Conservatives
The right must unite
I mentioned here recently that to my mind Boris Johnson bears a fairish similarity to Dr Faustus, as Christopher Marlowe…
How much does Britain still ‘love’ the NHS?
Three books examining the health service in its 75th year find it at its nadir today – with 500 people dying weekly due to delays in urgent and emergency care
Who’s more useless – the Tories or the England rugby team?
In a curious way the decline of English rugby mirrors that of the Conservative party. Four years ago there was…
What is the point of Lee Anderson?
Who is the most divisive figure in politics? Last year the Daily Mirror claimed Lee Anderson was ‘the worst man…
Why America needs regime change
No sensible reader of the news could look at America and think it is flourishing. Massive economic inequality and the breakdown of…
‘She’s just so bad at everything’: Tory MPs turn on Truss
Liz Truss’s Downing Street press conference has made everything worse, as far as Tory MPs are concerned. As soon as…
Removing PMs hardly ever ends well
As Tory MPs appear to descend into a panic of buyers’ remorse over the election of Liz Truss, they would…
Give Liz Truss a chance
Conservative governments have a habit of self-destructing: they die not in battle with political enemies but as a result of…
What does Michael Gove want?
Tory conference has long been more stage-managed than other party meetings, but this year the official speeches from ministers have…
The triumph of Tory mediocrity
Every loser wins, once the dream begins. So sang the EastEnders actor Nick Berry in a godawful mid-1980s pop song…
The case for Liz Truss
The past six years have been a turbulent and controversial time in British politics. Through them all, one person consistently…
Are some Tory candidates about to be ruled out?
The Tory leadership contest is a very crowded place – with Liz Truss overnight becoming the tenth candidate to declare…
The fatuous idea that politicians must be ‘in touch’
I was in Hyde Park on Friday watching an open-air Pixies show with very great delight when somewhere between ‘Vamos’…
Boris isn't ready to go
Boris Johnson’s final hours as Prime Minister have been undignified. We do not yet know quite how this will end,…
Who says Boris has to go?
As the cameras burped and clicked, as an aggravated nation watched, Boris Johnson announced that he was giving up. ‘Let…
Is the fall of Boris inevitable?
A funny thing happened on the way to the cathedral for the service of thanksgiving to the Queen on Friday.…
How to waste an 80-seat majority
Cast your mind back to Channel 4’s election night programme. The 2019 exit poll results flash up on screen. Realising…
Tory backlash over Channel 4 privatisation
Downing Street’s plan to privatise Channel 4 is already facing a Tory revolt – less than 24 hours after the…
No. 10 is gearing up for the next election
As the Conservative party’s Spring Forum gets underway in Blackpool, attention is turning back to domestic politics, with cabinet ministers…
Ending restrictions won't save Boris
Boris Johnson certainly managed to rally the troops on their first day back from recess this afternoon as he told…
Boris Johnson's fightback has been cut short
Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the defence select committee, has this morning announced that he is sending a letter to…
Did Johnson mislead the Commons?
Boris Johnson had hoped to move attention this week from parties — with a series of policy announcements planned as part of…
Can Boris really blame the press for his defeat?
When asked what went wrong in North Shropshire, Boris Johnson gave a fascinating answer: journalists. Apparently, they have been reporting…
Stratton resigns – but the row isn't over
The row over the Downing Street ‘party’ has claimed its first victim. On Wednesday Allegra Stratton announced that she was…
Could there be a Tory upset in North Shropshire?
As the government turns its attention to the new Covid variant, the ramifications of the Owen Paterson sleaze row are…
