British Politics

The world’s largest daffodil farm, which is based in Cornwall, is being forced to let hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of flowers rot after encountering troubles hiring staff since Brexit. Varfell Farms, at Long Rock, Penzance, produces 500 million stems a year and needs 700 workers to pick them. However, since Covid and the end of free […]

Legislation is currently making its way through the UK parliament to repeal the controversial fixed-term parliaments act, which sets the period between general elections at five years and limits the prime minister’s power to trigger an election earlier. An earlier election is possible if two thirds of MPs vote for it or if the government […]

Another layer of Brexit red tape associated with the Northern Ireland Protocol has come into effect, with health certificates on Great British sausages and mince now required. The UK government-designed export health certificates to allow such products to enter Northern Ireland are only temporary, as from July 1 they are set to be banned from […]

DUP leader Arlene Foster and senior party MPs are launching legal action challenging the post-Brexit agreement surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol. They will be joining other unionists from across the UK in judicial review proceedings unless alternative trade arrangements are put in place which secure their consent. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds, the party’s Westminster […]

Matt Hancock has declined to apologise after the High Court ruled the government unlawfully failed to publish details of billions of pounds’ worth of coronavirus-related contracts. The health eecretary has faced calls for greater accountability after a judge said he did not publish redacted contracts in accordance with the transparency policy. However, Hancock insisted legal […]

Scottish government buildings will be allowed to continue flying the EU flag alongside the saltire every day of the year, the SNP has said. The EU is only raised on May 9 to celebrate Europe Day. By contrast, the Union Flag will only be flown one day a year – Remembrance Sunday. The move did […]

The government unlawfully failed to publish details of billions of pounds’ worth of coronavirus-related contracts, the High Court has ruled. The Good Law Project took legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for its “wholesale failure” to disclose details of contracts agreed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is required by […]

Boris Johnson had to ask German leader Angela Merkel to put herself on mute after she inadvertently interrupted his remarks to a virtual meeting of G7 leaders. As with many video conferences throughout lockdown, the prime minister’s address from 10 Downing Street did not get off to a smooth start. While French president Emmanuel Macron […]

A man has been charged with sending threatening emails to a series of anti-Brexit politicians – including former Commons speaker John Bercow and European Movement leading campaigner Dominic Grieve. Court documents show Paul Ritchie, 34, has been charged with nearly 30 counts of sending a letter, communication or article conveying a threatening message against a […]

England should impose a “traffic light system” for re-opening various sectors of the economy, Tony Blair has advised in a report published by his thinktank, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI). The former Labour prime minister weighed into the lockdown debate by publishing his own plans on how the nations should ease restrictions. The plan includes a […]

Rights and democracy groups are urging the government to rethink its ban on political leafleting during England’s current coronavirus restrictions. Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith said in a letter to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel that leafleting and door-to-door campaigning was “not considered (an) essential or necessary activity” in lockdown. But rights and democracy […]

It is an attractive idea, but flawed, says MITCH BENN. You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I suggested that when one is considering whether a given project has ‘worked’, one should bear in mind that its ostensible objective (ie. what the public are told it’s supposed to achieve) and its actual objective (ie. […]

Brexit has caused hauliers to become “their own customs agents” due to shortages, MSPs have been told. Appearing before the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee at Holyrood, Martin Reid, the Scotland and Northern Ireland director for the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said his members had been forced to recruit and train administrative staff […]

Sir Keir Starmer pledged to lead a “moral crusade” to address inequalities and injustices exposed by the coronavirus crisis, as he announced plans for recovery bonds to give savers a stake in Britain’s future. The Labour leader used a major speech to call for a “new chapter” in the country’s history after the pandemic laid bare […]

Dominic Cummings urged Boris Johnson to scrap the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), an inside source has revealed. Johnson was being told the disband the committee over fears some experts were leaking information to the press in order to pressure the prime minister into pursuing tougher coronavirus restrictions. A source told the Mail that matters […]

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has been given a new role as a government adviser following Brexit. The Brexiteer rejoins government to become an adviser to Boris Johnson on regulatory reform after the UK departed from the European Union. He will chair the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) alongside Theresa Villiers and George Freeman. […]

There is an urgent need to reboot security cooperation with the EU in the wake of Brexit deal which has left the UK “less safe and less secure”, a group of former Tory MPs have told Boris Johnson. The prime minister is being accused of “not being ambitious enough” after his deal shut down access […]

Voters will reportedly be required to bring photo ID when casting their ballots in elections from 2023. The proposal is part of a new Electoral Integrity Bill which will form part of the Queen’s Speech in spring and be in force by the time local elections are held two years from now, according to the […]

Boris Johnson has created a minister for Brexit post – months after claiming he had got the issue “done”. Former negotiator Lord Frost will become an unelected member of the cabinet, overseeing the future relationship with the European Union. Downing Street said that the Conservative peer will become a minister of state in the Cabinet Office, reporting […]

A new partnership between business and the state is needed as the country rebuilds from the coronavirus crisis, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will say. Next month’s Budget represents a “fork in the road” for British society, with a chance to reject the “insecure and unequal economy” of the past, he will say in a […]

Nicola Sturgeon has criticised Downing Street after Dominic Cummings admitted he made a recommendation that led to a friend’s firm receiving government work.  Cummings made the admission after campaigners took legal action against the Cabinet Office over the payment of more than £500,000 to research firm Public First without a formal tendering process. The first minister hit out […]

A majority of the public is unhappy about the post-Brexit trade agreement that Boris Johnson secured with the EU, a new survey has found. The report, published by the British Foreign Policy Group, an independent think tank advocating for a stronger UK global presence, shows that under a quarter of respondents believed the prime minister’s […]

Boris Johnson said he felt “like OJ Simpson” as he struggled to pull on a pair of gloves. The prime minister made the reference to the moment in Simpson’s murder trial when the US actor and sports star had difficulty putting on gloves thought to have been used in the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole […]

Boris Johnson has denied that he once claimed devolution was a “disaster” to Tory MPs. The prime minister said he had benefited from devolution himself by equating his experience as mayor of London to that of the administrations governing Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Johnson was speaking from a mass coronavirus vaccination centre at Cwmbran […]

The Labour Party is mulling over a decision to add electoral reform to its manifesto after party activists vote to end the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. More than one-quarter of Labour branches are urging Sir Keir Starmer to dump the party’s historical support for FPTP voting in favour of proportional representation. Calls for Labour to change its stance has grown over […]

A DUP minister has said she would not oppose an EU/UK deal on agri-food movement similar to the one the bloc has with Switzerland. Stormont economy minister Diane Dodds she would not be against anything that offered “short-term relief” from recent Irish Sea trade disruption. However, Dodds expressed doubt about whether the UK government would […]

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has called for the government to reopen pubs and restaurants to help improve Britain’s public finances. Martin said his pub chain contributes £1 in every thousand collected by the Treasury in the year to July 2019 and should be allowed to reopen at the same time as non-essential shops. He said the pub industry made […]

A senior Tory MP has ridiculed Boris Johnson’s plans for a 25-mile undersea tunnel connecting Scotland and Northern Ireland – calling for ministers to focus on the issues surrounding the Brexit deal instead. The tunnel – dubbed the ‘Boris Burrow’ – could cost £10 billion to create and was seen as a compromise to a […]