News and Opinion

Culture secretary Nicky Morgan has used the Daily Mail to claim the BBC could end up the same way as collapsed video rental firm Blockbuster. Morgan said “accountability and value for money must be at the heart of how the BBC is funded”, as her department launches a consultation on evasion of the licence fee. […]

A leaked memo has confirmed that the word ‘Brexit’ has been banned by Downing Street, with a number of other words related to the UK’s departure from the European Union. The Guardian reports that the rules at least apply to the Foreign Office – which now replaces the Department for Exiting the European Union for […]

An analysis of the conduct of December’s snap general election has demonstrated that the electoral system ‘must change to deliver the service voters expect and deserve’. The Association of Electoral Administrators said that holding the poll two weeks before Christmas created confusion for voters and intensified pressure on stretched election teams. It has called for […]

Scotland Yard is investigating after a gun was found in an aeroplane toilet alongside a passport belonging to David Cameron. The weapon was found by a passenger, who handed it to flight attendants on a transatlantic flight, according to the Daily Mail. The gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, is said to […]

Former prime minister David Cameron reportedly turned down an offer from Boris Johnson to head up the UN Climate Change Conference known as COP26. The current PM asked his predecessor to be the president but was rejected, the Daily Telegraph reports, with the Times suggesting that former Tory leader William Hague was also considered. The […]

A Labour frontbencher was accused of having been ‘banged over a wheelie bin’ and called a ‘tart’ for wearing an off-the-shoulder dress in the House of Commons. Tracy Brabin’s was responding to a Twitter user who shared a photograph of her wearing the outfit and asked: “Is this really appropriate attire for parliament?” The shadow […]

A new photobooth outside the House of Commons is encouraging people to get their photographs taken for an Irish passport. Spotted by Brendan O’Hara, the SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, the new booth goes to great lengths to encourage politicians and their staff to get a photograph to apply online for an Irish passport. […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has been criticised for sharing a platform with the far-right in Italy at a conference which featured anti-Semites, Islamophobes and homophobes. Daniel Kawczynski has been criticised by anti-hate campaigners, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Labour Party for attending the National Conservatism conference in Rome alongside Hungary’s prime […]

Ikea has confirmed plans to shut one of its large UK stores for the first time in its 33-year history in the country. The company said it will close the doors of its £35 million Coventry branch, which opened at Christmas in 2007, with 352 workers expected to lose their jobs. The Swedish furniture and […]

The government has insisted controlling access to press briefings is ‘entirely standard practice’ despite a mass walkout by journalists after some reporters were barred from a Brexit briefing. Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith was forced to defend Number 10’s actions in the House of Commons, telling MPs the government was “committed to being open in […]

Signs belonging to the village of Harbury in Warwickshire were vandalised on Brexit night to remove references to a French town it twins with. Villagers woke up on Saturday morning to find that the two signs on Hillside and Bush Heath Road had been covered in white paint to remove the name of the French […]

Dominic Raab was left flustered after hailing the launch of a key climate summit by Boris Johnson alongside Richard Attenborough – the deceased brother of David Attenborough. The foreign secretary joked to the House of Commons that there are “so many fantastic Attenboroughs” in the country after the mistake was pointed out. Prime minister Johnson […]

Emily Thornberry has criticised the government for ‘talking the talk’ on climate change but failing to ‘walk the walk’. Shadow foreign secretary Thornberry accused the government of not taking a global lead on climate change and refusing to stand up to the “climate denier-in-chief” Donald Trump. Speaking in the House of Commons she called on […]

Former Conservative adviser BARNABY TOWNS says that conversations in Labour and the Lib Dems must return to working together to stop a second win for Boris Johnson. In 91 years of the universal franchise, parliamentary majorities of 80 or more have rarely been overturned in one general election. The exceptions are 1935, 1959 and 1966. […]

A leading Brexit think tank has warned that the government will only manage to secure ‘the barest of bare bone deals’ by the end of 2020 because of Boris Johnson’s red lines. Experts at the UK in a Changing Europe organisation say the rules set out by Boris Johnson on the transition period makes anything […]

The head of the civil service has been asked to investigate the ‘deeply disturbing’ decision to order senior journalists from some of the UK’s major news organisations to leave before a briefing on Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans. The call for Sir Mark Sedwill to launch an inquiry came from Labour leadership hopeful Sir Keir Starmer, […]

A Brexiteer who called into a television chat show programme to claim she has had ‘the last laugh’ has been unable to explain anything tangible that has changed in her life since Brexit Day on January 31st. Margaret from Hertfordshire called Jeremy Vine on 5 to tell the panel of guests that as a Brexiteer […]

Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is unable to say who is in charge of Brexit now that the Department for Exiting the European Union has been wound down. Appearing in the House of Commons the Labour backbencher Hilary Benn asked Raab who was now in charge, given he has an important role of holding to […]

Two European technology firms have taken out advertising space to promote their businesses, trolling Brits on their decision to leave the European Union at the same time. Vienna-based company Bitpanda and Paris-based firm Ledger have taken out a 7m by 4m digital billboard advertising space in various locations around the UK – including a site […]

Former Tory candidate SIMON ALLISON and Labour peer PETER MANDELSON offer their often contrasting analyses on how the Brexit battle was lost – and where the movement goes now. Simon Allison We pro-Europeans have lost this battle, but we have not lost the war – and along the way we have discovered that our alliance, […]

Reporters have boycotted a briefing on Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans after Downing Street ordered senior journalists from some of the UK’s major news organisations to leave. Selected journalists were invited to Number 10 for a briefing from officials but correspondents from organisations who were not on Downing Street’s hand-picked list also tried to get in. […]

The pound has fallen more than 1% against the dollar as disputes over post-Brexit trade talks intensified following major speeches by Boris Johnson and the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier. At midnight a pound was worth 1.318 dollars, but by midday on Monday it was down to 1.305 dollars – a fall of 1%. The […]

Brexiteers are fuming about a special Brexit version of the CBBC programme Horrible Histories, which points out to children that many British traditions come from overseas. In a new episode, available on the iPlayer, the show’s creators compile some of the most European moments from the last decade. It is presented by Nish Kumar, who […]

A firm which once claimed that UK was better prepared for Brexit than the ‘media has us believe’ has gone into administration in the same week the UK left the European Union. In September 2018 Norton Motorcycles owner Stuart Garner claimed he had no fears about Brexit, and said that it would be a “huge […]

Boris Johnson has denied he has banned the word ‘Brexit’ in Downing Street – but delivered a speech where he did not mention it once. In his latest speech Johnson delivered a 3,400 word speech on ‘unleashing Britain’s potential’ now the UK has left the European Union. But there was a notable absence of the […]

Community leaders in Norwich have fought back after the city was tarnished by a ‘Happy Brexit Day’ sign that was posted in a block of flats and then subsequently photographed for social media. Dozens of people turned up to Winchester Tower in Norwich on Sunday to stand up against racism. Picture: Victoria Pertusa/EDP. – Credit: […]

The EU’s Brexit negotiator has emphasised it will link any access to its market for British products directly to the access that EU boats will be given to UK waters. Michel Barnier underscored the difficulties of the trade negotiations with Britain ahead for the rest of the year when he highlighted the small but emblematic […]

Brexiteers have once again failed at their latest stunt to try to burn European flags after EU regulations got in the way of their attempts. One example was captured for the Bolton News as a handful of Brexiteers tried to burn flags in Victoria Square whilst waiting for the bells to ring to mark the […]