News and Opinion

The kingmakers of Theresa May’s diminished government, the Democratic Unionist Party, hold some very controversial views It comes to a sorry pass when a Government which claims to be all about ‘one nation Conservatism’, about being there for every citizen, no matter what their gender identity, race, religion, sexuality or culture, is being propped up […]

‘After Brexit, the sooner we can reach the point of acceptance about our future the better.’ The Brexit negotiations have consistently been compared with divorce proceedings. As talks get under way, two of the UK’s top divorce lawyers discuss the analogy and how Britain should approach the issue. What parallels can be drawn between Brexit […]

Brexit Secretary David Davis will call for a ‘deal like no other in history’ as he heads to Brussels to launch negotiations for Britain’s exit from the European Union. Talks with the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier will focus on the status of expats, the UK’s ‘divorce bill’ and the Northern Ireland border. But […]

Inflation and prices are rising, real wages falling. We’re all going to feel the squeeze. Brussels unveiled plans this week to grab large parts of the City of London’s €850 billion a day clearing market. But to the surprise of many observers, the European Commission chose not to take as provocative step as expected when […]

What will Theresa May’s legacy be? When asked Margaret Thatcher’s greatest achievements, older Tories can detain you for some time as they trot out their list. But close to the top for a lot of them will be the UK gaining access to the single market. When asked John Major’s greatest achievements, the list might […]

There is no place in the Conservative Party for 
ethnic minorities Just before the election, someone called Binita Mehta-Parmar, British Asian, wrote a choleric column in the Daily Telegraph. An equally irate riposte was penned in the Guardian by James Cleverly, black British, Territorial Army Officer and Tory MP for Braintree, Essex. Both were responding […]

After a superb campaign that confounded the critics Labour is in the driving seat. And they are the best option on Brexit Labour may not have won the general election but in every sense it seems to have momentum on its side. Once purdah conditions were imposed, requiring broadcasters give parties equal treatment, Jeremy Corbyn’s […]

Signed artwork by The New European strictly limited to 200 signed prints The limited edition print will be numbered and signed by The New European editor Matt Kelly – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images It’s the front page that captured the mood of the nation perfectly – and now you can own the artwork behind it […]

The election taught us the importance of nuance which was missing amid the misplaced certainties of last year’s referendum. Now, we desperately need to hang on to it There is a hard core of commentators – ok, one or two – so wedded to a conservative victory that they still insist it happened. Most, however, […]

Brexit talks kick off on Monday – but there won’t be any talk about trade. The Brussels talks will focus on the status of expats, the UK’s ‘divorce bill’ and the Northern Irish border, rather than on any future trade relations with the European Union. The European Commission said the one-day meeting between its chief […]

Because he couldn’t lie. Some will claim that Tim Farron’s leadership of the Liberal Democrats was doomed from the start. They will protest that you can’t be a Christian and the leader of liberalism in the United Kingdom. They will say that his alleged views on same-sex relationships and abortion put him beyond the pale. […]

Naturally, as a man of ill-concealed principle and conviction, Tim Farron was always likely to come a cropper in a game as flea-pit filthy as politics. That was why we liked him. It helped that he was also the only politician to see that democracy was not a one-off event on June 23, 2016, and […]

Going Dutch – a new blog encourages parents to raise their children the Netherlands way. Two mothers in the Netherlands have found themselves at the heart of the latest parenting craze: be more Dutch. Rina Mae Acosta, a Filippo-American writer from California and Michele Hutchison, a translator originally from London, both married Dutch husbands, run […]

Richard Porritt, Geri Scott and Steve Anglesey tackle another busy week in British politics, take your questions from the mail bag and crown the latest Brexiteer of the Week. In episode six of the New European podcast, the team discuss Tim Farron’s departure, Theresa May’s first week back in Parliament and we take your questions […]

The general election has left the outcome of Brexit more uncertain than ever. June 8 shifted the political centre of gravity. There is now no mandate for the Theresa May-Daily Mail catastrophically extreme version of Brexit. Instead, the Labour Party now has the opportunity to forge a coalition of common sense that can seize the […]

No wonder they kicked the poor bugger out of politics. Naturally, as a man of ill-concealed principle and conviction, Tim Farron was always likely to come a cropper in a game as flea-pit filthy as politics. That was why we liked him. It helped that he was also the only politician to see that democracy […]

Suddenly he is everyone’s favourite Uncle Jeremy – a man on the threshhold of power. Next time he may be unlucky enough to win As the wise old boy selling coffee at our local market put it a couple of days after the general election: ‘First we made a little mistake, then a bigger one. […]

None of us want this great nation to be laughed at … But that is what is happening Let’s be clear: The Conservative and Unionist Party lost the 2017 snap General Election. You’d have to be a corpse – and a certified one – not to win for the Conservatives in the constituency where I […]

Time to reverse the burden of truth and scrutinise Brexit negotiations At the beginning of the general election campaign Theresa May said she was seeking a mandate to negotiate her sort of Brexit; the result denies her that mandate. The Prime Minister’s version of Brexit was set out in the Conservative manifesto; it said that […]

On the panel tonight Emily Thornberry, Tobias Ellwood, Norman Lamb, Rob Delaney and Laura Perrins .

We do not condone this and imagine it makes the editor of the Daily Mail very angry… https://twitter.com/TheNewEuropean/status/874972871801622529 Across the country unknown Remainers have been rearranging news stands to cover Europsceptic newspapers with copies of The New European. The Bournemouth Echo have reported on repeated instances of a mystery vigilante rearranging copies of the New […]

Former chancellor Ken Clarke has urged the Prime Minister to change her approach to Brexit in an effort to restore public confidence in politics. The Tory grandee is the latest high-profile figure to weigh in on Theresa May’s Brexit strategy after former Conservative prime ministers David Cameron and Sir John Major both made rare interventions […]

Is Italy Europe’s most dangerous nation? For a British public which has been so engrossed in a general election triggered on the premise of EU negotiations, it is natural to assume that Brexit is the EU’s all-consuming challenge, since it is so prominent in our own national discourse. In Britain we are still sifted into […]

Listen to Jan Ravens as she channels the Prime Minister in a painfully accurate impression Dead Ringers star Jan Ravens has delivered her most canny impression of Theresa May to date, impersonating the Prime Minister reciting an alternative version of Kipyard’s ‘If’ in the post-election episode of the Strong & Stable podcast. The satirical podcast, […]

Watch as the Labour leader throws Tory campaign slogans back at May in the first week back of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn was on top form at the first day back in the House of Commons since the election, telling May: ‘I’m sure she will agree with me that democracy is a wondrous thing and can […]

Opportunism was the motive for the general election… and now we’ll pay the price. Theresa May’s election gamble has not paid off. She hoped that in holding a snap election she could secure a landslide Conservative majority. She has failed. This election, dubbed the Brexit election, provided very little clarity and specific details on what […]

Voting records reveal the new Environment Secretary and Surrey Heath MP has voted against many green issues Chief Brexiteer Michael Gove is back in the Cabinet after being sacked by Theresa May last year. We take a look at the new environment minister’s voting record when it comes to climate change, wildlife and the environment: […]

The Hard Brexit party has a worrying record on human rights and environmental issues Ian Paisley Jr – North Antrim LGBT rights: Voted against equal gay rights Gay Marriage: Voted against same sex marriage Abortion: Voted against Climate change: against measures to prevent climate change Notable quotes: Called homosexuality ‘immoral, offensive and obnoxious’ and said […]