British Politics

The government has been ridiculed after releasing an anti-bullying video in the same week one of its senior ministers faces disciplinary actions over allegations of bullying staff. The Department for Education is at the centre of a Twitter storm following the release of a video condemning bullying in UK schools. The 80-second clip posted on […]

Boris Johnson’s decision to claim that Priti Patel did not break the ministerial code, despite an inquiry into her conduct finding she had “not consistently met the high standards expected of her”, has sparked another resignation in government. The prime minister’s adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Alex Allan, resigned in response to Johnson’s decision to keep Patel […]

Readers continue to propose ideas for improving the calibre of politicians in the House of Commons. Ideas abound about how to improve our politics. Recent suggestions in letters to TNE include making MPs do a work experience, having time limits on how many years they can serve, and of course the popular suggestions of reform […]

A conservative commentator has sparked a row after suggesting reactions to allegations of bullying against Priti Patel should be taken with a “pinch of salt”. Vote Leave activist Darren Grimes provoked a tense exchange of opinions online after he claimed the “Left” were unfairly targeting Patel.  Allies of the home secretary have denied the allegations which were leaked in […]

Boris Johnson will face an “enormous” backbench rebellion from his own party if he does not end lockdown in December, a Conservative MP has claimed. Brexiteer Steve Baker, who has founded the Covid Recovery Group, said he had told whips they would vote against a third lockdown in the Commons. He told the Telegraph: “I think the […]

A Tory minister has sought to defend Priti Patel against allegations of bullying by suggesting civil servants have misunderstood her work ethic. James Cleverly, the minister for Africa and the Middle East, sought to dismiss the accusations by intimating that Patel had only wanted her team to “work hard”. The comment comes after an inquiry by […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has been criticised for failing to ‘condemn somebody who is a potential bully’.  Hancock was asked about a leaked copy of a report on allegations of bullying by home secretary Priti Patel. The minister was appearing on Kay Burley’s breakfast programme when he was asked about the claims from Downing Street […]

Four Tory Brexiteer MPs and a peer who gave a disgraced former colleague character references for his court case have written to senior judges calling for them not to release the statements of others. The five politicians have opted to publish their own testimonies in order to publicly challenge a media request for all the […]

A long-awaited investigation into allegations of bullying by Priti Patel must be published without delay, Labour has demanded amid reports it found she broke the rules for ministers. A draft report last summer found the home secretary had breached the requirements in the ministerial code to treat civil servants with consideration and respect – although […]

A Tory MP has used international men’s day to call for Boris Johnson to create a “minister for men” post. The former vice-chair for the Tory party said men’s issues had been pushed off the agenda after extra business scheduled in the Commons saw the debate squeezed into a 60-minute period. Bradley told MPs: “I’ve drastically […]

Laurence Fox is at the centre of a Twitter storm after being scolded by The Pogues for remarks about the band’s hit Christmas song. The Pogues have called Fox a “little herrenvolk s***e” following a tweet he posted slamming the BBC Radio 1‘s decision to omit a derogative term from the group’s song Fairytale of New York.  Reacting […]

Boris Johnson’s efforts to buy essential kits for the coronavirus outbreak has been likened to panic buyers trying to get their hands on loo rolls. Former military top brass Lord West of Spithead claimed he understood such behaviour could be excused for those who were “ill-informed and not well educated”, but it was not acceptable for a […]

A major European dairy products producer has corrected the UK government saying that a no-deal Brexit will lead to higher prices. Alra, which produces items like Lurpak butter, said the environment secretary was incorrect to suggest the company could simply move part of its production to Britain in the event of a no-deal scenario. George Eustice told the BBC […]

A leading figure in the European Parliament has predicted that the UK will rejoin the EU, claiming it will return “where it belongs”. Guy Verhofstadt made the claim after polling showed that support for the European Union within the UK had reached a record-high – days before the end of the transition period. Verhofstadt lead […]

Labour has demanded that a report into allegations of bullying from Priti Patel should be published in full amid reports Boris Johnson will ‘fudge’ the outcome by issuing a written warning. The Financial Times said that the probe would be concluded “imminently” but that Johnson would only issue Patel with a written warning, rather than dismissing […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has compared the awarding of billions of pounds worth of Covid-19 contracts without proper process to “calling a plumber out at 2am”. Rees-Mogg attempted to dismiss calls for a debate on a National Audit Office report into government spending on coronavirus contracts. A report published by the independent parliamentary body found up to £10 […]

There has been an outpouring of rage after Michael Fabricant, a Tory MP accused of sending Islamophobic tweets, will no longer face disciplinary action. Fabricant has been acquitted of inciting Islamophobia after tweeting a message suggesting Muslims were not English. In a now-deleted message, the MP for Lichfield tweeted: “Nationality and religion are not the same thing.” Fabricant had […]

Chip shops in the United Kingdom could suffer from a major fish shortage if the government does not secure a Brexit deal with Greenland, the industry has warned. Around 10% of all fish supplied to England comes from self-governing Danish territory waters as a result of existing EU agreements, the National Federation of Fish Friers, […]

Liz Truss has denied claims the UK “lacks bandwidth” to negotiate post-Brexit trade deals during a tense exchange in the House of Commons. The international trade secretary addressed comments by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau that the UK “lacks the bandwidth” to conclude a trade deal. Trudeau told the FT he feared a trade deal between […]

A Labour MP has been rebuked by the speaker in the House of Commons after claiming Boris Johnson’s “foulmouthed-edness has caught up with him”. Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi raised previous comments by the prime minister to point out that his remarks are likely to have made chances of a deal with the president-elect Joe […]

Support for the EU in Britain is at a record high, a survey into Covid-19 responses across Europe has found. Positive opinions about the bloc in Britain has increased by six points over the last year to 60% of the population – the highest number recorded for the country by researchers. The Pew Research Center study of […]

Liz Truss has claimed that a trade deal between the UK and Japan goes “further and faster” than the current EU-Japan agreement, but refused to quantify how, following questions from Labour. Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry questioned the minister as the opposition continued to scrutinise the new agreement. Thornberry called for Truss to provide […]

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned that Boris Johnson needs to secure a Brexit deal with the EU to guarantee distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. Brown pointed out that the Pfizer vaccine, in particular, requires distribution links with Belgium, where its manufacturing site is based. He said that Britain without a deal with the […]

Led By Donkeys has urged Boris Johnson to meet with the bereaved families of Covid-19 victims in its latest clip beamed onto the Houses of Parliament. The anti-Brexit campaign group have piled pressure on Johnson to make good on his promise to meet the families of people who have died from coronavirus. Johnson is yet to follow […]

Brexiteer Julia Hartley-Brewer has been accused of calling on people to break the coronavirus rules at Christmas, after suggesting those that celebrated other religious events had contributed to a rise in cases. The talkRADIO presenter previously claimed that “families getting together for Eid in an area with a large Muslim population” was a “key part of reasoning” […]

Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has been urged to make virtual participation in parliament available to all MPs as soon as possible. The government has been criticised in recent weeks for its reluctance to bring back hybrid proceedings for the House of Commons, as per the first coronavirus lockdown in the spring when MPs could participate […]

The Lord Chancellor has said “activist lawyers” have helped undermine the legal profession’s reputation and accused some of playing up their political leanings on social media to tout for work. Robert Buckland refused to reprimand Boris Johnson and Priti Patel for referring to those aiding asylum and refugee seekers as “lefty lawyers” at the Conservative Party […]

Robert Jenrick has “something to hide” if he does not publish minutes and correspondence linked to decisions around a £3.6 billion funding pot to help struggling towns. It comes as Commons spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee warned that a “lack of transparency” over how money has been awarded could “fuel accusations of political bias” […]