News and Opinion

A car ferrying prime minister Boris Johnson was reportedly involved in a crash after Prime Minister’s Questions just outside parliament. The crash occurred when a protester ran in front of the prime minister’s convoy, which was leaving the Palace of Westminster. The convoy was forced to an immediate stop with Johnson’s car shunted by an […]

Brexiteers are fuming about the colour of the new British passport, claiming that they are black rather than the promised ‘iconic’ blue. Priti Patel poses with a new ‘blue’ passport. Photograph: Home Office. – Credit: Archant The new design, which replaces the burgundy colour that Britons have used since 1988, came into force in March […]

The leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, has offered to swap places with Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir made the offer after an infuriated prime minister started asking him questions. PMQs is a constitutionally-allocated time for MPs to question the prime minster on matters of policy or recent developments. During […]

Sadiq Khan has slashed his pay by 10% as he called on Boris Johnson to bail out local authorities facing funding black holes as a result of coronavirus The London mayor warned that authorities across the country faced a shortfall of business rate and council tax income. In the capital that could mean cuts across […]

Matt Hancock has said he may have had ‘Harry Potter on the mind’ when he mistakenly praised ‘Daniel Rashford’ for his work on free school meals Marcus Rashford on BBC Breakfast – Credit: BBC Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford led a campaign to extend the children’s food voucher scheme into the summer holidays, which forced […]

Boris Johnson decided to scrap the Department for International Development without consulting his cabinet, health secretary Matt Hancock has said The move to merge it with the Foreign Office has come under widespread criticism from aid charities, opposition MPs and three former prime ministers, including the Conservative David Cameron. Critics raised concerns that the plan […]

Having struggled to answer questions since returning to the Commons, Boris Johnson today decided to ask them instead Boris Johnson has found dealing with questions difficult since both returning to the Commons following his own bout with Covid-19 and Labour electing a leader with at least a passing interest in the prime issues facing the […]

Prime minister Boris Johnson has been accused of ‘chuntering’ during an important question on child poverty rates in the UK during Prime Minister’s Questions. Johnson was asked by the leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, if he was aware of the rising number of children in poverty across the country when he began mumbling. […]

The plane used to fly Boris Johnson around the world is to be repainted the colours of the union flag, after the prime minister complained about the grey colour, and wanted it to become a ‘Brexit plane’. The grey RAF Voyager jet – also used by the royal family – is receiving a pre-planned makeover […]

The SNP has jokingly called for a statue in honour of Michael Gove for his contribution to boosting support for Scottish independence. SNP Cabinet Office spokesperson Pete Wishart told MPs in the Commons that the Brexiteer minister has helped increase ‘majority support’ for Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom. He said: ‘Can I start […]

An MP has called on the government to ensure there is a new freedom of movement scheme for dogs to replace the current EU pet passport scheme that will be lost as a result of Brexit. Tory MP Bob Stewart made a plea for an extension of the arrangements as he explained that his two […]

A Liberal Democrat leadership contestant has said the party needs to distance itself from the Tories – and claimed that interim leader Ed Davey is still tarnished by the coalition years. MP Wera Hobhouse claimed that Davey still has a ‘heart which beats with the Tories’ as the contestants start to set out their stall. […]

Former Tory prime minister David Cameron has blasted Boris Johnson for merging the Department for International Development (DfID) with the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) over Twitter. Cameron said the move was a ‘mistake’, warning it would mean ‘less voice’ and ‘less respect’ for the UK abroad. In an unexpected show of disapproval for Johnson, Cameron […]

ROGER CASALE on the Schengen Area’s 35th birthday and its future amid a backdrop of conflict, racism, and disunity. After three months of lockdown, Europe is opening its internal borders. Whether by accident or design, the move coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, the moment when France, Germany and the Benelux member […]

Piers Morgan has slammed a cabinet minister after she tried to downplay concerns of hardship disadvantaged families face during the coronavirus crisis on Twitter. I’m concerned this is the only tweet of mine you acknowledged. Please, put rivalries aside for a second, and make a difference #maketheuturn— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020 The […]

Boris Johnson has been accused of waging a ‘culture war’ after reports his new race commission is being set up by an aide who has cast doubt on the existence of institutional racism The prime minister announced the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities after a series of anti-racism protests on British streets triggered by […]

Voters in ‘red wall’ seats think the UK should prioritise working with Europe over the US on trade and coronavirus, according to a new opinion poll 70% of voters in seats which flipped from Labour to the Conservatives at the last election said they wanted the UK to prioritise working with Europe, compared to just […]

Marcus Rashford has once again urged the government to reconsider its decision not to extend the current food voucher scheme The Manchester United forward is continuing his campaign to allow vulnerable children who have been getting free meals during the coronavirus lockdown to carry on receiving them over the summer holidays. Rashford, who has raised […]

The government has been accused of funnelling the same amount it would cost to cover free school meals over the summer into a festival for Brexit. The Liberal Democrats have accused Boris Johnson of being ‘callous and heatless’ after going ahead with plans to divert £120 million that could feed hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged […]

The government has U-turned on its refusal to fund school lunches over the summer and has now set up a ‘Covid summer school fund’ to pay for the initiative. Downing Street recently announced that it would set up a fund to support hungry children during the summer after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford. Those […]

The foreign secretary has insisted that the experts advising the government will continue to appear at Downing Street briefings – but they may not be those the public are used to seeing as they draw in advisers from different areas to help explain policy announcements. Dominic Raab was asked at the latest briefing why weekly […]

Home secretary Priti Patel has told MPs that she believes Labour leader Keir Starmer is continuing with ‘divisive, hateful, racist’ politics. She was answering a question in the House of Commons from a Tory MP what was described as abuse from the ‘left’. The Brexiteer responded by claiming that Sir Keir Starmer had failed to […]

In a ‘historic’ moment peers have used its first electronic vote in the House of Lords to defeat Boris Johnson’s government. Members backed by 275 to 256, majority 19, a move aimed at securing safeguards around the extradition of international fugitives and ensure the system is not abused by countries with poor human rights records. […]

A former prosecutor, who lost his brother to coronavirus, has joined a campaign that is calling for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to carry out a fresh investigation into Boris Johnson’s senior aide over a breach of lockdown. Nazir Afzal, who lost his older brother Umar in April, has claimed that the public ill lose […]

The government is under pressure to explain why chief NHS England nurse, Ruth May, was axed from daily coronavirus briefings after allegations emerged she was dropped for refusing to back Dominic Cummings’ lockdown breaking. Boris Johnson and his ministers are being accused of ‘gagging’ May and other health officials because they allegedly declined to back […]

Downing Street has said a Brexit deal is ‘achievable’ by the end of summer, leading to accusations it is rushing to get a conclusion. No 10 said that a new, intensified timeline for negotiations could mean a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is concluded by autumn. Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to meet with European […]

Boris Johnson has denied any involvement in a controversial property development his administration granted while he was mayor of London. Johnson said he had ‘nothing to do’ with property tycoon Richard Desmond and his request to build a block of flats in the capital back in 2016. Desmond applied to build a 722-site development that […]

Westminster opposition parties are pushing ahead with plans to force a vote on extending the Brexit transition period. Opposition MPs have written to Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg requesting a vote on new legislation that would extend the transition period. Labour, the Liberals Democrats, the SNP and other parties submitted a draft bill to repeal that […]

ZOE WILLIAMS on missteps made by the left since Gordon Brown’s departure from Downing Street Gordon Brown waves as he walks to his car after announcing his resignation as Prime Minister. (LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images) – Credit: AFP via Getty Images An anniversary passed quietly on May 6, which I feel would have got […]

Former communicant WILL SELF wonders where the Church has been through this pandemic, and ponders if we brought it on ourselves through worshiping mammon I come from a long line of Anglican priests on my father’s side – my grandfather was himself a lay preacher, and at one time president of the Modern Churchmen’s Union. […]

SOPHIA DEBOICK on a city where music has been shaped by a traumatic history, but often transcends it. Derry has been a byword for the Troubles, its disputed name a symbol of the divide between nationalists and unionists. After a history of sectarian tension dating back to the 17th century, the Troubles began in earnest […]

EWA SZYPULA and RICHARD BATES on a French literary scandal and a long history of authors telling tall tales about themselves The French true crime writer Stéphane Bourgoin’s trained at the FBI’s profiling school in Virginia and had interviewed 77 murderers, including Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. He had advised the FBI and Scotland Yard […]