Politics

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

Wednesday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will there ever be a break in the partygate scandal?

9 min listen

The Prime Minister tried to start today’s PMQs with an announcement to fire up the right of his base, an early end to all Covid restrictions. But the partygate scandal is the gift that keeps on giving when during the Commons session a new photo leaked of Boris Johnson at a Christmas quiz with a bottle of Prosecco and a colleague draped in tinsel. Isabel Hardman is joined by James Forsyth and Katy Balls to break down today’s events in Westminster.

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

PMQs: Boris looks chipper for a man on the brink

And still they try. MPs are desperate to get the Prime Minister to quit, live on TV, during PMQs. As if that’s about to happen. Sir Starmer has spent the last week polishing his puns. The busy wordsmith has spotted that the verb ‘scrap’ may mean ‘fight’ as well as ‘abolish’. Inspired by this linguistic accident he asked the PM to stop ‘scrapping’ with his Chancellor and get on with ‘scrapping’ his new emergency energy package. Brilliant! What a barb! How Suzie Dent must have marvelled at Professor Starmer’s verbal dexterity.  But as the applause from Dictionary Corner died away, it became clear that puns count for nothing in the

Kate Andrews Kate Andrews

Exclusive: Leaked NHS report shows waiting list hitting 9.2 million

Before the pandemic hit, NHS England waiting lists were at a record high of 4.4 million. Three lockdowns later, they’ve risen to six million: an unacceptable figure for a Tory government that has spent years trying to rebrand itself as the ‘party of the NHS’. Boris Johnson’s decision to break his manifesto pledge and raise taxes was directly linked to the idea that the money would first be funnelled into the health service to fix the backlog. So can he now deliver for patients? When Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced his ‘elective recovery plan’ in the House of Commons on Tuesday, he said that the waiting list would start shrinking

Joanna Williams

Carry on Carrie: why I’ve changed my mind about our ‘first lady’

Who exactly is the Prime Minister’s wife? To some, she’s Carrie Antoinette, the extravagant demander of gold wallpaper who spent lockdown ambushing her unsuspecting husband with parties and cake. To others, she’s a young wife and new mum under attack by sexist patriarchs intent on ousting Boris from No. 10. Our national obsession with Carrie Johnson knows no bounds. The latest round of intrigue comes courtesy of Lord Ashcroft and his new book, First Lady. The title alone wryly signals Carrie has overstepped the mark into a starring role that is fundamentally un-British. Its shocking contents detail alleged incidents of behind-the-scenes interference, from ‘impersonating’ Boris in text messages to whispered

Steerpike Steerpike

Why is the BBC saying Boris’s Savile claims are false?

Is Boris Johnson’s claim that Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile ‘false’? The BBC certainly thinks so. During the Radio 6 bulletins last night, a BBC newsreader stated:  The Commons Speaker has rebuked Boris Johnson over his false claim that Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile after the Labour leader was targetted by protesters.  It’s obvious that the dispute isn’t nearly as clear cut as the BBC is making out Last week, the Prime Minister said during a Commons statement that Starmer had spent his time as head of the Crown Prosecution Service ‘prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile’. An odd response to questions about the

Sam Leith Sam Leith

The Centenary of Kerouac

42 min listen

This year marks the centenary of the birth of Jack Kerouac. As Penguin publishes a lavish new edition of On The Road to mark the occasion, I’m joined by two Kerouac scholars. Holly George-Warren is working on the definitive biography of Kerouac (her previous work includes Lives of Gene Autry and Janis Joplin), and Simon Warner co-edited Kerouac on Record: A Literary Soundtrack and runs Rock and the Beat Generation. They tell me how On The Road came to be written, how it stands up now, and what made ‘the Beats’ beat.

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

PMQs: Boris’s anger over new partygate picture

The takeaway moment from today’s PMQs came not in the main exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer but later in the session. Labour MP Fabian Hamilton asked about a just-published photo of the Prime Minister with an open bottle of prosecco alongside staff wearing tinsel at a Downing Street Christmas quiz. At the time, social gatherings were banned under lockdown restrictions. One of the many holding lines of days past about this particular event was that it couldn’t be a party because there was no alcohol. This changed that. Hamilton demanded that Johnson refer the party — which is not currently the subject of a police investigation —

Steerpike Steerpike

Thérèse Coffey roasts Neil Coyle

Parliament’s work and pensions committee isn’t normally where the fireworks fly, but all that changed this morning. Labour backbencher Neil ‘Carling’ Coyle tried to take a pop at Thérèse Coffey, the closest thing 2022 has to a modern Barbara Castle. After Coyle became frustrated with the answers he was getting from the karaoke-loving Cabinet minister, he turned his attention to Coffey’s own future, irritatedly asking her: There was a rumour that the Secretary of State was going to resign. Is that the reason why you can’t answer any questions today? Because you’ve got one foot out of the door? Cool as a cucumber, Coffey delivered a magisterial rebuke to the Bermondsey backbencher:

Steerpike Steerpike

Priti’s failed crackdown on foreign criminals

Priti Patel likes to talk a good game on foreign crooks. In numerous tweets and briefings, she’s railed against those who ‘poison our communities, ruin lives and cash in on vulnerable people,’ as part of the Witham MP’s war on crime. But when it comes to deporting those convicted of crimes, it seems that the Home Secretary’s record doesn’t exactly match up to her rhetoric, judging by new figures obtained by Mr S. For the number of serious offenders being deported from Britain has dropped by 65 per cent over the past five years – despite Patel’s promises of a ‘crackdown’ to overhaul the legal system.  Home Office statistics obtained under the Freedom of

Koshka Duff

It’s time to defund the police

Last year I finally received an apology from the police after I was violently strip-searched in 2013. Video footage subsequently emerged of officers at Stoke Newington police station using ‘sexist, derogatory and unacceptable language’ to discuss my ill-treatment. I was arrested after attempting to hand information to a black 15-year-old about his rights during a stop and search, then forcibly stripped when I refused to give police my details. Officers were recorded joking about whether my body was ‘rank’. ‘What’s that smell?’ asked one officer. ‘Oh yeah, it’s her knickers’. What happened to me was not exceptional. The solicitor for another victim last week described the use of strip searches to

Stephen Daisley Stephen Daisley

Lock them up? Not in Sturgeon’s Scotland

One of the great disappointments of devolution has been the failure of the Scottish parliament to pursue novel ways of fixing political problems. Whether on educational attainment, health indicators, waiting times or economic development, it’s difficult to argue that Scotland under devolution is fundamentally different from how it would have looked had the country voted no in 1997. But one area where that observation is becoming harder to sustain is criminal justice: the SNP has grown in confidence in recent years and a more liberal — or at least a more nuanced — policy is taking shape. The SNP’s justice secretary Keith Brown set out the latest iteration of this

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

The snobbish attacks on Nadine Dorries

I see the establishment has a new sport: mocking Nadine Dorries. They really do hate her. Or rather, they love taking the mick out of her. She looks drunk! She only has one book on her shelf! She gives car-crash interviews! She wouldn’t know culture if it bit her on the behind! You don’t need a PhD in class studies to work out what’s motoring this frenzied Nadine-bashing: classic, old-fashioned snobbery. You know a political trend has taken off when it finds its way even on to Instagram, the only social media I use. When even this normally peaceful virtual world of cats and selfies is invaded by political memes,

Tuesday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

What to make of the mini reshuffle?

15 min listen

A mini reshuffle has happened, but this time nobody has been fired. Is this a sign of Boris Johnson being strategic? Or is it more an advertisement of the little room he has to manoeuvre?Also on the podcast, James and Isabel discuss the NHS backlog. Today the Health Secretary was forced to admit to MPs that the NHS waiting list in England, which already stands at a record 6 million, will keep on growing for another two years. What are the holes in his new plan? All to be discussed as Isabel Hardman speaks to James Forsyth.

Steerpike Steerpike

The Saj gets a rebrand

Sajid Javid is having a bit of a tough time at the moment. Under pressure from Labour’s new golden boy Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary was forced to admit to MPs today that the NHS waiting list in England, which already stands at a record six million, will keep on growing for another two years. In such difficult times, with the health service at breaking point and Tory tensions over tax rises to fix it, ‘the Saj’ will need every brilliant idea he can seize. So Steerpike enjoyed hearing about Javid’s latest initiative to inspire his under-pressure health department. In his desperation for new ideas, the Bromsgrove MP has launched a new

Patrick O’Flynn Patrick O'Flynn

Will Starmer apologise for his slur against Boris?

Well I don’t know about you, but I definitely heard a nasty slur flung from one leader to another during the parliamentary debate on the Sue Gray report. Not Boris Johnson’s claim that Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile while he was Director of Public Prosecutions. That was merely a pathetic, unbecoming, unwise and unfair insult thrown from a position of weakness and unattractive impetuosity. No, the insult that had me taking a sharp intake of breath was one made moments earlier by Starmer towards Johnson. It ran as follows:  ‘Just as he has done throughout his life, he has damaged everyone and everything around him along the

Steerpike Steerpike

Peers go to polls in hereditary by-election

It’s by-election day in Parliament. No, not another chance for voters to give Boris Johnson a bloody nose over ‘partygate’; but rather the opportunity for one of Britain’s blue-blooded families to take their place in the Upper House. For this contest is fought in the Lords, not the Commons, with votes limited to Tory peers choosing amongst themselves which of them should take Matt Ridley’s seat, following his retirement from the chamber in December. Ridley was one of 42 hereditary peers elected by the Conservative hereditary peers, as part of the total 92 agreed as a compromise by Tony Blair in 1999. Voting is taking place on the parliamentary estate until 5

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Boris’s reshuffle reveals his weakness

Boris Johnson’s attempted reset is underway, with a mini-reshuffle announced this afternoon. The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to his top team as part of his efforts to signal to Tory MPs that he has taken on board criticism of his operation and will improve it.   The most striking aspect of this reshuffle is Johnson’s apparent reluctance to upset anyone As part of the changes, Mark Spencer has been moved from his role as chief whip to leader of the house — with Chris Heaton Harris brought in as his replacement. Jacob Rees-Mogg has been moved from leader of the house to minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency — in

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

The Starmer mob moral panic

In the long history of British democracy, politicians have from time to time been heckled and abused by rowdy loons on their way to the House of Commons. It was Keir Starmer’s turn yesterday, again, as a gaggle of hooligans shouted unpleasant remarks at him. When these things happen, it’s seldom an edifying spectacle. But it is probably a price worth paying for having a parliament in the middle of London which MPs travel to in open streets – rather than shuttling in and out of some hyper-secure and dystopian administrative bubble. What happened to Starmer yesterday is no worse than what anybody who has been with away fans to

Ross Clark Ross Clark

A windfall tax on oil giants would harm – not help – pensioners

Look up this year’s performance of the shares and bonds which make up your pension fund and you will see that BP and Shell are the rare chinks of light. BP is up 15 per cent and Shell up 20 per cent, with both enjoying bumper profits on the back of high oil and gas prices. Cue, then, for Labour and the Lib Dems to demand a windfall tax in order to confiscate some of these profits. The money ought to be used, Eds Miliband and Davey have said this morning, to help people pay their heating bills. In both their minds ‘dividends’ and ‘shareholders’ are rude words – whereas in

Annabel Denham

The cost of online safety

Few people in Britain will have heard of the draft Online Safety Bill. Fewer still will oppose it. Protecting children against harm and exploitation online is an entirely rational goal in modern-day society. And when the Culture Secretary is boldly promising, as Nadine Dorries did at the weekend, to ‘bring order to the online world’ and ‘force social media companies to take responsibility for the toxic abuse that floods their platforms,’ it can be quite convincing: painting the web as a virtual Wild West that governments urgently need to regulate. Doubtless, the internet is home to abhorrent abuse that isn’t acceptable in any circumstance. Beyond that, there are instances of