All the latest analysis of the day's news and stories
‘Why this sudden restlessness, this confusion?’ asked C.P. Cavafy in his poem ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’: Because night has fallen and the barbarians have not come. And some who have just returned from the border say there are no barbarians any longer. And now, what’s going to happen to us without barbarians? They were, those
I am extremely shocked by the news of Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation and the way he has behaved. Having worked alongside him as a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, I have seen that he championed the very package of reforms to disability benefits he now says is the reason he has resigned. I
In one of the most extraordinary political interviews of recent times, Iain Duncan Smith has warned that the government ‘is in danger of drifting in a direction which divides society rather than unites it.’ He repeatedly, and pointedly, argued that in drawing up policy the Tories have to have a care for those who don’t,
Blue collars are all the rage in the Tory party these days, which makes Stephen Crabb a very fashionable cabinet minister. It’s no surprise that he has just been named the successor to Iain Duncan Smith: his backstory is perfect, and is driven by the same social justice agenda. He was brought up in a Welsh council
Imagine how different politics would be now if George Osborne had moved to the Foreign Office after the election. He would have left the Treasury with his economic and political strategy vindicated by the election result and wouldn’t be involved in this deeply damaging row with Iain Duncan Smith. For Osborne to have a former leader,
Well, that was quick. In his letter responding to Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation, the Prime Minister has this to say:- “We collectively agreed – you, No10 and the Treasury – proposals which you and your Department then announced a week ago. Today, we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together
Earlier, I republished my interview with Stephen Crabb, the new Work and Pensions Secretary. He was, then, Wales Secretary – not all of his (many) thoughts on welfare reform made the cut. So I’ve been through the transcript, and posted more of this comments below: they give a better idea of what the new welfare secretary is like.
The prime suspect for the Paris terrorist attacks has just been captured in a police raid in (you guessed it) Brussels. Salah Abdeslam has been shot in the leg by police commandos, we’re told, and has been taken for questioning. Where did they find him? In Molenbeek, the district that has quickly become known as the terrorist hub of Europe. “We
I’ve just recorded a podcast with Fraser Nelson about why Iain Duncan Smith resigned as Work & Pensions Secretary earlier this evening. Here it is:-
In the last few minutes, Iain Duncan Smith has released a letter of resignation from his post as Work & Pensions Secretary. The proximate cause is the Budget cuts to disability benefits. He knew about them, but had wanted a consultation paper to be published so the government could make the argument carefully, over many weeks, given that this
Many moons ago, Charles J Haughey, Taoiseach of the 26 free counties, bestowed a great compliment upon an up-and-coming young Fianna Fail politician. Bertie Ahern, Haughey observed, was the coming force: “He’s the man. He’s the best, the most skilful, the most devious, and the most cunning of them all.” Now, granted, that kind of praise was
Oh dear. Gareth Bennett may soon regret his decision to appear on today’s Daily Politics. Bennett, who leads Ukip’s regional list in South Wales Central, agreed to be interviewed on the show after he came under fire this week for blaming increased litter in Cardiff on East European migrants. During his appearance on the BBC
While Boris Johnson is firmly behind the Out campaign in the EU referendum, his father Stanley, sister Rachel and brother Jo are all backing Remain. So, has the difference in opinion led to any family conflict? Last night at a French embassy Jo — the minister for science and universities — appeared at first to hint at
When an ICM phone poll this week had Labour level with the Tories for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader, even the pollster cast doubt on the finding. But today, YouGov has Labour ahead by a point—34% to 33%. YouGov’s Anthony Wells says that this suggests ‘something is genuinely afoot’. Now, as the
I am incredibly proud of the welfare reforms that the Government has delivered over the last five years. Those reforms have helped to generate record rates of employment and in particular a substantial reduction in workless households. As you know, the advancement of social justice was my driving reason for becoming part of your ministerial
Anders Behring Breivik – the Norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in 2011 – has for the last few days been involved in a human rights trial in his prison in the south of Norway. Many would argue that, for a person in jail, he has a fairly cushy life – particularly given his crime.
In part of his Budget manspreading this week, George Osborne stole Nicky Morgan’s announcement that councils will be forced to relinquish control of all schools, so every single one is an Academy. As Philip Collins says in the Times today, this doesn’t mean they’ll all get better – he rather scorns the idea. But his
Chancellors of the Exchequer love to play God. But the hardest lesson they have to learn is that the most imaginative financial innovations usually have the most surprising unintended consequences. In his latest Budget, George Osborne, torn over whether to peck at the UK pensions regime or completely overhaul it, has tried to have it
The devil is in the detail – as George Osborne is finding out to his cost. Following the Chancellor’s 2016 Budget, delivered to the House of Commons on Wednesday, companies, financial experts and journalists have been poring over the fine print. In a damning verdict, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that Britons should ‘all
This week’s Question Time saw David Dimbleby joined by a panel comprised of Emily Thornberry, Roger Helmer, Nicky Morgan, Tasmina Sheikh and Institute of Economic Affairs director Mark Littlewood. With the Budget up for debate, Morgan found herself having to defend her party’s planned cuts. Alas things didn’t go to plan when she appeared to
Yesterday George Osborne found himself accused of using spin to distract attention from his missed financial targets — with the introduction of the sugar tax. Matters weren’t helped when the Chancellor’s former chief of staff Rupert Harrison appeared to admit — in a BBC interview — that the tax was introduced in the hope that it
George Osborne gave middle England plenty to smile about in yesterday’s Budget by cutting business rates, helping savers and taking 600,000 people out of higher rate tax. Today’s Money blog looks at the day after the night before while, in other financial news, Fidelity International has warned that the retirement income gap is not just a
Zac Goldsmith’s campaign for mayor is nothing if not ambitious. Despite lagging behind Sadiq Khan in the polls, the Conservative candidate remains hopeful that he can beat the Labour candidate in the mayoral race. In fact, Goldsmith’s team appear to be so confident that they are even going after individuals who are unlikely to be convinced to vote blue.
March is the cruellest month if you’re Irish and venture out of Ireland, breeding plastic leprechauns from dead Tesco aisles, mixing green food colouring with American beer, and stirring dull copy from hacks. Come the third week of March, the Huffington Post is telling us how to make green beer – handy for me as
Is George Osborne’s newly announced Budget already losing him the youth vote? After the Chancellor of the Exchequer revealed plans to introduce a sugar tax on fizzy drinks and extend the school day, he received a lukewarm reception on a visit St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School in Garforth, Yorkshire. There to watch a netball lesson,
Today Chris Bryant has been the cause of much laughter in the Commons thanks to a joke about George Osborne and Coke. Discussing the Chancellor’s new sugar tax, Bryant said that he was glad Osborne had come round to the dangers of coke: ‘I’m delighted that finally the chancellor has realised the dangers of coke.’ Bryant
How does George Osborne get away with it? The Chancellor was asked this on the Today programme this morning, with John Humphrys needling him on the economic targets on debt and deficit that he set himself and asking whether if he could miss two out of three of those targets and potentially be on course
Normally, a set of newspaper splashes featuring a Chancellor’s most controversial Budget policy would be judged a bad thing. But today’s newspaper front pages are, by and large, just what George Osborne wanted. The sugar tax is just too irresistible to headline writers – and too controversial a policy not to grab attention and provoke endless debate.
BBC Newsnight sent a crew to North Wiltshire today, to interview voters about the budget. Gladys Pek Yue Macrae, a former Conservative Party branch chairman, said she is fed up because she expected Tory policies to be the result of a Tory majority. Instead, she said, “I find I have a socialist Chancellor. Conservatives are for small government
I’ve always admired the liberal Muslims in the Quilliam Foundation. It is hard to take accusations of betrayal from your own community. Harder still to keep fighting when the thought feeling keeps nagging away that out there, somewhere, there are Islamists who might do you real harm. But Quilliam keeps fighting. To mark the launch
George Osborne’s announcement in the Budget that he wants to help fight childhood obesity through a tax on sugary drinks has provoked the usual grumbles. But this is not a ‘pious, regressive absurdity’, as some claim. It is practical action that will help to tackle an avoidable health disaster for the nation’s children, a quarter of
A ‘damning’ report has been published into the Church of England’s handling of a particular abuse case. Except it’s not very damning. In 1976 a 16-year old was abused by a priest called Garth Moore – an attempted rape took place. He kept quiet about it for a couple of years, then told various priests
Which of us who grew up in the thrall of Paul Daniels’ magic, under the spell of his Saturday-night humour and charm, could have imagined he would spend his latter years as a kind of sexual outlaw? Not many of us, I would wager. But that’s what happened. When, in 2012, he bravely criticised the
Was it good for you? George Osborne’s 2016 Budget, delivered to a packed House of Commons on Wednesday, has drawn criticism over a looming £55 billion black hole in public finances. But what does it mean for your money? We published a guide to the main changes yesterday. Today Spectator Money looks at reaction to a Budget