It was with regret that I read the Duchess of Cambridge has allegedly been the victim of a private investigator who hacked into details of her bank account. However, although I was sorry to learn of the apparent events from 2005, I was certainly not surprised. This is because more than a decade ago, when […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG Her Majesty’s Press has been loud of late in its criticisms of “super-injunctions”. Newspapers – aided by some helpful (perhaps even dubious?) use of Parliamentary privilege in both “Houses” – have taken great delight in being able to over-ride long-standing injunctions from judges. This has enabled the media to identify both Fred […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG. One of the numerous pleasures that have resulted from my long fascination with bravery is meeting so many courageous people. By assembling the world’s largest collection of VCs over the past 25 years and through writing three books on gallantry, I have repeatedly come into contact with former and serving military […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG. Today I will attend a public engagement that will fill me with pride and joy. I will join the Duke of Gloucester and World War II bomber pilot Marshal of The Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham and others for the foundation stone laying ceremony at the site of a new monument […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG. My recent polling report, Crime, Punishment & The People, set out the views of the public, victims of crime and police officers on the Justice Secretary's plans on sentencing reform. Last week two of Britain's most senior judges, Lord Justice Thomas and Lord Justice Goldring, published the judiciary's response to Mr […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG. The campaign to change the electoral system likes to call itself "Yes To Fairer Votes". Under the Alternative Vote, they say, "your next MP would have to aim to get more than 50% of the vote to be sure of winning. At present they can be handed power with just one […]
If you were sitting in a waiting room, and all the day’s newspapers were spread before you, which one would you pick up and read first? And if you were to ask, say, ten thousand people the same question, what do you think would be the most popular answer? If you think it would be […]
Two principal questions are preoccupying Conservative commentators about the result from Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election: First, was the Liberal Democrat vote share largely due to tactical voting by previous Conservative supporters? Second, would a bigger Conservative presence on the campaign trail have made any significant difference to the result? I decided to find out […]
By Lord Ashcroft, KCMG. As Ed Miliband returns to work this week after the birth of his son, Conservatives will be wishing his family well – while considering what can be done to ensure the Labour leader’s political fortunes do not prosper. Two schools of thought are apparently emerging: one, that the Tories should subject […]
By Lord Ashcroft KCMG. Anyone listening to the BBC’s coverage of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review could be forgiven for thinking that all civilised life was about to come to an end. One after another, lobby groups and special interests dependent on the state’s borrowed money are wheeled out to explain why they should be […]
By Lord Ashcroft KCMG. Though the Liberal Democrats achieved 24% of the vote in Great Britain at the general election, no poll since late June has put Nick Clegg’s party above 18%. Some have put them at less than half of their 6 May vote share. In July I published research conducted in marginal constituencies […]
By Lord Ashcroft. A few weeks ago I explored whether the Conservatives could benefit from the Alternative Vote electoral system because of the meltdown in support for Liberal Democrats in target seats. The answer then was possibly, yes. In my latest private polling I’ve investigated the different views of the Labour movement and those of […]
By Lord Ashcroft. A referendum on the Alternative Vote is currently planned for 5 May 2011. The pollsters have turned their attention to the likely ramifications should the public decide to adopt such a system for general elections. There has been a widespread assumption that the Conservatives have nothing to gain from electoral reform, and […]
By Lord Ashcroft St Paul’s Cathedral is gleaming once again, courtesy of a £40 million restoration project. For the first time in 15 years, Sir Christopher Wren’s magnificent building in the heart of London is free from scaffolding and it has not looked better since it was completed back in 1711. The unveiling of the […]