Politics Archives

Wednesday

8 Mar 2017

A perfect example of how Corbyn’s inability to think on his feet lets him down

Today’s Prime Minister’s Questions was a good example of how Jeremy Corbyn’s inability to be nimble on his feet lets him down. The Labour leader had a perfect peg for his questions about social care, which was last night’s leak of recordings in which Surrey Council leader David Hodge spoke of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’. His first question was a good one, asking the Prime Minister to explain the difference between a ‘sweetheart deal’ and a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’. May denied that there was a special deal for Surrey, and repeated that denial in subsequent answers. But what Corbyn didn’t pick up on was the careful wording of May’s denial. She said:

Steerpike

International Women’s Day: Lord Heseltine mansplains to Theresa May

Given that Theresa May is known to take issue with anything she perceives to be ‘mansplaining’, men are well-advised to refrain from speaking in a condescending manner when in the Prime Minister’s presence. But Lord Heseltine appears to hold no such qualms. After receiving the sack from the government over his Lords rebellion on the Article 50 bill, Michael Heseltine appeared on Sky News to put forward his side of the story. Alas, while explaining that he had never met May, the Conservative peer hit a bum note when he described Brexit as a ‘man-sized job’: ‘I don’t in any way criticise her for this, she’s got a man-sized job to do

Tom Goodenough

What’s in Philip Hammond’s Budget box?

Philip Hammond doesn’t do box office. Unlike his predecessor George Osborne, he doesn’t do burgers either, with his austere pre-budget picture showing the Chancellor looking characteristically gloomy as, we’re told, he prepares Britain to be ‘match fit’ for the future. So what do we know about Hammond’s first – and last – spring Budget? For those who have accused Hammond of being too downbeat, there’ll be some glimmers of hope. It’s expected that the Chancellor’s ‘upbeat assessment’ of Britain’s economic outlook which he will deliver at the despatch box will mean the country’s growth forecast will be revised upwards – giving the Chancellor an extra £12bn to play with over

Tuesday

7 Mar 2017

Katy Balls

Government suffers its second Article 50 defeat in the Lords

Tonight the government suffered its second Article 50 bill defeat in the House of Lords. Peers backed an amendment calling for a ‘meaningful’ parliamentary vote on the final terms of withdrawal from the EU by 366 votes to 268. Heralding the result, Lord Heseltine said Parliament must be the ‘custodian of national sovereignty’. The bill will now return to the Commons where Theresa May will hope to overturn the amendment, along with the issue of guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens. The government had been braced for defeat on both of these issues but regardless this now presents them with a headache — convincing pro-Remain MPs not to rebel. It’s thought May will face the

Nick Cohen

The opposition-shaped hole in British politics

If you want to judge the extent of the crisis that is paralysing the left, look at this morning’s Guardian. On the one hand you have an article from Abi Wilkinson, who tellingly doesn’t even mention the Labour leader’s name. Convincingly to my mind, Wilkinson argues that the May government ought to be in all kinds of trouble. May herself is an evasive and awkward politician. She is presiding over an NHS that has had more austerity than it can stand. The British Red Cross may have been guilty of hyperbole when it said the UK faced a ‘humanitarian crisis’ across the whole of its health service. But individual patients are finding that, as far

Isabel Hardman

Will Theresa May change her mind on an early general election?

Downing Street has rejected William Hague’s call for a snap general election. The former Conservative leader argues in his Telegraph column today that this would ‘strengthen the government’s hand at home and abroad’, but Number 10 says this isn’t something Theresa May ‘plans to do or wishes to do’. Theresa May is often compared to Gordon Brown, but one thing she will have learned from that previous Prime Minister was that to talk about an early election is a very bad idea, especially if it then turns out that it isn’t something that you wish to do either. But is she secretly keen on an early election? Those who are

Emma Simon

What can we expect to see in Philip Hammond’s first – and last – Spring Budget?

After this week, the centrepiece of the financial year is being shunted to the Autumn. Good news, no doubt, for the city bigwigs, fund managers, chief executives and financial hacks and flacks who’d rather be betting on which horse will romp home at Cheltenham than which tax relief, pension allowance or benefit will be axed this time. But for those wanting to take a punt on what will be in Philip Hammond’s Budget Box tomorrow, here are some likely runners and riders. Despite having an extra billion or two to play with thanks to higher than expected economic growth and bumper tax receipts, it seems a racing certainty that there

Steerpike

Revealed: Rebecca Long-Bailey pushed out in Gorton

Although the Corbynites are at pains to promote Rebecca Long-Bailey as Jeremy Corbyn’s socialist successor, not everyone seems so convinced. In fact, Mr S understands that Labour moderates yesterday took action to stop the shadow business secretary from joining an upcoming by-election selection panel. After Manchester Gorton MP Gerald Kaufman passed away this month, the hunt is on to select a Labour candidate to stand as a successor. Hoping for that candidate to be a Corbynista, the Leader’s Office suggested Rebecca Long-Bailey, the MP for Salford, join the selection panel. Alas Steerpike understands that this suggestion was turned down by the officers’ group when they chose the panel — much to

Nick Hilton

Coffee House Shots: What’s in Philip Hammond’s Budget box?

There has been precious little excitement surrounding Wednesday’s budget announcement, which will be Philip Hammond’s first as Chancellor. The man nicknamed ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ has played down expectations, indicating from the off that he will leave major announcements to the new Autumn Budget. But whilst casual observers may find Wednesday less scintillating than under George Osborne, anticipated revisions to education, business rates and social care will still significantly affect the country’s fiscal position. On this episode of Coffee House Shots, Fraser Nelson is joined by James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman to shine a light through the gloaming of Hammond’s caution. And if you enjoyed this edition of Coffee House Shots, please subscribe on iTunes to get the best

Alex Massie

The SNP’s rosy-tartaned independence vision comes unstuck

In 2013, the Scottish National Party claimed an independent Scotland would be the sixth richest country on earth. Like many extravagant suggestions, this contained the essence of its own downfall. It would be lovely if it were true but didn’t it seem just a tiny bit too good to be true? At the same time, and for the next 18 months or so, SNP politicians assured the Scottish people that there was no need to worry about the economic case for independence. They had the numbers to prove it. Granted, no one was ever encouraged to ask awkward questions about the assumptions made to generate this rosy-tartaned vision. For instance,

Liam Halligan

A Parliament veto on Brexit would guarantee a stinker of a deal

Theresa May is warning Tory rebels that if Parliament gets a meaningful vote on Brexit, the European Union will be ‘incentivised’ to offer the UK a ‘bad deal’. She is right. But that doesn’t mean the Prime Minister should dismiss the prospect of the House of Lords inflicting a second defeat on the government, with peers today set to back an amendment requiring Parliament to endorse the UK’s final Brexit deal. May should, in contrast, turn what looks like an inconvenience to her political and diplomatic advantage. Theresa May responded to the first Parliamentary defeat to the government’s Article 50 bill, on an amendment designed to guarantee residency rights for all EU

Tom Goodenough

What the papers say: Why amending the Brexit bill would be a mistake

Remember David Cameron’s renegotiation with Brussels in the run-up to the referendum? There’s a good chance you’ve probably forgotten; after all, even the Prime Minister wasn’t keen to talk up his paltry deal. Yet there’s a danger of history repeating itself if peers have their wicked way, warns the Sun. ‘Peers and rebel Tory MPs’ are keen to tangle up Theresa May with a veto on whatever she agrees with the EU, the paper warns. This would be a mistake. It’s clear that Cameron’s renegotiation ‘failed because EU leaders didn’t take him seriously’. And if Brussels ‘knew the Prime Minister might be sent back to compromise time and again’ they’d

Monday

6 Mar 2017

Steerpike

John McDonnell’s tea offensive proves offensive

As part of John McDonnell’s recent ‘tea offensive‘ to reach out and offer an olive branch to politicians on all sides of the Labour party, the shadow chancellor has invited both Peter Mandelson and Tony Blair for a cuppa. Alas, extending the hand of friendship to New Labour grandees is proving costly when it comes to McDonnell’s comrades on the Left. Step forward George Galloway. The former Labour MP — who was expelled from the party in 2003 — has previously been supportive of the Corbyn regime. Alas, in light of McDonnell’s gesture, he has taken to social media to let be known his dismay at the ‘profoundly ill-advised’ offer: Given

Gavin Mortimer

Marine Le Pen will gain the most if Francois Fillon is forced to stand down

Marine Le Pen must be struggling to contain her glee at the implosion of the centre-right Républicains party. An extraordinary 24 hours began on Sunday when François Fillon assembled his supporters in the torrential Parisian rain to reaffirm his intention to stand as their candidate in next month’s election. The former Prime Minister then appeared on TV yesterday evening to confess to his errors but reiterate that he is best placed in his party to defeat Le Pen’s National Front. Lurking in the background, however, as Fillon spoke live on television, was Alain Juppé, who many expected to present himself on Monday as the Républicains’ Plan B. Instead, the 72-year-old declared he would not accede to

Tom Goodenough

What the papers say: Why ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ is the Chancellor Brexit Britain needs

You don’t earn a nickname like ‘Spreadsheet Phil’ for being a showman. But is Philip Hammond’s powder-dry demeanour and unwavering focus on the numbers actually his strong point? Yes, says the Sun, which suggests the chancellor’s cautious approach is exactly what Britain needs right now. The paper says that whereas Hammond’s predecessors would use their Budget announcements to reach for ‘popularity-boosting giveaways’, not so the current incumbent at No.11 who takes a more sensible approach in saying ‘now is not the time for a spending spree’. ‘We couldn’t agree more,’ says the Sun, which warns of ‘greater challenges’ ahead. There may be ‘Brexit storms’ approaching, the paper points out before arguing that

Steerpike

Dawn Butler’s car sickness comes and goes

Last week Dawn Butler used an appearance on Question Time to reveal that she hadn’t actually gone up to campaign in Copeland ahead of the party’s disastrous by-election result, as she suffers from… car sickness: DB: I didn’t go to Copeland as I suffer from car sickness and I heard the roads are really bad. But I did a lot of phone… DD: That doesn’t sound like a warrior… DB: I didn’t think I’d be much good to them getting there all green and sick. DD: Don’t you ever go by car any distance? While Mr S felt sympathy for the Labour MP’s plight, Steerpike couldn’t help but notice that

Sunday

5 Mar 2017

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn’s tax stunt has an undesired effect

As Budget day approaches, the opposition are attempting to pile pressure on the Tories. As part of these efforts, Jeremy Corbyn has published details of his tax return in an effort to force Philip Hammond to do the same. However, if the stunt was meant to put the focus on the Chancellor, it has backfired spectacularly this evening. Rather than questions being raised over Hammond’s finances, Corbyn is facing questions over his own. Namely whether he declared his full income as Labour leader. His tax return shows that he earned £114,342 in 2015-16, and paid £35,298 in tax. However, as the Leader of the Opposition, it’s thought he would also be in line for

Nick Hilton

Philip Hammond dismisses exorbitant divorce bill as ‘negotiating strategy’

Ahead of his budget announcement this week, Philip Hammond has told Andrew Marr that the UK may continue to face EU contributions after Brexit, though he dismissed claims of a £60bn divorce fee as ‘a piece of negotiating strategy’. The Chancellor looked relaxed as he shrugged off the potential failure of a trade deal with the EU, stating simply that ‘we will forge new trade deals around the world’. In a typically uncharismatic performance, Hammond also poured cold water on the Resolution Foundation’s findings that the so-called ‘just about managing’ are going to be severely squeezed over the next three years. ‘I don’t recognise these numbers,’ he said, ‘various bodies publish various numbers,

Katy Balls

Paul Nuttall goes on the offensive as he fights for Ukip’s future

It’s not been a great week for Ukip. Following Paul Nuttall’s by-election loss in Stoke-on-Trent Central, the Ukip leader went on holiday while his party went into free fall. As Nigel Farage mounted a coup against Douglas Carswell over reports that Ukip’s only MP had scuppered Farage’s chances of being awarded a knighthood, Arron Banks labelled Nuttall’s leadership ‘weak’ and told the Ukip leader to make him party chairman (or else). Today Nuttall finally resurfaced with an appearance on the Andrew Marr show. The Ukip leader attempted to draw a line in the sand over the negative publicity his by-election campaign had attracted. Asked about reports that he had lied about losing a close friend at Hillsborough, Nuttall went

Hugo Rifkind

Sir John Major is a model former Prime Minister

Sir John Major does political intervention just right, doesn’t he? Never mind what he actually says. Once a year, twice max. Lob in a perfectly prepared hand grenade, wave and get the hell out. None of that terrible neediness of Tony Blair, still so stricken that he’s not in office. No children will cry, nor dogs howl, as they might at the biannual haphazard sight of Gordon Brown. Major is never hysterical, and never cheap, and he always disappears again within 24 hours. Precisely how an ex-prime minister ought to be. David Cameron, wherever he is, should be taking notes. This is an extract from Hugo Rifkind’s column, which appears