Brexit. The story of 2019 in a single paragraph.
Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat. Defeat…Total Complete & Utter Victory.
Sunder Katwala: The Conservatives, ethnic minority voters, and the election. Next to no progress.
Not being white remains the number one demographic predictor of not voting Tory.
The end of the Independent Group for Change, and farewell to ‘Parliament’s new tribe’
Having misjudged their message, their methods, and their moment, it is astonishing the extent to which the self-styled moderates squandered their resources.
Tom Tugendhat: The three foreign policy actions that Johnson should take now that he has this huge majority
For the first time in decades the levers of British influence – defence, diplomacy, aid and trade – could sit alongside domestic efforts in education and infrastructure.
The impeachment of Trump is a gigantic own goal by the Democrats
Johnson’s opponents must avoid the error of supposing it is enough to demonstrate, at least to their own satisfaction, that he is a bad person.
Iain Dale: Downing Street is keeping a beady eye on the BBC
Plus: The landslide that few dared to predict. How I once tried to become Monmouth’s MP. And: Happy Christmas to all my readers
Lee Rowley: North East Derbyshire was a forerunner of this election victory. Here’s what we did to win again.
For my colleagues who’ve smashed through the Red Wall – pick those bricks up and build anew.
Johnson – at a stroke, a bigger player in foreign affairs, because of his larger majority. But what does he want to do?
The scale of his domestic ambitions and the legacy of the Iraq War suggest that his ambitions will be limited – for the moment at least.
Garvan Walshe: Merging DfID and the FCO makes sense in these tough times
A separate department was right for the stable, hopeful 1990s. But the years have presented various challenges for which it is less well-suited.
Greig Baker: Voters deserved to know what Jon Ashworth really thinks of Corbyn
I have known Jon for more than a decade, and I spent the past three years imploring him to be honest with people about the Labour leader.
How Vox Pub foresaw the Tory victory in England, but failed to predict defeat in Scotland
In vino veritas: talking to voters in pubs usually works. We saw how four of these five contests could be expected to play out.
Robert Halfon: For years, I’ve urged that the Conservatives become a Workers Party. Now it is one.
As the Prime Minister said, many people have lent us their vote, and they won’t be so generous next time if we get it wrong.
Julian Brazier: So Downing Street wants to tackle defence procurement. Here are five ways in which it should change.
Talk of more competition can be naïve if the choice simply amounts to either buying from a national monopoly or making an off-the-shelf purchase from the USA.
The non-reshuffle shuffle
Morgan is Culture Secretary from the Lords, Hart Welsh Secretary – and this holding operation presages a bigger reshuffle after Brexit at the end of January.
Ben Bradley: Voters tore down the Red Wall because they were sick of Labour talking down to them and holding them back
That doesn’t mean they are all suddenly hardcore Tories. For many we were the least-worst option. But we have an opportunity to win their trust.