There was a curious apolitical quality to the budget this week. Stood before the commons, a visibly nervous Jeremy Hunt announced the government’s latest fiscal blitz to an atmosphere of detached demur. There were hints of a new activist tilt on tax (see the lifetime pensions allowance rejig for instance), » Read More
Downing Street is preparing for a fresh Brexit showdown with Conservative MPs with the first commons vote on the prime minister’s Northern Ireland Protocol solution to be held on Wednesday. The European Research Group of eurosceptic Conservative MPs is yet to deliver its final verdict on the so-called Windsor framework, » Read More
When Rishi Sunak replaced former Conservative leader William Hague as the MP for the safe-seat of Richmond in 2015, the political landscape was in a very different state. The Conservatives were riding high, David Cameron had just won a majority and the Brexit referendum lay ahead. The then-prime minister spoke openly of his plan to
Prime minister Rishi Sunak and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, meet today for “final talks” on the Northern Ireland Protocol, after weeks of rumours that a new post-Brexit agreement was close. Downing Street said Mr Sunak “wants to ensure any deal fixes the practical problems on the ground, » Read More
The prime minister has today unveiled a new Windsor Framework agreement with the European Union which he has heralded as a “decisive breakthrough” on the Northern Ireland Protocol impasse. The new framework was announced at a joint press conference attended by the prime minister and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
If you like your political leaders technocratic and their pledges vague and bullet-pointed, then the first two months of 2023 will have been truly gripping. The latest batch of bromides came courtesy of Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, as the Labour leader outlined his “five national missions” in a speech in Manchester. » Read More
A minster has urged Conservative MPs to back Rishi Sunak on Brexit and accept the deal the prime minister brings back from Brussels on improving the Northern Ireland Protocol. Minister for veterans affairs Johnny Mercer said critics need to “operate in the real world” on Brexit and that “we need to resolve this issue” to
Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation on Wednesday has elicited a series of theories about how the high-riding, poll-topping first minister was brought before Bute House to announce her abdication. An exhaustive post-mortem is well underway, with supporters and political foes alike proffering their assessment of the rights and wrongs of Sturgeon’s political dynasty. » Read More
As I write, Rishi Sunak is locked in the middle of a 48-hour diplomacy blitz, amid reports that a Northern Ireland Protocol resolution has been reached. It comes after weeks of speculation about a deal in the six counties, with some reports suggesting an agreement has been resting on the prime minister’s desk for some
