Politics

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

Monday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

David Gauke: Ed Balls has questions to answer on HSBC leak

The HSBC tax dodge leak is from 2007, and so has nothing to do with the current government, sort of. Ministers have been defending the appointment of Stephen Green as trade minister. Green was boss at HSBC during the period that this leak relates to. But given Labour is trying to increase the political temperature on tax avoidance at the moment, the Tories have also been quite keen this morning to suggest that Ed Balls has questions to answer on this story, to be broadcast on Panorama tonight. Earlier this morning Financial Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke released this statement: ‘It is for HSBC to explain what they did

Sunday

Steerpike Steerpike

Eton vs Harrow: Eddie Redmayne comes out on top at the Baftas

Much has been made of Eddie Redmayne’s education at Eton after Chris Bryant claimed that British culture should not be dominated by public schoolboys like The Theory of Everything actor. Mr Steerpike hopes that the Labour MP gave tonight’s Baftas a miss for his own sake, as alumni from Britain’s two most prestigious private schools battled it out in the Best Actor category. Redmayne was pitted against Benedict Cumberbatch, who attended Harrow. Alas Cumberbatch’s efforts as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game were not enough to clinch him victory. It was the 33-year-old Old Etonian who came up trumps, taking home the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Hawking was

Rowan Dean

Is Twitter about to claim its first prime ministerial scalp?

Within the next three hours, the seventeen-month reign of Australia’s conservative PM Tony Abbott may come to a crashing close, terminated not by policy differences but by populism and personality. Could Twitter be about to claim its first prime ministerial scalp? The contrasting characters of Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull could not have been more cunningly scripted had Jeffrey Archer invented them: one a staunch monarchist (whose act of awarding an Aussie knighthood to Prince Philip on Australia Day exactly two weeks ago led directly to this morning’s party room spill), the other the former frontman of the (failed) 1999 Republican referendum. One a fervent climate change sceptic (Mr Abbott

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The truth? Savers have been losers under this government, and Osborne knows it

Even the evening BBC bulletins are leading with this morning’s announcement by George Osborne that he will extend his ‘pensioner bonds’ programme – a glorified way of giving pre-election bungs to the over-65s. This is Osborne’s answer to Gordon Brown’s bribe, the ‘winter fuel payment’ (the word ‘fuel’ being redundant). When elections grow near, governments bribe pensioners because the pensioners are most likely to vote. The Chancellor told Andrew Marr today (pdf) that ‘backing savers is part of our long-term plan’. The opposite is true. Screwing savers is part of his long-term economic plan: an unintentional but inevitable consequence of his screwing interest rates as low as he can for as long as possible.

The Spectator

Removing Tony Abbott as Australian Prime Minister is pointless and reckless

In the latest issue of Spectator Australia, the leading article lambasts the Australian Liberal Party for trying to remove Prime Minister Tony Abbott: The determination by many in the media, even among conservatives, to hasten the demise of Tony Abbott’s prime ministership is as pointless as it is reckless. Pointless not because they will or they won’t succeed, but pointless because such an outcome would merely herald the beginning, rather than the end, of a long period of Coalition instability and in-fighting. Make no mistake: it is not Tony Abbott the man who is deeply unpopular (although his poll figures are, at present, nothing to write home about). It is the measures he

Douglas Murray

In defence of Tristram Hunt

I have never had any particularly strong views on Tristram Hunt other (naturally) than finding it bleakly hilarious that he should be the Labour party’s Parliamentary representative for Stoke. But a point needs to be made in his favour. The shadow education secretary was on Andrew Marr’s sofa this morning and found himself asked six times about this thoughts on nuns and education (see clip, above). For several days now, he has been berated for alleged anti-Catholic hatred and a new thought-crime of ‘nun-dismissal’. The precise words which are deemed to have created this great maelstrom were uttered in response to the right-wing Catholic journalist Cristina Odone talking on Question

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will anyone be able to govern Britain after the next election?

With every week that goes by, the more likely it is that the next election could result in a stalemate with neither Labour nor the Tories able to put together a deal that gives them a majority in the Commons. One Downing Street source, who has crunched the numbers, predicted to me last week that, because of what is going on in Scotland, the Tories will be the largest party on 280-odd seats. But if the Tories have only 280-odd seats, even deals with both the Liberal Democrats and the Democratic Unionists wouldn’t give them a majority. But Labour wouldn’t be able to stich one together either. For, as I

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

The unravelling of the left continues as RMT president joins the Greens

Socialism fever is spreading. This time last year, Ed Miliband looked to be on course for 10 Downing St for the simple reason that the right in Britain had been split (by Ukip) while the left stood united for the first time since 1983. Lefty LibDems had returned to Labour and it seemed that Miliband was the bad leader of a massive block of votes. Now, things have changed. The left is unravelling too: Labour is losing votes to the SNP in the north and the Greens in the south. That’s why the Greens’ recruitment of a top trade union official is significant. Peter Pinkney, president of the RMT union, says he’s joining

Saturday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The Burnham message

Andy Burnham’s interview in The Times today lays down several markers. He praises Len McCluskey, declares that trade union funding is best for Labour, slates Alan Milburn, criticises Peter Mandelson for being relaxed about people getting filthy rich and distances himself from the Blairite mantra that ‘what matters is what works.’ It will, to put it mildly, do nothing to discourage speculation that he is preparing to run for the leadership on a left-wing ticket if Labour loses the election. To be fair, Burnham is frank in this interview that he has changed his mind on various subjects. As he puts it, ‘There was a period in the 80s and

Friday

Dennis Sewell

Could this be the solution to the Durham Free School dilemma?

A highly respected academic has stepped forward pointing education ministers towards a potentially face-saving solution to the Durham Free School dilemma. James Tooley, professor of education policy at Newcastle University has written to schools minister Lord Nash with a proposal that he should become a governor of the school, bringing with him the expertise of other colleagues from the university’s education department to beef up DFS’s leadership and governance capacity. Campaigners hope the minister will re-think the decision to close the school if he can be persuaded the school now has the necessary skills and resources on hand to improve its performance. In his letter, Professor Tooley is also critical

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