British Politics

Durham Police has been accused of giving Boris Johnson’s senior adviser “special treatment” when he was investigated over his trip to the north of England during the first lockdown. It is claimed that Cummings was shown a key statement “as a courtesy” before it was made public. The force had explained why it was being […]

The media’s focus on infighting in Number 10 is a distraction from the Brexit armageddon facing the UK, a commentator has argued. The Guardian‘s George Monbiot said British newspapers were prioritising ‘scandal’ over the Brexit negotiations. He said: “Putting the resignation of a Downing Street adviser as top headline during a moment of multiple global and national crises […]

Boris Johnson is set to avoid the latest Downing Street press conference following reports of in-fighting at the heart of his administration. There had been planned to be an update on coronavirus on Thursday afternoon, but it will be left to business secretary Alok Sharma to update the nation. He will be joined by NHS England […]

Downing Street has dismissed claims that the in-fighting at the heart of government shows that Boris Johnson is distracted from tackling coronavirus. Responding to Labour leader Keir Starmer’s criticisms that he is not focusing “on the job in hand”, his official spokesperson said that he was “absolutely focused” on the pandemic.  The spokesman said: “The prime minister is […]

A former Tory minister has attacked Jacob Rees-Mogg over claims that MPs working from home were “shirking” their duties. Tracey Crouch, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in June, suggested that measures Rees-Mogg imposed prohibiting MPs from voting remotely meant parliamentarians like her were not able to participate in crucial divisions. She said: “(Rees-Mogg) will be aware there […]

Nigel Farage has dismissed suggestions he is not taking Covid-19 seriously after launching an anti-lockdown outfit to fight against measures designed to protect people from the pandemic. The Brexit Party leader, who hopes to rebrand his organisation as Reform UK, has revealed his own family has tested positive with the illness. Appearing on Times Radio, […]

A television presenter has said she would “rather boil my head in a vat of oil” than support Nigel Farage’s new anti-lockdown party. In a powerful takedown of Ann Widdecombe’s support for the new organisation, Jemma Forte told Jeremy Vine on 5: “Because what it’s doing is really exploiting something that has caused pain and […]

A Tory MP who complained about a National Trust report into slavery and colonialism has had his argument picked to pieces live on air. Journalist and commentator Dalia Gebrial tore apart Ben Bradley’s claim that the National Trust was attempting to “sanitise” history by highlights links between its properties and slavery. The National Trust came under heavy […]

Michael Gove has been criticised by Labour for failing to answer a “basic question” on how many customs agents are ready to deal with Brexit at the end of the transition period in six weeks’ time. Shadow cabinet office minister Rachel Reeves was asking Brexiteer Gove about the fact that the transition period now ends […]

Boris Johnson has lost his chief spin doctor after a power struggle in Downing Street. Here are some of the key questions around the turmoil in Number 10. What has happened? Lee Cain is quitting the Number 10 operation, where he had been Johnson’s director of communications, although he will remain in post until the […]

An Australian lawyer has slammed Priti Patel for appearing to copy her country’s asylum seeker policy, adding that any “decent” country would not process refugees offshore. Madeline Gleeson, a human rights lawyer, said the move to copy Australia’s immigration policy was “deeply concerning” and warned Westminster MPs against following suit. Gleeson’s comment comes after leaked documents showed the […]

MPs have hit out at the lack of transparency behind a process of distributing billions of taxpayers’ money to towns across England, fuelling fears of “political bias”. The cross-party Commons Public Accounts Committee said the process for selecting communities to benefit from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund was “not impartial” and risked undermining the integrity […]

A series of Brexiteers in the Labour Party are demanding an apology from Keir Starmer for opposing Brexit when he was in charge of the party’s policy. The former Jeremy Corbyn frontbenchers say that Starmer cannot rebuild trust with “red wall” voters without “settling of accounts” on the issue. Laura Smith, Jon Trickett, and Ian […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has slammed the infighting in Downing Street after Boris Johnson’s director of communications walked out, with Dominic Cummings considering resigning.  “This is pathetic. I think millions of people will be waking up this morning, scratching their heads, saying what on earth is going on? “We’re in the middle of a […]

Dominic Cummings could resign from Downing Street as Boris Johnson’s senior aide after Lee Cain was forced out as director of communications. Former Vote Leave communications chief Cain had been expected to enter Boris Johnson’s inner circle by becoming his chief of staff, ahead of Allegra Stratton joining the government as press spokesperson. But there […]

A former Labour frontbencher used his maiden speech in the House of Lords to express his pride at having helped to stop Jeremy Corbyn win the general election. John Woodcock, who sits as Lord Walney in the upper chamber, also revealed his criticism of the ex-party leader, had strained long-term friendships and also led to […]

A Conservative MP has been criticised for suggesting ballet and opera is enjoyed by many people in the south of England while northerners prefer football, as he warned “northern culture” is being hit by Covid-19. Former minister Jake Berry, whose previous government position included the northern powerhouse brief, compared Accrington Stanley to the Royal Ballet as he […]

The election of Joe Biden is a rare moment of opportunity for British advocates of internationalism to help cement the president-elect’s world view. The moment will be short-lived. The news agenda will move on and the Bannon/Cummings right will regroup and chip away at the new White House. Now is the time for Keir Starmer, […]

Historian Dan Snow has been left with his head in his hands after a Brexiteer made comparisons between Joe Biden’s support for the Good Friday Agreement and American support for the IRA. Lowri Turner -a former journalist and television presenter – appeared on the Jeremy Vine on 5 show to say that Biden was “not helpful” […]

At Westminster today, the talk was of a reshuffle of Boris Johnson’s top team – no, not the cabinet, but the people actually running the country: the rag-tag bunch of unelected former Vote Leave staffers who surround the prime minister.  Johnson is said to want to appoint Lee Cain, his hapless communications chief once employed […]

A minister has hit out at the “politicisation” around questions about contracts and public funding being handed to associates of the Tory party. Alex Chalk, a justice minister, was forced to defend the government over allegations of “cronyism” from a Labour shadow minister on Politics Live. Labour’s Jo Stevens explained: “It raises another issue… the amount of […]

Keir Starmer has slammed Boris Johnson over his government’s lack of “basic accountability” over private contracts during the coronavirus pandemic. Labour cited Cabinet Office data as showing the communications company spend between January and September, adding the total does not include the cost of special advisers and civil servants working on press matters. He told MPs: […]

A Brexiteer MP has claimed that he did not send his ‘ill-advised’ letter to Joe Biden warning him about Brexit, after being convinced by Donald Trump’s lawyers. The Tory had drafted a letter congratulating Biden for his win, before insisting that the president-elect does not interfere in Brexit, because the EU referendum “gave us a […]

A campaigner who launched a legal challenge over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trips to Durham is appealing his case after it was rejected by the High Court. Martin Redston is seeking a judicial review after claiming the Director of Public Prosecutions failed to fully investigate the Brexiteer’s breach of lockdown rules earlier this year. Durham Constabulary investigated […]

Despite failing to mention it in his tweet, Boris Johnson was forced to talk Brexit with new president-elect Joe Biden. A spokesperson for the Democratic politician said that in the 25-minute telephone call there was a discussion about upholding the Good Friday Agreement, after Biden insisted it was essential to any future trade deal between […]

Conservative MPs have claimed a promotion for Boris Johnson’s head of communications would be the “final nail for the prime minister”. The Telegraph reports that former Vote Leave spokesman Lee Cain could be made chief of staff, joining a trio of advisers including Dominic Cummings, Lord Udny-Lister and Simon Case in the prime minister’s inner […]

An adviser to Boris Johnson has called for the report into allegations of bullying by Priti Patel should be made public. Lord Evans of Weardale, the former head of MI5 and now adviser on standards in public life, said not revealing the report risks undermining voters’ trusts and would suggest the issue was “brushed over”. […]

There are fears that Brexit could hold up the coronavirus vaccine in the United Kingdom,  as the transition period comes to an end on December 31.  At present, there is an agreement with the European Union to keep the same rules in place until the end of the year, but the country needs a deal […]