Gloria De Piero MP has written another excellent article about Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment, and seeing as she was kind enough to mention the follow-up piece I wrote last time round, I...
Chris Bryant gave an interesting quote earlier today when asked on The Daily Politics about his views on air strikes in Syria: “It would be on my conscience, to be honest, if there were a...
If you like a bit of intellectual stimulus to go with your sun, sand and sangria, do yourself a favour and put this book on your summer holidays reading list: Jordan Ellenberg’s ‘How Not To B...
Now then. David Cameron will today pledge to enshrine in law his manifesto commitment not to increase the rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT*. That is one thing. Personally, I don�...
Whenever I hear a proposal on tax, I ask: how much does it cost; then how is it paid for? The first answer gives you half a sense of the credibility of the proposer; the second completes the pict...
After 15 hours of fascinating and - let’s face it - fairly exciting developments in l’affaire Sturgeon, here’s where I think we are, and I’ll try to stick as much as possible to incontrov...
This was Winston Churchill’s famous peroration in his speech of 4 June 1940, delivered in the House of Commons, then separately recorded for public broadcast: > “We shall fight on the�...
During today’s back-and-forth around the Mansion Tax, Ed Balls said that – after May 7, if Labour were in power – they would “sit down with the Treasury” and work out the details of its...
I’d like to try and start something. If it succeeds, it will bring untold pleasure and enlightenment to all of our lives, and who doesn’t need a bit of that? Before Friday, I would like to ...
Here’s a real treat for all fans of football memorabilia. From 26 years ago today, this was John Motson’s cribsheet for the live FA Cup Third Round tie between West Ham and Arsenal at the Bo...
When I was growing up in Finchley, our next door neighbours were a man called Tom, his wife and sons. My clearest memory of Tom was his stern advice while scratching his arms and back: “Never g...
You know when you start working somewhere new, and you meet someone there and think: “Blimey, you’re good – you’re the one I’m gonna learn from”. The way they talk, the way they exp...
A quick thought and a quick anecdote on the issue of Special Advisers Pay: A QUICK THOUGHT: Keep a careful eye on how many of these 100-odd Special Advisers resign their positions at the star...
Salience. Salience. A word that’s been bothering me for weeks. Nick Robinson was on the Daily Politics previewing Prime Minister’s Questions, and – based on conversations he’d had with ...
On the surface of things, you wouldn’t say Ed Miliband has too much in common with Muhammad Ali. But – unwittingly – Miliband may just have pulled off the greatest rope-a-dope trick since...
In a fortnight’s time, David Cameron will make a two-day visit to Turkey and Poland, the latter trip fulfilling his long-standing wish to pay his respects at Auschwitz. Next year will of cour...
Studying the latest polls this morning, the thought came to mind that British politics is increasingly looking like a Rubik’s Cube. Googling that thought, I see that The Guardian’s Patrick ...
For the last twelve years, it’s been the most important row of offices in British politics; fifty yards where the fate of nations, parties and leaders unfolds, from Gordon Brown and Ed Balls co...
After this week’s leadership shenanigans, and their unsatisfactory aftermath , even many Labour MPs and supporters will now think the election is the Tories’ to lose. In which case, cheer u...
Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said this at a Q&A session in South London: > “I think it is a huge, huge shame that who > want to give back who�...