Politics

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

Monday

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Coffee House podcast: Farage resigns. What now for Ukip?

Nigel Farage has joined the growing list of politicians to resign after stepping aside as Ukip leader this morning. It was a surprise move, which Farage said was brought about by him feeling that he had ‘done his bit’ following the Brexit vote last month. In a speech, the Ukip leader said that he wanted his life back. So what next for the party he leaves behind? On the podcast, Isabel Hardman tells Fraser Nelson: ‘Given Farage resigned and then un-resigned after the General Election and then spent the next few months really taking out his political rivals, it was starting to look as though he was gearing up for

Steerpike Steerpike

Andrea Leadsom promises not to be the candidate for the rich… while speaking at restaurant of the super-rich

Today Andrea Leadsom has officially launched her campaign to be the next Tory leader. Speaking at the Cinnamon Club, the former banker declared that she would not be the candidate for the rich; ‘the richest people in Britain will not be my priority’. However, Mr S cant help but wonder if she should have gone for a different choice of venue if she wants to be taken seriously as a voice of the working people. After all, the Cinnamon Club is one of Westminster’s most expensive restaurants. A favourite of the metropolitan elite, the Indian restaurant serves a special gin punch for £400 a bowl. Meanwhile it’s hard to get through a lunch

Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage’s full resignation speech

I’m aware that not everybody in this country is happy. Indeed, a lot of young people have been wound up by scare stories and are actually very angry and very scared about their future. It’s an irony really, that it’s the youth of a country that appear to be worried right across the whole of the European Union. It is the under-30s that are protesting in the streets against undemocratic centralised control and indeed against the Euro and virtually everything that emanates from Brussels. In time, I hope that some of these sharp divisions can be healed when people start to realise that actually life outside the European Union is really very exciting and

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Andrea Leadsom spells out why Brexit isn’t bad news at her Tory leadership launch

Andrea Leadsom is the last of the five candidates to launch her bid for the Tory leadership. But if the bookies odds are anything to go on, she is rapidly emerging as a potential frontrunner in this race. Many will view Leadsom as one of the ‘Brexit candidates’ in this fight. Somewhat refreshingly, though, she painted Brexit not as something for Britain to be afraid of but a positive step. Towards the end of the speech, she said that: ‘As your Prime Minister my ambition will be to guide our country to those sunlit uplands.’ She also went on to borrow David Cameron’s reference during the referendum campaign to voting for

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Nigel Farage’s departure means Ukip can seize its post-referendum opportunity

Nigel Farage’s departure comes at the best possible time for Ukip. The party could be hoovering up votes from Labour’s heartlands which voted for Out in surprisingly large numbers in the referendum. But since that result, figures in Ukip had been feeling dismayed that their party seemed angry and disorganised, unable to reach out to those Labour voters. Farage spent most of the referendum campaign behaving badly, almost trying to sabotage his own side, before conceding that Remain had won just hours before it became clear that Leave had won. Now there is an opportunity for the party to re-brand as ‘Newkip’, taking a more optimistic stance. Douglas Carswell, who

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Ukip leadership: runners and riders

Today Nigel Farage has announced that he will be standing down as Ukip leader. Farage has pledged not to ‘unresign’ this time around, stating that now he has achieved his goal in the referendum, it’s time he ‘stood aside’ as leader of the party. This means that the search is on to find Farage’s successor. With Farage known to have a fractious relationship with some members of Ukip, his departure could mark a new more harmonious chapter for party relations. Steven Woolfe: Woolfe is the one to watch in the race. Loyal to Farage and with experience as an MEP, he has been being talked up as a future leader in Ukip circles

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Philip Hammond repeats Theresa May’s threat to EU immigrants

Appallingly, Philip Hammond has just echoed Theresa May’s threat to use the two Britain’s million European Union immigrant workers as bargaining chips in negotiation with Brussels. He said it would be “absurd” to say – as Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Dan Hannan and Vote Leave members have said – that no EU national will be deported no matter what. Here’s the exchange on the Today programme. Philip Hammond: “Neither EU nationals in Britain nor British nationals in EU countries will find any change to their circumstances over the next few years.” Nick Robinson: “Crucial words, though, isn’t it: “over the next few years. You could simply say, couldn’t you: they’ll all here, they’re

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Merkel tells Juncker: Britain needs plenty of time to invoke Article 50

Der Speigel has published a fascinating write-up giving last week’s extraordinary events from Angela Merkel’s perspective. Specifically, it seems, she’s had enough of Jean-Claude Juncker, the egregious president of the European Commission, and has told him to bow out from future negotiations with the UK. She’s fed up of him insisting that Britain rushes to invoke Article 50. Indeed, her “utmost concern,” says the magazine, is “giving Britain as much time as possible” for an orderly transition. Here’s an extract:- At 1 p.m. on the Friday after the Brexit referendum, Merkel makes a statement to Berlin journalists in which — in contrast to Schulz — she does not demand a rapid British withdrawal. One

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Boris goes back to throwing rocks from the sidelines

Dropping out of the Tory leadership race does mean one good thing for Boris: he can now go back to throwing rocks from the sidelines. Having landed himself in hot water last week with his Telegraph column in which he appeared to offer both freedom of movement for Brits abroad whilst introducing a much stricter immigration policy in the UK – which looked, at best, like wishful thinking – he’s now somewhat freer to speak his mind this time around. Boris certainly makes the most of that opportunity today. In his column, he says: ‘It is time for this nonsense to end. It was wrong of the Government to offer

Steerpike Steerpike

Boris Johnson’s campaign manager goes for Gove – ‘an emotional need to gossip’

After Michael Gove turned on his one-time ally Boris Johnson and decided to run for leader himself, there was disbelief and anger among the former Mayor of London’s supporters. While Jake Berry declared that there was a special place in hell for Gove, his fellow Tory MP Ben Wallace has used a comment piece in today’s Telegraph to claim the Justice Secretary has an ’emotional need to gossip, particularly when drink is taken’. In the article, Wallace explains why he believes Gove just isn’t up to being Tory leader — let alone Prime Minister. To do this, he reveals the chaos that ensued after Gove gave Lynton Crosby just five minutes notice that

Sunday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Is Theresa May really threatening to deport Europeans?

Does Theresa May really understand Brexit? Speaking to Robert Peston today, the Home Secretary seemed to be entertaining the idea of deporting European nationals staying in Britain. Or, almost as bad, using them as collateral in some negotiation with Brussels: a deeply worrying and, to me, revolting suggestion. But coming from the Home Secretary, we have no choice but to take it seriously. Robert Peston: Now, there’s a lot of anxiety among migrants who’ve come here from the rest of the EU about whether they’ll be allowed to stay. There’s also quite a lot of anxiety among Brits living in the rest of Europe. What would you say to them? May: What

Theresa May

Full transcript: Theresa May, Peston on Sunday

Robert Peston: Now it’s time for our big interview and I’m absolutely delighted to be joined by the Home Secretary and leadership frontrunner Theresa May. Very good to see you. Theresa May: Good to see you Robert. Peston: Home Secretary, there’s a lot of talk this morning that you’re streets ahead of the other candidates. If, in the course of the early rounds of this election, it was clear that you had the overwhelming support of MPs, and the whips came to you and said ‘Look, what we would like is a coronation – just one name going forward to Tory members rather than a contest of two, what would

Douglas Murray

It’s time for our warring politicians to wake up to what really matters

Well I might as well say publicly what I’ve been saying to everyone who will listen privately for the last week. It seems to me that our country will regret the distraction and levity we have shown this past week. For those who campaigned to leave the EU, June 24th was not an opportunity to take a break but the start of the real work. Of course it remains astonishing that having lost the vote the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer chose to go into hiding and abandon the country they were in place to serve. But it is also unforgiveable that having won the campaign those who

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Brexit test

Stephen Crabb made a passionate plea this morning for Tories to stop thinking in terms of Remain and Leave when it comes to picking a leader. He warned that if people carry on doing this, it will lead to the party splitting. But all things being equal, I do think it would be best for the next Prime Minister to be a Leaver. After all, David Cameron resigned because he had campaigned for Remain and the country had voted to leave and he thought that made it impossible for him to chart the country on the new course it must now follow. There are two main reasons for thinking a

George Eustice

Why I am supporting Michael Gove

Eleven years ago, I was one of the small handful of people working to make David Cameron the next Leader of the Conservative Party. In the early days, the media joked that you could fit all of us into a London Taxi. Our team included both Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. David Cameron won in 2005 because he had worked out what the country really needed after Tony Blair. In power, his patience and pragmatism made coalition with the Lib Dems work. I wish he had stayed after the referendum. He did not need to resign. He could have shared power with a negotiating team and converted defeat in the

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

What Liam Fox’s unlikely leadership bid tells us about the Tories

There’s much speculation about who will be the two MPs chosen by the Tory party to fight it out for leader, but there is less dispute about the candidate who looks set to get knocked out on Tuesday when voting actually starts on Tuesday. Barring an unlikely surge of support from fellow Tory MPs, Liam Fox’s backers so far are not going to be sufficient for his candidacy to survive the week. So why is he running? Here’s what he had to say to that question on Sunday Politics today: ‘If you remember back to 2005, they were all wrong then. But let’s leave that aside on the arithmetic. The

Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Femocracy – welcome to the benign new world of female governance

Call it femocracy or gynocracy (my preference), or, a new age of women, as Justine Greening has it, the excited consensus is that we’re in for a benign new world of female governance. Hillary in the US, Theresa May over here, Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland, Angela Merkel in Germany…what could be more lovely? Except possibly the addition of Marine Le Pen at the helm in France, though oddly enough feminists rarely bring her into the new scheme of things… she’s up there with Sarah Palin as an female unmentionable. Oh and let’s not forget Angela Eagle as potential Labour leader, whose tearfulness as she knifed Jeremy Corbyn

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Michael Gove’s leadership pitch: the brutal man of principle

Every candidate comes into a leadership contest needing to answer questions about their flaws and experience. But the questions that Michael Gove is having to answer about his own bid are of altogether a different order. The Justice Secretary spent the first chunk of his interview with Andrew Marr this morning having to explain not just why he decided to chuck Boris Johnson, but also why he did it in such a brutal way. “You are our Frank Underwood” Andrew to @Gove2016 @HouseofCards #marr https://t.co/9Qv9NUIIi5— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 3, 2016 Marr repeatedly pressed him, not so much for his reasons for turning on the Mayor, but for an

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Andrea Leadsom’s scratchy job interview on the Marr show

Is Andrea Leadsom a serious contender to become Prime Minister? A few days ago, she was almost about to sign up to Team Boris, and even held talks with Team Crabb & Javid. Which made sense: she has been in parliament for just six years, and has been a junior minister for an even shorter time. But to those Tories unable to forgive Michael Gove for knifing Boris, she is the only viable Brexit candidate. Until Leadson turned up on the Brexit debates, she was virtually unknown. Now, we’re being asked to assess her as a Prime Minister. Her appearance on the Marr show today was a chance to do that: it as a job interview,

Saturday

Steerpike Steerpike

The march against democracy – have we hit peak Remania?

So 17 million people vote to take Britain out of the European Union  – but 40,000 of the Remainers took to the streets of London today to protest. We heard the voices of Britain’s growing anti-democratic movement: those who believe that Brexit was the result of consulting voters who were confused, malign, northern – or all three. Who, the Bremain protesters seemed to ask, are these people? Where the hell is Dunstable? Why do we Londoners allow them them vote? Every revolution has its reactionaries, and they were on the march today. Mr S was reassured to see the well-heeled crowd mocking themselves, with placards referencing 80s and 90s pop songs (“Never gonna give