Politics

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

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The return of drama and rebellion?

Apparently Brown (or, more likely, Carter) didn’t think the PMQs performance leant itself to the right kind of footage for the evening news. So political editors are being summoned to interviews with the Dear Leader in a more respectful setting. Great atmosphere in the Commons. Labour MPs mainly relieved it’s all over, some annoyed Field caved too early. But as I said earlier, now that the rebels have learned that the laddie is for turning, they will now turn him over regularly. Drama and rebellion will return to the Palace of Varieties. And not before time.

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Powell doctrine

Jonathan Powell’s essay on the Northern Ireland peace process in the May Prospect sets out his position on talking to terrorists with complete clarity: “To argue that al Qaeda and the Taleban are different and that therefore you can’t talk to them is nonsense. Of course they are different, but terrorists are terrorists. What they do is evil, regardless of the cause. But you need to find a way to deal with them.”  To be fair to Powell, he prefaces this by saying that you should not concede to terrorists’ demands in response to violence or the threat of violence. But Powell does seem to be arguing that you should talk

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Wednesday Whoppers

Cameron said it should be called Prime Minister’s U-Turn, not PMQs. I disagree. It should be renamed Wednesday Whoppers or – as we say here in CoffeeHouse – Brownies. A new one was minted – involving a claim that 600,000 is “almost a million”. Plenty of Brownies aired. Let’s get stuck in. Brown’s PMQs now start with a Labour backbencher asking the most poisonous question of the day, in hope of denying the Opposition the chance to do it. Cameron just asks what he wants even if it is a repeat. But this lets Brown make his peace with backbenches before Cameron gets stuck in. Hilariously, Brown started by trashing

Peter Hoskin

The rebellion fizzles out

A quick update to Fraser’s post – the 10p tax rebels, lead by Frank Field, have withdrawn their amendment to the Finance Bill in the wake of Alistair Darling’s statement.  The rebellion has officially fizzled out, and Brown can draw a sigh of relief.  However, our Prime Minister shouldn’t get too excited – as Fraser warned, the U-turn’s unlikely to wash with voters.

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The 10p tax U-turn

Gordon Brown doesn’t get it. Even his U-turn over the 10p tax rate (announced just time for PMQs in the form of a letter to John McFall) is devilishly complicated. There will be compensation for 60-64 year olds and low-paid workers without children. This will come in the form of winter fuel payments or new tax credits. I am sure that in a spreadsheet somewhere in the Treasury, this makes it all okay. But it won’t work outside Westminster and I’ll tell you why. I spent yesterday on the campaign trail in Greater Manchester and saw for myself the anger. Pensioners were spitting blood, shopkeepers fuming – even people who I

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The finishing post is in sight

I don’t know a single person in Westminster willing to predict the outcome of the Mayoral election. Most people I speak to say their gut tells them Livingstone will win, but they can’t rationalise it. The bookmakers, however, are seeing a decisive shift to Boris, who has been cut from 4/7 to 1/2 by Ladbrokes. It has just released a statement saying “For every pound we’re taking on Livingstone we are currently taking two on Johnson. If money talks Johnson wins.”  We should also factor in a significant media swing behind Boris in the last few days, and I’ll eat my hat if Andrew Gilligan doesn’t have a nasty surprise for

Peter Hoskin

Happy St George’s Day

It’s St George’s Day today, so – if you haven’t already – do check out the special articles from the latest issue of the Spectator, and have your say on England in this Coffee House thread. There’s also plenty of relevant coverage in today’s papers, including a Jack Straw article for the Daily Mail. Here’s what the Justice Minister has to say: “One of the things which makes me most angry are people who try to claim the St George’s flag for the far Right… …It wasn’t owned by any political party – least of all the BNP. It was about England. Anyone proud to be English is equally proud

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

On the doorstep for the local elections the common refrain is: it’s time for a change

Spend just a few minutes on the campaign trail for next week’s local elections and it suddenly becomes clear why Labour MPs got into such a mutinous mood. When they happily voted through Gordon Brown’s abolition of the 10p starting rate of income tax last year, it was argued that having 5.3 million pay a little more was worth it in order to be able to say that the basic rate of income tax had fallen. No one foresaw what is now clear: just how badly this ruse would go down with the public. The first half-hour I spend with Tory activists in Salford gives a taste of the anger.

Tuesday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Should the flag of St George fly over Downing Street?

I must admit to mixed feelings at the news that Number Ten will fly the flag of St George tomorrow. On the one hand, it’ll be an impressive sight and compared to the dog’s dinner of devolution is hardly likely to tear at the constitutional fabric. On the other, Downing Street is the home of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and so the only flag that should fly over it is the Union flag.

Peter Hoskin

Gaffes galore

Even spell-checker’s rebelling against Gordon Brown.  On the Labour website earlier: “excellance for all”.  It’s been fixed now, but not before some quick-thinking types captured screen grabs. 

Peter Hoskin

How can Brown make amends?

How should Brown deal with the 10p tax band issue?  That’s the question that was put to Politics Home’s group of 100 political insiders today.  In answer – some 62 percent of repondents believe he should help low income earners by raising the threshhold at which people start paying tax.  By contrast, only 10 per cent thought the 10p tax band should be reinstated in the next Budget.  How would CoffeeHousers advise the Prime Minister? 

Peter Hoskin

Will the rebellion be quashed?

Team Brown’s clearly spooked by the 10p tax rebellion (and so it should be – as Jackie Ashley pointed out yesterday, the repercussions could be massive). The evidence? Well, the Prime Minister called Angela Smith all the way from America, to prevent her from resigning; he struck an unusually conciliatory tone in last night’s Parliamentary Labour Party meeting; and now there’s the news that Alistair Darling is to personally meet with concerned backbenchers ahead of next week’s vote on the Finance Bill.   But will the rebels be swayed by all this? Quite possibly. If this Government’s good at anything, it’s putting the screws on its members. How else to explain Gerry Sutcliffe’s incredible “my

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Sun shines on Boris and Paddick says he couldn’t work for Ken

This morning, The Sun offers an enthusiastic endorsement of Boris Johnson proclaiming that he ‘has the energy and the imagination to give this great city what it needs.’ Meanwhile, in an interview with The Times Brian Paddick is scathing about Ken Livingstone declaring “I just don’t trust Ken Livingstone”. Paddick goes onto say, “The thought of having him as my boss sends shivers down my spine.”

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Blair’s prescience

There’s a certain amount of Blair nostalgia in the Labour party at the moment as Gordon Brown struggles at Number Ten. That feeling is only going to be heightened by Rachel Sylvester’s column in the Telegraph this morning which contains this great bit of reporting:  “When [Blair] heard his anointed successor announcing with a dramatic flourish at the end of his speech a cut in the basic rate of income tax (a cut which was to be paid for by the abolition of the 10p rate that had been slipped out earlier) his grin froze in horror. He returned to Downing Street, complaining that the Budget was a disaster that

Peter Hoskin

Labour make up ground on the Tories

Now this is an odd one. In spite of the 10p tax row – and the very public dissent by some Labour figures – the latest Guardian / ICM poll sees the Tory lead cut significantly. Cameron & Co. score 39 percent (down 3 on last month); Labour are on 34 percent (up 5); and the Lib Dems on 19 percent (down 2). They’re figures which may give our beleaguered Prime Minister cause for optimism. But – as Political Betting remind us – this is only one poll. The headlines remain poisonous for the Government, and if the 10p tax rebellion escalates – as well it might – then ground

Monday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

How the Labour government has hurt the poor

Why are all these Labour MPs worried about the 10p tax? It is the least of the ways in which this Labour government has hurt the poor over its years in government. Let me count the ways – well, half a dozen anyway: 1) Sink schools. By granting LEAs monopoly control over education provision, bureaucrats have keep bad schools going by forcing children there. It’s the children of the poor, however. Reform points this out in its excellent social mobility report today (pdf, p15). While 47 per cent of students achieved five decent GCSEs last year, this was true for just 20% of those eligible for free schools meals. The inequality

Peter Hoskin

Boris leads, as another Livingstone associate comes under question

The latest Evening Standard / YouGov poll is in, and it records another encouraging lead for Boris. The results in full – Boris is on 44 percent (down 1 from last week); Livingstone’s on 33 percent (down 2); and Paddick’s on 12 percent (up 2). When second preferences are allocated, Boris snares 53 percent to Ken’s 47 percent. It should be remembered, though, that other polls – including one in yesterday’s Sunday Times – have things much closer.   If Livingstone’s going to claw back some of the lost ground, he could do without headlines like that plastered across the Standard’s front page – “Ken’s adviser is linked to terror group”. Sure enough, it

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Hague talks politics & faith

After hearing Tony Blair’s first confession, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor is on a roll. He landed Blair for a speech on religion at Westminster Cathedral earlier this month, and now he’s lined up William Hague for another talk.  The shadow foreign secretary’s lecture on Thursday, entitled “Practical politics, principled faith”, has now sold out. Is our Wilberforce biographer being primed for Tory liaison officer with God? To fill that vast, half-finished building takes some doing – so Hague’s done well. He’ll presumably have to tone down his normal stand-up comedy routine. (“Have you lived here all your life?, I asked this voter. ‘Not yet’ he replied”). But perhaps the mark of these

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Kate Hoey’s explanation is, well, whooey

Rosa Prince, who is owning this whole (non) endorsement story, has spoken to Kate Hoey about what happened and it seems she genuinely is sick. But the rest of Hoey’s explanation is hard to credit: “Boris told me last week he was visiting the ballet school – it’s a great project so I said I would try to go along, like I would for any politician who wished to see a project in my constituency. “It never occurred to me people would consider it an endorsement. “It really p***es me off that I am being asked if I am staying on as a Labour MP – it’s stupid, stupid, stupid.”