UK politics
Boris Johnson’s election threat to wavering Labour MPs
The key Brexit vote tonight is on the programme motion. The sense is that the government has the votes to…
Let’s be honest about what a second referendum means
A second referendum would be a political abomination. And it’s about time more of us said so. We need to…
Tomorrow will be the make-or-break day for Boris Johnson’s Brexit
The important vote on Tuesday will be on the timetable, or programme motion, for the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, the law…
Will MPs block the government’s mad dash to get the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through?
Appropriately, given the length of time it has taken politicians of all colours to continue putting off taking any sort…
Why the EU should listen to Boris Johnson – not Parliament
Boris Johnson has been criticised for sending the European Union a letter conveying his real opinion about a Brexit extension…
The question for wavering MPs: do they really trust Boris Johnson?
Boris Johnson is still pursuing today’s vote as a decisive moment for the Brexit deal, rather than the start of…
The DUP is caught on the horns of a Brexit dilemma
There is a magnificent paradox – the Taj Mahal of paradoxes, let’s hope NOT the RMS Titanic of paradoxes –…
Boris Johnson ‘very confident’ MPs will back his deal
Boris Johnson has just given a very upbeat press conference about his Brexit deal, despite the DUP being clear that…
The EU might tell MPs: it’s this deal or no deal
Both the UK government and the EU are now saying that a Brexit deal has been done. There is both…
Is hate crime really on the rise?
The Guardian ran a story on its website today headlined: ‘Hate crimes doubled in England and Wales in five years.’…
On black privilege
Discussions of ‘privilege’ have become one of the themes of this age. In a short space of time, the obsession…
Did anyone take today’s Queen’s Speech seriously?
If today’s Queen’s Speech was meant to offer a preview of what the next general election and life after it…
The biggest risk with Boris Johnson’s Queen’s Speech
This is more an election manifesto launch than a conventional Queen’s Speech, because Boris Johnson simply does not have the numbers in…
Could Boris Johnson win an election but lose his seat?
Is Boris safe in Uxbridge? The Lib Dems have an eye on the Prime Minister’s 5000 vote majority and their…
The purpose of Boris Johnson’s Queen’s Speech
Normally a Prime Minister uses a Queen’s Speech to lay out their government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead. However,…
Can ministers really hold their nerve on Brexit this week?
Boris Johnson is now in what’s known in cricket as the ‘Nervous Nineties’, when a batsman becomes so anxious about…
If Boris does a Brexit deal, it will be because of the ‘Surrender Act’
Will he strike a deal with the EU allowing Britain to leave this month? Will he compromise on the Irish…
Is a deal really possible?
It is one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent political history. On Wednesday afternoon, the Brexit talks seemed pretty…
Brexit party voters will decide Boris Johnson’s fate
The fate of Boris Johnson’s premiership will be determined by Nigel Farage and the Brexit party. Even if a Brexit…
Tories fret over further election delay
Members of the One Nation caucus of Conservative MPs met with Boris Johnson this afternoon over concerns the party could…
Thwarting Brexit probably won’t stop Brexit
What if they succeed in thwarting Brexit? The odds seem weighted against Boris Johnson delivering his do-or-die (-in-a-ditch) promise to…
Boris Johnson takes on extinction rebellion at book launch
To the launch of the final volume of Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher at Banqueting House. A mix of…
Can Boris Johnson survive if he breaks his Brexit promise?
It gives me no pleasure to report this of my former Daily Telegraph colleague, but some people who know Boris…
Why Boris Johnson’s Brexit offer is probably dead
The word habitually used by EU negotiators to characterise Boris Johnson’s Brexit offer is “uncertainty”. They talk of “uncertainty” about how the…
Is a Brexit deal now off the table?
Is a Brexit deal agreed before October 31st a realistic possibility? Technically talks between the UK and EU are ongoing…
