Jeremy corbyn

Sunday

Katy Balls

Corbyn: I’m ready for a second election

With Theresa May currently AWOL, Jeremy Corbyn has been making the most of her absence this morning. As Tory ministers attempt a damage limitation exercise, the buoyant Labour leader appeared on the Andrew Marr show to say his party is ‘ready and able to form’ a government. Corbyn was in good spirits as he declared his party’s election result ‘incredibly good’ – even if they did fall well short of gaining power. Confident of momentum building behind his party, Corbyn said he thought there was a good chance of another election wither ‘later this year or early next year’ – concluding that this ‘might be a good thing’. He insisted his party

Steerpike Steerpike

George Osborne: Theresa May is a ‘dead woman walking’

George Osborne has been enjoying himself in the last few days – no more so than on the sofa of the Andrew Marr show this morning. The former Chancellor, who was sacked by Theresa May, revealed for the first time the PM’s parting words to him when she gave him the boot: ‘She said I needed to get to know my party better. So..’ Osborne didn’t stop there with dishing up revenge for the PM. Here’s his analysis of how long May has left in Downing Street: George Osborne says Theresa May is a “dead woman walking” — and it’s just a question of when she will gohttps://t.co/YtRxj7tGtH #GE2017 pic.twitter.com/HxDgilFpwn—

Saturday

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn’s growing ambitions

Jeremy Corbyn may have lost the election, but in many peoples’ eyes he’s still the big winner. After the Labour leader surprised pollsters and pundits alike by securing over 40pc of the vote, Corbyn’s position looks more secure than ever. Over the weekend, Mr S understands Corbyn took a well-deserved break from politics and headed to his allotment to tend his vegetables. While there, an excited Corbyn chatted to fellow gardeners about the election. Buoyed by the result, Steerpike understands Corbyn suggested he could have another go at winning power come September. Let’s see what the Tories make of that…

Will Heaven

How the dementia tax – a ‘nasty party’ policy – lost Theresa May her majority

Pundits and pollsters have spent the last year trying to explain what the Brexit vote meant. Was it right-wing or left-wing? Was it about immigration or sovereignty? Was it a bit racist? They’ll do the same for this election – trying to pinpoint where it all went so humiliatingly wrong for Theresa May. But to me one answer, even so soon after shock result – and before we’ve been able fully to analyse the results – stands out by a mile: the dementia tax.  There are five reasons, I’d argue, why it ruined Theresa May’s election campaign and may have been the key factor in destroying her parliamentary majority. 1. It was a ‘nasty

Friday

Brendan O’Neill

Jeremy Corbyn’s unlikely fans show he is no revolutionary

So now we know: Jeremy Corbyn is a counterrevolutionary. The man who fancies himself as the secret Red of British politics, surrounding himself with trustafarian Trotskyists and the kind of public-school radical who gets a hammer-and-sickle tattoo just to irritate his parents, is now being talked up as a potential saviour of the establishment from Brexit. From Guardian scribes to actual EU commissioners, the great and good want Corbyn to save their hides from that raucous revolt of last June. You couldn’t make it up: Jez the tamer of the agitating masses. No sooner had those exit polls revealed that May was struggling and Corbyn was rising than the EU-pining

Philip Sime

Britain’s ‘wobbly lady’: Europe’s press reacts to May’s bungled election gamble

Theresa May’s election gamble hasn’t paid off. Yet in spite of the PM blowing her majority, May has vowed to carry on and offer ‘certainty’ to Britain. Overnight, May’s miscalculation has transformed her from an ‘iron lady’ into a ‘wobbly’ political figure in the eyes of the European press. Here’s how the general election has been covered on the continent:  Germany: Germany’s largest daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung rounds on Theresa May, branding her a ‘terrible election campaigner’ and contrasts the ‘strong and stable’ image that she sought to present with what was perceived as a very weak campaign. The newspaper explores her behaviour as Home Secretary and suggests that her key tactic of

James Kirkup James Kirkup

To survive, Tories must compromise with Remainers – and Corbynism

Regardless of who leads it, the Conservative Party now has the opportunity to cling to office, possibly even for the rest of this five-year Parliament. They’re the biggest party and a deal with the DUP is the basis for forming a new government. But that’s only the start. To remain in office, the Conservatives are going to have to accept a lot of compromises. They’re going to have to compromise on Brexit, and thus on immigration. They’re going to have to compromise on economic policy (spend more, cut less) and markets (intervene more). They’re going to have to compromise with the Scottish voters who threw them a parliamentary lifeline by

Steerpike Steerpike

Exclusive video: triumphant Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Labour HQ

The BBC’s footage of Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival at Labour HQ stops at the revolving door. Fear not: Steerpike brings you this exclusive footage of the hero’s welcome he received inside – it’s all a bit May 1997. The Tories are the largest party in Parliament, but Labour has massively exceeded very low expectations. And Corbyn’s position as leader looks stronger than ever.

Nick Hilton Nick Hilton

The British left have enjoyed a golden night

Ever since Tony Blair handed the keys to No.10 over to Gordon Brown, the Labour party – and, by extension, the British left – has been in free fall. The general elections in 2010 and 2015 left us battered and bruised, and the Brexit vote seemed to be the coup de grace. Under Ed Miliband, the Labour party felt like it was headed for government, only to have victory snatched away, first by John Curtice’s exit poll and then by reality itself. This is the background to last night’s extraordinary resurgence, a triumph of socialist ideals that has – perhaps only for one golden evening – put the ‘party’ back

The Spectator

Catastrophe for the Conservatives as Theresa May blows her majority

Tories lose their majority, falling eight seats short. Labour achieve 40 per cent of the vote, up 9.6pc. This is the biggest increase in vote share since Attlee in 1945. Theresa May has been to Buckingham Palace and sought permission to form a new government, working with the DUP… …in spite of personally engineering a cock-up of historic proportions. The main five Cabinet ministers have all retained their positions; no further appointments will be announced until tomorrow. Paul Nuttall has resigned as Ukip leader, stepping down with immediate effect. SNP lose 21 seats, as Scottish Tories take 12 seats, Scottish Labour takes 7 and LibDems 4. Ousted: Nick Clegg, Alex

Thursday

Toby Young

Why I’m backing Corbyn the Great

Comrades. I’m going to tell you why I think Jeremy Corbyn is the right person to lead this country. First of all, I like the fact that he’s not a typical politician. There’s something refreshing about his refusal to play the media’s game. Ordinary politicians are ready with a quote when a big story breaks, but not our Jeremy. He thinks nothing of switching off his phone and spending the day working on his allotment. Instead of talking to journalists on his way into meetings, he runs them over. When he does do interviews, his refusal to be interrupted speaks of a bold, confident leader who’s comfortable in his own

Stephen Daisley Stephen Daisley

Nothing can justify a vote for Jeremy Corbyn

For Labour moderates agonising over whether they can vote for the party led by Jeremy Corbyn, an answer to their dilemma comes from a surprising quarter.  The quandary of party or principles comes down to whether you agree with Margaret Thatcher or Enoch Powell. Early in her premiership, Mrs T paid a visit to the Conservative Philosophy Group and got into an unexpected row with the original tribune of the New Right. Posed a problem — whether one owed first loyalty to country or values — the divergence of Thatcherism and Powellism was stark. Powell said: ‘I would fight for this country even if it had a Communist government.’ Thatcher was horrified:

Ross Clark Ross Clark

Generation wars

British general elections have often evolved from contests between parties into battles between two opposing themes or ideas. In 1964, it was modernity vs the grouse moors; 1979, trade unionism vs individualism; 1983, Cold War strength vs unilateral nuclear disarmament. This year was supposed to be the Brexit election, yet instead developed into something loosely associated with that, but at the same time quite different: it became the intergenerational election. Jeremy Corbyn was never supposed to have had a shout. Way to the left of any Labour leader who had ever won a general election, his economic policies were considered by many to be simply incompatible with the values of

Wednesday

Matthew Lynn

If Corbyn wins, the markets will be in full-scale panic

Friday morning. A humbled looking Theresa May is muttering about how ‘defeat means defeat’, while Boris Johnson readies his leadership bid. Nicola Sturgeon is flying down to London with a list of demands for supporting a Labour-led coalition. And Jeremy Corbyn is finishing off some work on his allotment before hopping on a bus to the Palace. It might sound far-fetched. But the polls are so all over the place, it is no longer impossible that the Tories will lose their majority. If it happens, one point has been overlooked. Over in the City, stocks will be getting trashed, and the pound will be in free-fall. The markets have only just begun

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

The Spectator’s complete election guide: what to look out for and when

‘Strong and stable’, ‘weak and wobbly’, ‘coalition of chaos’: you’ve heard enough of the slogans. Now, election day is nearly upon us. Here’s the Spectator‘s guide to what to watch out for on the night as we find out whether Theresa May is heading for a big win – or an historic blunder: 10pm All eyes will be on the joint exit poll from the BBC, ITV and Sky. In 2015, this was the key moment for the Tories with the poll suggesting that the party was heading for a surprise majority. 11pm Houghton & Sunderland South – where Labour upped its majority in 2015 – is likely to be the

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will the Tory majority be bigger than expected?

The overall result of the general election isn’t really in doubt: the Tories will be returned to government tomorrow with an increased majority. But just how big that majority is will have a huge impact on what happens at Westminster over the next few years—and that is much less clear. There are two reasons for this. First, the British polling industry remains in crisis; meaning that it is hard to have confidence in the numbers they are pumping out today. Second, in this election, there isn’t going to be a national swing, but a series of regional swings. For example, I hear that the Tories are sending extra resources into

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Labour’s treatment of Diane Abbott raises questions about Corbyn’s judgment

Last night, Diane Abbott appeared — perhaps for the first time — to have something in common with Philip Hammond. Weeks after Theresa May refused to confirm her Chancellor’s job security post-election, Jeremy Corbyn declined to say Comrade Abbott would be Home Secretary in a Labour government. Given that his comments followed Abbott’s disastrous interview on Sky News, and after she cancelled two scheduled media appearances (apparently due to ill health), many took it to be a sign that Abbott’s time as shadow home secretary was running out. Today Labour have issued a statement announcing that Corbyn has asked Lyn Brown to stand in for Abbott as Shadow Home Secretary for the period

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Corbyn or May? The papers have their say

This time tomorrow, the politicians will have finally fallen silent and the polls will be open. But who to vote for? Here’s what the papers say: The Sun backs Theresa May and has a ‘simple message’ for those considering voting for Ukip or Labour: ‘don’t’. Given that the ‘Tories alone are committed to seeing Brexit through in full’, the Sun suggests a vote for the ‘Kippers would be redundant. And for those who believe Labour will ensure Brexit happens, the Sun says that it ‘does not believe’ it ‘for a second’. For those who have always voted Labour, the Sun says to remember that Corbyn’s party ‘is not the moderate Labour of Tony

Tuesday

Nick Cohen

Seumas Milne and the Stasi

Few noticed in 2015 when Seumas Milne excused the tyranny that held East Germany in its power from the Soviet Invasion in 1945 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Nearly every page reeked of a sly attempt to sweeten dictatorship and cover up the murder it inevitably brings. It was greeted with deserved indifference. As for Milne, two-years ago he was just another columnist in a newspaper industry that is stuffed with them. He provided a niche service on the Guardian by catering for a corner of the market that yearned to hear defences of 20th century Soviet Communism and 21st century Islamo-Fascism at the same time and

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

In the wake of the police numbers row, attack is the best form of defence for the Tories

Boris’s last appearance on the airwaves during the election campaign left many scratching their heads. Just what did the word ‘mugwump’ actually mean? This time, the Foreign Secretary’s attack against Jeremy Corbyn was much more straightforward: the Labour leader’s opposition to the ‘shoot to kill’ policy. Here, Corbyn has undoubtedly changed his tune: in 2015, he said he wasn’t happy with the idea; and last year, he said that he hadn’t changed his mind. In the wake of the London attack though, Corbyn backed officers being able to use lethal force in certain situations. This wishy-washy position is dangerous ground for Labour, and the Tories are doing their best to