Media

Many years ago now, I was on a panel at a sceptics’ conference with, among other luminaries, professor Richard Dawkins (it’s on YouTube if you look for it). Towards the end of the discussion we were asked if there could be a version of ‘God’ which we could find easier to believe in than those […]

It’s becoming difficult to throw a stone these days without hitting someone setting up a right wing broadcasting outfit. Mandrake can disclose that Sarah Sands – having lately relinquished the editorship of the Today programme – is following in the footsteps of former Corporation colleagues Andrew Neil and Sir Robbie Gibb and has established an […]

Winston Peters – leader of the New Zealand First party – has long been described as a populist, both in New Zealand and internationally. At different times during his career he has embraced the label. As he said recently, populism to him “means that you’re talking to the ordinary people and you’re placing their views […]

Liz Truss has accidentally announced that new post-Brexit trade deals will “undermine” British farmers during a debate in the Commons. The international trade secretary was answering a question on whether a new trade deal with the US would severely impact British pig famers. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry asked: “Can [Truss] please tell us which law prevents the import […]

I’m sure it seemed a good idea at the time… it’s one I had myself from time to time, when running the Number 10 media operation – get the regional telly in; get the PM to do a round of one-on-ones that cover the whole country; lead the news on every regional bulletin; get the […]

A television presenter has criticised a government minister for appearing on BBC Breakfast to say “absolutely nothing”. Charlie Stayt was interviewing Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, about newspaper headlines suggesting large-scale coronavirus restrictions are about to hit the north of England. But rather than explaining what the reports mean and defending the restrictions, Jenrick was […]

Boris Johnson’s father has been caught without a face mask in public for the third time in a week. Stanley Johnson was pictured at an Underground station reading a newspaper with his mask lowered. This is the third time the prime minister’s father was captured flouting regulations around wearing face masks. Last Tuesday, Johnson senior was […]

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson debunked claims put forward by Liz Truss that No 10 has enjoyed several “successes” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nelson, who now manages the magazine once edited by Boris Johnson, said polling has shown no citizens were more disappointed in their government’s response to the virus than Britons. The trade secretary and […]

Two major foreign car manufacturers have called on the UK government to reimburse them for additional customs charges if it failed to reach a Brexit deal with the EU. Japan’s two biggest car makers, Toyota and Nissan, want the government to cover an expected 10% tax on car imports from Britain that the EU could impose […]

Rishi Sunak has been slammed online after suggesting Britons should be “grateful” to have Boris Johnson as their leader.  Appearing on Sky News’ Kay Burley @ Breakfast show, the chancellor downplayed claims he would take a tilt at the top job of prime minister. MORE: Downing Street denies rift between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak “I […]

Boris Johnson has made his third gaffe in a week when he mistakenly told Britons they were eligible for a “£500-per-week” payment for self-isolating. The prime minster claimed it was a weekly payment to people on low incomes when it in fact was for the whole period of isolation, which could be a minimum of 14 […]

Laurence Fox has been labelled a hypocrite after vowing to boycott Sainsbury’s because of its support for Black History Month. The 42-year-old actor accused the supermarket of promoting “racial segregation and discrimination” during a Twitter rant on Sunday. Fox’s post came after the supermarket chain announced it would be marking Black History Month, an annual observance of black […]

A comedian has taken aim at new government restrictions by releasing a hilarious chart mocking the way ministers have come up with new coronavirus rules. Belfast comedian Paddy Raff tweeted a table which asks participants to make up their own coronavirus laws. Dubbed the “government COVID-19 Law Generator”, users answer three questions, such as what your and your […]

James O’Brien has compared Dido Harding to Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses after a “technical glitch” was blamed for 16,000 Covid cases going unreported. The LBC presenter laid into England’s test and trace chief after Public Health England (PHE) admitted 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of daily case figures. […]

A front cover from the Daily Express featuring comments from health secretary Matt Hancock suggesting Brexit can “save lives” has been criticised. Under the headline “BREXIT GIVES UK FREEDOM TO FAST-TRACK WONDER DRUGS”, the newspaper reports that Hancock had insisted that Brexit will help save lives by allowing new drugs to be approved faster. The […]

Cultural commentator and broadcaster PETER YORK on those with the knives out for the Corporation. There is a war against the BBC. Does that sound over the top? When Paddy Barwise and I were searching for a title for our new book, back in 2018, we feared it might be. A war against the British […]

A Commons committee has called for more “transparency” in the appointment of the next BBC and Ofcom chairs after the government faced accusations of “interfering” in the process. Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, a vocal BBC critic, is said to be Boris Johnson’s preferred candidate for the Ofcom chairman role, while ex-Daily Telegraph editor Charles […]

James O’Brien has asked Brexiteers whether they regret voting for Brexit now the UK faced legal proceedings from the EU. The LBC presenter pointed to a letter from the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost to car manufacturers as proof many of his warnings about the economic impacts of Brexit were in fact true. MORE: ‘Project Fear’ was […]

Whatever else might be said about Sasha Swire’s memoirs, they hardly instil confidence in the political classes. This may well be why Rupert Murdoch was willing to splash out no less than £250,000 to serialise them in the Times and Sunday Times. “It’s a jaw-dropping amount of money for a book in these straitened times, […]

Tory ministers past and present have defended Boris Johnson’s father for not wearing a face mask in public and say he should not be fined. Environment minister George Eustice and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said penalties, which range from £200 to £10,000 for failing to follow government advice on new Covid measures, should only be reserved for […]

A chemical expert from one of the major manufacturers has said chemicals readily available in the UK will “disappear” after Brexit. Neil Hollis, of the chemical giant BASF, told a Commons committee on the impact of Brexit upon UK industry that government plans to pull out of the EU chemical database, known as REACH, and create […]

Britain has backtracked on the issue of fishing rights in UK waters in a last minute attempt to salvage Brexit trade talks. The UK offered the EU a three-year transition period for its fishing fleets to leave British seas beginning from 2021. The idea of a phase-out has been discussed before but details of how […]

A chef has been praised for his subtle dig towards Boris Johnson during a BBC News interview on new coronavirus restrictions in the North East of England. Max Gott, head of the Bistro Forty Six, remained professional about the prime minister while appearing on the rolling news channel – but viewers realised he had still […]

Priti Patel has asked officials to explore sending migrants to an isolated island more than 4,000 miles away from Britain for processing. The home secretary allegedly ordered her own staff to look into transferring asylum seekers who arrive in the UK to a centre on the south Atlantic islet of Ascension Island , the FT reports. The […]

A Brexiteer MP has been found guilty of breaking the minister’s Code of Conduct, a Commons standards committee has found. DUP representative Ian Paisley Junior failed to declare funding towards a luxury family holiday to the Maldives in 2016. Parliamentary commissioner for the Standards in the House of Commons committee Kathryn Stone also rejected claims the trip has […]

Boris Johnson has told a reporter he is “fitter than a butcher’s dog” after being asked if was still suffering from the effects of Covid-19. Speaking at press conference in Exeter, the prime minister brushed aside concerns by MPs in his own party that he had still not fully recovered from his bout of coronavirus in […]

A government minister has admitted No 10 “looked to Europe” for help developing the latest of coronavirus lockdown rules. Speaking on Sky News, skills minister Gillian Keegan said Downing Street was trying to strike a balance between keeping pubs open and suppressing a second spike in Covid cases. Asked if the 10pm curfew was leading […]

The roots of the government’s latest attacks on the BBC can be traced back to blogs written by Dominic Cummings’ think tank 16 years ago. If you are planning a coup, taking control of the national broadcaster is a job for day one. Boris Johnson did not need a coup to secure power – he […]