Politics

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

Wednesday

Matthew Lynn

If Corbyn wins, the markets will be in full-scale panic

Friday morning. A humbled looking Theresa May is muttering about how ‘defeat means defeat’, while Boris Johnson readies his leadership bid. Nicola Sturgeon is flying down to London with a list of demands for supporting a Labour-led coalition. And Jeremy Corbyn is finishing off some work on his allotment before hopping on a bus to the Palace. It might sound far-fetched. But the polls are so all over the place, it is no longer impossible that the Tories will lose their majority. If it happens, one point has been overlooked. Over in the City, stocks will be getting trashed, and the pound will be in free-fall. The markets have only just begun

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

The Spectator’s complete election guide: what to look out for and when

‘Strong and stable’, ‘weak and wobbly’, ‘coalition of chaos’: you’ve heard enough of the slogans. Now, election day is nearly upon us. Here’s the Spectator‘s guide to what to watch out for on the night as we find out whether Theresa May is heading for a big win – or an historic blunder: 10pm All eyes will be on the joint exit poll from the BBC, ITV and Sky. In 2015, this was the key moment for the Tories with the poll suggesting that the party was heading for a surprise majority. 11pm Houghton & Sunderland South – where Labour upped its majority in 2015 – is likely to be the

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will the Tory majority be bigger than expected?

The overall result of the general election isn’t really in doubt: the Tories will be returned to government tomorrow with an increased majority. But just how big that majority is will have a huge impact on what happens at Westminster over the next few years—and that is much less clear. There are two reasons for this. First, the British polling industry remains in crisis; meaning that it is hard to have confidence in the numbers they are pumping out today. Second, in this election, there isn’t going to be a national swing, but a series of regional swings. For example, I hear that the Tories are sending extra resources into

Tim Stanley

Why I’m voting Tory for the first time ever

This is the first election in my life in which I shall vote Conservative. I voted Labour in the last local elections as a sort of last fling at the ballot box. But not this time. This time I’m going to go all the way with Theresa May. Like a lot of Eurosceptic Labour voters, I was drawn to May by her declaration that Brexit would mean Brexit. But Brexit has hardly come up in this campaign, and while the PM is said to have floundered, Labour has supposedly surged. Nevertheless, for me, and countless voters like me, the issues might have changed but the dynamic hasn’t. I don’t like

Pádraig Belton

If we’re heading for a hung Parliament, Northern Ireland will prove crucial

If YouGov’s projections come anywhere near to being true and control of the House of Commons teeters on a knife’s edge, then suddenly Northern Ireland’s 18 MPs go from a curiosity to being right at the heart of parliamentary arithmetic. The DUP holds the largest batch of eight seats – precisely the same as the Lib Dems won in the entire United Kingdom in 2015. They’re likely to win a similar number this time around. So what happens if we end up with a hung Parliament? If invited to cooperate with the Tories, the DUP’s price will not be extortionate. But it won’t be insignificant either. In particular, they will not want

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Labour’s treatment of Diane Abbott raises questions about Corbyn’s judgment

Last night, Diane Abbott appeared — perhaps for the first time — to have something in common with Philip Hammond. Weeks after Theresa May refused to confirm her Chancellor’s job security post-election, Jeremy Corbyn declined to say Comrade Abbott would be Home Secretary in a Labour government. Given that his comments followed Abbott’s disastrous interview on Sky News, and after she cancelled two scheduled media appearances (apparently due to ill health), many took it to be a sign that Abbott’s time as shadow home secretary was running out. Today Labour have issued a statement announcing that Corbyn has asked Lyn Brown to stand in for Abbott as Shadow Home Secretary for the period

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Corbyn or May? The papers have their say

This time tomorrow, the politicians will have finally fallen silent and the polls will be open. But who to vote for? Here’s what the papers say: The Sun backs Theresa May and has a ‘simple message’ for those considering voting for Ukip or Labour: ‘don’t’. Given that the ‘Tories alone are committed to seeing Brexit through in full’, the Sun suggests a vote for the ‘Kippers would be redundant. And for those who believe Labour will ensure Brexit happens, the Sun says that it ‘does not believe’ it ‘for a second’. For those who have always voted Labour, the Sun says to remember that Corbyn’s party ‘is not the moderate Labour of Tony

Matthew Taylor

2017 General Election: the ten ‘Portillo moments’ to watch out for

Just as in 2015, this election promises to be a tough fight for some of the biggest names. Depending on which pollsters you believe, Labour are either in for a drubbing or their best performance since 2001. The Lib Dems could be about to face annihilation. Even Conservative cabinet ministers are vulnerable in several key marginals. But as before, the most exciting battleground is likely to be in Scotland, where the SNP are retreating from the phenomenal high they achieved two years ago. Listed below are ten of the most significant potential upsets to watch out for after the polls close. Angus Robertson in Moray Expected declaration time: 3:00am Region:

Tuesday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Nicola Sturgeon has just kebabed Kezia Dugdale in the STV debate

For much of last night’s STV debate, the last such contest in Scotland in this election, it looked as though the headline story would be the manner in which Ruth Davidson was hammered by all the other Scottish party leaders. The Tory leader was taken to task over the government’s changes to tax credits and, in particular, the so-called ‘rape clause’. Valiantly as she tried to defend herself she was unavoidably on the back foot. And then Nicola Sturgeon changed the subject. According to the first minister, in a private conversation just after the Brexit referendum, Kezia Dugdale, the Labour leader, told Sturgeon that she and her party were now

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Labour’s desperate crawling to the young is a sad admission of defeat

In this slow-motion car crash of a General Election campaign, there have been few sights more tragic than that of grizzled, greying Labour people pleading with the young to vote for them. Even Diane Abbott’s dumbfounded face on every political show on the box and Tim Farron’s wobbly expression every time a member of the public asks him why he hates Brexit have been no match for these political versions of sad old uncles in skinny jeans creepily cosying up to yoof. How I’ve winced. They’ve all been at it. There was Armando Iannucci, funnyman turned another boring Tory-fearer, who got a gazillion retweets when he said he was getting

Nick Cohen Nick Cohen

Seumas Milne and the Stasi

Few noticed in 2015 when Seumas Milne excused the tyranny that held East Germany in its power from the Soviet Invasion in 1945 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Nearly every page reeked of a sly attempt to sweeten dictatorship and cover up the murder it inevitably brings. It was greeted with deserved indifference. As for Milne, two-years ago he was just another columnist in a newspaper industry that is stuffed with them. He provided a niche service on the Guardian by catering for a corner of the market that yearned to hear defences of 20th century Soviet Communism and 21st century Islamo-Fascism at the same time and

Ruth Sunderland

Overlooking the childfree is a mistake

Politicians fight over lots of different issues in general election campaigns, but one theme is a constant: they all try to appeal to ‘hard-working families’, by which they seem to mean mum, dad and a couple of kids. It’s well-intentioned, I’m sure. But I’m equally sure I can’t be the only non-parent who finds it a teeny bit grating. Not that I begrudge nuclear families any help that might coming their way. What I resent is the implication that just because I haven’t given birth, I’m somehow not counted among the ranks of deserving, diligent citizens. The stereotype that we all live in identikit units of mum, dad and two

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

The most shocking thing about Donald Trump’s Sadiq Khan tweet? He’s right

How thin-skinned and pompous the British media class is. On the airwaves, Twitter, and elsewhere, the reaction to Donald Trump’s tweet about London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been apoplexy bordering on hysteria. Trump has deeply insulted our nation, it is said, and harmed the Special Relationship. Susan Minton Beddoes, the editor of the Economist, told American TV Trump’s tweet was ‘really damaging’. Countless others are now calling on Theresa May to give Trump a piece of their minds. I can’t help thinking May’s time could be better spent — addressing the terror problem, say — than getting into a war of words with the President of the United States. Besides, what do

Steerpike Steerpike

Diane Abbott’s disappearing act

Last night, Diane Abbott used an appearance on Sky News to insist that she had not been sidelined by the Leader’s Office in light of her recent interview performances. However, in that same interview she went on to generate more negative headlines when the shadow home secretary appeared to have little to no knowledge of the Lord Harris report on improving London’s terror preparedness. So, Mr S was curious to learn that today Abbott has mysteriously dropped out of a scheduled appearance on Woman’s Hour – with Emily Thornberry being lined up to replace her. While one Labour source tells Steerpike that Abbott has been ‘spoken to’ following her disastrous interview

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

In the wake of the police numbers row, attack is the best form of defence for the Tories

Boris’s last appearance on the airwaves during the election campaign left many scratching their heads. Just what did the word ‘mugwump’ actually mean? This time, the Foreign Secretary’s attack against Jeremy Corbyn was much more straightforward: the Labour leader’s opposition to the ‘shoot to kill’ policy. Here, Corbyn has undoubtedly changed his tune: in 2015, he said he wasn’t happy with the idea; and last year, he said that he hadn’t changed his mind. In the wake of the London attack though, Corbyn backed officers being able to use lethal force in certain situations. This wishy-washy position is dangerous ground for Labour, and the Tories are doing their best to

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Is Jeremy Corbyn really out to help the poor?

Is Jeremy Corbyn really out to help the poor – or just to entice the middle classes into his big socialist tent? I ask because the more you examine the manifesto he keeps waving before the television cameras, the more it seems to be designed around giving benefits to the better-off. These won’t come without cost, of course – the better-off will also be paying for the benefits which Corbyn is dangling before their eyes, in the form of higher income taxes, and possibly new wealth taxes, too. But for the moment, it seems to be the potential handouts which are making Labour headlines rather than the prospect of higher

Monday

Shachar Bialick

Should we thank Brexit for ‘borderless banking’?

From Brexit and Grexit to Trump and Scottish (near) independence, the way we think about our place in the world is changing. In the UK and further afield these issues have shone a light on the fact that we live in a global, multicultural melting pot – with ties to friends, family and colleagues around the planet. The way we manage our money is changing, too. Regulation, rebuilding trust, teenage hackers and woefully outdated technology have kept our favourite high street banks busy recently. You probably haven’t ditched your current account yet or tried out a new alternative like Starling or Atom Bank, but you might soon. After no new

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Nicola Sturgeon given rough ride over IndyRef2 on Question Time special

After both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn received a rough ride on Friday in the Question Time leaders election special, tonight it was the turn of Nicola Sturgeon and Tim Farron. The pair faced questions from a live studio audience in Edinburgh. The location proved problematic for the Liberal Democrat leader who had to fend off questions on why he supported a second EU referendum but not a second Scottish independence referendum. However, it was Nicola Sturgeon who received the more hostile reception. Although the First Minister put in a confident performance, she was repeatedly quizzed by dissatisfied voters on her party’s poor record on education. One audience member put it particularly

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Diane Abbott’s disastrous turn on Sky News

With Theresa May on the back foot today over Tory cuts to police numbers, CCHQ can count their lucky stars that Diane Abbott has been doing the media rounds this evening. The shadow home secretary was interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan this evening on Labour’s position on terrorism measures following Saturday’s attack. However, Abbott soon hit a problem when Murnaghan asked her about the 2016 Lord Harris report on improving London’s terror preparedness. It soon became clear that Abbott was not familiar with its contents – not that she was willing to admit this: DA: I think we do need to revisit that report DM: Which part of it? DA: Well, I

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Theresa May’s decision to cuddle the Donald looks worse by the day

It is not often, especially in the midst of what has been a grimly dreadful election campaign for her, that one feels some measure of pity for Theresa May. But there she was today, gamely putting on her bravest, gamest, face when she was asked for her reaction to Donald Trump’s latest witless provocations.  The American president, you can hardly failed to have noticed, has not covered himself in glory since the weekend’s terrorist attack in London. When the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, suggested that Londoners should not be alarmed by the deployment of additional armed officers on the streets of London, Trump blustered “At least 7 dead and 48