Politics

Read about the latest political news, views and analysis

Thursday

Steerpike

Sturgeon’s taxpayer-funded political attack

Nicola Sturgeon has never been all that bothered about the remit of her devolved government and the parameters of its responsibilities. So exactly no one was surprised when she popped up this morning with another speech on independence. It comes as part of her ramp-up to a referendum which she insists she will hold next October, despite Westminster refusing permission. Today's speech unveiled the second in a series of papers making the case for independence. What might have surprised casual observers of Scottish politics is just how closely the address resembled a party conference speech in its unabashedly partisan attacks on the Tories and Labour.

Ed West

Why the Tories are more diverse than Labour

‘The candidates fighting to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader and Britain’s prime minister reflect the country’s rich diversity,’ the England-hating New York Times put it earlier this week, through gritted teeth, ‘with six having recent ancestors hailing from outside Europe.’  It might seem initially curious that it’s the Conservatives who are so ethnically diverse. In British politics the realignment over Brexit caused identity to replace economics as the crunch issue, so that the gap between Labour and Tory voters on the issues of immigration and diversity has significantly grown, even if immigration’s salience has declined and remains low.

Robert Peston

The Conservative party is in a terrible state

There was only one lesson to be drawn from last night’s Peston show: the Conservative party is in a right old state. On it we had four senior Tory MPs who support four different candidates to be leader: the Treasury minister Lucy Frazer who backs Rishi Sunak, the friend of Boris Johnson Jake Berry for Tom Tugenhadt, Bob Seely for Penny Mordaunt, and Steve Baker for Suella Braverman. They tried to be measured and collegiate. But for most of the hour viewers saw blue-on-blue arguments, mostly about why their respective candidate was better than the others, who was truest to the Brexit cause and whether a true Tory would cut taxes now or only when the public finances are in better shape.

Steerpike

Theresa revels in Boris’s downfall

Of all those revelling in Boris Johnson's downfall last week, few probably enjoyed it more than Theresa May. It would only be natural for the former Tory PM to enjoy a little schadenfreude from Johnson's defenestration, given how his resignation and subsequent maneuverings played their role in destabilising her premiership. Outwardly, of course, May has remained Sphinx-like with regards to the leadership, refusing to divulge who she is backing or even say if she submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson. But there are signs, perhaps, about her true feelings. The Maidenhead MP did turn up to the aforementioned confidence vote while clad in a full length ball-gown, beaming broadly at assembled lobby reporters.

Steven Fielding

Boris’s attempt to become a second Churchill

On his way up the greasy pole Boris Johnson was keen to claim an affinity with Winston Churchill. Clearly, associating himself with the man voted the Greatest Briton in 2002 was a clever if crude ruse, on par with a B-list actor standing next to Tom Cruise in the hope some of his magic might rub off. It certainly would not have escaped Johnson’s notice that Churchill was fondly remembered, especially by the Conservative party’s mostly aged members who ultimately determine the fate of candidates for the leadership. In 2014 Johnson went so far as to write a biography of Britain’s wartime premier. Most readers will have come away from the book with the impression that Johnson wanted them to think of him as Churchill reborn.

Katy Balls

Truss pitches herself as continuity Boris

Can Liz Truss gather momentum behind her leadership bid? That's the challenge facing the Foreign Secretary today ahead of the second round of voting in the contest. Truss is vying for votes among the right of the party along with Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch. Of the three, she came out on top in the ballot on Wednesday with 50 MP nominations to Badenoch's 40 and Braverman's 33. There is now a push to get these MPs to rally around one candidate. As a supporter of Truss remarked last night: ‘Lots of people need to do some soul-searching.’ When asked why she hadn't resigned from Johnson's cabinet, she responded that she was loyal In that vein, Truss officially launched her campaign this morning in Westminster.

Patrick O’Flynn

The triumph of Tory mediocrity

Every loser wins, once the dream begins. So sang the EastEnders actor Nick Berry in a godawful mid-1980s pop song that attempted to cash in on his brief spell as a national heartthrob. In the first round of the Conservative leadership election, it would be more accurate to say that every winner loses, especially in respect of ante-post favourite Rishi Sunak. Sunak topped the poll with 88 votes from fellow MPs – less than 25 per cent of the Tory party. For a man who was chancellor until a week ago and whose best chance of succeeding Boris Johnson lies in assembling an overwhelming endorsement from the Conservative parliamentary party, it was not good enough.

James Forsyth

Where do the Tories go from here?

The hardest thing for any political party to achieve is renewal in government. The Tories have managed it twice since they came to power in 2010. In 2016 and 2019 they changed leader – and tack – to adjust to new political realities. Their effort in 2019 was more successful, winning them their biggest majority since 1987. At both points, it was obvious that a shift on Brexit was what was required. What about this time? The answer isn’t so clear. In some ways this leadership race is the first discussion the Conservatives have had about their ideological direction since the 2005 leadership contest between David Cameron and David Davis when the party was in opposition. In 2016 and 2019, Brexit and personality so dominated the race that few other issues were discussed.

Rod Liddle

Why it has to be Kemi

Have you considered a career in whoring? It can be very rewarding, apparently – especially financially. World’s oldest profession and all that, a job which offers the potential for travel but which can also be done without leaving one’s bed. A chap who teaches children about sex, Justin Hancock, thinks the kids should not write off prostitution as a viable career option. Justin’s various modules and Q&As on a whole array of vices and foul perversions, most of which he seems to like, are published under the name ‘Bish’.

Fraser Nelson

Blue murder: the knives are out in the Tory leadership fight

To Ronald Reagan, it was the 11th commandment: thou shalt never speak ill of a fellow conservative. Tories tend to observe the opposite rule: anyone ambitious enough to stand for party leadership needs to be targeted and weakened – ideally, destroyed. Attack dossiers will be drawn up, rumours concocted and poison darts blown. Fighting for leadership does not mean articulating a positive message or agenda nearly as much as it means trying to crush the other guy. And whoever can survive such attacks might – at a push – deserve the job. The Conservatives ought to be having a period of reflection.

The Spectator

Letters: In defence of Boris Johnson

Boris’s legacy Sir: It is grossly unfair to assert that Boris Johnson’s legacy was the lockdown (Leading article, 9 July). His chief legacy was, of course, Brexit, followed by the crushing of Corbynism, the world-beating vaccine rollout, and his leading role in supporting Ukraine against the Russian invaders. Not a bad tally. Most European countries, though not Sweden, imposed lockdowns of varying lengths and severity, on the advice of scientists and with overwhelming public support. Governments were on a learning curve when the vicious virus struck. Johnson’s government made mistakes, but got most of the big decisions right. We all know about Johnson’s flaws, but he was a remarkable prime minister. He deserves more credit than you give him.

George Osborne

Boris’s final days in No. 10

‘So what did he say?’ I asked the ministerial friend who went to tell Boris last week he had to resign. ‘Well, he told me a long story about a relative of his who got caught up in a planning dispute, barricaded himself inside his house and the police had to come in force to drag him out. I think it means he’s not going quietly.’ At one level, politics is unpredictable; but enduring political rules apply. Boris told me years ago that while he wasn’t a team player, he could be a good team leader. For all his infectious optimism, it turns out that’s not possible. Downing Street will feel like being at a wake. Hushed voices. No one wanting to upset the family. Mourning the power that has recently departed. Perhaps a drink or two.

Steerpike

Lord Frost says Penny Mordaunt isn’t up to the job

In an excoriating interview on TalkTV just now, Lord Frost has said he has ‘grave reservations’ about Penny Mordaunt becoming the prime minister. The former Brexit negotiator, who quit Boris Johnson’s cabinet last year, told Julia Hartley-Brewer ‘To be honest, I'm quite surprised she is where she is in this race. She was my deputy – notionally more than really – in the Brexit talks last year’. He went on: I’m sorry to say this, I felt she did not master the detail that was necessary in the negotiations last year, she wouldn’t always deliver tough messages to the European Union when that was necessary and I’m afraid she wasn't fully accountable. She wasn’t always visible, sometimes I didn’t even know where she was.

Melanie McDonagh

What’s the truth about the Telford grooming gangs?

More than 1,000 girls were sexually exploited in Telford over several decades. The details in the report, published this week, on what happened in the Shropshire town make for harrowing reading. But there's a curious omission in the way its author Tom Crowther QC refers to the perpetrators of these terrible crimes.  The majority of the men responsible, we are told, 'were men of southern Asian heritage'. But is this specific enough? Surely the men who groomed and raped so many vulnerable young girls while social services, schools and police turned a blind eye, cannot just be defined by an enormous geographical area comprehending two billion people?

Wednesday

Robert Peston

Does Sunak want to face Mordaunt or Truss?

To use a sporting cliche, Penny Mordaunt has brought the Tory leadership election alive. The little known former Defence Secretary placed second in today’s first round, with 67 votes – which is 17 more than third placed Liz Truss, and 21 behind the leader Sunak’s 88. And given that the MP contest is all about finding the top two, Mordaunt will believe that the momentum is with her – whereas the foreign secretary, Truss, should feel anxious. The question is whether the way that Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries yesterday positioned Truss as the Boris’s-Revenge-on-Sunak candidate has hurt or helped Truss. Either way, she has considerable ground to make up. Tonight there are three big questions.

Cindy Yu

Hunt and Zahawi out: who will mop up their supporters?

11 min listen

The first ballot of the Tory leadership contest is now over, with Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi knocked out as they weren't able to meet the 30 votes required in this round (on 18 votes, Hunt actually lost two supporters from yesterday's nomination round). The question of who their supporters fold in behind next is the biggest for the next 24 hours. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about the big night ahead for the remaining six leadership contenders, as well as the battle for the right of the party between Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman. Produced by Cindy Yu.

Charles Moore

The triumph of ethnic-minority Tories

If you had said, even ten years ago, that there was no chance of a white male cabinet minister becoming the next Conservative leader, you would have been greeted with incredulity. Yet it is so today. And it is good, because the change has happened on merit. When the Conservatives began advancing ethnic-minority candidates under David Cameron, I feared it would be tokenistic. One such appointment was making Sayeeda Warsi party co-chairman, only for her to preach about Muslim victimhood; but in general the doors to new talent were opened. I am not sure Cameron got quite what he bargained for, however, because the new entry could loosely be called right-wing.

Steerpike

Watch: Joe Biden’s Holocaust gaffe

Has the US president been possessed by an alt right troll? Nope, it’s just Joe being Joe. No sooner had Joe Biden landed in Israel this afternoon than he managed to commit a gaffe so heinous that it's hard to see how his hosts will forgive him. After stepping off Air Force One, Biden said it was vital to 'bear witness' to the Nazi atrocities of World War Two in order to: 'keep alive the truth and honour of the Holocaust'. He promptly corrected himself by saying '…horror of the Holocaust’ but the damage was done. Oh dear. Here's the video: https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1547227449607573505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1547227449607573505?

Lloyd Evans

Boris is finally free

A curious atmosphere in the Commons today. Relaxed. Jovial. Almost like a party. There was a bit of aggro at the start when two MPs were ‘named’, that is thrown out, for the crime of defying the authority of the chair. Boris seemed perfectly stoical about everything. He obviously couldn’t care less anymore and he decided to give Sir Keir Starmer, (‘Captain Hindsight’), a new nickname. He’s now ‘Captain Crasher-Roony Snooze-Fest.’ After years of jousting with him in the chamber, Boris offered a backhanded tribute. ‘I want to thank him for the style in which he’s conducted himself. And he’s been considerably less lethal than many other members of this house.

Sam Ashworth-Hayes

The case against all the Tory leadership candidates

The Tory leadership contenders have set out their pitches. Rishi Sunak is the sensible but boring choice. Liz Truss is the candidate who will cut taxes and get stuff done. Kemi Badenoch is the wildcard. Penny Mordaunt has vowed to restore the Tory ‘sense of self’. And Tom Tugendhat will up defence spending. But what about another option: none of the above. In this dismal election, there are plenty of reasons to think that might be the best choice of all. Let’s start at the top. The word that best defines Rishi Sunak is ‘chutzpah’. The former chancellor packed his launch speech with fulsome praise for Boris Johnson, describing him as 'one of the most remarkable people I have ever met'.