UK politics

Why did the SNP make allowances for Spain during Covid?

25 March 2024 5:06 am

The Covid Inquiry’s recent Scottish sojourn brought several weeks of bad headlines for the SNP. One revelation got less attention…

Will Sunak renege on ‘foreign powers’ owning newspapers?

25 March 2024 3:15 am

Last week, a rebellion in the Lords drew a government pledge to ban foreign governments and their proxies from owning…

Hunt: Tories will keep the triple lock on pensions

25 March 2024 12:08 am

Jeremy Hunt: Russian government creating a ‘smokescreen of propaganda’ On Friday night, a terrorist attack at a large concert in…

Shapps: Netanyahu’s rejection of a two-state solution is ‘very disappointing’

22 January 2024 1:42 am

On a call with Joe Biden this weekend, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s demand for security control…

Can we trust Hunt’s tax cut promise?

21 January 2024 8:37 pm

More tax cuts are on their way, according to the both the Prime Minister and Chancellor who have written comment…

Cameron says ‘military action was only option’ in Yemen

14 January 2024 11:45 pm

David Cameron: western strikes on Houthi rebels are ‘a very clear message’ This week the US and UK launched military…

Keir Starmer’s morning of U-turns

14 January 2024 10:45 pm

Another day, another U-turn from Keir Starmer. Or to be precise, two new U-turns from the Labour leader before midday.…

Britain is not a technocracy

16 October 2023 5:00 pm

The term ‘technocracy’, or more often ‘technocrat’, is found everywhere. Both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are referred to as…

Humza Yousaf has irreparably damaged the independence project

14 October 2023 9:04 pm

As the SNP gathers for its conference in Aberdeen this weekend, Humza Yousaf faces a sea of trouble. But worst…

Starmer faces tough questions as Labour’s conference begins

8 October 2023 10:21 pm

Keir Starmer began his big conference interview with the BBC talking about the story that has dominated the weekend –…

Can Sunak establish himself as a radical?

30 September 2023 9:00 am

The Conservatives gather in Manchester this weekend for what may well be their last hurrah as a governing party. Bookmakers…

‘The zealots are turning people off’: Claire Coutinho on net zero and her bond with Rishi Sunak

30 September 2023 9:00 am

The new Energy Secretary on net zero and her bond with the PM

At least Britain isn’t that corrupt

30 September 2023 9:00 am

Long-time readers may recall that I take a special interest in the art of corruption. And this week America has…

Why is Sunak cutting a tax only paid by the rich?

24 September 2023 5:04 pm

Last week, Rishi Sunak struck a blow for ordinary people against the elitist project that is net zero, assuring them…

Broken Britain: what went wrong?

9 September 2023 9:00 am

Who broke Britain?

Concrete

9 September 2023 9:00 am

Is Ulez too fashionable to fact check?

26 August 2023 9:00 am

Next Tuesday, London’s Ulez scheme will be expanded. A new network of cameras filming the traffic movements of millions of…

Why not house refugees on barges?

7 August 2023 4:15 pm

‘By the light of the torches, we saw the black Hulk lying out a little way from the mud of…

Rishi’s Tory rating turns negative

5 July 2023 12:28 am

As the average mortgage rate for a five-year fixed deal rises to 6 per cent, Rishi Sunak can find little…

John Major has learned nothing over Brexit

2 July 2023 6:35 pm

Rishi Sunak’s government is sometimes compared to that of John Major, the man who succeeded Margaret Thatcher in 1990, went…

‘We’ve got to hold our nerve’: Rishi Sunak’s BBC interview

25 June 2023 8:52 pm

As mortgage rates surge and a new Opinium poll finds Labour’s lead has jumped to 18 points, Rishi Sunak appeared…

Is Labour bluffing on Lords reform?

22 June 2023 9:22 pm

Is Labour really going to reform the House of Lords? The party has ended up in a bit of a…

Sunak can’t afford to lose Braverman

23 May 2023 12:07 am

Back in the early days of the Blair governments, Alastair Campbell was reputed to have a rule for resignations: once…

The Tories would be lost in opposition

21 May 2023 12:15 am

It is widely observed that many Conservatives are preparing to lose power at the next general election.  The Conservative Democratic…

A Lib-Lab coalition would be hilarious

15 May 2023 11:10 pm

Talk of a new Labour-Lib Dem coalition is in the air. This is piquantly nostalgic to those of us whose…