News and Opinion

A no-deal Brexit will lead ‘virtually instantaneously’ to price rises on popular food products in shops, a Birds Eye boss has warned. The frozen food specialist’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Wayne Hudson, said manufacturers would have to pass tariffs of up to 20% on to retailers, who would themselves have to decide […]

A cargo ship has left Felixstowe for Japan with no guarantee that it will be allowed to unload its cargo when it arrives on March 30th. The ship, the Thalassa Mana, has left Felixstowe and is scheduled to arrive in Osaka, Japan, on March 30th, one day after our currently scheduled date of departure from […]

Speculation is mounting that several Labour MPs could be about to quit the party. Simmering tensions within Labour ranks over Corbyn’s approach to Brexit and the party leadership’s handling of anti-Semitism allegations are expected to result in a schism. A group of the party’s MPs will make a statement ‘relating to the future of British […]

A striking feature of the Brexit camp’s narrative in the UK both before and after the 2016 referendum has been the repeated claim that leaving the EU is consistent with the lessons of history. Such ‘lessons’ are popularly believed in the UK, but they fail to stand up to close examination. First, there is the […]

A prisoner of the Internet It’s not enough for youngsters these days to live their lives, but they have also to be seen to be living their lives on social media. On Instagram, in particular, appearance often matters a lot more than reality and that is what Sasha gets only too well. She posts some […]

The BBC has had to apologise after picking up the reaction of a man claiming Labour was ‘fucked’ during a live broadcast of seven MPs resigning. During the press conference – which aired on the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC Two and BBC News – seven MPs including Chris Leslie, Luciana Berger and Chuka Umunna […]

Remembering of the life of the French actor, singer and songwriter. One night in 1948 the French singer and songwriter Charles Trenet walked into a New York bar and heard the resident pianist playing his song La Mer. Released by Trenet in 1946, La Mer was his greatest success and would go on to sell […]

The year when music came with a sense of optimism, Orientalism – and often surrealism – as pharaohs and fruit provided the inspiration. NEW YORK – CIRCA 1925: Blues singer Bessie Smith poses for a portrait circa 1925 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Edward Elcha/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) – Credit: Archant America […]

Brexit under-secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris talked himself into an embarrassing admission today on Sky’s Sophy Ridge politics programme. "Are we in #Brexit purgatory?" asks @SophyRidgeSky. #Brexit Minister @chhcalling says it does feel like Groundhog Day in parliament but insists there is a "definite plan" in place. For live updates on #Ridge head here: https://t.co/o4h3FdkF06 […]

A Brexit-fuelled party split is unnecessary, say senior Labour figures, after Momentum set the whole drama to a pop hit. You've put your career first. You've been flirting with the Lib Dems.You've even called us dogs. But Valentine's Day is a day for coming together. pic.twitter.com/13xVbHc5Gu— Momentum (@PeoplesMomentum) February 14, 2019 KC and the Sunshine […]

Shadow chancellor John McDonell said he agreed with the view today that a second referendum should only be held ‘in extremis’. 'The option of going back to the people has got to be there' Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell on another #Brexit referendum#Marr https://t.co/99TkHy8W5i pic.twitter.com/pBQtTx0WGj— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 17, 2019 McDonnell once again plodded […]

What a striking contrast in the way different news channels reported Donald Tusk’s ‘special place in hell’ remarks. Channel 4’s was the only coverage that put the remarks into their context, namely the Good Friday Agreement and the Irish border. They made clear that context, and presented the remarks as those of someone angry that […]

After talk of a possible split in the Labour Party our readers discuss the merits of a new political party. Jane Merrick calls for a new centrist party to represent the moderate balance between social justice and recognition of the welfare state with an acceptance of a market economy. That is a pretty accurate summary […]

We are writing as active and committed members of the Labour Party because we feel our voice is being ignored by our own party. We enthusiastically voted for Jeremy Corbyn precisely because he promised to listen to his members and put them at the heart of everything he did. We believed that and went on […]

MP Margaret Beckett said she has ‘never seen such chaos’ in government, in a scathing interview. "It's absolutely unprecedented, the Prime Minister is tearing up our constitution."Dame Margaret Beckett, MP for Derby South, says she's never seen "such chaos" in government and the consequences could be "very grave".Follow the latest on #Ridge here: https://t.co/qqvfnK3ox6 pic.twitter.com/5yZB8eqNm3— […]

Everything that you thought Britain stood for is at stake with Brexit – ALASTAIR CAMPBELL urges us all to march for a People’s Vote on March 23rd Of the many con tricks that have propelled Brexit from being the fantasy of a few to the reality for the many, the myth that it is a […]

An Airbus UK boss has doubled down on calls to avoid a no deal Brexit, saying that it would be ‘absolutely catastrophic’ for the company. No deal #Brexit: 'Absolutely catastrophic' Airbus boss Katherine Bennett on a no deal Brexit #Marr https://t.co/99TkHy8W5i pic.twitter.com/vHJvmy9HUX— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 17, 2019 Senior vice president Katherine Bennett spoke for […]

Plans for a massive demonstration in London on Saturday March 23, just six days before the United Kingdom is meant to leave to the European Union, have been unveiled by the People’s Vote campaign. The ‘Put It To The People March’ will demand that the public are given the final say on any Brexit deal […]

David Davis focuses on his outside earnings, Telegraph accused of being ‘Stalinist’ and Madeleina Kay is the latest to complain about the BBC’s Brexit bias David Davis has proved yet again that no-one ever got poor being a cheerleader for Brexit. The former DExEU minister has just come clean about how much money he’s now […]

Surrealist comedian Ernie Kovacs remains a relatively obscure figure here BENJAMIN IVRY celebrates the genuine pioneer of the small screen. circa 1950: Comedian Ernie Kovacs rides the Tilt-A-Whirl with an expression of mock terror on his face with his wife, actor Edie Adams at an amusement park. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) – Credit: Getty […]

Often remembered as a curmudgeon who resisted modernity, a new exhibition shows John Ruskin was a visionary who still inspires forward-thinking. Ruskin – Credit: Archant The Victorian John Ruskin is among the most famous art critics and theorists of the modern era, though today he is remembered as much for his supposed horror of female […]

A reader describes the painful process of trying to buy an International Driving Permit from the Post Office ready for March 29th. Will a no-deal Brexit return us to a pre-digital age? A few days ago I bought an International Driving Permit, supposedly needed to drive abroad after March 29 in the event of a […]

Ireland’s prime minister Leo Varadkar has said anyone hoping that EU solidarity with Ireland will falter on the Brexit border backstop is ‘in for a nasty surprise’. Speaking at the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit in Dublin Castle, Varadkar said: ‘One of the most striking things about what has unfolded since the UK’s decision to […]

There’s precious little in the news other than Brexit, but not much in the overall situation is actually changing. I think I’m experiencing a kind of Brexit numbness. On the one hand, there’s precious little else in the news right now, as is entirely appropriate given that we’re about six weeks away from an act […]

The dinosaurs vying for the Nigerian presidency offer little change but the election campaign does suggest a glimmer of hope for the country’s future. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images) – Credit: Getty Images Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and its largest economy. It is home to a hardworking, creative and […]

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL examines how neither Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn have led the way on Brexit. Amid the many things, large and small, that drive me a little crazy about the prime minister, her constant claim of clarity is among the smaller ones, becoming larger as Brexit Day looms. I am very clear about this… […]

Government ministers have turned on the European Research Group – accusing them of ‘treachery’ and acting as a ‘party within a party.’ Business minister Richard Harrington accused the ERG, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, of ‘treachery’ and said they were ‘not Conservatives’ and should join former UKIP leader Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party. In an interview […]

Activist MAURICE STIERL reports on how he helped organise the recent rescue of a group of migrants at sea. When they called us from the sea, the 106 precarious travellers referred to their boat as a ‘white balloon’. This balloon, or rubber dinghy, was meant to carry them all the way to safety in Europe. […]

The boss of the Wetherspoon pub chain was embroiled in a fiery television debate as he took on a staunch Remainer to discuss Brexit’s impact on the economy. Tim Martin appears on Good Morning Britain – Credit: Archant Tim Martin joined broadcaster Terry Christian on Good Morning Britain via satellite link to discuss whether or […]

Central Office. Transport House. The National Liberal Club, Millbank Tower. To the list of iconic headquarters of Britain’s political parties can be added a new address: The Annapurna Guest House, Lingwood, Norfolk. Catherine Blaiklock – the Brexit party’s leader. Photograph: George Ryan/Archant. – Credit: Archant Newly-registered with the Electoral Commission, this exotic location is home […]

Ex-UKIP aide GAWAIN TOWLER on the prospects for the new Brexit Party, set up with the blessing of his former boss, Nigel Farage Since the 2016 referendum, 110 political parties have been registered with the Electoral Commission. Many are locally-focused, like the Wigan, Standish, Shevington, Bryn, Hindley Independents, created this month. Others are rather more […]

There is a radical – but feasible – way to avoid the disastrous Brexit heading our way, says JONATHAN CHAPLIN With less than 50 days to go there is now only one way to rescue the nation from a calamitous Brexit outcome: rescind Article 50. The aim would not be to cancel Brexit but to […]