Politics

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

Thursday

Sebastian Payne

Tories ahead again in first post-Budget poll 

The Tories have pushed ahead of Labour again after George Osborne’s successful Budget. In tonight’s poll from YouGov/The Sun, the Conservatives are ahead by two points on 35 per cent while Labour are on 33 per cent. The Lib Dems have seen no shift, remaining steady on eight per cent, while Ukip is on 13 per cent and the Greens on six per cent. Budgets always tend to produce an immediate polling bounce for the incumbent party — assuming the Budget isn’t badly received. The Tories, though, will be pleased that they are back in the lead after falling behind Labour in the past week. As with all the recent

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Tory MPs content with ‘boring’ Budget

How has George Osborne’s Budget gone down with his party? The Tory MPs I’ve spoken to in the past 24 hours or so since the Budget seem reasonably content with it. They’re not skipping through the corridors singing, but they’re equally not furious or despairing. Most seem to have sympathy with the lack of a rabbit in the Chancellor’s speech, even though they’re a bit disappointed that the Chancellor gave enough signals for them to think he was keeping a rabbit in his hat, only for a hamster to come scuttling out in the form of his Help to Buy ISAs. One senior Tory backbencher says: ‘The judgement that he’s

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

Is Nigel Farage becoming Ron Paul?

I think I have seen Nigel Farage’s future, and it is not pretty. A copy of Farage’s The Purple Revolution reached my desk today. The cover instantly reminded me of a cover manifesto for Ron Paul, the once inspiring libertarian radical who has turned into something of a crank. On Farage’s book, the word LOVE has been mirrored on to the word Revolution. Ron Paul posters used to employ the same silly trick. As did Russell Brand. It is becoming a sort of logo for anti-establishment feeling. It is also hilariously crap. ‘Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket,’ said Eric Hoffer. The quote certainly

Sebastian Payne

Budget 2015: five things you need to know about the IFS analysis

Did George Osborne hide any surprises in yesterday’s Budget? The Institute for Fiscal Studies delivered its post-budget analysis this afternoon and presented a generally positive picture — noting that, as expected, the Budget ‘did not usher in any dramatic changes’ and Osborne ‘resisted the temptation to offer lots of pre-election goodies.’ Here are five things you need to know about the IFS’ report. Voters are ‘probably’ better off under this government  ‘Are you better off now than you were four years ago?’ was the question Ronald Reagan put to America during his first presidential campaign. Ed Balls said last year he thought the answer would be no. But the IFS’ Paul Johnson (pdf of his

Steerpike Steerpike

Game of Thrones: Charles Dance says Cameron not brave enough to be a Lannister

After David Cameron was asked in a live Q&A this week who his favourite Game of Thrones character was, the Prime Minster replied Ned Stark – the heroic head of the Stark family, who died at the end of series one. While many commentators were quick to claim that Cameron would be much more at home with the villainous Lannister clan, it appears he made a wise choice. Speaking at the Game of Thrones premiere, Charles Dance – who plays the murderous Tywin Lannister in the series – said that the Prime Minister would not cut the muster in House Lannister. ‘I don’t think he’s brave enough to be a Lannister,’ the actor told The Debrief. Cameron ought

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Lib Dems’ alternative budget showed the difficulties of a Lib/Lab coalition

The Tories described the Liberal Democrats’ alternative Budget statement today as ‘part of price they had to pay to have a Budget.’ But the Liberal Democrats, oddly, didn’t seem to take their own statement particularly seriously. When Danny Alexander got to his feet there were only six Liberal Democrat backbenchers present. Two of the Liberal Democrats’ Secretaries of States didn’t bother to turn up either and Nick Clegg left long before the end of it. This lack of Lib Dems’ strength in numbers was a particular mistake as Labour predictably barracked the statement very aggressively; Andrew Gwynne even stood up and shoved a copy of the Treasury Red Book at

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Why do politicians try to convince us they are normal human beings? We know they’re not

I suppose we’re going to have to suffer these confections until the first week of May. But it’s beginning to get my goat. First we had Ed Miliband trying to pretend he was a normal human being. Inviting a camera crew into his house. Ed posing in one of his many kitchens, looking about as comfortable as a man with an enraged porcupine sellotaped to his scrotal sac. Now the Prime Minister is doing the same thing. David Cameron in a scruffy T-shirt preparing sardines on toast for his missus. Yep, just like he does every day. All for the benefit of the media and to convince us, ahead of

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Voters won’t be able to make an informed choice in May

If there’s one major takeaway from this morning’s Budget interviews, it is that voters won’t get the opportunity to make as informed a choice as many would like in May. George Osborne refused to set out the detail of the £12 billion of welfare cuts he will make in the next Parliament and gave a classic politician’s answer on defence spending, which was that ‘we are promising to keep our country safe’. Meanwhile Ed Balls ended up telling the Today programme that he wouldn’t reverse anything from the Budget, claiming it was pretty ’empty’. He said what he was worried about were those spending cuts in what the OBR calls the ‘roller coaster’ planned for the next Parliament.

Steerpike Steerpike

Did Vince Cable think he was presenting the Lib Dems’ budget?

This morning Danny Alexander is scheduled to reveal the Liberal Democrats’ proposed alternative budget. Alas, Vince Cable appears to have missed the memo. Speaking about the budget on LBC yesterday, Cable claimed he would be leading the Lib Dem budget: Presenter: Is it difficult to sit through a Budget like that and be barely mentioned? As a party, not personally. Vince Cable: If it’s the response to the Budget tomorrow, I will be leading and I will be setting the tone of the debate. Cable was demoted as Liberal Democrat economy spokesman in January in favour of Alexander. Happily, Mr S hears Cable will still have a role in the Lib Dem budget later in the day after Alexander

Sebastian Payne

Podcast: George Osborne’s 2015 budget, the jobs miracle and shooting squirrels

Has George Osborne produced a successful Budget? On this week’s View from 22 podcast, Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman discuss the last major act of this Parliament and what it means for the impending election campaign. Did the Chancellor announce anything of particular interest? Is this a Budget targeted purely at savers and pensioners? How influential were the Liberal Democrats in creating this budget? And on which points will Labour attack the government? Jonathan Portes and Fraser also discuss this week’s Spectator cover feature on the jobs miracle and why the government isn’t extolling its excellent record on employment. Is the coalition still embarrassed over immigration record and therefore reluctant to mention any of the upsides? Is the boom

Steerpike Steerpike

Currency wars: John Major vs Zac Goldsmith

Zac Goldsmith recently wrote in the Spectator that it was his father – not the Labour party – who had stopped Britain from joining the euro. The Conservative MP claimed his dad Sir James Goldsmith was to thank, after his Referendum party battled to ‘ensure that Britain would never join the euro without the consent of the people’. One man who appears to disagree, however, is former Prime Minister Sir John Major. Major has written a letter in this week’s Spectator arguing that Goldsmith did not have any effect on government policy: ‘Much as I admire filial loyalty, I cannot allow Zac Goldsmith’s article about his father to go uncorrected. Sir James Goldsmith was a formidable

Steerpike Steerpike

Labour’s election chief in campaign struggle to hold onto his seat

Douglas Alexander claimed this week that Facebook has made it difficult for politicians to campaign successfully. He said that Labour were struggling to win back voters in Scotland as a result of conspiracy theories being posted on social media. Perhaps Labour’s campaign chief  was simply trying to make early excuses for his own performance in the upcoming election. Alexander is predicted to lose his Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat to a 20-year-old SNP candidate. In a bid to turn the tide, Alexander has been desperately tapping up friends for much-needed campaign cash. Mr S can reveal that the former lawyer has taken £28,000 since January. His donors include David Miliband’s former adviser David Claydon as well as solicitor Fraser Oliver. Surely,

James Forsyth James Forsyth

A typical coalition Budget – designed to put the Tories back in power

George Osborne usually tells his aides to prepare for each Budget as if it were his last. This time round, the Chancellor and those around him needed no reminding of what is at stake. They knew that this statement had to boost the Tory election campaign and define the choice facing voters in May, otherwise it really will be the last Budget he gives. As one Tory MP put it, ‘The Budget’s got to deliver some political momentum or we’re done for.’ Osborne has long been aware of the importance of this Budget for his career. If David Cameron returns to No. 10 after the election, Osborne will take the

Quentin Letts

I know just the vicar for my parish church. Pity he’s fictional

For cheap laughs you should look at the situations vacant column of the Church Times — pages of jobs for Anglican clergy. The language, with its dreary emphasis on compliance and its neglect of individualism, may help to explain why the Church of England has become the Labour party at prayer. Number one word in these adverts is ‘team’. Applicants need to be ‘team players’. Other hot words: ‘passionate’, ‘change’, ‘management’ and ‘skills’. A couple of weeks ago the Diocese of Lichfield needed a ‘team rector’ near Tamworth — ‘a visionary, imaginative and inspirational team leader, passionate for evangelism and discipleship, with experience of managing change and able to enjoy

Hugo Rifkind Hugo Rifkind

The real threat to Britain (and it’s not the SNP)

What a load of mendacious balls everybody talks about Scotland. It’s like a disease. It’s like, you know how they say Ebola probably started in some festering bat cave in Guinea? Well, the referendum campaign was that cave. We had secret oilfields and fantasies about the NHS and endless guff about austerity being done for evil Tory fun, and the VOW the VOW and, dear God, the relief when it ended. Only it didn’t end. Instead it spread. And it set the tone. People talk now, for example, about an SNP/Labour coalition. As though this would make sense, when they must know it wouldn’t at all. As though Ed Miliband

Wednesday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Osborne gets the post-Budget front pages he hoped for

If George Osborne’s Budget is going to end up in a mess, it hasn’t done so yet. The worst criticism that the front pages of even hostile newspapers can come up with is that the Chancellor has produced a very political Budget which is hardly a surprise. Most splash on the retail offers in the Budget and the good economic news.    Some of the front pages have rather creative approaches to the Budget. Even front pages such as the i, which foregrounds the politics behind the Budget, still refer to the tax cuts for first-time buyers and savers. And the most critical front pages, from the Guardian and the Mirror,

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Budget Sketch: Penny-pinchers like me can rejoice

That was a motto-blaster of a budget. George Osborne deployed half a dozen chewy new Tory slogans during this afternoon’s statement. ‘Britain walking tall again. … a country built on savings not debt … ten pounds off a tank under the Tories … Britain – the comeback country …’ It’s unclear whether: a) Lynton Crosby feeds him these soundbites b) Osborne auditions them on a freelance basis hoping to catch the great auteur’s ear. He repeatedly called the country ‘one United Kingdom’ as well, bolstering Conservative claims that Labour is ready to sell Great Britain for dog-meat in a traitor’s deal with the SNP. He doled out good news on

Steerpike Steerpike

Royal baby due at height of general election campaign

Two of the biggest media circuses are set to collide. The 2013 press storm that greeted the arrival of Prince George looks likely to return when the Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to her second child. Today Catherine revealed that the baby is due next month. ‘I’m due in mid-April, to the end of April,’ the young royal told a crowd of wellwishers. This is of course right in the middle of the general election campaign. With broadcasters and newspapers spread out over the country covering an already testing five party election, Mr S suspects political coverage will grind to a halt for at least 24 hours as all media eyes turn once again to the Lindo Wing

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Labour’s aggressive election campaign was evident in Miliband’s Budget response

Ed Miliband didn’t produce a spectacular response to the Budget, but neither did he have a bad outing at the despatch box. It was certainly better than his performance last year, and Labour MPs seem – in public at least – quite cheered by the whole thing. The Labour leader did have to contend with a wall of noise from heckling Tory MPs. The Treasury Support Group has got rather carried away with itself at the past couple of economic statements, producing a boorish roar that requires frequent interruptions from the Speaker rather than under-the-radar witty cricket sledging which works in unsettling the Opposition. You don’t want the public or indeed even

The Spectator

Budget 2015: Full text of Ed Miliband’s response

Mr Deputy Speaker, never has the gap between the Chancellor’s rhetoric and the reality of people’s lives been greater than it was today. This is a Budget people won’t believe from a government that’s not on their side. Because of their record. Because of their instincts. Because of their plans for the future. And because of a Budget, most extraordinarily, that had no mention of investment in our National Health Service and our vital public services. It is a budget people won’t believe from a government they don’t trust and this chancellor has failed the working families of Britain. For the first time since the 1920s people are earning less