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Dame Alison Rose’s resignation as NatWest chief executive was no surprise, after she admitted last night that she was the source of the BBC story about why Nigel Farage was dropped as a client by Coutts, the private bank owned by NatWest. What was a surprise was how Rose was de-banked in the wider
For months, Conservative and Labour politicians have presumed we are either heading for a general election like 1992, when Tories under John Major defied the opinion polls to spring a surprise victory, or 1997, when Tony Blair won by a landslide. Last week’s local elections in England tell us the answer: neither.
Figures published today show the Conservatives have delivered on their 2019 manifesto pledge to recruit 20,000 police officers, which Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman are trumpeting as the two main parties continue their war of words on crime. There’s only one problem: today’s numbers merely reverse previous cuts by the Tories after they took power in 2010.
Even before he was formally sworn in as Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf had made his first mistake. Not offering his defeated rival Kate Forbes a senior post in his cabinet and is a big error that will return to haunt him. The former finance secretary rightly turned down a demotion to the rural affairs
Although they wouldn’t admit it, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have one thing in common: a very thin offer when it comes to foreign policy. They should both make a new year’s resolution to say more about it. Yes, it was understandable that both leaders prioritised the economy in 2022. Some advisers will whisper in their ear that there are
So now we know. Brexit is proving even worse for the UK economy than the official forecast of a 4 per cent hit to GDP over 15 years. It’s already reached 5.5 per cent, according to a study by the Centre for European Reform (CER) think tank. Significantly, a disappearing Covid effect no longer masks the damage of leaving the EU
Five weeks after becoming prime minister, Rishi Sunak has discovered how hard it is to govern the country when you have an ungovernable party. The prime minister is battling backbench rebellions over housebuilding, onshore wind, tax rises, his China policy and the Brexit trade deal. His faction-ridden MPs have ignored his initial
In her short valedictory speech after less than 50 days as prime minister, an unrepentant Liz Truss could not bring herself to say sorry for her mistakes. She reiterated her belief in her bold pro-growth strategy. Her legacy will not be what she said outside 10 Downing Street – lower national insurance bills and help with energy costs,
“This is reassurance week,” one ally of Liz Truss told me. There’s one problem: the financial markets, Conservative MPs and in turn, the public are far from reassured, despite the government’s more conciliatory tone. Last month’s mini-Budget already seems like a long time ago but it continues to haunt Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng.
King Charles’s warm welcome in Scotland and Northern Ireland during his UK tour cannot mask the fact that he will face a more difficult task than the Queen in holding the union together. It is not impossible that it breaks apart during his reign. It would not be about him; political developments in Scotland and Northern Ireland after
Political columnist for The Independent.
