All the latest analysis of the day's news and stories
After the government’s Brexit Bill passed through the Commons unamended, whips, government ministers and Brexiteers were in the mood to celebrate. Alas, not everyone was on the same page. Although Diane Abbott was well enough to vote for Article 50 today, the shadow home secretary is far from happy about the government’s plans for a ‘Tory Brexit’. So, it was unfortunate timing
On this week’s episode, we consider Marine Le Pen’s path to power in France, whether we allow posh people to bluff their way to success, and why men aren’t ‘lunging’ at women in Ubers. The first round of the French presidential election will be held at the end of April, and, after a turbulent couple of months
Isabel Hardman has been investigating the social care issue in Surrey for the Spectator in recent days. Yesterday, she spoke to the man whose texts Jeremy Corbyn quoted at PMQs today, the leader of Surrey County Council, David Hodge. Isabel and Hodge spoke just after Tory-run Surrey County Council had made the decision not to
Well, now… would you just look at this. I’d read it here if I were you because I suspect it won’t be covered on the BBC News tonight. A large majority of Europeans are in total agreement with Donald Trump in his restriction upon immigrants from Muslim countries. Here are the figures. Now, never mind
The drink will be flowing in the government whips’ office tonight. For the Brexit Bill has passed through the Commons unamended and with an absolutely thumping majority at third reading of 372. This means that a clean bill will go to the House of Lords. This will strengthen the government’s hand there as peers will
Clive Lewis, the shadow Business Secretary has resigned from the shadow Cabinet. He has said that he couldn’t vote for an unamended Article 50 Bill, as the Labour front bench were being whipped to do, and so has quit Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow Cabinet. The question now becomes, does Lewis run for the leadership? He is
This week John Bercow was accused of double standards after he announced that he would not allow President Trump to address both Houses of Parliament. Putting aside the times world leaders with questionable human rights records have (a) addressed the House, and (b) shared tea with the Speaker, Bercow said Trump’s policies meant he was unworthy of
Another month, another declaration of extra-income from the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. According to the latest register of interests, George Osborne brought in over £90,000 last month for just five hours work. This means that Osborne managed to out earn his annual MP’s salary of £74,962 in less than a day. Mr S praises the
How to sabotage a deadly ambush. This was Jeremy Corbyn’s contribution to the political play-book today. He came to Parliament lethally armed. A cache of secret messages apparently between a Government wonk and the leader of Surrey County Council suggest some very shady goings-on. Mr Corbyn’s task was simple. Read out the intercepts and watch
Jeremy Corbyn ‘won’ PMQs today thanks to an old-fashioned ambush. The Labour leader had copies of texts that the leader of Surrey County Council thought he was sending to Nick at DCLG, presumably Sajid Javid’s special adviser Nick King, but which he had actually sent to another person. The texts seemed to suggest that a
After two days of testing Commons debates, Theresa May’s Brexit timetable remains on track. Yesterday’s ‘concession’ – or non-concession, depending on how you look at it – by ministers did enough to limit the extent of the Tory rebellion (only seven Conservative MPs went against the Government, despite earlier reports that as many as 20
As a Newcastle United fan, it was a bleak day when the Magpies announced a sponsorship deal with payday lender, Wonga. A company that charges extortionate levels of interest emblazoned across the chests of the players? Really? Thankfully, the NUFC/Wonga partnership is drawing to a close, much to the relief of legions of black and
On Tuesday, the Daily Politics aired a segment lifting the lid on the staff in No 10. Among the power players featured were the Prime Minister’s chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, her press secretary Lizzie Loudon and a man by the name of… Philip May. ‘One more activist seen working at CCHQ made his
A landmark legal decision announced today could improve the pension rights of unmarried couples working in the public sector. Denise Brewster, from Coleraine, was refused payments from her former partner’s pension after he died suddenly in December 2009. They had been living together for a decade. She argued she was the victim of ‘serious discrimination’.
I have a friend who lost three members of his family when an Islamic extremist drove a truck down the Promenade des Anglais in Nice on Bastille Day. When we saw each other at Christmas he said he had yet to decide whether to cast his vote for François Fillon or Marine Le Pen in
John Bercow has defended his comments about Donald Trump by saying his remarks were made ‘honestly and honourably’. Today’s editorials, however, do not see it that way. ‘This time he has gone too far,’ says the Daily Mail, which calls the Speaker an ‘egotistical publicity speaker’ and a ‘pipsqueak’. The Mail goes on to say
How times have changed. When Jeremy Corbyn first entered the Labour leadership race in the summer of 2015, Glenda Jackson — the former MP for Hampstead and Kilburn — wrote to him saying her only regret of not standing at the last election was that it meant she was unable to nominate him for the leadership. Has
For a second day running, the government yesterday defeated all amendments proposed to its Brexit bill. Most notably, MPs voted down Chris Leslie’s Labour amendment that would have stopped ministers striking a Brexit agreement until it had been passed by MPs and peers, by a comfortable majority of 33. This was an issue the government worried
The legalisation of cannabis is once again in the headlines. Following the death of his 21-year-old son Rupert Green, Lord Monson has called for a ‘war on skunk’ and the legalisation of less potent forms of cannabis. According to his father, Rupert became addicted to skunk, developed paranoia and psychosis, and took his own life. His death is
John Bercow has taken a lot of flak for his comments about Donald Trump. The Speaker has been accused of being an embarrassment to Parliament for saying Trump wouldn’t be welcome to address MPs during a state visit. But amidst all the fury, Bercow’s pre-emptive ban does touch on a deeper question about the muddled thinking
As the committee stage of the government’s Brexit bill rolls on, MPs have been debating a range of amendments. Signalling that she could back an amendment on parliamentary sovereignty, Claire Perry – a former transport minister defenestrated in Theresa May’s purge of the Osbornites – said that she had been left disappointed by the attitude of some
Given Theresa May’s largely meaningless ‘Brexit means Brexit’ refrain, any new pronouncement on Britain’s departure from the EU is treated like gold dust. But Keir Starmer fell into the trap of thinking Brexit minister David Jones’ opening remarks today had offered up a bigger morsel than they actually had. Jones confirmed, as Theresa May has
We’re looking for interns to spend a week or two with us here at The Spectator. We tend to get over a hundred applications for about a dozen places, and take the process seriously. Several of our recruits (Camilla Swift, Alex Massie, Sebastian Payne) first came through our doors as interns: when we have a vacancy,
It was a family affair at this year’s Oldie of the Year awards. The magazine’s new editor-in-chief Harry Mount — who paid tribute to his predecessor, the great Alexander Chancellor — was joined by his second cousin, David Cameron. The former prime minister told hacks at the reception how much he missed Larry, the No
The Government’s Article 50 bill emerged unscathed from yesterday’s first committee stage. Today won’t be so easy. As Isabel Hardman pointed out in her coverage of last night’s session, the real fireworks are expected this afternoon. The session will kick off at 1.30pm and end at around 8.30pm – giving seven hours for MPs to
The Twitter-cheering for John Bercow, the transformation of him into a Love, Actually-style hero of British middle-class probity against a gruff, migrant-banning Yank, could be the most grotesque political spectacle of the year so far. Not because it’s virtue-signalling, as claimed by the handful of brave critics who’ve raised their heads above the online orgy
Fibs, white lies, alternative facts. We all bend the truth from time-to-time, although for most of us that doesn’t include spouting nonsense from the podium of the White House press briefing room. When it comes to finance, we’re not exactly a nation of truth-tellers. I can relay multiple stories of people who have concealed chronic
The housing market is ‘broken’, ministers have conceded, as they unveiled the Government’s revised housing strategy. Under the plans, councils will be ordered to build thousands more homes, with an emphasis on high-rise blocks and city centre developments, The Guardian reports. The Government believes that too few councils have plans to meet England’s housing demand. It says
The Conservatives’ black-tie billionaire-laden black-and-white ball ain’t what it used to be. Although Nigella Lawson’s former personal assistant once complained that she would ‘rather go to jail than live in Battersea’, top Tories had to brush such qualms aside as they headed to Battersea Evolution for the annual fundraiser. Happily Mr S had a mole on the inside
John Bercow has grabbed the headlines this morning with his pronouncement on Donald Trump’s state visit. But was he right to voice his opinions about the President? No, says the Daily Telegraph which claims that Bercow was only speaking for one person when he said Trump would not be welcome addressing MPs in Westminster Hall: himself.
John Bercow is a little chap, and no harm in that, but does he really need to grandstand about his inviolable liberalism? Do we really need to know that ‘opposition to racism and sexism’ were ‘hugely important considerations’ in making him raise an issue which should have been left well alone, viz, the theoretical possibility
MPs are finally making their way out of Parliament – or staying for Ed Miliband’s late night adjournment debate – after the first day of Committee Stage of the Article 50 Bill. As explained earlier, the real fireworks are expected tomorrow, and any flashes of drama today came from MPs complaining about the lack of
Tools to help with ‘personal improvement’ were the big consumer trend of 2016. Whether it was healthy recipe boxes to overhaul your diet, a Fitbit to force you to exercise or apps to teach you another language on your commute, they were hard to avoid. Industries of all kinds predicted a future where goods and services
John Bercow has just declared that he will oppose an invitation for Donald Trump to speak in either Westminster Hall or the Royal Gallery when, or should that be if, the US President comes on a state visit to Britain. The Speaker of the House of Commons’ opposition makes it extremely difficult for any invitation