News and Opinion

Channel 4 news reporters have been following Boris Johnson around the Conservative party conference, asking him why it is the only major broadcaster to be denied an interview at the event. Democracy is weakened by a lack of media plurality. Instead we have to ask others his thoughts & despite days covering his every movement […]

A senior Tory MP reportedly clashed with a delegate at the Conservative Party conference prompting a lockdown of part of the venue. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was said to be involved in what a doorman described as a “small misunderstanding” at the International Lounge in the conference centre. It led to a lockdown of areas of […]

Boris Johnson has claimed that allegations about his private life and previous conduct have been made because of attempts by some people to ‘frustrate’ Brexit. The prime minister accepted it was “inevitable” that he would come under “shot and shell”, but said he thought it was “raining down” on the Government because of his vow […]

Boris Johnson has been busy plucking figures out of the air about how much EU membership costs the UK, but the latest official figures show that no matter how you look at it, it’s lower than he states. Across various media interviews in the last couple of months, Johnson has used the figures of £1 […]

A Brexit Party MEP has tweeted that if opposition parties form a unity government, she would encourage people to withhold tax payments and would ‘ignore’ any new laws it passed. No you won't.— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) September 30, 2019 Lucy Harris, who is MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, tweeted the remark after opposition […]

Government minister Andrea Leadsom has been mocked for failing to win over the Tory masses on Boris Johnson’s Brexit pledge during her conference speech. Appearing on stage in Manchester a fired up Leadsom re-emphasised the Tories’ key pledge to “get Brexit done”. In an attempt at a rallying call to bring the Tories together she […]

Boris Johnson has said he stands by the claim on the Vote Leave bus – and said EU membership would now cost even more. Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, the prime minister claimed that staying in the European Union would cost £1 billion a month. Johnson was asked why he was not going to […]

Boris Johnson has claimed that border proposals from the UK reported as new plans were ‘out-of-date’. It had been understood the legal text of a Brexit plan will be sent to Brussels after the Tory conference concludes on Wednesday. Irish broadcaster RTE reported the UK had put forward the idea of custom clearance centres being […]

The chancellor has tried to accuse the Liberal Democrats of ‘making up’ warnings about a no-deal Brexit, despite the fact they quoted an Office for Budget Responsibility report. Speaking at Treasury questions, Ed Davey called on Javid to “tell the truth” about the impact of a no-deal exit on the health service, schools and police. […]

Just 48% of Brexit voters believe that the Tories are pro-Brexit, despite the Tory Party’s conference key message being ‘get Brexit done’. A new YouGov poll finds that while there is a noticeable shift with the public since April in terms of their perception of the party’s stance on Brexit, 52% of Brexit voters still […]

A Conservative MP has named names after he was questioned for suggesting that some MPs were only chosen for their ‘gender or the colour of their skin’. The remark by MP Philip Davies was made at a Tory conference fringe panel discussion entitled “Is the state killing free speech?”. The MP for Shipley said at […]

The New European’s podcast host STEVE ANGLESEY on why Brexit has provided perfect fuel for the format. A few months back, in the middle of a Twitter conversation about an article for The New European, I found myself telling the fine comedy writer and actor David Schneider how weird it was to be part of […]

The BBC’s director general has overturned a complaint about BBC breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty after reports suggested she was not the sole subject of the original complaint. In another email to BBC employees Tony Hall said he was personally intervening in the complaint upheld by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). He said: “Racism is […]

David Cameron has been trolled by users of Amazon as it was revealed that his book failed to take the top spot in the first week of sales. There have been a scurry of reviews of For The Record on the online retailer’s website – with a proportion trolling the former prime minister by leaving […]

Boris Johnson’s billionaire backer has dismissed claims that his motivation for backing a no-deal Brexit is an opportunity to make millions. The opposition frontbench, former chancellor Philip Hammond and even Boris Johnson’s own sister has claimed that donors around the prime minister might be urging Johnson to take the UK out of the EU without […]

Leader of the Lib Dems Jo Swinson has argued a vote of no confidence during Tory party conference would play into Boris Johnson’s hands. The opposition parties have agreed not to press ahead with the plan while the leaders disagree over who should become the next prime minister. Speaking to journalists outside parliament, Swinson said: […]

The former prime minister of Australia had some deflating news at the Conservative party conference, saying that the UK is not ‘the absolute top tier’ of trading partners. Julia Gillard, of the Australian Labour party, was interviewed at the conference by Sky and said that China, the USA and the EU come first in the […]

Despite Scotland voting to remain in the European Union, Boris Jonson believes he can win more seats in a general election in the country. Interim leader Jackson Carlaw told Tory conference it would be “far more damaging” to remain in the European Union on an “endless drift” arguing that the Scottish Tories would back a […]

The Queen will be forced to sack her prime minister if he does not seek an extension to Article 50, Dominic Grieve has claimed. The former attorney general was appearing on Sky News when he argued that the Benn act was “fit for purpose” and that the government is now a “massive source of disinformation” […]

Legal experts are wondering how a newly-qualified barrister and former Dominic Cummings associate was drafted to help fight the government’s Supreme Court case. Barrister Richard Howell was taken onto the government’s legal team for the landmark case before he had even completed his pupillage, reports The Lawyer. Howell, who was taken on by law firm […]

The government has said there was no ‘conflict of interest’ from the Tories over a no-deal Brexit, and those suggesting the party was funded by currency speculators are buying into ‘conspiracy theories’. It follows an urgent question from shadow chancellor John McDonnell, raised concerns over currency speculators “gambling on the country’s failure” should a no-deal […]

The Daily Show has taken a closer look at the eyebrow-raising speech about ‘terrifying limbless chickens’ that Boris Johnson gave to the United Nations. Host Trevor Noah showed clips from the address to world leaders which was made just hours before the prime minister had to fly home in ignominy over losing the Supreme Court […]

The BBC has generated a new storm – this time over its story which brands three Tory MPs ‘Brexit champions’. https://twitter.com/SteveBarclay/status/1178636796034523136 In a story posted on Sunday evening the corporation refers to cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Barclay as “champions” in both the headline and in social media posts – sparking complaints […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that parliament has been brought to its lowest point in the public’s eyes – by speaker of the house John Bercow. Jacob Rees-Mogg tells the Conservative Party conference that Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow has "damaged the standing of the House in the eyes of the British public […]

The complex that the Tories are holding their annual conference in proudly advertises the fact it has been part-funded by the European Union. The Manchester Central complex was part-funded by the EU. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant Despite the message from this year’s Conservative conference being to “get Brexit done”, the venue they have chosen […]

Opposition party leaders are meeting in Westminster to discuss how to ensure Boris Johnson cannot push a no-deal Brexit through against the will of parliament. As part of the discussions, Jo Swinson is expected to propose an amendment to the Benn Act which would force the prime minister to seek an extension to Article 50 […]

The chancellor has admitted he doesn’t know the true cost of a no-deal Brexit, but says he knows it will be ‘challenging’ if it happens. https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1178571699299725314 Sajid Javid did not dispute a report in July from the Office of Budget Responsibility that claimed the budget deficit could widen by £30bn from 2020-2021 onwards, but said […]

Protesters have taken to the streets of Manchester as the Conservative conference gets under way. A Boris Blimp is inflated in Manchester as part of the Reject Brexit defend our democracy protest. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Wire. – Credit: PA A giant Boris Johnson blimp was inflated at Castlefield Bowl ahead of a Reject Brexit – […]