Uk politics

Sunday

Katy Balls

Theresa May warns plotters: Oust me and Brexit won’t get any easier

Theresa May’s problems have not let up over the weekend. With speculation mounting about an impending confidence vote, the Sunday papers are filled with reports of leadership rivals sounding out colleagues while Dominic Raab – the former Brexit Secretary – has used an interview to tell May to stand up to Brussels’ bullies (though he has since told Andrew Marr he will still back the PM in any confidence vote). Appearing on Ridge on Sunday this morning, May tried to make the case for both her Brexit deal and her premiership continuing. She said that as far as she knew the 48 letters required for a confidence vote were not

Steerpike

Til Brexit do us part

Brexit is one of the most divisive issues in the UK – splitting friends, family and all the main political parties along Leave and Remain lines. But if you think you’ve had some bruising arguments about Brexit these past two years, spare a thought for one particularly political household. Chief Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns has been a vocal supporter of (a) Standingup4Brexit (b) deposing Theresa May since July. The Conservative MP was among the first to openly call for May to go – using a memorable PMQs to accuse her of adopting a Remain strategy: Dismayed, disgusted. MPs get your letters in. The only way to save #Brexit is a new

Saturday

10 Downing Street

The Brexit deal: 40 rebuttals to Mr Steerpike’s 40 horrors

Is a deal better than no deal? In a bid to answer that question, Mr Steerpike published a list of the 40 horrors buried in the small print of Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Downing Street have since been in touch to put forward their own 40 rebuttals to those 40 horrors (we’ll respond on Monday). No.10’s points are in italics. After reading this list, why not try Mr Steerpike’s 40 rebuttals to No.10’s 40 rebuttals here. —————————————————————————————– The supposed ‘transition period’ could last indefinitely or, more specifically, to an undefined date sometime this century (“up to 31 December 20XX”, Art. 132). So while this Agreement covers what the government is calling

James Forsyth

Why Theresa May should say she’ll go once her Brexit deal is passed

Right now, Theresa May’s Brexit deal isn’t passing the House of Commons. I argue in The Sun this morning, that Theresa May needs something to change the dynamic. What would do that? Well, if May said she would stand down once the withdrawal agreement was through, that would change things. It would separate off the question of how May has handled the Brexit negotiations so far, from the issue of what parliament should do now. If May pre-announced her departure, it would enable MPs to vote for the deal without that being an endorsement of her handling of Brexit or an invitation for her to go and negotiate the next

Douglas Murray

Asia Bibi and the case that makes a mockery of Britain’s asylum laws

In between the small amount of other news this week there has been a certain amount of attention on the plight of the Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi and her family. Bibi has spent most of this decade on death-row in Pakistan. Her crime is that a bigoted Muslim neighbour of hers made up a crock accusation against her and said she had blasphemed against Islam. In the last week there has been some attention on the fact that various countries are looking into giving asylum to Bibi and her family – Britain among them. But it appeared earlier this week that the UK would not be offering this genuine asylum

Steerpike

The top 40 horrors lurking in the small print of Theresa May’s Brexit deal | 17 November 2018

This week, Theresa May’s government teetered on the point of collapse over her proposed Brexit deal. The withdrawal agreement between the UK and Brussels led to Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resigning in protest. However, May’s remaining ministers have since attempted to rally around her at least in the short term. Speaking on Friday, Liam Fox – the International Trade Secretary – gave a speech in which he declared ‘a deal is better than no deal’. This is rather different to May’s old claim that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’. So, is Fox right? Mr S thought it best to let readers decide for themselves. In theory, Britain is

Friday

Ross Clark

Only a ‘people’s vote’ can save the Tories now

Brexit is, as we know, the most important issue facing the government and the country. Except it isn’t. For the Conservatives there is an even more pressing matter: how to prevent a socialist government. Yesterday, the pound plunged after ministerial resignations following Theresa May’s deal with EU negotiators. But were investors spooked by the thought of a ‘no deal’ Brexit or by the possibility of a government collapse, general election and Corbyn in Number 10? Who knows? One thing is for certain: the very worst outcome for markets would be a combination of the two, a Red Brexit. At least the EU would temper Corbyn’s ambition to turn Britain into

Katy Balls

No. 10 manage to find a Brexiteer for Brexit Secretary

Thirty-two hours after Dominic Raab resigned as Brexit Secretary, Theresa May has managed to find a Brexiteer who is willing to take on the troubled brief. Steve Barclay – the MP for North East Cambridgeshire – is the new Brexit Secretary. He has been promoted from minister of state at the Department of Health and Social Care. It’s certainly quite a leap and Barclay is the most low profile MP to take on the brief yet. However, the scope of the job has also been reduced. Barclay’s role is to concentrate on domestic preparedness rather than the final stages of the EU negotiation. The expectation is that that part of

Katy Balls

Amber Rudd makes swift return to cabinet as May tries to steady nerves

Amber Rudd has returned to cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary. The former home secretary has been appointed to the brief after Esther McVey resigned on Thursday over the Prime Minister’s proposed Brexit deal. Rudd’s appointment should help to calm nerves and steady the ship as No.10 try and find some calm following Thursday’s turmoil. Rudd is well liked across the party – and when she resigned over the Windrush scandal in April, many of her colleagues – including figures in No.10 – urged her to rethink her decision and stay on. It’s good timing for Rudd’s return as earlier this month an inquiry into the events leading up to her

The Spectator

Reshuffle as it happens: Steve Barclay appointed Brexit secretary

After yesterday’s round of resignations, Theresa May has started announcing the replacements for her top team. Here are the PM’s choices so far: Amber Rudd is the new DWP secretary Steve Barclay, formerly health minister, is the new Brexit secretary Stephen Hammond appointed health minister Kwasi Kwarteng appointed new junior Brexit minister John Penrose appointed to Northern Ireland office Stay tuned on Coffee House for all the latest on the reshuffle

Brendan O’Neill

Stopping Brexit means stopping democracy

I always shudder when I hear people say, ‘Let’s stop Brexit’. They say it so casually, so cavalierly. It rolls off the tongue as if it were no big deal. They seem utterly unmoved by what ‘stopping Brexit’ would entail and the consequences it would have. It would mean blocking the largest act of democracy in the history of this nation. And its consequences would be to sow mass doubt in Britain’s democratic institutions and bring about an exodus of ordinary people from public life. ‘What’s the point in voting’, they would ask, ‘when they just ignore us?’. We have to get real. Stopping Brexit means stopping democracy. If we

James Forsyth

Michael Gove will not resign from DEFRA

Michael Gove is staying as DEFRA Secretary. Yesterday, Theresa May offered him the job of Brexit Secretary. Gove said that he could only do that job if he was given the opportunity to pursue his own course. May said that she wanted the Brexit Secretary to stay on the exact same course she had plotted. So, Gove turned down the job. May, though, asked him to stay as DEFRA Secretary and Gove has now decided to do so. So, why is he staying? Well, I understand that he didn’t see what would be achieved by going. It might doom this deal, but there would be nothing to put in its

Steerpike

Watch: Theresa May taken to task on LBC phone in

Theresa May has just been doing her best to sell her Brexit plan to voters. But the Prime Minister’s pitch didn’t go down well with those calling into LBC. The PM’s first call came from a Tory councillor who urged her to stand down and let someone else negotiate with the European Union. And she finished off her half-hour stint by being compared to Neville Chamberlain: ‘Do you consider yourself the modern day Chamberlain, who also went to Europe and negotiated with a foreign power and came back as having appeased that foreign power and not having stood up for our country?’ Mr S. thinks it is safe to say

Thursday

Harry Curtis

Which MPs backed May’s Brexit deal and who has vowed to vote it down?

Theresa May spent three hours on her feet in the Commons defending her Brexit deal. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister’s perseverance did little to persuade her parliamentary colleagues to back her plan. It was an hour before any Tory MPs publicly supported the PM. A total of 135 MPs spoke during the debate – and only 15 came out in favour, compared to the 109 MPs who vowed to vote the plan down when it comes before Parliament. The debate, where May spent as much time turning to her own benches as to the opposition, confirmed what we already knew. The chances of this deal making it through the Commons in a few

Theresa May

Full text: Theresa May defends her Brexit deal

Serving in high office is an honour and privilege. It is also a heavy responsibility. That is true at any time – but especially when the stakes are so high. And negotiating the UK’s withdrawal from the EU after 40 years, and building from the ground-up a new and enduring relationship for the good of our children and grandchildren is a matter of the highest consequence. It touches almost every area of our national life: our whole economy and virtually every job; the livelihoods of our fellow citizens; our integrity as a United Kingdom of four nations; our safety and security – all of these are at stake. My approach throughout has

Alex Massie

The Tories deserve a lengthy spell in opposition

Brexit has many theme tunes but the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is as good as any. If only the Brexiteers could understand this; if only they could grasp that compromise means exactly that. But, consumed by their own monomania, they cannot for they are blind to everything except their own convictions.  Jacob Rees-Mogg, a man evidently guilty of believing too much in his own fan mail, sonorously declares it is time for Theresa May to go. Nick Timothy, a courtier whose chutzpah has few equals in recent British political history, decries what he terms the Prime Minister’s “capitulation” to Brussels or, as some of us

Steerpike

Watch: Alan Duncan walks out of Brexit deal interview

Rory Stewart has already been caught out claiming wrongly that 80 per cent of the public back Theresa May’s Brexit plan. Now another of the Prime Minister’s defenders has come unstuck while trying to support May’s withdrawal deal. Alan Duncan was asked whether the government had a problem if the majority of the public don’t back the deal. How did Duncan respond? He walked off: Oh dear…

Steerpike

Listen: Rory Stewart’s fake news on Theresa May’s Brexit deal

Theresa May’s supporters are resorting to some desperate measures to try and salvage the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal. Step forward, Rory Stewart. The prisons minister claimed just now on BBC 5 Live that 80 per cent of the British public support the deal. The only problem? He was making that number up. Stewart was quickly called out on his numbers; here’s what he said: ‘I am producing a number to try and illustrate what I believe…obviously this is not coming from an opinion poll.’ Mr S. isn’t sure that this is the best way of winning support for the PM…

Steerpike

Watch: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s withering verdict on May’s Brexit deal

Only a handful of MPs have spoken up in support of Theresa May’s Brexit deal in the Commons. But the criticism from a certain Tory backbencher will worry her more than most. Jacob Rees-Mogg took to his feet in the Commons to ask why he shouldn’t now hand in a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister. Here’s what he said: ‘My right honourable friend – and she is unquestionably honourable – said we would leave the customs union. Annex two says otherwise. My right honourable friend said that she would maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom. A whole protocol says otherwise. My right honourable friend said that

Katy Balls

Can Theresa May’s critics unite around an alternative plan?

Ahead of the crunch Cabinet meeting No. 10 aides privately admitted that the one minister they could not afford to lose was Dominic Raab. It wasn’t just that losing a second Brexit Secretary would send a very bad signal about the government’s Brexit policy. More importantly, Raab is regarded as a pragmatic Brexiteer and there was a fear that his resignation would have a domino effect. Those fears were correct. So far today we have seen a second Cabinet minister resign as well as a number of junior ministers. What’s more, there is a very good chance more will come. So, where does May go from here? Not only does