Uk politics

Wednesday

Katy Balls

What a ‘general debate’ on European affairs reveals about the government

After PMQs today, Theresa May will give a statement on Russia – and the government's proposed response to the attempted murder of a former Russian double agent on British soil. Then there will be a ten minute rule motion on 'supervised drug consumption facilities' and after that a 'general debate' will commence on European Affairs. This will run on through the afternoon until 7pm – and should any MPs not have the chance to offer their two cents worth, they need not fear as there is a second day of general debate planned. Given that it’s now 380 days until Britain leaves the EU, you’d be forgiven for thinking there may be a better way for MPs to be spending their time. After all, the statute book could hardly be described as 'Brexit-ready' right now.

Tuesday

Isabel Hardman

Trump to May: I’m with you ‘all the way’ on Russia

Theresa May has been continuing to call Britain's allies today to discuss the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. She is expected to give a statement to the Commons tomorrow about Russia's response to the allegation that the state was responsible for the attack, and has been seeking assurances that countries such as France, Germany and the United States are on her side. This evening, she spoke to Donald Trump, who told her that 'the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used', according to the Downing Street read-out. You can almost hear Trump saying the words 'all the way', but May was probably listening more keenly for things the President doesn't appear to have said.

Ross Clark

Don’t pinch the penny!

It always takes a few hours for the nasties in a Budget to become clear. That is as true with today’s seemingly content-less Spring Statement. In the small print is a proposal to do away with one pence and two pence coins. Of course, inflation eats away at the value of coins so as to make the smaller ones pretty value-less over time – an argument made by the Treasury. The country survived the abolition of the farthing in 1971 and the halfpenny in 1984. A halfpenny in the mid-1980s, indeed, was worth more in real terms than a penny now.

Steerpike

Labour MP deserts Corbyn

Oh dear. Although the Labour party has tried to put on a united front since the snap election, the party remains divided when it comes to Jeremy Corbyn. So, Mr S was intrigued to hear Kerry McCarthy – the Labour MP and former shadow cabinet member – speak frankly about her preference on Labour leaders. Asked on Pienaar's Politics which Labour leader – out of Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn – she would like to be stuck an island with, McCarthy said... Blair: JP: Kerry McCarthy, who would you choose to be marooned with – Tony Blair or Jeremy Corbyn? KM: Oh God... hmm... I would probably actually go for Tony Blair... neither would be my ideal choice. To add insult to injury, she then said Gordon Brown would be better than Blair.

Nick Cohen

Brexit Britain: confused and alone

Here is a message Russian propagandists are sending to Western commentators. It is from Yuliia Popova of REN-TV (which was once an independent Russian station but sold its soul long ago) to David Allen Green of the Financial Times. Hello David, My name is Juliia Popova. I represent Russian state TV channel. Would appreciate it if Matt Singh or any other political analist [sic] could give us a short comment on the matter of the following. We will be happy to know why the British government tries to blame Russian government for the attempted murder of ex-Russian spy, why is it happening right now when even USA on behalf of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says that so far there is no evidence to accuse Russia of that.

James Kirkup

May is finally embracing Osborne’s agenda

Here are the two words that matter most in today’s Spring Statement: “balanced approach”. Those words appear five times in the official text of Phillip Hammond’s speech, and I suspect we’ll hear them again through the course of this year and beyond. Here they are in context: “We will continue to deliver a balanced approach. Balancing debt reduction against the need for investment in Britain’s future. Support to hard-working families through lower taxes. And our commitment to our public services.

Isabel Hardman

Labour’s HQ exodus continues as Executive Director Emilie Oldknow quits

Labour's Executive Director for Governance, Membership and Party Services Emilie Oldknow has announced she is leaving, just weeks after Iain McNicol was ousted as General Secretary. At the time, Corbynite insiders had told me that Oldknow was the 'power behind the throne' and had been responsible for the real running of HQ as McNicol was increasingly sidelined by the party leadership. Now, that power behind the throne has left too. In a letter to party staff, she says 'I will be leaving in the summer to pursue some new and exciting opportunities'. Oldknow was a moderate, and had also been sidelined: I understand that she only found out about McNicol's departure by text message on the afternoon when it was announced.

Fraser Nelson

Good, bad and ugly: Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement in nine graphs

Philip Hammond declared himself to be an optimist in his Spring Statement today – and he had a few boasts to prove it: manufacturing enjoying the continued longest growth in 50 years, three million more jobs, borrowing down. He was laying into Labour, in a way he wishes he’d been allowed to during the general election campaign. But the news was in the accompanying financial forecasts: here’s what jumped out at me. 1. The Tories have given up trying to balance the books. Hammond didn’t make an announcement to this effect, but he laid out plans for deficits for years to come. George Osborne at least pretended to be, say, five years away from eliminating the deficit. Hammond has abandoned the pretence.

Isabel Hardman

Spring statement: Philip Hammond learns the value of politics

Philip Hammond used to pride himself on being 'spreadsheet Phil', the Chancellor who didn't waste his time on politics because he preferred crunching the numbers. But today's Spring Statement showed that he has learned the value of being overtly political. It was, as we had expected, an economic statement that was rather thin on the announcements. But what was striking was how heavy this speech was on the politics. Unlike David Cameron and George Osborne, the Tories under Theresa May haven't spent much time making the argument for fiscal restraint - and the effect has been that Labour has enjoyed much more sympathy for its calls for higher public spending than it did under Ed Miliband.

The Spectator

Full text: Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement

The UK was the only major economy to make hundreds of tax and spending changes twice a year. And major international organisations and UK professional bodies alike have been pressing for change. In 2016 I took the decision to move to a single fiscal event in the Autumn. Giving greater certainty to families and businesses ahead of the new financial year. And allowing more time for stakeholder and parliamentary engagement on potential fiscal changes. Today’s statement will update the House on the economic and fiscal position. Report progress on announcements made at the two budgets last year. And launch further consultations ahead of Budget 2018, as set out today in my Written Ministerial Statement. I won’t be producing a Red Book today Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker.

Tom Goodenough

Bercow’s ‘bollocks to Brexit’ sticker disgraces his office

‘I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, in this place, but as the house is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here,’ said speaker William Lenthall, the idea being that it was parliament’s views – not his own – that mattered. John Bercow has a message to his predecessor: bollocks to that. Or more specifically: bollocks to Brexit. That is the message printed on a sticker emblazoned on a car parked in the speaker’s personal parking spot outside parliament, as revealed by Guido Fawkes. [caption id="attachment_10054292" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Credit: Guido Fawkes[/caption] If Bercow’s choice of number plate – B13 RC0 – is bad enough, the sticker itself is unforgivable.

Freddy Gray

No, Britain shouldn’t invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty

Theresa May might regret using such strong language in her statement on the Skripal case last night. Saying that there had been the 'unlawful use of force' on British soil and that a response would be imminent has led to a lot of people invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty - something mentioned in newspapers today. Lord Ricketts, a former UK national security adviser, is one of many to say that this 'unlawful' act warrants the use of NATO. For its part, NATO has released a statement saying 'the UK is a highly valued ally and this incident is of grave concern to NATO'. May did not say ‘armed attack’ - the condition to invoke Article Five - but ‘unlawful use of force’, which is different. It’s all hot air, though - and will be seen as such by the Kremlin.

Steerpike

Theresa May steps up to the plate at British Kebab Awards

Forget secret dining societies, last night the inhabitants of SW1 descended on the Westminster Park Plaza for the British Kebab Awards. The annual event saw the likes of Angela Rayner and outgoing Labour General-Secretary Iain McNicol join forces with Tory MPs Paul Scully and Rehman Chishti to take a break from Russian espionage in order to chow down on some meat and raise a glass to the British kebab industry. The event's host İbrahim Doğuş, a Labour candidate in the snap election, told the well-hydrated crowd: 'In an otherwise darkened street, the kebab shop is the light that never goes out'. While there were some mentions of Brexit concerns, the event was not a partisan one.

Tom Goodenough

What the papers say: Corbyn’s foolish response to the Salisbury attack

Theresa May did not hold back in her Commons statement on the Salisbury spy attack, warning Russia it has until midnight tonight to explain why a Russian nerve agent was used in the incident. The Sun praises her reaction as ‘admirably tough’. But there is criticism for the Labour leader: ‘Never has the gulf between her and Jeremy Corbyn seemed wider’, according to the Sun. While Theresa May was right to rebuke Russia and ‘trust (that) the civilised world will unite behind us’, Corbyn misjudged the mood ‘hideously’. Instead, the Labour leader chose this 'sombre national moment to advance Labour’s interests’.

Monday

Isabel Hardman

Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on Russia is bad for Parliament

Theresa May did a good job in uniting the House of Commons today, but someone who did an even better job in bringing together MPs to praise the Prime Minister was Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader's partisan response to May's statement on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal so antagonised Conservative MPs and so disappointed many on his own side that much of the session was about the failings of the Opposition, rather than the questions for the Government.

Isabel Hardman

MPs avoid turning bullying Urgent Question into a campaign against Bercow

When she was moved to the Leader of the House position, it appeared as though Andrea Leadsom was being given a low-profile job because she wasn't performing well in the Cabinet. Whether or not that was the case, Leadsom has actually turned out to be exactly the right person for this role. She proved that again today in the House of Commons when answering an urgent question from Caroline Lucas about bullying of House staff. This urgent question was rather odd in itself: it was in response in part to allegations made against Speaker Bercow, who both granted the UQ and then chaired it. Perhaps this was an attempt to show he believes in scrutiny even of himself, or perhaps Bercow hoped that by being present, he might have an effect on the mood in the Chamber.

Douglas Murray

The BBC’s shameful silence on the Telford sex scandal

Last month, I wrote here about the BBC and ‘grooming gangs’. In particular, I speculated that it was unlikely that having once (after more than a decade) dramatized the mass gang-rape of British girls (and a man from Wales having partly been fired-up by it then ploughing a van into a crowd outside a mosque) that the BBC might not venture into such territory again. As I said, ‘nobody should be surprised if the BBC reverts to ignoring crimes like Rochdale in the future.’ As so often the situation is worse than I imagined.

Steerpike

Jeremy Corbyn’s Russia hypocrisy

It's safe to say that Jeremy Corbyn's response to Theresa May's statement on Russia has divided opinion this afternoon. The Prime Minister confirmed to the House that a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia was used to poison Sergei Skirpal, the former Russian double agent. She concluded that this meant it was either a direct act by the Russian State or the Russian government had lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent. So, what did Corbyn have to say on the matter? Well, the Labour leader was keen to use the opportunity to criticise the Tories for being too close to Russia.

The Spectator

A ‘reckless and despicable act’: Theresa May’s statement on Salisbury attack

Mr Speaker, I share the impatience of this House and the country at large to bring those responsible to justice - and to take the full range of appropriate responses against those who would act against our country in this way. But as a nation that believes in justice and the rule of law, it is essential that we proceed in the right way – led not by speculation but by the evidence. That is why we have given the police the space and time to carry out their investigation properly. Hundreds of officers have been working around the clock – together with experts from our armed forces - to sift and assess all the available evidence; to identify crime scenes and decontamination sites and to follow every possible lead to find those responsible.

Katy Balls

The latest Labour bullying row highlights the need for an independent body

Labour's internal complaints body looks set to have a busy few weeks. After Debbie Abrahams was effectively suspended as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary over allegations of bullying, the Labour MP made a bullying allegation of her own. Abrahams claims she's the one being bullied – accusing unnamed figures in the Leader's Office of behaving in an 'aggressive' and 'intimidating' manner towards her. Adding to those two impending investigations is a report today by the Financial Times alleging that Karl Turner, Shadow Transport Minister, slapped a woman’s buttocks  as she walked through his constituency office in the summer of 2015. Now these type of allegations are by no means confined to just Labour.