Politics
Brexit is fast becoming a Tory no-win
Theresa May’s Brexit dilemma is becoming more acute. Last week, she failed to garner the support of the Brexit inner…
Theresa May should fear a Brexiteer who feels betrayed
It is sometimes tempting to imagine that the Brexit negotiations will follow the course of a Sunday night TV drama:…
Corbyn’s profoundly anti-western worldview is fully exposed at last
The Tories’ great worry after the last election was that they had effectively vaccinated the electorate against Jeremy Corbyn. They…
Will Britain find a new role in the world after Brexit?
Britain’s imperial past distorts the debate about our place in the world, but not in the way that is commonly…
Labour moderates are desperate to leave – but there’s nowhere to go
The case for Labour moderates leaving their party strengthens by the day. Jeremy Corbyn’s behaviour demonstrates that he is not…
What will it take for Labour MPs to act against Corbyn?
One of the mistakes Theresa May made in calling an early election was not anticipating the effect it would have…
The Tories are risking their reputation as the party of law and order
Theresa May’s Home Office record is normally off limits at cabinet. But when ministers discussed the government’s strategy for reducing…
Revealed: the Tory health tax bombshell
The single most important domestic policy decision that the Conservatives must take is what to do about public spending. After…
The EU shouldn’t punish Brexit. They’d soon regret it
Last Monday, Theresa May’s chief of staff talked junior ministers through her Mansion House speech. Gavin Barwell was frank with…
The Tory divide that May must bridge
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Every time Conservative Leavers speak up demanding a clean break…
The Tories’ real dilemma? To spend or not to spend
While the rest of the country waits for this spring to arrive, in Westminster the talk is all of spring…
There can be no Brexit deal without Tory unity
In a hung parliament, recess takes on a particular importance for the government. It is a chance for ministers to…
Brexit belongs to the Tories — whether they like it or not
The Tory party is the party of Brexit, whether it likes it or not. The referendum was called by a…
The Tory drift goes on – but replacing May is impossible
‘We take the view that while things are bloody awful, we don’t want to risk making things worse.’ That is…
You can’t beat Corbyn with Miliband – but the Tories are trying to anyway
Tuition fees have all but killed the Liberal Democrats. The breach of their manifesto pledge to abolish the charges, compounded…
The Cabinet reshuffle highlighted Theresa May’s three great weaknesses
‘They are not as strong as they thought they were,’ one Whitehall source remarked to me on Monday night as…
The age of volatility
Every year in British politics seems to be more surprising than the last. Few predicted in 2015 that the Conservatives…
The Tories’ fate is in their own hands
How will the Tory party remember 2017? Will it be the year it lost its majority, alienated key sections of…
The Irish stance against Brexit is a dangerous gamble
Never has a European Council been so important to a British prime minister as this December’s is to Theresa May.…
The Tories urgently need a boost from Philip Hammond’s Budget
The Budget this Wednesday represents this government’s best, and perhaps its last, chance to regain the political initiative. Ever since…
Why can’t Theresa May get a grip on Westminster scandals?
How much longer can things go on like this? That is the question on the lips of Tory ministers and…
What to do about the returning jihadis
In normal times, the reported return of 400 Isis fighters to Britain would be the biggest story out there. But…
Hammond can build his way out of trouble
Sometimes in life the biggest risk you can take is to play it safe. This is the predicament of Philip…
Brexit can strengthen the Union
There will be no chance of the United Kingdom making a success of Brexit if Scotland votes to break up…
The plots thicken
‘Worst week ever’ is one of those phrases that journalists are, perhaps, too quick to use. Alastair Campbell once quipped…
