News and Opinion

A Liberal Democrat leadership contestant has said the party needs to distance itself from the Tories – and claimed that interim leader Ed Davey is still tarnished by the coalition years. MP Wera Hobhouse claimed that Davey still has a ‘heart which beats with the Tories’ as the contestants start to set out their stall. […]

Former Tory prime minister David Cameron has blasted Boris Johnson for merging the Department for International Development (DfID) with the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) over Twitter. Cameron said the move was a ‘mistake’, warning it would mean ‘less voice’ and ‘less respect’ for the UK abroad. In an unexpected show of disapproval for Johnson, Cameron […]

ROGER CASALE on the Schengen Area’s 35th birthday and its future amid a backdrop of conflict, racism, and disunity. After three months of lockdown, Europe is opening its internal borders. Whether by accident or design, the move coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, the moment when France, Germany and the Benelux member […]

Piers Morgan has slammed a cabinet minister after she tried to downplay concerns of hardship disadvantaged families face during the coronavirus crisis on Twitter. I’m concerned this is the only tweet of mine you acknowledged. Please, put rivalries aside for a second, and make a difference #maketheuturn— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020 The […]

Boris Johnson has been accused of waging a ‘culture war’ after reports his new race commission is being set up by an aide who has cast doubt on the existence of institutional racism The prime minister announced the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities after a series of anti-racism protests on British streets triggered by […]

Voters in ‘red wall’ seats think the UK should prioritise working with Europe over the US on trade and coronavirus, according to a new opinion poll 70% of voters in seats which flipped from Labour to the Conservatives at the last election said they wanted the UK to prioritise working with Europe, compared to just […]

Marcus Rashford has once again urged the government to reconsider its decision not to extend the current food voucher scheme The Manchester United forward is continuing his campaign to allow vulnerable children who have been getting free meals during the coronavirus lockdown to carry on receiving them over the summer holidays. Rashford, who has raised […]

The government has been accused of funnelling the same amount it would cost to cover free school meals over the summer into a festival for Brexit. The Liberal Democrats have accused Boris Johnson of being ‘callous and heatless’ after going ahead with plans to divert £120 million that could feed hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged […]

The government has U-turned on its refusal to fund school lunches over the summer and has now set up a ‘Covid summer school fund’ to pay for the initiative. Downing Street recently announced that it would set up a fund to support hungry children during the summer after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford. Those […]

The foreign secretary has insisted that the experts advising the government will continue to appear at Downing Street briefings – but they may not be those the public are used to seeing as they draw in advisers from different areas to help explain policy announcements. Dominic Raab was asked at the latest briefing why weekly […]

Home secretary Priti Patel has told MPs that she believes Labour leader Keir Starmer is continuing with ‘divisive, hateful, racist’ politics. She was answering a question in the House of Commons from a Tory MP what was described as abuse from the ‘left’. The Brexiteer responded by claiming that Sir Keir Starmer had failed to […]

In a ‘historic’ moment peers have used its first electronic vote in the House of Lords to defeat Boris Johnson’s government. Members backed by 275 to 256, majority 19, a move aimed at securing safeguards around the extradition of international fugitives and ensure the system is not abused by countries with poor human rights records. […]

A former prosecutor, who lost his brother to coronavirus, has joined a campaign that is calling for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to carry out a fresh investigation into Boris Johnson’s senior aide over a breach of lockdown. Nazir Afzal, who lost his older brother Umar in April, has claimed that the public ill lose […]

The government is under pressure to explain why chief NHS England nurse, Ruth May, was axed from daily coronavirus briefings after allegations emerged she was dropped for refusing to back Dominic Cummings’ lockdown breaking. Boris Johnson and his ministers are being accused of ‘gagging’ May and other health officials because they allegedly declined to back […]

Downing Street has said a Brexit deal is ‘achievable’ by the end of summer, leading to accusations it is rushing to get a conclusion. No 10 said that a new, intensified timeline for negotiations could mean a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is concluded by autumn. Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to meet with European […]

Boris Johnson has denied any involvement in a controversial property development his administration granted while he was mayor of London. Johnson said he had ‘nothing to do’ with property tycoon Richard Desmond and his request to build a block of flats in the capital back in 2016. Desmond applied to build a 722-site development that […]

Westminster opposition parties are pushing ahead with plans to force a vote on extending the Brexit transition period. Opposition MPs have written to Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg requesting a vote on new legislation that would extend the transition period. Labour, the Liberals Democrats, the SNP and other parties submitted a draft bill to repeal that […]

ZOE WILLIAMS on missteps made by the left since Gordon Brown’s departure from Downing Street Gordon Brown waves as he walks to his car after announcing his resignation as Prime Minister. (LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images) – Credit: AFP via Getty Images An anniversary passed quietly on May 6, which I feel would have got […]

Former communicant WILL SELF wonders where the Church has been through this pandemic, and ponders if we brought it on ourselves through worshiping mammon I come from a long line of Anglican priests on my father’s side – my grandfather was himself a lay preacher, and at one time president of the Modern Churchmen’s Union. […]

SOPHIA DEBOICK on a city where music has been shaped by a traumatic history, but often transcends it. Derry has been a byword for the Troubles, its disputed name a symbol of the divide between nationalists and unionists. After a history of sectarian tension dating back to the 17th century, the Troubles began in earnest […]

EWA SZYPULA and RICHARD BATES on a French literary scandal and a long history of authors telling tall tales about themselves The French true crime writer Stéphane Bourgoin’s trained at the FBI’s profiling school in Virginia and had interviewed 77 murderers, including Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. He had advised the FBI and Scotland Yard […]

PETER TRUDGILL on how a chapter from its past has left the South American country swimming against a global tide One of the most appallingly bloody wars ever fought was the War of the Triple Alliance (in Spanish La Guerra de la Triple Alianza, Portuguese A Guerra da Tríplice Aliança). Also called the Paraguayan War, […]

The leaders of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party are expected to formally sign off on a draft programme for government between their parties. The parties were edging towards agreement on forming a coalition government for the next five years, having overcome hurdles in the negotiations that have gone on for almost two […]

There is overwhelming support for the UK government to work with the EU during the coronavirus pandemic, with 77% saying it should work ‘very closely’. A survey from the Health Foundation indicated public support for an extension to the transition period to allow the government to focus on Covid-19, across two sample groups. Among the […]

Ministers rather than scientific advisers will take the final decision on whether to ease the two-metre social distancing rule, chancellor Rishi Sunak has said. Sunak confirmed that Boris Johnson has ordered a ‘comprehensive review’ of the rule in England as the government continues its lifting of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. He said that it would […]

TIM WALKER writes of the esteemed actor and comedian Ronnie Corbett, a man full of life and enthusiasm. This is going to take a bit of explaining, but it was The Winslow Boy that introduced me to Ronnie Corbett. The late, great actor and comedian never appeared in the play, but his old friend Edward […]

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy has called out Boris Johnson for his recent tweets on Winston Churchill, querying why the prime minister has never tweeted so prolifically about coronavirus or the Windrush review. In confirming that he would not support the dismantling of the Churchill statue, Lammy described the prime minister’s acute interest in the […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has condemned ‘shocking’ and ‘disgusting’ scenes from the far-right in London, and claimed the mass condemnation of such events as signs of progress in society. https://twitter.com/RidgeOnSunday/status/1272081667033890816?s=20 In an interview designed to address the worrying economic situation in the UK, Sophy Ridge first directed Sunak to respond to the violent actions of the […]