Uk politics

Monday

The Spectator

As it happened: Government and shadow cabinet reshuffle

From our UK edition

The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats undertook reshuffles today. As it happened, here is how Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth, Isabel Hardman and Sebastian Payne reported the day's events. You can see a list of who's in and out here. 1839:  So in the end three reshuffles that could have toiled on all week are pretty much wrapped up by the end of play. Here are our top lines from tonight's Evening Blend: All three parties reshuffled their frontbench ranks, with a cull of the Blairites in Labour and jobs for rising stars and allies of George Osborne for the Tories. …while Nick Clegg showed his brutal side by sacking popular Home Office minister Jeremy Browne with a terse letter. The new appointments include a beefed-up whips' office.

Sunday

James Forsyth

Female and northern MPs charge your phone, the reshuffle is on

From our UK edition

There are two more government resignations ahead of tonight’s reshuffle. John Randall, the deputy chief whip, has gone as has Chloe Smith, the Cabinet Office minister. Randall’s retirement has been overdue for a while now in the opinion of many in Downing Street. There is irritation at the way he put pressure on David Cameron to get rid of Andrew Mitchell during the plebgate affair. His departure and the expected elevation of several whips—Nicky Morgan and Karen Bradley are both in line for promotion—paves the way for a freshening up of the whips’ office. Chloe Smith quitting is going to tempt everyone to dust off the footage of that Paxman interview with her.

Isabel Hardman

Will Number 10 policy team get reshuffle boost?

From our UK edition

As the reshuffle heaves in to view, plenty of names are in the frame for promotion, both on the backbenches and junior ministerial ranks. Some of those names include members of the Number 10 policy board, chosen for that role because they were all deemed to be talented individuals. This means they are also considered rising stars and suitable ministerial material. But I've heard that the PM's thinking is to leave the policy board well alone, partly because its members have already had their promotion, and others still languishing on the backbenches deserve a chance too. In a coalition, you don't have as much luxury to promote every promising MP as you do in a majority one party government.

Isabel Hardman

Chloe Smith and John Randall quit government ahead of reshuffle

From our UK edition

In the past few minutes, Deputy Chief Whip John Randall and Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith have quit the government ahead of an expected reshuffle this week. James outlined some of the movers and shakers in his column today, and we will bring you full details of the departures and moves as they come, although the word from Downing Street is that there will be no more departures tonight. Smith had the distinction of being able to announce her own departure on Twitter, saying she decided last month:- Stepped down as Minister,proud of record.Told PM of my decision in Sept:my constituency work has always mattered most http://t.

James Forsyth

George Osborne attempts political jiu-jitsu on Ed Miliband

From our UK edition

If this conference season is remembered for anything, it will be for Ed Miliband’s pledge to freeze energy prices. This pledge might be economically flawed but it has given the Labour leader a retail offer to voters and rebutted the charge that he doesn’t have any policies. Initially, the Tories were uncertain of how to respond. But, as I write in the Mail on Sunday, the Tory leadership has now decided what it wants to do. In George Osborne’s autumn statement, they want to remove some of the seven green taxes and levies that are driving up energy bills. Not only would this reduce the salience of Miliband’s pledge but it would also put him in a difficult position. As Energy Secretary he imposed several of these.

Conor Burns

Take it from a eurosceptic: Adam Afriyie’s plan won’t give the British people a say

From our UK edition

I shared the surprise of most Conservative colleagues when I read Adam Afriyie’s proposed amendment to the European Referendum Bill currently going through Parliament. I thought in recent months we had established something that has eluded my Party for most of the time of my membership – a unity and consensus on matters European. The Parliamentary Party overwhelmingly backs the Bill being brought forward by my good friend, the talented and warm James Wharton. That offering is simply: if the Conservative Party wins the 2015 election there will be an In/Out referendum by 2017.  David Cameron will get his chance to get powers back and the people will make their judgement on his success in national poll.

Isabel Hardman

Confused eurosceptics dismiss Afriyie amendment as ‘career hara-kiri’

From our UK edition

Adam Afriyie has certainly chosen an odd time to sow discord in Tory ranks over Europe. The party is so happy that it appeared oddly sedated at its conference last week. Even normally grumpy MPs are chuffed with the way Lynton Crosby and Grant Shapps are sharpening the Conservative message. And the PM has, in his own way, been trying his best to make backbenchers feel loved. But Afriyie has also chosen an odd way of causing trouble in the party, possibly so odd that his amendment won't have the desired effect. Not a single hardcore eurosceptic that I've spoken to this morning heard from the rebel MP before he announced his amendment in the Mail on Sunday. One says to me: 'He hasn't consulted eurosceptics and his strategy is peculiar and counterproductive. It's career hara-kiri for him.

Isabel Hardman

Referendum now: Tom Watson backs Tory rebels calling for early EU vote

From our UK edition

When Tom Watson left the Labour frontbench, he was fulsome in praise (in the correct sense of the phrase) for his leader. But since then, he's not exactly been trying that hard to keep Ed Miliband in a state of zen-like calm. He told the Marr Show this morning that he would support Adam Afriyie's troublemaking amendment to the EU referendum bill: 'I don't want to add to the PM's panic but I will probably be supporting Adam Afriyie with his amendments so… I think there are a lot of people on both sides of the House who think we need clarity on this now. And the country has asked for it for a long time, business is saying that there is a lot of uncertainty, and you know, parties have got to draw up their manifestos for the 2015 general election.

Isabel Hardman

Has Adam Afriyie jumped the shark? Number 10 hopes so.

From our UK edition

James Wharton, the Tory MP leading the EU referendum bill through the House of Commons, has become something of a minor celebrity in the party, with admiring young things approaching him at the Conservative conference last week as though he were a minister of Ken Clarke's standing, not a backbencher. His performance with the legislation so far suggests that he is destined for great things, but he's currently rather preoccupied with the attempt by one of his backbench colleagues, the even more ambitious Adam Afriyie, to sabotage the bill. Afriyie writes in the Mail on Sunday that he is tabling an amendment to the legislation calling for a referendum on 23 October next year. He writes: 'But why 2014? The Prime Minister says we are going to have an EU referendum in 2017.

Saturday

Tim Bale

Get a sense of humour: the Tories and coalition

From our UK edition

Like so many pundits before me, I had earnestly hoped never to begin a piece on coalitions by quoting Disraeli.  But since I was asked by Bright Blue and the Electoral Reform Society to join Mrs Bone’s husband, as well as Ms Hardman and Mr Oborne of this parish, on the Tory fringe in Manchester to discuss whether the country would ever love coalitions, it has sadly proved unavoidable.  I can only apologise. My answer to the question, in case you were interested, was that England might not learn to love coalitions but that, like Scotland and Wales before it, it has very quickly come to accept them and that, rather than being grudging, that acceptance was phlegmatic – ‘it is what it is’, ‘we are where we are’, etc., etc.

Friday

Isabel Hardman

Brian Binley tells Coffee House he’s set to stand for Deputy Speaker

From our UK edition

Simon Burns isn't the only Tory MP who fancies a crack at the Deputy Speakership, even if, as James has blogged, he might be the preferred Number 10 candidate. Other names include Nadine Dorries and Eleanor Laing. But I've just spoken to Brian Binley, who says that he has pretty much made up his mind to stand too. Binley said: 'I haven't completely made up my mind but I've had a lot of support. I've pretty much decided but I just want to be in the House when it is sitting to see what the mood is there. All the support I have had so far suggests that it is going to be good.' This is the Brian Binley of chambermaid and janitor fame, a man whose outspoken comments on the leadership will make him very popular indeed with backbenchers.

James Forsyth

Bercow baiter Simon Burns to run for deputy speaker

From our UK edition

We’re about to find out what Tory MPs really think of John Bercow. Simon Burns, Bercow’s biggest Tory critic--and that’s says something, has resigned his ministerial post to run for deputy speaker. If he wins, the Speaker will be forced to work day in, day out with someone who, as Tim Shipman who broke the story points out, once called him a ‘stupid, sanctimonious dwarf’. David Cameron’s very warm letter accepting Burns’ resignation suggests that the Prime Minister is rather amused by the prospect. I also suspect that he’s grateful for Burns freeing up a ministerial post ahead of the reshuffle next week. The vote for deputy speaker is a free vote.

Isabel Hardman

The knives are out for Andy Burnham

From our UK edition

When David Cameron first addressed Parliament on the Francis Report, he told MPs that he didn't want to seek scapegoats. Some of his MPs were disappointed that the Tory leadership wasn't going after Andy Burnham or Sir David Nicholson. Well, the latter has left, and the former is looking vulnerable in a forthcoming Labour reshuffle, and for months the gloves have been off. After gaining access to a dossier of emails suggesting that Labour tried to stop the Care Quality Commission informing the public about failings at Basildon Hospital, Tory MP Stephen Barclay, who has been digging away on this for months, has called for Burnham to resign. He said: ‘Labour tried to cover up failing hospitals before the last General Election.

Isabel Hardman

The clever councils keeping localism in vogue

From our UK edition

One of the problems with localism is that it sounds very grand and clever in opposition, and then turns out to be a nightmare to implement in reality. A minister recently remarked to me rather grumpily recently that 'all the good people left local government because Labour starved them of responsibility', and a lack of skills at the top does make it a little more risky to hand powers from Westminster to councils. But there are local authorities who are savvy and brimming with ideas who do want - and deserve - more control over policymaking, such as Manchester. Manchester has caught the eye of Chancellor George Osborne for being an experimental authority, and I look at its worker bee ethic in my Telegraph column today.

Isabel Hardman

Miliband vs Mail reveals Labour leader’s belief about the role of politicians

From our UK edition

It's hardly a surprise that Ed Miliband has called for another inquiry following the row about the Daily Mail's treatment of his father. The Labour leader is always calling for one inquiry or another. But normally these inquiries are led by someone outside the organisation that Miliband is taking issue with: his latest call is in fact for Lord Rothermere to investigate the culture and practices of his own newspapers. Now, there is nothing wrong with the Labour leader wanting to defend his father: that is quite natural and few would disagree with such an instinctive reaction. And there is nothing wrong with him objecting to a reporter turning up at a family memorial service.

Alex Massie

The Daily Mail is disreputable, twisted, tendentious and malignant. Thank heavens for that

From our UK edition

For the want of a question mark, the empire was defeated. Something like that anyway. Changing The Man Who Hated Britain to A Man Who Hated Britain? would have saved the Daily Mail an awful lot of bother. Too late for that now. And, of course, there are many people savouring the Mail's distress. Many more, too, who appreciate the irony of the Mail being the object of this week's Two Minute Hate. What goes around comes around. Sauce for geese and ganders and all that. I thought the problem with the Mail's hatchet job on Ralph Miliband was that it used a very small, rather blunt hatchet. A couple of diary entries, a few quotations from his books and, er, that was it. Surely there should have been more material than this? Disappointing.

Thursday

Sebastian Payne

The View from 22 podcast: Tory conference review

From our UK edition

Peter Oborne thought David Cameron's speech was well delivered with a new sense maturity, while James Forsyth believes the blandness will reignite the Tories. Isabel Hardman reckons it was less exciting than last year and Iain Martin thinks the Tories are now perplexed by Ed Miliband. Guido Fawkes thought Cameron outshone his rivals and Dan Hodges thinks the Tories have held their nerve On this week's View from 22 podcast, our panel of commentators review this week's Tory conference in Manchester, what it means for the party's standing and debate who 'won' the conference season.

Isabel Hardman

The ravelling and unravelling of the only policy in David Cameron’s speech

From our UK edition

David Cameron's speech to Tory conference yesterday was supposed to be policy-free so that the media would pick up his list of achievements because it had no other choice. The problem with this, though, was that the papers found a policy in the speech anyway, and if they did splash on the speech, they chose this policy, not the 'finish the job' line or any other (although the Mail used the 'Land of Hope is Tory' line). It was on housing benefits for the under-25s, but it wasn't exactly ready to be a set-piece conference announcement, more a fleeting reference to gain more applause in the hall. Because the policy wasn't quite ready, a rushed briefing came out when it was demanded. You can read the note in full at the bottom of this post.

The Spectator

Ed Miliband’s letter to Lord Rothermere – and the Mail on Sunday’s apology

From our UK edition

Dear Lord Rothermere, Yesterday I spoke at a memorial event held at Guy’s Hospital in London for my uncle, Professor Harry Keen, a distinguished doctor who died earlier this year. It was an event in a room on the 29th floor of Guy’s Hospital which was attended only by family members, close friends and colleagues. I was told by one of my relatives late yesterday evening that a reporter from the Mail on Sunday had found her way into the event uninvited. I also discovered that, once there, she approached members of my family seeking comments on the controversy over the Daily Mail’s description of my late father as someone who “hated Britain”. My wider family, who are not in public life, feel understandably appalled and shocked that this can have happened.

Charles Moore

Boris Johnson’s party conference performance showed how formidable the Mayor is

From our UK edition

It has been left to Boris Johnson to identify the most significant future opportunity in this country — population increase. I was very impressed by his speech on Tuesday because he did a dangerous thing: he tried to reason his party audience out of its instinctive position. London has had more live births in 2012, he told us, than at any time since the 1966 World Cup. He attributed it to time spent on the sofa during the Olympics. Conservative supporters always favour economic growth but usually balk at any linkage with having more babies. Being predominantly old, they find large numbers of the young irritating.