Don Brind on the shadow HomeSec There was something churlish about Diane Abbott’s attempt to put down Tony Blair recently — “no one can now remember that they supported Tony Blair.” She surely can’t have forgotten how the then Labour leader came to her defence in one of the most uncomfortable phases of her career when she sent son to a fee paying school. She is now Shadow Home Secretary the job in which Blair made his name. If she…
The latest of TMay's favourite's G Williamson under pressure over what happened at fireplace firm https://t.co/ODNt4ubCnu — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 29, 2018 The PM doesn’t seem to have much luck with her favourites After losing Nick Timothy after the election, then her close Oxford friend, Damian Green, in December it looks as though the latest of the prime minister’s favourites, Gavin Williamson, could be in trouble. The front page Guardian story won’t make comfortable reading in Downing Street this…
There isn’t going to be an early general election Labour came out of the last election 56 seats short of the Tories and the MP totals of other parties barely make up the gap particularly as Sinn Fein don’t take up their seats. This situation eas exacerbated by the Conservative-DUP no confidence vote agreement. As the law stands at the moment there are only two ways that an election can take place before 2022. The first would require the Conservatives…
Alastair Meeks looks at the challenges facing Cable’s party Three years ago, the Lib Dems were still in government. Danny Alexander and Nick Clegg comprised half of the quad, the inner circle that fixed the government’s direction. It feels like a lifetime ago now. The Lib Dems were reduced to 8 MPs in 2015 and recovered only to 12 MPs last year (with a slight decline in vote share nationally), despite being the only party to advocate remaining in the…
S Times story on Gavin Williamson won't help his leadership ambitions pic.twitter.com/8Qe27jaa2q — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 27, 2018 Doesn’t look good for the DefSec – said to be TMay’s preferred successor And BoJo steps up the ante Boris Johnson will challenge Theresa May to demand a ‘buccaneering Brexit’ amid fears PM will ‘f*** this up’ https://t.co/l3yWnF12iv — Sun Politics (@SunPolitics) January 27, 2018 In the betting Amber Rudd moves to 3rd favourite
Local By-Election Summary : January 2018 Votes Cast, Share, Vote Share Change and Seat Change Conservatives 11,047 votes (47.75% +5.71% on last time) winning 7 seats (+1 seat on last time) Labour 6,036 votes (26.09% +6.28% on last time) winning 1 seat (-1 seat on last time) Liberal Democrats 3,538 votes (15.29% +5.62% on last time) winning 1 seat (unchanged on last time) Independent candidates 1,070 votes (4.62% -3.29% on last time) winning 1 seat (unchanged on last time) Green…
But there’s a good chance Con MPs will do it anyway Only one of the three traditional British parties currently has a leader – and that one by happenstance. To lead is by definition a dynamic thing. It is to set oneself at the head of something and take it somewhere in such a way that others follow. It is not a quality granted simply by virtue of holding a given office. On those terms, Vince Cable is not a…
Brexit: Britons favour second referendum by 16-point margin – new ICM poll https://t.co/Kvw8o8zI29 — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 26, 2018 ICM finds 47% saying they'd be in favour of new referendum once terms known – 34% against. Excluding don't knows that's a split of 58% to 42% — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 26, 2018 New ICM poll finds that 9% of LAB leave voters no say they'd vote remain in a 2nd referendum — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 26, 2018…