British Politics

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has blocked a rebel amendment from backbench Tory MPs which could have defeated the government over coronavirus laws. Around 50 MPs signed an amendment by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the influential Tory backbench 1922 committee, demanding a vote on new coronavirus restrictions that would curb the “liberties” of Britons. Ringleaders claimed […]

Britain has backtracked on the issue of fishing rights in UK waters in a last minute attempt to salvage Brexit trade talks. The UK offered the EU a three-year transition period for its fishing fleets to leave British seas beginning from 2021. The idea of a phase-out has been discussed before but details of how […]

A chef has been praised for his subtle dig towards Boris Johnson during a BBC News interview on new coronavirus restrictions in the North East of England. Max Gott, head of the Bistro Forty Six, remained professional about the prime minister while appearing on the rolling news channel – but viewers realised he had still […]

Priti Patel has asked officials to explore sending migrants to an isolated island more than 4,000 miles away from Britain for processing. The home secretary allegedly ordered her own staff to look into transferring asylum seekers who arrive in the UK to a centre on the south Atlantic islet of Ascension Island , the FT reports. The […]

A new poll has found that almost half of Tory party members believe Islam is a “threat to the British way of life”. Hope Not Hate revealed the figures as part of its submission to the ‘Conservative Party Inquiry on all forms of racism including Islamophobia’, and reveals the extent of anti-Muslim sentiment amongst the […]

Piers Morgan has called Boris Johnson a “drongo” and a “bumbling fool” as he reacted to the prime minister’s confusion over the latest Covid-19 restriction rules. The Good Morning Britain presenter said Johnson was the “captain of the Titanic taking us down” as he renewed calls for him to go. He told viewers: “He not […]

Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit bill has cleared its final Commons hurdle – with Tory critics choosing to abstain. Former prime minister Theresa May and two ex-attorney generals, Geoffrey Cox and Jeremy Wright, were among 21 Conservatives who did not vote for the UK Internal Market Bill at third reading on Tuesday evening. While some, including […]

Boris Johnson will be joined by his medical and scientific advisors later for a coronavirus press conference – his 21st time since the pandemic started. The prime minister will be flanked by chief medical officer for England professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. It is not clear if anything particularly significant […]

Business secretary Alok Sharma has accused the media of engaging in a “gotcha” style of journalism when it comes to quizzing ministers about the latest regional and national coronavirus regulations. It comes after Boris Johnson and a junior minister could not properly explain what the latest restrictions are for the north east of England. Speaking […]

Council leaders have said government restrictions in the North East lack clarity. Boris Johnson issued an apology after he failed to clarify precisely what the new restrictions would mean for around two million people in Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham. Gateshead council leader Martin Gannon said, although he was […]

A former security commissioner has warned that troves of data collected by Britain’s intelligence agencies to tackle terrorism and crime would be deleted in the event of a no-deal Brexit. British intelligence would have to be wiped off EU systems if Brexit trade talks collapse, the ex-EU security chief warned. Sir Julian King, a British […]

A Brexiteer MP has been found guilty of breaking the minister’s Code of Conduct, a Commons standards committee has found. DUP representative Ian Paisley Junior failed to declare funding towards a luxury family holiday to the Maldives in 2016. Parliamentary commissioner for the Standards in the House of Commons committee Kathryn Stone also rejected claims the trip has […]

Boris Johnson has told a reporter he is “fitter than a butcher’s dog” after being asked if was still suffering from the effects of Covid-19. Speaking at press conference in Exeter, the prime minister brushed aside concerns by MPs in his own party that he had still not fully recovered from his bout of coronavirus in […]

Boris Johnson has been forced to apologise after giving the wrong advice on coronavirus restrictions in the North East. Johnson was asked to explain the new rules when it came to pub beer gardens in response to questions after delivering a speech. Boris Johnson’s ‘clarification’ of rules for North East adds He said: “In the North […]

Despite warnings over the government’s attempts to break international law by overriding the Northern Ireland Protocol with the Internal Market Bill, the Tory chair of the Northern Ireland committee plans to abstain. Simon Hoare MP, who chairs the influential parliamentary committee on issues related to the country, has come under criticism for his comments in a […]

A government minister has admitted No 10 “looked to Europe” for help developing the latest of coronavirus lockdown rules. Speaking on Sky News, skills minister Gillian Keegan said Downing Street was trying to strike a balance between keeping pubs open and suppressing a second spike in Covid cases. Asked if the 10pm curfew was leading […]

A former Tory minister has claimed that Boris Johnson “doesn’t really believe in Brexit” and that once he has achieved a deal he will be gone. George Walden, a former minister and Tory MP until 1997, said due to the pandemic the prime minister will deliver on his goal to “get Brexit done”, and that he will […]

The roots of the government’s latest attacks on the BBC can be traced back to blogs written by Dominic Cummings’ think tank 16 years ago. If you are planning a coup, taking control of the national broadcaster is a job for day one. Boris Johnson did not need a coup to secure power – he […]

Boris Johnson could “pay the price” for his “bull-in-a-china-shop” leadership style, a former Treasury adviser has claimed, as the prime minister faces a Tory rebellion in the House of Commons. Mujtaba Rahman, now managing director of Eurasia Group’s Europe, said the PM’s contempt for parliament are starting to backfire, citing the rebellion on coronavirus and Brexit internal market […]

A Tory minister has admitted she does not know what lockdown restrictions were being applied in North East England during an interview on national radio. Apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan said she was unaware of what restrictions were in place across the North East because she was not a local MP. Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Keegan was […]

It was more a source of sadness than surprise in the USA last week when the indomitable but very frail and elderly Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, giving the Republican president and senate a chance to rush-confirm another right-wing judge onto the bench before the (extremely) imminent election. It was a source of some […]

Labour has called for education secretary Gavin Williamson to “end his Invisible Man act” as the row over the government’s handling over universities continues to dominant headlines. Williamson is due to make a statement in the Commons after thousands of students were forced to self-isolate following a surge in cases at universities including Glasgow, Manchester […]

A new poll from YouGov has seen Keir Starmer’s perception with the public rise again with 37% now believing he would make the best prime minister. It is an increase of two points compared to a week ago, whilst Boris Johnson has failed to change opinion this week, remaining static on just 30% of support. The […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has claimed that Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance are guilty of coronavirus “scaremongering”, in a speech to the House of Commons. Sir Desmond Swayne claimed it was a “sacking offence” for the government’s chief scientific and medical advisers to deliver a presentation to warn how 200 or more people in the […]

When all this Covid business began we were coming up to the March equinox, the point at which, in this hemisphere, there are more hours of daylight than there are of darkness. It was a dark time, but the light made it easier to deal with. Covid struck in the time of life and growth […]

Labour MP Claudia Webbe has been suspended by Keir Starmer after being charged with harassment. Reports suggest that the Labour leader made the decision after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced the charge against the 55-year-old, who represents Leicester East, after being passed a file of evidence by the Metropolitan Police. Webbe is due to appear […]

Scotland’s Tory Party leader, Douglas Ross, was caught out supporting Westminster’s handling of the coronavirus crisis on university campuses while berating Scotland for taking the same action. Appearing on Good Morning Scotland, Ross criticised the Scottish government for allowing students back at university as a second coronavirus wave took hold. He said Holyrood should have given students “crystal clear” […]

At least 52 Tory MPs have signalled they are willing to back Graham Brady’s amendment to the Coronavirus Act which could lead to a fresh government defeat. The amendment demands that “parliament has an opportunity to debate and to vote upon any secondary legislation with effect in the whole of England or the whole United Kingdom […]