Starmer tells Israel ‘no more excuses’ on Gaza aid
Keir Starmer has moved on rather quickly from Labour conference, pitching up in New York to tell Israel that it…
Liz Kendall’s difficult task of defending the winter fuel cut
Arguably the most difficult speech of the whole of Labour conference came from Liz Kendall. The Work and Pensions secretary…
Wes Streeting is convincing, but where’s his plan?
This Labour conference has largely been about Keir Starmer and his ministers making the argument for what they are doing,…
Keir Starmer needs to sell his government
Keir Starmer has his big speech today at Labour conference and, like Rachel Reeves’s offering yesterday, the Prime Minister plans…
Has Labour got anything new to say at its party conference?
Have you learned anything about this Labour government from the conference speeches so far? Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ address to the…
It’s no surprise nurses want a bigger pay rise
Just as the Chancellor Rachel Reeves was talking in her conference speech about the importance of resolving public sector strikes,…
Can Keir Starmer reverse his fortunes at Labour conference?
What is Keir Starmer wearing, how much is it worth and who paid for it? That’s normally a question only…
Is Keir Starmer serious about reforming the NHS?
Does Keir Starmer want to use Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS today merely as the latest ‘shocking’ piece of…
Keir Starmer needs to answer the question
Neither Keir Starmer nor Rishi Sunak were very good at Prime Minister’s Questions today. Though Starmer didn’t get his own…
Does Starmer know what to do with the unions?
Before coming into government, Keir Starmer would use his battles with the unions, particularly Unite, as a way of defining…
What Rachel Reeves told Labour MPs
Who was Rachel Reeves more worried about tonight when she addressed the Parliamentary Labour party? The Labour MPs who will…
The Treasury holds the key to fixing the NHS
The most interesting thing about Lord Ara Darzi’s report on the health service, expected to be published this Thursday, is…
Keir Starmer is acting like he’s still in opposition
Keir Starmer made a couple of verbal slips at Prime Minister’s Questions. Both were quite telling. The first was that…
The ‘path to disaster’ that led to Grenfell
There are very few people who emerge from the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report with much credit today. Certainly very few…
Keir Starmer’s honeymoon is unquestionably over
Keir Starmer is back at the despatch box for Prime Minister’s Questions today and his honeymoon period is unquestionably over.…
David Lammy partially suspends arms sales to Israel
David Lammy has just announced that Britain is suspending 30 arms export licenses to Israel. The Foreign Secretary told the…
Rayner and Badenoch row on first day back
It was the Commons at its best: the whole House, united in agreement on one key matter. MP after MP…
Are Labour about to u-turn on the winter fuel payment?
Could Labour be about to water down its removal of the winter fuel payment for pensioners? The chorus of muttering…
Immersive and spectacular: Piet Oudolf’s new borders at RHS Wisley reviewed
Piet Oudolf’s long borders at Wisley were worn out. The famous designer had in fact become a bit embarrassed by…
Does ‘artistic swimming’ truly describe the world’s hardest sport?
Journalists in the 1980s routinely mocked what was then known as synchronised swimming – until they tried it themselves, and emerged from the water gasping in shock
The significance of Reeves’s social care surprise
A much bigger story than Rachel Reeves cancelling the winter fuel payment is her announcement today that she is finally…
What’s behind Wes Streeting’s quality care reforms?
One of the big themes of Keir Starmer’s government could well end up being accountability in the public sector, which…
Sunak gives Starmer an easy ride at first PMQs
Another week, another Prime Minister’s Questions featuring Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak arguing across the Commons. Except, of course, the…
Has Keir Starmer just empowered the Labour rebels?
Keir Starmer has laid down a marker by suspending seven Labour MPs from the whip. The question is: What sort…
Streeting hammers Tories on NHS
We know that the NHS is broken: Wes Streeting announced that it was now the official policy of this government…
