British Politics

Priti Patel reportedly opposed four plans for affordable homes in her constituency despite the government’s “build, build, build” agenda. According to the Sunday Times the home secretary has lobbied against an application to build the new properties in her constituency of Witham in Essex. The report flies in the face of the Tory party’s “build, […]

Brexiteer and health minister Nadine Dorries has claimed that only a “crystal ball” could have predicted the worsening of the coronavirus crisis. that would mean a second lockdown. Dorries, who was the first MP to contract the virus in March, hit out at criticisms that her government had again acted too late on coronavirus. Turning […]

Boris Johnson has pulled out of an appearance at the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) after the organisation issued warnings about a second lockdown and Brexit. CBI president Lord Bilimoria said it was only the second time a prime minister had not spoken at the event. The group’s director general Dame […]

Nigel Farage has applied to the Electoral Commission to change the Brexit Party’s name to Reform UK. The party contested 275 seats and took 2% of votes but did not succeed in electing an MP in the 2019 general election. It will now broaden its agenda to include coronavirus and seek “reform” in other areas. […]

A number of high-profile Republicans and Trump supporters have been fooled into thanking Satan for supporting the president’s re-election bid. Fox News commentator Corey Lewandowski, former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka, Conservative political pundit Tomi Lahren, and outspoken Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio were among people duped into thanking someone called “Iblis” for campaigning on behalf of […]

Jeremy Corbyn has been advised to “retire” from politics by John Mann – the former Labour MP who resigned to become the government’s anti-Semitism tsar. Mann, who was formerly the MP for Bassetlaw, said that Corbyn was “guilty of a political ideology that allowed this hatred to spread” and said that “he hasn’t got a […]

Nigel Farage has pledged to bet £10,000 on Donald Trump winning a second term in the White House, claiming Trump would prove pundits wrong as he had done in 2016. This comes as Farage fights allegations he broke US quarantine rules to attend a Donald Trump rally in Arizona Wednesday night. The Brexit Party leader claimed he was […]

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that “much remains to be done” to broker a post-Brexit trade deal as negotiations continued in Brussels. He said they are working hard to get an agreement but that there were still significant gaps after seven days of “intensive negotiations” in London. Talks with his Downing Street counterpart, […]

Baby accessories and assorted caviar were among a dozen gifts the Cabinet Office has confiscated off Boris Johnson due to anti-corruption regulations. The government releases a list of ministerial gifts on a quarterly basis and just earlier this week dumped a trove of data on the latest presents the prime minister received during April and June this year. […]

Longstanding Labour supporter Bonnie Greer has said she felt “sick” after discovering the extent of the party’s anti-Semitism problems in a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Greer, who writes for The New European, gave a stinging assessment of the Labour Party’s failure to tackle the treatment and harassment of Jewish people during an appearance on Question […]

A new poll from Ipsos Mori has put Labour five points ahead of the Tories – one of the largest leads over the government since 2014 – and before Jeremy Corbyn became leader.  The new polling sees Keir Starmer’s party on 42% – five points ahead of Boris Johnson’s party – after a jump of […]

Nigel Farage has said he could enter the US to attend a Donald Trump rally – where many spectators did not wear masks – because he has a “journalistic visa”. The Brexit Party politician appeared on Good Morning Britain to answer questions as to why he thought it was a good idea to travel across the globe […]

A Tory minister has been told that appointing “people of colour to the Cabinet” does not erase the Conservative Party’s race relation issues. Justice minister Chris Philp was told his party had “housework” to do regarding race relations during a row with The New European writer Bonnie Greer on Question Time. Panellists were discussing the damning findings of an EHRC report into […]

Mitch Benn says Joe Biden’s altruism beats Donald Trump’s cynicism. I do realise that I’ve been talking about America a lot just recently (and that this paper is called The New European) but I feel I should cast at least a nervous nod across the pond this week as this will be the last column […]

With passions at fever-pitch, many Americans believe the November 3 election is make or break for the US, regardless of whether they back Donald Trump or Joe Biden. But whether the Republican business tycoon remains in the White House or if his Democratic challenger ousts him will also have a profound effect on the rest […]

A snap poll has found that most Britons support Labour’s decision to suspend Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism, with more of the party’s voters also thinking it was the right choice rather than a wrong one. The former Labour leader lost the party whip after he said the issue had been “dramatically overstated” by opponents in an […]

Another Tory minister is self-isolating just one day after he was spotted flouting rules on masks. Brandon Lewis – the Northern Ireland secretary – was witnessed in a chauffeur car without a face mask, despite Downing Street saying tthat they must cover up when travelling in government vehicles, despite a loophole in the rules for chauffer-driven cars. […]

A lawyer has debunked a Tory minister’s accusation that councils were given £63 million to help fund free school meals over the holidays. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick appeared on Sky News Thursday morning where he suggested councils had already been given funding towards free school meals in June. When asked if the government would review its decision […]

The chancellor is borrowing and borrowing to combat the pandemic. Perhaps he should delay paying the bill, writes Bronwen Maddox. The clash between the mayor of Greater Manchester and the chancellor of the Exchequer was the first significant political contest of the age of coronavirus. For the seven long months since the pandemic took hold […]

So what is a role model? Before I give you the definition offered by the Oxford English Dictionary – itself a role model, dare I say, in the world of words – just put the paper down, and have a think about that question… what is a role model? Who, if you have or have […]

As Britain’s future trade talks with the EU 27 edge towards what we hope will be some sort of amicable resolution, at home Boris Johnson grapples over free school meals with a 22-year-old footballer who didn’t win the Eton-and-Oxford Lottery. It made me think of a long-dead trades union activist whom I admired. Moderate but […]

The damning report into anti-Semitism under Jeremy Corbyn gave Sir Keir Starmer enough wiggle-room not to further enflame party tensions by taking immediate action against his predecessor. But Corbyn’s refusal to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings and his insistence that the extent of racism in the party had been “dramatically overstated […]

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has issued a dig about Donald Trump’s approach to trade, and has insisted British values would not be compromised for post-Brexit trade deals. Truss said Britain would reject a Donald Trump-style “Britain First” approach as she criticised “values-free globalisation” in a keynote speech in London. In a Chatham House address Truss said […]

Labour is demanding an investigation into a leaked dossier which shows hundreds of millions of pounds worth of coronavirus contracts were handed to “VIPs”. Documents leaked by the Good Law Project, an anti-corruption watchdog, allegedly expose special procurement channels that allowed contractors to bid for work without needing to undergo the normal tendering process. The organisation – which has […]

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the party over anti-Semitism claims after a report pinned the blame for failures for tackling the discrimination at his door. Keir Starmer made the move after Corbyn rejected the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission investigation, saying they were “dramatically overstated”. There had been […]

Protesters have targeted the offices and meeting places of 11 more Tory MPs who voted against extending free school meals over the holidays with “empty plate” demonstrations. Demonstrators laid empty plates with messages on them at the headquarters of local Tory MPs in protest against their refusal to provide free meals to pupils over the October half-term and […]

Jeremy Corbyn has rejected the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s investigation into anti-Semitism in Labour under his leadership. In a post on Facebook, he claimed that the findings were “dramatically overstated” but denounced anti-Semitism. He wrote: “Anti-semitism is absolutely abhorrent, wrong and responsible for some of humanity’s greatest crimes. “As Leader of the […]

Questions have been raised over Nigel Farage’s quarantine status after he appeared on stage at a Donald Trump rally in the US. Footage of Farage giving a speech at Trump’s re-election rally in Arizona overnight has raised concerns the Brexit Party leader flouted US quarantine regulations. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the US’s national public […]

There have been calls for Jeremy Corbyn to resign as a Labour MP after the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s 130-page report on the investigation into anti-Semitism in Labour under his leadership. It said they found “specific examples of harassment, discrimination and political interference”, but also noted “a lack of leadership within […]

Ministers are having to hire consultants to deal with the Brexit process because government fears it will become overwhelmed by a second wave of Covid-19 cases, leaked documents have revealed. According to the Telegraph, the Cabinet Office has requested consultants help it respond “rapidly to any worsening Covid crisis” until March 2021 as the Brexit […]

A cross-party group of MPs and peers have filed legal proceedings against the government, accusing ministers of failing to protect the UK’s democracy against Russian interference during the EU referendum and subsequent elections. The claimants, backed by a former national security adviser, have accused the prime minister of wanting to “keep us in the dark” […]

Boris Johnson’s handling of the situation over free school meals has been branded a “disaster” after Marcus Rashford’s petition hits one million signatories. The Manchester United star’s mission to ensure no child goes hungry has gripped the nation and caused a major headache for the government who have opposed funding his campaign. Tory peer Gavin Barwell, […]