Month: September 2026
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The Politics of Avoiding Choice. Welfare Reform Proposals. Kemi Badenoch delivered a fairly surgical question at PMQs on Wednesday, reflecting the new Chancellor’s own declared reasons for resigning as Defence Secretary just 13 weeks ago: “Is the Prime Minister unable, or is he just unwilling,to get that money by 2030?” The PM offered the classic…
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Upbeat vibes are not enough. PMQs was not a close contest this week – but a serious defeat for the PM. Although LotO began predictably enough on defence spending, the PM was unexpectedly knocked out on Question 2 and remained down and out. Mrs Badenoch’s second question on defence spending had the PM on the…
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Welcome to Governmenting. Parliament returned this week, which was inconvenient for almost everybody. For Andy Burnham, it meant the end of the forgiving period in which a new Prime Minister can talk principally about what his government intends to become (for the length of which he has surely earned some sort of UK and All-comers…
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Nigel Farage’s much delayed conference speech was polished, combative and politically effective. It also exposed Reform’s central problem: the leader increasingly looks ready for an election, while the circle around him still does not look even close to being ready for government. Farage warned his supporters that he expects an election next year. That remains…