Tom Goodenough

Tom Goodenough

Tom Goodenough is online editor of The Spectator.

Tom Goodenough

Armed police arrest man outside Parliament

Armed police have arrested a man on suspicion of carrying a knife outside Parliament. The suspect, in his 30s, was pictured being held by officers this morning. Scotland Yard said a Taser was discharged during the incident. In a statement, police confirmed that no one was injured. Joe Murphy, the Evening Standard‘s political editor, said

Tom Goodenough

Grenfell Tower: Theresa May’s ‘Hurricane Katrina’ moment?

We don’t yet know what caused the Grenfell Tower blaze. Yet already one thing is clear: this devastating fire, in which at least 17 people – and possibly many more – lost their lives, should never have happened. Grenfell Tower is turning into Theresa May’s ‘Hurricane Katrina’ moment, says the Guardian, which contrasts Jeremy Corbyn’s

Theresa May would be wise to listen to David Cameron

Theresa May has few friends at the moment. But while her Christmas card list might be dwindling, her tally of critics is growing rapidly. Yesterday, John Major urged the Prime Minister to ditch a deal with the DUP or risk jeopardising the peace process in Northern Ireland. Now, David Cameron has waded in, calling for the PM

Tom Goodenough

Tory leader runners and riders: Who could replace Theresa May?

Theresa May has granted herself a brief reprieve by saying ‘sorry’ to Conservative MPs. But while the Prime Minister’s apology won her some breathing space, in the long term little has changed: the PM’s Downing Street days are numbered. Who could be next in line to take over as the new Tory leader? Boris Johnson Boris remains the

Tom Goodenough

Corbyn or May? The papers have their say

This time tomorrow, the politicians will have finally fallen silent and the polls will be open. But who to vote for? Here’s what the papers say: The Sun backs Theresa May and has a ‘simple message’ for those considering voting for Ukip or Labour: ‘don’t’. Given that the ‘Tories alone are committed to seeing Brexit through in

Italian government: We told UK that terrorist was on his way 

The third London Bridge attacker has now been named by police as Youssef Zaghba. A 22-year-old Moroccan-Italian, Zaghba was stopped at Bologna Airport in March 2016, heading to Turkey on a one-way ticket. When he was questioned at the airport, he is said to have made his intentions clear: ‘I’m going to be a terrorist,’ Politico

Has Theresa May’s strong point become her Achilles heel?

Security is supposed to be Theresa May’s strong point. Today, it looked like her Achilles heel. The Prime Minister used a speech this morning to pit herself against Jeremy Corbyn as the one to trust on Brexit and keeping Britain safe. At the same venue as her leadership launch last year, May painted a familiar image

Tom Goodenough

Tory candidate Craig Mackinlay charged with election offences

Craig Mackinlay, the former Tory MP and the party’s candidate in South Thanet, has been charged with election offences. The decision by the CPS – which comes less than a week ahead of the snap election – was made following an investigation by police into Conservative Party expenses during the 2015 General Election. In that election campaign, Mackinlay

Tom Goodenough

What the papers say: Are we heading for a coalition of chaos?

Theresa May’s warnings about a ‘coalition of chaos’ used to sound like empty threats. Not any longer. Since the publication of this week’s YouGov poll which suggested we could be heading for a hung Parliament, the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn making it to No.10 suddenly seems less unbelievable than before. But if May does lose

What the papers say: Should the Tories be panicking?

A YouGov poll suggesting we could be heading for a hung parliament caused a furore in Westminster yesterday – but should we believe it? The Times defends the estimate in its leader this morning, saying that while it’s right to treat the poll with ‘scepticism’, it says ‘the figures are based on interviews with many

Listen: YouGov’s Joe Twyman defends shock election poll

Can we trust the pollsters? Bruised by Brexit and caught out by Trump, the psephologists claim they’ve finally learnt their lesson. If so, that’s a big problem for the Tories: today’s YouGov poll predicts that the party is on course for an electoral upset which could see them lose their majority. YouGov have been busy

Is Corbyn really closing in on May?

Corbyn is closing in on May, the Times reports this morning, as a poll from YouGov shows the gap between the two parties is down to just five points with less than two weeks to go until election day. The latest numbers show the Conservatives have, once again, seen their support drop: this time by