News and Opinion

There have been fresh calls for a Cabinet Office inquiry into the Dominic Cummings scandal, with claims the political aide cannot be left ‘completely unaccountable’. The SNP’s Ian Blackford, the party’s Westminster leader, has made a fresh call for an investigation into how Cummings was allowed to travel 260 miles at the height of lockdown […]

Newspaper reports suggest Downing Street has blocked a peerage for John Bercow after being proposed by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Former Commons speaker John Bercow was nominated by Corbyn after Boris Johnson refused to put him forward. According to a series of national newspapers Downing Street said it would not approve Labour’s nomination for […]

Piers Morgan has returned to television screens to brand Boris Johnson’s senior aide a ‘liar’ and has held him responsible for ‘destroying’ the coronavirus lockdown. Have your say Send your letters for publication to The New European by emailing letters@theneweuropean.co.uk and pick up an edition each Thursday for more comment and analysis. Find your nearest […]

A man who described himself as a ‘staunch Tory’ has claimed those at the top of the party would consider extending the Brexit transition period worse than thousands more deaths from coronavirus. Have your say Send your letters for publication to The New European by emailing letters@theneweuropean.co.uk and pick up an edition each Thursday for […]

A new report has warned that the end of the Brexit transition period poses a ‘potent threat’ to prosperity and stability in Northern Ireland. Businesses in Great Britain could decide it is economically unviable to continue operations across the Irish Sea unless flexibility is shown in the EU negotiations, a House of Lords committee warned. […]

This episode has exposed ministers’ lethal mix of dreadful values as people, and their utter uselessness, says ALASTAIR CAMPBELL. Protesters outside Downing Street, London, as the row over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings’ Durham trip continues. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday May 27, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said it is a ‘sensitive moment’ as Britain eases lockdown measures – but said the country ‘can’t just stay in lockdown forever’. From Monday, groups of up to six people will be able to meet outside in England as long as they observe social distancing as part of efforts to […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said footage showing the death of a black man while he was being restrained by police in the US was ‘very distressing’, but he said it was not his job to discuss it. President Trump has come under fire from some after posting on social media that ‘looting leads to […]

A Sunday newspaper has claimed that there are now more eyewitness accounts of Boris Johnson’s senior aide in Barnard Castle – including Cummings walking around the shops. The new allegations contradict a statement made by Dominic Cummings in the Rose Garden at Downing Street. Cummings told a press conference: ‘We walked about 10 to 15 […]

A Labour MP is no longer in a frontbench role after she admitted breaking lockdown rules. Rosie Duffield, MP for Canterbury, has apologised and is no longer a Labour whip after she met her partner while they were living separately, in breach of coronavirus restrictions. The Mail on Sunday said that she met her married […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has insisted he did not know the whereabouts of Boris Johnson’s senior adviser while he stood in for the prime minister. Raab said when Johnson was taken into hospital with Covid-19 and he was left in charge, all he knew was that Dominic Cummings ‘was out of action because he had […]

Although nobody is coming just yet, Ireland is preparing itself for a flood of new fans who have become obsessed with the Emerald Isle through watching global television hit Normal People during lockdown. Tourism Ireland has been frantically working on producing a video and an official map of the show’s locations following thousands of inquiries […]

The Tory leader over Labour has dropped from 26 points in latch March to just four in the latest Opinium polling since Labour installed a new leader. Fresh polling by Opinium polling for the Observer has found that the Tory lead has dropped by eight points in the last week alone. The Tories are now […]

England’s deputy chief medical officer has waded into the Dominic Cummings row by saying that the coronavirus lockdown rules are clear and apply to everybody. Deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam made the remark when asked whether people in authority should lead by example and obey the rules following a week of […]

The response to the coronavirus crisis could deepen Britain’s North-South divide, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned. After Labour was soundly beaten in its traditional heartlands by the Conservatives at last year’s general election, Sir Keir pointed to the inconsistences on the issue from the Tories. In an article for the Yorkshire Post, Sir […]

It looks like Ian Hislop didn’t get the memo from BBC bosses about what you can and can’t say about Dominic Cummings, as the Have I Got News For You panellist tore into Boris Johnson’s senior adviser. Branding him a ‘complete and utter fraud’, Hislop ripped apart Cummings’ press conference from the Rose Garden in […]

Theresa May has become the latest voice to criticise Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson’s handling of his senior adviser. The former prime minister used a message to her constituents to claim Cummings had not ‘followed the spirit’ of the lockdown guidance. May said she can ‘well understand the anger’ of people who had obeyed the […]

A former Tory MEP has urged Boris Johnson to extend the deadline for the Brexit transition period, warning of a ‘catastrophic’ result for the economy if there is no trade deal. Struan Stevenson, who was a Conservative representative at Brussels for 15 years, insisted it ‘makes sense’ to have longer for the transition talks because […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has apologised for leaving the instruction ‘insert if there has been a bereavement’ in an email to one of his constituents over the Dominic Cummings saga. Conservative MP Anthony Mangnal who has apologised for leaving the instruction “insert if there has been a bereavement” in an email to one of his […]

A petition calling for the sacking of Boris Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings has hit one million signatures. Cummings has managed to cling on to his position in government, with the prime minister backing the top adviser, despite a police report finding a breach of the lockdown rules. But the police said they did not […]

A scientist who advises the government says Boris Johnson is ‘taking some risk’ by relaxing lockdown measures while the number of new cases of coronavirus recorded each day remains ‘relatively high’. Professor John Edmunds, who attends meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) supporting the government, said many experts would ‘prefer’ to see […]

The #DeniedMyVote judicial review continues in the Courts. JOHN HALFORD, lead solicitor on the case, explains why all those committed to democracy should consider backing it. May 2019 had a very different feel to it than this May does. The news was filled not with the latest COVID-19 mortality statistics and Dominic Cummings’ creative childcare […]

A police and crime commissioner has claimed the prime minister’s announcement over new measures to ease the lockdown looks like it was ‘rushed forward to help ministers in a difficult position’. Boris Johnson used his latest Downing Street appearance to state that six people can meet up outdoors from Monday, but that the socially-distanced, meet-ups […]

Readers give their views on Keir Starmer’s leadership so far, and dare to dream about the next general election. James Ball’s insightful article on Keir Starmer (‘Opposition rediscovers its mission’, TNE #195) echoed my view that, under the unique set of circumstances, Keir couldn’t have done a better job thus far. The arithmetic does indeed […]

While Labour might be getting its act together again, readers believe the Dominic Cummings saga proves that it’s Boris Johnson who is most likely to bring down his own leadership. Brief moments in politics can have deep resonances. When Ann Widdecombe and her UKIP colleagues turned their backs during a performance of the European anthem […]

The public’s compliance with coronavirus lockdown guidelines in England have dropped in the past two weeks, new data suggests. According to University College London’s (UCL) Covid-19 social study of more than 90,000 adults during the outbreak, ‘complete’ compliance of government recommendations has decreased, declining from an average of 70% of people who were completely adhering […]

Outspoken television presenter Piers Morgan has claimed that Newsnight presenter was ‘thrown to the wolves’ by BBC bosses over her Dominic Cummings remarks. It comes after bosses said that her monologue on Tuesday evening’s programme ‘did not meet’ its standards of impartiality. In new statement, the broadcaster said ‘our editorial guidelines allow us to make […]

Boris Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings is reportedly planning to step back from politics when Brexit is achieved. A source – who they claim ‘knows him well’ – told the Daily Mail he plans to step back in six months’ time when he believes Brexit will be done. They said: ‘Dominic has not decided what […]