LOOKING FOR THE ‘IN CONVERSATION WITH’ PODCAST?LISTEN HERE The End Is Nigh? Prime Minister Threatens Snap Election as Opponents Organise Against HimBy Scott Harker The Prime Minister today refused to dispel rumours that he will call a snap general election in an attempt to secure his own position. These rumours have lingered ever since he…
Category: Boris Johnson
Wounded and weakened PM faces uncertain political future
By Robyn Evans It was a momentous first day back at Westminster after recess and the long bank holiday weekend as Boris Johnson narrowly survived a vote of no confidence among Conservative MPs last night, following weeks of speculation over his future. The Prime Minister was backed by 211 votes to 148 in the ballot,…
The Prime Minister and Chancellor put on notice over lockdown parties
By Joe Cooper Downing Street was rocked this afternoon by the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are both to be issued fines by the police for breaking lockdown laws. Earlier today, officials confirmed that the pair, along with the Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, had received notification of the fines…
Spring Statement Preview
By William Neale During this morning’s media round, Business Minister Paul Scully explained that the Chancellor recognises “there are a lot of headwinds people are facing”. Ahead of tomorrow’s Spring Statement, the Chancellor once again finds himself constrained by massive political and economic challenges. Rishi Sunak, who keeps a photograph of Nigel Lawson on his…
PM reaches for Plan B, but will his MPs do the same?
By Fraser Raleigh For the second day in a row, all attention in Westminster was on the Downing Street press briefing room yesterday. But unlike the leaked footage showing No.10 aides laughing about how to explain away an alleged lockdown-breaking Christmas party last year, the faces last night were sombre as the Prime Minister confirmed…
The Prime Minister and Kermit fall out
By Aimee Howard In a speech yesterday at the 76th Session of the United General Assembly, Prime Minister Johnson has alleged the COP26 summit, only 40 days away, will be “the turning point for humanity. We must show that we are capable of learning, and maturing, and finally taking responsibility for the destruction we are…
Gas crisis? What crisis?
By Siân Jones The gas price rises hitting the headlines this week have been a gift for journalists keen to find the next crisis, now that pandemics and vaccines are slowly slipping down the news agenda. Doom-laden talk of power-cuts, the three-day week and a return to the 1970s all make great copy, particularly for…
A passionate Parliament and a missed call pile the pressure on the Prime Minister
By Matthew Williams First Brexit, then Covid, now a crisis in Afghanistan. Boris Johnson has hardly had an easy three years since becoming Conservative leader and Prime Minister, has he? However, things worsened for the Prime Minister yesterday when he faced a barrage of criticism from MPs in an emergency House of Commons debate. In…
Government eases restrictions and bursts school bubbles
By Matthew Mann As was widely expected, Boris Johnson last night confirmed that the majority of COVID lockdown restrictions in England will be lifted on 19 July, including – most controversially – the decision to make the use of face coverings optional. While Labour opposes the move, a number of ministers have said they will…
Boris the Wizard: Techno-Optimism in the Quest for Net Zero
By Will McMyn It has been announced that Boris Johnson will chair a new National Science and Technology Council and he was quoted as saying: “With the right direction, pace and backing, we can breathe life into many more scientific and technological breakthroughs that transform the lives of people across the UK and the world”. The Prime…