Should 160,000 Tories choose our next Prime Minister? Yes, actually June 28, 2019 Discussing the Tory leadership election on Sky News earlier this week, host Adam Boulton asked me why the party members seemed so relaxed about Boris Johnson’s controversial private life. “Isn’t this the party of family values?” Boulton asked. It’s a fair point. Three quarters of the party’s 160,000 members believe that “young people today don’t [...]
A bold pro-business Prime Minister should let Liz Truss shake things up June 27, 2019 There’s another month to go until we have a new Prime Minister, but pro-market Conservatives can already start breathing a sigh of relief. For a start, both contenders for the top job have pledged to cut tax. Jeremy Hunt has promised to cut the rate of Corporation Tax from 19 per cent to 12.5 per [...]
Boris Johnson’s tax cuts plan could cost UK £20bn per year June 25, 2019 Boris Johnson’s tax cuts plan could cost the UK up to £20bn per year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank. The Tory leadership candidate has pledged to hike the threshold for higher rate income tax to £80,000 from its current £50,000. Read more: Sky cancels live TV debate after Boris pulls [...]
The leadership race has reignited the party’s capitalist spirit June 17, 2019 The man most likely to be the next Prime Minister will this morning sit down with 25 leading City figures in a bid to mend relations with the business community. Boris Johnson reportedly said “f**k business” when confronted with industry groups’ concerns over Brexit last year. The remarks have hung around his neck ever since [...]
Philip Hammond’s virtue signalling on low pay is hypocritical June 7, 2019 Philip Hammond may soon be out of a job. In fact, I would be very surprised if he remains chancellor of the Exchequer for more than a day or two after our new Prime Minister is chosen. Hammond is fond of reminding his critics that his demise has been predicted before. Yet while the Tory [...]
Tories face worst election result ever as Brexit Party and Lib Dems surge ahead May 31, 2019 The Conservatives would fall outside the top two parties if a general election were held today, a new poll reveals. Read more: Which Tory leadership candidates favour a no-deal Brexit? The Tories would crash to third place with just 19 per cent of the vote, tied with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party, a Yougov survey has [...]
Tories and Labour in a spin after disastrous EU election results deliver victory to Nigel Farage May 27, 2019 Theresa May today lamented a "very disappointing night" for the Tories as voters deserted them in their droves for the Brexit party, the clear winner of the EU elections. May, who has pledged to step down as leader on 7 June, said she hoped the results would "focus minds" on finding a Brexit deal in parliament [...]
Could Jacob Rees-Mogg soon be off to 11 Downing Street? April 12, 2019 The Conservative party has a shortage of the political equivalent of rock stars. These are the politicians that the public would not merely recognise (already a rather an elite cohort), but actually might cross the road to ask for an autograph – or, more usually these days, a selfie. Boris Johnson has this star quality, of course. [...]
Hammond “optimistic” on reaching Brexit agreement with Labour April 6, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has said he is “optimistic” talks between Labour and the Conservative Party over the Brexit deadlock can end in “some form of agreement”. Speaking ahead of the EU finance ministers’ meeting in Bucharest, Hammond said that the government had no “red lines” and an “open mind” to discussions with the oppositions, which [...]
May presses EU to commit to Brexit backstop changes as parliament vote approaches March 8, 2019 The Prime Minister is set to urge the EU to commit to legally binding changes to the so-called Irish backstop today, as she seeks to get her Brexit deal through parliament. Read more: Theresa May is a home secretary dressed up as Prime Minister Theresa May will say the EU’s decisions can “have a big [...]