All posts tagged: British politics

Macron and Starmer to discuss Ukraine as Trump looms – POLITICO

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[ad_1] LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host French President Emmanuel Macron for talks Thursday as the two leaders await the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president. No. 10 Downing Street announced Wednesday that the pair would meet at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat, and discuss Ukraine — a hot-button topic in the incoming U.S. administration — as well as artificial intelligence, economic growth and legal migration. Both Macron and Starmer have been vocal supporters of Ukraine’s pushback against Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, and stressed the need for continued backing since the far more sceptical Trump’s November win. Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, an idea given short shrift in European capitals. [ad_2] Source link

How to prepare a secret Tory leadership campaign – POLITICO

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[ad_1] After the Tories’ drubbing in the local elections and the many, many rumors about efforts to unseat Rishi Sunak, Aggie Chambre talks us through how to prepare a secret Conservative leadership campaign. Former No. 10 head of political comms Adam Jones takes us inside Liz Truss’s “fizz with Liz” soirees, explains why she took *that* picture in the tank, and says his former boss got “punch drunk” on love from Tory members.  Former adviser Lucia Hodgson, who ran Andrea Leadsom’s 2019 leadership bid, explains the years of work they put into that campaign, and reveals why you need to know everything you can about your opponents.  Aggie speaks to former Tory contender Michael Heseltine about what he did and did not do before his infamous run in 1990 — about his regrets, supporters and missteps.  And former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries claims it’s nigh on impossible to get any work done in government when everyone is so obsessed with who the next leader of the Conservative Party will be. [ad_2] Source link

Tories hit by worst poll result since Liz Truss was prime minister – POLITICO

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[ad_1] Keir Starmer’s party now sits on 48 percent support to the Tories’ 18 percent. That’s the biggest gulf for Prime Minister Sunak since he entered office in October 2022 after Truss’ chaotic 49-day tenure in Downing Street. The Tory vote share as measured by YouGov is now even lower than it was at the nadir of Truss’ premiership. Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform U.K. is also challenging the government on the right, the poll suggests. It logged 13 percent in the YouGov study, with a quarter of 2019 Tory voters now saying they back the outfit. The poll is a further headache for Sunak, fresh from a difficult set of local and mayoral elections for his government and the defection of another Conservative MP to Labour. Voters are also unconvinced about Sunak’s claim that last week’s elections show Britain is heading for a hung parliament in which Labour falls short of a majority. Just 14 percent of those polled by YouGov agree with Sunak’s diagnosis. Two thirds (66 percent) of those polled expect a Labour …

Suspected China hack hits UK’s defense ministry – POLITICO

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[ad_1] Defense Secretary Grant Shapps will update the House of Commons Tuesday afternoon. Although he is not expected to directly name Beijing in his statement, Sky News, which first broke the story, reported that China is in the frame. Officials told POLITICO’s London Playbook newsletter their work had not cleared the high bar for public attribution. Conservative MPs were quick to point the finger at Beijing. Tory MP and former Defense Committee Chair Tobias Ellwood told Sky China “was probably looking at the financially vulnerable with a view that they may be coerced in exchange for cash.” Pressed on the reports Tuesday morning, U.K. Cabinet minister Mel Stride told the same broadcaster that the MoD “acted very swiftly to take this database offline” and that the government takes cyber security “extremely seriously.” He declined to pin the blame on China. MPs are expected to hear from Shapps that a full investigation is being launched, including into whether there were failings at an unnamed private contractor. The MoD will be contacting all affected troops and veterans …

Sadiq Khan bags record third term as London mayor – POLITICO

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[ad_1] Hall was selected ahead of more high-profile Tory candidates including former London Minister Paul Scully. Scully told the BBC Saturday his party had run an “incredibly underwhelming campaign” in the capital, and accused the Conservatives of focusing too heavily on Khan as an individual. During the campaign, Hall took aim at Khan over his controversial expansion of the capital city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, a charge on drivers in high-polluting vehicles that the Tories successfully railed against in a Westminster by-election last year. Hall said she would scrap the expansion on “day one.” Hall’s candidacy also generated controversy after she liked tweets praising the late right-wing politician Enoch Powell and some containing Islamophobic abuse towards Khan, a practicing Muslim. Knife crime in London also made headlines during the campaign, with a deadly sword attack in the London suburb of Hainault dominating the final days of the race. A spokesperson for Khan said Sunday that Londoners had “clearly rejected the overwhelmingly negative and divisive campaign run by the Tories.” Khan, who formerly served as a …

Tory mayor Ben Houchen bucks the trend on dire night for Rishi Sunak – POLITICO

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[ad_1] The Tees Valley mayor is a strong ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recorded a video endorsement. His victory back in 2017 and re-election in 2021 was seen as emblematic of the Tories’ ability to win seats in former Labour strongholds dubbed the “Red Wall.” Speaking Friday, Houchen said he was “absolutely humbled” by the result. The re-elected mayor ran a personal campaign that pushed the Conservative brand to the background. But Houchen denied distancing himself from Sunak, telling Sky News: “We absolutely don’t shy away from that at all, and Rishi’s been up during the campaign and we have always said Rishi’s been a great friend to the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.” Sunak will ‘go on’ The results come amid poor local election results for Sunak’s party across England. By early afternoon Friday, the Tories had shed more than 100 councilors and lost key former strongholds including Rushmoor and Redditch. Labour gained dozens of councilors and retook councils including Thurrock and Hartlepool, the latter of which is located in …

Ukraine can strike inside Russia with British weapons, UK’s Cameron says – POLITICO

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[ad_1] Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine’s Western partners have set one condition for Kyiv to keep military aid coming – don’t strike in Russia. But countries including Finland and Latvia have since said they support Ukraine’s right to use weapons they have provided to defend itself, including strikes in Russia. Cameron, a former British prime minister who returned to frontline politics late last year, was speaking on his second trip to Kyiv since taking on the job. It comes a week after the U.K. announced its largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine. In a further show of support, Cameron pledged £3 billion of annual military help to Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Cameron for the support in his meeting with the U.K. diplomat. But he stressed the importance of getting weapons from the new aid package into Ukraine as soon as possible. “First of all, armored vehicles, ammunition, and missiles of various types,” Zelenskyy said. [ad_2] Source link

Rishi Sunak’s moment of maximum danger just arrived – POLITICO

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[ad_1] The lack of a clear-cut replacement for Sunak is cooling the odds of a revolt, but there’s no shortage of would-be contenders who have been flaunting their wares. There are the critics who resigned from Sunak’s government: Suella Braverman, who quit as Sunak’s home secretary, and Robert Jenrick, who left his job as immigration minister. There are also those biding their time a little more quietly, like another former Home Secretary Priti Patel. And then there are those still serving in Sunak’s Cabinet: Kemi Badenoch, Grant Shapps, James Cleverly and Penny Mordaunt. ‘Think about your colleagues‘ The likelihood of any boost for the Tories following a change in leader also seems slim. Opinium research suggests that out of four contenders polled, Braverman, Badenoch and Cleverly would all fare even worse than Sunak at a general election. Only Mordaunt saw any kind of uptick — and that was a marginal one that still put the Tories on course for a major defeat. Only Penny Mordaunt saw any kind of uptick — and that was a …

Who’s John Swinney, the SNP veteran set to run Scotland?

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[ad_1] John Swinney is going for a second bite of the cherry — and he might just get it. After a dramatic week in Scottish politics, the veteran former leader of the country’s ruling Scottish National Party confirmed Thursday he’s ready to run all over again. His main potential challenger, Kate Forbes, is now rowing in him behind him — meaning he looks on course to become Scotland’s next first minister. Announcing his bid for the SNP leadership at a press conference in Edinburgh, Swinney said: “I want to unite the SNP, and unite Scotland, for independence.”  But that might be a whole lot harder than it sounds. Here’s POLITICO’s snap guide to the man vying to enter Bute House as Scotland’s first minister. Why’s Swinney running? Swinney’s return to frontline politics comes just over a year after he stepped down from the second highest office north of the border — but what a year it’s been. He’s vying to replace Humza Yousaf, who resigned after just 13 months in power following a botched conclusion …

Sssh, don’t mention you’re a Tory! Candidates hide their stripes in UK local elections – POLITICO

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[ad_1] Challenged to express enthusiasm for Sunak, Street recently told the Sunday Times: “He is the prime minister. I am supportive to the party. But he and I have fallen out over a number of issues.” Street’s Labour rival, Richard Parker, has accused him of being a Tory “when it suits him.” A Conservative MP in the West Midlands, granted anonymity like others in this article to speak freely, conceded that while some might see Street’s actions as an exercise in political distancing, “Andy has taught me a lesson, which is don’t ram Conservative posters down people’s throats.” “We should make the effort to explain why you should vote for me. Not just because I’ve got a blue ribbon but because I care about the things that you care about,” the MP added. Clear blue water In hard-fought elections around the country, the temptation to take a leaf out of Street’s book appears strong. Ben Houchen, mayor of Tees Valley since 2017, has dropped the Conservative label from some leaflets and has boasted that he …