Tom Goodenough is online editor of The Spectator.
Philip Hammond has got himself into something of a bind over planning for a Brexit ‘no deal’. The Chancellor has ruled out – at least for the time being – spending money on contingency plans for a scenario in which Britain walks away from the EU without an agreement. The problem with this strategy is
Theresa May’s admission that the European Court of Justice could continue to play a role during any Brexit transition deal has not gone down well with some Leave supporters. Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested that the Prime Minister had gone too far in trying to appease Brussels. But the Sun doesn’t see the PM’s comments as anything
Ministers had been holding out some faint hope (at least publicly) that Brexit trade talks could start this month. It was an unlikely prospect. Jean-Claude Juncker warned only a few weeks ago that it would take a ‘miracle’ for that to happen. Now, it’s official that a Brexit miracle hasn’t take place: Donald Tusk, the
Theresa May’s ‘I’m in charge’ message she delivered to Parliament wasn’t only aimed at MPs – it was also directed at Brussels, says the Daily Telegraph. After all, there’s little doubt that Michel Barnier will have looked at Theresa May’s disastrous Tory party conference performance and have concluded ‘she is hanging onto power by her
Grant Shapps’ bid to stir up a rebellion against Theresa May has almost certainly failed. Instead, his decision to publicly call on the PM to go has shown that even after the Tories’ lacklustre conference May still retains a wide degree of support among the party’s MPs. Here is the full list of Conservative MPs,
Theresa May’s Tory party conference speech was a memorable one if only for all the wrong reasons. A prankster, her faltering voice and a broken sign meant the Prime Minister’s reboot did not go to plan. Here is the newspaper verdict on May’s nightmare speech: The luck that all leaders need has ‘deserted Theresa May’,
All eyes will be on Boris Johnson when he takes to the stage in Manchester this afternoon. The Foreign Secretary isn’t the only big fixture at the Conservative party conference though. Here is the pick of the action from the conference and the fringes: Party conference: 10.00 – 12.30: Fighting injustices: Secretary of State for Health; Secretary
Philip Hammond probably wouldn’t be in the Cabinet if Theresa May had won the thumping majority she was widely predicted to. Instead, Hammond will be taking centre stage on day two of the Tory party conference. Here are the highlights to watch out for: Party conference: 10am: David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland 10.40am: Alun Cairns, Secretary
The Conservative party conference is underway. In the days after the doomed snap election, Theresa May didn’t look as though she would make it this far. But the Prime Minister has clung on. Here are the highlights to look out for on day one: Party conference: 10.30 – 12.30: Meeting of the National Conservative Convention. Alexandra Suite,
Finally, Theresa May has – in her speech marking the Bank of England’s independence – offered the defence of capitalism ‘that the country has been waiting to hear’, says the Daily Telegraph. It’s about time, argues the paper, which accuses Jeremy Corbyn of ‘selling a vision of socialism’ to an audience too young to remember
Only last month, the Government was still keeping up the pretence of being optimistic that Brexit trade talks with the EU could start by October. Now the hope of doing so is fading fast. The European Council president Donald Tusk used a trip to Downing Street today to deliver a stark message: ‘there is not sufficient progress
It’s Tom Watson’s turn to address Labour’s party conference today. Last year, he said it was ‘time to get the band back together’ – earning himself a standing ovation from delegates and a somewhat muted response from Jeremy Corbyn. Here are the highlights we can look forward to on day three: Labour conference: 9.30am: Financial reports;
Labour’s Brexit row rumbles on. While the issue won’t be the subject of a vote at the party’s annual gathering, that isn’t stopping delegates from tearing scraps out of each other in the conference hall over the issue. This morning’s session was dedicated to giving delegates a chance to talk shop on Brexit. It’s true that
John McDonnell takes centre stage on day two of the Labour party conference. Here are the best of the events taking place at conference, on the fringes and at Momentum’s ‘The World Transformed’: Labour conference: 10.50am: Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry 11am: Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer 12.15pm: Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell 2.15pm: Living standards and
Brexit has given the Labour party something of a collective headache ever since the referendum. Now, the party is trying a new approach: pretending it doesn’t exist. The party’s annual conference has just decided which issues will be voted on by those gathering in Brighton – and the issue of leaving the EU failed to make
When Sadiq Khan took to the stage at Labour’s conference last year, his none-too-subtle message to Jeremy Corbyn was a lecture on the importance of winning power. Now, a year on, some Corbynistas are determined not to give the London Mayor the same opportunity to speak up – as we have already seen in the
As the Labour party conference kicks off, Jeremy Corbyn’s grip on power has never been stronger. The party’s moderates have been sidelined from the main stage at this year’s event in Brighton. And a vote this week on rule changes affecting future Labour leadership contests is likely to give a further boost to those on the party’s
Theresa May’s Brexit pitch today will deliver to the EU ‘divorce terms that she hopes it can’t refuse’, says the Times. An early draft of her speech suggests she will start by explaining the choice of location, Florence; a city, the PM will say, ‘that taught us what it is to be European’. This begs
Ahead of tomorrow’s Brexit speech in Florence, the Sun has some advice for the Prime Minister: show that you’re prepared to walk away. The paper says it is vital that the Cabinet pulls together around the PM’s Brexit. But it also asks: what happens if Angela Merkel doesn’t buy her plan? Of course, it would
Boris Johnson’s Brexit intervention ‘is a dismal reflection on Theresa May’s position’, says the Times. But worse than that, this Cabinet ‘disunity is corroding the Conservative brand’ – and making a Corbyn victory at the next election ever more likely. ‘In normal times,’ says the Times, ‘the case for dismissal would be unanswerable’. But while
