Politics Archives

Thursday

19 May 2016

Don’t rule out a second referendum

As the Queen read out her government’s agenda on Wednesday morning, David Cameron could have been forgiven for thinking about his place in history. What will he be remembered for, other than having held the office? The so-called ‘life chances’ strategy is intended to be a central plank of his legacy. He wants to be able to say that he made Britain more ‘socially just’. Indeed, this is his principal reason for wanting to stay in No. 10 for a few more years. Cameron loyalists hope he’ll be remembered as the leader who made the Tories the natural party of government again. The man who moved them on from Thatcherism

Tristram Hunt

Labour’s England problem

In the window of a council house on a working-class estate in Exeter was a sticker bearing the cross of St George and a simple warning: ‘If this flag offends you, why not consider moving to another country?’ For some canvassers working on Labour MP Ben Bradshaw’s 2015 campaign, such a symbol naturally meant the dreaded ‘A’ on the canvas sheet: ‘Against Labour’. In fact, it was a household of solid Labour voters — supporting a party far too often offended by the flag. The truth is that the Labour party has an English problem. While members might just about embrace Britishness, too many feel queasy about Englishness — with

Martin Vander Weyer

Despite rumours to the contrary, the high-speed loco has left the drawing board

There’s a lot of negativity around HS2, and I sniff a Brexit connection. You might think Leave campaigners whose aim is to boost British self-belief would promote the idea that we have a talent for grands projets such as the Olympic Park and Crossrail, rather than a propensity to deliver half what’s promised at double the cost. But there’s also an overlap between Tory MPs opposed to the northbound high-speed rail link, usually because it bisects their constituencies, and Tory MPs opposed to the government on the EU referendum. So I suspect that’s where the trouble lies. The spin is that cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood is reviewing the project

Wednesday

18 May 2016

Steerpike

Lady Nugee turns the air blue in the Queen’s Speech debate

Labour’s high command are not showing themselves to be the most statesman-like of figures today. After Jeremy Corbyn was caught on camera ignoring David Cameron’s attempts at conversation, his shadow Defence Secretary struggled to control herself in today’s Queen’s Speech debate. Emily Thornberry took offence after Cameron described her as a ‘shadow defence secretary who doesn’t believe in defence’. She protested to his comments by mouthing ‘bollocks’ from the Labour frontbench: https://vine.co/v/i0xEIb9Eg9U Mr S suspects that next time she has a point to make in the Commons, Lady Nugee ought to take a more dignified approach when it comes to airing her grievances.

Douglas Murray

Boris Johnson wins The Spectator’s President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition

I’m pleased to announce that we have a winner of The Spectator’s President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition, and here it is: There was a young fellow from Ankara Who was a terrific wankerer Till he sowed his wild oats With the help of a goat But he didn’t even stop to thankera. The author of this winning entry is former Mayor of London and chief Brexiteer, Boris Johnson MP. The Spectator Podcast: Douglas Murray discusses Boris Johnson’s poem I am sure there will be those who claim this is a stitch-up. I am aware that Boris’s entry – which came via an interview by the Spectator’s Rome correspondent Nick Farrell and

James Forsyth

Corbyn could have done wonders for his reputation, if he’d only made today’s speech shorter

The speeches in the Commons which follow the Queen’s Speech blend together humour with some serious points. They are the Commons as its most clubbable, with lots of in jokes and the like. So, there was a fair amount of chatter about how Jeremy Corbyn – who is not the clubbable sort – would deal with the occasion. At first, the answer was surprisingly well. He was funny, and generous, about the proposer, Caroline Spelman, and the second, Philip Lee. The House was laughing with him, and even Cameron couldn’t help but chuckle at some rather good jokes including those at his own party’s expense. But then Corbyn turned serious,

Katy Balls

Queen’s Speech highlights, in audio

With Tory MPs disheartened after a ‘pretty bare‘ Queen’s Speech this morning, there was much for opposition parties to feast on in this afternoon’s debate. As tradition dictates, the Queen’s speech debate begins with light-hearted speeches from two government backbenchers. This year Caroline Spelman gave the veteran’s loyal address, while Dr Phillip Lee was picked to represent the newbies. Spelman – a former environment secretary – didn’t manage to generate much laughter with her address. She said she was glad there were now more females in the Chamber than when she began her career in 1997 — when only 18 per cent of MPs were women. Lee, the MP for Bracknell, did at least manage

Isabel Hardman

Tory MPs mull cautious Queen’s Speech

The quiet Queen’s Speech seems largely to have underwhelmed Tory MPs – though they do predict a number of sticky moments in the Commons over the coming months. Most I have spoken to describe it as ‘pretty bare’, though they also understand why the Prime Minister isn’t trying anything particularly ambitious at this stage ‘Why waste initiatives when no-one is listening?’ asks one. Another anti-Cameron MP describes the content rather more bluntly as ‘uninspiring, managerialist and vacuous’. There will be flashpoints on the Bill of Rights and the Investigatory Powers Bill, something the whips are hard at work on. They hope that on the latter, any funny business by Labour

James Forsyth

The Queen’s Speech contained some post-referendum salve

The Queen’s Speech today provides the agenda which David Cameron will turn to post-referendum to try and unite the Tory party. The social reforms proposed are important. Cameron hopes that they will be a central plank of his legacy, which is why he wants to stay in Number 10 for a few more years yet. In terms of post-referendum unity, it is helpful that prison reform is at the centre of this social reform programme—as Michael Gove, the most prominent Cabinet outer, is the man in charge of it. A lot of this agenda is about, as the speech put it, helping the ‘hardest to reach’ in society. As one Cameron loyalist

Steerpike

Watch: Dennis Skinner makes his annual contribution to the Queen’s Speech – ‘hands off the BBC’

Last year the Beast of Bolsover failed to make his annual contribution to the Queen’s Speech after he found himself preoccupied battling the SNP for his favourite seat. With that fight now won, Dennis Skinner was able to return to form today. As Black Rod summoned MPs in the House of Commons to hear the Queen’s Speech, Skinner offered up his one-liner. ‘Hands off the BBC,’ the veteran Labour MP cried. Alas not everyone was so impressed by Skinner’s plea for the Beeb. Perhaps disappointed that Skinner had refrained from a more witty riposte — such as his ‘royal expenses are on the way’ line in 2009 — one comrade could be heard telling

Steerpike

Watch: Jeremy Corbyn gives Cameron the cold shoulder at the Queen’s Speech

Today’s Queen’s Speech was always going to be a difficult event for the Prime Minister. With the EU referendum looming, David Cameron needed to give the impression that his party remains united and focussed on the good of the country. Still, Mr S suspects he didn’t bargain on the walk to hear the Queen’s speech proving to be one of the most difficult parts of his day. A toe-curling segment of the BBC’s coverage showed Cameron and Corbyn walking alongside one another. While Cameron appears to begin conversation with the Labour leader several times, Corbyn is having none of it. ‘It rather looks like David Cameron’s trying to make polite conversation and Jeremy

Isabel Hardman

What David Cameron is trying to tell us with this Queen’s Speech

What is the point of today’s Queen’s Speech? The government’s legislative programme for the year is being briefed as light and safe, given the ructions in the Tory party over Europe and David Cameron’s tiny majority. But it is also being briefed as a social justice speech, one focused on getting on with the important reforms to improve the life chances of disadvantaged people. The main story is the reforms to the prison system, which will be carried out by Michael Gove and include ‘in-cell technology’ such as iPads to help prisoners learn independently (a far cry from the ‘book ban’ over which Gove’s predecessor Chris Grayling tussled with the criminal

James Forsyth

Has Boris Johnson’s defection to ‘Out’ scuppered the sovereignty bill?

Back in the days when Boris Johnson was still deciding which way to go on the EU, Number 10 were very keen on a sovereignty bill. This Bill was meant to limit the powers of the European Court of Justice and assure voters that Parliament was supreme. But it was also meant to reassure Boris, he was particularly worried about the influence of the ECJ, and get him on the side. The plan was that this proposed bill would be unveiled in parliament once Cameron came back from Brussels with his deal. But since Boris came out for Out, we have seen head nor hide of this bill. The Sun

Tuesday

17 May 2016

Steerpike

Journalist caught in SNP love triangle admits she is a ‘nut magnet’

When the SNP 56 were elected to Parliament, they were heralded as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise archaic institution. The nationalists made clear that they were unhappy to be moved to Westminster, let alone indulge in its pleasures. Despite this, they appear to have grown accustomed to their surroundings over time, with reports surfacing of their taste for Parliament’s many taxpayer-subsidised bars. Now it appears that other Westminster indulgences are also proving too hard to resist. The Daily Mail reports that Angus MacNeil and Stewart Hosie have both separated from their wives after enjoying the company of the same woman. The paper reports that both men enjoyed relationships — at different times — with Serena Cowdy, a

Nick Cohen

Brexit: the-stab-in-the-back myth is coming

I don’t know if ‘Leave’ supporters will win. With the young abstaining and the old voting in a low-turnout referendum, it is just about possible that they could. But it is already dismally clear how they will react if they lose: they won’t accept the result. Nigel Farage was proud to admit that he would be a bad loser. ‘In a 52-48 referendum this would be unfinished business by a long way,’ he told the Mirror. ‘If the Remain campaign win two-thirds to one-third that ends it.’ The old-fashioned among you might have thought that in any electoral contest the side with the most votes wins. How out of touch

Steerpike

Tory MPs get physical over the EU referendum

Although it was already evident to many that relations in the Tory party are far from rosy thanks to the upcoming EU referendum, it seems tensions are higher than anyone first anticipated. In today’s edition of The Times, Rachel Sylvester’s column — titled ‘The Tories need a new breed of modernisers’ — includes a curious anecdote. Sylvester says that one Brexit-backing Tory MP attempted to trip up a minister in the members’ lobby in frustration after the minister plumped for In: ‘Some are almost literally coming to blows: one minister says a Brexiteer tried to trip him up in the members’ lobby of the Commons after he announced he would be backing

Isabel Hardman

Labour MPs are stuck in a miserable stalemate – and some want out

When are Jeremy Corbyn’s enemies going to get their act together? Today’s Times poll of the Labour membership shows that they would get a rather cold reception if they tried to remove the Labour leader, with 72 per cent telling YouGov that Corbyn is doing well, up from 66 per cent in November. Members are slightly less upbeat about the party’s prospects for actually governing, with 53 per cent believing it will be in government after the 2020 election, and 47 per cent saying Corbyn is likely to become Prime Minister. They also largely think that the 5 May elections went well for the party, with 67 per cent saying

Tom Goodenough

Today’s inflation figures tell us nothing about Brexit. Why does the Treasury pretend otherwise?

We’re now at the stage in the EU referendum debate where every announcement is explained in terms of its relationship to Brexit – whether relevant of not. So today we learn that inflation is still flat, dropping to 0.3pc in April. As per usual. But bizarrely, the Treasury is pretending that this tell us about the misery coming our way if Britain walks away from Europe. Here’s what a Treasury spokesman had to say about the figures: ‘Today’s inflation figure continues the trend we’ve seen over the past year. Pay is growing faster than prices, boosting families’ spending power. Last week the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee warned that a vote to leave

Alex Massie

Jeremy Corbyn should not be allowed to rewrite the history of his support for the IRA

Something remarkable is happening in British politics right now. Something rotten and disgusting too. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Her Majesty’s loyal (sic) opposition, is trying to rewrite history. Here is what Corbyn said to Robert Peston at the weekend: “I do make the point that if you are to develop a peace process in the Middle East or anywhere else in this world for that matter, you have to have serious conversations and negotiations with all the forces involved. […] Listen, the Northern Ireland parallel is sometimes a bit overplayed by nevertheless it is an important one. The successive British governments thought there was a military solution in Northern

Emma Lunn

I do…want to spend a fortune on my wedding

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…to go deeply into debt. The wedding season is officially upon us and the average couple will spend £30,111 getting hitched, according to Brides magazine. The same magazine put the typical cost at £24,000 last year, meaning people are apparently splashing out 25 per cent more on nuptials in 2016. Compare either figure to the actual cost of getting married – about £120 in a Registry Office – and it’s clear couples are getting a little bit carried away. But forget the bride and groom, they chose to spend more than the average annual salary or house deposit on a one-day party. Pity the