Politics

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

Wednesday

21 May 2025

Steerpike

Starmer U-turns on winter fuel cuts

To Prime Minister’s Questions, where Sir Keir Starmer has announced that the Labour lot will in fact reverse parts of the controversial winter fuel payment – just weeks after the reds suffered defeat across the country over the policy in the May elections. Addressing the Chamber, Starmer remarked that ‘we want to ensure that as we go forward, more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payment’ – confirming that the thresholds for the benefit will be looked at in the Budget. How very interesting… Speaking to parliamentarians at noon today, the PM confirmed the policy shift, noting: I recognise that people are still feeling the pressure of the cost of

Gawain Towler

Patrick O’Flynn helped make Brexit possible

Yesterday, the world dimmed a little. Patrick O’Flynn, a man who was both a titan of the Brexit cause and a cherished friend, died. The news hit like a sledgehammer, and as I sit here, with a cup of tea, trying to make sense of it, memories flood. Paddy wasn’t just a figure in the political and journalistic firmament, though of course he was that; he was a force, a believer, a strategist, and, above all, a decent human being. His death leaves a void that no amount of words can fill, but I’ll try to do a little justice to the man whose efforts in no small way changed

Ross Clark

Thank God Angela Rayner isn’t Chancellor

Rachel Reeves may have killed off growth with her raid on employers’ National Insurance contributions, but today comes a reminder that she is nevertheless the relatively mild face of the Starmer government. We can at least be thankful that Angela Rayner is not Chancellor. Labour’s deputy leader has written a memo to Reeves suggesting a number of taxes she would like to see increased, and which she believes – somewhat hopefully – would obviate the need for spending cuts at the next Budget. There are cabinet ministers who are even more hostile to the idea of low taxes than Reeves herself is She wants inheritance tax relief on Alternative Investment

Rod Liddle

Patrick O’Flynn will be greatly missed

I am hugely saddened by the death of Patrick O’Flynn. He was a man who epitomised decency, kindness, gentlemanly conduct and, above all, a sense of duty. Rest in peace, Paddy. You were the best of men I first met him when he stood for parliament for the Social Democratic party (SDP) in Peterborough in 2019. It was a hugely disappointing campaign for us (as indeed most of them are, but this one particularly). He knew he was fighting a forlorn battle, but threw himself into the campaigning with total commitment and – as ever – graciousness. Not to mention a certain grim gallows humour. That he stood at all

Ross Clark

Rachel Reeves is to blame for the 3.5% inflation spike

There is no positive spin to be put on this morning’s inflation figures, which show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rising from 2.6 per cent to 3.5 per cent in a single month. If you want to do the trick of stripping out energy and food prices to arrive at so-called ‘core’ inflation (how you can have a cost of living index which excludes two of the biggest costs faced by households defeats me) the picture is even worse – core inflation is even higher, at 4.5 per cent. The grim inflation figures are a sign that you cannot get something for nothing If you want to use the government’s

Eliot Wilson

Can Trump get Britain to up defence spending faster?

When Sir Keir Starmer was elected leader of the Labour party five years ago, it must have been a feat of imagination to picture himself as prime minister. It would surely have gone beyond his strangest fever dreams to think he would be dealing more or less weekly with defence policy. That he would be making spending decisions with an eye to placating President Donald Trump probably would have caused some kind of internal short circuit. Yet here we are. It is five weeks until Nato’s annual summit, held this year in The Hague, the first such gathering since Trump returned to the White House. The President’s last summit was

Steerpike

Third man charged over Starmer fires

Back to the case of the fires linked to Sir Keir Starmer. Now a third man has been charged over arson attacks on properties belonging to the Prime Minister. A 34-year-old Ukrainian national, Petro Pochynok, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. It comes after two other men were charged in connection with the arson attacks. On Tuesday, 26-year-old Stanislav Carpiuc, a Romanian national, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. Last week 21-year-old Roman Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national living in London, was charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life and appeared at Westminster magistrates’

William Clouston

Remembering Patrick O’Flynn

The unanticipated and deeply sad news of Patrick O’Flynn’s death is a blow to so many – not just to his close family but also to those in the world of politics and journalism and for many throughout the country. Patrick was a fine journalist, a true gentleman and one of the nicest people you would ever meet in public life I first met Patrick in a pub with David Goodhart in 2018 and got to know him well in the following eight years throughout our – sometimes forlorn – efforts to revive the Social Democratic party. As a prominent and influential Eurosceptic political journalist – and Ukip MEP – we were delighted when Patrick joined us. I personally was

Matthew Torbitt

Is it time to let ex-prisoners stand for parliament?

David Gauke, the former Justice Secretary now reviewing sentencing policy for the government, has long been a thoughtful voice in criminal justice. The reforms reportedly under consideration – including smarter punishments for low-level crime and early release for some offenders – suggest a welcome shift: away from the political chest-beating of ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric, and toward outcomes that might actually reduce reoffending. If we are finally starting to accept that punishment must have purpose – that it must lead somewhere – then there’s a broader conversation we urgently need to have. And that’s about who is allowed to take part in shaping the system. This is not about tokenism.

Jonathan Sacerdoti

Israel is prepared to go it alone in Gaza

As Israel presses ahead with Operation Gideon’s Chariots, its most ambitious military campaign in Gaza since the war began, the political landscape surrounding the conflict is shifting – and not in Israel’s favour. Britain’s suspension of trade talks, the summoning of Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, and coordinated statements of condemnation from the UK, France and Canada mark the strongest international censure yet. For many in Jerusalem, this is not only short-sighted but morally confounding. Israel’s operation, launched with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas’s military infrastructure and securing the return of its hostages, comes after months of inconclusive ceasefires, failed negotiations, and mounting frustration. The January truce, welcomed at the

Dalibor Rohac

The EU is being timid with Ukraine

Donald Trump may have pulled the world in a decidedly protectionist direction, but the European Union is not doing its part to lead by example and uphold the ideals of free trade – not even with Ukraine, where the strategic case for free and frictionless trade is overwhelming. On 6 June, the EU is expected to end the existing tariff-free regime introduced after the Russian invasion, subjecting Ukrainian imports of agricultural commodities to very tight caps, as stipulated by the earlier Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between the EU and Ukraine. The DCFTA was supposed to be revised by the June deadline, ideally increasing the quotas for tariff-free imports of

Tuesday

20 May 2025

Steerpike

Farage skips ‘Brexit reset’ debate for French holiday

To the Commons, where just after midday Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a statement on his brand new UK-EU deal. Sir Keir told MPs that the new agreement would ‘strengthen our borders’ and ‘release us from the tired arguments of the past’ on Brexit. But as opposition politicians heckled – ‘tell that to the fishermen!’ one yelled – there was one notable absence in the Chamber. The Brexit kingpin himself, Reform UK’s very own Nigel Farage, was nowhere to be seen. How very strange… One would think that this was a moment Farage would not want to miss – given Starmer’s deal has given rise to accusations that the Labour

Stephen Pollard

Britain is playing into Hamas’s hands

Keir Starmer’s government has suspended trade talks with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador over the ‘intolerable’ offensive in Gaza. To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken ten months for any doubt to be cleared up. But now it is entirely clear where the government stands vis-à-vis our supposed great ally in the Middle East, Israel, and the Islamist death cult which seeks to wipe Jews – yes, Jews, not Israel – off the face of the earth: it stands with Hamas. Don’t rely on my take, but on the words of Hamas Don’t rely on my take, but on the words of Hamas, who last night issued a statement in response to the

Anthony Boutall

Teachers are turning on Labour

When Labour won the 2024 general election, many of my fellow teachers were delighted. After fourteen years of one Conservative or another occupying Downing Street, they felt that finally ‘the right people’ were in power. Ten months later, their excitement has turned to despair. Promise after promise has evaporated. The jubilant attitude in staff rooms around Britain has been replaced by a kind of exhausted bewilderment as the effects of the government’s economic illiteracy start to bite. Keir Starmer is quickly discovering that governing is not the same as protesting Keir Starmer is quickly discovering that governing is not the same as protesting. Making quick pay deals may have appeased the

Owen Matthews

Why the Trump-Putin dialogue is so dangerous for Ukraine

“Look, are you serious? Are you real about this?” That question, according to US vice president J.D. Vance, was the essence of yesterday’s phone call between his boss Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. What Vance meant was to question whether Putin was serious about peace. But turning the question on its head would actually be far more revealing. Is Putin serious about winning the war? Absolutely. Is he real about fighting on until he achieves his goal of subjugating Ukraine? Also very much yes. Is Trump serious about pressuring Russia into ending the war? There’s a second way to flip the question, and that’s to ask: is Trump serious about pressuring

Steerpike

Clegg: Starmer’s EU deal is a ‘damp squib’

In a blast from the past, the UK’s onetime deputy prime minister Nick Clegg popped up again in London today to muse, 15 years on, about his party’s coalition with the Conservatives. But despite this being the purpose of his talk, it didn’t take the arch-Remainer long to get to the subject of the European Union. Lauding the coalition he helped lead as a ‘five-year haven of stability’ between the earlier financial crisis and the referendum on the EU that followed, Clegg blamed Brexit for slowing UK economic growth – and dubbed it ‘one of the greatest acts of economic self-harm in modern times’. Is he happy then that Prime

James Heale

What has reaction been to the UK-EU deal?

18 min listen

Fallout continues from yesterday’s summit and the announcement of a deal between the UK and EU – or is it fair to call it ‘fallout’ as, despite criticism over the deal from Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, has the public got Brexit fatigue? James Heale and Michael Simmons join Patrick Gibbons to talk about the reaction to the deal. Fisheries has taken up most discussion but Michael points out a lesser talked about commitment to energy policy. And, with the government keen to talk about it in tandem with recent deals with India and the US – and Gulf states soon, according to Rachel Reeves this morning – what’s the

Gavin Mortimer

The EU’s power is waning. If only Starmer could see it

Britain is back in the big time. Or at least it is according to Sir Keir Starmer, who was tickled pink with the ‘reset’ relationship agreed with the European Union on Monday. ‘It’s time to look forward,’ declared the Prime Minister, standing alongside the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. ‘We’re ready to work with partners if it means we can improve people’s lives here at home.’ The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, shared the PM’s delight at a reset she believes will be good for trade, defence and energy. Others weren’t so sure. Reform leader Nigel Farage – Mr Brexit – accused the government of selling out Britain to the

Oliver Lewis

Keir Starmer has walked into the same Brexit trap as Theresa May

One of the most depressing concepts in physics is entropy – the principle that all systems tend toward disorder and breakdown. That’s all I could think of while reading today’s headlines praising the so-called “reset” deal between the UK and the EU. I know the tricks of the EU’s trade – and “tricks” is the key word here We’re being told this deal represents a new direction for Britain and its neighbour, a “new era”. It’s nothing of the sort. If anything, this “deal” is more of a repeat than a reset, a continuation of a long story of sellouts. I can claim some experience here. Having served as the

David Shipley

The problem with Shabana Mahmood’s electronic tag roll-out

David Gauke’s sentencing review, which will report this week, is going to be far bolder than anyone expected. Today it has been reported that the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood has secured £700 million of funding from the Treasury to buy 30,000 more electronic ‘tags’ which will be used to curfew people at home, track their alcohol and drug usage, and log where they have been. This will be a huge expansion of the tagging system, which currently oversees about 20,000 people. Given that the system is already struggling, it’s hard not to be sceptical about this announcement. At present, about 11,000 tag-wearers are people on bail, or immigration offenders, while