News and Opinion

Labour-backing actor and comedian Steve Coogan has joined the Lib Dems on the campaign trail to tell people to ‘vote smart and box clever’ to keep the Conservatives out of power. The Alan Partridge star took to the streets in his local constituency of Lewes in East Sussex with Lib Dem candidate Oliver Henman to […]

PETER TRUDGILL on the languages of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – and how they interact. The Baltic States are, from north to south along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We often refer to them by this collective name as if they formed some kind of unity – and in […]

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has signalled she would be more likely to work with Labour in the event of a hung parliament if Jeremy Corbyn stood down. Swinson has insisted the Lib Dems would not put either Corbyn or Boris Johnson into Downing Street in the event of no party securing a Commons majority […]

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has dismissed Boris Johnson’s claims he can get Brexit done by the end of next year. The Sunday Mirror reports that minutes documenting what was said between Barnier and MEPs shows the official has rubbished the pledge. The negotiator told MEPs on the EU Employment and Social Affairs Committee: “The […]

Campaigners for a final say referendum have launched a new app which they hope will ‘re-open conversations about Brexit’ ahead of polling day. In 25 ultra-marginal constituencies, where just a few hundred votes could yet stop Boris Johnson’s destructive Brexit, people are being encouraged to talk to friends, neighbours and family ahead of an election […]

The Russian city has not only produced brilliant music, but – amid horrors of war – one of history’s greatest performances. Saint Petersburg is a city of beauty and brutality. Peter the Great founded his grand capital in 1703 as a Baltic port city that “hack[ed] a window through to Europe”. But while it took […]

Boris Johnson appears to have scaled back his expectations of the positive effect that Brexit will have on Britain. In an interview with the Sunday Times, he predicted that pulling out of the European Union will lead to a “big baby boom”. He claimed that Brexit will have the same positivity on the United Kingdom […]

The last time Boris Johnson met Sophy Ridge he promised to give the Sky News a presenter an answer on the naughtiest thing he’d ever done. Everyone remembers Theresa May’s excruciating answer where she said that it was “running through wheat fields” from 2017, and Boris Johnson appeared keen to avoid giving that answer the […]

Sky Sports football pundit Gary Neville has hit out at Boris Johnson for fuelling racism after an incident during the Manchester derby game. Neville was commenting on reports live on television that Manchester City had been made “aware of a video circulating on social media which appears to show a supporter making racial gestures” during […]

Fresh polling shows that the Conservative Party’s majority has halved in just two weeks – meaning fewer than 41,000 tactical votes in 36 marginal seats can stop Boris Johnson. The Best for Britain commissioned polling, carried out by Focaldata earlier this week, found that without tactical voting Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru […]

A new exhibition at the Barbican reveals how clubs allowed new artistic ideas to flourish free from conventional constraints. The Cine-bal, Cafe L’Aubette, Strasbourg, designed by Theo van Doesburg, 1926-28. Picture: Image Collection Het Nieuwe Instituut – Credit: Archant “Be modern” enjoined the sign over the entrance to the Chat Noir, the night club immortalised […]

Are you keeping track of the latest Brexiteer gaffes and general election headdesk moments? See how much your brain has decided not to wipe from the events of this week. Let us know how you get on by tweeting @TheNewEuropean

A new poll has seen a surge in support for the Labour Party – potentially putting Westminster in hung parliament territory. The shock ComRes polling for Remain United shows Labour jumping four points compared to the start of the week, jumping to 36% of support. Using data from polling for the Sunday Telegraph the analysis […]

A Conservative general election candidate was greeted with cries of ‘disgrace!’ after he said that food bank users struggle at ‘managing their budget’. Tory candidate Darren Henry said at a hustings in Broxtowe on Friday: “It’s about having budgeting for when they go down to the food bank. “What they struggle with is maybe being […]

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said he doesn’t trust Tory leader Boris Johnson. Farage was visiting Tolley Fabrications in Sedgefield, County Durham, when he was asked by PA who he trusts out of Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn. Laughing, he replied: “Do you know something, that’s the most difficult question I’ve been asked. “I’ve […]

Actor Hugh Grant took to the streets with Lib Dem supporters campaigning to unseat Tory Brexiteer Dominic Raab. Hugh Grant canvassing in Walton-on-Thames in the Esher & Walton constituency with Liberal Democrat candidate Monica Harding. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire. – Credit: PA The Love Actually star went door to door in Walton on Thames with […]

Jo Swinson has vowed to fight on regardless of the election result – pointing out she was elected with an overwhelming majority just four months ago. The Lib Dem leader said people had confidence in her leadership, and that her party was running a strong campaign during the election. She dismissed questions about her leadership, […]

Boris Johnson says questions over his trustworthiness make his ‘blood boil’. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Johnson revealed his fury at the question which has dominated his campaign – and again blamed deadlock in parliament for his failure to deliver on his Halloween Brexit pledge. “It was infuriating that I couldn’t deliver Brexit […]

The issue of anti-Semitism is an inescapable one in this election, says MARIE VAN DERZYL, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. For many, this is a single-issue general election. Since the 2016 referendum, the battle of Brexit has been raging up and down the country and this campaign is being touted as […]

Lord Buckethead – the joke candidate who stood against Theresa May at the last election – is calling on ‘so called novelty candidates’ to encourage tactical voting. Buckethead, who is standing as Count Binface in Boris Johnson’s constituency, said there were “there are some things more important than electing an intergalactic space lord to parliament”. […]

Former prime ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair have put their party allegiances to one side to share a platform warning about the general election. Lord Michael Heseltine on stage during the Final Say rally at the Mermaid Theatre, London. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA Wire. – Credit: PA Appearing via video link at a Final […]

Seizing an opportunity to defeat Boris Johnson could instigate a new era of political free-thinking, according to Mitch Benn. Boris Johnson is a liar and a coward. Once more for the people in the back row: BORIS JOHNSON IS A LIAR AND A COWARD. Now, in previous eras this might have been thought sufficient reason […]

The Liberal Democrats would not support any Labour leader in a coalition because the party is now ‘hard left’, one of Jo Swinson’s team has claimed. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Lib Dem business spokesman Sam Gyimah was commenting on comments they would not put Labour or the Tories in the government. […]

Twitter was full of commentary once more as Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson took on each other for a final time before polling day. https://twitter.com/PeteNewbon/status/1203050017218584576 We’ve compiled some of the best responses as the debate took place… https://twitter.com/TechnicallyRon/status/1203065929933971461 https://twitter.com/jonoread/status/1203049603362381826 https://twitter.com/RealHumptyB/status/1203051049587761152 https://twitter.com/davidschneider/status/1203050906289344512 https://twitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/1203050568769507329 https://twitter.com/twcuddleston/status/1203052064848392201 https://twitter.com/MahyarTousi/status/1203052494701694977 https://twitter.com/MarkDiStef/status/1203053836425977857 https://twitter.com/cheesecakebase/status/1203054476237660166 https://twitter.com/RemainiacsCast/status/1203062461169053697 https://twitter.com/jonoread/status/1203055081211469824 https://twitter.com/alcanlin/status/1203055394647662593 https://twitter.com/twcuddleston/status/1203055649367711745 https://twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1203056530603593728 https://twitter.com/mikeysmith/status/1203051298976935941 https://twitter.com/RockboltG/status/1203059367228170240 https://twitter.com/gregjames/status/1203059911229366274 https://twitter.com/Macnessie/status/1203060760802463744 […]

Almost one million businesses in the UK have closed since the EU referendum, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. The party says it shows how Brexit uncertainty under the Tory government is hitting the country’s high strets. The Liberal Democrats are due to unveil a series of measures to reverse the decline and […]

A snap poll on the BBC election debate found viewers believed Jeremy Corbyn was more trustworthy and in touch with people than Boris Johnson, and that he would keep the NHS in safer hands. The poll also found BBC debate viewers thought Corbyn performed better on the whole, with 69% of those who watched saying […]

The big budget spectacular is lavish and extravagant – but is failed by its lack of heart. Shaftesbury Theatre, London, until May 30 Even down to the trendy ampersand in the title, & Juliet appears to have been created not by lyricists and composers, but advertising men and focus groups. It’s great of course that […]

The prime minister was laughed at during the BBC election debate as he stumbled his way through an audience member’s question on lying. In a question clearly addressing Boris Johnson specifically, an audience member asked: “In the era of fake news, what punishment do you think is appropriate for elected politicians who lie during election […]

A YouGov poll has found the public are split by 52% to 48% on who won the BBC election debate. The snap poll asked viewers of the programme to leave aside their own party preference and vote on who won the debate. Boris Johnson was seen as the winner, with 52% of the public saying […]

It was one of the final opportunities for the two contenders to be prime minister to set out their vision for Britain – but who do you think won the debate? As we wait for verdicts from the pollsters we’re asking for readers to give their perspectives on tonight’s performances. Who do you think was […]

As she continues her state-by-state assessment of US politics, BONNIE GREER examines Rhode Island. There is a reason that the 1994 megahit Dumb and Dumber begins in Rhode Island. Many Americans know close to nothing about this state, nor its people. So it was OK to put two rude mechanicals there. That seemed to fit […]

There has been outrage since Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby paused to take a friendly selfie with the prime minister after finishing their interview with Boris Johnson. The This Morning presenters were criticised for having the opportunity to grill Johnson on allegations of Russian interference, the NHS being up for grabs, and many of the […]