Uk politics

Thursday

Isabel Hardman

How can the Church keep earning its right to intervene in politics?

Given the political parties are already well underway with their General Election campaigns, the Church of England couldn’t have waited much later to dispense its advice on how to campaign and what to campaign about. In this week’s Spectator, the Archbishop of York gets on with handing out some of that advice, telling me that politicians are behaving like men arguing at a urinal over who is ‘the biggest of the men’ and explaining why he’s edited what appears to be a pretty lefty collection of essays called On Rock or Sand? Firm Foundations for Britain’s Future. You can read the full interview here. That book includes a chapter from

John Healey

How parliament is failing to hold the EU to account

Today MPs hold a short Commons debate on the proposed transatlantic trade and investment partnership – TTIP. As a pan-EU trade deal with the US it is being negotiated by the European Commission, with a mandate and direction from member state governments including our own. Despite the fierce extra-parliamentary debate the planned deal has provoked, this will be only the third time in the 18 months since negotiations started when there will be any debate at all in the House of Commons chamber. In total, the three debates will amount to less than one day’s full business on a binding treaty that could have wide-ranging effects on our national economy from

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Why the Greek election could decide Britain’s next government

Before the eurozone crisis, Greek elections didn’t receive much attention in Westminster. At the moment, however, the polls from Athens are being studied by every politico from the Prime Minister down. How Greece votes on the 25 January could determine the result of our election. If anti-austerity Syriza triumphs, the eurozone crisis will move from a chronic phase into another acute one. For the second election in a row, the backdrop to a British poll and possible coalition negotiation would be talk of debt defaults and bank runs, as Athens struggles with the eurozone straitjacket. Syriza does not want Greece to leave the euro. But it does want the ‘fiscal

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Archbishop John Sentamu on why politicians are like men arguing at a urinal

‘I shoot further than you, I am the biggest of the men!’ says John Sentamu, Archbishop of York. He is talking about the way politicians conduct themselves in the immigration debate. ‘We have got to be more grown up about it and not be like people who are screaming at each other across banks of a river,’ he says. ‘They mustn’t do what some people call male diplomacy which is always around the urinal… that kind of argument, it doesn’t work!’ Sentamu prefers a still small voice of calm from politicians, even if his own voice is booming and indomitable. His is never more than a few words away from a

Wednesday

Isabel Hardman

The Tories are likely to ‘weaponise’ in the lead up to the election

David Cameron did, as James says, manage to avoid debating the rather more electorally damaging issue of the A&E crisis at Prime Minister’s Questions today because Ed Miliband chose to talk about the TV debates instead. But he still had a good opportunity to raise the Labour leader’s refusal to confirm or deny that he had said he wanted to ‘weaponise’ the NHS as an issue. When Labour’s Toby Perkins asked him whether he was ashamed of what happens when the Tories run the NHS, Cameron replied: ‘Now he quite rightly says it’s very important that we conduct this debate in a very good and civilised way. Now at the

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

PMQs sketch: EU referendum, the Greens and A&E

Would he say no to saying no? The first question at PMQs, from Gregg McClymont, was about Cameron’s vote in the EU referendum, (if it ever happens). McClymont wants the PM to rule out ruling out Britain’s participation in the economic suicide pact based in Brussels. Nope, said Cameron. He went on to boast that ever since he floated his referendum theory, foreign firms have been swarming to our shores and setting up shop in Britain. We might export this solution to the Eurozone. Make the referendum EU-wide and the investment gods will squirt prosperity into every crack and cranny of this seized-up continent. In/out dominated Miliband’s questions too, as

James Forsyth James Forsyth

The debate about TV debates dominated today’s PMQs

PMQs today was dominated by the debate about debates. After a few statesmanlike questions about the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, Miliband started to needle Cameron about his reluctance to take part in TV debates while Labour MPs made chicken noises. Cameron claimed that he was happy to take part in TV debates as long as the Greens were included and accused Labour of being ‘chicken when it comes to the Greens’; he seemed to back one 5-way debate and one head to head between him and Miliband. Downing Street believes this to be a perfectly defensible position but Cameron is taking a risk by setting it out so

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Labour’s energy price trap for the Tories

This afternoon Labour has its debate on forcing energy companies to pass on lower oil prices to their customers. The potency of the political attack has been blunted rather by the party’s admission that its energy price freeze is in fact a cap, rather than an endless promise that no matter how fabulously low prices already are, Labour will freeze them. But the Opposition Day debate is designed to suggest that the Tories don’t care about people’s energy bills. The motion reads: ‘That this House notes the policy of the Opposition to freeze energy prices until 2017, ensuring that prices can fall but not rise; and calls on the Government

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Sign up to TV debates or we’ll go ahead without you, leaders warn Cameron

Labour, the Lib Dems and Ukip are having quite a bit of fun with their identical letters from their respective leaders demanding that David Cameron take part in the TV debates – or risk having something done to him that is even worse than a noun being turned into a verb (the latest threat is that he will be ‘empty-podiumed’, which sounds considerably more unpleasant than being ‘empty-chaired’ and possibly as bad as someone ‘weaponising’ something). As for why David Cameron doesn’t want the debates to go ahead, Daniel Finkelstein has a revealing piece in today’s Times in which he says the Tories forgot about Nick Clegg when they signed up

Tuesday

Josh Kaplan

Defiant Tony Blair apologises for collapse of Downey trial, but says On the Runs scheme was necessary

Meetings of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee are rarely so popular that they have to book an overspill room, but today’s hearing with Tony Blair was a sell-out occasion, with both the Wilson Room and the Boothroyd Room in Portcullis House packed with people wanting to watch the former Prime Minister give evidence on the On the Runs scheme. He was in a pretty defiant mood during the two hour-long session, but then so were the MPs, particularly Ian Paisley Jr, whose aggressive questioning ensured Blair was never truly at ease. Blair insisted repeatedly that the controversial ‘comfort letters’ were only issued to those who were not going to

James Forsyth James Forsyth

‘Boring is good’ Cameron tells Tory MPs

David Cameron and George Osborne addressed Tory MPs this evening. The meeting was to update the Tory parliamentary party on the economy and its place in the party’s election strategy. Cameron told them that whatever the question was, the answer was that you can only have it with a strong economy and urged them to repeat this message as much as possible. He said, ‘Boring is good’. Addressing the assembled MPs, Osborne emphasised that the economy was the heart of this debate. He argued that this was first time since 1992 that Labour and the Tories had gone into an election with different spending planes. Most of the questions were

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

David Cameron ‘wholeheartedly’ defends right to publish Charlie Hebdo cover

The latest issue of Charlie Hebdo goes on sale tomorrow, with around 1,000 copies expected to be available in the UK. Some people have decided that buying it shows ils sont Charlie, but both David Cameron and Nick Clegg don’t appear to be joining the rush for copies. The Deputy Prime Minister told the Today programme that ‘I’m not sure I’m going to buy it’, while the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said ‘I’m not sure he necessarily will, but I’m sure that he will see the image that I think people are understandably asking me about today. Whether he will buy a copy, I confess I’m not sure’. Whether or not they

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Tories split between rival parties

David Cameron is holding another one of his parliamentary party meetings this evening to discuss party strategy and rally the troops. Normally these things are quite well-attended, save a few conscientious objectors who think these events are an attempt by Downing Street to undermine the 1922 Committee. But today’s one might look a little quieter, or at least see some MPs slipping out early. The reason is that David Davis is holding one of his very good parties in the ‘naughty corner’ of Portcullis House tonight. His was organised first – and it is one of those parties that those invited never fail to turn up to because they’re good

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

What will the Lib Dem ‘red line’ on a ‘Snooper’s Charter’ mean for a future coalition?

One of the obsessions that will only get worse over the next few months – along with checking every poll that comes out every day to see whether you’re six points up, four points behind, or level-pegging – is what ‘red lines’ the parties will set out for their Coalition negotiations. David Cameron has made his EU referendum one, and it turns out that this isn’t as much of a problem for the Lib Dems as all their huffing and puffing on the subject would have you believe. Nick Clegg has been setting more red lines because he is the leader of the party that wants to talk about coalitions,

Monday

Isabel Hardman

Tories drop weak policy areas for ‘six election priorities’ launch

Why have the Conservatives left out immigration and the NHS – two of the three issues that voters consistently cite as the most important in forming their decision about who to back in the General Election – out of their list of six priorities? Among the deficit, jobs, taxes, education, housing and retirement there is no room for the health service, immigration or Europe: which also tend to be the things David Cameron and Ed Miliband fight most vehemently over at Prime Minister’s Questions. Labour is very pleased about this, and is pretending to be very cross that the Prime Minister is ignoring the NHS. Presumably Ukip will be similarly

Sunday

Alex Massie

Boffo new Tory election strategy: reinforce negative stereotypes

Following the success of the Tories’ last anti-UKIP strategy session, I’ve been leaked details of the latest election planning at CCHQ: […] I say, what’s the most damaging – and widely-held – perception about the Conservatives? Hmmm. That we’re the party for the rich? Most unfair, I think we can all agree. Right, moving on, what’s next? Let’s cut inheritance tax.  Hurrah!   It’s the least we can do for ordinary wealthy Britons…  If it weren’t for Ed Miliband this election would be over by now. Thank heavens for Ed, then.

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Why Cameron doesn’t want any TV debates

Before Christmas, David Cameron tightened up the rules about ministers going overseas. He wanted them in this country campaigning as much as possible. But, unsurprisingly, his visit to President Obama in Washington this week hasn’t fallen foul of his edict. This trip to Washington is the source of much satisfaction at the heart of government. There are some serious issues on the agenda—the world economy and cybersecurity—but as one of those involved in preparing for it admits, ‘‘There’ll be some crunchy stuff, but it’ll be a very nice photo op, too!’. Indeed, Cameron standing next to Obama at the White House will be a useful way of reminding voters of

Friday

Isabel Hardman

Circle’s exit from Hinchingbrooke is a serious blow to competition in the NHS

This morning’s announcement by Circle that it will be leaving the contract to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital makes it even more difficult politically for anyone who believes in greater competition in the NHS to make their case. Opponents of private sector involvement in healthcare provision will say – with good reason – that this shows you cannot trust anyone other than the public sector to stick with a hospital in the tough times. Proponents will point out that ultimately providers leaving is better than entrenched failure. But in a way Circle needed to perform in a way that was atypical of the market: I had to succeed and it had to

Thursday

Isabel Hardman

David Cameron will refuse to take part in the TV debates if the Greens are not included

Unsurprisingly, David Cameron has this afternoon said he won’t take part in the TV election debates if the Greens are no included in one of the line-ups. Currently the proposal is for Cameron vs Miliband, then Cameron vs Miliband vs Clegg, then Cameron vs Miliband vs Clegg vs Farage. The Greens have been excluded, as have the SNP and Plaid Cymru. This is the exchange between the Prime Minister and ITN’s Tom Bradby: Me; ‘Time is running out; are you saying you are not going to go in as it stands unless at least the Greens are in?’ Him; ‘Correct.’ — tom bradby (@tombradby) January 8, 2015 Why is Cameron

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Refusing the Greens ‘major party’ status is bad for voters (but good for the Greens)

Who benefits from Ofcom’s daft draft ruling that the Greens not be listed as a ‘major party’ for the General Election? Well, though the Greens are cross and have warned about the ‘damage it risks doing to British democracy’, they must know that this will help cement their credentials as an anti-establishment party. Nothing quite like a ruling shutting you out from having the same number of party political broadcasts as the major parties to make your supporters feel as though the Establishment is out to get you. And that sort of feeling is good for attracting supporters. It certainly worked after the broadcasters decided they would exclude the Greens from