Politics

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

Saturday

19 Oct 2024

Lee Cohen

Labour can’t help Kamala Harris

The news that Labour is sending volunteers to assist Kamala Harris’s campaign is an outrage. In what world is it acceptable for a foreign political entity to interfere in the democratic process of a sovereign nation? If the Tories were shipping off their operatives to help Donald Trump, the shrieking harpies would be crying foul, calling election interference. But it favours Kamala Harris, suddenly, the lines of legality and ethics are blurred, if not outright erased. I don’t like it, clearly, but in some ways it’s laughable Inarticulate, policy-challenged Kamala Harris has bumbled her way through high-stakes interviews, fumbled crucial debates, and remains woefully underqualified in foreign affairs. Her rise

Edward Howell

North Korean soldiers will become Putin’s cannon fodder

Hermit kingdoms usually keep themselves to themselves, but now, North Korea is reinventing the moniker by which it has long been known. The country may have the world’s fourth largest military, numbering nearly 1.5 million – out of a population of 26 million – but when the first tanks invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, few observers would have anticipated North Korea’s actual involvement in the ensuing war. It is not only Ukrainian intelligence reports which, this week, raised the possibility that over 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to aid Russia’s war effort. Only a few hours ago, South Korea’s intelligence agency has confirmed this grim reality –

Patrick O’Flynn

How the Tories changed their tune on Nigel Farage – and Reform

A year ago, the Reform party had an average poll rating of six per cent and was as good as invisible to that large majority of the electorate which does not obsess about politics. Its then leader Richard Tice was showing impressive reserves of stoicism in keeping the show on the road, but there was no sign of lift off. In two parliamentary by-elections, held in Tamworth and Mid-Bedfordshire on October 19, 2023, Reform scored vote shares of 5.4 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively. The traditional Tory tactic of trying to depict Farage as not respectable has run its course When Rishi Sunak marks his second anniversary as

Laurie Wastell

Kemi Badenoch should stop being woke

The Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has long argued against the Labour party and the left’s ‘divisive agenda of identity politics’. Instead, she has sought to portray the Conservatives as a truly ‘colour-blind party’ and a ‘genuine meritocracy’. Speaking to the Times earlier this year, she even argued that we should not make a ‘big deal’ of her potentially becoming the first black woman to lead the party. This isn’t the first time Badenoch has failed to live up to her anti-woke credentials So it’s strange, as ballots for the leadership contest go out to Tory members, to see Badenoch suddenly emphasising her ethnicity. The Essex MP would be ‘Labour’s worst nightmare’, she

Julie Bindel

Is it time for feminists to turn to the Tories?

Should feminists like me hold their nose and team up with the Tories? It’s a dilemma many of those concerned about the transgender debate are wrestling with. Labour has spectacularly failed women when it comes to protecting their rights. The Green party seems more interested in protecting transgender rights than saving the environment. And the Lib Dems want to make it even easier for men to get government-issued certificates declaring themselves to be women. The Conservatives are hardly an enticing option, but are they the party that is best placed to speak up for women? The Labour party has spectacularly failed women In the July election, Labour had my vote

Sergey Radchenko

Why should Putin negotiate?

In just a few months we will mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, and has left millions displaced. Ukraine’s infrastructure – in particular the energy infrastructure – is in shambles. The costs of recovery will likely be in the trillions of dollars. And still, there is no end in sight. As the war drags on, calls for negotiations are becoming louder. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been trumping up support for his Victory Plan. The details are unclear – presumably the ‘plan’ is to negotiate new military aid and viable security guarantees for Ukraine in return for the

Friday

18 Oct 2024

Svitlana Morenets

Is North Korea joining the war in Ukraine?

In Russia’s far east, North Korean soldiers are reportedly being trained to fight in the war against Ukraine. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukrainian intelligence, has said that more than 10,000 North Korean troops will not only assist and train Russian forces, but also fight alongside them – starting next month. At least 2,600 of these troops could be deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, to free up Russian soldiers to join Vladimir Putin’s offensive in the Donbas. Zelensky said this means North Korea has ‘effectively joined’ the war South Korea’s spy agency reports that North Korea is sending 12,000 men from four brigades, including elite special forces, to join the war in

Steerpike

London academic pines for Hamas leader

Well, well, well. On Thursday it emerged that Israeli forces had killed Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar in a ‘chance’ hit, according to Israel’s Kan Radio, after the IDF opened fire on a group of men running into a building. The leader was behind the horrific 7 October attack last year, in which over 1000 people were killed and hostages were kidnapped by the terrorist group. After Israel confirmed Sinwar had been ‘eliminated’, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer released a statement, declaring: ‘The UK will not mourn his death.’ But it seems not everyone is thrilled by the news that Hamas’s leader has been taken out… Dr Ashok Kumar of London’s

Seth J. Frantzman

Israel must finish Hamas off

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a clash with Israeli troops could help transform Israel’s war efforts against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has been a difficult year for Israel fighting this long war. Both groups have been aided by the Iranian regime, which has supplied them with weapons and backing. Iran has also been helping other terrorist groups and militias in Yemen, Iraq and Syria, its goal being to surround Israel with threats, and chip away at Israel’s defences. Drones have attacked from Iraq, ballistic missiles have been fired from Yemen, terrorists have crossed into Israel from Jordan. Today two terrorists tried to infiltrate

Katy Balls

How far will Lammy go to rebuild ties with China?

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, is touching down in Beijing for a two-day visit. The visit is the second by a foreign secretary in six years, with Lammy’s predecessor James Cleverly visiting last year after a five-year pause. However, Lammy’s visit is being met with intrigue, as it forms part of a wider shift on China. While Foreign Office officials shudder at the idea that this is a ‘reset’, it is clear that Keir Starmer is looking to improve relations with China. Ministers are happy to talk about the need for a more pragmatic approach. Lammy’s supporters emphasise the importance of dialogue and point to how the US, where a

Steerpike

Farage attacks Labour activists canvassing for Kamala

Another day, another drama. Nigel Farage has lashed out at the Labour lot today after it transpired that a number of activists from Sir Keir Starmer’s party are jetting off to the US to canvas for Kamala Harris. The Reform UK leader has blasted Starmer’s army over the revelation – even accusing Labour of ‘direct interference’ in the presidential election. Crikey. Farage fumed this morning that: ‘This is direct election interference by the governing Labour Party, and particularly stupid if [Donald] Trump wins. Who is paying for all of this?’ It’s certainly an interesting move. Activists flying overseas will have to pay their way there, while party staff keen to

Stephen Daisley

Murray Foote’s departure is yet another blow to the SNP

The SNP just can’t catch a break. The party is still reeling from a catastrophic general election result, a backlash over its decision to mimic Rachel Reeves’ cuts to winter fuel payments, and the ongoing police investigation into its finances. Now chief executive Murray Foote has cleared his desk just 14 months after taking up the position. In a statement, Foote, the former editor of the Daily Record tabloid, said he was stepping down to let someone else oversee party reorganisation and other preparations for the 2026 Holyrood elections. The Nationalists retained only nine seats on 4 July, a plummet from the 48 secured at the previous election, and are

Jonathan Spyer

How Yahya Sinwar rose and fell

The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is a key milestone for Israel in its ongoing, grinding effort to destroy the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza. The details of the killing show the extent to which Hamas no longer has any depth of control over any part of Gaza. Earlier in the war, Sinwar would have been located deep within several circles of protection. The approach of danger would have been identified by the outer circle, and the leader moved to a new place of hiding. This is evidently no longer possible for Hamas. When troops of the IDF’s 450th Brigade were on a routine sweep in Rafat, they identified

Cindy Yu

Labour’s attitude to China looks just as confused as the Tories’

David Lammy is in China on a mission to reset relations with Beijing. But the Foreign Secretary has also pledged to raise some difficult subjects with his hosts. For a politician who heavily criticised the Conservatives’ approach to China, it’s not clear that Lammy is coming up with anything new now he’s in office. Lammy has talked up the difficult issues he will raise with Beijing When Lammy was shadow foreign secretary, he was brave on China. Only last year, he agreed that China’s actions in Xinjiang were genocide and pledged to ‘act multilaterally with our partners’ to pursue a legal reckoning for Beijing. A few months later, he lambasted

Ross Clark

Brits seem curiously untroubled by Labour’s Budget – at least for now

If the public is worried about what lies in store in Rachel Reeves’ first Budget, there are few signs of it yet in their shopping habits. The latest retail sales figures, released by the Office for National Statistics this morning, show that sales volumes were up by 0.3 per cent in September. Over the three months to September – a more reliable figure as it is based on a lot more data – sales were up a very strong 1.9 per cent. It seems that the long covid winter in the retail world may finally be coming to an end: though sales volumes in September were still 0.2 per cent down

Alexander Horne

What Robert Jenrick gets wrong about the ECHR

Last night, during his first debate with Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick was keen to highlight his flagship policy on exiting the ECHR, using it as a dividing line to emphasise his anti-immigration credentials. He pitched the question as ‘leave or remain’. This is an unfortunate move on two fronts. First, leaving the ECHR is unlikely to have the practical effect he hopes in stopping the small boats, or combatting illegal immigration. Second, it risks looking like he is merely chasing the Reform vote and is uninterested in reuniting his fractured party. It risks misleading Conservative party members that there is some quick fix to this issue On the legal question, anyone who

Katy Balls

Tory leadership debate: who came out on top?

13 min listen

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, the final two candidates for the Tory leadership, went up against each other on a special GB News show last night. Kemi came out swinging in defence of her ‘culture warrior’ tag, but many wanted some more meat on the bones when it comes to her stance on policy. Meanwhile, Jenrick clearly had a message to land – but will the membership see through his plea to ‘end the drama’? And did either of them manage to change any minds? Katy Balls speaks to Lucy Dunn and Giles Dilnot, editor of Conservative Home. Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.

Steerpike

SNP chief executive resigns

The Scottish National party has had a high turnover of leaders lately – and it appears to be facing the same problem with its chief executives. Now Murray Foote has resigned from the post after just 14 months in the role, taking to Twitter/X today to announce his departure. The former Daily Record editor who published the ‘Vow’ front-page – where political leaders from different unionist parties came together to promise more devolution for Scotland if the country voted No – wrote this morning that: I have today confirmed my intention to step down as chief executive of the SNP. The party has recently embarked on a substantial process of

Jason M. Brodsky

How Iran will respond to Sinwar’s death

The death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on Thursday is an incredible achievement for Israel. It is also a blow to Iran and its axis of terror across the Middle East. Since July, Israel has decapitated the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah – with the killings of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, and now Sinwar himself. There has also been the killing of two commanders of the IRGC Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps – Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Abbas Nilforoushan – in this year alone. While the Islamic Republic has suffered from eliminations of its regional henchmen for years, the breadth and depth of Israel’s recent operations is

Lucy Dunn

Robert Jenrick must do more

When Kemi Badenoch took to the floor during GB News’s TV Q&A on Thursday evening, the atmosphere in the room climbed a notch. Robert Jenrick had just finished his pitch to the party and handled questions well, but it was clear even before the audience rated their leadership candidates that it was Badenoch the majority were there to see. While Jenrick’s ECHR rhetoric received applause, almost every sentence of his rival’s opening pitch was met with cheers. If the audience was representative of the wider Tory membership, Badenoch is on track for an easy win in the leadership race. Well-known for her direct and often combative approach, Badenoch’s unification pitch