British Politics

It would be a “monumental failure of politics and diplomacy” if the government’s Brexit bill is pushed through and ends up in court, an Irish minister has claimed. Ireland’s foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said that such a court case would be a “folly”. The EU and the UK have clashed over the British government’s Internal Market […]

A Tory MSP sparked laughter in Holyrood when she accidentally announced her “resignation”. Rachael Hamilton had intended to highlight her register of interest but instead said: “Can I draw members to my resignation?” Hamilton, the MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, laughed as she added quickly: “Register of interests. No resignation.” She made the blunder […]

A Tory minister has defended Boris Johnson’s 10pm curfew amid calls the government release its scientific advice behind the decision. Prisons minister Lucy Frazer said there had been “opportunities” for ministers to hear the scientific advice. Appearing on BBC 2’s Politics Live, Frazer said it was important MPs get to scrutinise the new rules but that the government […]

Boris Johnson has been urged to consider a “circuit breaker” national lockdown sooner rather than later over fears that the current measures to stop coronavirus are not working. Professor Calum Semple, a member of the government’s scientific advisory panel who specialises in disease outbreaks, recommended a “circuit breaker” be considered on a national basis in […]

Boris Johnson has been accused of “hurtling towards a crash crash” after “ignoring the warning signs”, follow scrutiny of his new coronavirus measures during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Taking to the despatch box, the prime minister argued that the 16,000 positive coronavirus cases that went unreported due to a “technical glitch” did change the “basic distribution” […]

Former Labour MP Gisela Stuart, who supported “no change” for EU citizens after Brexit, has supported the Tory’s immigration bill in the House of Lords. The newly-elevated peer, a former leader of the Vote Leave campaign, had previously signed a statement saying: “There will be no change for EU citizens already lawfully resident in the […]

Devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland are furious after leaked documents showed the government had withheld important Brexit documents from them. The documents, which show a deliberate attempts by Westminster to hide plans to break with Withdrawal Agreement, were leaked by Guido. In a dossier named “Transition period planning assumptions (central case)“, ministers were warned against sharing information […]

The Conservatives spent more than £16 million at the 2019 general election, new figures show. The Electoral Commission revealed the governing party spent £16,486,871 across the country to win its 80-seat majority. The biggest chunk of the money, £5,818,998 went on “unsolicited material to electors”, the Electoral Commission said. Marketing and canvassing cost £4,471,937, and advertising […]

Boris Johnson’s approval rating among Tory voters continues to decline as many continue to disagree with his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Less than half (45%) of 2019 Tory voters think No 10 is doing a good job managing the virus while a further quarter (25%) do not think they are, a survey by pollsters Redfield & […]

The Scottish parliament is expected to vote down Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill after the constitution secretary urged MSPs to “stand up and defend devolution” by rejecting the controversial UK legislation.  Mike Russell called on MSPs at Holyrood to vote against the UK government’s Brexit bill amid repeated claims from Scottish government ministers that it […]

Boris Johnson’s father has been caught without a face mask in public for the third time in a week. Stanley Johnson was pictured at an Underground station reading a newspaper with his mask lowered. This is the third time the prime minister’s father was captured flouting regulations around wearing face masks. Last Tuesday, Johnson senior was […]

Boris Johnson has claimed that it is anti-Brexiteers attempting to plot against his leadership, claiming they want to stop the government succeeding.  Here are seven things we learned from his Tory party speech. 1. It is now, apparently, “sedition”, which the Oxford dictionary defines as “conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority […]

Boris Johnson has attacked “lefty human rights lawyers” for disrupting the justice system in a move branded “utterly shameful” and “deeply concerning” by legal figures. The prime minister ramped up the rhetoric in the latest battle between the government and the justice system during his speech at the Conservative Party conference, repeating sentiments from home […]

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson debunked claims put forward by Liz Truss that No 10 has enjoyed several “successes” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nelson, who now manages the magazine once edited by Boris Johnson, said polling has shown no citizens were more disappointed in their government’s response to the virus than Britons. The trade secretary and […]

Boris Johnson has claimed that Britain is “more united than for decades”, despite the threat of a split in the United Kingdom, and Brexit divides failing to be healed.   Speaking during his big speech to Tory party conference, he said: “And I believe you will see a Britain that is more united than for decades […]

A Tory politician has urged colleagues to back Rishi Sunak as Boris Johnson’s replacement at No 10. Senior Tory MSP, Murdo Fraser, retweeted a message which praised the chancellor and criticised Boris Johnson. The post, which was written by Herald columnist Iain Macwhirter read: “Rishi Sunak reaches the parts Boris cannot. “He’s as fluent and convincing […]

Rishi Sunak has been slammed online after suggesting Britons should be “grateful” to have Boris Johnson as their leader.  Appearing on Sky News’ Kay Burley @ Breakfast show, the chancellor downplayed claims he would take a tilt at the top job of prime minister. MORE: Downing Street denies rift between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak “I […]

The prime minister appears to have attacked himself for “forgetting the history of the UK” as he was set to make a policy announcement on wind farms at Tory party conference. In a preview of Boris Johnson’s speech, he is set to say: “I remember how some people used to sneer at wind power, twenty years […]

In his brilliant new book Who Enters Politics and Why?, academic James Weinberg provides possibly the most sophisticated analysis of why some people decide to stand for office and others don’t. His research discovers that when it comes to their basic human values, politicians really are “different”. Having spent the summer reading just about every […]

Piers Morgan has accused Rishi Sunak of getting his figures on the number of daily coronavirus tests wrong during an on-air rant. The Good Morning Britain presenter slammed Sunak for saying 250,000 people a day were being tested. “No, you’re not, because you, yourself, said on your previous interview that – you may forgotten what […]

Former House of Commons speaker John Bercow has slammed the government, saying that it is “doesn’t believe in accountability”. Bercow on Good Morning Britain condemned described the coronavirus Test and Trace system as “shambolic at best and non-existent at worst”. Asked whether he thought Johnson is the right man for the job, he replied that it […]

Boris Johnson is facing a sizeable Commons Tory rebellion over the government’s coronavirus restrictions – including the 10pm curfew and “rule of six”. Leading rebel Steve Baker said he does not expect to defeat the government, but instead get ministers to shift ground. MPs will vote on Tuesday, the day the prime minister addresses the […]

MPs have approved a longer autumn recess for the House of Commons. The chamber will adjourn after business has concluded on Friday October 23 and return on Monday November 2. The motion detailing the recess was supported unopposed. MPs will be unable to challenge ministers in the Commons chamber during this period over coronavirus restrictions, […]

Priti Patel’s immigration bill has suffered a setback in the House of Lords after peers inflicted a number of defeats on the bill that will end EU freedom-of-movement rules in the UK. The Lords has demanded a series of changes to the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, including to ensure continued help for […]

Rishi Sunak has declared that he does not want to take over as prime minister, laughing off claiming his own job is difficult enough. The chancellor acknowledged disagreements but spoke warmly of his relationship with Johnson after rumours of a split between the two men inhabiting Downing Street. The suggestions have largely been fuelled by […]

Boris Johnson has made his third gaffe in a week when he mistakenly told Britons they were eligible for a “£500-per-week” payment for self-isolating. The prime minster claimed it was a weekly payment to people on low incomes when it in fact was for the whole period of isolation, which could be a minimum of 14 […]

Laurence Fox has been labelled a hypocrite after vowing to boycott Sainsbury’s because of its support for Black History Month. The 42-year-old actor accused the supermarket of promoting “racial segregation and discrimination” during a Twitter rant on Sunday. Fox’s post came after the supermarket chain announced it would be marking Black History Month, an annual observance of black […]

A comedian has taken aim at new government restrictions by releasing a hilarious chart mocking the way ministers have come up with new coronavirus rules. Belfast comedian Paddy Raff tweeted a table which asks participants to make up their own coronavirus laws. Dubbed the “government COVID-19 Law Generator”, users answer three questions, such as what your and your […]

James O’Brien has compared Dido Harding to Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses after a “technical glitch” was blamed for 16,000 Covid cases going unreported. The LBC presenter laid into England’s test and trace chief after Public Health England (PHE) admitted 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of daily case figures. […]

The official Twitter account for the House of Commons has been banned from tweeting results of votes after Tory MPs complained about its impartiality over a key Brexit vote. The account – launched in 2012 to inform the public about events taking place in the Commons – informs users about debates and votes taking place […]

Nigel Farage has predicted Boris Johnson will get Britain an EU trade deal – it just will not be one Brexiteers want. The Brexit Party leader said he had a “sense” the government would compromise over fishing rights and state aid to bag a deal with the EU before the end of the transition period. MORE: Nigel Farage called a […]

Dido Harding – the Tory peer in charge of the new Test and Trace scheme  – has been urged to either resign or be sacked over coronavirus testing failures. The government is under fresh scrutiny after 16,000 Covid-19 cases went unreported and led to a delay in efforts to trace contacts of people who tested positive […]