Russian Skripal suspects charged and named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov September 5, 2018 British authorities have named two suspects they believe are behind the Novichok attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury earlier this year as Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. The two men have been charged in absentia with offences including conspiracy to murder over the Salisbury nerve agent attack, Scotland Yard and the Crown [...]
No confidence: This is how Tory MPs plan to vote in tonight’s crucial contest over Theresa May’s future as Prime Minister December 12, 2018 The number of MPs who have declared themselves either in support of or against the leadership of Prime Minister Theresa May is growing. Here's who has said what so far. A vote of no confidence was triggered this morning, after more than 48 MPs sent in letters to Sir Graham Brady who controls the process. The [...]
Red tape for Red Bull: The ban-happy nanny state is coming for energy drinks August 31, 2018 I don’t remember the last time I saw a six-year-old queuing for a cappuccino in Pret. Nor have I ever noticed one standing in line, with their own cash, paying for their fizzy drink of choice over the counter at corner shop. That’s because realistically these instances cannot happen without the assistance of an adult, who [...]
Mick Jagger wades in as government says it will publish detailed white paper on the UK’s Brexit and customs union positions May 16, 2018 The government pledged to clarify its Brexit position yesterday, just hours after Mick Jagger urged leaders to firm up their stance. “One week it’s one thing, one week it’s the next,” the rocker told the BBC. “Everyone would like to see a fast resolution, a united front.” Just a few hours later, the Prime Minister [...]
Taking on Theresa May? Jacob Rees-Mogg is on the hunt for PR firms to boost his Tory leadership ambitions July 3, 2018 Friends of Jacob Rees-Mogg are turning to PR firms as the backbencher looks to turn support into votes as a future leader of the Conservative party. The North East Somerset MP rode on a tide of grassroots support last year, dubbed Moggmentum, thanks to his traditional approach, eloquence and charm, and his trenchant views on [...]
Exclusive: The government is working on a social care insurance scheme following last year’s ‘dementia tax’ row July 25, 2018 The government is working on a new plan to address the escalating cost of social care, as it tries to shrug off the spectre of its proposed “dementia tax” – a policy that provoked a furore during the Conservatives’ disastrous 2017 General Election campaign. City A.M. understands that a set of proposals are being readied [...]
Government calls in the lawyers to check if two customs options are legal May 16, 2018 Cabinet office minister David Lidington admitted this morning that the government had asked lawyers to look at the two post-Brexit customs options to check if they are legal. The cabinet is currently divided over two future customs options – the customs partnership model, which would see the UK collect taxes on behalf of the EU [...]
Keep calm, and don’t get carried away by lurid rumours about the Russia report November 20, 2019 One of the great mysteries of this election campaign to date has been why an unpublished report should be the cause of great and sustained political hysteria. This document has been cited by numerous sources as of pivotal significance to national security. Even Hillary Clinton — remember her? — has popped up to opine solemnly [...]
So you’ve won over Workington Man — what next? December 11, 2019 What do you do if you’re a Conservative leader whose flagship policy has split your party down the middle, with the result that you lost your working majority live on air as a coterie of former allies quit in protest? Answer: cast your net further afield. This is the Tories’ “Workington Man” strategy — the [...]
Corbyn leads his troops into a vicious class war November 1, 2019 Running an election campaign on the basis of a question is a risky business. Ted Heath found this out after the 1974 election during which he’d asked the voters: “Who runs Britain?” The response was clear: “Not you.” Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn launched his own pitch for Number 10 with a rather more divisive, even sinister, inquiry: “Whose [...]