Category: UK Conservatives
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Because, frankly, it is beyond embarrassing. After a week in which the American administration has once again managed to complicate the defence of Ukraine, the manoeuvrings of Westminster seem almost inconsequential. Almost. At home Andy Burnham has discovered Europe, the Chancellor has discovered another fiscal difficulty and the Conservatives have discovered that an improvement in…
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Badenoch fails to land serious blows The Commons got back to work after its four week “Conference Season” recess. This seems incomprehensible to most voters who think it would be much more productive if all the conferences were held (in different places) in the same week. This (short) week’s conclusion from the Commons is that…
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Is that light at the end of the tunnel? Kemi Badenoch has been having quite a good year. The Conservative Party has not. Twelve months ago, Badenoch was still struggling to establish herself with voters and faced periodic speculation about whether her leadership would survive. She arrived in Birmingham in a much stronger parliamentary position.…
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Much activity, little consequence. A lot appears to have been happening in Westminster since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The new leader arrived promising a different sort of government. Policies have been abandoned, spending priorities questioned and relations with Europe cautiously rearranged. A steady trickle of announcements designed to make people feel a little bit…
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RECESS AGAIN This 4-week conference recess seems creakily antique. Has no-one ever thought of having all the party conferences in the same week? There can be very few people other than journalists who want to attend more than one (and journalists have colleagues…) Tuesday 15th September On the last day of term, Yvette Cooper (Pontefract, Castleford &…
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Welfare Reform Proposals. Kemi Badenoch delivered a fairly surgical question at PMQs on Wednesday, questioning 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 deflective response, revealing far more…
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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 run: LotO: “The Chancellor used…
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The Politics of the Quick Fix. After two weeks of frantic Prime Ministering the Announcement Machine finally fell silent as Andy Burnham went on holiday. Thankfully this also put a temporary stop to the pubs-and-footie tik-toks. So there’s that. (Kate Devlin & Millie Cooke, The Independent, 7th August 2026 “Minister forced to deny Andy Burnham…
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The Commons said farewell to Sir Keir at PMQs, but the Chamber had been dominated over the previous week by the completion of the “Hillsborough Law”, discussion of the Immigration & Asylum Bill, triggering of the Clacton by-election, reflections on the murder of Anne Widdecombe and exasperation with the haphazard conduct of the US-Iran War…
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Parliament returned to work with the ceremonial portrayal of calm and order of the State Opening and the King’s Speech floating, surreally, on top of the turbulent threat to Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. An (over-)ambitious legislative programme then commenced the traditional five days of debate against a backdrop that provided further copious evidence of Sir…
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With the Clock of Prorogation ticking down to the End of Term and with no route to any effective form of Parliamentary challenge to the Prime Minister’s Reign of Avoidance, LoTO moved off the Mandelson Agenda for PMQs. Nevertheless, the Force of Evasion is strong with this one and, true to form, the Prime Minister…
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Erosion of authority is rarely dramatic. It is cumulative: decisions that do not settle arguments, dismissals that do not resolve questions, explanations that do not explain. That process now appears to be entering a new phase for the Prime Minister, who surreally promises to lead Labour in to the next election in 2029 (Aletha Adu…