I suspect we will be denied a Reform UK/Conservative coalition not because of the election result. Or policy differences. But because it is all a bit socially awkward.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah might want to consider publicly denouncing those 2011 tweets. In any event someone soon is going to ask him, to his face if he still stands by them or sent them, unless he decides to imprison himself in a house in Brighton, rather than a cell in Cairo.
And the ConHome team wishes all of you a very Happy New Year.
ConservativeHome’s round-up of ten of our best articles from the preceding week.
The Conservative Party remains under pressure, but the sense of paralysis that defined much of the year has eased. Badenoch’s leadership seems to have finally steadied the party and lifted the mood.
Not only does it lean even further into the natural advantages as prospective candidates enjoyed by councillors, but it will in general select for MPs who conduct themselves like councillors regardless.
There’s a clear political advantage for any who adopt language that frames their vision in a positive way. It’s simple psychology. People want something to believe in more than they want something that will give them Schadenfreude.
Starmer says power is frustrating. His government seems determined to prove the point. From defence spending to schools guidance, Labour’s instinct is not action but sluggish postponement.
Kemi Badenoch should take care to emphasise the latter as well as the former, so as to reassure environmentally-minded Conservatives that this is about better policy, not a dirtier planet.
Let our opponents claim we’re done, I think they’ve over played that, but if the Conservatives underplay their efforts to prove them wrong, they’ll end up being right.
ConservativeHome’s round-up of ten of our best articles from the preceding week.
From GoPros on aprons to Come Fly With Me spoofs, the Conservatives are quietly becoming the UK’s most-watched political brand – outstripping its targets and giving Westminster something to talk about.
The whole point of the Convention is that it elevates certain rights above the political realm. There is an inherent tension between such an arrangement and democracy.
As the King knows, Christians are better placed than rationalists to integrate Muslims into British society.