Graham Stringer, a career Labour backbencher who represents Blackley and Broughton in Greater Manchester, now faces a deselection process in his constituency. Enough members in his CLP are annoyed with Stringer for having sided with the government in a series of votes on Brexit. He joins fellow Eurosceptic Labour MPs Kate Hoey and Frank Field […]
Would a centrist, anti-Brexit Labour Party really be way ahead in the polls right now?
The idea that a more centrist, and more crucially an openly anti-Brexit Labour Party would be way, way up in the polls (10 points? 20 points? I’ve heard as high as 30 this morning) over the Tories has become an article of faith amongst a certain political set. Equally, this tends to get shot down […]
A review of Corbyn’s “media and tech firms are evil” MacTaggart Edinburgh speech
Having been in transit the last few days at a hectic pace, travelling from Germany to France to Luxembourg to Belgium to France again, I mostly heard about Corbyn’s speech in Edinburgh on the topic of the future of the British press through Twitter. Having proven an unreliable news source, I wanted to read the […]
What does the Observer poll showing a Remain lead in seats really mean?
A few days ago – I think it was only a few days ago at least. I’m on an extended continental holiday – a large sample poll came out via The Observer which showed that in terms of seats, Remain was now ahead. Some of you may recall the analysis of what would have happened […]
This could be the last moment of relative calm in British politics for a while
In the thick of silly season 2018, what dominates British political headlines? Everyone is bored of Brexit, and little is happening on that front that will be even nominally newsworthy until September. Luckily, several of the wacky characters at the forefront of UK politics have decided to step into the breach. News outlets search for […]
Getting rid of Jeremy Corbyn is fraught with peril for the Labour Left – let’s count the ways
As the anti-Semitism scandal within the Labour Party spins out of control, reaching new, ridiculous heights, palace intrigue appears to be rearing its head at long last. John McDonnell has tried to take the whole thing a lot more seriously in what appears to be an attempt to show leadership. Granted, it wouldn’t be difficult […]
Is the Labour Party on the verge of splitting for real this time?
Dan Hodges’ article last weekend was about how twenty or so Labour MPs were finally ready to walk away. What shape this would take, the article was unclear about. New party? Resign the whip and sit as independents, hoping to one day return to planet Red? The Hodges piece wouldn’t specify. It makes me wonder […]
Why Gina Miller would be a great Lib Dem leader – and why it will probably never happen
Rumours swirl around Westminster about the possibility that Vince Cable is trying to change the rules around who can be leader of the Liberal Democrats (ie, make it so that a non-MP can take the role) in order to guide Gina Miller into the job. This could all be completely invented, I hasten to add, […]
Here’s what I think is the problem with the BBC at present
BBC bashing is nothing new in Britain; it did not start with the vote to leave the European Union. For as long as I can remember, people have been complaining that the Beeb is biased in one way or another. I have usually taken this as evidence that the BBC is doing its job properly: […]
Here is a major constitutional problem that would arise the moment Labour got a parliamentary majority
Immediately following the Chequers incident, I wrote an article explaining that I thought I knew what Theresa May was trying to do, finally. I said I wasn’t sure if it would work, but at least she seemed to have a plan. However, she blew the whole thing up herself within a week, so now I’m […]