News and Opinion

UKIP are looking for a new leader to replace Dick Braine after he quits hours before the general election. The party is searching for its eight leader in four years, with disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton expected to run alongside Ben Walker – the current interim chairman of the party. Also throwing her hat […]

Business secretary Andrea Leadsom has told reporters that the government no longer uses the word ‘Brexit’ in response to a question during a press conference in Sunderland. Visiting the Nissan car manufacturer factory in the North East of England the minister was asked what conversations had been had between the company owners and the government […]

The prime minister is reportedly still enthused about ‘cementing the union’ with a £15 billion ‘Boris bridge’ between Ireland and Scotland. Johnson is shortly due to receive the results of a feasibility study which will look at the possibility of constructing a bridge and tunnel between Portpatrick and Larne in County Antrim. A source told […]

A decision to snub the former speaker John Bercow of a peerage could be a form of bullying in itself, a shadow minister has argued. Labour deputy leadership candidate Dawn Butler said the focus should be on why the Tories did not nominate the former speaker in the first place, suggesting it was “to do […]

A London council will continue to fly the European flag after Brexit in a bid to show that it remains an ‘internationalist borough’. Hounslow Council has attracted a mix of praise and criticism following their vow to continue to fly the blue and yellow flag after Brexit day. The leader was accused of “not listening” […]

Theresa May set up the Brexit department with the intention of stopping Boris Johnson handling Brexit negotiations as foreign secretary. Jeremy Hunt, who succeeded Johnson as foreign secretary, claimed that the decision to create the now defunct department was “a deliberate decision to take Brexit out of the hands of the Foreign Office while Boris […]

Labour has accused the government of reviving a Thatcherite plan to introduce new freeports in the country, which they say will aid tax avoidance. The government says the ports, where UK taxes and tariffs will not apply, will create thousands of jobs, but they have dismissed allegations that it will lead to people dodging taxes. […]

Sinn Féin has topped the polls in Ireland’s general election after the first round of counting in all 39 constituencies. The party received 24.5% of the vote share compared to Fianna Fail on 22.2% and Fine Gael on 20.9%. Despite that, Fianna Fail remains best placed to secure the most seats, primarily due to Sinn […]

The musical abilities of Mozart are well known. His linguistic talents, less so… PETER TRUDGILL reports Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a composer of sublime music which is still very much loved 250 years after it was written. He was undoubtedly an extraordinary and perhaps uniquely gifted musical genius. His compositions are often described as […]

Up to five Liberal Democrat MPs could run to replace Jo Swinson as leader of the party – despite only having 11 in the House of Commons. The party has avoided rushing into a battle over the future of the party until Labour completes its contest, and the local elections are over in May. But […]

The British media is obsessed with American politics, but we could learn more from our continental neighbours, says ANDREW ADONIS. I stayed up to watch the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. Awesome theatre. Nancy Pelosi ripping up Donald Trump’s speech, while sitting right behind him, is one of the best moments of […]

The French town may not have produced much of its own musical heritage, yet it boasts one of the greatest venues in the world. SOPHIA DEBOICK reports. The atmosphere of a venue can make the difference between a so-so musical experience and one that speaks to the soul. There are no more affecting venues than […]

Labour leadership front-runner Sir Keir Starmer’s mother-in-law has died after an accident. Shadow cabinet member Sir Keir withdrew from campaign events on Friday due to the situation. Chairwoman of his campaign, Jenny Chapman, tweeted on Sunday: “My thoughts and prayers are with Keir Starmer and his family. “Keir’s mother-in-law died yesterday following an accident two […]

‘Peace, prosperity, and friendship’ – It is entirely possible that all three will be undermined by our departure from the EU, says ALASTAIR CAMPBELL. Tony Blair (R) leads the pack followed by his Spanish counterpart Jose Maria Aznar (L) as the EU leaders enjoy a short bike ride in Amsterdam in June 1997. (COR MULDER/AFP […]

Our rulers have offered bluster rather than vision. GAVIN ESLER asks what Britain stands for now. At the heyday of British imperial power, our country was seen as useless at public ceremonials and celebrations. The Victorian era prime minister Lord Salisbury believed that “some nations have a gift for ceremonial… In England the case is […]

Nostalgia-driven politics, misinformation and racism are the biggest problems facing Britain today, says STEVE ANGLESEY. On the morning of Brexit Day, the influential right-wing academic Matthew Goodwin published a blog headlined “All the lies about Leavers”. The sub-heading ran: “They’re nostalgic, they’re gullible, and they’re scared of diversity – all these myths have been debunked”. […]

Counting has started following Ireland’s general election after an exit poll indicated a statistical dead heat between Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail. The indications suggest that three parties are within a percentage point of each other – with Fine Gael on 22.4%, Sinn Fein on 22.3% and Fianna Fail on 22.2%. If borne […]

A new celebration of Elia Kazan’s work poses a timely question of how to balance art with the actions of those who made it. JAMES OLIVER reports If you watched it on television you might never have guessed that anything was amiss. But then, the Academy Awards have always been averse to controversy. This was […]

TIM WALKER reflects on the National Theatre’s sprawling, challenging, and at times scintillating, new play. A play begins life with a reading, and, certainly so far as commercial theatre is concerned, this can be a brutal experience. Actors give their time for nominal fees on the basis that it may or may not ever get […]

Tracy Brabin is raising thousands of pounds for charity after she announced she is auctioning the off-the-shoulder dress that drew criticism after she wore it in the Commons. Brabin was forced to defend her attire after the dress slipped off her shoulder when she leaned on the despatch box due to a broken ankle on […]

JASON SOLOMONS talks to the director of a new film about a little-known journalist who rooted out one of the 20th century’s biggest scandals For all the many film adaptations that his books have inspired, depictions of George Orwell himself on screen remain rare. He features in new release Mr Jones, however, played by English […]

While the mass walkout from journalists in Downing Street earlier in the week was welcome, LIZ GERARD fears it will have little impact on the relationship between the media and Boris Johnson’s team of advisers. Three cheers for Lee Cain and his clumsy Downing Street rug apartheid. Two cheers for the political journalists who walked […]

WILL SELF took his university students on a fieldtrip to Heathrow Airport on the day the UK left the European Union. The matter was troubling: what should Family Self do to mark Britain’s secession from the European Union? As a Brexit agnostic myself, I had little skin in the game – but my youngest, who […]

Readers dispute a recent article in which baby boomers are blamed for Brexit. Here some of those in that demographic have their say. Francis Beckett’s article (“Blame us baby boomers for Brexit”) was insulting. I am sick of being told my generation had it so good and easy and are responsible for leaving the EU. […]

MITCH BENN ponders if the UK is willing to sit by and watch the country become Trump’s Britain. Well I don’t know about you but I feel freer already. Seriously though, is it just me or does post-‘Got Brexit Done’ Britain thus far feel a lot like pre-‘Got Brexit Done’ Britain did? As if nothing […]

A Remainer explains what happened when he visited Parliament Square as Brexiteers celebrated on January 31st. I couldn’t resist going to the pro-Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square. At the St Stephens Tavern I was engaged by Steve and his two mates from Sunderland. I find it difficult to understand how they will benefit from Brexit. […]

A new poll has revealed that a majority of British people do not believe Brexit is ‘done’, despite his claim that the issue is now ‘receding in the past behind us’. The poll conducted by Ipsos MORI for Evening Standard after Brexit day on January 31st, found that only 15% thought he had ‘completely’ fulfilled […]

We cannot leave it to the media or the opposition parties to hold Brexiteers to account. LIZ GERARD says Remainers must keep up the fight. Pro-Brexit supporters gather to celebrate as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. Photograph: United Kingdom/PA. – Credit: PA How’s the healing going? Are Leavers extending the hand of […]