Politics

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

Friday

9 Jun 2017

Philip Sime

Britain’s ‘wobbly lady’: Europe’s press reacts to May’s bungled election gamble

Theresa May’s election gamble hasn’t paid off. Yet in spite of the PM blowing her majority, May has vowed to carry on and offer ‘certainty’ to Britain. Overnight, May’s miscalculation has transformed her from an ‘iron lady’ into a ‘wobbly’ political figure in the eyes of the European press. Here’s how the general election has been covered on the continent: Germany: Germany’s largest daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung rounds on Theresa May, branding her a ‘terrible election campaigner’ and contrasts the ‘strong and stable’ image that she sought to present with what was perceived as a very weak campaign. The newspaper explores her behaviour as Home Secretary and suggests that her key tactic of

The Spectator

Theresa May’s Downing Street statement – ‘I will now form a government’

Theresa May has just appeared on the steps of Downing Street to give a statement following her meeting with the Queen. Here is the full text. I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen, and I will now form a government – a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country. This Government will guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days and deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union. It will work to keep our nation safe and secure by delivering the

James Forsyth

It would have been wiser of Theresa May to show some contrition and humility

Theresa May was determined to suggest that nothing had really changed in her statement outside Downing Street after seeing the Queen. She talked about her plans for the next five years, which is—to put it mildly—ambitious. She emphasised the mandate that came from the Brexit referendum, but made no real reference to last night’s events. She emphasised certainty and indicated it was all business as usual. Tonally, May’s approach was a mistake. It would have been better to level with voters about what had happened, to tell the country that she would work to regain its trust. It is jarring to talk about how the country needs certainty, when the

The Spectator

Election barometer: the debacle in figures

How the seats have changed: And how did the pollsters do? There will have been champagne corks popping at Survation last night – and sorrows being drowned at BMG and ICM: Labour recorded their biggest increase in the share of the vote since 1945: Turnout was up, with a widespread belief that young voters turned out en masse. But actually, turnout was the 5th lowest of any general election since 1945: Highest turnouts 1950 83.9% 1951 82.9% February 1974 78.8% 1959 78.7% 1992 77.7% Lowest turnouts 2001 59.4% 2005 61.4% 2010 65.1% 2015 66.1% 2017 68.7% In spite of failing to secure a majority Theresa May won a higher share of

Jenny McCartney

The DUP’s wildest dreams have just come true

If the election result has severely weakened Theresa May, it has correspondingly strengthened another female politician – Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist Party leader, who could be seen beaming with delighted party colleagues at the election count in Northern Ireland. After a stormy year in Northern Ireland – in which the devolved Assembly collapsed amid allegations that Foster was to blame for a costly renewable heating scandal – the Westminster election appears to have restored the DUP’s fortunes beyond its wildest dreams: with the 10 seats it has won, it could now take on the role of ‘kingmakers’ in a minority Conservative government, and has already indicated its preparedness to

Helen Nugent

What the election result means for your finances

Well, I don’t think anyone expected that, least of all Theresa May. As the country picks over the result of the general election, financial experts are weighing up what it means for our money – and it’s not good news. Faith in the economy has been shaken, share prices for housebuilders and retailers have fallen, and the pound is down against the dollar and the euro. None of this makes for positive reading when it comes to disposable income. Pensions ‘A hung parliament is the worst possible outcome for pensioners and people saving for their retirement,’ says Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell. ‘We will now have a period of limbo

Alex Massie

If Theresa May was the election’s biggest loser, Nicola Sturgeon was its second greatest loser

Comeuppance is a dish best served scalding hot. That’s the first thing to be said about this glorious election result. Like Ted Heath, Theresa May asked ‘Who governs Britain?’ and received the answer ‘Preferably not you’. Her election campaign – a word that grants it greater dignity than it merits – will be remembered for decades to come as a classic example of what not to do. Until yesterday we had thought her victory would be tainted by the fact she had only beaten Jeremy Corbyn; now we might reappraise our view to note that poor Jeremy Corbyn has been such a hapless leader of the Labour party he couldn’t

James Forsyth

Why Theresa May needs a deputy Prime Minister

Bizarrely, many of the Cabinet haven’t yet heard from Theresa May or her closest aides. Number 10 need to get on the phones—and quick. She will need the Cabinet’s support in a way she never has before in the next few weeks and months, and securing that support will require actively consulting them. Several senior Tories are arguing that May should appoint a deputy Prime Minister. The thinking is that this would force May to consult beyond her own, extremely tight inner circle. Following this advice would be a smart move by Theresa May. It would reassure the Cabinet that things genuinely will be different now, and that May is

Matthew Lynn

The chances of a catastrophic Brexit have just dramatically increased

Sterling plunges on the currency markets. Middle Eastern oil money flees London. A Prime Minister resigns in mysterious circumstances, and a government clings on to a vanishing majority. Sound familiar? In fact, it is a description of the run up to the sterling crisis of 1976, which forced the Labour Government to crawl to the IMF for an emergency bail-out, rather than 2017. But the parallels are spooky. As a catastrophic election result for the Conservative party is digested, sterling is already sinking like a stone. No one has any real idea who will be PM in a few months, whether there will be another election, or who might win

James Kirkup

To survive, Tories must compromise with Remainers – and Corbynism

Regardless of who leads it, the Conservative Party now has the opportunity to cling to office, possibly even for the rest of this five-year Parliament. They’re the biggest party and a deal with the DUP is the basis for forming a new government. But that’s only the start. To remain in office, the Conservatives are going to have to accept a lot of compromises. They’re going to have to compromise on Brexit, and thus on immigration. They’re going to have to compromise on economic policy (spend more, cut less) and markets (intervene more). They’re going to have to compromise with the Scottish voters who threw them a parliamentary lifeline by

Ross Clark

Corbyn has stirred the youth vote in a way that even Blair could not

We don’t yet have an age breakdown of who voted on Thursday, but from the rise in turnout it seems that it was yoof wot swung it and robbed the Tories of their majority. British general elections have often evolved from contests between parties into battles between two opposing themes or ideas. That of 1964 became modernity versus the grouse moors, 1979 trade unionism versus individualism, 1983 Cold war strength versus unilateral nuclear disarmament. This year was supposed to be the Brexit election yet instead developed into something loosely associated with that but at the same time quite different: 2017 became the inter-generational election. Corbyn was never supposed to have

Steerpike

Exclusive video: triumphant Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Labour HQ

The BBC’s footage of Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival at Labour HQ stops at the revolving door. Fear not: Steerpike brings you this exclusive footage of the hero’s welcome he received inside – it’s all a bit May 1997. The Tories are the largest party in Parliament, but Labour has massively exceeded very low expectations. And Corbyn’s position as leader looks stronger than ever.

Melanie McDonagh

This election proves it: every vote counts

Well, fabulous day for democracy, no? Not the outcome exactly – the Tories lost, but Labour didn’t win – so much as the sense that for once, every vote matters. Or, in the case of North East Fife, every two votes. In Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith has won by 45 votes – more or less the size of his extended family. And Kensington – Kensington! – seems have gone Labour, with fewer than 35 votes in the outcome and another recount to come at 6pm. I still can’t get my head round it. (It would, come to think of it, be a handy seat, if available, for former cabinet ministers

Nick Hilton

The British left have enjoyed a golden night

Ever since Tony Blair handed the keys to No.10 over to Gordon Brown, the Labour party – and, by extension, the British left – has been in free fall. The general elections in 2010 and 2015 left us battered and bruised, and the Brexit vote seemed to be the coup de grace. Under Ed Miliband, the Labour party felt like it was headed for government, only to have victory snatched away, first by John Curtice’s exit poll and then by reality itself. This is the background to last night’s extraordinary resurgence, a triumph of socialist ideals that has – perhaps only for one golden evening – put the ‘party’ back

John O'Neill

Boris vs David Davis – the most likely battle for the Tory leadership

Having squandered the Conservative majority, Theresa May is coming under pressure to resign. It’s not just from Jeremy Corbyn and opposition parties: Tory MPs are calling for her to go too, with Anna Soubry first out of the blocks this morning. So if she does resign (perhaps after the ‘period of stability’ she’s called for) who might take over? Douglas Carswell says it’s a straight fight between David Davis and Boris Johnson: https://twitter.com/DouglasCarswell/status/873054521068408832 But who do the bookies fancy? Although she won in Hastings and Rye, with a small majority of just 346, Amber Rudd has been written off by PaddyPower. They agree with Carswell: Boris is the 3/1 favourite, with Davis behind

Katy Balls

Theresa May’s election gamble has backfired spectacularly

Theresa May’s election gamble has backfired spectacularly. As things stand, the result of the General Election is a hung Parliament. The Conservatives are predicted to be the largest party but will fall short of a majority. Jeremy Corbyn’s position as Labour leader looks safer than ever. In May’s count speech in Maidenhead, she appeared to concede that a Tory majority was out of reach – talking of the need for a ‘period of stability’. However, the Tories could potentially form a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party, who have won ten seats. Anna Soubry has become the first Tory to break rank and hint that May ought to resign. The

James Forsyth

What went wrong for the Tories?

Inside CCHQ there is a sense that three things cost them their majority in this election. First, the public were fed up with austerity. With the Tories taking the deficit off the table as an issue, they had no plan to balance the books in the next five years, and they had no response to Jeremy Corbyn’s promise to spend more on pretty much everything. Second, there was a Brexit backlash. Those who had voted Remain turned up in great numbers at this election and voted against the Tory candidate. Third, Theresa May turned out not to be who the voters thought she was. Voters liked her because they thought

Ross Clark

There’s only one solution: a coalition between the two parties

How utterly, utterly miserable it could be for a minority Conservative government. They can forget their lacklustre, un-costed manifesto now. They are not going to get any of that through. But how even more miserable would be it for the government’s negotiators in Brussels, stripped of their authority. Theresa May is finished, that is clear. She would be treated with even more contempt than she already is by Jean-Claude Juncker and his henchmen. But would it be any better for some unstable coalition or pact cobbled together by Jeremy Corbyn? No, it would be just as miserable. He wouldn’t get his programme through the Commons, either. And neither would he have

Fraser Nelson

Ruth Davidson’s Scottish Tories have shown Theresa May what success looks like

Extraordinary results for the Conservatives in Scotland, where the party – under Ruth Davidson’s leadership rather than Theresa May’s – is doing extraordinary well taking 13 seats. Alex Salmond, former Scottish First Minister, has just lost to to a Conservative in Gordon. So has Angus Robertson who is the SNP leader in Westminster. Overall, the expectations are that the SNP will lose 20 of their 59 seats – the unionists had hoped to deprive them of ten at most, and would have settled for five. Amongst the many sentences I never thought I would type, I can add this: Scotland seems to is the only bright spot for the Tories, so

Katy Balls

Revealed: Tories’ hung Parliament briefing lines

Senior Conservatives insist that they don’t recognise the exit poll, which predicts a hung Parliament. But privately they appear to concede a hung Parliament is a possibility – and they are trying to get on the front foot. In a briefing to Conservative candidates, the party has issued lines to take on the exit poll. They say to state that in the event of a hung Parliament, it is the Tories who would have the first opportunity try and form a parliamentary majority: ‘If it is right then the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably won the most votes. The constitutional guidance is clear that it’s up

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