News and Opinion

Famous for ‘not doing God’, ALASTAIR CAMPBELL interviews the Archbishop of Canterbury. The only regular journalism I do, in addition to my role with The New European, is a monthly interview for GQ magazine. Sadly, the general lack of balls among current top flight politicians means the handful of Cabinet ministers the public have heard […]

Readers had plenty to say this week about Nigel Farage’s claim he’s ’53, separated and skint’. Nigel Farage says he is ’53, separated and skint’. It is probably the first time one of his sentences has been two-thirds accurate, but the last bit really bugs me. Because Farage is plainly not skint. He earns £90,000 […]

Almost half of Scots would back an independent Scotland that remained in the European Union, if a second referendum was held in early 2019, a new poll suggests. The Panelbase research conducted for pro-independence blog Wings over Scotland found that 49% would vote for an independent Scotland in the EU if a second referendum on […]

A former director of Vote Leave has told the Commons he was aware of ‘a certain amount of odd-looking cyber activity’ during the EU referendum campaign. Senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin even speculated that the Government’s online voter registration system crashed because of a cyber attack, claims which are denied by the Government. Mr Jenkin […]

As Alabama elects its first Democrat in almost a quarter of a century BONNIE GREER discusses what this means for the both sides of the Brexit argument. I told my taxi driver that since the odds were that we would never meet again, we could be straight with one another. I said that I was […]

I love it when Boris Johnson talks dirty in order to get some attention. This time of year is always tough for the emotionally needy. Whichever way you spin it, roast turkey and King’s College Choir, presents under the tree and Baby Jesus in his crib, there is no way that Christmas is all about […]

The Brexit department has been mocked after publishing ‘sectoral analyses’ revealing that electricity is vital for light and heating, fishing is important to coastal communities and postal services are used to supply goods. The reports also explain what an aeroplane is and how they are useful for conducting trade between countries, and features some sections […]

STEVE ANGLESEY adapts a few Christmas classics for New European readers in the mood for a singalong. Altogether now… (To the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) Boris the Bare-Faced Liar Had an ever-growing nose Each time he told a porky It looked like Pinocchio’s All of the Remain voters Used to laugh and call […]

Editor-at-large ALASTAIR CAMPBELL on how William Shakespeare, the King of Word-Invention, provides us with the language to describe Brexit I learned a terrific new French word recently. I like learning new words. Some new words are awful, like Brexit, which did not exist even a few years ago, and now is one of the most […]

While the Telegraph has never been shy about its politics, it was once known for its tolerance and diversity of views. Not any more, says its former diarist TIM WALKER It seems a comical notion now, but The Daily Telegraph once recommended Gina Miler for a peerage. We’re going back a few years, of course, […]

The big guns – Boris, DD, Farage – all had pleasingly tricky years. But here STEVE ANGLESEY picks out 20 unsung zeroes who brought their side of the argument into even bigger disrepute. 20. FRANCIS BASHIR Leader of the Royal Disciple Church, a Pakistani Christian sect which worships Nigel Farage. Congregants believe that the nicotine-stained […]

He had to go – but it is very bad news for Theresa May. In normal circumstances Damian Green would not have been able to hang on this long. But these are not normal times and the Prime Minister was desperate to cling on to her closest political friend. He is more than that to […]

Anti-Brexit campaigners on Twitter are referencing the hashtag #FBPE in their posts and profile names to help build up a grassroots community of pro-EU posters. The hashtag – which stands for ‘Follow Back, Pro EU’ – was created after campaigners sensed there was appetite for more grassroots networking on Twitter. Campaigners claimed that a pro-EU […]

It’s been another ludicrous year in Brexit politics – but what do you remember of some of the most preposterous moments? 2017 is almost over – a year political scientists are saying was the most ridiculous since 2016. But what can you remember of some of the most outstandingly silly moments? Try our quiz and […]

RICHARD PORRITT with the week’s big stories, including a diplomatic spat between Austria and Italy It is Christmas drinks season in Westminster, when journalists are tempted by cheap white wine and nibbles. The Number 10 event included invites to many of the biggest names in the UK media, to hear Theresa May chatting about her […]

After the death of the scheme’s creator, Erasmus graduate JACK ARSCOTT describes his mind-altering university experiences and why they should not be denied to others Erasmus of Rotterdam is buried in the red sandstone cathedral in Basel, a Swiss city with regional bus lines connecting it with France and Germany and an excavated Roman town […]

What is the likelihood, asks PAUL CONNEW, of the findings of the Mueller probe ever coming to light? Donald Trump is already behind bars in jail. The problem is, he’s an all-too-colluding prisoner happy to lock the cell door behind him. For the last few days have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that […]

As Hull relinquishes its title as the UK’s City of Culture, ANTHONY CLAVANE​ visits and finds a Brexit heartland ​looking to the future – with trepidation. On my way to the light-firing robots, I pass a statue of Philip Larkin, mid-dash, notebook clutched under an arm, overcoat flapping open and hat swinging from a hand. […]

For some companies, says ANGELA JAMESON, Jeremy Corbyn is the biggest bogeyman on the horizon. Train operators, energy suppliers and water companies are urgently trying to restore their battered reputations with the public in the final throes of 2017. For if they fail, the punishment could be far worse than a precipitous slide in their […]

The Brexit ‘war cabinet’ has concluded without senior ministers agreeing a position on what trade relationship Britain should pursue with the EU. The ministers most closely involved with Brexit talks began discussing options for the future UK-EU relationship in a Downing Street meeting which lasted about 90 minutes. Brexiteers Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Liam […]

Russia’s leader might seem to be invincible, but in fact he is less secure than he appears, and 2018 could be the year that proves it, argues PAUL KNOTT. Prime Minister Theresa May held a news conference with the Russian President before the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images Vladimir Putin […]

The border issue may have been fudged for now, but when it comes to Ireland, much else has become abundantly clear, says DEIRDRE HEENAN. Theresa May is enjoying a rare moment in the sunshine. Last week, when it seemed that she couldn’t find a way to break the logjam in negotiations, many were predicting that […]

Chlorinated turkey, chicken and other poultry washed in chemicals could end up on the menu at Christmas if the UK does a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, food policy experts have warned. A briefing paper prepared by three professors said British shoppers would be safer if the UK kept European Union standards on food […]

A post-Brexit trade deal with the US could result in UK consumers eating ‘dirty’ turkey, chicken and other poultry, food policy experts have said. A briefing paper prepared by three professors said British shoppers would be safer if the UK kept European Union standards on food production and called for future controls to be ‘stricter, […]

PAUL GREGG, one of those to resign from the ​government’s social mobility ​commission recently, gives his own reasons for the decision. How to address inequality in society by redistributing incomes through taxes and benefits has long divided left and right. But equalising opportunities, commonly called social mobility, has wide political credence. The constrained opportunities of […]

Senior Labour figures have clashed over whether there should be a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. Deputy leader Tom Watson was seemingly at odds with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott on the need for a second poll. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Pienaar’s Politics Watson said ‘you shouldn’t rule anything […]

Support for Brexit has plummeted amid chaotic negotiations and a warring cabinet, a new poll has found. The BMG Research poll found 51% favoured staying in the EU while just 41% backed Brexit. After people who said they did not know were pushed for an answer or excluded, the survey found 55.5% in favour of […]

Brexiteers are gearing up for a clash with the Government over the transition period. Leadership hopeful Jacob Rees-Mogg has hit out at the Prime Minister warning EU plans would leave the UK a ‘colony’ of Brussels for two years after Brexit. Philip Hammond said the deal sought by the Government would mean that, although ‘technically’ […]