Boris Johnson’s remarkable victory over Labour is also a victory for populism over policy. He has secured the mandate he wanted for his crude, misleading but effective slogan – to...
To get his way at Labour conference, Jeremy Corbyn had to turn his showdown with Labour Remainers at his party’s conference into a loyalty test. Afterwards, many Labour MPs who...
Ruth Davidson’s resignation as leader of the Scottish Conservatives is very bad news for Boris Johnson. She sugared the pill a little in her valedictory statement in Edinburgh by saying...
Normally, Downing Street is half-empty in August, due to the holiday season and parliament being in recess. This year, No 10 is buzzing with activity; this week, I was surprised...
The European elections have made a Final Say referendum more likely. Although Nigel Farage opposes a public vote as yet another “betrayal”, his undisputed victory will not stop this momentum....
When Theresa May opted to unveil her “new deal” in a speech away from the Commons chamber, she hoped to escape the two-hour mauling from MPs that has followed most...
During the darkest days of the Brexit crisis, Theresa May allies kept their spirits up by describing her “Bee Gees strategy” – a reference to the group’s hit “Stayin’ Alive”....
When The Independent Group was riding high after eight Labour and three Conservative MPs quit their parties in February, one older hand warned its enthusiastic young recruits: “It won’t always...
What a difference two years makes. At the 2017 general election, the Conservatives and Labour halted a long-term decline in their combined share of the vote, winning a remarkable 82...
Politics is going round in circles. Five years ago, Nigel Farage emerged triumphant from the European parliament elections, after Ukip won the most votes and seats. David Cameron, spooked...
Political columnist for The Independent.
