Theresa may

What, though, are we to call the followers or policies of Theresa May? Assuming, obviously, that there one day are some. At least one columnist last week used ‘Mayist’, which seems to me a terrible, boring waste. Surely we can do better than that? On Twitter, I idly suggested ‘Mayan’ which I still feel is sure to come into its own in the coming economic apocalypse. Thereafter, others weighed in. ‘Mayite’ is no better than ‘Mayist’ and makes you sound like a Geordie when you say it, anyway. ‘Mayflowers’ could work. What with Brexit, ‘Maypoles’ might confuse people. ‘Mayonnaise’, as in ‘the Mayonnaise Government’ is perhaps a bit too weird.

Can Jeremy Corbyn reach out to – and win over – Tory voters at a general election? It sounds like an unlikely prospect but that’s exactly what the Labour leader pledged to do in the party’s latest hustings last night. Corbyn said that his aim is to convince people ‘by the policies we put forward…(including) some people who have been tempted to vote Tory’ before. It certainly sounds as if Corbyn himself isn’t wholly convinced by his statement, as many of those hearing it are unlikely to be either. An Ipsos Mori poll recently gave Corbyn a woeful net approval rating of -33, so it’s true he needs to broaden

One of the many incorrect predictions about this year’s referendum was that those who voted for Brexit would soon regret it. The theory was that these deluded souls only intended to lodge a protest vote, and would be overcome with buyers’ remorse as Britain fell headlong into a deep recession. Two months after the referendum, there is precious little regret. Polls suggest that just 5 per cent of those who backed Brexit wish they hadn’t; the same is true for those who voted Remain. However, the Remainers have moved quickly and effectively into post-campaign mode and have found a new vocabulary. Their new enemy is ‘hard Brexit’. They seize on

Britain’s decision to leave the EU sent shockwaves crashing throughout the continent. As Europe struggled to interpret the outcome of the referendum, we heard calls for Brussels to drive a hard bargain with the UK in order to contain the ‘Brexit contagion’. The European Council President Donald Tusk’s warning that the UK must not be allowed to ‘profit’ from leaving the bloc summed up this mood. But now, it seems, our neighbours in Europe are coming to terms with Brexit. And with it, the desire to punish the UK appears to be dampening. Michael Roth, Germany’s European Affairs minister, has this week suggested that a ‘special status’ could be achieved

As Theresa May’s recently re-shuffled Cabinet get underway with the big task at hand, spare a thought for those who are having to get used to being on the sidelines. There was a cross-party outcry when Ed Vaizey was axed as culture minister with MPs from both Labour and the SNP praising his work in the role. Alas it seems that Vaizey is finding it difficult to adjust to a return to the backbench. The MP for Wantage — who is a close friend of David Cameron dating back to their Oxford university days — has been lamenting how lucky he was to once have a direct line to the PM: ‘You don’t

When Theresa May was gearing up for a summer-long leadership campaign, she identified a worthy target: George Osborne’s addiction to easy money and the whole notion of quantitative easing. Rock-bottom interest rates and QE, she said, boost asset prices – and, in so doing, transfer wealth to the richest. When she became Prime Minister, the Bank of England decided to do another £70 billion of QE. We can guess that the effects will be the same as they were last time: more inflation and a surge of asset prices, making the richest even richer. As I say in my Daily Telegraph column today, QE is a magic wand of inequality.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister set off for a two week holiday in Switzerland. A favourite destination of both Theresa May and her husband Philip, the pair are expected to enjoy the fresh mountain air and go walking. However, being Prime Minister ahead of an EU negotiation can make even the most neutral of destination a complicated choice. During the referendum campaign, Switzerland was often cited as an example of a country that has got the best deal from being outside the EU. What’s more reports are circulating that Brussels will get even tougher on Switzerland’s trade deals in order to set a precedent for the UK’s ahead of its negotiation. Still, while the Mays may

Theresa May’s plans to limit both the number of special advisers and the way in which they are appointed are rather curious, given how influential and essential her own advisers were when she ran the Home Office. As I explained in the magazine recently, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill held a great deal of power in that department, and not just when it came to briefing the media. They were an essential part of the running of the Home Office and its many arms-length bodies such as the Border Force. Yet we read today that Hill and Timothy are vetting appointments to ensure that no new special advisers will be likely