Politics Archives

Friday

19 Jun 2015

Steerpike

Sajid does funny — and Suzanne avoids the hacks

Last night’s Institute of Economic Affairs sixtieth birthday bash may have had Sajid Javid as their big name keynote speaker but it was another politician on the guest list at the East London venue who made the biggest impression. Ukip’s Suzanne Evans turned up at the party less than an hour after the BBC had published a leaked email from a member of the party saying she was banned from media appearances. In fairness, Evans appeared happy to oblige these demands, and was keen to keep a close distance from prying hacks. Appropriately for a wonk-shop set up by a chicken farmer, poultry was on the menu. Javid used the opportunity

The Spectator

Does Yvette Cooper want to be Labour’s Iron Lady?

On Wednesday night in the televised Labour leadership hustings, Yvette Cooper channeled Margaret Thatcher, saying: ‘I’m not standing because I want to be something, but because I want to do something.’ So is she trying to pose as Labour’s Iron Lady? After all, it was Thatcher who originally said that: ‘It used to be about trying to do something. Now it’s about trying to be someone.’ Here’s the conclusion that Melissa Kite came to in The Spectator, back in 2012: In Yvette Cooper’s home, an entire room is given over to memorabilia of her husband’s life in politics. Pictures of Ed Balls hang on the walls and the room is kitted

Sebastian Payne

The ‘In’ and ‘Out’ EU referendum campaigns begin to take shape

The campaigns to keep Britain ‘In’ or ‘Out’ of the EU are keen to begin their work. The Times today reveals details of a cross-party Eurosceptic group, which is expected to morph into the Brexit campaign. From the Conservatives, Owen Paterson, Steve Baker and Bernard Jenkin are part of this new group. Kate Hoey, Kelvin Hopkins and Graham Stringer represent Labour, while Douglas Carswell has been attending meetings on behalf of Ukip. Dominic Cummings, Michael Gove’s former adviser, has been brought on board to oversee the committee and Stuart Wheeler, a former Ukip donor, is one of the financial backers. If the Out-ers hope to be successful, this is just the sort of broad group they

Thursday

18 Jun 2015

Charles Moore

The Spectator’s Notes | 18 June 2015

It is natural to assume that, if a majority votes No in the referendum on Britain’s EU membership, we shall then leave. It is not automatically so. After the vote, we would still be members. The government would then — morally at least — be mandated to negotiate Britain’s withdrawal. In theory, unlikely though it may currently seem, the EU could try to block this. Even assuming that it did not do so, the eventual terms of the withdrawal would not automatically be agreed by Parliament and would not necessarily correspond with the wishes of those who voted No. The context for our vote will be David Cameron’s presentation of a package

Tom Mludzinski

Test pollsters through encouraging competition, not through knee-jerk reactions

We can all agree that the 2015 General Election was not the pollsters’ finest moment. While final polls from ComRes and one other firm put all the parties within the margin of error, we all consistently overestimated Labour and underestimated the Conservatives. Yet despite this Election, political polling in the UK has a strong record – certainly a lot better than, say, government economic forecasts. The industry has reacted to the election by openly addressing its failings and working hard to correct them. As well as the independent review, most polling firms are conducting their own internal reviews. The freedom to do so is fundamental to the success of the

Sebastian Payne

Yvette Cooper attacks David Cameron for a ‘blind spot’ on women

Yvette Cooper addressed a lobby lunch today and put on an impressive performance. In contrast to her slightly wooden performance during last night’s debate, Cooper came across as straightforward and articulate — and surprisingly funny. She joked that alongside the ten meetings to sign off the Edstone, there were seven meetings for a ‘fiscally responsible water feature.’ She also told the gathered hacks ‘we want more Haribo!’ in reference to the sweet factory in her constituency. Unsurprisingly, Cooper spoke confidently on the economy, demonstrating her years of experience on the frontbench. On Greece, she argued that ‘the British government should be using its role within Europe to argue for the Eurozone taking

James Forsyth

The missing candidates in the Labour leadership contest

This Labour leadership contest is almost as notable for who isn’t standing as for who is. First, there is the former paratrooper turned MP Dan Jarvis who declined to stand despite many on the Labour side’s belief that he is the answer to the party’s problems. Then, there is Chuka Umunna who initially did enter the race but then pulled out almost immediately, depriving the contest of the one current Labour politician with undoubted star power. But, perhaps, even more telling by their absence are those Labour figures who aren’t even in parliament now. The most discussed of these is David Miliband, who quit the Commons after losing to his

Sebastian Payne

Suzanne Evans upsets Farage loyalists with ‘divisive character’ comments

Nigel Farage has himself admitted that he is a ‘Marmite’ character. It’s one of the reasons given for his party’s patchy performance at the general election and it turns out it is a view others in the party share. Suzanne Evans, Ukip’s deputy chairman, made a similar point about Farage on the Daily Politics today — carefully noting that it’s Farage’s views, not his personality that may turn off voters: ‘I think Nigel is a very divisive character in terms of the way he is perceived. He is not divisive as a person, but the way he is perceived is of having strong views that divide people.’ Looking at #UKIP future and its role in the #EURef

Nick Cohen

It has to be Liz Kendall, doesn’t it?

The most revealing moment in the Labour debate last night came when a questioner asked ‘what qualities do you share with Nicola Sturgeon that could make you as successful as a party leader?’ The unctuous manner in which the question was delivered suggested that being an English Sturgeon was a fine thing to be. No Labour member would think of asking ‘what qualities do you share with David Cameron that could make you as successful as a party leader’ — even though Cameron has just won a majority against the predictions of everyone —including himself. The unctuous manner in which the men and women who would lead the Labour Party

Sebastian Payne

New select committee chairs elected

The new chairs of the select committees have been announced. Before 2009, the party whips handed out the chairmanships of these committees but now they are voted in by MPs. As well as several returning chairs, there are a few interesting new appointments. Labour’s Frank Field will be an effective chair of the Work and Pensions committee, holding the government to account over roll out of Universal Credit and the £12 billion cuts to welfare spending. Jesse Norman steps back into the limelight as chair of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, after being passed over for a job in the new government. Andrew Tyrie and Keith Vaz remain in

Sebastian Payne

Team Burnham: Liz Kendall’s ‘country should come first’ remark was a ‘cheap point’

The one memorable moment from last night’s Labour leadership debate was Liz Kendall’s remark that ‘country should come first’, with regards to another leadership contest before 2020. It was a swipe at Andy Burnham, who had said that the ‘party should come first.’ Team Kendall is understandably pleased at the Vines and clips of this exchange. It has given her campaign some crucial momentum and ensures that the contest remains a three-horse race. In a debate that was otherwise pretty uneventful, this exchange is likely to stick with both Burnham and Kendall. But a source on Burnham’s campaign suggests that the remark has been misinterpreted: ‘Andy clearly meant “party before

Steerpike

Ed Balls hired by Harvard to ‘research financial stability’

During the election, Ed Miliband’s opponents regularly criticised the Labour leader for naming his life experience outside the Westminster bubble as ‘teaching at Harvard’. Still, the naysayers haven’t put his former sidekick Ed Balls off returning to the university he once studied at. Today the ousted Labour MP has confirmed reports that he is joining the Ivy League establishment as a senior fellow. In a statement John Haigh, the executive Dean of the Kennedy School, announced the appointment: ‘We’re delighted to welcome Ed Balls to the Mossavar-Rahmani business and government centre. Ed brings enormous depth and breadth of experience in the public sector and we’re confident he will make a valuable contribution to our students, to the

Steerpike

Labour’s ‘attack dog’ turns on Laura Kuenssberg over BBC debate

Last night’s Newsnight Labour leadership debate proved to be a rather dull affair with all four hopefuls failing to make a strong impression. While many were quick to suggest that this was down to lacklustre leadership candidates, party members have come up with a different reason the broadcast failed to impress. Step forward Laura Kuenssberg: Labour’s ‘attack dog‘ Michael Dugher — who is backing Andy Burnham for leader — appeared to point the finger of blame at the Newsnight presenter for her chairing of the debate. The shadow transport secretary, who previously worked closely with Labour spin doctor Damian McBride under Gordon Brown, took to Twitter to complain that ‘she never shut up’: The sentiment was shared

James Forsyth

Does Labour still not get it?

You wait ages for a Labour leadership contest, then five come along at once. In the past few days, nominations have closed for the contests to be leader and deputy leader of the UK and Scottish Labour parties respectively as well as on the party’s pick for London mayor. Who wins these races will determine how Labour defines itself in opposition and how quickly it can regain power. Labour is in the dire position of being out of office at UK level, at national level in Scotland and at city level in the capital. Labour should be taking a long, hard look at itself before deciding what to do next.

Robert Philpot

Imposter syndrome

As graduates of the country’s best university, most former Cambridge students neither seek nor expect much in the way of public sympathy. Last weekend, however, the frontrunner in the Labour leadership contest, Andy Burnham, attempted to elicit a little. Describing his journey from a Merseyside comprehensive to Cambridge as the thing which ‘brought me into politics’, he told of his bewilderment when, as a prospective English student, he was asked at his interview, ‘Do you see a parallel between The Canterbury Tales and modern package holidays?’ He was, he said, ‘still pondering what the question meant when I arrived at Warrington station six hours later and when the rejection letter

Wednesday

17 Jun 2015

James Forsyth

Why Boris’s four letter word exchange with a Cabbie won’t do him much harm

The Sun has video footage of Boris Johnson telling a Cab driver to ‘f— off and die’. Normally, this would sound pretty dire for a politician. But having watched the video, which The Sun has put online here, I don’t think this exchange will do Boris that much harm. The Mayor and the Cabbie are both going at it and there’s no sense that Johnson think he’s superior: it is a democratic slagging match. It also rather helps Boris that he is on his bike while it is the Cab driver who is shouting abuse out of a car window. Now, they’ll be those who don’t like people, let alone

Sebastian Payne

Labour’s first televised leadership hustings were dull and achieved very little

The first televised debate in the Labour leadership contest was a rather dull affair. None of the candidates shone and no one stumbled. Although there were a few moments of interest, everyone conformed to their stereotypes. Andy Burnham was brash and appeared too keen to speak over the other candidates. He spoke about the problems of the ‘Westminster elite’ and how Labour needs to break free from that mould — despite having worked in politics his whole career and even spending time as a special adviser before becoming an MP. Yvette Cooper was the best performer and gave a good response to the question on the welfare state, citing her

Lloyd Evans

PMQs sketch: He lays roads. He decrees bridges. Is there anything George Osborne can’t do?

At last it happened. Benn led Labour. Hilary Benn, grandson of a hereditary peer, stood up at PMQs on behalf of the dispossessed. Gravitas was his chosen register. Radicalisation was his chosen theme. His policy: more cash for cops and teacher to discourage Muslims from joining the death-cult. Let’s hope it works. The SNP’s Angus Robertson asked how Sir John Chilcot is proceeding with his slim volume of research into the Iraq war. Who knows? It’s said that Lord Lloyd Webber has already abandoned his ‘Chilcot the Musical’ project because investors couldn’t agree how many years each performance should last. His spokesman, pressed this morning for a deadline, confirmed that

Steerpike

Backbench ‘plot’ deprives Alan Mak of his favourite spot at PMQs

Unfortunate timing for ambitious new Tory MP Alan Mak to be turned over by the Times today, after he was on the order paper to ask a prominent question at PMQs. Mr S’s fellow diarist at the Times wrote this morning: ‘Alan Mak (Conservative, Havant) has been an MP for only a month and already his self-promotion is getting up people’s noses. Bad enough to send his maiden speech to everyone in Downing Street, he then baggsed the seat behind David Cameron for last week’s prime minister’s questions and with it a brief TV appearance.’ Now Mr S hears there was a concerted effort today not to let Mak take up his

James Forsyth

Osborne’s slick PMQs performance

PMQs was not the normal, partisan slug-fest today. Instead, there were a slew of serious questions on the challenge of Islamic extremism at home and abroad and the migrant crisis. George Osborne, standing in for David Cameron, turned in a solid performance. He seemed unfazed by the occasion. His only misstep was persisting with a pre-scripted joke in response to Hilary Benn’s sombre opening question. But other than that, Osborne’s answers were crisp and politically confident. The themes he chose to emphasise were very Osborne. In response to a Labour question on welfare, he had a British version of Angela Merkel’s warning about how Europe can’t afford not to reform