Uk politics

Friday

Isabel Hardman

David Cameron’s immigration speech in five points

From our UK edition

David Cameron has just finished delivering his ‘game changing’ immigration speech. A lot of it was a narration of why immigration had made Britain the country it is, but why some voters were uncomfortable with it. You can read the full text here, but here’s the speech summarised in five quick points: listen to ‘David Cameron's immigration speech’ on audioBoom 1. Cameron set out an optimistic vision of immigration in the UK The Prime Minister deliberately talked at length about the benefits migrants have brought to this country for many years and Britain’s history as an open, outward-looking country.

The Spectator

David Cameron’s immigration speech: full text

From our UK edition

Today I want to talk about immigration. Just as this government has a long term plan for where we are taking our country so within that we have a long-term plan for immigration. Immigration benefits Britain, but it needs to be controlled. It needs to be fair. And it needs to be centred around our national interest. That is what I want. listen to ‘David Cameron's immigration speech’ on audioBoom And let me tell you why I care so passionately about getting this right – and getting the whole debate on immigration right in our country. When I think about what makes me proud to be British yes, it is our history, our values, our creativity, our compassion but there is something else too.

Isabel Hardman

Will Cameron please his backbenchers and EU leaders with his immigration speech?

From our UK edition

If David Cameron’s speech today is more about backbench management than it is about his desperate desire to talk about immigration, then he needs to make sure that what he says is enough to satisfy most in his party. His aides and PPS Gavin Williamson were calling round key MPs last night to give them a briefing on what the speech would include, presumably in an attempt to persuade them that this really is a good speech with good policies that they can sell on the doorstep. MPs I’ve spoken to overnight and this morning seem reasonably happy with what they’ve heard before the speech. Andrew Bridgen, long a thorn in the Prime Minister’s flesh, says: ‘This will focus minds.

Thursday

Dot Wordsworth

Why ‘respect’ is the last thing we should want from politicians

From our UK edition

‘Respect!’ cried my husband, drop-kicking a cushion with a picture of the Queen Mother holding a pint of beer on it (a present from Veronica) across the drawing-room. I might as well be married to Russell Brand and be done with it. His little satire was set off by Ed Miliband’s remarks about Emily Thornberry’s notorious Cross of St George tweet. ‘What is going through my mind is respect,’ the Labour leader said. ‘Respect is the basic rule of politics and I’m afraid her tweet conveyed a sense of disrespect.’ This seems to me deranged. If Mr Miliband knew about life ‘down in the street’ he’d realise that ‘respect’ is the gangland correlative of honour.

Isabel Hardman

Cameron to demand migrant benefit curbs in ‘game-changing’ immigration speech

From our UK edition

David Cameron will make his ‘game-changer’ speech on immigration tomorrow in which he is expected to say that the UK will leave the EU if it does not secure reforms that allow the government to deny benefits to migrants. He will say: ‘If we cannot put our relationship with the EU on a better footing, then of course I rule nothing out.’ This is not the emergency brake or points-based system that the PM seemed to hint at previously and therefore unless there is more in the speech, some of his MPs may feel rather let down. Many were today saying that they expected it to be reasonably small beer, but others will be pleased at the conditionality Cameron is now attaching to Britain’s ongoing membership.

Isabel Hardman

What next for Andrew Mitchell?

From our UK edition

Toby Rowland didn’t have the ‘wit, imagination or inclination’ to invent the account he produced of Andrew Mitchell calling police officers ‘plebs’ at the gates of Downing Street. In any other circumstances that description would be rather devastating, but today it must have sounded rather sweet for the police officer when Mr Justice Mitting uttered those words as he ruled that Andrew Mitchell probably ‘did speak the words alleged or something so close to them as to amount to the same including the politically toxic word “pleb”.’ Mitchell has lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers and must pay £300,000 in costs.

Steerpike

Theresa May pulls out all the stops at the Spectator Parliamentarian awards

From our UK edition

If ever there was a tell-tale sign of who won the Great War between the Speaker and the Clerk of the Commons, it was today's Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards. Sir Robert Rogers picked up the top prize, declaring: 'Common sense and good governance will prevail before very long'. Mr Speaker failed to show up. The guest of honour, Home Secretary Theresa May, delivered her own comedy turn making jokes about George Osborne's haircut. She had a point. Her barbed comment that her 'special advisers had told her' this would be a 'good idea' had a particular resonance given her starring role on the cover of this quarter's edition of Spectator Life; a profile that features her advisers heavily. Wasting no time, May attacked both of her obvious future rivals for the Tory crown.

Isabel Hardman

Net migration target fails as Cameron prepares to make more immigration pledges

From our UK edition

We are still waiting for David Cameron’s immigration speech, expected ‘this week’. The Conservatives tried to get their apology in early for failing to meet their target to get net migration into the ‘tens of thousands’, with a series of interventions starting this summer in which top Cabinet ministers started to highlight the problems with having a target when you can’t control EU migration, ahead of today’s figures showing that the target is an ex-target, or a ‘comment’, as Theresa May tried to pass it off as recently. Fraser looks at why missing that target is a good thing for this country in his post here. But it is bad politically for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s another broken promise.

James Forsyth

Will the Smith Commission proposals help or destroy the UK?

From our UK edition

The phrase ‘Britain will never be the same again’ is overused. But today its use is justified. The Smith Commission proposals on further devolution for Scotland are a huge step towards a federal United Kingdom. All income tax, with the exception of the personal allowance, will be devolved to Scotland—so north of the border there could be different bands and rates. With more devolution to Scotland, the West Lothian question becomes more acute. So, David Cameron has been quick to stress this morning that he will bring forward his proposals on English votes for English laws before Christmas. The fundamental question is whether this move to federalism will save or destroy the Union. On balance, I’m hopeful it will save it.

Wednesday

Isabel Hardman

Tory detox mission continues as Liz Truss speaks softly to ‘Green Blob’

From our UK edition

One of the major themes of this year’s big Tory reshuffle was the attempt to detoxify certain policy areas where a minister was involved in a stand-off with certain groups the Tory party would quite like to vote for them. Michael Gove lost his job as Education Secretary for this reason, and so too did Nick Boles find himself being moved from Planning to Skills. Owen Paterson’s departure was a bit more complicated: his aide warned in the days before the reshuffle that to move the Environment Secretary would be to leave 12 million voters in the countryside without a voice, but he was in the midst of pretty high voltage rows with animal rights and environmental groups. And he lost his job.

Isabel Hardman

Will Cameron talk to his MPs before his ‘game-changer’ immigration speech?

From our UK edition

We still don't know when David Cameron's long-awaited 'game-changer' speech on immigration will be. Downing Street is only saying that it will be 'before Christmas', but it is still expected to be this week. Nick Clegg certainly thinks it is soon, as he's been putting his own thoughts about today, saying he'll support benefit curbs for migrants but not changes to freedom of movement. Some Tory MPs also think they should engage the Prime Minister in a spot of last minute lobbying, with varying levels of success. The Europhiles represented by European Mainstream have asked to meet David Cameron this week to put their views across but have been told that no-one is being allowed in to Downing Street from either side of the party.

Isabel Hardman

PMQs: Ukip’s Mark Reckless begins his battle to hold his seat with local question

From our UK edition

‘Oooooh!’ shouted MPs when Mark Reckless got to his feet today at Prime Minister’s Questions for his first chance as a Ukipper to grill David Cameron. The newly-re-elected MP had looked rather nervous for most of the session as he bobbed up and down trying to get the Speaker’s attention, but he probably didn’t need to be so anxious given Bercow is normally very happy to call new MPs, especially ones the Prime Minister doesn’t like. When his chance came, he asked the following question: ‘I’m grateful to the Prime Minister for spending so much time in Rochester and Strood. Dr Philip Barnes, acting chief executive of Medway Hospital, said this morning that what our hospital needs is a period of patience and stability.

Steerpike

Another gong for May

From our UK edition

What a busy week for Theresa May as she picked up a gong for Politician of the Year at the Political Studies Association awards at Church House last night. The BBC’s Nick Robinson was in full sycophant mode as he presented the Home Secretary's prize, laying it on thick for his academic hosts, thanking them for allowing the media ‘to make your wisdom, our wisdom’. He couldn't resist a crack at ‘Mother Theresa’ though, describing the voting process as a ‘non binding’ but ‘indicative vote’ much like the one on the European Arrest Warrant. No doubt Downing Street will enjoy Mrs May soaking up some more of the limelight.

Isabel Hardman

Ministers to unveil counter- terror laws

From our UK edition

Today is the day ministers set out their new counter-terrorism legislation following Theresa May's revelations on Monday about the number of thwarted terror attacks and yesterday's publication of the ISC report into the murder of Lee Rigby. The new laws will include obligations for schools and universities to combat extremism but there is also a strong possibilities that internet companies will find legislation telling them what to do. Yesterday Facebook insisted it was taking tackling terrorism seriously but today Justice Minister Simon Hughes dropped a strong hint that these tech companies may find it set out for them quite clearly what the government considers to be a serious approach to terrorism. He said: 'My view is yes.

Alex Massie

The latest immigration madness: prove you love your wife (or husband)

From our UK edition

Sometimes it is the small things that tell you everything you need to know about the madness afflicting British politics at present. Consider this small detail from the new immigration bill: All proposed marriages and civil partnerships involving a non-EEA national with limited or no immigration status in the UK are to be referred by registrars to the Home Office. This will give the Home Office more time and scope to identify and investigate suspected sham marriages and civil partnerships and to take effective enforcement action. Why does this matter? Because it alters the relationship between citizens and the state. Once upon a time the state presumed you were innocent unless there was evidence to suggest an offence had been committed. That no longer applies.

Tuesday

Isabel Hardman

Are Tristram Hunt’s plans for private schools a class war or just a bit pointless?

From our UK edition

Tristram Hunt has managed to get a great deal of attention for his proposals for private schools helping out state schools, with even his own (private but sufficiently stuffed with Socialist children to be OK) alma mater getting rather annoyed at what it calls a ‘tasteless’ policy which espouses ‘what some might deem an offensive bigotry’. In summary, the Shadow Education Secretary wants to make the £700 million worth of tax breaks that the private sector enjoys conditional on the schools helping those in the state sector by sharing facilities, deploying teachers to help out with lessons, and making sure that they participate in the same leagues for sports, debating and other activities where private schools often only compete amongst themselves.

Isabel Hardman

MPs to discuss legacy of Afghan conflict this week

From our UK edition

Yesterday the final UK personnel left Kandahar airfield, with just a few hundred British defence workers left in Afghanistan to help train the country’s future officers. MPs have been assured that the country won’t end up the same way as Iraq, with the RAF returning to the skies above the country to combat Isis, but few of them are fully confident that these assurances will bear up. Defence Select Committee reports have cast further doubts on that and MPs have been pressing for a while to have a debate on the end of the conflict in the country. Yesterday Tory Julian Lewis received a nod from Defence Secretary Michael Fallon when he asked at Commons questions whether there would be a debate on this matter.

Isabel Hardman

Can Iain Duncan Smith force Labour to continue his welfare reforms?

From our UK edition

Iain Duncan Smith is taking the fight to Labour today, accusing them of being the ‘party of welfare’ with their ‘heads in the sand’ as he marks the next ‘roll-out’ of Universal Credit. Families will be able to receive the benefit for the first time from now on, with the ‘roll-out’ starting in the north-west of England. The Work and Pensions Secretary was typically tetchy when confronted with the suggestion on the Today programme that his flagship reform had been beset by problems, saying: ‘Would you rather us take a gamble? Throw everything at it at once? Have a problem like tax credits where nobody got their money and it was a real disaster?

Monday

Isabel Hardman

The fight for the soul of the Labour party

From our UK edition

Fight! Two senior Labour MPs locked horns yesterday over the Scottish leadership contest. Ivan Lewis and Tom Watson scrapped after the latter wrote a piece endorsing left-leaning Neil Findlay for the leadership. Lewis tweeted shortly after Watson promoted his piece that ‘it’s essential that Scots decide best person to be leader of Scottish Labour. Others interfering not in the interests of the Labour Party’. Watson took this as it was clearly meant and dived straight in with a retort: ‘Presumably you’d rather they quietly elect your candidate whilst we all watch. Plus ça change.’ This is ostensibly a debate between the two men about rival candidates in the contest for Scottish Labour leader. But it’s also about a great deal more.

Alex Massie

The saga of Ed Miliband and White Van Man reveals a politics based on grievance and cowardice

From our UK edition

Say this for the current state of British politics: it keeps finding new lows. A while back I made the mistake of suggesting voters might already have priced-in Ed Miliband's shortcomings. The leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition might be a doofus but we know that and, if not exactly tickled by the thought, can cope with it. Reader, I think I may have been mistaken about that. Recent events suggest Miliband's haplessness exists on a higher plane than anyone previously thought possible. One can only assume he secretly doesn't want to win the next election. This, at any rate, seems the only sensible verdict to reach based upon the evidence presented to the court. We have entered a new phase. A veritable Carnival of Dumb.