is Theresa May’s preferred model. It would see the UK collecting tariffs

With a twenty billion pound spending increase in the NHS, many ministers are quietly seething at the latest Treasury warning of ‘no more money left’ for other departments. Gavin Williamson wants an extra £20 billion for Defence, and is allegedly threatening to bring down the Prime Minister if he isn’t given it. Now another minister is preparing to go into bat for his department. One such Minister is Michael Gove. With the first Agriculture Bill since 1947 likely to come before the Commons before recess, the environment secretary keen to have adequate funding for the bill which is likely to define his stint in Defra. Whilst the Agriculture Bill will

The Defence Select Committee called for the defence budget to be raised by £17 billion a year, from just over 2 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent. Some £35.3 billion was spent on defence in 2016/17. How much was allocated to particular operations? Wider Gulf £51m Afghanistan £70m Deployed Military Activity Pool (for unforeseen military activity) £23m Counter Daesh £432m Conflict stability and security fund (various peace-keeping activities) £87m EU counter migrant-smuggling ops £3m

My commute to work yesterday was just like any other, until I was interrupted from my thoughts by a fellow passenger: “I don’t like your bag,” he said. Looking down, I remembered that I was carrying a tote bag emblazoned with the words: “The EU is not my bag”. I thought for a moment it was the colour – a vivid magenta – that had offended him. Then it dawned on me: the EU was, in fact, his bag. “That’s OK, you don’t have to,” I replied. My response seemed to infuriate him further.  “I don’t know whether you’re racist or stupid – or even both,” he said.  This came as something of a