Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Tuesday

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Theresa May’s Brexit vision gets the thumbs-up from the traditional Tory troublemakers

Theresa May hasn’t been Prime Minister for 100 days yet but already she’s achieved what few other Tory leaders before her have done: get her eurosceptic backbenchers on board. In doing this, May will have made the likes of David Cameron green with envy. So how did she succeed in this task? It seems her speech on Sunday lived up to the high expectations of the Brexiteers and managed to warm even the stoniest of hearts among the traditional Tory troublemakers. In return, they’ve spent this year’s conference determined to sing the joys of May. That show of support was on display last night from two of the biggest names

The Spectator

Full text: Michael Fallon’s Tory party conference speech

This week our party is putting forward a vision of a country that works for everyone. Where you can go as far as your talents take you. Ultimately the opportunity to get on depends on the security provided by our Armed Forces. Today British forces are fighting terrorism, countering aggression, and training troops in democracies as far apart as Iraq and Ukraine, Nigeria and Afghanistan. Here at home, they are patrolling our skies and seas. Serving around the world, around the clock – to keep our country safe. Each one of them deserves our thanks. In Theresa May we have a leader who puts security first. Her first act as

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Breaking: Brexit means breakfast

Brexit means Brexit. But for some, remembering that definition can be a challenge. For Welsh Tory leader Andrew Davies, it seems Brexit means something else altogether. Davies took to the stage at the Conservative party conference and proudly declared that: ‘Mark my words, we will make breakfast..Brexit a success’ Davies said after his gaffe that he would ‘have a word’ with the autocue. But Mr S is glad to see that in spite of his blunder, he still managed to see the funny side: Speech done at #CPC16…now off to sort out breakfast! — Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) October 4, 2016

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Theresa May’s passion isn’t yet matched by her policies

Theresa May has done enough, for now, to put Brexit into its box. The Prime Minister hasn’t offered up much, but the piecemeal announcements she has made at the Tory party conference – including setting out a rough Article 50 timetable – have helped stave off uncertainty. Crucially, they’ve also kept the Brexit band happy: with the traditional Tory troublemakers using their conference platforms to sing the PM’s praises for once rather than stick the knife in. Yet it’s clear that Theresa May wants her time in office to be about more than just the referendum. When she was asked about the Brexit vote, the PM had this to say on the

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The Notting Hill set stay away from Birmingham

At this year’s Labour conference, the absence of several centrist MPs at the annual event was taken as a sign that the party was far from a united one. So, what about the Conservatives? It hasn’t gone unnoticed that the majority of the once omnipotent Notting Hill set have stayed away from Tory conference in Birmingham. While Lord Feldman has bothered to show up, backbenchers George Osborne and Michael Gove are nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile fellow Cameroon Ed Vaizey was notably absent at a fringe event on Monday where he was scheduled to talk about the centre ground in politics. With only Nicky Morgan here to defend Cameron’s legacy, the former

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Jacob Rees-Mogg longs for the common touch

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been looking mightily pleased with himself at this year’s Conservative party conference. After the arch-Brexiteer spent years calling for Britain to leave the European Union, his wish was finally granted in June. However, he sill has work to do when it comes to convincing Remain-ers that Brexit will be a good thing. At a Politeia fringe event, Mogg recounted being teased on Question Time for suggesting Britain could get a good trade deal from Europe because French farmers still wanted to flog their champagne to Brits. It turns out that example was ‘too posh’ for some. So, Mogg revealed his new example to appeal to the common man: claret. This time, he said, it was

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Conservative party conference, day three: The Spectator guide

The Conservative party conference is now in full swing, with a host of top cabinet ministers taking to the stage in Birmingham today. Defence secretary Michael Fallon, Justice secretary Liz Truss and Home secretary Amber Rudd will all be speaking this morning. While Jeremy Hunt and Education secretary Justine Greening are up this afternoon. Here’s the full list of what’s on today: Main conference: 10.30am – 11am: Celebrating the union: Andrew Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly for Wales, is joined by: Wales secretary Alun Cairns Scotland secretary David Mundell Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire 11am-12.30pm: A society that works for everyone Defence secretary Michael Fallon

Monday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Liam Fox looks towards the sunny world of Brexit Britain

This afternoon’s session of speeches at the Tory conference might best be described as the ‘Why My Department Exists’ section. The ministers who spoke – Culture Secretary Karen Bradley, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox – all reeled off statistics about sport, the countryside, exports and so on to show that their portfolios really matter. Every year, we hear about the countries whose national products we are selling back to them, and how many trees ministers are planting (not personally, sadly). But this year, we had a new job description: that of the Secretary of State for International Trade. And as well as offering ripostes to

The Spectator

Full text: Liam Fox’s conference speech

There was a time when the terms ‘Britain’ and ‘trade’ would have been almost synonymous. For over two centuries we were the trading nation. From the intellectual pioneers such as Adam Smith, whose book ‘the Wealth of Nations’ made the case for free trade, to the Royal Navy’s patrol of the world’s trade routes to the might and resilience of the British Merchant Navy, this country was at the forefront of a free and open trading world. And this party also played its part. When Sir Robert Peel fought against the vested interests of the day to repeal the corn laws and prevent the exploitation of the poor, he set

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Gender equality low on the agenda in the Johnson household

Spare a thought for Rachel Johnson. After the Mail on Sunday columnist was invited to speak on gender equality at this year’s Tory conference as part of a Bright Blue debate, she thought that with her brothers — Boris and Jo — and father Stanley in town, it wasn’t entirely out of question that one would come and watch her. Alas it wasn’t to be. Speaking at the event, Johnson revealed that her father had declined an offer after discovering the subject of the talk was gender equality: ‘My father is here and two of my brothers are here and my father rung me about an hour ago and he said “cup

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Nicky Morgan in the naughty corner

With Nicky Morgan the new Peter Bone of the Conservative party, the former Education Secretary is making her mark at this year’s conference as a Cameroon without a brief. Her opposition to Theresa May’s grammar school plans has not gone down well with No.10. Today Patrick McLoughlin used his interview with the Mirror to question why Morgan had allowed a grammar school to expand during her tenure if she was so against the idea. So, perhaps that’s why May has decided to keep a close eye on Morgan at this year’s event. Morgan was part of a panel discussion this morning titled ‘inequality in education’. While she used the session to re-iterate her concerns, it

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Philip Hammond’s ‘sombre’ speech acknowledges the impact of Brexit on businesses

Philip Hammond’s speech has had a mixed reaction from his MP colleagues, it is fair to say. A number have run up to me and rolled their eyes at how terrible his jokes were, or at his skill in managing to make one of the most important jobs in government sound boring, even telling delegates at one point not to switch off before talking about the very interesting productivity puzzle. One minister mutters that the speech was ‘classic Hammond’, which was more of a reference to his lack of charisma than his rather downbeat assessment of everything, from how interesting his job is to the consequences of Brexit. It was

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Theresa May’s honeymoon isn’t over yet

This Tory conference is making clear quite how topsy-turvy politics has become over the past few months. David Davis is sweeping around with a ministerial entourage. The Cameroons are largely absent. Nicky Morgan, who started the year as an ultra-loyal Cabinet minister prepared to help the Prime Minister out and soothe any row, has become a vociferous critic of the government, the new Peter Bone of the Tory party (without the luminous green tie). Meanwhile, the former rebels on the eurosceptic right of the party such as Steve Baker and Bernard Jenkin are walking around in a sunny state of happiness. So the rebels are now happy. And the loyalists

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Coffee House Shots: Philip Hammond’s conference speech

Philip Hammond is the unlikely headline act of the day at the Conservative party conference. The Chancellor used his speech to row back on his predecessor George Osborne’s plan to cut the deficit and also promised to up spending. But Hammond also had some words of warning about Brexit. He said that while the referendum vote marked the ‘beginning of a new age’, there was no room for complacency as he pledged to prepare Britain for possible turbulence ahead. So how did his speech go down? James Forsyth, who was in the hall listening, has this to say on the podcast: ‘Philip Hammond isn’t a classical orator. This was not

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Hammond era will be very different to the Osborne one

Philip Hammond is a very different kind of Chancellor than George Osborne. Osborne’s conference speeches ranged across the policy landscape; Hammond’s was tightly focused on his brief. You wouldn’t have known from it that Hammond had been Foreign Secretary until a few months ago. On the economy, Hammond confirmed that the government was no longer targeting a surplus by 2020. Hammond, sounding less downbeat about Brexit than he had on the radio this morning, was clear that there will be a fiscal stimulus announced in the autumn statement. Hammond also talked about how to raise productivity, his favourite subject. One striking feature of Hammond’s speech was how he repeatedly emphasised

The Spectator

Full text: Philip Hammond’s conference speech

It’s great to be back in Birmingham – and a privilege to address this conference as Chancellor of the Exchequer. I don’t think I am giving away any state secrets in admitting that I just might have hoped to have been a Treasury Minister a little bit earlier in my political career! In fact, having been Shadow Chief Secretary for the three years up to the 2010 General Election, I rather think that Liam Byrne’s infamous note to his successor – remember it? – “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid there is no money”– I rather think it was intended for me. But it went to David Laws. Who published it!

Ross Clark Ross Clark

This is what a xenophobic referendum actually looks like

A country votes against the EU in a referendum in which rabidly anti-immigrant sentiments are aired by senior politicians. That is Hungary, of course, where voters have just rejected — with a majority of 98 per cent, albeit it on a turnout of 44 per cent, too low to make it binding  — an EU plan for the country to house 1200 refugees. Now, perhaps, the Remain camp in Britain will stop trying to portray Britain as a nasty, xenophobic country out of step with European values and admit that actually we are really rather liberal in our attitudes towards migration. The only difference is that we had an in-out

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Cathy Newman on ‘sharp’ northern MP: ‘don’t be fooled by her accent’

Although there have been efforts in recent years to make the British media less London-centric, problems persist. While the BBC opened their Salford office in a bid to widen the net, it’s Channel 4 who now seem to be struggling to get to grips with the North. Cathy Newman — the Channel 4 news presenter — has penned a blog for the Telegraph in which she suggests that Angela Rayner — the Shadow Education Secretary — is one to watch. Alas, although the article itself is full of praise for the Labour politician who hails from Stockport, the Twitter sell is another matter entirely. In a message to her followers, Newman told them

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Philip Hammond’s Brexit scepticism is alive and well

In the run-up to the referendum, Philip Hammond was one of those warning of the dire consequences of a vote to leave the EU. He predicted that Brexit would have a ‘chilling effect’ on the UK economy and said there would be uncertainty for years to come. Since being made Chancellor, Hammond has softened his language about the doom and gloom of Brexit. But only just. This morning, he’s been touring the studios and airwaves ahead of his keynote speech at the Tory party conference in Birmingham. His headline announcement? Ditching the policy put in place by George Osborne to wipe out the deficit by 2020. But while the Chancellor

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Conservative party conference, day two: The Spectator guide

Philip Hammond takes to the stage today at Tory party conference to discuss the Conservative’s plans for an economy that ‘works for everyone’ – echoing Theresa May’s first pitch as Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street. We’ll also hear from Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox in some of the other big speeches of the day. Here’s the full run-through of what’s on today: Conference: 10.30am – 12.30pm: An economy that works for everyone Business secretary Greg Clark Communities secretary Sajid Javid Transport secretary Chris Grayling Chancellor Philip Hammond 2.30pm – 4.15pm: Culture secretary Karen Bradley Environment secretary Andrea Leadsom International trade secretary Liam Fox 4.30pm – 5.30pm: