The government, led by prime minister and arch-Brexiter Boris Johnson announced that he had been granted permission by the Queen to suspend – or prorogue – parliament for a crucial five week period before 31 October, when Britain is due to leave the European Union. The move, it has been argued by MPs leaves little time for parliament to stop a no-deal Brexit as initially planned. But what does Proroguing mean?
Read MoreIt didn’t take long for May’s colleagues to declare their candidacy. The moment the No10 door closed behind her after her resignation speech, tweets were flying around congratulating May while at the same plotting their own leadership bid.
Read MoreShortly before he died, Roy Jenkins commented that political journalism was something of a repetitive challenge when there were only two significant figures, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He compared the barren landscape of the day with the fertile ground of the 1970s and 1980s when a columnist could reflect on the activities of Benn, Crosland, Healey, Owen, Williams, Thatcher, Joseph, Heseltine and, of course, Jenkins himself. 15 years on from Jenkins’ comment and the situation appears to be worse than ever. Can I be alone in hankering after the conviction and charisma of a Blair or the intellectual heft of a Brown right now? Looking along the front benches today, I’d have Cameron and Osborne back – true they may have set our country on this wretched course, but at least they had a certain swagger and sangfroid that the Brexit debate has sorely lacked.
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