British Politics

Readers continue to have their say on the general election result and what the future holds for the Remain movement. I am an EU citizen living in the UK, having done so since 1998. I have no right to vote. I have a British/Italian child but had no say over the future of the country […]

Fiona Hill withdraws from ITV’s election night coverage, Guardian staff dread Seumas Milne’s return… and why can’t journalists be banned from going into politics? Shunning the limelight since she quit as Theresa May’s joint chief of staff following the 2017 election, Fiona Hill was due to make a high profile comeback as a pundit on […]

A reader calls for the Remain movement to focus on rejoining instead. So Brexit, together with all of us, will now get done. We must not lose heart. For the first time we have a strong pro-EU movement in our country. Once the squabbling has stopped, we have infrastructure. Unlike Labour, we know what we […]

Despite more people voting against pro-Brexit parties than supporting them our voices have been ignored again, says ROGER HINDS. Tactical voting in the general election was so widespread, mostly over the issue of Brexit, that no political party can claim a mandate for its entire manifesto. That’s why proportional representation must be brought in so […]

While there was plenty of doom and gloom in this week’s mailbag, some said it wasn’t all bad for Remainers on election night. Silver linings time: ? The DUP are irrelevant again. ? The ERG have been neutered (unfortunately not literally) by the size of the Tory majority. ? Rees-Mogg is back in his box. […]

Former Lib Dem candidate TIM WALKER reflects with sadness, but also frankness, on what went wrong for his party. If Boris Johnson made me look not to the stars but to the gutter throughout the election, Jeremy Corbyn made me glaze over… and Jo Swinson made me sigh and think of what might have been. […]

Readers are still waiting for a real letter to step forward to transform the UK and to undo the mistakes of past political leaders. Dear politicians: You have spoken so loudly I can’t hear you. You have created untrue narratives that cloud reality. You have bent words and tried to convince us that they have […]

With the general election campaign feeling a lot like the 1987 general election this reader has a message to voters. It feels quite like 1987 at the moment, so with apologies to Neil Kinnock… if Boris Johnson wins on December 12: I warn you not to work in the NHS. I warn you not to […]

The general election is a big important part of the battle for the Remain movement – but the war won’t be over on Friday morning. I know the home stretch going into an election is supposed to be all about clarity and unity of purpose, and the last thing you want to be presented with […]

TIM WALKER looks at how Labour votes could keep Dominic Raab in his Esher and Walton seat, and how Lib Dem votes could unseat Labour’s Rosie Duffield in Canterbury. With Hugh Grant, Gina Miller, Lord Heseltine and Alastair Campbell, among so many others, hitting the campaign trail, Mandrake decided this was no time to be […]

Seizing an opportunity to defeat Boris Johnson could instigate a new era of political free-thinking, according to Mitch Benn. Boris Johnson is a liar and a coward. Once more for the people in the back row: BORIS JOHNSON IS A LIAR AND A COWARD. Now, in previous eras this might have been thought sufficient reason […]

As Jeremy Corbyn publishes his latest tax return, why won’t Boris Johnson? And what will Paul Dacre do to the i newspaper? DMG Media, whose editor-in-chief is former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, has bought the i newspaper. Picture: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images – Credit: Getty Images Mandrake had to give Boris Johnson quite a few […]

MITCH BENN on doing everything he can to make sure politicians don’t ruin his Christmas without a fight. I’m breaking one of my own cardinal rules this year. Generally I operate an absolute embargo on anything Christmas-related until December 1. Obviously one can’t entirely avoid any mention of Christmas during November, or indeed October (or, […]

Readers express their concerns about the performance of Labour and Lib Dems during the election campaign so far. Labour are currently fighting what is being called ‘the Brexit election’ by trying their best not to mention Brexit. The only possible benefit of the inevitable large Tory majority which will soon follow is that the party […]

Readers note the prime minister no longer talks about spending £350 million on the NHS, despite Brexit not happening yet. Boris Johnson is going to postpone the cut in corporation tax to release £6 billion for the NHS and other ‘priorities’. But wait. Was the NHS not supposed to be being funded by the “£350 […]

Tories secretive about key funders, John Sweeney challenges BBC about why it dropped Arron Banks investigation and more hot air from Charles Moore. After eyebrows were raised when it turned out that the largest single donation the Tories received in the first week of the election campaign had come from Russia with love – £200,000 […]

TIM WALKER issues a challenge to prime minister Boris Johnson. As Boris Johnson tries to portray himself as the man to lead the whole of the United Kingdom, Mandrake challenges him to pay a campaign visit to Liverpool, which understandably feels it has no relationship whatsoever with him. When he became PM, Merseyside MP Maria […]

Sci-fi fan MITCH BENN on what his hero Douglas Adams would have to say about politics today Whoever came up with the expression “You must never meet your heroes; they’ll always disappoint you” had dreadful taste in heroes. I’ve been lucky enough to meet quite a few of my heroes over the years and by […]

Traditional party allegiances are not enough in the Brexit era, argues TIM WALKER. A tactical vote is the only way to thwart the prime minister’s plans Voters have been acting tactically since the dawn of democracy, but it’s unusual, of course, for a candidate to do it. In Canterbury, where I was until earlier this […]

With Donald Trump and Boris Johnson up for election, MITCH BENN looks at just how untouchable they are The word ‘mistake’ has two principal uses, related but definitely distinct. It can mean an involuntary error, a slip-up, a blooper, a typo… something you didn’t want to do or intend to do, but did anyway through […]

Theresa May’s old chief of staff is eager to raise his profile as he tries to make a new career in consulting, Dan Hannan promotes The New European and why timing was everything for Sir Michael Fallon Although the government is finding it increasingly hard to find ‘cannon fodder’ for television current affairs programmes, Lord […]

MITCH BENN on why there are no safe seats in this election and uses Richmond Park to defend tactical voting. It’s utterly absurd that while I’ve been writing this column for a little over three years now, not only is this the second general election I’ve had to cover in that time, but that previous […]

Sarah Vine started row with Hugh Grant; another day, another outrage from Rod Liddle; and why the Telegraph is unlikely to acknowledge Christopher Booker’s groupthink book. Sarah Vine, supposedly Michael Gove’s “better half,” has added her twopenn’orth on the subject of Hugh Grant declining to shake Sajid Javid’s hand at an event to promote Martin […]

The welfare of the country should not be forgotten amid Brexit, writes MITCH BENN. Before I became active in the Remain campaign I was active for many years in the sceptical (and indeed Skeptical) community, which is a rather self-congratulatory way of saying that before I started wasting precious hours out of every day getting […]

White’s club has become the Brextremists’ staff canteen, Highways England’s political messaging and the latest on Sunday Times ‘monkeygate’ scandal. Gina Miller said newspaper columnists should take responsibility for radicalising individuals. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA – Credit: PA Wire/PA Images Brextremists love Mosley’s club It says everything about how elitist and out of touch Boris Johnson’s […]

Every day we’re still in the EU is a solid win for Remain, says Mitch Benn First of all, a little essential housekeeping: You might recall that I ended last week’s column by issuing a plea for help. I bewailed my enforced absence from last Saturday’s march and asked if you could help me make […]

Sunday Times expected to apologise to Gina Miller for calling her a monkey, richest MP Zac Goldsmith loses money on his investments, and Boris Johnson abandons Carrie Symonds’ diet. Gina Miller was loudly applauded at last week’s Pink News Awards at Church House in Westminster when she asked how Boris Johnson could possibly portray himself […]

MITCH BENN challenges you to make up for his absence at the People’s Vote march. My committed activism in the Remain cause since the 2016 referendum is fuelled in no small part by residual guilt at the knowledge that I didn’t do a damn thing to help or promote the Remain cause before the 2016 […]

Former Daily Mail editor shocks executives with ‘suicide note’ attacking his successor… and Andrew Bridgen’s day out courtesy of Arron Banks. Brextremists may be notorious for being laws unto themselves, but it remains to be seen how much longer Lord Rothermere will be willing to tolerate Paul Dacre on his payroll as his ‘editor-in-chief’ now […]

Despite Boris Johnson’s claims that the EU is inflexible, they have moved considerably to give him a deal. If this recent movement towards a deal turns out to have just one benefit, it will surely be to demolish once and for all the myth of the European Union’s wilful inflexibility. It seems obvious to me […]

James Cleverly’s much-mocked graph gives a revealing insight into the mindset of panicky Brexiteers says MITCH BENN. James Cleverly’s explanation for why Brexit must be done by October 31st. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant The phrase “There are lies, damned lies and statistics” is selectively trotted out by whoever wants to dismiss whichever set of […]

Nicky Morgan tipped for an honour after switching sides in Brexit debate, Liam Fox’s nice little earner and Paul Dacre is consoled by John Humphrys. John Humphrys on Radio 4’s Today programme. Photograph: BBC. – Credit: Archant On Newsnight last week, Emily Maitlis was more than justified in asking Nicky Morgan the question “what has […]