Politics

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

Tuesday

Nigel Jones

Boris Johnson is irreplaceable

It has been less than a fortnight since Boris Johnson’s premiership exploded so spectacularly just three short years after his triumphant election victory, and he became the latest Tory PM to perish at the hands of his own party. Yet two weeks on, the people who brought him down are already wondering if they hit the right man and what, or who, on Earth will follow him. This outbreak of assassins’ remorse is scarcely surprising given the parade of political pygmies and snake oil salespeople who have been demonstrating their dubious wares on our TV screens in recent days. The sad truth is that for all his manifold faults and

Monday

Max Jeffery Max Jeffery

Can Truss catch up with Mordaunt?

11 min listen

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race. With Rishi Sunak leading the pack, and Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch in a cluster behind, who will come out on top? Max Jeffery speaks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.

Alexander Larman

Prince Harry’s clunky Mandela day address

Every time that a picture of the Duchess of Sussex arriving at the United Nations is beamed around the world, it gets harder to avoid thinking the words: ‘she’s running’. Rumours of Meghan Markle’s presidential ambitions have been growing over the past few years, and she has done little to assuage them. Meghan’s every public utterance and appearance is carefully stage-managed in order to give the impression she has Something Important To Say, and that she may, yet, be the all-encompassing saviour an anxious America needs. But today, for once, she was not the star attraction. Instead, her husband-cum-cavaliere Prince Harry was thrust into the spotlight, with a high-profile address

Steerpike Steerpike

Parly staff make a mess of their House

It’s not just the Tory party that’s in a bit of a mess. Fresh off the back of Partygate – and Sue Gray’s findings about the disrespect shown towards Downing Street’s cleaning staff – Mr S wondered just how our elected (and unelected) masters over in the Houses of Parliament have been treating their underlings. And after a two month long Freedom of Information request battle, Steerpike can bring his readers the findings. It seems that the poor men and women toiling in the toilets and turrets of the Palace of Westminster have a pretty difficult job to do. For the cleaning logs detail a number of disturbing incidents in the

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Can Liz Truss close the gap on Penny Mordaunt?

Tory MPs are getting ready to cast their ballots in the third round of voting. Tom Tugendhat in his remarks to the 1922 Committee hustings has made clear that he is continuing on to the ballot, though he did seem to accept that he is unlikely to progress further. What Tories are watching today is to what extent does Liz Truss close the gap on Penny Mordaunt, who is currently in second. At the moment Truss is 19 votes behind. But she now has the support of Suella Braverman and her key campaign supporter, Steve Baker. So, how many of the 27 Braverman votes can Truss pick up? Truss would

Katy Balls Katy Balls

What’s behind the leadership debate boycott?

15 min listen

This morning, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss pulled out of the Sky News leadership debate, scheduled for tomorrow evening. What does this say for public scrutiny in Britain? ‘I’m afraid to say if you want to be Prime Minister you need to be able to fight anywhere, any place, anytime’ – Fraser Nelson. This evening, candidates will be whittled down to four remaining prospective leaders. Who do we expect to be knocked out and where will their votes go? Tune in again tonight for a second Coffee House Shots after the results.Katy Balls is joined by Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. Produced by Natasha Feroze.

Raquel Rosario Sánchez

Why feminists like me are backing Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch is the surprise candidate in the Tory leadership contest. Badenoch was, until a few weeks ago, a relatively lowly minister in Boris Johnson’s government. Now she stands a credible chance of becoming the next prime minister. Her success in facing down her Conservative rivals has catapulted her into the limelight. But for feminists like me who campaign for sex-based rights her impact on the leadership contest isn’t entirely unexpected. Why? Because unlike her rivals like Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, Badenoch knows the answer to a simple question: what is a woman? Of all the candidates, her support of sex-based rights, including single-sex spaces and services, makes her stand out

Bruce Anderson

The ghost of Thatcher is haunting the Tory leadership race

At least one groundless anxiety has surfaced during the Tory leadership contest. It concerns Boris Johnson’s future and the fear that he will try to undermine his successor, in the way Margaret Thatcher treated John Major. But that ought to be the least of the party’s anxieties. It is true that Boris will not display any loyalty to the new leader, or to the party – or indeed to the country. If he were to give an honest response, it would be a simple one: ‘What’s in it for me?’ He needs money. Freed from the constraints of Downing Street, he will want to have fun (watch him, Carrie). But

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Trevelyan attacks Mordaunt

In for a Penny, in for a pound(ing). Poor old Penny Mordaunt has endured a torrid few days in the leadership race. Since becoming the bookies’ favourite on Wednesday, the Portsmouth MP has faced a barrage of criticism from rival ministers about her record in government and views on past issues. Much of this has focused on her advocacy for trans rights but now there are questions about her work ethic in government too. On Thursday, it was Lord Frost, who worked alongside Mordaunt on the Brexit negotiations. He claimed ‘she wasn’t always visible’ and ‘sometimes I didn’t even know where she was.’ Then on Friday, it was Lord Moylan,

Steerpike Steerpike

Truss and Sunak’s debate stitch-up

Fights! Drama! Blue-on-blue attacks and not-so-subtle jibes! Last night’s Conservative leadership debate had it all. But perhaps it was the sheer level of exposure on Channel 4 and ITV which has convinced two of the Tory candidates not to repeat the experience. For this morning, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have pulled out of the final leadership debate on Sky which was scheduled for tomorrow evening. The broadcaster has now cancelled the debate as a result. Both rivals were thought to have concerns about the prospect of knocking yet more lumps out of each other on national television. One source on Team Truss told the Huffington Post that: It

Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

What a tale of two political ‘scandals’ says about the French elite

Two of Emmanuel Macron’s ministers were rebuked last week for words they had spoken in the past, but only one is fighting for their job: Caroline Cayeux, who is responsible for ‘territorial cohesion’. Last Tuesday, she was asked by the public senate if she regretted saying in 2013 that gay marriage ‘goes against nature’. Cayeux, a Catholic, said she stood by her words, though she was keen to stress that she had ‘a lot of friends among these people’. Uproar ensued and two of her fellow ministers, Clément Beaune and Olivier Véran condemned her ‘anachronistic remarks’. On Thursday, a contrite Cayeux offered her sincere apologies if her ‘stupid and clumsy’ use of

Nick Cohen Nick Cohen

‘Taking back control’ will end up biting the Tories

Unfriendly commentators can recite insults against the Conservative party in our sleep. It is a rolling shambles, populated by backstabbing fantasists and fanatics. Conservatives are so irredeemably split they removed Boris Johnson only to find they could not unite behind a replacement. Good government is impossible when the ruling elite is composed of shifting factions whose complex hatreds would baffle a historian of the Lebanese civil war. But a paradox of this government is that there are never splits about the concentration of power in the hands of the executive. Whatever else Conservatives revolt against, they support the Tory state as it continues relentlessly to centralise. And this from a

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

The heatwave green hysteria is out of control

If you find yourself wondering over the next few days why it is so swelteringly hot, I have an answer for you. It’s because of rich people. It’s because of those wealthy elites with all their gas-guzzling vehicles and reckless holidaymaking. It’s their fault you’re sweating on the Tube. This infantile claim really is being made, and by supposedly serious politicians. Labour’s Richard Burgon, over on his Instagram account, is wringing his no doubt sweaty hands over the filthy rich folk who apparently landed us in this weather apocalypse. ‘As we face 40C temperatures and the first ever Red Extreme Heat Warning, remember this climate crisis is driven by the

Sam Leith Sam Leith

The latest Tory leadership debate was a grim spectacle

The eyes had it, in last night’s leadership debate. Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak took turns directing to the camera a puppy-eyed gaze. Tom Tugendhat blinked manfully, as if overcome from time to time with a sense of his humble desire to serve. Kemi Badenoch blinked, too – but more in the way of someone regretting the decision to switch her specs out for contact lenses. And if Liz Truss – an apprentice of Mrs Thatcher’s gimlet-eyed stare – blinked at all, I confess I didn’t notice it. I was distracted by the fact that she seemed to have four eyebrows rather than the usual human ration of two. I

Sunday

Robert Peston Robert Peston

Labour won the Tory leadership debate

That was quite a debate. I’ve never seen senior Tory ministers and MPs lay into each other so publicly.  Rishi Sunak accused Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt of being socialists – not a compliment in the Tory lexicon – for being reckless with the public finances. Truss attacked Sunak for raising taxes to record levels. Kemi Badenoch called for unity while attacking more or less everyone for everything. Mordaunt seethed at what she saw as the cheap personal attacks she’s faced in recent days, especially over the trans debate. Tom Tugendhat attacked everyone else for being current or recent members of Boris Johnson’s government. This debate – and this contest – is a disaster

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The verdict: the second Tory leadership debate

‘If you’re still watching this debate, well done,’ said Mordaunt, bizarrely, in her closing statement. ‘I wish tonight had been less about us and more about you.’ She obviously scripted that comment before she had any idea how the evening was going to pan out and her own contributions were certainly forgettable. But the others made for an interesting night. Tom Tugendhat quite rightly said the whole evening’s discussion – tax, defence etc. – was about the country. ‘We need to restore confidence in our government and in ourselves,’ he said. I’m not sure Britain needs its self-confidence restored: it’s the Tories who are having a collective breakdown. Rishi Sunak

Coffee House

The second Tory leadership debate – as it happened

Good evening. The second Conservative leadership debate between Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat has just finished. Below is the full live analysis (please reload the page to get updates): 10.00 p.m. Coffee House Shots 9.00 p.m. Snap poll: the verdict Katy Balls writes… The snap poll verdict is in – and this time it is Rishi Sunak out on top, with Tom Tugendhat in second place. This will help Sunak’s team with the second stage of their campaign which is to convince MPs he is best placed to win an election. As for the others, the poll is good news for Liz Truss. She is

Steerpike Steerpike

Revealed: Penny Mordaunt’s hidden equalities agenda

The bookies’ favourite to win the Tory leadership race, Penny Mordaunt, has had a difficult few days. She’s facing questions not just about her views on trans rights, but about how honest she is about them. Suella Braverman has come pretty close to saying that, like Boris Johnson, Mordaunt has a habit of rewriting history to a version that suits her better and she does not offer the candour straight-talking needed after the Chris Pincher debacle. ‘Smears’, says Penny. She is the candidate of candour and straight-talking. But Mr S has obtained a recording of a speech Mordaunt gave to LGBT+ Tory activists in June 2018, in which she did

Katy Balls Katy Balls

The volatility of the Tory leadership race

In just a few days, the Conservative leadership race will be down to the final two candidates. But what happens after that is unclear. This afternoon, the ConservativeHome website released another round of polling. This time it is on how the candidates would fare against one another in the run-offs if they made it to the final round. They published a version of this poll earlier this week – which put Penny Mordaunt out in front. This added to the momentum behind Mordaunt which saw her named the bookies’ favourite. However, it seems a combination of blue-on-blue attacks and a mediocre performance in the first televised debate on Friday night means that she