Week-in-Review: Are we entering a new phase in the Conservative psychodrama?

There was a time when Conservative MPs expressed their dissent sparingly and cannily. The fabled “Tory rebellion” was reserved for issues of particular moral pertinence or for irregular NIMBYism. Only very rarely did an MP calculate that political gain could be made through openly disparaging their own government.  Instead political careers were advanced through steady […]

MPs call for tougher sanctions to be put on Iran

Theresa Villiers proposed the urgent question, asking about the representations the foreign secretary has made to the Iranian authorities about the ongoing protests regarding the death of Mahsa Amini. Gillian Keegan, MP for Chichester who was speaking on behalf of the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said that the protests were a “shocking reminder” of the […]

The forgotten province? Northern Ireland marks Good Friday anniversary

Politicians in Westminster and Northern Ireland are marking 15 years since the Good Friday Agreement, amid a growing pessimism about the British government’s commitment to breaking disillusionment in the province.

Rail franchise blame game gets up steam

Two Cabinet ministers and civil servants at the Department for Transport are fighting an increasingly bitter blame game behind closed doors over the collapse of the government’s system for awarding rail franchises.