David Cameron’s progressive legacy, in six graphs
Politics
Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.
Wednesday
David Cameron’s legacy is out of his control
It was a rather cruel pathetic fallacy that the Prime Minister who had to resign early after creating a political storm by accidentally taking Britain out of the European Union gave his final speech from Downing Street under rumbling, rolling storm clouds. At one point, the wind whooshed back David Cameron’s hair and rain began to splatter on the hundreds of cameras watching his statement. Cameron clearly wanted to use the statement to tell the British people what he thought his legacy was, and to highlight the ways in which he thought he had performed particularly well. He of course listed his achievements on the economy, particularly when it came
David Cameron’s farewell speech: full text
When I first stood here in Downing Street on that evening in May 2010, I said we would confront our problems as a country and lead people through difficult decisions, so that together we could reach better times. It has not been an easy journey, and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger. Above all it was about turning around the economy. And with the deficit cut by two-thirds, two and a half million more people in work and one million more businesses, there can be no doubt that our economy is immeasurably stronger. Politicians like to
David Cameron, the Tory moderniser
David Cameron’s valedictory address from Downing Street was not only a defence of his government record but a summing up of Tory modernisation. He emphasised not only that the economy was stronger, but also highlighted the tax cuts his government had enacted. So far, so traditionally Tory. But then he hailed the introduction of the living wage, a big departure from classic Tory thinking—the party had opposed the minimum wage in the 1997 election. Next up was the Tory public service reform agenda. Cameron pointed to how many more children were now in good or outstanding schools and to the creation of free schools. But he linked this radicalism to
PMQs sketch: A final farewell to Dodgy Dave
Nice send off for Cameron at PMQs. Both leaders acquitted themselves well. Cameron was wry, witty and self-deprecating. He claimed to have ‘addressed’ a total of 5500 questions during his premiership. ‘How many I’ve answered I’ll leave to others.’ Corbs got it spot on too and showed us a relaxed, funny, generous side. He asked Cameron to thank his mum for her tip that he should smarten up and wear a suit. ‘He’s taken the advice. He’s looking absolutely splendid,’ beamed Cameron. It was only a throwaway remark but it produced a Richter-scale eruption of mirth. And Corbs offered his heartfelt thanks to Cameron for pushing through the law that
What to expect from Theresa May, and why she might surprise you
As Tory MPs gathered at St Stephen’s entrance in Parliament to await their new leader on Monday afternoon, a choir in Westminster Hall began to sing. The hosannas spoke to the sense of relief among Tory MPs: they had been spared a long and divisive nine-week leadership contest. A period of political blood-letting brutal even by Tory standards was coming to an end. The United Kingdom would have a new Prime Minister. More than relief, there was hope for the bulk of MPs who had previously not been marked out for advancement. Theresa May’s accession shows that the narrow rules which were thought to govern modern British politics are not
Where will Theresa May get her policies from?
Theresa May takes over as Prime Minister this afternoon much sooner than she expected at the start of the week. First on her agenda is to appoint her Cabinet, which we are expecting to happen later today, but then the new Tory leader will have a great number of gaps to fill in when it comes to what she thinks about policy. A full leadership contest would have revealed this, but instead we will have to get to know May as she does the job. Those looking for clues about what sort of policies the new Prime Minister will adopt could do worse than to look at the work the
David Cameron’s legacy: a stronger, fairer Britain
Midway through his final cabinet meeting, David Cameron realised — with some horror — that it had turned into a political wake. Theresa May had just lavished praise upon him, and his eyes had moistened. Then it was George Osborne’s turn: the Chancellor was a bit more humorous, but no less affectionate: ‘Being English, David, you’ll hate all this praise,’ he said. ‘You’re quite right,’ Cameron replied. ‘I am English, and I don’t much like it.’ Fearing that every member of his government was about to deliver an elegy, he brought the meeting to an abrupt end. Defining Cameron’s legacy is an important task for the Conservatives if they are
Watch: Highlights from David Cameron’s final PMQs, ‘I was the future once’
David Cameron’s final PMQs brought out the best of the House of Commons. There was a good balance of wit, wisdom, jokes and also accountability as the PM and Corbyn traded off for the final time over the despatch box. The SNP did their best to spoil the party by bringing Cameron crashing back to earth, as Angus Robertson brutally said Cameron’s legacy would only be bringing Britain to the brink of Brexit. But mostly, it was a fitting send-off for a Prime Minister who managed to compare Jeremy Corbyn to Monty Python’s ‘Black Knight’, confirmed his love of Larry the cat and said he was pleased Corbyn had taken
Labour and SNP join in standing ovation for David Cameron’s last PMQs
David Cameron’s last PMQs was as entertaining as you’d expect. ‘The diary for the rest of my day is remarkably light,’ he said in answer to the traditional first question about his day. The Blair-worshiper in him will remember Tony Blair’s last PMQs, when he spoke about his P45 and started finished with: ‘that is that: the end’ – to enjoy a then-unprecedented standing ovation. Cameron, then opposition leader, stood up to join in then gestured for Tory MPs to do the same. Most did. This time, Cameron had prepped his own last words: ‘Nothing is impossible. I was the future, once.’ And with that the Tory benches stood up in applause, as joined
Will Mark Carney Brexit by Christmas?
Critics say the Bank of England put itself under suspicion by entering the referendum fray. Now Mark Carney says its warnings are being borne out by the post-referendum economic reaction. He misses the point. By having made those warnings himself, even if he sincerely believed them, he became like a politician trying to win, rather than a public servant trying honestly to manage either outcome. The more loudly he tries to vindicate himself and attack the motives of his accusers, the more clearly this is proved. It would damage confidence if Mr Carney were to leave his job suddenly, particularly if the government pushed him; but surely he should quietly
Watch: Cameron makes Corbyn squirm with email predicting Labour’s disunity
Today’s PMQs have proved to be a lively affair as David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn traded jibes at the despatch box for the last time. While the Labour leader found time to praise the Prime Minister’s time in power, Cameron was less obliging when it came to Corbyn. As well as ridiculing Labour for its ongoing row about the leadership rules, he took a leaf from Corbyn’s book by reading out an email he had received from a member of the public. The email — from a woman by the name of Judith — had been sent ahead of Cameron’s first ever PMQs with Corbyn. In it, she warned Cameron to not
Is Theresa May Britain’s Angela Merkel? The German press thinks she might be
As Britain’s second female Prime Minister, Theresa May has inevitably been compared to Margaret Thatcher. But she’s also been linked to a contemporaneous politician: Angela Merkel. Whilst some have dismissed the comparisons, it’s not only British journalists drawing on the similarities between Theresa May and the ‘Iron Frau’ – German newspapers are now doing the same. The initial parallels are clear; two middle-aged women who have fought their ways to the top of the male-dominated world of politics. However, both Bild and Die Welt – two of Germany’s biggest newspapers – believes there is much more which unites May and Merkel and has uncovered a surprising number of similarities to
Place your bets! Bookies reveal favourites for Theresa May’s Cabinet
As Theresa May prepares to move into No.10 today, Britain’s next Prime Minister has a united party behind her. Since Andrea Leadsom dropped out on Monday, Conservative MPs have done their best to put any differences behind them and rally behind their new leader. However with a Cabinet reshuffle looming, that could all change very quickly indeed. Given that there have been little to no leaks regarding the impending reshuffle, it’s anyone’s guess who May will pick for her front bench. Happily, the bookies are at least on hand to offer their list of politicians to watch. In a move that is likely to worry Out-ers, Paddy Power have Remain-er Philip Hammond — who
Labour chief whip complains to Corbyn and Momentum about abuse of MPs
Labour MPs are becoming increasingly agitated about the amount of abuse and intimidation they are receiving, to the extent that the party’s chief whip has complained to Jeremy Corbyn and written to the head of Corbynite group Momentum to seek assurances that it is cracking down on bad behaviour in its ranks. Rosie Winterton has been writing to Jon Lansman, who chairs Momentum, over the past week about allegations from a number of Labour MPs about activists from the group. The group has officially made it clear that people shouldn’t be protesting outside MPs’ offices, or intimidating their staff. But many parliamentarians are extremely upset by the level of abuse they
The Conservative party has a remarkable instinct for survival
So farewell, then, David Cameron. I suspect we’ll miss him when’s gone, but then he probably entered Downing Street 20 years too early, a product of a culture that fawns over youth and undervalues wisdom. At least Theresa May is a good decade older than him, although Kenneth Clarke, at 76, should have been considered for the role, entering as he is the prime of his political life. After coming up with the great slogan of 2016, ‘Brits don’t quit’, Cameron then quit a few days later; his Tory arch-rival Boris Johnson then quit; Nigel Farage has quit, this time for good, followed by his deputy Paul Nuttall; Andrea Leadsom
The Fixed Term Parliaments Act has come back to haunt the Lib Dems
The award for most pathetic remark of the week goes to Tim Farron who earlier released a press statement saying this: ‘Just 13 months after the last election the Conservatives have plunged the UK into chaos. It is simply inconceivable that Theresa May should be crowned Prime Minister without even having won an election in her own party, let alone the country. There must be an election. The Conservatives must not be allowed to ignore the electorate, their mandate is shattered and lies in ruins.’ Apart from the long-established principle that we do not automatically have a general election when one Prime Minister resigns and another from their party is elected
Champagne socialists celebrate Corbyn’s NEC victory
After Tuesday’s vote of Labour’s National Executive Committee, Jeremy Corbyn is automatically on the ballot in any leadership contest. So, with the prospect of a Corbyn-led Labour for the rest of eternity (or until he retires) now looking likely, it’s little wonder his team were in the mood to celebrate last night. In fact there was only one thing for it — bubbles! Although Corbynistas tend to take exception to being called ‘champagne socialists’, the Labour leader’s team lived up to the stereotype last night, with his office manager Karie Murphy tweeting a photo of two bottles of Parliament’s finest fizz: Still, with Corbyn now accused of trying to fix the vote — thanks
Owen Smith launches ‘radical and credible’ Labour leadership bid. But is anyone listening?
Owen Smith has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the Labour leadership contest. But the question on many people’s lips is: who is he? A recent poll of Welsh Labour voters showed that 69 per cent had no idea who Smith was. So whilst Angela Eagle’s leadership bid launch might have been overshadowed by events elsewhere in Westminster, she is at least a more familiar face to those in the party who will be picking the new leader. During his Today interview this morning, he was asked whether he was familiar enough to stand a chance. Smith had this to say: ‘Well Angela Eagle has been in Parliament
Will Corbynistas be willing to stump up £25 to back their man?
On the day Theresa May takes control at No.10 in a comparatively seemly transition, the Labour party is in the midst of the biggest crisis in its history. Jeremy Corbyn will be on the ballot paper in what looks set to be a messy and fractious leadership contest. He also looks likely to win: in September, he picked up 59 per cent of the votes and, amongst the party’s membership, little seems to have changed to knock that support. A quick glance at Corbyn’s Facebook page reveals a lot about the huge base of support the Labour leader can count on. A not-wildly-exciting video uploaded last night in which Corbyn
