Uk politics

Friday

The Spectator

Full transcript: Boris Johnson grilled by Andrew Neil

From our UK edition

AN: Boris Johnson, we’re going to talk a lot about policy, but I first want to talk about you, because for many people – including many Tories – your character, your reputation, trust in you is as big an issue as the policies you stand for. Do you accept that that’s a problem for you? BJ: No, I don’t at all. I think what people want to see is what my plans are to come out of the EU on October 31st, to get that deal done, take us beyond Brexit and unite the country. And I’ve got a lot of things that I think will be fantastic Conservative policies.

Steerpike

Six of the biggest gaffes from the Tory leadership contest

From our UK edition

The Tory leadership contest reaches its high point tonight as Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt sit down for one-on-one interviews with Andrew Neil. But even if the pair manage to avoid any slip-ups, the race for No.10 has so far produced plenty of gaffes. As this year’s contest reaches its final stages, Mr S. lists his favourites blunders so far: Rory Stewart's phone gaffe: Rory Stewart made waves with his unorthodox campaign, a back-to-basics pitch that showed up his slicker but less authentic rivals. This facade came crashing down when Stewart tweeted a video of him in Kew Gardens. Eagle-eyed followers noticed something bizarre: while Stewart’s arm was moving around, the camera stayed completely still.

Thursday

Ian Acheson

How Theresa May’s war on the police backfired

From our UK edition

British law enforcement is famous around the world for its brand of neighbourhood policing. But this now exists largely in memory in the place where policing was invented. Our capability to police in this way, that has protected society since the time of Robert Peel, has all but collapsed. The only surprise about the five ex-Metropolitan Police chiefs' blistering attack on the ten years of Conservative policy that achieved this is how long it’s taken them to get their act together. For a period of time between 2009 and 2011, I had a pretty unique perspective on policing in Britain. By day I was the senior Home Office mandarin in south west England, overseeing performance on crime, drugs and counter terrorism policy.

Isabel Hardman

Will the House of Commons really change after the latest bullying report?

From our UK edition

Gemma White QC clearly heard many shocking individual cases as she was working on her report into bullying and harassment of MPs' staff. There are tales of sexual assault - 'breasts being grabbed, buttocks being slapped, thighs being stroked and crotches being pressed/rubbed against bodies' - and MPs demeaning and belittling their staff so much that their mental health collapsed. But what is most shocking is the way that this behaviour from members was regarded as a 'necessary' evil. White found that there was a culture where victims of bullying or harassment felt there was no point in complaining, either because it would be 'career suicide' or because they felt nothing would be done.

Steerpike

Jacob Rees-Mogg: the next Chief Secretary to the Treasury?

From our UK edition

Liz Truss has made her pitch for No.11. But if she gets her wish, who might replace her as Chief Secretary to the Treasury? Step forward, Jacob Rees-Mogg. That at least was who Truss touted as a possible successor at a Press Gallery lunch this afternoon. Truss revealed that preparations for the handover are already underway – and Rees-Mogg's nanny will be pleased to know that she hasn't been forgotten. Rees-Mogg's Bentley is also part of the picture, with Truss jokingly claiming that the Treasury car park has undergone extensive modifications to accommodate Mogg's car: “I’ve been pleased to see that JRM has been touted as my successor.

Matthew Lynn

Meet the car boss who has finally realised the truth about no deal

From our UK edition

Most of us probably decided Aston Martin was by far the coolest car company in the world the first time we saw Honour Blackman climb into James Bond's DB5 in Goldfinger. But just in case there were still any doubters out there, there is now another reason to love them as well. Amidst the constant predictions of disaster from the auto industry that would follow from leaving the European Union without a deal, the company's chief executive has pointed out an obvious fact: that at this stage, it would be better to simply leave than prolong the agony of our departure any further.  The auto industry has been one of the most consistent supporters both of staying in the EU, and, if we absolutely must leave, doing so with a deal that preserves as much of the relationship as possible.

Katy Balls

Liz Truss makes her pitch for No. 11

From our UK edition

With Boris Johnson looking a shoo-in for No. 10, his supporters are battling it out in a bid to win a top job in his Cabinet. The most coveted position is Chancellor and Sajid Javid, Liz Truss and Matt Hancock are seen as the frontrunners. This afternoon, Truss used her appearance at a Press Gallery lunch to set out her stall. Referring to her rivals, she said of Hancock that she wouldn't ever feel 'threatened by someone with fewer than 5,000 instagram followers'. As for Javid, when asked who was better at maths out of the two of them, Truss pointed out that she had a Further Maths A Level.

Wednesday

James Barr

Kim Darroch and the myth of the special relationship

From our UK edition

Like a priest standing before the bronze gates of a temple, the British ambassador to Washington serves as the guardian of one of the great modern myths: the idea, conceived by Winston Churchill, that a special relationship exists between the UK and the US. The impression that British ambassadors can wield disproportionate influence in Washington is a legend successive British governments have been keen to burnish – so much so that it has arguably become the central pillar of UK foreign policy since 1945. But the reality – as Donald Trump's spectacular defenestration of Sir Kim Darroch shows – is rather different. Perhaps only one ambassador has really ever lived up to the myth.

John Keiger

The moment the European project first went wrong

From our UK edition

At a time when the EU is at its least popular and, worse still, least respected, it is worth reflecting on how the idea for a united Europe developed – and where it went wrong. The Spectator’s reprint last week of Christopher Booker’s 2014 article ‘How the first world war inspired the EU’ is a timely reminder of the real genesis of the EU. Yet it was only after the Second World War amid fear of a renascent Germany, that the concept of an 'ever-closer union' became the shibboleth of European construction. It was here that the European project took a mistaken turn. The First World War led to France and Britain's economies becoming closely aligned. This partnership involved inter-allied commissions to oversee the distribution of wheat, sugar, coal and credit.

Steerpike

Sajid Javid’s Tory leadership reflections: Bailey, Boris and Brexit

From our UK edition

Although Sajid Javid was knocked out of the Tory leadership contest, the Home Secretary could soon have a consolation prize in the form of the keys to No. 11. Javid is tipped as the frontrunner for the hotly coveted role of Boris Johnson's chancellor. Speaking at Tuesday night's Policy Exchange summer reception, Javid reflected on what he was proud of from his campaign: 'As for the leadership campaign, I’m not sure what more I could have done! I showed off my little dog, Bailey, I showed off my mother and her cooking, even my daughter’s letter. Although I didn’t have to reveal any unusual artistic hobbies that I might have. I made a pitch to my colleagues, and I’m proud of the support that I’ve got from some of the colleagues that I admire most.

Isabel Hardman

Corbyn and May were busy fighting other people at PMQs

From our UK edition

Jeremy Corbyn took a bizarre approach to today's Prime Minister's Questions, choosing largely to have a go at the likely leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson, rather than the woman opposite him. He choose to focus his questions to Theresa May on cuts to legal aid, branding them a 'Lib Dem decision' and pointing out that Jo Swinson was the junior coalition minister who took the cuts through the Commons. It was additionally odd that Corbyn chose to talk about legal aid, given it offered a reasonably easy leap for May into the way the party is handling tonight's Panorama on anti-Semitism. But the big story of the day was Sir Kim Darroch's resignation as UK Ambassador to Washington, something Corbyn should have exploited to his advantage.

Isabel Hardman

Sir Kim Darroch resigns as British Ambassador after leak

From our UK edition

In the past few minutes, Sir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK Ambassador to Washington. The Foreign Office has just released a letter in which Sir Kim says says the leak of diplomatic cables in which he described President Trump as 'insecure' has made it 'impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like'. He may well be right that it is now impossible for him to continue working with the Trump administration. It might also have been impossible for him to continue in the role for much longer, given Boris Johnson is set to become Prime Minister, and pointedly refused to back him last night. But this will have long-lasting implications for the way the UK conducts its diplomatic work.

Tuesday

Ben Habib

My strange new life as a Brexit party MEP

From our UK edition

I never thought I'd become a politician but Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit changed my mind. As a result, I decided to stand as a Brexit party candidate and, in May, I was elected as an MEP for London. For someone with no political experience, the weeks since have been surreal. Yet the strangest moment so far came last week, when my fellow Brexit party members and I travelled to Strasbourg for the inaugural meeting of the European parliament. My experience there has convinced me that Britain is right to leave the EU. Even travelling to Strasbourg seemed slightly strange. After all, what is wrong with the perfectly good parliamentary building in Brussels? This being the EU, there is no straightforward answer to this question.

Isabel Hardman

Optimistic Boris looks ahead to turbulent term as PM in TV debate

From our UK edition

Jeremy Hunt managed to sum up the Tory leadership contest very aptly this evening when he accused Boris Johnson of 'peddling optimism'. The line, delivered in ITV's leaders' debate, did the Foreign Secretary no favours, though. He was pitching himself as the truthful realist, who wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t deliver on. Johnson ridiculed this as ‘defeatist’, telling the audience in his summation that Britain needed to get off ‘the hamster wheel of doom’. Had Hunt suggested Johnson was ‘peddling myths’ or ‘peddling nonsense’, then his line would have had better force for his cause. Instead, it underlined why the former Mayor of London is doing so well in the contest.

James Forsyth

A feisty debate, but no game changing moment

From our UK edition

Tonight’s debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt was a feisty affair. The pair clashed repeatedly over the October 31st Brexit deadline, tax policy and Donald Trump. The mood of the debate was summed up when Boris Johnson was asked what he most admired about Jeremy Hunt and replied, ‘his ability to change his mind’. Hunt shot back that he most admired Boris Johnson’s ability to avoid answering the question. The Brexit section of the debate was dominated by the question of whether the UK would leave on October 31st or not. Jeremy Hunt pushed Boris Johnson on whether he would resign if that didn’t happen, Boris Johnson dodged before saying that he wouldn’t want to give the EU an incentive not to come to an agreement.

Isabel Hardman

Hancock given hard time over sugar tax and social care

From our UK edition

On the subject of MPs who hope Boris Johnson might give them a job, Matt Hancock was before the Health Select Committee this afternoon, where he ended up taking a fair bit of flak for what the current government hasn't done, and what the next administration might do. After his own failed leadership bid, the Health and Social Care Secretary backed Johnson, which made for a very awkward section in today's hearing about the sugar tax. Hancock was repeatedly pressed on Johnson's pledge to review 'sin taxes', including the one on sugary drinks, and he repeatedly answered that the most important thing was to look at the evidence behind the policy.

Steerpike

Trump takes another pop at ‘wacky’ Kim Darroch

From our UK edition

Donald Trump is at it again. Only a few hours after his Twitter outburst last night, the president has taken another pop at the UK’s ambassador in Washington. This time, Trump called Sir Kim Darroch ‘wacky’, ’very stupid’ and a ‘pompous fool’. Trump didn't stop there though, picking up where he left off yesterday by slating May’s Brexit negotiations – and, of course, recounting how the Prime Minister made a mistake by turning down his Brexit advice. Here is what Trump had to say: Mr S particularly enjoyed the sign off on this latest Trump Twitter blast: It's good to see that the special relationship is alive and well...

Isabel Hardman

Could Boris Johnson make Jeremy Hunt his deputy?

From our UK edition

Who will Boris Johnson appoint as his deputy? Now that voting in the Tory leadership is well underway - with 60 per cent of party members expected to have sent back their ballots by Thursday - most MPs are starting to think more about what the next prime minister's cabinet will look like, and less about who that prime minister will be. There are more than enough candidates to fill the cabinet twice over, given the number of MPs who have backed Johnson. Some of their colleagues mock them for supporting someone merely because they hope he will give them a government job, but it's quite understandable that someone might make that calculation: after all, even non-politicians tend to want to go as far as they can in their line of work and to earn as much as possible.

Alex Massie

The shame of Donald Trump’s British acolytes

From our UK edition

Why does the right hate Britain so much? That’s one of the questions arising from both the leaking of Kim Darroch’s diplomatic cables and, more pertinently, the reaction to the entirely unsurprising contents of those cables.  Sir Kim’s appraisal of Donald Trump’s administration are not very different from those made by other sentient beings. Suggesting Trump’s White House is chaotic and inept and all kinds of dysfunctional hardly counts as news. Everyone knows this because everyone can see it.  And yet, remarkably, it is the British Ambassador to Washington who finds himself subjected to an artillery barrage of humbug and absurdity.

Katy Balls

The court of Boris Johnson: the factions competing for approval

From our UK edition

How will Boris Johnson govern? With even Jeremy Hunt allies privately braced for defeat in two weeks' time when the result is announced, talk has turned to what a Johnson government could look like. This relates not just to his Cabinet but how No. 10 will be run and who Johnson will take guidance from. ConservativeHome's Paul Goodman has predicted that a Johnson government will be much more like a court than his predecessors – with groups of courtiers offering rival advice: 'He will listen to these groups and play them off'. So, which groups will be vying for Johnson's approval? Over the length of the Tory leadership campaign, Johnson has seen his support base expand significantly with a number of different factions forming.