Politics

The UK’s relationship with the Chinese telecoms company Huawei has been under intense scrutiny this year, as a fierce debate has waged inside government over whether it should be able to build the UK’s 5G infrastructure. Hawks inside government are said to be wary that the company could pose a security threat. Boris Johnson too appeared to have been moving away from the company this week, when he indicated at a Nato summit that the UK would be prepared to ban Huawei, to reassure our American allies about the security of the UK’s intelligence systems. Boris seemed rather less concerned though when he appeared on television this morning, to be interviewed

Interviewing Boris Johnson last night on my show, I ended up feeling a bit sorry for Jo Swinson, leader of the Liberal Democrats. Because for him the election is a proxy for another referendum. His whole mantra is ‘get Brexit done, and move on’. Swinson’s position of ‘revoke and move on’ is a wholly rational response in the context of Johnson’s framing. But apparently what is democracy in action for Johnson is anti-democracy when the Lib Dems react. We are truly in the ‘age of unreason’. Some of you will be screaming that ‘we had a referendum, so the only legitimate way to cancel it is to hold another one’. Except

Jeremy Corbyn was caught out yesterday pretending he watches the Queen’s Speech, only to be rumbled when he said he watches it in the morning (it’s actually broadcast at 3pm). But while the Labour leader’s blunder has made the front pages of today’s newspapers, he does still have some loyal defenders. Step forward, Angela Rayner. The shadow education secretary did her best to help Corbyn out on Good Morning Britain. Unfortunately her explanation hardly helped matters. Rayner suggested Corbyn might watch the Queen’s Speech hours before it is actually broadcast…on catch-up TV.

With just over a week to go till polling day, tis the season for endorsements from publications and public figures. We’ve published our leader in tomorrow’s Spectator setting out why this election is too important to not take sides. There’s been plenty of debate about the New Statesman’s unusual refusal to endorse Labour, arguing that Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to be Prime Minister. But the most bizarre endorsement of the day comes from Ivan Lewis, who is re-standing in Bury South. He may have his name on the ballot paper, but Lewis has taken the odd step of asking voters not to back him. Lewis was a Labour MP

Donald Trump is on his way back to the US, and—as Katy says —they’ll be breathing a large sigh of relief in CCHQ. The great disruptor has not been that disruptive on this visit. He has, largely, kept out of the election. He hasn’t said anything to add fuel to the fire that Labour is desperately trying to get going on the NHS and a US trade deal. He hasn’t picked a fight with Jeremy Corbyn despite the provocations of the Labour leader; Labour would have loved to have turned this election into a question of whose side are you on, Corbyn or Trump’s as that is that rare thing

There will be relief in Conservative Campaign Headquarters as the Nato summit draws to a close with no election gaffe in sight. With the UK hosting the summit of world leaders, there had been concern that the arrival of the US president with less than a fortnight until polling day could have thrown a spanner in the works. Instead, Donald Trump has said little to cause alarm in Tory high command. When asked about the prospect of NHS privatisation as part of a UK/US trade deal, Trump said the NHS would not be on the table – as the US had little interest in it. In Boris Johnson’s press conference