Uk politics

Oh dear. Although Theresa May's divided government is currently in a state of deadlock over Brexit, the Prime Minister can at least take heart that the Tories aren't the only party experiencing difficulties here. This morning Barry Gardiner was the victim of a car crash interview on the Andrew Marr show. With Marr on sick leave, Emma Barnett was Gardiner's interviewer – and she did not hold back. The BBC presenter took the shadow International Trade secretary to task over comments he made about the Irish border in March while at an event held by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. At the event, Gardiner described the Good Friday Agreement as ‘a shibboleth’ in the Brexit negotiations and said the issue was being 'played up' for 'real economic reasons'.

Thanks to a weekend of nationwide jubilation over Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle, politics has – for once - taken a backseat. However, there's one story in the Sunday Times that is still likely to cause mild alarm: 'Tory MPs prepare for snap autumn election as Theresa May hit by Brexit deadlock'. The paper reports that Conservative MPs have privately started to get ready for a snap general election. It's not that they fear Theresa May is about to go on a walking holiday and get over-excited about some better-than-expected polling. Instead, these Tories fear that the Brexit deadlock will soon become 'insurmountable for the prime minister'. This isn't the first time this month such a point has been made.

Watching Nick Clegg, Nicky Morgan and David Miliband sort of launching what might one day become a sort of new centre party amid a granary-full of Tilda rice in Essex, I realised why we still need the Labour party. Despite their equation of themselves with rationality — Sir Nick’s office advertises itself online under the name of Open Reason — the moderates are a bit crazy. They are centrist Bourbons, who have forgotten nothing about how they all, in their different ways, fell from power, yet have learnt nothing about why. How could they possibly think that the key to the future of our country is to be found in membership of the European Economic Area? I think I can see the chain of reasoning that got them there, but the conclusion is irrational nevertheless.

This week Rod Liddle took over the London Palladium for one night only. Mr S's colleague and comrade spoke to a sold out audience about his approach to writing and politics – as well as his managerial style at the BBC (clue: not legal). For those readers unable to bag a ticket, Mr S is pleased to share one of the highlights from the evening. In a video, Liddle revealed his dog Jessie's feelings toward various politicians – and there's one in particular that caused a strong reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LtAM3LxTUg&feature=youtu.be Well, let it never be said that Corbyn's Labour is going to the dogs...

Diane Abbott tried to go on the attack on Question Time last night, by suggesting that one of her fellow panellists has said that victims of knife crime in London were all drug dealers. The shadow home secretary said: 'It's really not true to say that every young person that gets stabbed in London is a drug dealer' Of course, Abbott is right to make that point. But unfortunately for her, it seems that no one had actually tried to suggest that was the case. When Abbott repeated the point, the audience turned on her, with one yelling out: 'No one said that'. Mr S thinks Abbott should choose her words more carefully next time...

Yippee! Now I can finally take a train to Scotland without putting money into Richard Branson’s pockets. This afternoon’s announcement by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling that the franchise on the East Coast mainline is to be taken back into the government’s hands returns the railway to the position it was in between 2011 and 2015. As the unions have been only too quick to point out today, this is the third time that a private operator has come to grief on the East Coast mainline in 10 years – and there is little to suggest that things will be any different when, as Grayling says he wants to do, the line is returned to the private sector. I am no fan of nationalised industry.

The stramash between Theresa May’s government in London and Nicola Sturgeon’s ministry in Edinburgh over the need for the devolved parliaments to consent to the UK government’s EU withdrawal bill is, as the wags say, the world’s most boring constitutional crisis. So much so, indeed, that many voters in Scotland – to say nothing of elsewhere in the realm – remain splendidly indifferent to it.  The Scottish parliament yesterday refused to give its consent to the withdrawal bill. Legally, this changes little. Politically, it has the potential to change many things. Nicola Sturgeon, with the support of Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens, says she is “protecting devolution” and standing up for the Scottish parliament.

Benedict Cumberbatch has a reputation as one of Britain's finest actors. The Sherlock actor has won plaudits across the world. He is also politically engaged – previously ranting on-stage about the government’s response to the refugee crisis following a performance of Hamlet at the Barbican. According to the Daily Mail, Cumberbatch let it be known that he thought the government’s pledge to take 20,000 refugees was not enough, before — eloquently — concluding: ‘f— the politicians’. The comments led Mr S to ask: is Benedict Cumberbatch the new Russell Brand? So, is his next job his greatest challenge yet?