News and Opinion

The Liberal Democrats are planning to include the message that they propose ‘to stop Brexit’ on the ballot paper – leaving no doubt their position on the biggest issue of the election. Jo Swinson’s party is likely to invoke fury from Brexiteers – but it will be seen as an unambiguous stance on the ballot […]

Prime minister Boris Johnson has said there is ‘no evidence’ backing up allegations of Russian interference in British politics as calls grow for him to release a report on the matter before the election. In a Q&A session on BBC Radio Five Live, the prime minister was nonetheless unable to say how many Russian oligarchs […]

What’s your take on the events of the week? Let us know your views on the key questions that have emerged for Remainers this week, on everything from election priorities to campaign blunders. – Got other views? Email us at letters@theneweuropean.co.uk

The Austrian capital’s somewhat stuffy image as the home of classical music overlooks the fact it has always been keen on celebration, says SOPHIA DEBOICK Vienna is the classical music capital of the world. The masters of the first Viennese school – Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn – all lived and died there, sustained by […]

A prominent Green Party MEP has said his party should not be fielding candidates in Labour/Tory marginal seats. Magid Magid, an MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber and former lord mayor of Sheffield, said there are 44 seats where the Greens should stand aside to help Labour. Despite the Greens entering the Unite to Remain […]

Claims that Labour is haemorrhaging votes to the Brexit Party appear unfounded, according to YouGov poll. Despite Farage’s claims that he was taking the fight to Jeremy Corbyn’s party, and regularly claimed he would park the tanks on Labour’s lawn in their heartlands, there appears to be little evidence of this happening. The latest YouGov […]

CHARLIE CONNELLY assesses the dramatic life of Vera Karalli and finds more to it than her apparent connection to one of the 20th century’s most intriguing killings The death of Grigori Rasputin, spiritual adviser to the Russian Tsar Nicholas and a particular favourite of the Tsarina Alexandra, in St Petersburg on December 30, 1916, is […]

The Brexit secretary has tweeted a video about the Conservatives’ immigration policy explained via an extended footballing metaphor that manages to be wildly inaccurate on both immigration and football. Do we want more players in the @PremierLeague from Brazil, Argentina or Africa compared to the EU? Or more English qualified players to strengthen the national […]

Stopping climate change is probably more important than stopping Brexit, Liberal Democrat economic spokesman Sir Ed Davey has admitted. Speaking on Radio 4’s Today Programme, Sir Ed said the Liberal Democrats have pledged to invest heavily in environmental policies as “stopping climate change is probably even more important than stopping Brexit”. “We’re doing this today […]

The human behind Lord Buckethead’s 2017 election campaign against Theresa May is set to run in Boris Johnson’s constituency under a new alias. Jon Harvey will stand in the prime minister’s constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip as Count Binface, citing “an unpleasant battle on the planet Copyright” as the reason for his regeneration. Harvey […]

JAMES DUNNE looks back on a brief moment in British history where the country was at the forefront of pro-European federalism Following the outbreak of the Second World War, a wave of pro-European, federalist sentiment swept the United Kingdom. While the popular movement of that period is now largely forgotten in 
Britain, its leaders’ writings […]

Dan Snow, Nick Hewer, and Joanna Lumley have declared their refusal to vote Labour because of its association with anti-Semitism. In a letter to the Guardian, the group said the path to a more tolerant society “must encompass Britain’s Jews with unwavering solidarity” and said Jeremy Corbyn has “a long record of embracing anti-Semites as […]

As a New European reader, you probably reckon you keep a close eye on the continent’s news. Test yourself with our quiz… Think you’re on top of what’s been going on across Europe in the past seven days? Take The New European’s tricky quiz and find out just how much of a Europhile you are…

Men are dominating four-fifths of national press coverage according to a new study looking at the first few days of the general election campaign. Academics at Loughborough University have noted “gender inequality across all coverage” with men dominating 67.1% of the television coverage, and 81.9% of the national press coverage. The research – carried out […]

A ginger cat has been put forward on an anti-Brexit ticket in the general election. A ginger cat features on some of the UCAT election materials. Picture: Peter Cook – Credit: Peter Cook Stan the Remainer cat and his UCAT party is taking on Tory incumbent Rehman Chishti in the Kent constituency of Gillingham and […]

The political and cultural crisis Brexit has unleashed in the UK means the EU is escaping scrutiny of its role in the mess, says JEREMY RICHARDSON As the Brexit saga grinds on and Britain’s politicians tear into each other over the issue, European leaders look on, exasperated. In the process thus far, the EU’s representatives […]

A Question Time audience member has launched a tirade at Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly – telling him he is a ‘disgrace’ that made him ’embarrassed to be British’. James Cleverly – Credit: Question Time/BBC The audience member had asked the panel what nice gestures they had done on that particular day, in a bid […]

A Brexit Party MEP has told the chairman of the Conservative party to move to Venezuela if he cannot stand other parties running against his. Alexandra Phillips on BBC Question Time. Photograph: BBC. – Credit: Archant In a fiery opening to BBC Question Time, MEP Alexandra Phillips expressed her anger at the Conservatives trying to […]

The EU has launched legal action against the UK government for failing to nominate a candidate for the job of European commissioner. The European commission said that it considered that the UK was “in breach of its EU treaty obligations”, and has given until 22nd November to respond. Boris Johnson has repeatedly said he would […]

ITV was forced to bleep out a woman’s language, when she called Boris Johnson an a*****e just moments after meeting him on a trip to see flooding victims in Doncaster. This woman branded Boris Johnson an a******e on television. Photograph: ITV. – Credit: Archant Johnson was in the Stainforth area when Julia Keegan, who runs […]

Nigel Farage has claimed the Tories are offering jobs to Brexit Party candidates if they agree to step down. The Brexit Party leader tweeted the allegation – claiming the system is “corrupt and broken”. It follows his claims he will not stand any further candidates down, days after announcing 317 candidates would stand down in […]

Britons are now much more likely to identify as ‘Remainers’ or ‘Leavers’ than they identify with a political party – and Remain is holding the lead. Britons now identify more strongly with Remain or Leave than they do with political party, according to YouGov polling. Picture: YouGov – Credit: YouGov As the general election looms, […]

PETER TRUDGILL revisits a traumatic day in English football history to track down some etymological roots On June 22, 1986, in a World Cup quarter-final football match played between England and Argentina in Mexico City, the Argentinian player Diego Maradona knocked the ball into the England net with his hand and claimed a goal – […]

TIM WALKER reviews the National Theatre’s latest production Ironically, the highest salary I’ve so far received in my career was when I was required to do absolutely nothing. I was working for a business start-up that no one was supposed to know about – something to do with upgrading the security technology at airports – […]

Trump’s reelection prospects are looking far from rosy judging by the travails of his allies, says BONNIE GREER Whenever we classic cinema buffs think of grapefruit we think of that iconic moment in The Public Enemy, the film that made the young James Cagney a star. In the scene, his petty gangster Tom Powers, pushes […]

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said he is ‘very, very worried’ about splitting the Leave vote but has refused to stand down any more candidates to help the Tories win a majority in the general election. Speaking on the last day of nominations, he denied there would be any last-minute withdrawal of candidates following […]

Former Labour MP and hardline eurosceptic Kate Hoey has announced who she will be voting for in the general election. The longtime former MP for Vauxhall, who is casting her vote in Northern Ireland, said she was voting for the DUP but would have voted either for the Brexit Party or the Conservatives if she […]

With Donald Trump and Boris Johnson up for election, MITCH BENN looks at just how untouchable they are The word ‘mistake’ has two principal uses, related but definitely distinct. It can mean an involuntary error, a slip-up, a blooper, a typo… something you didn’t want to do or intend to do, but did anyway through […]