Read about the latest UK political news, views and analysis.
Actually, in the circumstances Gordon Brown may have done about as well as he could have at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday. But still, as this edited footage demonstrates, Brown was received a vicious flogging from David Cameron (start from the 2 minute mark):
After that ICM poll suggesting the Tory lead had shrunk to 5 points, tomorrow’s Telegraph gives Cameron just what he wants ahead of next week’s local elections: an 18 point lead. Breakdown is 44-26-17. It’s YouGov, in my view the most reliable pollster. When YouGov had the Tories with 16 point lead it was seen as a freak, until everyone else reached a similar figure eventually. To win, Cameron needs the biggest swing ever achieved by the moderen Conservative party in Opposition. And yet, such a goal is starting to look increasingly likely.
Iain Martin is right to highlight Yvette Cooper’s dreadful performance on Newsnight yesterday evening. She personified the Government’s actions over the 10p tax rate – confused and unconvincing. Here’s footage, for your viewing pleasure:
As ever, Martin Bright’s column in the New Statesman is well worth reading. Here’s the key paragraph: “Brown and his poll-obsessed allies may find some comfort in the latest figures, but there is rebellion in the air. It is important to remember that he does not have the authority of an electoral mandate to face down backbenchers who defy him. His authority is based largely on economic competence and a reputation for knowing how to win elections, and on both counts it has been seeping away.” I’d also add that Brown and his allies have no moral authority when they demand that the party rallies behind its leader. Add all
Hm. The latest post (entitled ‘Secrets’) over at Nadine Dorries’ blog is very intriguing. Do CoffeeHousers have any ideas what she might be getting at? UPDATE: It seems to have been taken down. Curiouser and curiouser…
Is Ken getting worried? Until now he’s been tight-lipped about the prospect of defeat – but that changed this morning at the launch of his full manifesto. He told the assembled journos how Boris should take on the role: “My advice would be don’t rush to make rapid change, try to take your time to people and listen, and actually organise a more graduated transition … Because someone who comes [in] with ‘slash and burn’ might then find after six months that was a big mistake. So I’d take your time.” And even revealed his post-defeat plans: “If I don’t win, come 6 May I will be taking the kids to school
During the kerfuffle after the Jacqui Smith told The Sunday Times that she wouldn’t feel safe walking the streets of London her aides made great play of the fact that she had recently gone to get a kebab in Peckham albeit with security detail in tow. Now, Boulton and Co are reporting that three men were stabbed on the street outside the kebab shop last night.
As Fraser said yesterday – and as Peter Riddell writes in today’s Times – we may be entering a phase in which Labour rebellion and dissent become commonplace. “After all” – Labour MPs might be thinking – “we turned Brown over the 10p tax issue, so let’s use the same tactics again-and-again until we get exactly what we want.” It’s a set-up which could fatally undermine Brown’s premiership – and he knows it. As Jon Craig points out over at Boulton & Co, the vote over controversial detention plans has – as of yesterday – been put back from May to June. A hefty rebellion’s expected. Is the Government just trying to
Can Boris run London? That’s the question that Matthew answers with a resounding “Yes!” in the latest issue of the Spectator. His article’s just been uploaded to the website, so check it out here. Do you agree with Matthew? Have your say – and discuss all matters mayoral – in the comments section.
I’m just out of a More4 studio debating Brown with Francis Beckett, author of a very good (and, to my mind, under-appreciated) biography of the Dear Leader. He’ll carve a niche for himself, I thought, being the talking head supporting Brown over his two remaining years in power. But even he struggled to say that Brown is cut out for office – or that he is decisive. He wanted to be supportive, but Brown as a PM? Even he didn’t seem to see it. Producers who set up these TV pundit debates often moan about the problem of balancing them. It’s getting harder and harder to find anyone not on his
Apparently Brown (or, more likely, Carter) didn’t think the PMQs performance leant itself to the right kind of footage for the evening news. So political editors are being summoned to interviews with the Dear Leader in a more respectful setting. Great atmosphere in the Commons. Labour MPs mainly relieved it’s all over, some annoyed Field caved too early. But as I said earlier, now that the rebels have learned that the laddie is for turning, they will now turn him over regularly. Drama and rebellion will return to the Palace of Varieties. And not before time.
Jonathan Powell’s essay on the Northern Ireland peace process in the May Prospect sets out his position on talking to terrorists with complete clarity: “To argue that al Qaeda and the Taleban are different and that therefore you can’t talk to them is nonsense. Of course they are different, but terrorists are terrorists. What they do is evil, regardless of the cause. But you need to find a way to deal with them.” To be fair to Powell, he prefaces this by saying that you should not concede to terrorists’ demands in response to violence or the threat of violence. But Powell does seem to be arguing that you should talk
For those who want to know what a U-turn looks like, the Guardian has a scanned copy (pdf) of Alistair Darling’s 10p tax letter to John McFall.
Cameron said it should be called Prime Minister’s U-Turn, not PMQs. I disagree. It should be renamed Wednesday Whoppers or – as we say here in CoffeeHouse – Brownies. A new one was minted – involving a claim that 600,000 is “almost a million”. Plenty of Brownies aired. Let’s get stuck in. Brown’s PMQs now start with a Labour backbencher asking the most poisonous question of the day, in hope of denying the Opposition the chance to do it. Cameron just asks what he wants even if it is a repeat. But this lets Brown make his peace with backbenches before Cameron gets stuck in. Hilariously, Brown started by trashing
A quick update to Fraser’s post – the 10p tax rebels, lead by Frank Field, have withdrawn their amendment to the Finance Bill in the wake of Alistair Darling’s statement. The rebellion has officially fizzled out, and Brown can draw a sigh of relief. However, our Prime Minister shouldn’t get too excited – as Fraser warned, the U-turn’s unlikely to wash with voters.
Gordon Brown doesn’t get it. Even his U-turn over the 10p tax rate (announced just time for PMQs in the form of a letter to John McFall) is devilishly complicated. There will be compensation for 60-64 year olds and low-paid workers without children. This will come in the form of winter fuel payments or new tax credits. I am sure that in a spreadsheet somewhere in the Treasury, this makes it all okay. But it won’t work outside Westminster and I’ll tell you why. I spent yesterday on the campaign trail in Greater Manchester and saw for myself the anger. Pensioners were spitting blood, shopkeepers fuming – even people who I
I don’t know a single person in Westminster willing to predict the outcome of the Mayoral election. Most people I speak to say their gut tells them Livingstone will win, but they can’t rationalise it. The bookmakers, however, are seeing a decisive shift to Boris, who has been cut from 4/7 to 1/2 by Ladbrokes. It has just released a statement saying “For every pound we’re taking on Livingstone we are currently taking two on Johnson. If money talks Johnson wins.” We should also factor in a significant media swing behind Boris in the last few days, and I’ll eat my hat if Andrew Gilligan doesn’t have a nasty surprise for
It’s St George’s Day today, so – if you haven’t already – do check out the special articles from the latest issue of the Spectator, and have your say on England in this Coffee House thread. There’s also plenty of relevant coverage in today’s papers, including a Jack Straw article for the Daily Mail. Here’s what the Justice Minister has to say: “One of the things which makes me most angry are people who try to claim the St George’s flag for the far Right… …It wasn’t owned by any political party – least of all the BNP. It was about England. Anyone proud to be English is equally proud
Spend just a few minutes on the campaign trail for next week’s local elections and it suddenly becomes clear why Labour MPs got into such a mutinous mood. When they happily voted through Gordon Brown’s abolition of the 10p starting rate of income tax last year, it was argued that having 5.3 million pay a little more was worth it in order to be able to say that the basic rate of income tax had fallen. No one foresaw what is now clear: just how badly this ruse would go down with the public. The first half-hour I spend with Tory activists in Salford gives a taste of the anger.
I must admit to mixed feelings at the news that Number Ten will fly the flag of St George tomorrow. On the one hand, it’ll be an impressive sight and compared to the dog’s dinner of devolution is hardly likely to tear at the constitutional fabric. On the other, Downing Street is the home of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and so the only flag that should fly over it is the Union flag.
