Politics

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

Wednesday

2 Dec 2020

Boris’s clash over masks

‘Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government programme,’ the free market economist Milton Friedman famously noted. So just how permanent will social distancing measures be? As more positive news about vaccines and their distribution rolls in, it will be a question that grows louder: how much longer will we be asked to live with Covid rules, and might anyone make the case for keeping them in place after the virus is under control? We caught a glimpse of the different opinions circling Whitehall tonight, when the Prime Minister and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam clashed over the future of mask-wearing. During the Covid press conference, the Sun asked

Pieter Cleppe

Did Brexit lead to the UK’s vaccine success?

Today the United Kingdom became the first country in the West to clinically authorise a vaccine protecting against Covid-19, after the medicines regulator, the MHRA, said the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was safe to use. The announcement puts Britain ahead of Europe when it comes to rolling out the vaccine, as the EU’s own regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has not yet approved the vaccine. While Britain will begin administering Pfizer’s vaccine next week, countries like Belgium have announced that they will start their vaccination campaigns in January, subject to EMA approval. When it comes to vaccines, a few weeks of delay can make a big difference, given the economic and

Steerpike

Rishi Sunak’s sickly sweet snaps

Vanity photographers are a relatively recent addition to Westminster life, one that Mr S doesn’t wholly welcome. The growth of the in-house snapper has meant that politicians are able to control their image in a way that previous generations of ministers would have found impossible. David Cameron famously had his advisers cover any nearby exit signs to stop pesky snappers from taking unflattering photos (sadly for Ed Balls, his advisers were unable to stop this unfortunate pic). Rishi Sunak’s photographer seems to have taken such lessons a step further during a photo-op at Hamleys toy shop. Not content with steering his boss away from adverse signage, he has apparently embraced the ‘dishy

Katy Balls

Will the vaccine rollout end Tory division?

14 min listen

The UK is the first western country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine, it was announced today. The first doses of Pfizer’s jab will be distributed from next week, and the news has renewed hopes that restrictions could soon be lifted. But after last night’s vote saw 55 Tory MPs reject the new tiered system, can the good news heal the party? Katy Balls speaks to James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman.

Steerpike

Boris Johnson’s email faux pas

When it comes to Boris Johnson’s skills as a politician, his particular communication style is regularly cited as a talent that makes him stand out as a leader. He was, after all, an accomplished journalist before stepping into the world of politics. So Mr S was a little surprised by the email that landed in his inbox this morning purporting to be from the Prime Minister. In it, recipients were invited to join the Prime Minister and Chancellor for an online chat — and encouraged to donate large sums in return for hearing ‘never before shared stories from that campaign as well as the unprecedented year that followed, from getting

Isabel Hardman

PMQs: Starmer lays traps with an eye to vaccine troubles

Prime Minister’s Questions didn’t feel particularly high wattage today. Sir Keir Starmer seemed to be using his questions to lay the groundwork for a future showdown with Boris Johnson. He used his first three questions to ask whether the government had done the necessary logistical planning to ensure the smooth roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine, particularly in care homes. He wanted to know who the Prime Minister expected to receive the vaccine next week, when those people in the top priority groups could expect to be vaccinated, and whether the Prime Minister had put plans in place to ensure that the vaccine really can get to care homes, given the

Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

Imran Khan’s rape crackdown won’t make Pakistan safer for women

Rapists in Pakistan will soon face a stark choice. Under a law backed by the country’s prime minister, Imran Khan, those convicted of rape can either be chemically castrated, face life imprisonment or even a death sentence. But while the new law sounds radical, it’s unlikely it will be enough to curb the wave of sex attacks against women in Pakistan. The tough measures have been painted as something of a compromise by Khan, who has said those found guilty of sex attacks should be hanged in public. Dismissing this as an option, Khan said introducing such a punishment would ‘not be internationally acceptable’. ‘The trade status given to us by the European Union

Steerpike

Farage’s Channel migrant rescue

Over the weekend, Nigel Farage was involved in a rescue operation in the English Channel. Having headed out for a Sunday morning of sea fishing, Farage spotted two men adrift in an inflatable kayak about five miles off the Kent coast. The ex-kipper turned skipper called the coast guard before trying to pull the pair onto his boat. ‘One of them was clearly in a very bad way,’ Farage told Mr S, ‘We had to get this bloke on board, there’s no way he could have survived in the sea. We did our best but we could not lift him over the gunwales.’ When Border Force did arrive, it seems

Steerpike

Piers Morgan tries to jump the vaccine queue

This morning the UK became the first country in the West to licence a vaccine, after regulators approved the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. The ruling opens the way for the vaccine to be rolled out nationwide, after the UK purchased 40 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. The Health Secretary has said we will have 800,000 doses ready next week. So far, it seemed fairly clear who would be first to receive the vaccine. The government has published a list of ‘priority groups’ who will be first in line, starting with those who live and work in care homes, followed by the over-80s and NHS workers, before progressively moving down the age bands.

Katy Balls

Pfizer vaccine approved for use in UK

Boris Johnson may have just suffered his biggest Tory rebellion since the election but he is unlikely to be too down this morning. The Prime Minister is the receiver of some good news that could soon transform the political landscape. After positive soundings from several vaccine trials, the UK has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. The UK is the first country to see its regulator approve the vaccine — which offers up to 95 per cent protection against coronavirus. The expectation in government is that jabs could start to take place within days. However, the logistics are not simple — as well as the complications of mass vaccination, the Pfizer

Tuesday

1 Dec 2020

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn, Covid rebel

What would the Labour party look like if Jeremy Corbyn was still in charge? On the long list of things that would be likely be different to Labour now under Keir Starmer are Brexit, the response to the EHRC inquiry and even whether Corbyn was still classed as a Labour MP. Now there’s a new item to add to the list: coronavirus. This evening Corbyn has voted against the government’s proposed restrictions and new tier system. Explaining his decision, the former Labour leader took to social media to question both the measures and the financial support packages. With Starmer’s decision to instruct Labour MPs to abstain largely being credited for Johnson managing

The Spectator

Full list: the Tory tier rebels

This evening, the House of Commons voted to enact the new tiered system, which will come into force when the national lockdown ends this week. Boris Johnson did not emerge unscathed though, with 78 MPs voting against his proposals, including 55 MPs from his own party. Labour leader Keir Starmer instructed his MPs to abstain on the vote, but 15 decided to vote against the government’s plans. Below is the full list of MPs who voted against thetier restrictions: Conservatives Steve Baker Robert Syms Adam Afriyie Imran Ahmad Khan Graham Brady Andrew Bridgen Paul Bristow Christopher Chope Greg Clark James Daly Philip Davies David Davis Jonathan Djanogly Jackie Doyle-Price Richard

Katy Balls

Boris Johnson suffers his biggest Tory revolt since the election

When Boris Johnson addressed MPs this evening on a Zoom call ahead of the Commons vote on his new tier system, his message to would-be rebels was simple: the unity of the Tory party is important so don’t give Labour the satisfaction of seeing a disunited Conservative party. Pointing to the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to vaccines, he urged MPs to keep their eye on the prize – and used a car analogy to make his point. He likened the past few months of Covid restrictions to a six hour car journey, with everyone asking ‘when do we get there?’ But you do eventually get there,

Kate Andrews

Britain is set for the slowest economic recovery in the G7

Britain is set for the slowest economic bounce-back in the G7 and one of the slowest recoveries among wealthy nations, according to new forecasts published today by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD has updated its forecasts for global economic recovery, showing a return to pre-Covid GDP levels by the end of next year. The central scenario estimates a 4.2 per cent fall in global GDP this year, matched by a 4.2 per cent lift next year – while suggesting that its ‘upside scenario’ becomes more likely if successful vaccines are rolled out at a relatively fast pace. But while these latest forecasts bode better for the global economy,

Katy Balls

Johnson to hold last-minute meeting with Tory rebels

What scale of Tory rebellion is Boris Johnson facing in tonight’s vote? Depending who you ask, the number of likely Tory rebels ranges from anywhere between 40 and 100. The estimates on the higher end of the spectrum are being dismissed by some Tory MPs as an attempt by government figures to lower expectations so the real number appears small by comparison. However, whatever games are being played, it’s clear there is growing concern in Downing Street over the scale of the rebellion. The debate this afternoon has been dominated by Tory MPs voicing their displeasure at the policy Coffee House understands that Tory MPs have been invited to an impromptu meeting with

Isabel Hardman

Has Boris Johnson’s optimism backfired?

11 min listen

The government looks set to win today’s Commons vote on the return of the tiers system for England, but tens of Tory backbenchers are unhappy. For them, the Prime Minister’s reassurances have lost credibility, so on today’s podcast, Isabel Hardman discusses with Katy Balls and James Forsyth whether or not Boris’s optimism has backfired.

Isabel Hardman

Boris’s optimism has eroded backbench trust

After hoping that MPs wouldn’t notice that they’d been given a dud impact assessment of the new tiered system, Boris Johnson is now trying to reduce the size of the rebellion against these measures with the enticing prospect of areas moving down tiers within the next two weeks. Johnson is trying to reduce the size of the rebellion against these measures The Prime Minister opened the debate on the new tier regulations by telling MPs that they ‘have it in their powers, in our power, to help move our areas down the tiers’. He also hinted at a more localised approach to the tiering system, which is something many Tory

Nick Tyrone

Labour’s abstentions show Keir Starmer at his worst

A vote will be held in the House of Commons today, which will decide the freedoms Britons will have from this week, possibly until spring. Yet the official opposition is planning to abstain. There have also been rumours that if Boris Johnson does somehow get a Brexit deal with the EU this week, Labour will abstain on that vote as well. Two of the biggest Commons votes of our era – one built around the greatest health crisis of our times and what that means for individual freedoms in this country, the other about our future trade relationship with our immediate neighbours – and Labour appear to have decided not

The Cabinet Office

A response to Steerpike’s review of Michael Gove’s lockdown claims

Steerpike ran the rule over Michael Gove’s article in the Times in which he argued ‘lockdown was the only way to stop the NHS being broken’. Here, the Cabinet Office responds to Steerpike: 1. Claim: Steerpike claims Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, used his essay in the Times on 28 November to set out ‘his new argument: the only strategy for stopping the NHS from being overwhelmed now is the government’s new tougher three-tier system’. Rebuttal: the argument that social distancing and non-pharmaceutical interventions are necessary for protecting the NHS is not a new argument. It has been at the heart of the UK Government’s approach since spring

Isabel Hardman

Could we be asked to self-isolate if we catch flu?

How will coronavirus change our approach to seasonal illnesses? We are heading into the NHS’s most difficult months as winter flu season is upon us, and ministers have been urging people to get a flu jab in order to keep demand in the health service down. Matt Hancock, meanwhile, has been justifying the enormous expense of the beleaguered test and trace system by suggesting that it could continue once the pandemic dies down, being used ‘for everything’. He also told MPs last week that he wanted to end the culture of presenteeism in Britain, saying: ‘If you have flu-like symptoms you should have a test for it and find out