Last week, a couple of days before the end of my holiday, we had the sad news that one of PB’s leading posters almost since the site started, Mark Senior, has died. Over nearly a decade and a half he became a key part of the site’s unique commenting community and although I never met him I am sure that others feel like I do that we know him from our interactions over such a long period. I’ve not been…
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EXC: In small hours of election morning Phil Hammond texted Boris to say he would back him for leader — Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) September 23, 2017 Hammond said he would back Boris to run a triumvirate with himself and David Davis to replace Theresa May on election night — Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) September 23, 2017 Hammond leadership plan to replace May: he would run economy, DD would run Brexit, Boris would "run the shop" as front man. See Sunday Times…
If Jeremy Corbyn does become Prime Minister I expect electoral reform, as part of wider constitutional reform, will happen, without the need of plebiscites on the matter. Whilst Labour leaders do say in opposition they favour electoral reform but then ignore it when they are elected, like a brilliant thought during an orgasm, it gets lost in the ecstasy of ‘victory’. I think Corbyn will not do a Blair on the topic of electoral reform. The chart above, from the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Cx_1HAf6k May’s Brexit concessions still deliberately risk a Crash Brexit So now we know what the longest cabinet meeting of the century achieved: everyone united around the proposition that if there’s a row to be had, it can wait. That’s as true of internal cabinet divisions as it is of the main UK-EU negotiations. At some point the crunch will come – but not yet. It was always extremely likely that the UK would ask for some form of transitional…
Summary – We will pay an unspecified amount for a two year transition period and bespoke trade deal. — Jason Farrell (@JasonFarrellSky) September 22, 2017 Not clear that TM will have blown away the stumbling blocks with this speech. Overall tone is appeal to EU Leaders to see UK as a partner — Jason Farrell (@JasonFarrellSky) September 22, 2017 Four months ago May was outside No 10 accusing the EU of rigging our election. How times have changed… — Ben…
Over the next few weeks the major parties will be holding their party conferences and just as in every other week there are local by-elections all over the country, therefore for the duration of this Parliament we will be keeping track of how the parties do in the week of their party conferences. This week the Liberal Democrats met in Bournemouth and there were three local by-elections in Chesterfield, Oadby and Wigston and Waveney, so let’s see how they did…