This parliament’s critical test for Labour – and the Tories – will come before the next election
Henry Hill
“Whilst at present it might feel to ministers as though they have almost five years to sort things out, the real deadline might be more like two: the point at which the next election starts to feel real, and the front-loaded spending juice of this Budget starts to run out.”
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William Atkinson
“Two-thirds of MPs voted for a candidate other than her in the final round. Four-fifths did not do so in the first. Was it wise to so handsomely reward her long marchers whilst not finding top-table roles for rivals’ supporters like Danny Kruger, Alicia Kearns, and Nick Timothy?”
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Conservatives should ignore some of the embarrassing reactions to Trump’s election
Giles Dilnot
“Who knew high immigration upsets voters? Well Conservatives should. We got taught that the hard way. We should stop talking tough and work out how to tackle it despite the institutional barriers that have always been stacked in the way.”
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We will soon see Starmer shaking hands with Trump
James Johnson
“One of the most significant revelations from last night’s results is Trump’s success in assembling a cross-demographic coalition. Unlike in previous elections, the 2024 outcome reflects a clear message from voters across racial and geographic lines.”
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Labour’s pledge to ‘smash the gangs’ is based on a lie
Daniel Hannan
“Rather than go through the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, Labour continues to classify the migrants as patients and looks for someone else at whom to direct its ire, namely the people smugglers who, being motivated by profit, are obvious targets.”
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Badenoch could be a great leader – but only if she leaves her comfort zone
David Gauke
“It is no bad thing for an aspiring leader to think deeply about the issues we face, including the challenges of the political realignment. But it keeps her in her policy comfort zone, more focused on the rise of identity politics, for example, than the challenge of obtaining higher economic growth.”
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Any reform to the House of Lords must respect, and enhance, its actual function
Lord Norton
“Political imperatives and the increasing demands of constituency responsibilities militate against MPs being able to engage in detailed scrutiny, not just of primary legislation, but also, and most notably, secondary legislation…”
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It’s time to start selling the dream of unionism in Scotland, not the arrogance of the past
Roz McCall MSP
“We must remember that it is the SNP that have failed in government, not that the Scottish Government and Parliament as institutions have failed, the SNP have spent their time focused on the wrong priorities and have left Scotland worse off.”
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Labour’s plan for the railways promises only stagnation – and higher costs for the taxpayer
Grant Shapps
“Private operators currently contribute over £1 billion annually to the railway network. But where my model preserved both public and private funding, Labour’s plan would put the entire burden on taxpayers.”
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There is no path to serious tax cuts that does not involve serious spending cuts
Henry Hill
“If that all sounds a bit miserable, it is! But if you’re aspiring to govern this country, that’s your in-tray. Labour seemed not to really have grasped that before taking office in July, but we will have no excuse for making the same mistake.”
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