Politics

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

Monday

17 Mar 2025

Is Boris right about the ‘Boriswave’?

Boris Johnson is trying to wash his hands of the unprecedented wave of migration that has seen more than one million people move to the UK in each of the last three years. He was confronted about this ‘Boriswave’ on the Triggernometry podcast yesterday and told the hosts that rather than being the result of his decisions, Covid and the Migration Advisory Committee were to blame. Are his explanations convincing? First, he said the bounce was due to people leaving the country in the pandemic and returning afterwards: ‘If you look at what actually happened, the numbers go down, we had a huge number of people leave the country because of Covid…

James Heale

Badenoch lays claim to Thatcher’s legacy

It is a hundred years in October since Margaret Thatcher’s birth – so what Conservative leader would miss the chance to lay claim to the Iron Lady’s legacy? Kemi Badenoch was up this afternoon as the keynote speaker at the Centre for Policy Studies’ conference at the Guildhall in London. The theme of this year’s annual Tory shindig has been ‘remaking conservatism’ – and Badenoch clearly sees an opening to remake conservatism in her image. Her remarks this afternoon were brief but kept to the pattern of her leadership bid last summer. Badenoch dubbed Mrs Thatcher ‘the leader who saved our country: she didn’t arrive in office to manage decline;

Isabel Hardman

Do Labour know what they want from welfare reform?

Liz Kendall and her ministerial colleagues were forced to offer an hour’s worth of holding statements about the government’s welfare reforms this afternoon when they appeared at Work and Pensions Questions in the Commons. Those reforms are supposed to be coming in a green paper this week, probably tomorrow, but the Work and Pensions Secretary ended up dodging questions on whether she even had collective agreement from her colleagues. Those questions came from Kendall’s shadow Helen Whately in the topical section. When Whately asked whether there had been collective agreement, Kendall replied that the shadow minister would have to ‘show a little patience’, before mocking the Conservatives for having no

Brendan O’Neill

Happy St Patrick’s Day – but not for Ireland’s Jews

‘Céad míle fáilte’, the Irish love to say. It means ‘a hundred thousand welcomes’. It’s emblazoned in the arrivals hall at Dublin airport. You’ll see it written in the Celtic font on the walls of Ireland’s cosy pubs. It has led to Ireland being christened ‘the land of a thousand welcomes’, where all visitors, no matter their heritage, will be greeted with a hearty hug. The tragic truth is that Ireland is awash with Israelophobia Well, not all. There’s one group of people to whom Ireland’s famed friendliness seems not to extend. ‘Zionists are not welcome in Ireland’, barks an Irish leftie at an Israeli gentleman in a chilling video

Steerpike

Holyrood exodus: iPad scandal MSP’s worst moments

The Holyrood exodus continues as more SNP MSPs throw in the towel ahead of the 2026 election. While some of the party’s Westminster politicians gear up to contest the next Scottish parliament election, a number of famous faces are stepping down – including one Michael Matheson, who announced on Sunday that he would not be standing for re-election. How very interesting. The SNP’s former health secretary was forced out of his ministerial job after an unedifying few months, where he was accused of using a parliamentary device on holiday and, incredibly, attempting to make taxpayers pick up the tab. After serving in the Scottish Parliament for over a quarter of

Gavin Mortimer

Emmanuel Macron has Trump déjà vu

Emmanuel Macron hosted Mark Carney at the Elysee on Monday as both France and Canada work out how best to deal with Donald Trump. Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister last week, is in Europe to garner support for Canada amid growing tensions with the USA. In a joint press conference, Carney spoke of Canada’s desire to ‘reinforce its ties with reliable allies like France’. He added that it was necessary to ensure that ‘France and the whole of Europe works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, determined like you to maintain the most positive possible relations with the United States.’ Since he returned to

Dalibor Rohac

Why the EU must save Radio Free Europe

To the distress of many, Donald Trump’s senior advisor Kari Lake announced the discontinuation of federal funding for several iconic news outlets administered by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), including Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty (RFE-RL) and Voice of America. These multi-language broadcasters are not simply remnants of the Cold War, nor are they ‘a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer’, as Lake’s disgraceful announcement puts it. The US-funded news outlets that are being effectively closed down have been key to America’s soft power in the world, especially in unfree countries. Wait several months and RFE-RL will be effectively dead The Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, whose

Steerpike

The Royal College of GPs’ curious assisted dying U-turn

A curious decision by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP). The UK governing council of the group – which represents GPs across Great Britain and Northern Ireland – opted on Friday to change its long-standing policy on assisted dying. It has now shifted to a position of neither supporting nor opposing assisted dying, prompting Kim Leadbeater to hail the decision as ‘welcome’. In a glossy graphic, she added that ‘evidence from other countries where similar legislation has been passed’ suggests ‘more and more health professionals come to support it and participate in it’. But Mr S is a little confused as to why the College should choose now to perform

David Ross

Labour’s Schools Bill is undoing Britain’s successes

At the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, Noah Hanson won a silver medal for Team England in the 110m hurdles. He was only 0.04 seconds behind the Gold Medal winner and he has gone on to represent Team GB at international events. Noah attended the Bobby Moore Academy on the Olympic Park, a school with a strong sporting ethos. Opened in 2017 by the David Ross Education Trust, I personally invested a significant amount of time and financial resources to ensure the sporting legacy of 2012 was more than just a pipe dream. Noah now attends the University of Houston in the United States, running for one of the US college

Steerpike

Shakespeare Trust: celebrating Bard ‘benefits white supremacy’

In a society obsessed with political correctness and progressiveness, nothing is sacred – not, it seems, even William Shakespeare. It transpires that the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns a number of buildings in the bard’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, is working on plans to ensure the writer’s place of origin will be ‘decolonised’. The move, as reported by the Telegraph, follows concerns that depicting Shakespeare as one of the greatest playwrights ‘benefits the ideology of white European supremacy’. Er, right. In a bid to push a ‘more inclusive museum experience’, the Birthplace Trust has announced it will distance itself from Western views on the poet and decolonise its vast collection. The

James Heale

Can the Tories save their education legacy?

13 min listen

Bridget Phillipson’s schools bill is back in the Commons today. The scope of the legislation is twofold: firstly, looking at the welfare of children in schools and secondly at fundamentally changing the landscape of secondary education by doing away with academies (and with it the legacy of the previous Conservative government on education). The plan has been read by many – including former head of Ofsted Amanda Spielman, who joins today’s podcast – as Labour pandering to the unions and perhaps even prioritising the adults (union members) over the children. Amendments to the bill will be debated this afternoon, including a Tory amendment that would ban phones in schools, although it

Matthew Lynn

It’s impossible to make Scottish politicians financially literate

Even the OECD has finally noticed. The Paris-based policy forum is normally always in favour of higher taxes and more government spending. But the Scottish parliament has clearly pushed even the left-leaning think tanks too far. The OECD has just recommended that MSPs be given training in financial literacy. If the OECD gets its way, there could soon be a classroom outside the Holyrood building, and any MSPs who don’t do their prep will have to stay behind. As part of a review of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, it has recommended that the country’s politicians be trained in finance and economics. ‘Strengthening levels of fiscal literacy among members of the

Michael Simmons

The OECD’s growth downgrade is yet another headache for Reeves

In more bad news for Rachel Reeves as the Chancellor prepares for next week’s Spring Statement, the OECD has downgraded Britain’s growth prospects. The organisation forecast the UK’s economy to grow 1.4 per cent this year and then just 1.2 per cent next year – compared with the 1.7 per cent and 1. 3 per cent that they’d previously estimated. In fairness, the whole world is seeing slower growth, according to the OECD’s estimates. America’s growth forecasts were also downgraded to 2.2 per cent this year, followed by 1.6 per cent in 2026 compared with the 2.4 per cent and 3.1 per cent that had originally been forecast. The report’s

Steerpike

Did Prince Harry lie on his immigration files?

Once again, the spotlight is back on the monarch of Montecito. A US judge has now ruled that Prince Harry’s visa documents must be made public by Tuesday – in a bid to find out whether the Duke of Sussex lied on his immigration files about drug use. In the end, truth will out… The release of the documents will help shed light on whether the Prince misled authorities over historic drug use. It is thought that the visa paperwork may include forms that would show whether the California-based monarch ticked ‘no’ when asked if he used illegal drugs – after both his own memoir, Spare, and his Netflix series,

James Snell

Why US airstrikes on the Houthis will fail

The United States has started what might well prove to be a long – and probably doomed – campaign of air strikes against Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, in Yemen. Since October 2023, the Houthis have been very successfully disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, firing missiles and launching drones at cargo ships, oil tankers, passenger vessels: hitting a few, sinking fewer, and inconveniencing millions. While few ships have been hit, fewer sunk, and even fewer people killed by this campaign, the numbers speak for themselves. Fewer and fewer ships are transiting the region, including using the Suez Canal to cut journey times between Asia and Europe. World

Sam McPhail

The redemption of Joelinton

Five years ago, the Brazilian midfielder Joelinton was one of the Premier League’s worst players. But yesterday he was Newcastle’s best in their 2-1 win over Liverpool in the League Cup final. Spurred on by the clamour of the final, his gladiatorial style overpowered Liverpool’s meek midfield. He celebrated every tackle like a goal, buoying teammates and fans alike. After a third crucial tackle, the commentators purred in unison: ‘That’s his hat-trick.’ Now he’s been called up to the Brazilian national side. His redemption is without end. Perhaps the circumstances of Joelinton’s arrival at Newcastle in the summer of 2019 were unfair. Manager Steve Bruce originally bought the Brazilian as

Jonathan Sacerdoti

Britain is facing a reckoning on anti-Semitism

It is difficult to fathom how an incident as horrifying as the kidnapping of Israeli musician Itay Kashti by three men in Wales barely registered as a blip on the national news agenda. In any just world, this crime – motivated by anti-Semitic hatred, religious fanaticism, and a chilling sense of political grievance – should have dominated headlines. It should have sparked national debate, serious introspection, and urgent discussions about the growing wave of anti-Semitism sweeping the UK and beyond. And yet, aside from a handful of reports, silence reigned. Kashti was lured to a remote cottage in Llanybydder, Wales, on 26 August 2024, under the false pretence of a

Katy Balls

Can Keir Starmer stem the welfare rebellion?

Keir Starmer is gearing up for a showdown with his party as the Prime Minister prepares to unveil his welfare reforms. On Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will announce the details of the government’s plan to shake up the benefits system in a bid to reduce the ballooning welfare bill and get more people back into work. The measures mooted have already proved controversial – there was talk of an announcement last week, for example, only for it to be delayed as final details were thrashed out. The measures Kendall is expected to include in what is being touted as £5 billion in savings involve tightening the eligibility

Eliot Wilson

The problem with Starmer’s peacekeeping plan for Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer has been tireless in his diplomatic efforts to construct a ‘coalition of the willing’ and send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine. At the weekend, he hosted a conference call with 29 other world leaders, and on Thursday the defence secretary, John Healey, will convene a meeting of military chiefs at the MoD’s Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood ‘to put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security’. The Prime Minister’s commitment is firm and public. Along with likely partners France, Turkey, Canada and Australia, the United Kingdom is ready to contribute to a military force of up

Henry Donovan

How Friedrich Merz betrayed his voters

German politics has delivered yet another masterclass in how to betray your voters while maintaining a straight face. This time it is Friedrich Merz, the supposedly steel-spined conservative who spent years critiquing Angela Merkel’s drift leftward, who has now managed to outdo even his predecessor’s talent for abandonment of what he promised. Merz’s capitulation on Germany’s constitutional debt brake – a cornerstone of his campaign – took precisely fourteen days. Not even Britain’s most notorious policy flip-floppers could match such efficiency. The CDU leader who thundered about fiscal discipline on the campaign trail has now, with indecent haste, embraced the Social Democrats’ spend-now-worry-later philosophy, leaving Germany’s vaunted Swabian housewife –