Politics Archives

Tuesday

17 Nov 2015

Labour in a spot of bother in Oldham West by-election

A number of Labourites are very worried about the impact that Jeremy Corbyn’s shoot-to-kill comments will have on the party’s chances in the Oldham West and Royton by-election. They think it is the latest in a line of incidents that will suggest to voters in that seat that the Labour leader isn’t really thinking about things that they worry about, and is more focused on the things that London types worry about. I understand that those involved in the campaign are worried the party is already in trouble, anyway. They believe that Corbyn is going down very badly with the large numbers of white working class voters in the seat,

Steerpike

Diane Abbott finds a novel way to spend heated PLP meeting

Last night’s PLP meeting proved to be a lively affair as Jeremy Corbyn was turned on by members of the Labour party over his ‘shoot to kill’ comments. As Mr S’s colleague Sebastian Payne reports, Corbyn was then ‘shouted down’ by MPs for his stance on military action and Syria. So where was the Labour leader’s primary cheerleader Diane Abbott while all this was going on? Well Abbott, who has won herself the nickname Madame Mao since her close friend – and rumoured former lover – was elected, was rather distracted at the event. In fact, far from taking on the role of Corbyn’s attack dog, one insider tells the Mirror that the shadow international development secretary spent

Freddy Gray

By opposing shoot-to-kill, Jeremy Corbyn has shown he is a serious politician

There is nothing wrong with Jeremy Corbyn saying he ‘isn’t happy’ with a shoot-to-kill policy. On the contrary, it shows once again that he is a man of principle. We may not agree with, or like, his principles — but can we at least recognise that, unlike his opponents, he is not bending to the national mood? He is not willing to ditch his integrity in order to ease the public’s fear and sate our lust for a violent response to terror. For Corbyn’s haters on the Labour right, his position proves once again that he is not a ‘serious’ person. For one of his shadow cabinet, his position even makes

Sebastian Payne

Hilary Benn: Labour still supports shoot to kill but ‘I can’t speak for Jeremy’

Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial comments questioning the use of shoot to kill in terrorist attacks has led to a whole new round of criticisms — not least from his own MPs. But one of the most senior members of the shadow cabinet, Hilary Benn, spoke on the Today programme this morning to clarify that the Labour party’s policy has not changed: ‘Well I’m very clear that where there is an immediate threat to life — and the circumstances that those French forces faced when they went into the Bataclan concert hall on Friday night and there were the attackers there killing those attending the concert one by one — then long-established procedures say that it is perfectly reasonable

Alex Massie

Why is anyone surprised by Jeremy Corbyn’s foreign policy views?

It is shocking isn’t it? I mean, who knew Stop The War (sic) threw a Christmas party each year? You’d have thought they’d be more of a Winterval crowd. Perhaps there is hope for them after all. But it is not at all shocking that Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Her Majesty’s loyal opposition, is, as matters stand, going to attend the most glittering event of the festive season. This is who he is. This is who he has always been. This has been obvious, too. All you had to do was open your eyes. All you needed was the ability to read. It is not, I think, an exaggeration to think that Jeremy Corbyn has more

Monday

16 Nov 2015

Sebastian Payne

Jeremy Corbyn given a tough ride from Labour MPs over Syria and shoot to kill

Jeremy Corbyn addressed the Parliamentary Labour Party this evening and it appears to have been a difficult meeting — depending on who you listen to. Those inside the room have said Corbyn was ‘shouted down’ by MPs for his stance on military action and Syria, while others say he was ‘savaged’ over his shoot to kill remarks. After the meeting, Corbyn’s spokesman denied these meetings are getting worse and worse for the leader and said the majority of comments from MPs were not critical: ‘There is a small minority that is taking that view at successive PLP meetings but I think actually you’ll find when it comes to it, there is quite a strong

Michael Fallon

Britain is bringing quality, not quantity, to the fight against Islamic State

Contrary to what Fraser Nelson argues, Britain is playing a major role in the military campaign against ISIL. Our planes have been flying day and night, conducting 8 per cent of the strikes in Iraq rather than 5 per cent. But this isn’t a numbers game – the UK brings a qualitative edge. The skill of our RAF pilots and the capability of our aircraft means the UK can conduct the most complex strikes – what is known as dynamic targeting. This typically means responding to an Iraqi unit engaged in combat with ISIL and in need of immediate air support as we did last week to help recapture Sinjar.

The Spectator

Cameron’s snooping law would not help our spies. Why does he pretend otherwise?

Should the Investigatory Powers Bill be rushed through parliament in the wake of the Paris attacks? David Cameron seemed to suggest so this morning, when he said that the bill was part of his ‘full spectrum’ response. Britain will be responding to the Paris atrocities, he said, and this… ‘…means boosting our counter-terrorism capabilities. We should think, absolutely, the bill we’re taking through parliament to strengthen our capabilities to intercept the communications of terrorists is a vital part of this.’ Asked if he wanted to speed it up, he replied: ‘we ought to look at the timetable’. But why? The Investigatory Powers Bill will confer no new powers on the

Isabel Hardman

Corbyn questions shoot to kill policy and the legal basis for attack on ‘Jihadi John’

Jeremy Corbyn has given an interesting round of interviews to the broadcast media this afternoon, in which he has questioned the legality of the drone strike which is believed to have killed Mohammed Emwazi, or ‘Jihadi John’, and said he would be ‘unhappy’ with a shoot-to-kill policy on Britain’s streets. Speaking to ITV, the Labour leader said ‘I’m awaiting an explanation of where the legal basis was for that incident’. On shoot to kill, he told the BBC that: ‘I’m not happy with the shoot to kill policy in general, I think that is quite dangerous and I think can often be counterproductive, I think that you have to have

James Forsyth

Theresa May: the Paris attacks ‘have nothing to do with Islam’

On a day when Jeremy Corbyn has been making clear his concerns about both the government’s use of drones and any shoot-to-kill policy for terrorists on British streets, Theresa May’s statement on the Paris attacks was striking for the level of cross-party agreement. Andy Burnham paid generous tribute to the Home Secretary and pledged Labour’s support for her anti-terror crackdown. The only discordant note came on the question of police funding. Burnham aligned himself with Bernard Hogan-Howe’s warning that cuts of more than 10 percent to police funding would make it harder to keep the streets safe. May set out how the police here would ‘intensify’ their approach to big

Isabel Hardman

Burnham attacks May over police cuts at Home Office questions

It was inevitable that Theresa May would face demands to rethink police cuts at Home Office questions this afternoon. And Labour did indeed make this its main line of attack in the Commons, with Andy Burnham urging the Home Secretary to reconsider reductions in police numbers that might be being considered in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Burnham has pursued this issue with some gusto since taking the Shadow Home Secretary brief, as it is the one matter where he can be reasonably tub thumping and Burnhamish. Today he was sombre, but it was clear that May was aware that the Paris attacks have made an extremely difficult set of cuts

Sebastian Payne

Nigel Farage: after Paris, we need to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of Muslims in Britain

Nigel Farage will tonight claim British Muslims are ‘conflicted’ in their loyalties to the UK, and there is a battle to be won for their ‘hearts and minds’. In his response to the Paris attacks, the Ukip leader will say: ‘According to research it is clear that the UK Muslim population are conflicted in their loyalties between loyalty to the UK, its way of life and its institutions and what elements within their organised faith are telling them. This conflict with the UK Muslim population suggests that there is all to play for and we can win the battle of hearts and minds.’ The Ukip leader will say we need to actively

Theo Hobson

Islamic State are clear about their values. Are we clear about ours?

Here we go again. The same mantras are dusted down: we must be more assertive of our values, less tolerant of extremism, we must challenge Muslim separatism more effectively, demand better integration. And in my opinion the same root question is somewhat evaded: what exactly are our values? It is easier to assume that this is obvious – and it gives an impression of toughness. For example Boris Johnson today: ‘This is a fight we will one day inevitably win – because in the end our view of the human spirit is vastly more attractive and realistic than theirs.’ But what is our view of the human spirit? What is

Steerpike

Camila Batmanghelidjh comes to the government’s aid

Since Mr S’s colleague Miles Goslett blew the whistle on Kids Company – and its founder Camila Batmanghelidjh — in The Spectator earlier this year, the charity has been closed down and Batmanghelidjh has been summoned to a select committee hearing. With Batmanghelidjh’s former cheerleader David Cameron now doing his best to distance himself from the disgraced charity chief — after his ministers were accused of brushing aside civil servants’ concerns about Kids Company’s finances, could she still have one cabinet minister on side? Mr S only asks after an email popped into his inbox this morning from 6 Hillgrove PR saying that Batmanghelidjh was helping to inspire children as part of an

Steerpike

Nick Robinson tackles anti-Corbyn bias at the BBC

During the summer over 50,000 people signed a petition accusing the BBC of showing bias against Jeremy Corbyn. One major grievance was that presenters regularly referred to the Labour leader as ‘left wing’. While the corporation issued a statement at the time defending their coverage, it appears that even one of their own staff was left unhappy by their efforts. Step forward Nick Robinson. Over the weekend the BBC’s former political editor confessed — in an interview in the Sunday Times — that he had written to several BBC colleagues over concerns that the corporation’s political coverage is biased against Jeremy Corbyn. When asked by Lynn Barber whether he was ‘shocked’

Isabel Hardman

Cameron sees ‘hopeful signs’ of political agreement on Isis

After the attacks in Paris, what has changed? Islamic State is still a threat that world leaders don’t seem to know how to deal with, and for Britain, the House of Commons still hasn’t approved British involvement in air strikes against the terror group in Syria. But today David Cameron hopes that things have changed enough in the last few weeks that a political solution on Syria may be closer. The Prime Minister is trying to broker a deal with President Putin in which Russia agrees to work with those fighting Isis in Syria in return for a promise that Russian interests in the country will be protected. The Prime Minister

Sunday

15 Nov 2015

Isabel Hardman

Politicians give cautious reactions to the Paris attacks

Unlike political Twitter, which was full of armchair experts extolling their own surprisingly untapped talent while the Paris attacks were still taking place on Friday night, senior politicians have today been rather cautious in their responses to the massacre. Theresa May repeatedly told the Marr Show that there were ‘lessons to be learned’ from the attacks, but that it was ‘too early to tell’ what the fate of the Schengen agreement would be. She also said that there needed to be political consensus on British action against Isis in Syria. But she was carefully non-specific, saying: ‘It is of course important that we look at the lessons to be learned

Saturday

14 Nov 2015

Mihir Bose

Can the Tories win back the Indian vote from Labour?

Nearly 50 years ago, soon after I first came to this country, my landlady, upset I was reading the Guardian and not her favourite newspaper the Daily Telegraph, said, ‘You must not believe Labour propaganda that they gave India freedom. Churchill would have done the same had he won the 1945 election.’ Had my landlady been alive and witnessed how Narendra Modi has been received by David Cameron, culminating in yesterday’s love fest at Wembley, she would have required little convincing that her beloved party is no longer a pariah for Indians in this country. For all the talk of developing ties with India to attract investments and create jobs,

Friday

13 Nov 2015

Kate Maltby

Will the free speech lobby accept Jeremy Corbyn’s right to be a republican?

On Wednesday night, Jeremy Corbyn brought to an end one of the most undignified sagas in recent politics, cobbling together a shuffled compromise on his induction into the Privy Council. The Privy Council, as we’ve been told so often now, is the body of senior politicians that is allowed to receive security briefings. Membership would have required Corbyn – the life-long republican – to vow ‘not to know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done, or spoken against Her Majesty’s person, honour, crown, or dignity royal’. Did he kneel, bob, or grab the royal paw in an firm egalitarian handshake? Does it matter? Meanwhile, America’s college campuses remain

Fraser Nelson

The shocking rise of anti-refugee attacks in Sweden

Sweden, perhaps the most open country in the world, is on course to take almost 200,000 asylum seekers this year. Adjust for population size and that’s like the UK taking a refugee city the size of Birmingham. It can’t cope. Yet political refusal to admit this is incubating concern – sending voters towards the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrat parties. But most shockingly, a trend is emerging of attacks on immigrants. I look at this in my Daily Telegraph column today. [datawrapper chart=”http://static.spectator.co.uk/qjCco/index.html”] Sweden’s government and opposition parties both dislike talking about immigration; they are too quick to dismiss concerns as xenophobia. In so doing, they hand voters on a plate to the Sweden Democrats – a party denounced