Boris Johnson
Is London being ‘levelled down’ already?
In his ‘levelling up’ speech in Coventry this week, the Prime Minister insisted time and again that this was no…
The EU’s Brexit bill doesn’t add up
A dozen hospitals. A hundred million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and a lot more of the Oxford one. Or…
Whitty’s lockdown warning will trouble Boris
In a Science Museum webinar yesterday, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, warned about the increasing number of people in…
In defence of levelling up
Modern pragmatist political leaders are generally keen to reassure us that there is a unifying philosophy to be found running…
The rise of the unwhippable Tories
When the government announced a Commons vote on its decision to cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7 per cent…
Are ministers prepared for ‘freedom day’?
Is the government having a wobble over ‘Freedom Day’ on 19 July? Well, for one thing you won’t hear ministers…
Boris’s cunning has allowed him to share in England’s Euro 2020 glory
You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. That was the formula of legendary New York governor Mario Cuomo and…
What price freedom?
The long-awaited easing of restrictions will not be the triumphant moment that many expected back in May. The Delta variant…
Opening time
A charge repeatedly made against Boris Johnson over the past 16 months is that he has ‘ignored scientific advice’. But…
Boris Johnson’s survival rests on reforming Whitehall
More than 40 years after it was written there are still lines in Yes Minister that are painfully accurate about how…
Follow the science – it’s time to unlock
Shortly before Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer were slugging it out in PMQs — debating whether the mass-lifting of restrictions…
Labour’s unlocking problem
Labour is unhappy with the government’s plan for unlocking, with leader Sir Keir Starmer calling it ‘reckless’. In the Commons…
Boris’s ‘freedom day’ spells misery for many
The projection from Sajid Javid that Covid-19 infections could surge to a record 100,000 per day in a few weeks,…
Boris Johnson’s plan for ‘freedom day’
Four weeks later than planned, ministers are preparing to lift nearly all Covid restrictions from 19 July. This afternoon, Boris…
What Merkel’s visit means for Brexit Britain
Angela Merkel visited the UK yesterday for the last time as German chancellor – the 22nd visit she has paid in…
Boris bids to reset Anglo-German relations
Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel have just held a joint press conference following their meeting at Chequers. The usual contrast…
It’s time for Rishi Sunak to stand up to Boris Johnson
Finally the pandemic fog is lifting and the outlines of post-Covid politics are starting to take shape. While the Government…
High life
New York I hope this is my last week in the Bagel. I plan to fly first to Switzerland and…
There’s trouble brewing for Boris
Covid restrictions are meant to end on 19 July. But parliament will not return to normal until September. The Commons…
The party elite
Politicians made the rules – so they know how to bend them
A plea from a pollster: stop listening to the public
When Dominic Cummings released his WhatsApp messages with Boris Johnson earlier this month, perhaps the most alarming was the one…
Johnson vs Sunak: The political battle of the autumn?
As ministers grow increasingly confident that they will be able to unlock by 19 July, Boris Johnson is facing a…
Boris shouldn’t write off fossil fuels just yet
At last week’s G7 summit, Boris Johnson pushed his fellow leaders to back his climate finance plan to support large-scale…
Big spenders
Boris and Biden have placed their faith in the power of big government
Does ‘Johnson’s law’ explain why people won’t work from home?
Even after the one metre rule and the limits on numbers are removed on July 19th, we will not be…
