Cleverly by name. And perhaps even Cleverly by nature, too? Judging by his Guardian interview this week, and by his step-by-step rebuilding of Britain’s relations with Europe, James Cleverly seems to be quietly cajoling Conservative foreign policy down off the post-Brexit battlements and towards a more recognisably practical and stable place in world affairs. If so, two important questions follow. Where exactly is that new place for Britain? And will the Tory party let him do it? The foreign secretary’s interview in Tokyo exemplifies Rishi Sunak-era pragmatism. The interview’s tone…
Tag: Conservatives
Inaction on ‘Chinese police stations’ under fire over Tory fundraiser link
Labour has accused the government of going slow on an investigation into alleged Chinese police stations in the UK after it was reported that one was operating from the office of a Conservative activist, who had been pictured at party fundraisers with then prime ministers Boris Johnson and Theresa May. Yvette Cooper, speaking in the Commons, called on ministers to explain why the UK had not shut down the so-called police stations allegedly operating in London and Glasgow despite announcing an investigation in November and in the aftermath of arrests…
‘Sign of weakness’: Truss criticises Von der Leyen and Macron for visiting China – video
The former British prime minister Liz Truss has criticised the visit by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, to Beijing, describing it as a mistake. Speaking during a Q&A after delivering the 2023 Margaret Thatcher freedom lecture on Wednesday, Truss said: ‘The idea that we can treat China as just another global player is wrong. It is a totalitarian regime and we need to adapt our policies accordingly.’ Truss also called on western countries to take a stronger line on Taiwan The…
Former Conservative chairman says Liz Truss interventions should be less frequent
Liz Truss’s political interventions “should be like sex in a long and happy relationship, infrequent but anticipated with glee”, the former Conservative party chairman has said. Sir Jake Berry, formerly a key defender of Truss’s failed radical plans, said it is time for the former prime minister to figure out her new backbench role. Early on Friday, Truss made her second public intervention since being ousted from No 10 to urge democratic nations to stand up to China and learn the lessons of not taking earlier and tougher action against…
Rishi Sunak under pressure from backbench MPs to declare China a ‘threat’ – UK politics live
From 1h ago Sunak facing backbench MP pressure to declare China a ‘threat’ Good morning and welcome to the UK politics live blog. Prime minister Rishi Sunak finds himself under pressure today to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and label China a “threat” as part of the government’s integrated review of global security. In October, Liz Truss formally designated China “the most serious long-term threat to our values and way of life”. With concerns mounting over the UK’s capability to deal with suspected Chinese spy balloons, Sunak is being urged…
Scotland to raise income tax by 1p for those on over £43,666 to raise money for NHS – as it happened
From 1h ago Swinney says all Scots earning more than £43,662 will pay 1% more in income tax, to raise money for NHS Swinney says the starter, basic and intermediate rates of income will stay the same. But the higher and top rate will go up, he says. (See 2.58pm.) He says this means people earning more than £43,662 pounds will have to pay an extra penny in the pound on income tax. He says the money is being raised for a specific purpose – investment in NHS. These changes…
British foreign policy is in flux – we need more than Sunak’s pragmatic blandness | Martin Kettle
It would be insulting and false to dub Rishi Sunak as, in Theresa May’s infamous phrase, a citizen of nowhere. Yet with a career rooted in international banking and financial networking, our prime minister is in many ways the embodiment of the globalised economic and political order that is in crisis, and may be in terminal decline. Life, it seems, has not done much to prepare Sunak for the task he faces on the world stage of plotting a path on Britain’s behalf in a multipolar world. Ukraine, nationalism, energy…
Culture secretary says revised online safety bill would still block content of kind seen by Molly Russell – UK politics live
From 2h ago Donelan says revised online safety bill would still block harmful content of kind seen by Molly Russell Here are some more lines from the Michelle Donelan interviews this morning on the changes being made to the online safety bill. Donelan, the culture secretary, said she was removing the “legal but harmful” provisions from the bill (see 9.26am) because they created a “quasi-legal category”. She told Sky News: It had [a] very, very concerning impact, potentially, on free speech. There were unintended consequences associated with it. It was…
Rishi Sunak says UK’s ‘golden era’ with China is over – video
Rishi Sunak has signalled the end of the ‘golden era’ of relations between Britain and China, using his first major foreign policy speech to warn of the creeping authoritarianism of Xi Jinping’s regime. ‘We recognise China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism’, the UK prime minister said The Guardian
No 10 signals Rishi Sunak no longer committed to blocking all new onshore windfarm developments – UK politics live
From 3h ago No 10 signals Sunak no longer committed to blocking all new onshore windfarm developments At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson signalled that Rishi Sunak is no longer trying to block new onshore windfarm developments. The spokesperson did not accept that Grant Shapps’ comments in interviews this morning showed that the government had already implemented a U-turn. He claimed that Shapps’ references to community consent were a description of rules that are in force now. And the spokesperson would not commit the government to accepting…