Next Queen’s Speech to focus on ‘global race’
If you’d hoped we’d seen the back of the term ‘global race’, which featured so heavily in the autumn statement, think again. It looks like it’s going to be a big theme for the next parliamentary...
View ArticleOver 100 Tory MPs demand EU referendum bill: exclusive details
Tory backbenchers have written again to the Prime Minister demanding legislation guaranteeing a referendum in the next Parliament. Conservative MP John Baron delivered the letter, which bears more than...
View ArticleThe Tory Blame Game
Who is to blame for last night’s Tory uprising on Europe? It’s more entertaining to pin the blame on everyone, rather than one person, and in this case, it’s wrong to insist that the leadership is...
View ArticleDowning Street confirms Coffee House scoop on Cabinet row
As James exclusively revealed on Coffee House this morning, an ambush took place at this morning’s Cabinet meeting on legislation for an EU referendum and recall of MPs. Downing Street confirmed this...
View ArticleTories and Lib Dems will want to break the rules if there’s another Coalition
The Coalition has been much more of a success than anyone could have predicted when it formed in 2010. It hasn’t just held together for spending cuts, but has passed important reforms to welfare and...
View ArticleExclusive: Eurosceptic plotters mull Queen’s Speech revolt
David Cameron managed to extract promises from some of the more troublesome backbench MPs that they wouldn’t get up to any monkey business around this year’s Queen’s Speech. Last year’s motion of...
View ArticleVideo: Zac Goldsmith says Queen’s Speech is ‘conning’ the public over recall...
Four years after promising a recall system for MPs, the coalition has delivered on its promise in today’s Queen Speech. Or has it? The Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith doesn’t think so. The long-time...
View ArticlePodcast: The Queen’s Speech and the farce of recall and the fight for Ukip’s...
Was this year’s Queen Speech a waste of time? On this week’s View from 22 podcast, the Conservative MPs Zac Goldsmith and Chris Skidmore discuss the government’s plan for the next year with Fraser...
View ArticleLabour should now define itself as in favour of both a referendum and the EU
The three main Labour leadership candidates have now all said that they want a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the EU. But the party’s ‘official’ position – that is, the policy it went into...
View ArticleThe Tories try to deal with latest net migration target failure
One of the odd decisions that the Tories made before the election was to pursue their net migration target, in spite of the fact that they cannot meet it. Today’s figures underline that, with net...
View ArticleThe right-to-buy scheme is already causing problems for the government
New communities secretary Greg Clark has the least enviable job in the cabinet: justifying the policy of extending the right-to-buy to housing association tenants. The policy, hastily put together in...
View ArticleWhat to expect in today’s Queen’s Speech
The new parliament officially begins with the grand State Opening of Parliament ceremony today. The Queen will deliver the first Conservative Queen’s Speech in 19 years this morning, outlining the...
View ArticleWill Nick Clegg’s response to the Queen’s Speech mean anything at all?
Could there be a sadder sight today than Nick Clegg, intervening on behalf of his now tiny ‘minor party’ in the Queen’s Speech debate? The Lib Dem leader is responding to this afternoon, his first...
View ArticleCameron will struggle to get human rights reform past parliament at any stage
David Cameron has decided to stall on human rights reform for now, partly because the Tories couldn’t quite work out how to get the reforms they wanted, and partly because the Prime Minister knew that...
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Will Dennis Skinner take a pop at the SNP?
He may be a national treasure, but it’s safe to say that Dennis Skinner’s annual crack during the Queen’s Speech have been a bit lame of late. The veteran MP always makes a joke in the silence as Black...
View ArticleQueen’s Speech Tory slogan bingo
Anyone would think that those drafting the Queen’s Speech might have had a bet on to see how many Tory soundbites they could shoehorn in. Apparently the Queen’s government will ‘adopt a one nation...
View ArticleTrying to ban legal highs? Expect a bad trip
Keep an eye on the government’s ban on legal highs. The Conservative manifesto pledged to outlaw all the horrible chemicals kids smoke and snort for fun these days, on account of them being easier to...
View ArticleWhy the Queen won’t be the centre of political attention next week
In normal times, the government clears the decks ahead of the Queen’s Speech. It wants to ensure maximum publicity for its legislative agenda. But these are not normal times: there’s an EU referendum...
View ArticleWhat David Cameron is trying to tell us with this Queen’s Speech
What is the point of today’s Queen’s Speech? The government’s legislative programme for the year is being briefed as light and safe, given the ructions in the Tory party over Europe and David Cameron’s...
View ArticleWatch: Dennis Skinner makes his annual contribution to the Queen’s Speech...
Last year the Beast of Bolsover failed to make his annual contribution to the Queen’s Speech after he found himself preoccupied battling the SNP for his favourite seat. With that fight now won, Dennis...
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