America is changing, and the UK cannot afford to ignore it June 10, 2019 I cannot begin to estimate how much ink has been wasted on President Trump’s state visit to the UK last week. This is not to dismiss the significance of commemorating the D-Day anniversary, and the immense shared sacrifice of British and American soldiers in liberating Europe. But the rest of the state visit, focusing as [...]
‘Is this serious?’ Boris Johnson’s £39bn threat gives City the jitters June 10, 2019 Boris Johnson’s threat to withhold the UK’s £39bn Brexit divorce bill raised eyebrows in the City yesterday and provoked a strong reaction from across the Channel. The former mayor of London vowed to hold onto the cash to force the EU to give Britain a better withdrawal deal, as part of his pitch to become [...]
Boris Johnson vows to hold back £39bn Brexit divorce bill to force EU into a better deal June 9, 2019 Boris Johnson has threatened to force the European Union’s hand by withholding Britain’s £39bn “divorce” bill until it agrees to more favourable terms to leave. The former mayor of London made his first pitch to become Prime Minister by vowing to keep hold of the cash, scrap the Northern Irish backstop and guarantee the rights [...]
Michael Gove ‘deeply regrets’ cocaine ‘mistake’ June 8, 2019 Tory leadership candidate Michael Gove has said he “deeply regrets” taking cocaine while working as a journalist more than 20 years ago. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said he had taken the Class A drug at several “social events” during his days as a reporter. Read more: Johnson’s leadership campaign receives £50,000 from CMC [...]
Theresa May officially resigns as Tory leadership contest begins June 7, 2019 Theresa May has officially resigned as leader of the Conservative party paving the way for the leadership contest to begin on Monday. May will remain ‘acting leader’ of the party and Prime Minister until her successor is elected on 22 July. Read more: Theresa May resigns – what happens next? The Tory backbench 1922 committee [...]
D-Day offers some perspective for anyone consumed with the current ‘national crisis’ June 7, 2019 On Monday, I took part in BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week, which this week focused on the concept of a national crisis – and how countries get out of it. Academic and author Jared Diamond’s new book Upheaval draws parallels between how an individual deals with a personal crisis to how nations overcome them. [...]
DEBATE: President Donald Trump’s state visit faced protests in London. Is it possible to separate the man from the office? June 7, 2019 As people protest Donald Trump’s state visit, is it possible to separate the man from the office? YES, says Olivia Utley, deputy editor at TheArticle. Heads of state and prime ministers, as their name tags at international conferences suggest, represent their states, not themselves. International relations, particularly in a complex multi-polar world, require that we [...]
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 [...]
We must not forget the value of the US special relationship June 7, 2019 75 years ago, Allied forces mounted Operation Overlord. The largest military operation ever attempted began the process of freeing the European continent from the jackboot of Nazi tyranny. So familiar are we with the general story of D-Day that it is easy to forget some of the extraordinary details. By June 1944, more than two [...]
Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign receives £50,000 from CMC chief Cruddas June 7, 2019 Tory leadership candidate Boris Johnson has received a £50,000 donation to his campaign from CMC markets chief executive Peter Cruddas. Cruddas is one of the City’s leading figures and is the founder of the financial spread-betting firm CMC. Read more: Boris Johnson wins legal challenge against court summons He wrote the cheque for Johnson’s campaign [...]