Politics

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

Monday

The Spectator

Conservative party conference, day two: The Spectator guide | 1 October 2018

Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and the Chancellor Philip Hammond are the big draws on day two of the Conservative conference, but there is plenty of action on the fringes too. Here are the highlights to watch out for: Conference listings: 10.00 – 12.30 Symphony Hall AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Secretary of State for Transport Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Chancellor of the ExchequerSession to include contributions from Party members 14.00 – 16.30 Symphony Hall OPPORTUNITY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary of

Sunday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Tories try to reinvigorate their party with money for ‘diverse’ candidates

The Tory conference hall is, so far, struggling to replicate the size and excitement of Labour’s gathering last week. This isn’t entirely the party’s fault: the venue itself might be great for listening to an orchestra, but it tends to dampen what atmosphere there is. But the decline in audience enthusiasm has been taking place over a number of years across a number of venues. The reasons for this are manifold. One is that the Tories simply do not have the grassroots membership that Labour does. Another is the way Conservatives struggle to give rousing speeches about what drives them in the way that Labourites do. Ask a Labour MP

Steerpike Steerpike

Tory MP: Conservatives resemble ‘the armed wing of Ukip’

It’s day one of Tory conference and already the blue-on-blue warfare is rife. Aside from Boris-bashing in the main hall, the fringes have been witness to some choice comments. This afternoon’s ‘How Can Conservatives Win Back Under 45s in 2022’ fringe event, saw a panel comprised of Justine Greening, Neil O’Brien, David Willets, George Freeman and the Times’ Rachel Sylvester gather to let off steam about Brexit and Theresa May. Freeman complained (again) that May’s Tories have ‘no vision’. However, the comment that got Mr S’s attention was his claim that his party is starting to resemble the ‘armed wing of UKIP’. Putting aside the fact that deputy party chairman has

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Jeremy Hunt talks tough on Brussels – and stokes leadership talk

The most notable thing about this year’s Conservative conference is the disconnect between the leadership and the members. This afternoon the fringes have been ram–packed – particularly those with Brexiteers. Meanwhile, the hall and its ministers has at points seemed rather empty. So, perhaps it makes sense then that rumoured leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt used a large part ofspeech to play up his Brexit credentials. In his first conference speech as Foreign Secretary, the reformed Remainer covered a wide range of topics – and talked tough on Europe. He compared the EU to the ‘prison’ of the Soviet Union as it tries to prevent member states from leaving. He said

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Has Priti Patel found the answer to Corbynism? | 30 September 2018

What’s the antidote to Corbyn? Thatcher, according to Priti Patel. Britain’s former PM might be public enemy number one in the eyes of the Corbynistas, but it’s vital the Tories return to Thatcher’s ideas and her way of doing things. That, at least, is the verdict of Patel, the Brexit-backing former international development secretary. Patel said that Britain is now at a crossroads: a similar juncture to the one it faced when Thatcher came to power in the seventies. Back then, she said, regressive socialism was in danger of taking control. The same is happening now, according to the Tory MP, and it’s vital that the Conservatives and the government

Steerpike Steerpike

Brandon Lewis fails to draw a crowd

Oh dear. Ahead of Tory conference there had been talk among the European Research Group of plans to ’empty-hall’ Theresa May’s leader’s speech in protest of her Brexit plan. That plot has since been abandoned. But it turns out that some Cabinet ministers are still being ’empty-halled’ all on their own accord. This afternoon party chairman Brandon Lewis held a ‘Challenge the Chairman’ event exclusively for party members in the conference hall. Here they were given the opportunity to ask Lewis anything. Only it seems they didn’t have much they wanted to say to him. Only a handful of members could be bothered to show. Mr S’s mole has sent

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Tory conference attendees applaud Boris-bashing in main hall

The Conservative conference has only just begun and already blue-on-blue warfare has broken out on the main stage. Although No. 10 had been nervous that Boris Johnson’s popularity at the annual event could usurp Theresa May’s, there is little sign of Johnson-mania in the conference hall. Lord (Digby) Jones – the ex-CBI chief and Brexiteer – used his turn on the stage to lay into the former foreign secretary. He said that Boris Johnson’s ‘f— business’ jibe ‘showed him up for the irrelevant and offensive person he really is’. In response, attendees in the hall applauded while the Cabinet – including one Theresa May – looked on awkwardly.

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Even now, Theresa May struggles to apologise for Windrush

It’s now six months since the Windrush debacle that ended Amber Rudd’s career – but does Theresa May recognise what went wrong? Andrew Marr sought to find out this morning, saying that a general apology was not enough: ‘There are apologies which say: “I’m sorry something bad happened”, and then there are apologies which say: “Do you know what? My policy – my policy – made these bad things happen, and my policy was wrong and I’m sorry for it.”’ So which was May’s? Here’s what she said:- ‘The point of the policy was to ensure that those people who were here in the United Kingdom illegally were identified, and

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Message-free May given tough time by Marr

The big Sunday of conference TV interview is a chance for a leader to set the tone for their party’s gathering. But Theresa May failed to seize that opportunity this morning. She was, oddly, bereft of a positive message on either Brexit or domestic policy and the interview ended up being dominated by Tory splits on Brexit and the Windrush scandal. On Brexit, May stuck to the line that she doesn’t know what the EU’s objections to Chequers are. This is really stretching things. We know that the EU doesn’t like the Facilitated Customs Arrangement as it feels that it imposes burdens on them and gives the UK many of

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Why Tory conference will be a leadership parade

What does Theresa May want to achieve from this week’s conference? No-one seems sure. There are some in No 10 who would be content so long as she survives it without a coughing fit. Others have higher hopes – that she could reset the dial and reinvigorate her flagging premiership. What seems most likely, however, is that the event will descend into a leadership parade that plays a role in deciding who the next Tory prime minister is. This year’s conference has already got off to a bad start for the Prime Minister thanks to a massive data breach courtesy of CCHQ’s conference app and a bad-tempered appearance by the

The Spectator

Conservative party conference, day one: The Spectator guide | 30 September 2018

The Conservatives return to Birmingham and Theresa May has defied some predictions by even making it this far. But can she keep the show on the road? Or will the Tory party conference be as big a disaster as last year’s gathering? Here are the highlights to keep an eye out for today: Conference listings: 10.00 – 12.00 Hall 1, ICC Birmingham MEETING OF THE NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE CONVENTION 14.00 – 14.45 Symphony Hall WELCOME TO CONFERENCE Chairman of the Conservative Party Mayor of the West Midlands 14.45 – 16.30 Symphony Hall GLOBAL BRITAIN Secretary of State for International Trade Secretary of State for International Development Secretary of State for Defence

Saturday

Steerpike Steerpike

Angela Rayner rallies against common sense

Conservative conference weekend is here, prompting the usual effort by Labour to mis-cast the Tories as a party of rich toffs. However, this seems to have backfired for Angela Rayner. This morning she posted a widely shared image of the Conference website, which is selling last-minute tickets at inflated prices: Tory party conference for the few (with plenty of cash) not the many 😳 pic.twitter.com/SYpu43SeFl — Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) September 28, 2018 However, Mr S is delighted to inform Ms Rayner that all is not as it seems. Tickets for the Conservative Party Conference have been on sale since January, at a much-reduced price of £50, and £20 for

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Why can’t lefties argue properly?

The main problem with lefties is that they can’t decide in their own minds what exactly they want. And sometimes want two paradoxical things simultaneously. So, among the Twitter reactions from Corbynistas to my appearance on Question Time last Thursday was this: ‘I hope he dies a long and painful death TONIGHT.’ I mean come on mate, make your bleedin’ mind up. At least the injunctions that my wife and daughter should be raped and murdered had a certain internal consistency about them. They’re a lovely bunch, no? What was lacking in the responses, much as it was lacking in my co-panellist Ian Lavery’s response (he just shouted OOOTrageous OOOTrageous

Katy Balls Katy Balls

CCHQ gives out Boris Johnson’s phone number

There had been a general consensus among Conservative MPs that this year’s Tory conference would be an improvement on the last so long as Theresa May could get through her speech without coughing. However, it seems the forces that be may have other ideas. With the conference due to kick off tomorrow in Birmingham, CCHQ have found themselves in the news for all the wrong reasons over their conference app. A glitch in the app meant that for at least an hour anyone who used it could access private details of people attending the event. Several Twitter users boasted about getting hold of Boris Johnson’s personal mobile number – along with

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Tories need a domestic agenda

Brexit dominates the headlines going into Tory conference. But as I say in The Sun this morning, the absence of a domestic agenda is an even bigger problem for them than their divisions over Brexit. Labour have over the last few days set out their vision for Britain. Unsurprisingly, I don’t agree with it and think the attitude to property rights revealed by its plan for ‘inclusive ownership funds’ is downright alarming. But give Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell this, their agenda is undoubtedly clear and bold. As one Cabinet Minister says, half admiringly, ‘they’re hungry’. The Tory party’s problem is that it isn’t giving the country a vision of

Friday

Dominic Green Dominic Green

Republicans must drop Kavanaugh before it’s too late

Remember how the Democrats tried to block Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court by dredging up accusations of sexual assault? You don’t, because they didn’t. The Democrats played dirty politics against Gorsuch, but there were no allegations of sexual assault about Gorsuch, because there was no smoke from which to fan a fire. So Democratic attempts to block Gorsuch’s nomination turned on his judicial record. Now consider the considerable amount of smoke summoned by Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. I reckon I might have been the first and only voice in a right-of-centre publication to say that Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh had enough of the ring of truth to render Kavanaugh

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

The Tories need to remember how to fight Labour

As you’d expect on the eve of Tory conference, everyone in the party is offering plenty of advice for Theresa May. Some are tugging the Prime Minister leftwards, while others are fretting that the Conservatives risk abandoning their values. There’s Jacob Rees-Mogg arguing that the Tories need to support the institution of the family, Sam Gyimah worrying that the party has ‘lost our way’ and is both ‘talking business down’ and ‘ignoring the concerns of voters’, Boris Johnson complaining about, well, quite a lot, and Liz Truss saying Labour’s latest PPB ‘does capture the heart of where we need to be as a party’. And it’s not even the real

Steerpike Steerpike

Revealed: Seumas Milne’s bumper pay rise

At party conference last week, several Labour front benchers poured scorn on ‘fat cat bosses’ with excessive earnings. Jeremy Corbyn himself promised to end the country’s culture of ‘greed is good.’ It appears, though, that a bit of greed isn’t so bad when it comes to lining your own friends’ coffers. The Evening Standard reports today that Corbyn, who earns around £140,000 a year, has given his closest aides whopping pay rises of up to 26 per cent. The average salary of his three best paid advisers is now £94,421, four times the salary of a London nurse. Corbyn’s closest ally, former Guardian hack and champagne socialist Seumas Milne is

Steerpike Steerpike

Corbyn crashes Tory conference

The 2015 Conservative Party conference in Manchester stood out for its ugly scenes – with protesters hurling eggs at attendees. Jeremy Corbyn inflamed tensions further by attending a rally on the eve of that conference which called on Tories to be ‘thrown out of Manchester’. Is a similar series of events on the cards this weekend when members gather in Birmingham? Corbyn notably stayed away from subsequent conferences in 2016 and 2017 which coincidentally were much quieter affairs. But this year the threat of an angry horde of SWP sorts is concerning both CCHQ and the Birmingham police. Mr S is informed that Conservative HQ are aware of the fact PM-in-waiting

Martin Vander Weyer Martin Vander Weyer

John McDonnell is on a mission to destroy the free-market economy as fast as he can

The least convincing thing said by Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell at the Labour party conference in Liverpool was ‘I believe we’ll be elected for a second term.’ In all his other remarks about plans for compulsory employee share schemes, workers on boards, higher corporate taxes, extended employment rights, attacks on the rich and below-market renationalisation of water utilities whose bosses he would fire, he talked about getting the programme done ‘within the life of a Labour government’ — with the clear implication that he thinks Tory turmoil might be about to give him a once-in-a-lifetime, one-term-only chance to make a reality of the recreation he lists in Who’s Who: ‘fermenting