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I Gotta Have Faith

It would be easy to make a joke about how desperately Rishi Sunak needs an Easter miracle. Our Prime Minister certainly has the appearance of a man who believes he is being unfairly crucified - the weight of the world piled upon his slender shoulders. And he does sometimes give the impression that, in his heart of hearts, he’d quite like to react to any given outrage from his backbenches with a cry of ‘I’m not a naughty boy, I’m the messiah!’.

But despite all of that, resurrection looks an unlikely prospect for Sunak. He’s twenty points behind in the polls. His own party gives every impression of loathing him. Ministers are dropping like flies, and the local elections are going to haemorrhage Tory councillors, reducing further his activist base.

Little wonder, in light of all that, that aides to the Prime Minister have let it be known this week that he believes defeat ‘now looks inevitable’ - well… yah - and that Sunak is going to ‘concentrate on his legacy’.

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June 1st 2016

Memo from Brussels

The mood among Cameron’s counterparts in the European Council – the heads of state and government of the EU’s 28 member states – is largely resentful and unsympathetic. None of them are truly expecting...
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May 7th 2016

New York State of Mind

You'll be forgiven a slight sense of déjà vu. When Donald J. Trump first announced he was running for President the news was greeted with knowing laughs. He would be quickly and roundly exposed...
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April 28th 2016

Good Kid, Mad City

Zac Goldsmith is a nice man. Everyone says so, from ex-brother-in-law Imran Khan to many of the environmental activists and Green Party types that he has campaigned alongside for years. He is also rich, good...
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April 13th 2016

Pirates of the Caribbean

One of the most durable sources of progressive frustration in UK politics has been the steadfast refusal of the electorate to accept that it is not rich. Logical, Fabian arguments for higher taxation have often...
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March 21st 2016

From a Whisper to a Scream

Back in 2003 Iain Duncan Smith, fresh from delivering a 'back me or sack me' turn at his party conference, was digging in as Leader of the Conservative Party. His close advisors, including a...
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