Politics

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

Monday

Ruth Wishart

Scotland is a self-confident nation – not a one-party state

Politics, as we know, makes the strangest of bedfellows. Step forward Tam Dalyell, Laird of The Binns and erstwhile Father of the House, and the editor of this estimable organ. In the space of this last week I have heard/read both sources refer to Scotland having a one-party state in the shape of the Scottish National Party; the former at Glasgow’s Aye Write! Book Festival and the latter in an editorial on Donald Trump. I would have expected better from both! At the last count there were certainly a handful of countries to whom that description could properly be applied. North Korea and the People’s Republic of China spring to

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

How can David Cameron fix the Tory row over the Budget?

Last week’s Budget was supposed to be boring, but is still splashed across the front pages of the newspapers this morning. It was supposed to be crafted so that no Tory MPs could raise a rumpus, yet it has led to the resignation of a Cabinet minister and the opening up of a yawning split in the Tory party. This row between the Tory leadership and those supporting Iain Duncan Smith isn’t officially about Europe, though the referendum has undermined the foundations of the party enough to make this row seriously destabilising for the leadership. David Cameron will use his statement on the latest European Council meeting to reassert the

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Jackie Baillie’s disastrous Sunday Politics interview — ‘to call that a “car-crash” would show a lack of respect to automotive accidents’

With the Scottish Parliament elections set to take place in May, the SNP are expected to once again top the polls. As for the other parties, Kezia Dugdale’s beleaguered Scottish Labour will be attempting to fight off Ruth Davidson’s conservatives for second place. So, with Dugdale desperately needing to win back disillusioned voters, she may live to regret sending Jackie Baillie, the Scottish MSP, onto yesterday’s Sunday Politics. In an interview with Gordon Brewer, Baillie attempted to put forward her party’s new economic policy which claims to offer a way to end austerity which is not ‘prescriptive’. Alas Brewer was unconvinced, suggesting that the policy amounted to promising to put people’s taxes out without

Steerpike Steerpike

Sadiq Khan’s pledge to tackle Labour anti-Semitism hits a bump in the road

Since Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader, the party has been dogged by rumours of anti-semitism in certain factions of the party. Matters were only worsened last week with the re-admittance and then re-expulsion of Vicki Kirby, a former Labour parliamentary candidate who has suggested that Isis ought to attack Israel. Now there are concerns that the negative publicity could damage Sadiq Khan’s London mayoral bid. Last week, Jonathan Arkush — the President of the Board of Deputies — claimed that the Labour candidate could struggle to win votes from London’s 180,000 Jews. While Khan has made clear that Labour needs to ditch its ‘anti-Jewish’ image, he may wish to take a closer look

Sunday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Podcast: IDS, Ros Altmann and the return of Tory Wars

Iain Duncan Smith has just given what James Forsyth refers to as a “bombshell interview” which turned into “a missile aimed at George Osborne”. Ros Altmann, the pensions minister, released a statement last night that could be described as a missile aimed at Iain Duncan Smith. What’s next? James Forsyth and I discuss in this podcast.

Matthew Parris Matthew Parris

How Jeremy Corbyn may split – and, thereby, destroy – the Conservative Party

‘Why this sudden restlessness, this confusion?’ asked C.P. Cavafy in his poem ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’: Because night has fallen and the barbarians have not come. And some who have just returned from the border say there are no barbarians any longer. And now, what’s going to happen to us without barbarians? They were, those people, a kind of solution. All through your and my life the Labour party have been at the gates of Downing Street, and often enough stormed them, only to be beaten back at a subsequent election. What might happen to the Conservative party if those barbarians disappear? At first, Tories rejoiced at the Labour leadership

Ros Altmann

Ros Altmann: IDS is out to inflict “maximum damage” on Tory leadership

I am extremely shocked by the news of Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation and the way he has behaved. Having worked alongside him as a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, I have seen that he championed the very package of reforms to disability benefits he now says is the reason he has resigned. I simply cannot understand why he suddenly chose to quit like this when it was clear that Number 10 and the Treasury had told him they were going to pause and rethink these measures. I’m particularly saddened that this really seems to be about the European referendum campaign rather than about DWP policy. From a personal

Saturday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

An interview with Stephen Crabb, the new Work & Pensions Secretary

Blue collars are all the rage in the Tory party these days, which makes Stephen Crabb a very fashionable cabinet minister. It’s no surprise that he has just been named the successor to Iain Duncan Smith: his backstory is perfect, and is driven by the same social justice agenda. He was brought up in a Welsh council house by his mother, a single parent. His political views were shaped by seeing the way in which Thatcher’s reforms transformed his neighbourhood. He still believes Conservative values give the best hope for working-class and Welsh voters. As the Tories led an ever-deeper raid on Labour territory, it was inevitable that we would see and hear a lot more

James Forsyth James Forsyth

George Osborne should have gone to the Foreign Office after the election

Imagine how different politics would be now if George Osborne had moved to the Foreign Office after the election. He would have left the Treasury with his economic and political strategy vindicated by the election result and wouldn’t be involved in this deeply damaging row with Iain Duncan Smith. For Osborne to have a former leader, and one of the most respected figures among the party activists, attacking his whole approach to deficit reduction and his conception of fairness is politically disastrous, to put it mildly. The problem for Osborne is that with no fiscal wriggle room and his opponents on the Tory benches determined to cause him trouble at every

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

David Cameron suspends disability benefit reform, after IDS resignation

Well, that was quick. In his letter responding to Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation, the Prime Minister has this to say:- “We collectively agreed – you, No10 and the Treasury – proposals which you and your Department then announced a week ago. Today, we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months.” It was the disability benefit cuts that triggered the IDS resignation (or, rather, their being used in the Budget to help finance cuts to the higher rate of tax). The £1.3 billion cut was stated as a fact in the Budget, and the money banked. Then it

Friday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Iain Duncan Smith resigns in protest at the Budget

In the last few minutes, Iain Duncan Smith has released a letter of resignation from his post as Work & Pensions Secretary. The proximate cause is the Budget cuts to disability benefits. He knew about them, but had wanted a consultation paper to be published so the government could make the argument carefully, over many weeks, given that this is a hugely controversial topic. Instead, George Osborne presented the disability cuts as a £1.3 billion fait accompli in the Budget and these cuts to finance tax cuts for higher-rate earners and lowering capital gains tax. IDS said in his letter to David Cameron that this is ‘not defensible’. It was the juxtaposition, rather than the cuts on their own, that

Alex Massie Alex Massie

George Osborne is the most over-rated politician in Britain

Many moons ago, Charles J Haughey, Taoiseach of the 26 free counties, bestowed a great compliment upon an up-and-coming young Fianna Fail politician. Bertie Ahern, Haughey observed, was the coming force: “He’s the man. He’s the best, the most skilful, the most devious, and the most cunning of them all.” Now, granted, that kind of praise was akin to Jimmy Savile suggesting you have a great future in children’s entertainment but the point, nonetheless, was made. Bertie Ahern was a cute hoor who could cute and hoor with the best of them. I often think of Haughey’s praise for Ahern at this time of year. Because this is, invariably, the time of year when

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Ukip candidate blames litter in Cardiff on migrants

Oh dear. Gareth Bennett may soon regret his decision to appear on today’s Daily Politics. Bennett, who leads Ukip’s regional list in South Wales Central, agreed to be interviewed on the show after he came under fire this week for blaming increased litter in Cardiff on East European migrants. During his appearance on the BBC show, Bennett was grilled by Andrew Neil on whether he had any evidence to back up his claims. Despite a lack of proof, Bennett showed no sign of backing down: AN: You said you think there’s a hygiene problem, what is that hygiene problem? GB: Well it’s caused by lots of black bags being left

Steerpike Steerpike

Jo Johnson on the debate dividing the nation: ‘it’s brother against brother’

While Boris Johnson is firmly behind the Out campaign in the EU referendum, his father Stanley, sister Rachel and brother Jo are all backing Remain. So, has the difference in opinion led to any family conflict? Last night at a French embassy Jo — the minister for science and universities —  appeared at first to hint at such problems. He gave a speech, which he began in French, on the great row now gripping the nation and tearing families apart: ‘Everybody must declare their position. Families are divided; brother against brother… I speak of course of the crucial debate for the French language; whether or not to abandon the circumflex.’ Johnson went on

James Forsyth James Forsyth

New YouGov poll puts Labour ahead

When an ICM phone poll this week had Labour level with the Tories for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader, even the pollster cast doubt on the finding. But today, YouGov has Labour ahead by a point—34% to 33%. YouGov’s Anthony Wells says that this suggests ‘something is genuinely afoot’. Now, as the election reminded us polls are not all seeing. It is also doubtful what the value of a poll is this far out from a general election: Ed Miliband was regularly ahead by large margins during the last parliament and still went on to lose the election. One also suspects that if Labour was being covered

Thursday

The Spectator

Letters | 17 March 2016

More things to ban Sir: In the light of Mick Hume’s piece about politically correct students (‘The left will eat itself’, 12 March), should not Cambridge University be taking immediate steps to remove the works of Cicero from its classics curriculum? After all, like George Washington, he owned slaves. I would only add that, as a former member of Jesus College, I was utterly appalled at its abject surrender to adolescent bigotry and ignorance by the removal of the Benin cockerel. The totalitarian impulse is alive and well. Chris Arthur Durham Scotland and the EU Sir: In half a dozen articles now, your writers have stated that a vote to

Charles Moore Charles Moore

The Spectator’s notes | 17 March 2016

Do Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bashar Assad support ‘leave’ or ‘remain’ in Britain’s EU referendum? I ask because they are the most powerful foreign leaders in deciding the vote, their views being much more effective than any sonorous words that may soon be offered by Barack Obama or any last-minute inducements from Angela Merkel. If President Assad — his position secured by Vladimir Putin — decides to make a dramatic gesture between now and 23 June, and call for some peace conference, preferably in a European capital, then the sense of crisis which makes the EU look so weak will dissipate. If President Erdoğan accepts the latest EU bribe and temporarily halts the

Steerpike Steerpike

Zac Goldsmith tries to win Ken Livingstone’s vote

Zac Goldsmith’s campaign for mayor is nothing if not ambitious. Despite lagging behind Sadiq Khan in the polls, the Conservative candidate remains hopeful that he can beat the Labour candidate in the mayoral race. In fact, Goldsmith’s team appear to be so confident that they are even going after individuals who are unlikely to be convinced to vote blue. Step forward Ken Livingstone. The former Labour mayor — and hard-left socialist — has been on the receiving end of campaign literature from the Goldsmith campaign: https://twitter.com/mikejoslin/status/710227415012921344 Mr S suspects Goldsmith will need a back-up plan, if he is counting on Livingstone’s support.

Pádraig Belton

Shamrocks, green beer and leprechauns – the sheer un-Irishness of St Patrick’s Day

March is the cruellest month if you’re Irish and venture out of Ireland, breeding plastic leprechauns from dead Tesco aisles, mixing green food colouring with American beer, and stirring dull copy from hacks. Come the third week of March, the Huffington Post is telling us how to make green beer – handy for me as I live in Ireland and have never seen it. The Guardian tells us New York’s police eased public drinking and urination laws before St Patrick’s Day. The Wall Street Journal notes the current American craze for leprechaun traps, ‘a tradition that is unknown to many in Ireland.’ Now we have the seeds of #Shamrockgate. From