UK politics
How the Parliamentary stage of the Tory leadership contest works
This week, the Conservative leadership content enters the Parliamentary stage. The various contenders – at the time of writing there…
Could the Tory leadership race end early?
The Tory leadership is fast becoming Boris Johnson’s to lose, I say in The Sun this morning. He has more…
Michael Gove’s cocaine blues
The Tory leadership race has taken on a new turn this weekend with the Daily Mail splashing on Michael Gove’s…
Could a Tory-Brexit Party alliance actually work?
In 2013, I started promoting a tactical voting alliance between Conservative and Ukip voters. It wasn’t just about avoiding the…
How I could get a better Brexit deal
There are things that we can do which will change the way in which we leave the European Union. I…
How Boris and Corbyn could both be undone by Brexit
When the influential Tory ERG Brexiter Steve Baker refused last night on my programme to deny Boris Johnson is closer to his…
Gove pitches himself as the liberal candidate in the Tory leadership race
Michael Gove’s positioning in the Tory leadership race became clearer tonight. In conversation with Fraser Nelson at a Spectator event,…
Tory leadership candidates start frenzied final push for support
With just a few days to go until nominations close in the Tory leadership contest, candidates are busy trying to…
Will Boris Johnson save or sink the Tory party?
Now that the Tory party has confirmed we’ll know the identity of its new leader and therefore in theory our…
Donald Trump should not stoop to Sadiq Khan’s level
In July last year, when Trump last visited Britain, I wrote a post saying ‘Admit it, Donald Trump is right…
The next Tory leader will have even less flexibility than May on Brexit
In Choosing A Leader, what remains one of the best books published on British leadership contests (although I appreciate this…
Why this year’s al-Quds Day march could be different
This weekend might provide an interesting spectacle. On Sunday the annual al-Quds Day march sets off in London from outside…
Why the First Wives’ Club should cut Boris a bit of slack
Well, very obliging of Donald Trump to back Boris Johnson – ‘a very good guy…he’d be excellent…I like him very…
The Boris Brexit court case isn’t as bad for his leadership bid as some hope
Will Boris Johnson being told to answer to allegations of misconduct in a public office derail his leadership campaign? The…
Operation Stop Boris is backfiring. Again
As the race to replace Theresa May heats up, Operation Stop Boris is now in full swing. Boris Johnson remains…
How Rory Stewart can save the Tories
What does Rory Stewart’s time at the helm as prisons minister tell us about his fitness to lead the Conservative party…
Corbynistas turn on one another over EU election meltdown
There’s a lot of soul-searching in the Labour party after Sunday’s abysmal results in the European elections. On Monday, Corbynista…
Both main parties are now in crisis
These results are dire for both main parties. The Tories are fifth and Labour third. But some of the sting…
Brexit party leads – as Labour and Tories punished by voters
The EU election results have started to trickle in and so far it’s bad news for both of the main…
The big Tory leadership question: what happens on All Saints Day?
If the EU is unable to make a Brexit offer that is acceptable to Parliament by the Brexit deadline on…
Brexit and the great liberal crack-up
Brexit may yet kill the Conservative party but it is exacting a cruel psychological torture on liberalism. Liberals are supposed…
What will happen if Theresa May tries to cling on?
On Friday, Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee, will go and see Theresa May. It is expected that…
Nigel Farage is not ‘far right’
It is now fashionable to describe Nigel Farage as an ‘extremist’, ‘far right’ or ‘fascist’ politician. Last month, Dame Margaret…
Can Brexiteers trust Boris Johnson to deliver a ‘real’ Brexit?
The current Westminster consensus that Boris Johnson is the next Tory leader and prime minister raises all sorts of thoughts.…
The case against Boris Johnson
In the old days, if the Tory party was in trouble, old hands who had seen it all before would…
