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The SNP has ducked out of delivering a new politics

by Euan McColm / 05 Apr 2016 19:00

Scarcely has the result of an election been such a foregone conclusion. On May 5, Scots will decided just how large the SNP’s majority in the Scottish Parliament is to be. The smart money’s on very large indeed.

Nicola Sturgeon will begin the next Holyrood session with the most powerful mandate any First Minister, including her predecessor Alex Salmond, has enjoyed since the parliament opened in 1999.

To complement her considerable political muscle, Sturgeon enjoys

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Watch: Taxi for Goldsmith as mayoral wannabe flounders in capital quiz

05 Apr 2016 14:30

When Zac Goldsmith agreed to take a black cab ride through London with the BBC’s assistant political editor, he may have hoped it would bolster his flagging ‘man on the street’ credentials.

In the event, it achieved the opposite effect. The Tory mayoral contender looked distinctly awkward as Norman Smith hit him with questions about football, the tube and the Museum of London . And he was unable to answer them.

Goldsmith could not say

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Corbyn ally Jon Trickett sets out election expectations… and is accused of ‘getting excuses in early’

05 Apr 2016 13:20

Labour MPs are at odd over how well the party needs to perform in the local elections.

The party’s election campaign chief Jon Trickett has been blasted after he suggested losing to the Conservatives in next month's council poll would still be a good result for the party.

Trickett said "we should be looking for Labour to advance on the 2015 election results, where we finished almost seven per cent behind the Conservatives".

The shadow cabinet

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Tears of the Tory politicians: how Duncan Smith is a far cry from Thatcher

05 Apr 2016 11:00

Iain Duncan Smith started to cry when he related the story of a 19-year-old single mother who had given up on finding work.

A BBC documentary to be aired on April 7 shows the former work and pensions secretary apparently welling up.

During an interview with the Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, IDS apologised for getting “quite emotional”. Hislop told the Radio Times:

"It was a curious thing. IDS actually broke down. He wept in

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London mayoral battle not over yet as Goldsmith 'gains ground' on Sadiq

04 Apr 2016 15:32

It is the local election with nationwide consequences – and a new poll today suggests it could go either way.

With just one more month to run, a new Opinium poll for the Evening Standard shows Labour’s Sadiq Khan eight points ahead of Zac Goldsmith in the London mayoral race.

But the Conservative candidate won in the outer boroughs and is gaining the trust of more Londoners on key issues – and with 24%

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Stormin' Corbyn to rock Glasto as festival unveils latest headliner

04 Apr 2016 13:29

Last year’s Glastonbury headliner was controversial, as Kanye West preened about the stage in front of a disobliging crowd.

But the festival may have gone one better with this year’s line-up – which is now rumoured to feature one Jeremy Corbyn Esq.

The Labour leader will not, however, be expected to sing – instead the anti-nuclear campaigner is expected to speak at a CND rally. A Glastonbury source told the Mirror:

“Jeremy has accepted the

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Senior medics call on UK to stay - but Brexiteers have more to cheer

04 Apr 2016 11:18

The referendum battle steps up today with the Remain camp offering up a consortium of medics – but other interventions suggest the Brexiteers may have more to cheer in the weeks to come.

A group of 188 clinicians, academics and public health leaders have written to the Times claiming the NHS would be in jeopardy if the UK were to leave the EU, losing access to “finances, staffing and exchanges”. They added:

“As health professionals

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Panama Papers leak shines light on tax practices of world leaders

04 Apr 2016 08:47

It’s been a while since we’ve been leaked a treasure trove of documents with potentially earthshattering ramifications – but today’s “Panama Papers” disclosure is a real humdinger.

The leak of 11m documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca ranks alongside the Wikileaks and Edward Snowden archives in terms of scope and seriousness.

The documents show how clients – including 72 current or former heads of state – were helped to launder money, dodge sanctions and

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Javid jets in to address protest at embattled Port Talbot steel works

01 Apr 2016 16:13

The business secretary finally managed to make it to Port Talbot this afternoon – but protesters outside the Tata steel plant did not seem convinced with what he had to say.

A full three days after Tata executives in India decided to put UK operations up for sale Sajid Javid met with executives and workers at the plant.

On emerging, Javid said he had been in talks with Tata for months over its sale of

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New drive for democratic reform from Labour's modernising wing

01 Apr 2016 14:17

Something strange is happening in the world of Labour policy-making and despite all appearances, it’s not an April fool.

Party bigwigs have opened a new policy consultation on the contentious issue of electoral reform – and suggestions made so far would not look out of place in a Liberal Democrat manifesto.

Launching the Fabian Society campaign today, Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds said there was a pressing need for new ideas for constitutional reform in

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Shot in the arm for Powerhouse economy as healthcare devolved

01 Apr 2016 11:18

The engine room of the so-called Northern Powerhouse gets an extra jolt today as Greater Manchester takes control of its health and social care budgets – though even key advocates were left struggling to explain what difference it will make.

The shift will see the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester come together with 12 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and 15 NHS trusts to form a new coalition co-ordinating health, care and support services for the

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Chancellor hopes new living wage will pay political dividends

01 Apr 2016 08:48

“It is, perhaps, the one thing I’m most proud of,” the chancellor of the exchequer has said, but will the new national living wage work or will the risks overwhelm it?

From today, those aged 25 or over will be paid a minimum of £7.20 an hour – a 50p pay rise that George Osborne says will benefit 2.5 million employees.

Ministers are seeking a political dividend from the move. Skills minister Nick Boles has

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Latest Interview

Gavin Barwell: The election was tough - most nights I would wake up in a cold sweat

If Gavin Barwell had lost his highly marginal seat in the 2015 general election, he could hardly have been accused of not trying his utmost.

The Tory adviser-turned-MP states in a new book about his election fight that the 12 months leading up to polling day were “incredibly tough”. But that could be something of an understatement.

Margaret Thatcher is famously said to have slept for only four hours a night. Barwell reveals that he was not far

Read more...

The SNP has ducked out of delivering a new politics

Watch: Taxi for Goldsmith as mayoral wannabe flounders in capital quiz

Corbyn ally Jon Trickett sets out election expectations… and is accused of ‘getting excuses in early’

Tears of the Tory politicians: how Duncan Smith is a far cry from Thatcher

London mayoral battle not over yet as Goldsmith 'gains ground' on Sadiq

Stormin' Corbyn to rock Glasto as festival unveils latest headliner

Senior medics call on UK to stay - but Brexiteers have more to cheer

Panama Papers leak shines light on tax practices of world leaders

Javid jets in to address protest at embattled Port Talbot steel works

New drive for democratic reform from Labour's modernising wing

Shot in the arm for Powerhouse economy as healthcare devolved

Chancellor hopes new living wage will pay political dividends

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Latest Interview

Gavin Barwell: The election was tough - most nights I would wake up in a cold sweat

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