Politics Archives

Sunday

26 Jun 2016

Why can’t we have an amicable divorce with the EU?

Just when you were beginning to wonder whether we have done the right thing, along comes Jean-Claude Juncker to remind you exactly why Britain voted for Brexit. It is ‘not going to be an amicable divorce’, he tells us. Why can’t it be amicable? We’ve decided that we’ve grown apart, not run off with the milkman. There’s no need to put the car keys down the drain and upload some naked photos onto the web. It isn’t so much Ukip who are exploiting the politics of hate; it is Juncker. In his desire for revenge he is demonstrating the contempt for democracy that has been the bane of European Commission

John O'Neill

Labour’s disintegration begins

Will Jeremy Corbyn have a shadow cabinet by the end of the day? By 9am there have already been two departures. As Isabel said on the our Coffee House shots podcast last night, a lot of Labour MPs think the mood of the membership has shifted after the EU referendum and they think this vote of no confidence could be coming at the ideal time. In the early hours of this morning Jeremy Corbyn sacked shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn. Benn had been calling fellow members of the shadow cabinet to ask whether they thought he should call on Corbyn to stand down as leader; and whether they would join him in resigning were he to

Rod Liddle

Lammy Out! Sign my petition to oust David Lammy

The petition to demand a second a referendum has now reached 2.8 million signatories. There’s an awful lot of people in this country who do not understand democracy; they can scream abuse at Boris and demonstrate in central London, write long anguished letters to the Grauniad and act like petulant children, but they still will not get their way. Twinkly, smiley Physics professor Brian Cox has asked (‘mischeviously’) what would happen if the petition reached 17 million. Well, Bri. Do the math. You’re supposed to be good at that. It still wouldn’t be enough, would it? Meanwhile David Lammy MP, who should know better, has insisted that Parliament take the fatuous

Saturday

25 Jun 2016

James Forsyth

Jonathan Hill’s resignation is an act of gross irresponsibility

The UK’s EU Commissioner, Jonathan Hill, has resigned today saying that he couldn’t carry on as ‘though nothing had happened.’ This strikes me as an act of gross irresponsibility. Britain has not yet invoked Article 50, the two-year process for leaving the EU, and Hill staying on would have provided some continuity at a time of uncertainty. Supporters of his argue that his resignation was the honourable thing to do as Britain is no longer part of the team in Europe. It might have been right that Hill should have volunteered to move to another portfolio. But an outright resignation seems excessive and an over-reaction. Even Jean-Claude Juncker tried to persuade Hill to

Steerpike

Watch: Jeremy Corbyn heckled over Europe at London Pride – ‘it’s your fault!’

It’s not turning out to be a great weekend for Jeremy Corbyn. First he had to pull out of a planned appearance at Glastonbury on Sunday to focus on Brexit, now his visit to London Pride has, too, been ruined by the referendum result. On meeting with members of Labour’s LGBT community at Pride, Corbyn was repeatedly heckled over Remain losing the EU referendum. In a video shared on Twitter, Labour members repeatedly shout at the party leader: ‘It’s your fault Jeremy! It’s your fault! When are you resigning? I had a Polish friend in tears because you couldn’t get out the vote in Wales, the North and the Midlands.’ I get so

James Forsyth

Will Boris, Gove and the Brexit band of brothers run for No 10 together?

Westminster is still digesting what happened on Thursday night. But before Britain can turn itself to the big question of how to leave the EU, a new Prime Minister has to be chosen by the Tory party. Nearly every Tory MP I’ve spoken to since Friday morning is of the view that the new PM will have to be an Outer. They argue that the public would find it find odd to vote for Britain to leave, and then have a new PM chosen who was on the losing side in the referendum. There are, as I report in The Sun this morning, Cabinet Ministers who want Michael Gove to

Fraser Nelson

Did referendum rage get the better of David Cameron?

I suspect a lot of people who voted out have mixed emotions this weekend, especially given how emotional the debate became. People on both sides did go a little bit mad. My Twitter feed reminded me of that Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later: you watch with horror as friend after friend (on either side of the debate) is infected with the Human Rage Virus. All of a sudden, it’s not possible to have friendly disagreements: you turn into The Enemy for them. And it’s not just a social media thing: there are still people, this weekend, afraid to tell their friends and family how they voted. Alex Massie’s piece warning

John Osullivan

Unlike the EU, Brexit isn’t a theory

In June 1975, I was given the heavy responsibility of writing the Telegraph’s ‘light’ op-ed on the conduct of the first Euro-referendum campaign, which duly appeared on the day of the vote. My theme was that it had been the nicest possible stitch-up. ‘From the establishment and the respectable anti-establishment, from the Economist and the New Statesman, from the Lord Feather [of the TUC] and Mr Campbell Adamson [of the CBI], from Mr Wilson and Mr Heath, from the Royal Commission Volunteers to “Actors and Actresses for Europe”, the same advice, the same dire predictions of life outside the Market…’ It rings loud bells today. ‘Mr Barrie Heath told the

Lara Prendergast

Brexit was a harsh political awakening for young people

Since Brexit became a reality early on Friday morning, my Facebook feed has been filled with mournful posts written by friends who voted Remain. Those who voted Leave seem to be staying quiet. This is understandable. Most of my friends are in their twenties. They tend to be educated and globalist in their outlook. They have enjoyed the freedom of movement that the EU offered them, and feel they have benefitted overall from Britain being a member. It is painful to see the comity of the EU suddenly stripped away, and I sympathise on many counts. The vote for Brexit will no doubt be a defining political moment for my age group.

Isabel Hardman

Will Jeremy Corbyn step down as Labour leader?

Jeremy Corbyn is giving a speech this morning about Labour’s response to the EU referendum. Rumours have been sweeping the party overnight that the Labour leader will use the event to step down and hand over the reins to John McDonnell, who has been on manoeuvres for months. But aides deny that this will happen today. Nevertheless, there must be recognition in the Corbyn team that the situation is pretty precarious. The lengthy Shadow Cabinet meeting yesterday wasn’t as furious as some other parts of the parliamentary Labour party might have hoped, but some members are discussing resigning en masse to trigger a change at the top of the party.

Tom Goodenough

What are the European – and world – papers saying about Brexit?

Brexit is, unsurprisingly, continuing to dominate the front pages of the newspapers overseas for a second day in a row. Whereas many of yesterday’s European paper splashes focused on Britain’s decision to vote ‘Out’, though, the big question now is: what does this mean for us? Several front pages across the continent ask this question this morning, with others trying to address the issue of whether their own countries might follow suit with their own brand of Brexit. It’s clear that whilst Britain is now at a crossroads, so, too, is the rest of Europe. And many across the continent are waking up to that realisation today. Here’s how the

Friday

24 Jun 2016

Douglas Murray

It is best not just for Britain but for the EU that we part ways

A few thoughts on today’s events. First – it wasn’t working. With each year it was becoming more and more obvious that Britain and the EU wanted different things. Many (though not all) continental countries seem happy with a political union which pools their national sovereignty. There may be virtues in that, problems in it or both. But it was never a desire of the British people. Last night demonstrated that. So it is best not just for Britain but for the EU that we part ways. If we had not then we would have continued to be a hindrance and drag on our partners during the next stages of

Melanie McDonagh

What does Brexit mean for Britain’s relations with Ireland?

The Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, was quick off the block to react to the referendum result – see his speech below. Having done his utmost to galvanise support among the Irish in Britain for Remain, with no discernible result (though Bob Geldof’s parallel efforts may have driven thousands to Brexit) he’s now getting to grips with the consequences. They are potentially dicey for Ireland; Britain is Ireland’s biggest trading partner – forget German car manufacturers as potential losers from tariffs – and restrictions on free trade would do the country real harm. As for curbs on free movement of people within the island, it would be psychologically disastrous for

Matthew Lynn

Why Brexit is worse for Europe’s economy than it is for ours

Share prices in freefall. Pension funds obliterated. A sea of red ink across trading screens. Billions wiped off the value of leading companies. And brokers, or at least the automated trading algorithms that have replaced them, contemplating throwing themselves out of the window, or whatever exactly it is that an algorithm does when it has a really bad day at the office. That is surely an accurate description of the City of London this morning. Except, er, is isn’t really. In fact, as the financial markets wake up to an outcome they had planned for but never really expected, something far more interesting is happening. True, the FTSE-100 has taken

Ed West

Vote Leave now need to repay the people who voted for their cause

My part of north London feels like the morning after England get knocked out from the World Cup. People look genuinely angry, and down the road in Islington the benevolent moral guardians of the current year have been shouting ‘scum’ at Boris Johnson outside his house. Boris leaves his house to crowds shouting 'scum' #EUref @LBC pic.twitter.com/V4hhXG18v3 — Charlotte Wright (@charlotte_bbc) June 24, 2016 After the most unpleasant period in British politics for years, and a sour and recriminating atmosphere now lingering, the Vote Leave team – who may be the government in waiting – have got to unite the nation to assure stability; politically, economically and mentally. As Tim

Steerpike

Breaking: Jeremy Corbyn cancels his Glastonbury gig

Given that the result of the EU referendum was likely to have a monumental impact whatever the outcome, Jeremy Corbyn’s plan to speak at this weekend’s Glastonbury festival was always a curious choice. Now faced with Labour MPs calling for his removal, it seems Corbyn has had second thoughts. The Labour leader has pulled out of his planned appearance at Glastonbury festival on Sunday to focus on the issues thrown up by the ‘momentous’ EU result. The news will just add to the woes of its festival-goers. When the result reached Worthy Farm this morning, tears were shed across the site. Mr S has since been passed a photo of an article on the matter from

Isabel Hardman

Labour MPs table no confidence motion in Jeremy Corbyn

In the past few minutes, two Labour MPs – Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey – have submitted a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn. This is not a surprise given how angry the parliamentary party was after last night’s referendum results in its heartlands, but it now depends on whether their parliamentary colleagues have enough confidence to speak in its favour at a discussion at the parliamentary Labour party meeting on Monday, and then to back it in a secret ballot of the parliamentary party the following day. It is not yet clear whether the rebels, who have been preparing for this for a while, yet have the numbers.

Melanie McDonagh

This EU anarchy is more interesting than the alternative

Don’t know about you, but the healing process is proving difficult from my point of view in dealing with my friends and family. My daughter, who is 9, broke down and cried over breakfast when she heard the result. Which is nothing to what her class will do: to a child, they’re solidly pro-Remain, and I know who’s spreading the message too – one of the little girls’ fathers is a journalist who worked himself up into a state of incoherence at the very thought of Brexit… he’s probably lying down in a darkened room right now. A colleague of mine whom I’d always thought of as rather a good

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s victory speech: ‘we can find our voice in the world again’

I want to begin this morning by paying tribute to David Cameron who has spoken earlier from Downing Street. I know I speak for Michael in saying how sad I am that he has decided to step down but obviously I respect that decision. I have known David Cameron for a very long time and I believe he has been one of the most extraordinary politicians of our age. A brave and principled man who has given superb leadership of party and his country for many years. Reforming our public services, delivering one nation Conservative government, making this country the most dynamic economy in Europe and with his own brand

Tom Goodenough

David Cameron’s resignation speech in full

David Cameron has announced his decision to step down as Prime Minister following the vote to leave the European Union. Here’s what he said on the steps of No.10 Downing Street this morning: The country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise – perhaps the biggest in our history. Over 33 million people – from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar – have all had their say. We should be proud of the fact that in these islands we trust the people with these big decisions. We not only have a parliamentary democracy, but on questions about the arrangements for how we are governed, there are times