House of Commons

ANDREW ADONIS ranks the (sometimes surprising) names who changed British history for better or worse. My top 20 shapers of modern Britain includes those who made things much worse – the top spot goes to the politician who made things worst of all, although he wasn’t a bad man – as well as those who […]

House of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has delivered a blistering attack on the government after it bypassed the chamber to publish information on England’s new tiered-lockdown system. Sir Lindsay was facilitating a round of questions on this week’s business statement when allowed Labour’s Valerie Vaz to interrupt with an urgent point of order. She said: “This is a […]

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned that a no-deal Brexit would cause more economic harm to the UK than the effects of Covid-19. Bailey said a failure to agree to a Brexit deal before the end of the transition period would wreak havoc on cross-border trade and damage the chances of a future economic partnership […]

Boris Johnson is facing a fresh revolt from his own backbenches after the government was expected to detail a new tougher three-tier system for England when its national lockdown ends on December 2. Johnson will detail the strengthened tiered system in a statement to the House of Commons, where he will appear virtually from Downing Street […]

Readers continue to propose ideas for improving the calibre of politicians in the House of Commons. Ideas abound about how to improve our politics. Recent suggestions in letters to TNE include making MPs do a work experience, having time limits on how many years they can serve, and of course the popular suggestions of reform […]

Liz Truss has denied claims the UK “lacks bandwidth” to negotiate post-Brexit trade deals during a tense exchange in the House of Commons. The international trade secretary addressed comments by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau that the UK “lacks the bandwidth” to conclude a trade deal. Trudeau told the FT he feared a trade deal between […]

A Labour MP has been rebuked by the speaker in the House of Commons after claiming Boris Johnson’s “foulmouthed-edness has caught up with him”. Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi raised previous comments by the prime minister to point out that his remarks are likely to have made chances of a deal with the president-elect Joe […]

Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has been urged to make virtual participation in parliament available to all MPs as soon as possible. The government has been criticised in recent weeks for its reluctance to bring back hybrid proceedings for the House of Commons, as per the first coronavirus lockdown in the spring when MPs could participate […]

Robert Jenrick has “something to hide” if he does not publish minutes and correspondence linked to decisions around a £3.6 billion funding pot to help struggling towns. It comes as Commons spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee warned that a “lack of transparency” over how money has been awarded could “fuel accusations of political bias” […]

A Labour MP has accused Jacob Rees-Mogg of “gaslighting” both MPs and the country with his responses over arrangements for the virtual parliament in the Commons. Up to 50 MPs can attend the Commons chamber due to social distancing requirements, while Zoom contributions are currently allowed for questions sessions, urgent questions and ministerial statements. The […]

Michael Gove has been challenged to pick which unelected bureaucrat he supports in the internal war in Number 10. During questions in the House of Commons, the Cabinet Office minister was asked to decide whether he was on the team of “Dom or Carrie”. It came as director of communications Lee Cain resigned, and chief […]

A former Tory minister has attacked Jacob Rees-Mogg over claims that MPs working from home were “shirking” their duties. Tracey Crouch, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in June, suggested that measures Rees-Mogg imposed prohibiting MPs from voting remotely meant parliamentarians like her were not able to participate in crucial divisions. She said: “(Rees-Mogg) will be aware there […]

Geoffrey Howe – the story behind the greatest Commons speech ever made. The most memorable thing about Sir Geoffrey Howe was how unmemorable he was. Margaret Thatcher’s most decorated cabinet colleague – he was her chancellor, foreign secretary and deputy prime minister – had many qualities but charisma wasn’t one of them. Hence Denis Healey’s […]

An Australian lawyer has slammed Priti Patel for appearing to copy her country’s asylum seeker policy, adding that any “decent” country would not process refugees offshore. Madeline Gleeson, a human rights lawyer, said the move to copy Australia’s immigration policy was “deeply concerning” and warned Westminster MPs against following suit. Gleeson’s comment comes after leaked documents showed the […]

A Conservative MP has been criticised for suggesting ballet and opera is enjoyed by many people in the south of England while northerners prefer football, as he warned “northern culture” is being hit by Covid-19. Former minister Jake Berry, whose previous government position included the northern powerhouse brief, compared Accrington Stanley to the Royal Ballet as he […]

Readers have their say on how politicians can be more in touch with the people they represent. What a splendid idea by Nick Roberts to make MPs go on annual ‘life experience’ in order to keep them connected to the communities they represent. Another idea worth trying is one of term limits. MPs in safe […]

MPs have for a second time overturned measures from peers aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals. The House of Commons voted 331 to 272, majority 59, to disagree with a House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which sought to ensure imported foodstuffs met equivalent benchmarks to those followed by […]

Theresa May accused Boris Johnson of choosing data to fit his coronavirus policies, as she insisted the government must reveal the economic cost of lockdown. The Conservative former prime minister tore into predictions said to have informed her successor’s decision to impose a second national lockdown in England, which will start on Thursday and last […]

A Brexiteer has been met with criticism for saying he will be voting against a second lockdown in the House of Commons. Peter Bone said that the government’s scientific and medical advisers had provided “dubious modelling”. There are lies, damned lies & then there are the likes of @PeterBoneUK, whose formal education clearly did not […]

Michael Gove has apologised for confusing the rules over tennis and golf rules during England’s second lockdown. Downing Street has insisted it will not change direction over the decision to close golf courses and tennis clubs when new measures are introduced this week. But during an online question and answer session with his constituents, the […]

Boris Johnson has vowed to end the second lockdown on December 2 when the government “intends” to return to a regional tiered system. Johnson guaranteed “without a shred of doubt” that the restrictions would expire on December 2, amid concerns on the Conservative benches that England’s lockdown could be extended. A growing number of senior MPs on […]

Boris Johnson believes MPs should continue travelling from across the UK to Westminster despite the national lockdown coming into effect in England. The prime minister’s spokesperson said Johnson did not agree with arrangements for a virtual parliament which would involve many working from home. Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg later echoed the importance of MPs attending […]

The speaker of the House of Commons has criticised a leak that revealed ministers were about to announce another lockdown in England. Sir Lindsay Hoyle called the leak “unacceptable” and demanded the culprits apologise to parliament if an investigation launched over the weekend finds an MP was behind it. The prime minister was forced to […]

A cross-party group of MPs and peers have filed legal proceedings against the government, accusing ministers of failing to protect the UK’s democracy against Russian interference during the EU referendum and subsequent elections. The claimants, backed by a former national security adviser, have accused the prime minister of wanting to “keep us in the dark” […]

The government has come under heavy fire after more than 300 Tory MPs voted against extending free meals for hungry kids over the school holidays. The Tories voted down a Labour motion 322 votes to 261 that would have seen children provided with free school meals during the October half-term and Christmas breaks. This comes after Manchester […]

Boris Johnson is pursuing a “Narnia deal” with the EU, Labour warned as they urged the UK government to secure a trade agreement. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the opposition expects the prime minister and his team to broker an arrangement to enable the UK to trade freely with the EU. Speaking in […]

A Labour MP has called for an apology from the government over its “false promises” of delivering an “oven-ready” deal with the EU. Appearing before Michael Gove at the despatch box, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said: “The prime minister promised the nation an oven-ready deal and it was avowedly the easiest trade deal in history to […]

Everybody has a different reason for sitting down and writing a book. Martin Bell wrote his latest because he nearly died.  Almost two years ago the former BBC war correspondent and independent MP suffered head injuries similar to those from a car crash when he tripped over his suitcase at Gatwick Airport after returning from […]