Politics

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

Friday

Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

Archbishop of Canterbury: who's on the shortlist?

22 min listen

It is 10 months since the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury. Now, finally, the Crown Nominations Commission is believed to have drawn up a shortlist of candidates, and a successor to Welby could be approved by October. Theologian and author Andrew Graystone joins Damian Thompson to talk through what he calls ‘a weak list’ of potential candidates – weak because there are no obvious frontrunners and the Commission is choosing between ‘half a dozen equals’.  These range from the more talked-about Michael Beasley (Bath and Wells), Guli France-Dehqani (Chelmsford) and Rose Hudson-Wilson (Dover) [all pictured in the thumbnail] to the ‘others’: Stephen Lake (Salisbury), Martyn Snow (Leicester),

Travis Aaroe

The Mandelson 'joke' fell flat in Washington

Lord Peter Mandelson is to the “Third Way” what Roger Stone is to populism – an alte kameraden from the freewheeling early days. A pinstriped broker and fixer. Whatever ultimately comes of the association with Jeffrey Epstein that has just cost him his job as ambassador to the United States, that such a figure was ever appointed to the role in the first place is telling. It shows that contemporary Britain is an insular sort of place, virtually deaf to the outside world. To Britain’s political class, Mandelson is something of an in-joke To Britain’s political class, Mandelson is something of an in-joke. He was one of the principal architects of New

Steerpike Steerpike

Penalty fares surge after Jenrick Tube stunt

Robert Jenrick has had a good summer. Back in June, the shadow justice secretary caused a social media stir when he clipped a video of himself confronting Tube passengers walking through barriers. The minute-long piece – in which one fare dodger threatens the Tory MP with a knife – received millions of views and helped raise Jenrick’s public profile outside of the Westminster bubble. And now Mr S can reveal it appears to have had some real-life consequences. It transpires that after the publication of Jenrick’s video, the Transport for London (TfL) started cracking down on fare dodgers too. A Freedom of Information response to Steerpike’s questions on fare dodgers

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Britain’s growth figures are even worse than they look

Keir Starmer should be thankful for Lord Mandelson. Were it not for scandal over the Mandelson’s connections with Jeffrey Epstein, more people might have noticed an even greater disgrace this morning. The Prime Minister’s promise of ‘growth, growth, growth’ has ploughed spectacularly into the ground. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reports today that there was zero growth in the economy in July, and just 0.2 per cent of growth in the three months to July. Besides being lousy news in itself, it is likely to lead to a further downgrading of future growth forecasts, resulting in the Chancellor having an even bigger black hole in her Budget, necessitating even

Steerpike Steerpike

Lords line up against assisted dying

Happy Friday, one and all. It is a big day in the House of Lords as peers gear up to scrutinise Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Bill. A potentially record-breaking 191 peers have put their names to speak, with many expressing concern about the legal, political and moral consequences of the Bill. Among those scheduled to speak today is Baroness May of Maidenhead, the former Prime Minister, who is expected to lead the charge against the legislation. And research suggests she will not be alone. For Steerpike has got his hands on the speaking list for day one of the Leadbeater Bill, which was sent this morning to peers. Some 95

Andrew Tettenborn

Lord Hermer is dangerously wrong about the ECHR

How things change. Five years ago few electors cared about the UK’s membership of the ECHR. Today that same convention, with its baneful effect on our ability to police our borders and keep out undesirables, is fast taking centre stage and becoming Concern Number One with burgeoning numbers of voters: voters who, as the government knows to its consternation, increasingly doubt Labour’s ability or even willingness to do much about it. You can have ECHR membership plus loyal adherence to its requirements, or alternatively you can have a proper border policy. You can’t have both No doubt this is why the Attorney-General Lord Hermer, undoubtedly with the backing of the

Richard Johnson

Could Wes Streeting move against Keir Starmer?

Angela Rayner’s failure to get proper tax advice on her house in Hove could be one of those ‘butterfly effect’ moments, where a seemingly trivial incident (like the flap of a butterfly’s wings) sets off a chain of events with precipitous consequences. It could well lead to Keir Starmer’s removal as Labour leader. This is Streeting’s best chance of ever becoming party leader Labour is not unfamiliar with butterfly moments. In 2012, the Labour MP for Falkirk, Eric Joyce, headbutted a Conservative MP in Strangers’ Bar in Parliament, after growling, ‘There are too many fucking Tories in here’. The internal process to select Joyce’s parliamentary successor was so flawed that

Nick Cohen Nick Cohen

Keir Starmer was a fool to ever tie himself to Peter Mandelson

There is a unique, and bitter, flavour to the corruption of the men of the 1990s. Peter Mandelson – who was yesterday sacked as UK ambassador to Washington – Tony Blair, and the former German and US leaders Gerhard Schroeder and Bill Clinton came from the left, and offered a hard but plausible message to their supporters. The right had monopolised power under Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, they said. The only way to win in the late 20th century was for Labour in the UK, the Democrats in the US, and the Social Democrats in Germany to abandon their old notions of standing up to the bosses on behalf of the

Thursday

Michael Gove

Why Mandelson had to go & the legacy of Charlie Kirk

40 min listen

In this bonus episode Michael and Madeline tackle two extraordinary political stories. First, the dramatic resignation of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador, following renewed scrutiny of his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Why did Keir Starmer take so long to act – and what does the debacle reveal about his leadership style? Then, across the Atlantic, America is reeling from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Michael and Madeline reflect on the tragedy, what it means for free speech, and whether political violence is reshaping the way debate happens in the public square. Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

Steerpike Steerpike

Labour by-election campaign in meltdown

Oh dear. It’s not just in Westminster that Keir Starmer’s party is having trouble. Welsh Labour are also having a meltdown as they prepare to face their next electoral test. The Caerphilly by-election – called after the tragic death of Hefin David – has kicked off in earnest, ahead of polling day on 23 October. The Welsh parliamentary constituency has been held by Labour since its creation in 1999. But it seems that the reds are doing all they can to lose this onetime safe seat, with both Plaid and Reform UK breathing down their necks… The Labour leader of Caerphilly council has sensationally resigned and left the Labour Party

Tim Shipman

Kemi Badenoch has a sliver of hope

I can’t remember when I last wrote anything as reckless, but the last week has been a good one for Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives, perhaps the best since she won the leadership last November.  After months of ineffectual performances (not least the week before when Badenoch missed an open goal on Angela Rayner’s stamp duty shemozzle) the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition landed a bullseye by going after Peter Mandelson on Wednesday. Keir Starmer was notably uncomfortable defending his Washington ambassador.  To reinforce the pain, Neil O’Brien, near-universally welcomed as the new Tory head of policy in Badenoch’s reshuffle, showed how smart he was by tabling an Urgent Question

Madeline Grant

How could Starmer not see the Mandelson disaster coming?

‘Oh, Mandy Well, you kissed me And stopped me from shaking And I need you today Oh, Mandy’ So sang Barry Manilow. I can imagine at one point, looking into his bathroom mirror, in the early days of his leadership, so did Sir Keir Starmer. Today, however, the government needed Mandy like a hole in the head.  Lord Mandelson having to resign in disgrace is one of the cast iron rules of British politics Lord Mandelson having to resign in disgrace is one of the cast iron rules of British politics. That Sir Keir couldn’t have predicted this – or more likely, thought he could rough it out – speaks to

Tim Shipman

Prince of Darkness sacked (again)

22 min listen

Another week, another departure. Conservative MP Neil O’Brien – who serves in the shadow cabinet as minister for policy renewal and development – was granted an urgent question in Parliament this morning, to question the government about Peter Mandelson. Then the news broke that Lord Mandelson had been sacked by Keir Starmer following further disclosures about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Neil joins Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss the latest developments and also the questions that still remain: what did they know about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein; if they didn’t know, why didn’t they know; and will the government be forced to release their vetting files on Mandelson’s

Steerpike Steerpike

Farage: UK ambassador to US job 'very tempting'

A day is a long time in politics. On Wednesday Keir Starmer said during PMQs he had full confidence in the UK’s ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, despite concerns about his relationship with American paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Less than 24 hours later, Mandelson has got the sack. Life comes at you fast, eh? While the Prime Minister and his team figure out how to fend off further questions about exactly what was known – and when – about the details of Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted abuser, attention is beginning to turn to who might step into the Prince of Darkness’s shoes. The Labour veteran was valuable in the US

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Ed Miliband’s lonely war on the North Sea

When even green energy tycoons are telling him to embrace the North Sea oil and gas industries, Ed Miliband really is beginning to look somewhat isolated. Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity and a Labour donor (as well as a former donor to Just Stop Oil, no less), has made an extraordinary intervention today, suggesting that the North Sea be offered the same subsidies as are granted to the operators of wind and solar farms. ‘It’s time for Labour to put its arms around the North Sea,’ he says. ‘Our North Sea is in decline, let’s protect it during the transition and optimise our use of resources that are left.’ Remarkably,

Steerpike Steerpike

Labour MP's office targeted in suspected arson attack

It’s not been a quiet news week. From Israel’s strikes in Qatar to Russian drones appearing in Polish airspace to the increasing scrutiny of Donald Trump over Jeffrey Epstein – and the sacking of UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson over his links to the paedophile – there’s been no let up. In the last 24 hours, the theme of political violence has dominated the news too. The death of political activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk has shocked people across the world, after he was shot during an event at Utah Valley University last night. And today, closer to home, a Labour MP awoke to find her constituency

James Heale James Heale

Lord Mandelson sacked as US ambassador

Peter Mandelson has been sacked as British Ambassador to the United States after further revelations emerged about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Mandelson less than 24 hours after insisting: ‘I have confidence in him’. Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told the House of Commons this morning that Mandelson was dismissed ‘in light of additional information’. Mandelson has now become the first public figure in modern British history to have been forced out office for three different scandals across four different decades. It follows two days of controversy after emails between Mandelson and the paedophile financier were published. In one letter, he called Epstein his

Alexander Larman

Will Prince Harry keep quiet about his meeting with King Charles?

The King received a man at Clarence House yesterday afternoon who has a justifiable right to be aggrieved with the ill treatment that has been meted over to him over the years. He has been unfairly discriminated against for reasons that are not his fault, and he has dealt with the opprobrium that has been hurled his way with dignity, maturity and personal righteousness. If he has a persecution complex, then he can hardly be blamed for having developed such a thing. He deserves our respect and admiration. Yes, King Charles’s encounter with Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg, for whom he performed an investiture, was important and no doubt affecting for

James Heale James Heale

Emily Thornberry drops out of Labour deputy leadership contest

Emily Thornberry has this morning dropped out of the race to be Labour’s new deputy leader. The one-time shadow foreign secretary was the first to signal that she wanted the job, using an interview on the BBC on Sunday to politely fillet Keir Starmer’s government. But, in a race dominated by identity politics, she was always going to struggle. Despite her many fans in the media, Thornberry could not muster more than 13 public declarations of support from MPs. Too many of her colleagues reasoned they could not elect a north London lawyer to act as deputy to another north London lawyer. ‘At least Emily has a personality,’ mused one