Politics

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

Friday

10 Jan 2025

China hawks could cause a fresh headache for Labour

It used to be said that parties were Eurosceptic in opposition but Europhile in government. The same might be true of China too. Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour initially adopted a Sinosceptic stance, calling out the Hong Kong crackdown and backing calls to formally recognise China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide. Yet in office, they have abandoned such postures and instead sent various ministers out to East to tout for trade and promises of friendship. How’s that working out eh? The latest to go cap in hand is Rachel Reeves, in her never-ending quest for growth. But at home, China hawks are not prepared to make life easy for

Andrew Tettenborn

In defence of prejudice

There’s always something that seems clinically compelling about a claim that we need yet more equality laws. Mary Prior KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association and a proud working-class Potteries girl, has demanded that regional accents and social deprivation should be legally protected characteristics. At first sight it’s difficult to argue with the icy logic. If it’s unfair to do someone down because they’re female, or Catholic, or black, it can’t be all right for a lah-di-dah appointments committee in SW1 to prefer Serena to Sharon, or Simon from Surbiton over Steve from Sunderland. Or can it? Some will gravitate to certain jobs, some to others. So what? It’s actually much less

Katy Balls

Could Elon Musk really oust Keir Starmer?

Another day, another story that risks further exacerbating tensions between the world’s richest man and the prime minister. The Mirror reports that Elon Musk’s posts on X (the platform he owns) are being monitored by the Home Office’s counter-extremism unit as part of an increased effort to assess the risk posed to Britain by tweets sent from those with large followings. The news will go down like a cup of cold sick with Musk who has long railed against the UK government over censorship. It’s just another indicator of how the strained relationship between Keir Starmer and Musk is unlikely to improve anytime soon. But are things so bad that

Katy Balls

Will Rachel Reeves have to go back on her word?

Elon Musk may have moved political focus in the UK to the grooming gangs scandal, but there is another issue causing alarm in the upper echelons of government this week: the economy. With every day that passes, Britain’s financial situation appears to be deteriorating. On Tuesday, a £2 billion auction of 30-year UK government debt sold at an interest rate of 5.198 per cent, which outpaced increases for other governments’ bonds. Ten-year borrowing costs have since surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, and as of today the pound continues to fall. On Wednesday, the Treasury put out a quote which has been seen as an attempt

Mark Solomons

Why we should admire Mick Lynch

Rail union leader Mick Lynch has announced his retirement. No doubt there will be plenty who will breathe a sigh of relief, be it the politicians and hapless interviewers he has skewered on live television, to the passengers whose commutes were disrupted by the RMT’s strikes. Pugnacious in both appearance and attitude, he is a stereotypical leftie from the days of I’m All Right Jack. He once told an interviewer that ‘all I want from life is a bit of socialism’. His views range from the predictable pro-Palestinian stance to strongly supporting Brexit. Yet, to his members, his firebrand speeches and no-nonsense approach to those who opposed him was seen

Gavin Mortimer

When will Britain wake up to the Islamist threat?

A poll this week in France found that 78 per cent of respondents are in favour of proscribing the wearing of Muslim headscarves at universities and also for classroom helpers on school outings. The poll was conducted after comments by the Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, in a newspaper interview. ‘Helpers [on school trips] don’t have to wear headscarves,’ he said. ‘The headscarf is not just a piece of cloth: it’s a banner for Islamism, and a statement of women’s inferiority in relation to men.’ In the same interview, Retailleau promised to stem immigration into France because it ‘is partly linked to Islamism’. Retailleau’s remarks underline the huge gulf that separates the governments of

Martin Narey

How I was punished for breaking the conspiracy of silence on grooming gangs

The renewed interest in the disproportionate involvement of men of Pakistani origin in historic group child sexual abuse has led to trenchant criticism of the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. What has been less acknowledged is the failure of the children’s sector to acknowledge the horror of what was happening. They were part of a consensus which betrayed some of the most vulnerable and innocent children in the UK. Deeply disadvantaged children being repeatedly raped deserved better I worked with offenders for 23 years and led the Prison Service for seven, resigning in 2005 to lead Barnardo’s. A couple of years into the job, I heard the first tentative

Thursday

9 Jan 2025

Steerpike

Mick Lynch’s top five lowlights

Well, well, well. Mick Lynch, RMT’s infamous general secretary, has today announced he will be stepping down from the top job after four years in post. In a statement, the trade unionist remarked: It has been a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years in all capacities, but now it is time for change… RMT will always need a new generation of workers to take up the fight for its members and for a fairer society for all, and I am immensely proud to have been part of that struggle. Lynch has led RMT members through a number of pay battles in recent years and found himself at

Steerpike

Andy Burnham demands grooming gangs inquiry

Following the defeat of the Tory amendment in parliament last night, No. 10 might have hoped that calls for a public inquiry into grooming gangs are now dying down. But the impetus for such a move has been given fresh life today by another helpful intervention from that well-known Starmer ally, Andy Burnham. Yes, that’s right – the Mayor of Greater Manchester has decided that today of all days is the perfect time to add his voice to the chorus of demands. The self-identified ‘King in the North’ told BBC Radio Manchester today that while he rejected the Tories’ ‘opportunism’: I do think there is the case for a limited

Ian Williams

What is the point of Rachel Reeves’s visit to Beijing?

The Chinese communist party claims to know a thing or two about humiliation – the ‘century of humiliation’ at the hands of rapacious foreigners is a founding myth of the CCP, which presents itself as a redemptive power. It will no doubt derive some satisfaction in making Rachel Reeves look foolish, as she heads to China today with a selection of City grandees. In reality though, the damage will be largely self-inflicted. Starmer’s China strategy seems even more incoherent than that of his predecessors For multiple reasons, the timing of a visit designed to build closer economic links with Beijing is awful. It comes just weeks after the UK confirmed

Lara Prendergast

The truth about grooming gangs, ‘why I’m voting for the AfD’ & exploring YouTube rabbit holes

47 min listen

This week: what does justice look like for the victims of the grooming gangs?In the cover piece for the magazine, Douglas Murray writes about the conspiracy of silence on the grooming gangs and offers his view on what justice should look like for the perpetrators. He also encourages the government to take a step back and consider its own failings. He writes: ‘If any government or political party wants to do something about the scandal, they will need to stop reviewing and start acting. Where to begin? One good starting point would be to work out why Pakistani rapists in Britain seem to have more rights than their victims.’ To

Steerpike

BBC presenter loses job after releasing anti-Starmer song

Back to the Beeb, which continues to get better at being the focus of news headlines rather than, er, producing them. Now a freelance weekend newsreader is on the warpath, with the ex-BBC presenter claiming he was let go from the public service broadcaster after it emerged he made an anti-Keir Starmer charity Christmas single. Good heavens… Chris Middleton worked at BBC Radio Newcastle for six years before producing the ‘Freezing This Christmas’ hit. The tongue-in-cheek tune intended to make a serious point about the winter fuel payment cuts introduced by Starmer’s army, with the rather creative lyrics including: And she told me that she doesn’t get out of bed

Patrick O’Flynn

Is Reform about to top the polls?

Is Reform about to become the most popular political party in Britain, overtaking both Labour and the Tories in national opinion polls? The rise of the light blue peril in opinion surveys since the general election at the expense of both major parties has certainly caused jitters in Westminster. MPs from more established parties know that Reform hitting the front would be a major story in itself and could generate a ‘feedback loop’ that could further stretch its lead. Following a bumpy Christmas for Kemi Badenoch, the latest Spectator poll tracker which aggregates surveys up to 8 January, has Labour averaging 27 per cent, the Tories just over 23 per cent and

Kate Andrews

Borrowing costs soar – will Rachel Reeves have to go back on her word?

12 min listen

Long term borrowing costs for the government have reached levels not seen since 1998, and 10 year UK gilts are now at their highest point since the 2008 financial crash. Both surpass the levels seen during the Liz Truss premiership – and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the former PM. A set of similar circumstances, but could the consequences be the same? What are the economic – and political – challenges facing Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves? James Heales speaks to Kate Andrews and Katy Balls to unpack the latest tranche of economic data. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Steerpike

Watch: Scottish Tory leader mocks FM over Musk comments

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been the talk of London town this week and north of the border things are no different. The first First Minister’s Questions of the year has just concluded in Holyrood and, surprise surprise, the tech titan got a pretty prominent mention. In a speech on Monday, First Minister John Swinney rather bizarrely suggested that if the SNP government’s budget failed to pass next month it would play into the hands of ‘Elon Musk and other populists’. Er, right. Keen to clarify exactly why Swinney decided to throw that rather odd warning around, new Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay was quick on the attack today. Taking

Steerpike

Watch: Steve Reed heckled by farmers

Who was the least popular man in Oxford this morning? Environment Secretary Steve Reed was certainly up there. The Labour man travelled through to the City of Dreaming Spires today to deliver a speech at the Oxford Farming Conference, with the Environment Secretary keen to discuss matters like how farmers can ‘diversify’ their incomes and how Labour will help ‘tear down the barriers to trade’ with the EU. But the farmers in attendance had other ideas… Anger over Rachel Reeves’ inheritance tax hike on farmland has certainly not dissipated and farming delegates were more than happy to remind the Labour MP of this fact. The Cabinet Secretary’s car was accompanied

Ross Clark

Liz Truss’s legal threat against Keir Starmer is a mistake

In politics as in everyday life it is possible to be right at the same time as being terribly, terribly wrong. Look no further than Liz Truss instructing her lawyers to send a ‘cease and desist letter’ to Keir Starmer demanding that he stops accusing her of “crashing the economy”. The claim, she alleges, is not only false but contributed to her losing her South West Norfolk seat in last year’s general election. Truss is right, as it happens – the mini budget delivered by her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng during her micro-premiership may have precipitated a run on bond markets, but it had little effect on the economy, and Britain did

Matthew Lynn

Where is Rachel Reeves?

Bond yields are soaring to their highest levels in almost 30 years and sterling is sliding. The government’s economic strategy is facing its first real test, and where is the chancellor? So far Rachel Reeves has been silent, preparing for a jaunt to China. At some point she will have to address the markets – or risk turning a round of jitters into a full-blown crisis. Over the last few days, the markets have turned decisively on the UK. Yesterday, the yield on 10-year gilts hit its highest level since the financial crisis of 2008, while the yield on the 30-year gilt hit the highest level for 30 years. The

Steerpike

SNP government could boycott Twitter, FM warns

Elon Musk has kept the British media busy in recent days, after persistently posting criticism of UK politicians over the grooming gangs scandal – and even calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be incarcerated. But actions have consequences and the billionaire businessman may soon be about to see what happens when he’s deemed to have gone too far. In fact the Twitter CEO may be about to feel the wrath of the Scottish National party which, reports claim, is considering leaving the social media site for greener pastures. However will Musk cope? Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has admitted that he is still on Twitter at the moment because

Terry Barnes

Beach turf wars are dividing Australia

At a time when Donald Trump threatens to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal, China is flexing its military and economic muscles, Britain is in a state of seemingly permanent political crisis, Los Angeles tragically burns, and murderous conflicts still ravage Ukraine and the Middle East, here in Australia just one issue dominates public debate this week: whether a true Australian has the right to reserve beach space by setting up an American-style beach shelter – a cabana – to stake a claim, whether or not it’s occupied. Even the country’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has waded in on the subject – and finally found popularity by condemning the canvas

Hold on to your hats...

Friday

Thursday