British Politics

A former government chief commercial officer who became an adviser to Greensill Capital while still working as a civil servant has insisted there was no conflict of interest, amid questions over the firm’s lobbying. Bill Crothers told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) that his intention was to follow the rules […]

A key British cultural organisation is not being abandoned by the UK government, a minister has insisted, amid concerns over possible outpost closures. Conservative MP John Baron used a Commons urgent question to warn a £10 million shortfall has left the British Council facing the prospect of shutting some of its international network. The Basildon […]

The government has no plans to give MPs a vote on its decision to cut the overseas aid budget by £4 billion, Downing Street has said. Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said MPs should be given an “effective” say over the move to suspend the commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on aid […]

Northern England and the West Midlands will lose MPs under a planned shake-up of Westminster constituencies, with cabinet ministers set to be hit by the changes. The proposals, aimed at ensuring seats with broadly similar numbers of voters, will see England gain 10 additional seats overall, but the bulk of those will be in the […]

Plans are being drawn up to replace English with French as the main “working language” of the EU during France’s presidency, with meetings and documents to become “French-first” next year.  The French are set to take over the Council of the European Union presidency in 2022, with France planning to use its first presidency since Brexit […]

The EU has been “slow to engage” with discussions over how to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, environment secretary George Eustice has complained. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are lots of ways to give the European Union the assurance that they say they want for their single market, and what […]

A new £800 million research agency – which was originally described as Dominic Cummings’ ‘pet project’ – risks being a “side door to sleaze in science”, the opposition has warned. Ministers want the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) to focus on “high-risk, high-reward” research to explore new ideas while having “strategic and cultural” independence and […]

The European Union’s patience with Britain over Brexit is “wearing thin” and the bloc is considering its options if Number 10 continues on a “confrontational path”, an official has claimed. The European Commission and British government are set to enter talks over the Brexit agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol on Wednesday. The EU has […]

Boris Johnson is reportedly unlikely to highlight the strength of the “special relationship” with American president Joe Biden because the prime minister does not like the expression. Downing Street said Johnson “prefers not to use the phrase” but is instead intent on fostering a “close relationship” with Washington. A profile of the prime minister in […]

The Green Party will no longer fight the Batley and Spen by-election after it dropped support for its candidate who made a series of “highly offensive” homophobic tweets as a teenager. Ross Peltier, 29, a prop forward with Doncaster Dons and a Jamaica international, apologised for the “terrible” language used in the tweets and said […]

Boris Johnson has been spared an immediate Tory revolt over cuts to Britain’s overseas aid budget after a Commons move to reverse the decision was ruled out of order by the speaker. Lindsay Hoyle ruled the proposed change to the Bill setting up the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) – which would have forced […]

A cross-party group of MPs have written to Boris Johnson urging him to give “simply exhausted” unpaid carers a weekly break following the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic. The group, led by the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, is calling on the prime minister to provide emergency funding to local authorities in order to […]

Sky News presenter Kay Burley has returned to work after being suspended for six months for breaking Covid-19 rules. The journalist said it was “great to be back” as she introduced Monday morning’s show, featuring interviews with former prime minister Gordon Brown, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees and shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy. Burley was suspended […]

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has defended his attendance at an illegal protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Co Armagh. The Upper Bann MLA said he turned up at the event on Saturday to observe and listen, and said he was standing well back from the parade. Loyalists gathered in Portadown town centre on […]

The public is happy to stand by as the nation burns to the ground Alastair Campbell has hit the nail on the head. It seems most people do not care about a prime minister who routinely breaks the law with impunity and who is able to lie and cheat without any consequence. What example does […]

US president Joe Biden is set to issue a fresh Brexit warning to prime minister Boris Johnson during their first face-to-face meeting at the G7 summit this week. The Times reports Biden will use a bilateral meeting with the PM to explicitly express US support for the Northern Ireland Protocol. The pair will meet ahead of […]

The leader of a group of Conservative rebels has warned Boris Johnson the UK will be found “wanting” at this week’s G7 summit if he does not reverse cuts to the aid budget. The prime minister is in a face-off with 30 Tory MPs who have backed a technical amendment, which could be voted upon […]

Ed Miliband has opened up about losing the 2015 general election, admitting he listened too much to advice and said he should have been bolder. Miliband, who is now shadow business secretary, added he was too “risk averse” during the election six years ago and was worried about saying the wrong thing. “That’s the lesson I […]

Leaders of the main Westminster parties are failing to call out this catastrophic error Alastair Campbell is absolutely right – a majority of the UK population appears not to give a toss about Johnson’s failings, lies, false claims and dodgy dealings, but he should be assured that a lot of people are angry about the damage […]

Reform UK has announced it will not stand a candidate in the Batley and Spen by-election in a bid to boost the Conservative Party’s chances of taking the Labour-held seat. Leader Richard Tice said he hoped a blue victory would bring about a snap general election and “hopefully the final nail in Labour’s coffin”. With […]

The decision to make travellers from Portugal quarantine may be “politically motivated”, an infection expert has said. Portugal will be moved from the green to amber travel list, requiring visitors and returning holidaymakers to quarantine in the UK from 4am on Tuesday. The UK’s transport secretary Grant Shapps blamed a rising infection rate and the […]

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove had to abandon a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon and other leaders of the devolved nations on Thursday after a coronavirus alert. The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was notified he may have come into contact with someone who had coronavirus on a trip to Portugal through the NHS app. The […]

Parliament’s sleaze watchdog must investigate prime minister Boris Johnson over the funding of the lavish refurbishments to his Downing Street flat, Labour has urged. Deputy leader Angela Rayner called for the Commissioner for Standards to probe whether he broke parliamentary rules by not declaring any donation in the MPs’ register of interests. The adviser on […]

Fleet Street reacts to Paul Dacre’s thwarted Ofcom ambitions Paul Dacre always kept a studiously low profile when he was editor of the Daily Mail, but his name appeared in the news pages of the Mail on Sunday over the weekend in a piece that savaged Sir Nick Clegg, the public face of Facebook, for allegedly trying to frustrate his […]

A Tory donor who was made a peer against the advice of the Lords’ appointment watchdog made a half-a-million-pound donation to Boris Johnson’s party only days after taking up his seat. Electoral Commission records show that Lord Cruddas donated £500,000 to the Conservative Party on February 5 – three days after being bestowed with the […]

Liz Truss is a great cabinet survivor and darling of the Tory members. But will her controversial trade deal with Australia curb her ascent? Perhaps it’s a measure of misogyny in the parliamentary lobby that Boris Johnson’s main acknowledged successors are Rishi Sunak, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove. The choice of who replaces him as prime […]

British pubs are facing an “acute” shortage of staff, leading some to reduce capacity or close entirely, the sector has warned. Labour-intensive social distancing restrictions such as table service only are requiring more staff, while employees are finding the work physically demanding with some walking up to 15 miles a day on the job, the […]

The boss of pub chain JD Wetherspoon has denied reports that his pubs have been hit by staff shortages due to Brexit. Tim Martin, who was a vocal supporter of the UK leaving the European Union, told investors that a Daily Telegraph story “misrepresented Wetherspoon’s position”. He said it “clearly isn’t true” that the pub group […]