By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter On Wednesday, Tim Montgomerie reported the 1922 Committee's difficult meeting, in which pro-leadership backbenchers clashed with those some might characterise as too ready to attack the leadership. Clearly this infighting is causing some problems, and can't make backbench life easy. One complaint, usually made by modernising MPs, is that the […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I predicted before the budget that if it ran into trouble Liam Fox would come to George Osborne's support. Like many of my predictions, it was wrong: the former Defence Secretary stayed silent while the Chancellor was battered and besieged over tax rises for older people, on pasties, on […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter It was only two weeks that David Cameron and George Osborne were basking in the sunlight of Barack Obama's rose garden. Today they are living through the worst period of their time in government and they've just been warned by David Davis that they are at risk of becoming defined […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Has he changed? If so, how? First and last, a political animal. Preocuppied with winning . The Government's real head of strategy. Full time in that role, part time as Chancellor. Is prepared to take risks. Loves the political game. A social and economic liberal by instinct. Has a young […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter In his most important intervention since resigning as Defence Secretary Liam Fox has issued a coded warning that the Coalition's deficit reduction strategy could be at risk if action is not taken to accelerate economic growth. In an article for tomorrow's Financial Times Dr Fox says the Chancellor has "created […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. David Cameron has three main reasons not to sack Liam Fox. The first is that he dislikes reshuffling his own team, let alone one in which the Liberal Democrats are involved. The second is he believes governments look and are weak if they allow the media to dictate terms […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. In a video made yesterday (and linked to here today), the Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox, responded to reports questioning the nature of his working relationship with former flatmate Adam Werritty. Fox said: "When accusations get made, the appropriate thing is to investigate them properly, not ask […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. The Financial Times today profiles Theresa May, correctly clocking her reliability, her workrate, her steeliness, her discretion, her relationship with her husband – and her distance from her colleagues: "Ask politicians or journalists about Ms May and they will often let out a small collective groan," the paper writes, […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The former Chief Secretary to the Treasury gets in early before the coming Liberal Democrat conference, writing in the Sun this morning under the headline "We must tackle our economy and mend our broken society." The piece has three main messages as his party prepares to gather in Birmingham. […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Parts of William Hague's speech today about the future of the Foreign Office were trailed in Peter Oborne's columm this morning. So I won't reproduce either's strictures about Labour's axeing of the Foreign Office language school, the destruction of the Department's library, the removal of its protection against exchange […]
As a former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, David Davis was always likely to want to contribute from the self-imposed freedom of the backbenches to the debate about how to get the public finances under control. And today, through an article in the FT, the former shadow home secretary addresses the question of where […]
Today’s newspapers include further strong hints that Ken Clarke is poised to make a return to the Conservative frontbench for the first time since 1997. The Daily Telegraph reports "a friend" of George Osborne saying that the shadow chancellor is actively pushing for his return in a reshuffle being planned by David Cameron: "George has […]
Over the new year period we will be presenting some end-of-year awards; starting with our personal choices for BackBencher Of The Year: Jonathan Isaby’s pick: "My selection for backbencher of the year goes to someone who could equally have been nominated for the frontbencher award – as he was a member of the shadow cabinet […]
According to the Daily Mail "senior Tory sources" have refused to deny that Ken Clarke is about to return to the shadow cabinet; possibly opposite Peter Mandelson. An article in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph got the speculation going again. Most Tory members would be glad to see the former Chancellor and three-times-rejected leadership candidate back on […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter This was the moment on last night's BBC Question Time when Ken Clarke attacked ConservativeHome, after falsely attacking the "Murdoch press": I am, of course, grateful to Ken for the publicity and also grateful to Arthur Stevens for posting the video on YouTube. As I Tweeted last night, ConHome doesn't […]