James Heale

Revealed: Lib Dems’ plan for ‘Operation Epsom Fury’

13 March 2026 8:32 am

Is any party having a ‘good war’ on Iran? After Donald Trump’s first strikes, I suggested that the Prime Minister…

Could Labour lose London?

7 March 2026 9:00 am

After Gorton and Denton, where next? The scale of the Green triumph in Manchester has sent shockwaves through Sir Keir…

Where was the imagination in Reeves’s Spring Statement?

4 March 2026 2:19 am

Today’s Spring Statement was intended to be the anti-Budget: no rabbits, no leaks, no lengthy speeches. After last November’s disaster,…

Starmer has few good options on Iran

2 March 2026 8:45 pm

Next month marks forty years since the United States bombed Libya. Ronald Reagan requested the use of British air bases…

‘I bet there are loads of women who find Farage sexy’: the writers of Industry on putting politics on screen

28 February 2026 9:00 am

No TV show better encapsulates the nexus between money and power than Industry. The HBO drama sees investment bankers screwing,…

Green by-election triumph is a sign of things to come

27 February 2026 4:20 pm

In the end, it was not even that close. The Green party has stormed to victory in Gorton and Denton,…

Reform has stepped up its donations game

25 February 2026 8:26 am

One intriguing element of the battle on the right is the arms race for donations. Twelve months ago, Kemi Badenoch’s…

The thinking behind Nigel Farage’s shadow cabinet

21 February 2026 9:00 am

There is an old joke about Nigel Farage, put about by former colleagues. ‘Why is Nigel like a beech tree?……

James Orr is Reform’s new Head of Policy

18 February 2026 6:00 am

It has been a busy few days for Reform UK. Having dominated the last summer recess, this week they are…

Nigel Farage unveils his shadow cabinet

17 February 2026 11:48 pm

It is parliamentary recess and once again, Reform is making all the running. Having successfully rebuffed Labour’s plans to cancel…

Starmer’s local election rebuff benefits Reform

17 February 2026 5:28 am

The parliamentary recess ought to buy Keir Starmer a bit of much-needed breathing space. But the Prime Minister has suffered…

‘We know where the bodies are buried’: How Kemi put Keir on the ropes

14 February 2026 9:00 am

What does a dying government sound like? At 12.08 p.m. on 4 February we got an answer. Keir Starmer admitted…

Keir Starmer staggers on for another day

12 February 2026 4:56 am

Sir Keir Starmer is now the Black Knight of British politics. Like the mutilated pugilist of Monty Python, he stumbles around…

Starmer’s director of communications resigns

9 February 2026 11:04 pm

Keir Starmer has this morning lost a second key aide in less than 24 hours. Tim Allan, No. 10’s communications…

The Epstein files have triggered a crisis in Britain

9 February 2026 8:34 am

It is not just in Washington that the Epstein files continue to dominate. In Westminster, the political reverberations of the…

‘It’ll be a photo finish’: inside the Gorton and Denton by-election

7 February 2026 9:00 am

British by-elections are often prolonged affairs, dragging on for months. Yet in the Manchester seat of Gorton and Denton –…

Keir Starmer is losing his own MPs over Mandelson

5 February 2026 3:30 am

There is a sulphurous mood in the House of Commons today. Peter Mandelson hangs over Westminster, amid ongoing revelations about…

Starmer’s China trip has been underwhelming

30 January 2026 9:47 pm

Keir Starmer has this morning arrived in Shanghai after two days in Beijing. He is expected to spend much of…

Badenoch shrugs off trio of Tory defections

28 January 2026 10:57 pm

After three defections in ten days, what exactly can Kemi Badenoch do to get back on the front foot? This…

Suella Braverman defects to Reform

27 January 2026 12:21 am

Another one bites the dust. Suella Braverman this morning was unveiled as the latest defector to Reform UK. The former…

The two winners from the Burnham block

26 January 2026 12:29 am

Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election. The vote this morning by Labour’s ruling…

chagos

The fight over the future of the Chagos Islands

25 January 2026 5:00 pm

Westminster, London Donald Trump might be determined to acquire more US land – here in Britain, however, our leaders are…

Andy Burnham confirms he wants to stand for parliament

25 January 2026 5:05 am

Andy Burnham has tonight confirmed that he wants to be a candidate in the forthcoming Gorton and Denton byelection. The…

Starmer pauses Chagos deal

24 January 2026 7:51 am

Keir Starmer has tonight been forced to stall the Bill which would hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius. The…

Badenoch pledges to MPs to keep right

22 January 2026 7:05 am

To committee room 14, where many of the remaining 117 Tory MPs crammed in tonight to hear from their leader.…