Once again while the Remainers spent a lot of time talking to each other, not ruling anything out, keeping options on the table, forming groupings, having meetings, plotting plans and planning plots, they’ve been totally wrong-footed by more decisive opponents
Yesterday it was the Remain Alliance trying to twist the constitution to achieve their ends. Today it’s the Brexit government.
Meanwhile the public will remain baffled
While everyone gets giddy at this unprecedented constitutional move: we need a Queen’s Speech (it’s been more than 2years). Under Labour almost all non-election QSs were in the autumn. All were preceded by a prorogation. Motivation is a different matter, but this is what we do
The prorogation being proposed by the government is about a week longer than the planned 3-week party conference recess.
It is sneaky. It is conniving. It is exploiting executive strength. It has caught opponents off-guard. It reveals a ruthless streak in this No10 that it’s predecessor lacked. But an illegal constitutional outrage it is not
And the people calling this a constitutional outrage wanted to make Ken Clarke prime minister a fortnight ago
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Peter Mandelson, @Dannythefink & @pollymackenzie on the King’s Speech, announceables, Angus the Monkey, HS2, and your ermine being confused with a Santa costume.
The spinners are doing a great job, and lazy hacks and stenographers are doing their best.
But if I was a self-styled election winning machine, who would inevitably be held aloft by his colleagues, I’d like to have persuaded more than 1 in 10 of them to come out publicly by now
It’s *almost* as if it’s only been 3 months since he was told that two-thirds of his colleagues were ready to vote no confidence in him, after lying about an alleged sex pest, breaking the law and humiliating them all.
Conservative MP Henry Smith tells me that the Tory Party "can't delay" in removing Liz Truss as Prime Minister.
"I think we need new leadership..."
Henry Smith: "In a time of uncertainty, we need solid leadership and I'm afraid I'm very sorry to say that has been distinctly lacking from Downing Street in the last several weeks...
Henry Smith: "I think she should do the honourable thing and say that her premiership has made the wrong calls not just once or twice, but consistently since coming into office almost two months ago. And that now it's time for strong leadership to come back to this country...