I seem to remember that Maggie's moving Geoffrey Howe from Foreign Sec. to Deputy PM was very much seen as a humiliating demotion (Neil Kinnock offered his sympathy) and a fair bit of trouble for Mag… (View Post)

He's been very much a bogeyman for the anti-Farage elements of the hard-Right. I suppose the idea is that reaching out to Tommy will placate that faction therefore make things easier for Nigel. But I… (View Post)

The biggest danger for Nigel is that at some point he stops being cool and becomes instead a bit embarrassing to ever have liked. The entertainment industry is littered with such people: Paul Daniels… (View Post)

Hmm. I think Nigel should eschew conference razzle dazzle - all seems a bit flippant when the message Reform wants to put across is one of authoritarian crackdowns, imminent civil war and a nation ab… (View Post)

I would say that Sir Keir is grooming Yvette for the role - getting FO experience is regarded as being a big part of the toolkit. Also, of course, memories of her connection with boat crossings will … (View Post)