Sebastian Payne

Ukip’s Roger Bird suspended over sexual misconduct allegations

From our UK edition

The reason behind Roger Bird’s mysterious suspension as Ukip general secretary has been revealed. The splash of today’s Times makes several allegations (£) about Bird and Natasha Bolter, a Labour defector to Ukip and potential PPC in South Basildon: ‘Natasha Bolter, a headline speaker at Ukip’s party conference, has pulled out of hustings today in South Basildon,

Ukip general secretary Roger Bird suspended over ‘impropriety’ allegations

From our UK edition

To the delight of its enemies, Ukip has just announced its general secretary has been suspended over ‘impropriety allegations’. According to a statement released by the party, claims have come to light ‘about the conduct of Mr [Roger] Bird with regard to candidate selection’. A Ukip spokesman said on Monday evening: ‘Unfortunately, Ukip has had to suspend Mr

Tories attack Nigel Farage over breastfeeding remarks

From our UK edition

Ukip’s crisis is the Conservatives’ gain. Following Nigel Farage’s comments about ‘ostentatious’ breastfeeding, Conservative HQ have been promoting this graphic online, with a title noting that Farage is ‘making it up as he goes along’: This kind of graphic is just another example of how the Tories have become more proactive in promoting their point of

Former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe dies, aged 85

From our UK edition

Jeremy Thorpe, the former leader of the Liberal Party, has passed away aged 85, after suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years. Thorpe will unfortunately be best remembered for the affair that ended his career, involving a former male model and a shot dog. The Spectator’s Guide to Political Scandals explained what happened: ‘Thorpe was a dashing young Liberal MP, elected

Eight different ways Ukip would spend Britain’s international aid budget

From our UK edition

The Autumn Statement was Ukip’s first economic test as a Westminster party, so how did they fare? In their initial response, economic spokesman Patrick O’Flynn lambasted George Osborne for ‘smoke and mirror politics’ over the deficit. ‘The brutal truth is that the Government has comprehensively failed in its central mission to wipe out the deficit’, said O’Flynn.

Revealed: where George Osborne’s axe will fall hardest

From our UK edition

If you think George Osborne has been a mad axe man, just wait to see the cuts he has planned for the next Parliament. To return a budget surplus by the end of the decade, government spending will have to be slashed — but which departments will bear the brunt of his axe? The answer (shown in the above chart)

Podcast: Autumn Statement, Russia’s information wars and life inside Tatler

From our UK edition

George Osborne appears to have delivered a successful Autumn Statement, but are there some dark secrets in the details? In this week’s View from 22 podcast, Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth discuss the Chancellor’s last major economic speech of this Parliament, the political consequences of the new measures announced and what it means for the outcome of the next election. Anne

Podcast special: a good Autumn Statement for George Osborne?

From our UK edition

George Osborne appears to have delivered a successful Autumn Statement, but are there some dark secrets in the details? In this week’s View from 22 podcast, Fraser Nelson, James Forsyth and I discuss the Chancellor’s last major economic speech of this Parliament, the political consequences of the new measures announced and what it means for the next election. You

David Cameron and George Osborne still the most trusted on the economy

From our UK edition

Good news for the Tories: a new ComRes poll confirms that David Cameron and George Osborne are the most trusted pair to ‘see the country through the current economic situation’. As the chart above shows, Labour’s two Eds are lagging significantly behind the present Tory leadership in the trust stakes, even coming in below Ukip’s Nigel

The MPs who will benefit from George’s marvellous marginals medicine

From our UK edition

‘The biggest, boldest and most far-reaching roads programme for decades’ — or the biggest, boldest marginal constituency programme? George Osborne has magicked up £15 billion for 84 new roads, some 100 overall improvements, totalling 1,300 miles of new lanes across the country. Unsurprisingly for an overtly political chancellor like Osborne, a majority of these roads will

Oo-err! Top five gags from Penny Mordaunt, minister for innuendo

From our UK edition

Tory MP Penny Mourdant has caused a stir in Sunday’s papers over her confession at our Parliamentarian of the Year awards that she said ‘cock’ in Parliament as a bet with her colleagues in the Royal Navy, where she serves as a reservist. As winner of our Speech of the Year award, Mourdant clearly has a way with

Podcast special: David Cameron’s ‘game changing’ immigration speech

From our UK edition

Was David Cameron’s appeal to the voters of Britain and EU leaders on immigration successful? James Forsyth, Isabel Hardman and myself discuss his ‘game changing’ speech on immigration this morning in a View from 22 podcast special. Has the Prime Minister placated his backbenchers or Conservative voters? Will this be seen as a Tory shift towards Ukip-lite? You

Facebook insists it does tackle terrorism as finger points at site for Rigby messages

From our UK edition

Facebook is responsible for hosting a conversation Rigby murderer Michael Adebowale had about killing a solider, according to the Telegraph. Both the ISC’s report and the committee’s chairman Malcolm Rifkind have been critical of an ‘internet company’ for not alerting the security services to the conversation. ‘Had MI5 known about the conversation,’ says the report, ‘there is a

Five things you need to know about the Lee Rigby report

From our UK edition

Could the intelligence services have prevented the murder of Lee Rigby last year? Probably not, but there was more they could have known and possibly done, according to a report from the Intelligence and Security Committee (pdf) out today. While the committee has praised the intelligence services for the work they do, there are criticisms levelled at