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Will Gordon be pushed off the train at Crewe?
Muddle over a Scottish referendum has exacerbated Gordon Brown’s misery. And party colleagues could soon be asking him to stand down, says political editor CHRIS FISHER, if he goes down to defeat in the Crewe by-election and the Commons.
09 May 2008
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Challenge of making sure aid is well used
It is the worst natural disaster in Asia since the tsunami – but getting help to Burma is not easy, says Sarah Brealey.
07 May 2008
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Two more years of pain may lie ahead
Even before the counting of the votes started yesterday (at 8.30am), Ken Livingstone must have known that his hold on the London mayoralty was history.
03 May 2008
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PM suffers 'John Major moment' - MP
Labour's 11-year grip on power at Westminster seemed to be coming to an end last night as a sensational capture of the London mayoralty by Boris Johnson completed one of the party's biggest electoral hidings since the second world war.
03 May 2008
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Close call in race to be London mayor
Though the prime minister kept his end up better yesterday, an electoral trouncing is in prospect for his party today. Political editor Chris Fisher looks at the election arithmetic and predicts a win for Boris Johnson in London.
01 May 2008
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Consumer watchdog bares its teeth
MARK NICHOLLS looks at the recent muscle-flexing by the Office of Fair Trading and finds that the consumer now has a new champion.
26 April 2008
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Out with the charges, in with the fees
As far as most people are concerned, the good guys have won the first skirmish in the great banking-charges battle. Yesterday's High Court ruling means that the pressure will now grow on banks and building societies to slash the charges they impose on their customers and start to repay millions of pounds to people who have been hit by extortionate fees - in some cases of about £30 - over the past few years.
25 April 2008
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Do vote – but it won’t make any difference
RIP district councils, aged 34 years – taken from us in 2008 with their county council counterparts. Actually they are not dead yet, but those of you taking part in next week’s local elections, be warned – your vote will make no difference to their demise. Public affairs correspondent Shaun Lowthorpe reports.
25 April 2008
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Lib Dem voters could decide London mayor race
The possibility of defeat for Ken Livingstone in London is considered by political editor Chris Fisher.
25 April 2008
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Poorest hit hardest as food prices rise
There have been food riots in at least eight countries in the past month, including Egypt, Senegal, Madagascar and Indonesia. Twenty-four people have died in food riots in Cameroon, and the prime minister of Haiti resigned after food protests.
23 April 2008
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Some tough tackles for City-loving MPs
Charles Clarke has kicked out at fellow Norwich City fan Ed Balls, and Ian Gibson at the prime minister, as Labour’s troubles deepen. Political editor Chris Fisher tries to make sense of it.
22 April 2008
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Quit threat displays Brown’s weakness
Resignation-threatening Angela Smith is a very different Labour MP from the late Gwyneth Dunwoody, says political editor CHRIS FISHER. But both have added to the tribulations of the prime minister.
19 April 2008
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Special relationship likely to continue
How strong now is the special relationship between the US and Britain? Can it survive the awkwardness of prime minister Brown? Of course it can, says political editor CHRIS FISHER.
18 April 2008
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What would Sir Alan make of council shake-up plans?
They are the eight councils all vying for the top job of running all or part of Norfolk. But there can only be one winner. Public affairs correspondent Shaun Lowthorpe gives his verdict on the cases for change – and imagines what Sir Alan Sugar, of TV’s The Apprentice, would say.
16 April 2008
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Scent of Labour rebellion grows stronger
The prime minister is sinking deeper into a Brown bog, says political editor Chris Fisher, and an attempt by Labour MPs to oust him before the next general election cannot be ruled out.
15 April 2008
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Church has key role in future of the EU
In trying to commend the ideals of the European Union to local clergy and congregations, I often feel on a hiding to nothing. The EU is hardly a major priority for our churches, and it is a red rag to a bull to many in our farming communities.
14 April 2008
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