This lockdown comes at a high political cost
Keir Starmer has his first attack line of the next general election campaign. He will say that England’s second lockdown…
Boris can't afford a third lockdown
Boris Johnson is holding a press conference at 5 p.m. on the new England-wide lockdown. This follows last night’s vote…
Johnson lays out the lockdown exit strategy
Boris Johnson’s statement to the House of Commons this afternoon was a reminder of how much more difficult this second…
Why a new lockdown is so difficult for Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson had set his face against an England-wide lockdown. He rejected the idea when Sage proposed it back in…
What will post-pandemic politics look like?
A few days ago, I came across a group of Tory MPs in a House of Commons corridor looking rather…
The challenge the Tories face after the pandemic
After the last few years of political turmoil, Westminster can’t break the habit of waiting for the latest poll to…
Boris Johnson’s high-risk Brexit strategy
There’s a reason why No. 10 is always so inclined to ratchet up the tension in any given scenario. Downing…
How will Number 10 deal with Joe Biden?
Donald Trump may have turned in a more effective debate performance last night, but Joe Biden is still the favourite…
Why No. 10 thinks it has the negotiating edge on Brexit
The European Council conclusions issued last Thursday were a misstep by the European Union. It is positively Carthaginian to think…
There are no good choices for Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson used to be defined by his commitment to having his cake and eating it. But now he isn’t…
Boris's Covid balancing act is getting harder
I’m pro-cake and pro-eating it’, Boris Johnson used to quip. But now he is in a hideously difficult position as…
Divided nation: will Covid rules tear the country apart?
The Covid divide is triggering political tensions
Could local lockdowns cost Boris Johnson the north?
When the lockdown tiers are announced, it is inevitable that huge swathes of the north will be under much tighter…
Prime ministers can’t pick the crises that define them
In a non-Covid world, next week would be the Tory party conference. Boris Johnson would march on to the stage…
Closing time: the Tory brawl over Covid rules
The looming Tory rebellion against the government’s Covid policy
A Brexit breakthrough could be on the cards
Earlier this month, the prospects for a Brexit deal did not look good. The talks weren’t making progress. But there…
The Brady amendment could spell trouble for Boris Johnson
If opposition parties back it, the Brady amendment – which calls for parliamentary votes before nationwide Covid restrictions are introduced – will…
Why No. 10 fears the second wave
The government is bracing itself for a second wave of coronavirus. Everyone knew the autumn and winter would be more…
Has Boris done enough to halt the Tory rebellion?
Boris Johnson has just been speaking in the Commons as the government tries to quell the Tory revolt over the…
No. 10’s no-deal dilemma
Backbenchers are discussing when to give Downing Street a bloody nose, a former prime minister is on the warpath and…
Boris Johnson can't afford many more weeks like this one
Boris Johnson will address his MPs tonight – and they are in need of some soothing. This week has strained relations…
It's hard to see a way through the Brexit deadlock
The drama has ramped up again in the Brexit talks. At today’s meeting of the Joint Committee on the Northern…
The competing theories that will decide Brexit
One thing is keeping the temperature among Tory MPs in check: the government’s poll lead. It’s hard to claim that…
To save the Union, negotiate Scotland’s independence
The first cabinet meeting of the new term and Boris Johnson’s summer holiday were both dominated by one concern: how…
The biggest obstacle to a Brexit deal
Downing Street now thinks that the chances of a Brexit deal are down to 30 or 40 per cent, I…
