Politics Archives

Thursday

5 Dec 2019

Why I feel sorry for Jo Swinson’s Lib Dems

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

Steerpike

Watch: Angela Rayner doubles down on Corbyn’s Queen’s Speech blunder

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.

Nick Cohen

Fear has triumphed over loathing this general election

This election is a war between disgust and fear: disgust at the miserable inadequates who represent ‘your side’; fear of what your enemies may do to you. It looks as if fear is winning. No country can fight two extremist movements at once. Fear of one side drives voters into the arms of the other, however much it disgusts them. Boris Johnson’s dismal approval ratings reflect the widespread belief that he lies to everyone from the Queen downwards, and doesn’t have the faintest idea of how to lead the country or smallest concern about where he is taking it. The moralising conservatism that once dominated the party may be dead

Steerpike

Is Mark Sedwill’s time as cabinet secretary coming to an end?

Could Sir Mark Sedwill’s time as cabinet secretary be coming to an end? There were reports earlier this year that Sedwill might be in line to be replaced if Boris Johnson were to win the Tory leadership election. That proved to be unfounded and in the months since, the Prime Minister and Sedwill appear to have struck up a good working relationship. But now it seems the cabinet secretary really could be on his way out. Who might replace him if he goes? Mr S hears Antonia Romeo could be in line for a big promotion after the election. Currently permanent secretary at the department for international trade, Romeo is a career

Wednesday

4 Dec 2019

Stephen Daisley

Jo Swinson’s Andrew Neil interview exposed her party’s Brexit extremism

Jo Swinson’s ordeal at the hands of Andrew Neil dramatised (painfully) the anguish of being a liberal in an age of populism. The Liberal Democrats are the ultimate fence-sitters, the men too broadminded to take their own side in a quarrel, per Robert Frost’s aphorism. But in this election they have tried to represent the centre while advocating the most extreme position on Brexit. As Neil pointed out to Swinson on tonight’s BBC One interview, her policy of revoking Brexit without a vote (in the event of a Lib Dem majority government) was so fundamentalist it has proved off-putting even to some Remainers. He suggested this might have contributed to

Isabel Hardman

Andrew Neil interview: Jo Swinson sticks to her guns

Jo Swinson had a terrible session on Question Time earlier in the election campaign, but tonight in her interview with Andrew Neil, she showed that it is possible for a leader who believes what they are saying to survive a very tough grilling with their dignity intact. She faced difficult questions on her party’s Brexit position, on her voting record in the Coalition government, and on what she would do if her party lost seats at this election, but managed to stick to her guns in a way that showed up Jeremy Corbyn for not doing so in his interview – and Boris Johnson for not having the guts to

Isabel Hardman

How money for losing MPs can skew elections

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

James Forsyth

Trump flies home as Tories breathe a sigh of relief

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

Katy Balls

Boris Johnson plays it safe at Nato press conference

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

The Spectator

This is the most important election in modern history – it’s time to take sides

Next week, voters will decide the future of the government, of Brexit, and perhaps of the Union. Jeremy Corbyn has been perfectly clear on what he offers: a radical experiment in far-left economics, going after the wealthy to fund the biggest expansion of government ever attempted in this country. Boris Johnson proposes to complete Brexit and restore much-needed stability to government. But given that about half of voters still oppose Brexit, the race is close. The prospect of Jeremy Corbyn in government – and all that this implies – is all too real. And it might become so if those who oppose him do not actively vote against him next week.

Steven Fielding

We are witnessing the death throes of Corbynism

Jeremy Corbyn has given up on winning this election and is currently struggling to ensure that on 12 December Boris Johnson will be denied a Commons majority. Last week Labour’s campaign strategy switched from trying to win seats to trying not to lose them, reflecting just how badly things are going. With polling day just around the corner, the party has been reduced to sending its chair Ian Lavery to visit once rock-sold northern seats to try and win back former miners to Labour. It should not have been this way. Indeed, according to John McDonnell, Corbyn was just a week away from becoming Prime Minister in 2017. If only

Steerpike

Watch: Jeremy Corbyn’s Queen’s Speech blunder

‘Do you sit down to watch the Queen’s Speech, Mr Corbyn?’ It’s a simple question, but one the Labour leader appeared to struggle with during his interview on ITV. Corbyn responded by saying: ‘It’s on in the morning, usually we have it on some of the time.’ The only problem? As Julie Etchingham pointed out, the Queen’s Christmas Day address is broadcast at 3pm. Corbyn’s response? ‘Well…’ ‘You don’t watch it, do you Mr Corbyn?’ Etchingham asked the Labour leader. Oh dear. Another broadcast interview success for Corbyn…

Robert Colville

Fact-check: Will Labour really save the average family £6,700 a year?

John McDonnell claimed in a speech in Birmingham today that the Labour party’s plans to expand free childcare, cut rail ticket prices, and introduce free prescriptions and free school meals, along with various other measures, would save the average family £6,700 a year. Given how much Labour had allocated for these promises in the costings document accompanying its manifesto, I immediately suspected that their figures would not add up. But having seen the Labour dossier which costs this claim, it is impossible to stress – even by the standards of modern politics – how shoddy these numbers are and how quickly they fall apart. This document comes in two parts, the

Steerpike

Watch: Jo Swinson’s battle bus targeted by climate protesters

Jo Swinson’s campaign ground to a halt this morning in Brixton after climate change activists dressed as bees stuck themselves to the front of the Lib Dem battle bus. The party has gone big in its manifesto on tackling what it calls the ‘climate emergency’, vowing to ensure Britain leads ‘the world in tackling’ the issue. But clearly this is not enough for the trio, reportedly from Extinction Rebellion, who are demanding ‘a new form of democracy’. Swinson hopped out of the bus in a bid to convince the activists into ending their protest. But unfortunately her attempt to do so backfired when one of the protesters said it was

Steerpike

Labour tries to quietly edit its manifesto

During this year’s general election campaign, Labour has attempted to repeat their 2017 strategy of costing each commitment made in their manifesto. Given the sums involved, it seems only fair expect the party to lay out – in detail – what they are planning to spend and how they are planning to pay for it. But perhaps this time, their so-called ‘grey book’ wasn’t quite detailed enough. The party has been caught attempting to amend the costings document after its publication two weeks ago. In the original document, the shadow treasury team appear to have confused ‘profit’ with ‘turnover’. Such a mistake will do nothing to allay the fears those

Tuesday

3 Dec 2019

Hardeep Singh

The disturbing truth is that the British far-left is now awash with anti-Semites

Over the years I’ve often myopically associated anti-Semitism with the far-right or Islamist extremists who harbour a special antipathy for Jews. But a new report, Antisemitism Barometer 2019, suggests Jew hatred in Britain is more prevalent amongst the far-left when compared to the far-right. Perhaps this should all come as little surprise, given Corbyn’s Labour is currently under investigation for allegations of anti-Semitism by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). No doubt it’s an uncomfortable truth for Labour moderates to countenance, especially when the only other party to have been investigated by the EHRC is the BNP, which was forced to change their white only membership policy. This isn’t

John Keiger

How might a big Boris victory change Britain?

If Boris Johnson wins a clear majority on 12 December, it could mark a big turning point in British history. The brakes will be off for the United Kingdom to formally leave the European Union by 31 January 2020. Then the new Tory government will decide how radical its future relationship with the European Union and the rest of the world should be. Make no mistake: this election matters and will be talked about in years to come. World war one and two both wrought significant change to Britain. So, too, did the 1956 Suez debacle, which drained British self-confidence to such an extent that the country lurched into over-reliance on

Matthew Lynn

Labour’s nonsense about the cost of the state

Less than the cost of a Spotify subscription. Less than Netflix charges you every month. True, you might not be able to get the latest Taylor Swift remix or episodes of Stranger Things, but the Labour Party is trying to reach out to the streaming generation with the claim that the state costs you less than either your music or TV fix. According to its Twitter feed, someone earning just £82,000 a year has to pay only £8.33 a month for ‘free healthcare, free education, properly funding the NHS, lifting children out of poverty, ending the climate crisis, and ending homelessness.’ You earn £82k per year. You pay £9 per month for

Patrick O’Flynn

Nish Kumar and the anti-Brexit comedy club

When I was interviewed a long time ago for admission to one of our ancient universities, a don used the phrase “the maintained sector” to describe my educational background. He meant that I was a state school lad and I suppose his implication was that independent schools were somehow more free-thinking, reliable bastions of excellence. At the time I could only see the other side of that particular argument, but the phrase has come to mind again now in a different context. The disastrous reception given to comedian Nish Kumar at yesterday’s Lord’s Taverners’ lunch is a sign that the maintained sector of British comedy has fallen victim to lazy groupthink

Steerpike

The Lib Dems’ Hugh Grant endorsement backfires

The Lib Dems unveiled their secret weapon to revive their flagging election campaign this week. The party managed to win the backing of actor Hugh Grant, who joined Lib Dem candidates Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna on the campaign trail to plug a so-called ‘Remain Alliance’ between several parties to keep the Tories out of power. Only it looks as though there might already be trouble in paradise. In a gloating post on social media, the Lib Dems showed off their celebrity backer this morning and wrote that ‘only the Lib Dems can take seats off the Tories’. But their refusal to point out that Grant was actually supporting tactical voting