Politics

Read about the latest political news, views and analysis

Wednesday

Steerpike

Runners and riders for next First Minister

Where there’s death, there’s life. And the departure of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister after eight years means there’s a vacancy as top dog in the Scottish parliament. Who could replace her? One Panelbase poll conducted last week shows there’s an overwhelming favourite among the various pretenders: ‘don’t know’ took a whopping 69 per cent of the public vote. Fortunately for the SNP, some of their actual elected politicians scored favourably too – though none more than seven per cent. Below is Steerpike’s guide to the most likely runners and riders to succeed Scotland’s nationalist-in-chief, with odds from Ladbrokes. Angus Robertson - 6/5 The bookies’ favourite and a familiar face to Westminster watchers.

Isabel Hardman

How Nicola Sturgeon views her own legacy

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed her 'intention' to resign as First Minister, staying in office until her successor is elected. She said she had been wrestling with the decision for 'some weeks'.  Sturgeon sounded emotional as she opened by saying First Minister was 'the best job in the world' and a privilege that had 'sustained' her. She explained that 'part of serving well would be to know almost instinctively when the time is right to make way for someone else', and that she knew that this time had come now. 'Be in no doubt, this is really hard for me. My decision comes from a place of duty and love,' she added. Her reasons for quitting did not include a 'reaction to short-term issues', a coded reference to the row over Isla Bryson and gender recognition reform.

Mariana Mazzucato and Rory Sutherland

How consultancy infantilises governments: Mariana Mazzucato and Rory Sutherland in conversation

Mariana Mazzucato is a professor in the economics of innovation and public value at University College London. She speaks to The Spectator’s Wiki Man, Rory Sutherland, about the book she has co-authored with Rosie Collington, The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilises our Governments and Warps our Economies.  RORY SUTHERLAND: I’d like to start by congratulating you. The extraordinary growth in scale, wealth and influence of management consulting firms over the past 20 to 30 years is undoubtedly a phenomenon worthy of extensive investigation, particularly as it pertains to government contracts.

Martin Vander Weyer

Why AstraZeneca’s new factory has gone to Dublin

‘Great news, Prime Minister, Astra-Zeneca has decided to site a new £320 million factory on Mersey-side. Your vision of the UK as a science superpower is becoming a reality.’ What a moment that would be for a Downing Street intern in search of the positive for an otherwise grim morning briefing; almost up there with ‘Great news, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has joined a Trappist monastery’. But no, AstraZeneca decided some time ago to put its next factory in Dublin. This is the pharma multinational that was a corporate hero of the Covid vaccine rollout and is a descendant of ICI, Britain’s greatest 20th-century science company; the very model of the kind of investor Rishi Sunak hopes to attract.

Stephen Daisley

Why is Nicola Sturgeon resigning?

Nicola Sturgeon is resigning as First Minister of Scotland. We don’t yet know when — or why. After eight years in the role, unchallenged the whole time, she has hit troubles recently over gender law reform, the placement of Isla Bryson, a rapist, in a women’s prison and Sturgeon’s failure to deliver a promised second referendum on independence. If any of these is the reason for her departure, it would be odd as, although highly controversial, none has produced a rival for the crown. There is also a police investigation ongoing into a £667,000 independence fighting fund donated by supporters. (There is no suggestion Sturgeon has done anything illegal or improper.

Steerpike

Starmer kills Corbyn’s chances of standing for Labour again

Oh, Jeremy Corbyn. The onetime Labour leader is this morning contemplating the end of his political career after his successor declared he would not be standing as a Labour candidate at the next election. At a press conference to welcome the Equalities Commission’s decision to take the party out of special measures for anti-Semitism, Sir Keir Starmer told reporters that: Let me be very clear about that. Jeremy Corbyn will not stand for Labour the next general election as the Labour party candidate. We are not going back and that is why Jeremy Corbyn will not stop as a Labour candidate at the next general election.

Kate Andrews

Inflation falls to 10.1% – but is still at a 40-year high

Inflation remains at near a 40-year high – but finally, we’re starting to see some signs of good news. This morning’s update from the Office for National Statistics shows CPI falling to 10.1 per cent in the 12 months to January 2023, down from 10.5 per cent in December 2022.  It’s a better update compared to January, which revealed a much smaller dip in CPI between November and December last year. Core inflation – which excludes energy and food – fell too, from 6.3 per cent on the year in December down to 5.8 per cent in January. Crucially, this easing beat the consensus, both for CPI (the expectation was 10.2 per cent) and for core inflation (expected to remain at 6.3 per cent).

James Heale

Labour gets its house in order

After 839 days, the Labour party has today been let out of special measures by the equalities watchdog over its handling of antisemitism complaints. Back in 2020, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) produced a highly critical report of the way Labour was handling these cases. It found that the party had been responsible for unlawful discrimination during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, forcing the party to reform its policies. The EHRC has now said it is 'content with the actions taken' by the party and will be winding up a two-year monitoring period. Sir Keir Starmer has hailed it as 'an important moment in the history of the Labour Party' and is keen to make the most of this milestone.

Iain Macwhirter

Why Nicola Sturgeon had to go

Nothing in life or politics lasts forever, not even Nicola Sturgeon’s legendary popularity. In a recent poll, 42 per cent of Scots said the First Minister should step down immediately. It seems she has taken the hint: this morning Sturgeon announced that she would be resigning after eight years as head of the Scottish government. 'The nature and form of modern political discourse means there is a much greater intensity – dare I say it brutality – to life as a politician than in years gone by,' she said in a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh. As Sturgeon prepares to hand over to her successor, there is no doubt that the SNP still dominates Scottish politics. But every dog in the street, as they say here, knew that Sturgeon’s time was coming to an end.

Andrew Finkel

Could Turkey’s earthquake bring down president Erdogan?

Turkey is now wrestling with shock and grief and with the dawning realisation of just how large a task it will be to rebuild in the wake of devastating natural disaster. It is also struggling with an uncomfortable truth – that the quake has, with vicious accuracy, sought out not only weaknesses in the earth but fault lines within society itself. Ankara must cope with the criticism that it failed both to plan for a disaster and to react when it struck.   I wrote the above paragraph nearly 25 years ago, in the aftermath of an earthquake near Istanbul which claimed at least 17,000 lives. And yet it remains cruelly apposite in the tide of devastation and recriminations that have followed the twin earthquakes earlier this month.

Tuesday

Limor Simhony Philpott

Israel is running out of time to stop an Intifada

How does Israel contain Palestinian terrorism without provoking the third Intifada? Recent weeks have seen the largest escalation in violence between Israel and the Palestinian since 2021. Israeli forces have killed at least 42 Palestinians so far this year; and eleven Israelis, mostly civilians, have been killed in a series of terror attacks. The violence is in danger of spiralling out of control.  Although Israel has been successful in capturing or killing terrorists (but also several innocents), it has encouraged more unrest in the West Bank. The nationalistic rhetoric of members of the Israeli government, including talks of expanding Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory, is making it worse. Hamas has so far largely remained on the sidelines.

Steerpike

Taxpayers paid £160,000 for Sir Keir’s chauffeured car

Labour has been talking a lot about taxpayers' money in recent days, following the release of their much-hyped 'GPC files' about government procurement cards. There's been much criticism about the use of luxury hotels, fine art and branded merchandise. All good, worthy stuff. But in the interest of balance, Mr S thinks it's worth reminding readers that Labour's leading lights haven't always been the most prudent when it comes to spending taxpayers' money. Steerpike has already highlighted Angela Rayner's decision to put £249 branded Airpods on her parliamentary expenses. And Sir Keir Starmer is not exempt from criticism either. Back when he was Director of Public Prosecutions, he came under fire for claiming more than £250 a day in expenses for a chauffeur driven car.

Cindy Yu

Is Rishi Sunak tough enough on China?

12 min listen

Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for defence has launched a security review in the wake of Chinese spy balloons entering Western airspace. This accelerated a row over defence spending ahead of the Spring Budget. How far is the government willing to go under pressure over the Ukraine war and now an intensified Chinese threat? James Heale speaks to Cindy Yu and Katy Balls. To learn more about Chinese politics, society and culture, listen to The Spectator's Chinese Whispers podcast.

James Heale

Is Richard Sharp ‘damaging’ the BBC?

There's nothing the BBC loves talking about more than the BBC. And a perfect demonstration of that iron rule of politics was shown this afternoon when Radio 4 discussed the survival prospects of BBC Chairman Richard Sharp. Sir David Normington, who served as the Commissioner for Public Appointments under David Cameron, was invited on to the BBC's World at One programme to warn that: I think the present position is very damaging, it’s damaging Mr Sharp, it’s damaging the BBC and the government and more important – it’s undermining public confidence in the appointments system.

Freddy Gray

Does race trump merit in America?

50 min listen

Heather Mac Donald joins Freddy Gray for this week’s Americano podcast. Heather is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of the book When Race Trumps Merit. Heather breaks down what she describes as a ‘regressive equity epidemic’ in which race overtakes merit in almost all areas of society.

Steerpike

Did Partygate kill the Whitehall party?

Partygate claimed many victims in Westminster, not least Boris Johnson's premiership. But one consequence of the relentless focus on the shenanigans of 2021 meant that 2022 proved to be a far less festive occasion than some in the great ministries of state had hoped. Officials have grumbled to Mr S that there was a certain reluctance on the part of some departments to help organise shindigs in the most recent Christmas season. A raft of Freedom of Information requests to seven Whitehall departments has found, surprise, surprise, that no records exist of any office or departmental parties being held at their central London premises in November and December.

Andrew Tettenborn

Solar farms and the trouble with net zero

Say it quietly, especially when there’s a Green listening: but there’s one certainty about Net Zero 2050. It won’t happen. As any honest MP will admit in private, it is stymied not only by the need to keep the lights on following the Ukraine energy shortage, but also for another reason: because no democratic majority will tolerate the cutbacks in their quality of life necessary to maintain the headlong dash to carbon neutrality in 27 years’ time. Unfortunately there is also another certainty about Net Zero. While it remains official policy, however quixotic, corporate capital is being handed a heaven-sent opportunity at the expense of you, me and the country we live in. If you don’t believe this, ask anyone who lives in rural East Anglia, between Newmarket and Soham.

Ellie Wilson

Rape in a relationship is the last taboo

The charges against Mason Greenwood, the Manchester United footballer who was accused of assault and attempted rape, have been dropped. Yet the trial of both him and the woman involved in the case continues unabated online. The ongoing discussion of the case brought back painful memories of my experience at the hands of my rapist – and the verdict of online trolls about what happened to me. When the reports about the conviction of my ex-boyfriend and abuser were published online, I did my best to ignore the coverage. But one afternoon, I scrolled through the comments on a tabloid news article about my case. I knew I shouldn’t look, but the article was about me and events that changed my life forever. I couldn’t resist; I started reading.

Daniel Thorpe

Syrian earthquake survivors are being scapegoated in Turkey

It's been over a week since the devastating twin earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria and the death toll continues to rise. The number of known casualties has passed 30,000 and tens of thousands more are injured. Hundreds of thousands people have lost their homes. Alongside the plight of the Turkish population, Syrian refugees in southern Turkey have suffered a second disaster. Turkey hosts over 3.6 million Syrians who fled their country's civil war. Almost half a million live in the Hatay region, which was the worst hit by the quakes.  Amidst the overwhelming tragedy, there are moments of joy: three elderly members of the Gezer family were brought out from the rubble in the old town of Antakya by Turkish and Thai rescuers. They had been trapped for at least 135 hours.

Steerpike

Parliament works hit £216 million

Ah parliamentary renovation: they talk of little else in the Red Wall. For more than a decade now, Westminster has been obsessed with the subject of our crumbling Commons, with staff forced to dodge falling masonry, leaking pipes and impudent rodents as they navigate the estate. Last month, Dame Meg Hillier of the Public Accounts Committee warned that there was an 'unacceptable cloak of secrecy' around the ongoing restoration programme. And perhaps we now know why. For figures were published yesterday which show that some £216.5 million was spent on the Restoration and Renewal Programme between spring 2020 and March 2022. The total forecast spend for the current financial year is £87 million total. Yikes. Still, that's not the only issue troubling the great and the not-so-good in SW1.