Politics

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

Thursday

23 Jul 2015

The second preference conundrum and why Liz Kendall shouldn’t drop out

Is Liz Kendall about to quit the Labour leadership race? The Times reports comments from Labour sources who say Kendall’s time is up — given her poor showing in the recent YouGov poll and CLP nominations — and she should drop out for the good of the party. One MP told the paper ‘it may have to be Liz saying, “Look, I’m not going to win”‘. Another senior Labour figure said ‘there’s quite a bit of private pressure building up on Liz.’ These Labour figures do not appear to understand how the party leader is elected. The preferential Alternative Vote system means that candidates will be knocked one by one out until someone has

Steerpike

Was Yvette Cooper ‘inspired’ by Mhairi Black’s maiden speech?

Last week the SNP MP Mhairi Black gave her maiden speech to Parliament. The young politician inspired the nation with her story of a man in her constituency who came to her crying after a trip to the job centre went wrong: ‘I said to him “how did you get on?” And without saying a word he burst into tears. That grown man standing in front of a 20-year-old crying his eyes out.’ The clip went viral, amassing millions of views worldwide, with Black’s words highly commended by both SNP and Labour politicians alike. So much so that their were whispers of concern at Labour HQ that it could trigger certain members of the party to lurch

Damian Thompson

Swedish nationalists plan a gay pride march through a Muslim area, hoping for trouble

I haven’t seen this reported in the press anywhere, but in Sweden the right-wing nationalist Sweden Democrats are staging a gay pride march featuring men kissing each other. Why? Simple: the July 29 march will pass through areas of northern Stockholm where Muslims make up a majority of the population – 75 per cent, according to some accounts. So there will be trouble. Which is the whole point of the exercise. The Sweden Democrats won 13 per cent of the vote in the 2014 general election and have 49 per seats in parliament on an anti-Muslim manifesto. The Guardian calls them ‘far-Right’, though the party claims to have moved away from its fascist roots.

Isabel Hardman

Why Yvette Cooper is keeping quiet about what she believes

What does Yvette Cooper believe? John Humphrys was desperately trying to find this out on the Today programme this morning, and got nowhere. The Labour leadership contender at least showed us that as party chief, she would be steadfast and calm under fire, but she clearly didn’t fancy telling anyone what she stood for any time soon. Neither, it seems, is she particularly keen on talking about what she offers that is dramatically different to her party’s offer in 2015. Humphrys was very keen to find out which way she might move the Labour party, but she wouldn’t bite. Why won’t Cooper talk about the direction in which she wants

Ross Clark

The hatred directed at Tony Blair shows just how big Labour’s problem has become

I know that the comments beneath online newspaper pieces aren’t exactly where you go if you want sane, balanced opinion, but the forum which followed the Guardian’s news story about Tony Blair’s speech yesterday nevertheless took me aback. Appropriately enough, there were 666 comments when I read them. And how many had anything positive to say about the former Prime Minister? I counted one, possibly two, if you count calling him a ‘charismatic commentator’ before saying you think he is out of touch. It has been clear since around 2002 that Blair has been seen on the left as a generally negatively influence, but is there really no-one among Labour’s grassroots

James Forsyth

Why MPs can’t switch off this summer

There are few quicker ways to annoy an MP than to suggest that they are on holiday when the House of Commons isn’t sitting. Such a suggestion will be met with a tetchy and immediate list of the constituency work they are doing in recess. This week, however, marks the start of the first summer break since the election, so the honourable members should perhaps feel entitled to a rest. Indeed, most MPs who aren’t engaged in a leadership contest will be taking one. As they sink into their deckchairs, they will have plenty to think about. The election might only have been two and a half months ago, but

James Bartholomew

Degrees in disaster

So farewell, Yanis Varoufakis. You used to be Greece’s finance minister. Then you resigned, or were you sacked? You took control of the Greek economy six months ago when it was growing. Yes, honestly! Growth last year ran at 0.8 per cent, with forecasts of 3 per cent this year. The government had a primary budget surplus. Unemployment was falling. Until you came along. Varoufakis was a product of British universities. He read economics at Essex and mathematical statistics at Birmingham, returning to Essex to do a PhD in economics. With the benefit of his British university education he returned to Greece and, during his short time in office, obliterated the

Rod Liddle

The left pillories Tim Farron for his popular view

I wonder who will win the battle for Tim Farron’s soul — the Guardianistas or God? This is assuming that God gives a monkey’s either way. I know that He is supposed to care very deeply about all of our souls, but this is the leader of the Liberal Democrats we’re talking about. ‘Eight seats? Eight seats? You want I should care about someone with just eight seats? Farron, schmarron.’ (Yes, I know, this is God as a slightly camp New York Jew. Apologies to all of those possibly offended.) Either way, my money’s on the liberal lefties. God just does not have the heft these days: he’s too tolerant,

The Spectator

Profiteering in the pits

From ‘Coal and its problems’, The Spectator, 24 July 1915: Instead of attempting to regulate prices, the government ought to have contented themselves with taxing profits, and by that phrase we mean not only the extra profits of the coalowner, but also the extra wages of the coalminer. The assumption that the coalminer is morally justified in obtaining an extra wage for himself out of the nation’s needs, and that the coalowner is not justified in obtaining an extra profit, cannot possibly be defended.

Wednesday

22 Jul 2015

Isabel Hardman

Jeremy Corbyn deserved a place on his party’s ballot paper

Some Labour MPs have been expressing their regret at the fun and games they indulged in to get Jeremy Corbyn onto the leadership contest ballot paper back in the heady days when this was about ‘broadening the debate’, rather than the guy actually having a chance of winning. Now that another poll suggests he could be in with a shot, the fun and games looks rather less fun. That’s why Tony Blair was so forceful this morning, and that’s why MPs such as Tristram Hunt and Chuka Umunna have been so agitated in public about the matter. But those in the party who are horrified that Corbyn is gaining so

Steerpike

Laura Kuenssberg is appointed as the BBC’s new political editor

After weeks of speculation over who will be the BBC’s next political editor, a senior BBC employee today announced on Twitter that Laura Kuenssberg is to be Nick Robinson’s successor. However, just moments later the tweet was hastily deleted. Happily, the Mail’s John Stevens managed to screen grab it before it disappeared: The tweet that mysteriously vanished pic.twitter.com/FJnyHRq9uI — John Stevens (@johnestevens) July 22, 2015 While the BBC are declining to comment at this time on whether Laura, who is currently Newsnight‘s chief correspondent, is the new political editor, others have been quick to offer their congratulations: https://twitter.com/alstewitn/status/623864313917362176 Congrats to @bbclaurak (if reported tweet is true) on taking over from @bbcnickrobinson as @BBCNews political

Alex Massie

Who is to blame for the rise of Jeremy Corbyn? Ed Miliband

Well, look, it’s Ed Miliband’s fault isn’t it? Thrice over in fact. First for winning the Labour leadership, then for leading the party in the way he did and, finally, for leaving the leadership so abruptly. There are many ways of measuring the funk into which Labour has plummeted but one of the best is to consider that it is now seriously believed, in some quarters anyway, that Jeremy Corbyn might not be the worst choice as leader. Believed, I mean, by sensible people of reasonably sound mind who recognise that Corbyn would be a disaster for Labour and, quite possibly, for Britain. (If you doubt that, consider whether the

Sebastian Payne

‘Yvette is dead in the water’ – Team Burnham on the YouGov Labour leadership poll

The YouGov survey might be ‘just one poll’ in a notoriously tricky race to predict, but it has sent shockwaves throughout the Labour party. Tristram Hunt and Tony Blair have been activated to plead with the party to stick to the centre ground, while the other leadership camps are taking differing views on what it means. Andy Burnham’s campaign do not seems too worried and thinks it spells trouble for Yvette Cooper. A source in the Burnham camp says: ‘It shows that Yvette is dead in the water, it’s a two horse race and she’s gone. We are ahead with members, just, and we’ll continue to fight for every vote. On the Jeremy Corbyn threat, Team

Steerpike

Margaret Beckett: I’m a ‘moron’ for nominating Jeremy Corbyn

Last night Tony Blair’s former adviser John McTernan said MPs who offered their nominations to Jeremy Corbyn to ‘broaden the debate’ in the Labour leadership race were ‘morons’ after a poll predicted Corbyn will win. While the bulk of the MPs who helped Corbyn get onto the ballot have remained quiet since his comments, Margaret Beckett chose to come clean on Radio 4’s World at One. When asked if she was a ‘moron’ for nominating Corbyn, the former Foreign Secretary replied: ‘I am one of them’. Beckett — who is supporting Andy Burnham in the race — says she only nominated him as MPs were advised to widen the debate: ‘At no point did I intend to

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn wins a celebrity backer

Although the majority of the MPs who helped to get Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot paper have remained mysteriously silent since a poll predicted that he is on course to be the next Labour leader, Corbyn can at least count on support from one well-known name The Silk actress Maxine Peake has voiced her support for Corbyn. Writing on her website last week, Peake labelled Corbyn ‘our only beacon of hope to get the Labour Party back on track’: ‘For me Jeremy Corbyn is our only beacon of hope to get the Labour Party back on track, get the electorate back in touch with politics and save this country from the constant

Toby Young

‘Tories for Corbyn’ isn’t just a bit of fun. It’s an effective political weapon

Is the #ToriesForCorbyn campaign politics at its most infantile? As one of the few conservative commentators willing to defend it in the media, I’ve been doing my best to rebut that charge. The most frequent line of attack is that there’s something dishonest about it. The Labour leadership election isn’t an open primary. It’s restricted to members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters. OK, you can register as a supporter for £3 — a change brought in by Ed Miliband to reduce union influence — but only if you pretend to be a Labour sympathiser. And that’s just wrong. The short answer to this is that no such pretence is necessary

Sebastian Payne

Tony Blair advises Corbyn supporters to get a heart transplant

Tony Blair has made his predictable intervention in the Labour leadership contest. At an event with the Progress think tank in London this morning, the former Prime Minister made his pitch for the New Labour-ish direction Labour should be heading. Unsurprisingly, it’s somewhat different to the sentiments that have dominated the leadership race so far: ‘We won not because we did what we thought was wrong as a matter of principle but right as a matter of politics; but when we realised that what is right as a matter of policy is right as a matter of principle. ‘Labour shouldn’t despair. We can win again. We can win again next

James Forsyth

Will this Jeremy Corbyn poll break the Labour fever?

It is hard to overstate the level of shock in moderate Labour circles at last night’s YouGov poll showing Jeremy Corbyn heading for victory in the Labour leadership race. Regardless of whether the poll is accurate, they fear that it will damage Labour in two ways. First, it will skew the contest further to the left as Burnham and Cooper both seek to halt the Corbyn advance and to position themselves to pick up second preferences. Secondly, the idea that Corbyn could win is hardly going to reassure those voters who worry about Labour’s economic competence. Another worry is that the hard left could, seeing how close Corbyn is to

Sebastian Payne

Labour will become a ‘pressure group’ if Corbyn wins, says Tristram Hunt

Labour is waking up this morning to the news that Jeremy Corbyn might stand a chance of actually become Labour leader. The question many are asking is how genuine this shift to the left is and will the poll ensure the party autocorrects itself onto a more centrist track. On the Today programme, the Blairite shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt argued that Labour has a ‘desire to return to some old certainties’ following its general election defeat: ‘The danger is that the Labour party, one of the great governing parties of the 20th and early 21st century that did enormously important things for Britain and Britain in the world, would be on a trajectory

Steerpike

Wanted: Christian Lib Dem to aid party interaction

Tim Farron has come under fire this week over concerns that he is prejudiced against gay rights as a result of his evangelical Christian beliefs. His opponents have suggested that he cannot lead a liberal party if he thinks that being gay is a sin. However, those hoping that the new Lib Dem leader will tone down his Christian values need think again. The party is advertising for a director to head up the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum. The chosen candidate will be responsible for ‘interacting at all levels with Liberal Democrat politicians and staff, LDCF members, other Christian and political organisations, and members of the public’ as well as organising ‘prayer

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