Politics

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

Friday

Carola Binney Carola Binney

I wouldn’t vote for Marine Le Pen but I can understand why people might

On Thursday evening, I queued outside for almost two hours to see Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s Front National party, speak at the Oxford Union. Thanks to protestors, who scaled the debating society’s walls and allegedly chased Union officials through the building, I then waited an hour more. About 200 anti-fascist demonstrators gathered outside the Union buildings, holding placards saying ‘Marine Le Pen… Never Again!’ and chanting ‘This is free speech, that is a platform’. Queuing quietly, it felt somewhat ironic to be called ‘Nazi Fascist Scum!’ by angry people in balaclavas. But as well as wanting to hear the views of the woman who may well become

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Exclusive: Nick Clegg complains to Cabinet Secretary about being left out

Nick Clegg has complained to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, that he was ignored before a government policy was announced, Coffee House has learned. The Deputy Prime Minister was annoyed that he did not get the chance to approve a change to the way Birmingham elects its councillors, from elections by thirds to all-out elections every four years. The change is part of reforms to the struggling local authority announced in a review by Sir Bob Kerslake. But Clegg claims he was never allowed to sign off the policy, which he should have seen because he chairs the government committee that approves most domestic policy – the Home Affairs Cabinet

Sebastian Payne

Mandelson and Campbell reportedly tapped up Alan Johnson to replace Miliband

Is Ed Miliband ready to be Prime Minister? His personal poll ratings suggest not and many in his party remain sceptical. But Labour remains toe-to-toe with the Conservatives in the polls, making a Miliband premiership a real possibility after 7 May. The FT’s George Parker and Jim Pickard have interviewed the Labour leader (£) today to find out why Miliband is still confident he can lead the country, despite the negativity surrounding his leadership. One of the fascinating nuggets in the piece is the claim that two of the most influential figures in New Labour plotted to remove him as leader: ‘Miliband’s Labour critics do not share his confidence. So much so

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Tristram Hunt says he ‘meant no offence to nuns’

So far in the run-up to this election, we’ve had Ed Miliband saying he feels ‘respect’ whenever he sees a white van, and now Tristram Hunt clarifying that he didn’t want to offend nuns. Damian covers the Labour Shadow Education Secretary’s comments here, and today Hunt did the inevitable and clarified his comments. On BBC QT I was trying to make a generalised point about the use of unqualified teachers in schools. I obviously meant no offence to nuns. — Tristram Hunt (@TristramHuntMP) February 6, 2015 Which other groups can we think of that politicians might have to apologise to following social media outrage? In an election campaign where tiny

Mark Gettleson

Scottish electoral geography is working to the SNP’s advantage

The dramatic rout of Scottish Labour continues. Polls suggest the SNP will take 55 out of 59 seats and of the 14 constituencies surveyed by Lord Ashcroft, only Glasgow North East is set to remain in Labour hands. Such political collapses are rare in UK politics – so what’s going on? Prior to 2011, the dividing line of Scottish politics was ‘to be or not to be’ Labour. This was a huge advantage to a party which, faced with split opposition, managed to win 69% of Scottish seats in 2010 with just 42% of the vote. The singular success of Alex Salmond was, first, to turn the SNP into the clearest and most credible opposition to

Thursday

The Spectator

Would Jesse Boot have agreed with Stefano Pessina? (Clue: he called his employees ‘comrade’)

Right Boot, left Boot What would Jesse Boot, who built Britain’s largest chemist chain from his father’s herbal shops, made of the spat between Labour and Stefano Pessina, chief executive of the firm? — Boot was a lifelong Liberal, but then he was already 50 years old when the Labour party was formed. He was in the habit of calling his workers ‘comrades’. — But it was his son John who saw the company’s Nottingham factory as the basis of a future welfare state, declaring 1938: ‘When we establish pension funds which relieve our workers of fears for their old age, when we reduce the number of working days in

Alexander Chancellor

Alexander Chancellor’s diary: Picking golden oldies, Ken Dodd, and the sadness of Jack Nicholson

An excellent test of character is a person’s response to being offered an Oldie of the Year Award. There have always been those to whom the word ‘oldie’ is in itself an embarrassment. When Richard Ingrams founded the Oldie magazine in 1992, he was warned by many that it would fail because of its name. Nobody wanted to be thought old, he was told, and therefore nobody wanted a magazine that would portray oldness as something to be proud of. Ingrams overcame most of these qualms with the humour and irony he brought to the magazine. Nevertheless, I was nervous when I had to telephone Lord Falconer, whom I had

Steerpike Steerpike

The Enigma Gove?

Chief Whip Michael Gove has given his first keynote speech since being politically assassinated last summer. Plucked from the frontline of reform, the former Education Secretary concluded his speech to Policy Exchange tonight, thus: ‘It is often the case in history that individuals fail to appreciate the stability, the security and the steady progress they enjoy until it’s gone. It’s often the case that effective democratic institutions and progressive reforming Governments are taken for granted until they are subject to mistaken change. It is, sadly, all too often the case in politics that the urge to criticise what is in front of us rather than appreciate the risks of the

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Political tribalism at its worst

If you want an illustration of just how damaging tribalism can be in politics, look no further than this Westminster Hall debate, held yesterday. Labour’s Lisa Nandy had organised it, which was on ‘effects of government policy on UK poverty’, partly, it seems to raise some stories from her constituency about benefit sanctions that had been unfairly applied, and partly, presumably, to take a few party political pot shots at the Tories. That’s fair enough with an election coming up, and it would have been fair enough for the Tories in the debate to defend their record robustly. What doesn’t seem to be fair enough or indeed at all sensible is

Steerpike Steerpike

Nick Clegg holds austerity conference at hotel which charges up to £19,000 per night

Nick Clegg announced plans today to end austerity, promising to make sure that the wealthy pay a larger contribution. However, the venue for this sincere declaration from the Lib Dems was one of London’s most expensive hotels. Mr S is curious as to why they picked the Shangri-La in the Shard to unveil their economic plan. It’s a venue that only the wealthy they hope to tax would be able to splash out on. The hotel bills itself as ‘a new level of luxury’, and rooms start from £350, with the most expensive suites reportedly costing up to £19,000 per night. Whether Clegg stayed on after for drinks in the bar is unknown though he has been

Steerpike Steerpike

Coffee Shots: Clegg press conference packed to the rafters

Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander may have been hoping for an inspiring backdrop to their tax policy launch today when they booked the Shard as the venue. Sadly, it was foggy. Oh, and only one rather sceptical-looking reporter, the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves, sat in the front row, which left them with this really inspirational photo opportunity. That’s one for the front page of the manifesto…

Philip Cowley

What’s more important to voters? Coherent policy or the chance to ‘send a message’

What are you doing when you vote? Much of the discussion about elections assumes – implicitly or explicitly – that voters are making a judgement about policies being put forward by the parties; that they would only vote for a party which had policies with which they broadly agreed; and, moreover, that these policies will have to form a vaguely coherent programme, and be realistic and affordable. Even allowing for that fact that we know that many voters don’t know the details of the various policies proposed, it is still widely assumed that they would care if they knew. This is why there is so much discussion of policy proposals

Steerpike Steerpike

Something to hide? Nick Clegg not mentioned on Sheffield Hallam Lib Dem leaflets

Nick Clegg is not having a good day. A survey of the Deputy Prime Minister’s seat claims he is behind Labour by 10 points in his Sheffield Hallam constituency. If accurate, this means that Clegg will be out of a job come May. Now it seems even his own team may have some reservations about his popularity in the local area. Mr S has got wind of a batch of Sheffield Hallam Liberal Democrat leaflets that don’t even mention him by name, let alone include a picture of their candidate. Mr S suspects that the omission of Clegg may be for the best. ‘There’s a big student population in Sheffield Hallam and a

Andrew Montford

How green and peaceful really is Greenpeace?

For the best part of half a century Greenpeace’s constant campaigning on environmental issues has been an almost unmitigated success. Its effectiveness has brought it both astonishing wealth and almost unimpeded access to decision-makers. During this time, it has had what amounts to a free pass from the media, its claims and methods rarely questioned by credulous environmental correspondents. But are the wheels finally coming off? Looking back over the last few years it’s easy to get that impression: an organisation that once seemed untouchable has found itself having to answer some very sharp questions about the way it behaves and operates. As far back as 2010, Gene Hashmi, Greenpeace’s

James Forsyth James Forsyth

How Labour lost Scotland (and could lose the Union)

[audioplayer src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_5_Feb_2015_v4.mp3″ title=”James Forsyth and Alex Massie discuss Labour’s problems north of the border” startat=1118] Listen [/audioplayer]Just four months ago Scotland was the scene of great cross-party co-operation — unprecedented in peace-time politics. Gordon Brown was offering advice on David Cameron’s speeches, Douglas Alexander and the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson turned themselves into a formidable debating duo, and Charles Kennedy was being hailed by Labour strategists as the man who would save the Union. Even George Galloway got in on the act. One of the oddest sights I have witnessed in politics was the Respect MP gushingly introducing the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, at

Melissa Kite

The Tooting poisoner and the relentless rise of the urban fox

Cowering in the corner of a pet shop, I edged towards the door to try to escape as a stranger yelled at me. The man’s face was so puckered up and puce with anger that I feared I was moments away from being beaten to death with a ball-thrower or ham bone. I had only popped in to buy some dog food for the spaniel and now the spaniel was hiding behind me as a fellow customer shouted abuse. The lady who owned the pet shop was trying to appease the shouting man, who had his own dog with him, a scrappy little terrier who looked as terrified as the

Martin Vander Weyer Martin Vander Weyer

Why cheap oil could mean a Labour victory

BP’s profits are down, and the oil giant is slashing up to $6 billion out of its investment plan for the year. At Shell, the cut could amount to $15 billion over the next three years. At troubled BG, still waiting for new chief executive Helge Lund to arrive, capital spending will be a third lower than last year. I wrote recently of ‘consequences we really don’t need’ as the oil price continues to plunge: cheering though it is for consumers (and good for short-term growth) to find pump prices at a five-year low, the full impact will not be felt until a decade hence, when projects cancelled now might

Hugo Rifkind Hugo Rifkind

How Alex Brooker made political interviews interesting again

The other night on Channel 4, I watched the best political interview I’ve seen all year. It was with Nick Clegg, and conducted by a guy called Alex Brooker. And it gave me, if only for a few moments, a glimpse of a better world. You’ll know who Nick Clegg is. Brooker, though, might have passed under your radar: he was only just on mine. He’s one of three hosts on a comedy show called The Last Leg, which launched during the Paralympics of 2012. Disability features heavily in the premise of the show, so I probably ought to mention that he has a prosthetic leg and something up with

Wednesday

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

PMQs Sketch: Cameron is more slippery than a jellyfish emerging from an oil-slick

How did he get away with that? We’re assured that somewhere inside Labour HQ there toils a crack team of sleuths, analysts, Cameron-watchers, policy-fetishists and high-IQ saboteurs who spend all week devising Miliband’s Wednesday assault on the prime minister. And yet these world-class strategists seem to get beaten every time by the most predictable of dodges. Cameron doesn’t even prepare his defence. He just makes it up on the spot. Today Miliband went for the big one: hit Cameron with corruption charges. Or as near as damn it. The government has spared hedge funds from the duty payable on share dealings which is levied on all other financial players. The

Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Even Lord Winston has seemed confused about mitochondrial transfer

One expert who sounded off to great effect in the run-up to yesterday’s vote on three parent babies was Robert Winston, IVF supremo and baby maker in chief. He declared in the Telegraph that the donation of mitochondrial DNA was really no more problematic, morally speaking, than a blood transfusion. Naturally this had an effect on the way the debate was conducted – most MPs were entirely dismissive of the radical character of the bill, allowing for permanent, even if benign, changes to an individual’s genetic legacy, their germ line. (Incidentally, the donation of nuclei to an donor egg is much better researched than the more morally problematic embryo-to-embryo nuclear transfer,