Conservative Party

Boris Johnson is facing a major Commons rebellion over his policy to slash foreign aid. Conservative former chief whip Andrew Mitchell is leading a parliamentary push to ensure new legislation makes up the shortfall left by the cut to the UK’s official development assistance. A further 14 Tory backbenchers, including former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt […]

Labour has called on the political party spending watchdog to investigate claims that the Tories accepted donations from companies that were defunct. Anneliese Dodds, chairwoman of the Labour Party, has written to the Electoral Commission asking it to “urgently investigate” two donations made to the Conservatives that “do not appear to comply” with the law. […]

Former Tory chairwoman Baroness Warsi has repeated her claim that the party is “institutionally racist” and warned it would take years to undo the damage done by allegations of Islamophobia. An independent report concluded anti-Muslim sentiment remained a problem in the party but the allegation of institutional racism was not borne out by the evidence […]

Tory MP Rob Roberts faces being suspended from the Commons for six weeks after a complaints panel found he broke parliament’s sexual misconduct policy. The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) found that Roberts, MP for Delyn in North Wales, made repeated and unwanted sexual advances towards a man. The suspension can only be imposed if agreed […]

Boris Johnson’s comments about women wearing the burka have given an impression that the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”, an independent review into alleged Islamophobia and discrimination in the Conservative Party has said. The inquiry found anti-Muslim sentiment was seen at local association and individual levels but claims of “institutional racism” were not borne […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has released a video in which he is standing in front of an existing hospital and calls it “one of 40 new hospitals we’re going to build” VIOLATION OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS OF THE WEEK A few days ago, health secretary Matt Hancock released a video in which he is […]

Downing Street has refused to comment on reports the wallpaper in the prime minister’s lavishly furnished flat is falling down. Work on the No 11 apartment Boris Johnson shares with fiancee Carrie Symonds is the subject of a series of investigations. Johnson has insisted that he has paid for all the works himself but has […]

A legal challenge over the government’s decision to award more than £650 million in contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) will be heard at the High Court. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor claim contracts awarded to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda Capital were given unlawfully at the height of the first wave of the coronavirus […]

The cabinet secretary has defended the prime minister’s role as the ultimate arbitrator of the ministerial code after critics argued the current system means Boris Johnson is able to “mark his own homework”. It comes as the prime minister’s ministerial standards adviser, Lord Geidt, is in the process of undertaking an investigation into how renovations […]

A Tory MP who urged people not be be “litter tossers” has been accused of hypocrisy after he was fined for dropping a cigarette butt. Richard Holden, MP for Durham North West, was one of two people caught by neighbourhood wardens outside the election count at the Louisa Centre in Stanley, County Durham, on Saturday, […]

Former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has criticised government proposals that would force voters to provide photo I.D. before casting their ballot. Davidson branded the proposals “total b*****ks” during an appearance on ITV’s Peston show. She said: “In terms of this particular part of the Queen’s speech, I think it’s total b******ks and I think […]

A cabinet minister has insisted plans to require photographic identification to vote has “nothing to do with party interests” after questions the move could limit votes for opposition parties. Civil liberties groups and senior MPs on both sides of the Commons have criticised the proposal, warning it could disenfranchise some voters. Newly-released research for the […]

The Tories privately admit there is a mandate for a second referendum on Scottish independence and that it could take place as early as 2023, a former adviser has said. Ex-communications chief for the Scottish Conservatives Andy Maclver told STV’s Scotland Tonight that it was “perfectly obvious” last week’s election results were a mandate for Indyred2. […]

Labour has criticised the Tories for its plans to introduce voter ID – whilst failing to implement any of the recommendations of the Russia report. Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has challenged the government to focus on preventing foreign interference in elections rather than its existing proposals to make it “so much more difficult” for […]

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has called Boris Johnson “a liar” and confirmed he no longer considers himself a Conservative. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) ahead of the Queen’s Speech, Bercow said he would list “a number of examples” of the prime minister not telling the truth. The former speaker told the GMB […]

A constituency MP elected as leader of a county council has said he intends to “earn every penny” despite opposition MPs describing his new role as a “lucrative second job with potential conflicts of interest”. Conservative Mansfield MP Ben Bradley said his new position as leader of Nottinghamshire County Council required a “similar level of […]

Boris Johnson is being investigated for two possible breaches of Commons rules, the parliamentary commissioner for standards has announced. The prime minister is being probed over his Downing Street flat makeover and a Christmas holiday he took in the Caribbean. Johnson was among a list of MPs under investigation that was kept under wraps during the […]

The former deputy leader of the Conservative Party has claimed people are getting “worked up over nothing” over the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat. Talking to Times Radio, Lord Peter Lilley said: “We are unique in that people get worked up where nothing bad has happened. “In Russia, public money was used to […]

New research shows how the Conservatives are hoovering up Christian support The past six years have seen the old rules of British politics torn up. Identities such as ‘Tory’, ‘Labour’, ‘working class’ or ‘middle class’ have been replaced by ‘Remainer’ or ‘Brexiteer’ and voters are deserting their traditional parties. The Conservatives, once the party of choice for middle-class professionals, […]

Boris Johnson created an administration in his own image, and it is doing irreparable damage to our country Shortly before he stepped down after a decade as prime minister, Tony Blair hosted a dinner at Chequers for advisers who had been with him more or less since he became Labour leader. In every one of […]

The Electoral Commission has announced it will investigate the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat, saying it was “satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred”. The election and donations watchdog said it had been in contact with the Conservative Party on the matter since March. […]

Boris Johnson reportedly claimed he could not afford the £200,000 cost of revamping his Downing Street flat, following suggestions he wanted donors to “secretly pay” for the work. It is the latest allegation about the refurbishment of Number 11, and comes after Downing Street attempted to draw a line under the issue. A No 10 spokeswoman […]

The “stench of sleaze” around the Conservative UK government is “becoming quite overpowering”, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The Scottish first minister called for an inquiry into allegations of “contracts for cronies, donations for decorating and text messages for tax breaks”, saying: “It is time for the Tories to put all their dealings into the public […]

The Scottish Tories have attempted to distance themselves from the lobbying row engulfing the Westminster party. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said concerns raised over communications between senior UK government officials and business leaders “cannot be allowed to continue”. Ross said he believes governments should operate in “the most transparent and open way”. He added: “The […]

Labour is piling pressure on chancellor Rishi Sunak over his lobbying links by urging him to “come clean” with a publication of his correspondence over changes to tax rules and coronavirus support schemes. The opposition party has called for Sunak to share details surrounding “tax breaks by text” after a lobbying row widened to involve communications […]

The scandal surrounding David Cameron’s lobbying lays bare exactly what is meant by ‘selling off the NHS’ Seen from afar, the running saga of David Cameron’s efforts to meet with every minister in the UK (and beyond) on behalf of his clients can be a strange one. To even a casual observer, it seems like […]

The government faces possible legal action after a former Conservative parliamentary candidate was revealed as the contact for a £100 million deal for personal protective equipment (PPE). The contract to supply face masks was awarded in July 2020 to Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd (PDL) without any competition, although details were not published until March. The Good […]

Defence minister Jonny Mercer is set to resign shortly, reports suggest. Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates tweeted the minister would soon hand his resignation to Boris Johnson. “Defence minister Johnny Mercer likely to (try to) resign shortly I understand. He is understood to have indicated such to colleagues,” Coates posted. “BUT he is not […]

Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party take allegations of inappropriate behaviour ‘incredibly seriously’, the prime minister’s press secretary said after a Tory MP was rebuked for his conduct. Delyn MP Rob Roberts has faced allegations over WhatsApp messages sent to a young female intern and also his behaviour towards a male parliament worker. He reportedly […]

Britain’s slack system for regulating politics is responsible for a devastating lack of public trust. If he were a more sympathetic figure, David Cameron would have a certain air of pathos about him – the longer he lives, the worse his reputation gets. Born to riches and elected to the highest office in the UK, everything since […]

TIM WALKER on the travails facing the co-chairman of the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson may have appointed him as treasurer of his London mayoral campaign and later asked him to sort out the Tory party’s finances as its co-chair, but Ben Elliot, pictured, risks prosecution for failing to make the deadlines with the book-keeping at […]

Boris Johnson’s plan to save the United Kingdom has been entitled ‘Project Love’, according to one of his top ministers. According to Scottish secretary Alister Jack, in an interview with Politico, there will be a “slow-burn effort” from Number 10 to show Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland what the family of nations means to them.  […]