This interview is not of someone who will ever be Tory leader or Prime Minister, let alone the next one.

This interview is not of someone who will ever be Tory leader or Prime Minister, let alone the next one.

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For quite some time I’ve been advising laying Gavin Williamson for next PM and Tory leader, somebody once compared him to an incontinent puppy and his media performances seem to confirm that, wherever he goes there’s a great steaming pile of excrement not far behind. The next Tory leader needs to have good media skills so you know you’ve got major problems when you’re getting savaged by a dead sheep Richard Madeley. All of this stems from Williamson’s non (Prime)…

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If LAB gets within 10% of its GE17 Lewisham vote it’ll be a vindication for Corbyn’s Brexit approach

If LAB gets within 10% of its GE17 Lewisham vote it’ll be a vindication for Corbyn’s Brexit approach

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A bigger drop would be problematical At the General Election the strongly anti-Brexit LAB MP, Heidi Alexander, came out with a share of 67.9% and a margin of 44.8% over the second place Conservatives in Lewisham East. The question, on which Ladbrokes have a market, is how the party will do on votes in the by-election two weeks on Thursday. The big fear of the Labour hierarchy was that the Lib Dems, who’ve done particularly well in Remain seat by-elections…

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A very British coup. A way back for the defeated centre?

A very British coup. A way back for the defeated centre?

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These have been dark times for pragmatic politicians. Both the Conservative party and the Labour party have been taken over by politicians pursuing projects for ideological reasons, uninterested in any evidence as to whether those projects were actually beneficial for the nation. In both parties, moderates have been marginalised as the extremists compete to apply purity tests for their projects. Since the election last year, neither group of ideologues has yet established a decisive polling lead. In the wake of…

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‘Bluntly, older, mainly Leave, voters are dying—and younger, mainly Remain, voters are joining the electorate.’

‘Bluntly, older, mainly Leave, voters are dying—and younger, mainly Remain, voters are joining the electorate.’

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There’s some analysis by Peter Kellner on a second referendum. The UK would vote to remain in the EU if a second Brexit referendum were held, new polling analysis has suggested. Peter Kellner, former president of YouGov and polling analyst, suggested that up to one million Labour supporters who voted Leave in the 2016 referendum are having second thoughts. In an article for Prospect, he points out that YouGov has carried out 14 polls this year asking people if the UK was right or wrong to vote for Brexit….

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Taking Back Control

Taking Back Control

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At this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, Birmingham City Council had an exuberantly floriferous display celebrating the Windrush generation.  It is a reminder (to non-gardeners at least) that many of the plants we think of as essential to the British garden come from the farthest reaches of the world.  A gentle – and quintessentially British – pastime (often unkindly seen as an activity best suited for the limbo between retirement and death) owes its beauty and variety to imports from China,…

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Esther McVey’s betting problem is why I’m taking the 20/1 on her as next out of the cabinet

Esther McVey’s betting problem is why I’m taking the 20/1 on her as next out of the cabinet

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With news of Esther McVey's betting problem you might want to take the 20/1 @LadPolitics are offering on McVey as next out of the cabinet. https://t.co/Dzuo01GnLQ pic.twitter.com/8aXBnOqpC7 — TSE (@TSEofPB) May 27, 2018 There’s a very interesting story in today’s Sunday Times about Esther McVey, the Sunday Times say Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, has been accused of breaching the ministerial code after she led a cabinet revolt against gambling reforms weeks after accepting hospitality from a betting firm….

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Nick Palmer ponders: What should a Brexiteer do next?

Nick Palmer ponders: What should a Brexiteer do next?

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  I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m not just a Remainer but a Europhile. I like the EU. I admire the work of the European Parliament. I would cheerfully sign up to a single European country. Nonetheless, it’s always important to see politics from different viewpoints. Suppose you are a keen Brexiteer Tory MP. You’re delighted that we voted Leave. However, it appears that the Government is inching towards a very soft Brexit. Lots of money will be…

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Why betting on the Republicans in the House mid-terms may be the right strategy

Why betting on the Republicans in the House mid-terms may be the right strategy

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Ian Whittaker on his betting plan The consensual view on the November mid-terms has been that the Democrats are favourites to win back the House in November.It is almost a given that a party that holds the White House loses seats – Clinton and Bush picked up a few seats in 1998 and 2002 but under unusual circumstances (pushback against Impeachment for Clinton, the aftermath of 9/11 for Bush). Trump disgust is seen as a powerful force for Democrats to…

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