Politics

Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.

Sunday

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

By moving Adonis from his job at education, Brown has ensured the death of Blair’s best policy idea 

I’ve just done the Westminster Hour with John Rentoul of the Independent on Sunday and we agreed afterwards that there is one question we could not have answered. Why on earth did Andrew Adonis accept his new job in the Department of Transport? The City Academies programme was his life. Anyone who knows him knew he went at it with monastic vocation. Every day was a battle against the system. Loosening the fist of government from schools was a task that beat Thatcher and Blair. For all Adonis efforts he about 85 City Academies up, against his target of 400. Given that there are 3,500 state schools, it shows what

Matthew Dancona

Mandelson asked Blair before accepting Brown’s offer of a job

Peter Mandelson has confirmed on Sky News my disclosure in today’s Sunday Telegraph that he consulted Tony Blair before accepting Gordon Brown’s offer of a Cabinet post and that Blair told his old friend that the decision was a “no brainer.” It is, of course, revealing that, in spite of his claim in today’s Observer interview to be “joined at the hip” with Brown, Peter was not willing to splice himself to Gordon without Tony’s approval. He is still a Blair man, first and foremost, seconded as a friendly gesture to the court of Brown. That said, Blair’s enthusiasm for this controversial return does not reflect a desire to place

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Will the Mandelson gamble pay off for Brown?

One of the few history lessons I remember from primary school was how in medieval Scotland, condemned men could choose their executioner. I remember looking around and wondering which of my classmates would best finish me off quickly and painlessly. In my News of the World column today, I argue that Gordon Brown has revived this tradition by appointing Peter Mandelson. No more can you say the Labour rebellion is a shiver, looking for a spine to run down and no more will the likes of me moan about a spineless Cabinet. The Prince is back.   As Matt argues in the Sunday Telegraph today, this could all go badly

Saturday

Charles Moore Charles Moore

The Spectator’s Notes | 4 October 2008

David Cameron’s ‘statesmanlike’ promise on Tuesday to do whatever is necessary to save the nation and reach ‘across the aisle’, as they say in Congress, is one of the dirtiest and oldest political tricks, but no less effective for that. It is an offer which the government suffers from accepting or refusing. Two examples come to mind. One was Tony Blair’s shameless exploitation of the Dunblane massacre of schoolchildren when he was still leader of the opposition. He offered to be ‘united in grief’ with John Major at the ceremony in the town. Mr Major had to agree, and was then comprehensively upstaged. The more relevant comparison here is with

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Poll shows Cameron on course for a 78 seat majority

The News of the World has conducted one of its marginal seat polls, in 192 Labour-held constituencies – details here. Taken Wednesday through Friday, it indicates Cameron is on course for a 78-seat majority with a 15-point lead. As is normal when a party is ahead by such a margin, the Tories are credited with better policies across the board. The Tory vote is slightly harder in the marginals – 62 percent say they’re certain to vote, v 56 percent for Labour supporters. But the good news for Brown in that only 36 percent think he should step down and 58 percent think he should carry on. No real alternate

Friday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Political Advertising 15

An instant classic from 2004 as the Bush campaign returns to a favourite theme, first used, I think, by Nixon in 1972. Note too, whe wussy, hyper-european classical music…

Daniel Korski

Blog-crowing

I don’t know if it’s a word, but it should be: Blog-crow  intr.v. blog-crowed, blog-crow•ing, blog-crows 1. To exult loudly, as when a blogpost is proven right or prescient. First George Osborne picked up on CoffeeHouse’s proposal of a tax stop. On 19th August 2008 we wrote that a tax freeze “would bridge the gap between the tax-cutting instincts of the Conservative base and the concerns of deficit hawks who worry about creating a financial black hole.” This week, the Shadow Chancellor proposed a council tax freeze. But demonstrating that good ideas can find a home anywhere, the Prime Minister has adopted the idea we floated in July of appointing a Secretary of State for

The Spectator

The week that was | 3 October 2008

We’ve uploaded a Web Exclusive report by Lloyd Evans on the latest Spectator / Intelligence Squared debate: “Georgia and Ukraine should be allowed to join Nato”. You can read it here. Matthew d’Ancona says that David Cameron’s speech was that of a Prime Minister in waiting, and gives his take on Peter Mandelson’s astonishing return to Government. Fraser Nelson details your secret £67,300 second mortgage, and claims that Damian McBride’s removal from the frontline will leave Gordon Brown weaker. James Forsyth reviews the glowing press coverage of Cameron’s speech, and suggests the Tories need a top-quality politician to shadow Ed Miliband. Peter Hoskin gives full details of Brown’s reshuffled Cabinet, and

Peter Hoskin

Brown’s press conference: live blog

1615, Peter Hoskin: Welcome to the Coffee House team’s live blog of Brown’s press conference.  You can watch proceedings by clicking here.  Expect much ado about Mandy… 1622, PH: Fascinating footage, so far, of two unattended lecturns.  Word is we can expect Brown and Darling to appear in around 10 minutes. 1624, PH: Scratch that – they’ve appeared now.  Brown kicks off: “These are new times … we’re living through the first truly-international, financial crisis”.  He says his reshuffle will help deal with these new times.  1626, PH: Brown outlines a reorganisation of government to deal with the economy.  A new economic council will convene on Monday. Stephen Carter is to fill a new technology

Peter Hoskin

Brown’s Cabinet in full

Who would have thought it?  The expected “minor reshuffle” developed into the one of the most headline-grabbing reshuffles that you’re ever likely to see, and all thanks to Peter Mandelson’s astonishing return to Cabinet.  I’m sure that would have been towards the forefront of Brown’s mind – to wrest the news agenda back from Cameron, and to maybe dull any post-conference bounce for the Tories.  But there’ll be other reasons too: bridge-building with the Blairites and upping the experience-quotient in government among them.  But will it all back-fire for Brown?  Political bridge-building has a tendency to double up as bridge-burning, and in this case the left of the party –

Peter Hoskin

Post-conference poll boost for the Tories

The latest Guardian / ICM poll records the slightest of post-conference poll boosts for the Tories.  They’re on 42 percent (up 1 on a poll conducted last week); Labour are on 30 percent (down 2); and the Lib Dems are on 17 percent (down 1).  Given that the financial turmoil threatened to make the Birmingham gathering a non-event, I imagine Team Cameron will be happy with this modest upwards shift – although they’ll rightly be waiting for a fuller picture to emerge, as more opinion polls are released throughout October. P.S. Brown’s called a press conference for 1615 today.  We’ll be live-blogging it on Coffee House – stay tuned.

Peter Hoskin

Brown’s Glenrothes gamble

Has Gordon Brown got bold all of a sudden, or is he just desperate? Quite aside from all the reshuffle drama, the Daily Record are reporting that the PM is going to campaign in Glenrothes for the forthcoming by-election.  It sure is a risky move.  Not only does it go against all his previous “PMs shouldn’t campaign in by-elections” talk, but it also fuels the idea that he’ll live or die by the result in Glenrothes.  One thing to look out for: whether Sarah Brown will be joining him on the campaign trail.  I’m sure Team Brown will want to capitalise on the so-called “Sarah Effect”, but they’ll also be

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Removing McBride from the front-line will leave Brown weaker

Damian McBride’s reported departure should be seen as a major part of today’s reshuffles. He has for years been Brown’s real “enforcer”, and – as Martin Bright argued – became a focal point amongst ministers who suspected he was briefing against anyone who defied his master. He was referred to as “McPoison” by none other than Peter Mandelson, so I link Mandy’s return and McBride’s departure – because Mandy knows the real power of spin doctors, would rightly see McBride as one of his major enemies and demand his head as the price of returning to government. Without McBride, Brown’s media operation will take a major hit. McBride was very effective

The Spectator

Brown revamps his press team

Is Damian McBride paying for the shambolic handling of the Ruth Kelly resignation?  The FT are reporting that he’ll be replaced by Justin Forsyth as the PM’s political and press adviser.  Then again, McBride is to remain as part of the No.10 team, so the influence he wields could still be considerable. 

The Spectator

BBC: Ed Miliband to head new department

There is to be a new department dealing with energy and climate change which will be headed by Ed Miliband. This reshaping of the government will force Cameron into at least a mini-shuffle to create a shadow for this new department.

Matthew Dancona

Mandelson’s astonishing return

Peter Mandelson’s return to Government is arguably the most astonishing single event of the New Labour era. His 14 year feud with Gordon Brown has led both men to say the most vituperative things about each other in private: their once strong friendship seemed completely beyond repair and the virulence of their hatred for one another was a source of huge instability during the Blair years. It is only two years since Mandelson was openly questioning Brown’s abilities to lead the party at the 2006 Labour conference in Manchester. I would call this a Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, except that the comparison does not do justice to the breathtakingly counter-intuitive character of

Thursday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

The Boy Dave Done Good

It’s just like old times, ain’t it? The Sun wading in behind the Tory leader. The paper’s leader today has a headline Tory HQ would have written themselves: He’s Ready. The Sun says: DAVID Cameron finally stood up yesterday and showed what he is made of. Gone was the show pony politician. In his place emerged a tough leader, a young but credible statesman with potent ideas for rebuilding our nation. Mr Cameron said the words his party wanted to hear. He echoed their hero, Margaret Thatcher, calling for “strong defence, sound money and the rule of law”. The Tory leader insisted there would be “no new dawns, no overnight