Craig Oliver
@CraigOliver100
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New Series: Desperately Seeking Wisdom podcast out now. Author: Unleashing Demons; Trustee: Make a Wish; Former No10 Director Politics & Comms; Editor, BBC News
London, England
Joined February 2013
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“On hearing ill rumour that Londoners may soon be urged into their lodgings...I looked upon the street to see a gaggle of striplings...no doubt spreading the plague. Not a care had these rogues for the health of their elders!”
Samuel Pepys Diaries, 1664
#coronavirus
@BorisJohnson
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Trying to think of the equivalent of a Conservative saying "F*** business" for other parties:
Labour = F*** the NHS
SNP = F*** Scotland
Greens = F*** the environment
DUP = F*** the UK
Plaid = F*** Wales
Lib Dems = F*** liberty
In other words, I can't imagine them saying it.
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In full flow,
@AnthonySeldon
on his soon to be bestselling, Johnson at 10. He said, “It made me sad to write about the worst PM since the 19th century…He cheapened Government and the public realm…The lesson our book has is: never again.”
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I was standing 10feet away. The PM was supposed to be on talking about a dementia policy & Philip Schofield suddenly claimed he’d done “3 minutes of research” to uncover alleged Tory paedophiles. The names on his card were visible & he somehow thought that was his only mistake.
Remember that time Phillip Schofield handed David Cameron a list of names he’d quickly gathered from the internet of alleged Tory child abusers?
Cameron sensibly said: "There is a danger, if we’re not careful, that this could turn into a sort of witch hunt, particularly against
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Saying you want “a managed no deal
#Brexit
” is like saying you want a managed motorway pile-up. You can’t control it - and the point is to avoid it, not bring it on.
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I’ve got to admire Tom Harwood from
@GuidoFawkes
on
@BBCNews
saying it doesn’t help the political discourse calling for people’s heads and making a fuss. They never, ever do that 😉
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I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked - but Twitter is excelling itself in being mean about
#borisbaby
. Can we not just remember there’s a first time mum and a child about to be born that hasn’t done anything?
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The main reason for the erosion of trust in the BBC comes from populist strategists understanding you must delegitimise those that are strong & would hold you to account. The campaigns from left & right are clear. I fear the BBC has no strategy to combat this. It needs one fast.
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Of all the bad arguments about
#Brexit
, “Vote for this and stop arguing, because people are bored” has got to be the worst. It’s the equivalent of, “I agree with you son, studying for A-levels is boring. Don’t bother. I mean it’s only your future.”
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Whether you voted for or against Brexit, there is one burning question tonight:
How did the people who told us we could have our cake and eat it fail to come up with a workable alternative plan? This is a worse deal than remaining in the EU - and it still has to be negotiated.
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Hard to stomach Next’s Lord Wolfson complaining this isn’t the
#Brexit
he voted for and saying we need more immigration. The entire campaign he supported was won on curbing immigration. He also wants a market solution - maybe single market and customs union?
Next CEO Lord Wolfson tells BBC ‘this is not the Brexit I wanted’ – business live
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It’s clear the EU is calculating the U.K. will have to come back to the table after no deal, & the power balance of an economy of 60m people with 50% of its sales to Europe vs another of 440m with 7% of sales to U.K. will be made to tell. So much for the easiest ever trade deal.
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I wouldn’t have chosen this path or this outcome - but it’s good news that there is a Brexit deal. The final alternative would have been hideous.
Let’s hope the tribalism and bad blood of the last five years can be left behind and we can start afresh in 2021.
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The mood at No10 will be bleak tonight. The chances of: no deal; a General Election; Corbyn in No10; a second referendum, all went up after Tusk’s comments. It’s almost impossible for
@theresa_may
to start looking at a Canada-style deal: as a Unionist she fears cutting NI loose.
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Dear people who wear rucksacks and backpacks on the tube,
Please realise it effectively doubles your size and when you move it slams into people. You could just put it on the floor. Also - what have you got in there? Are you transporting bricks?
Best wishes etc
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@PippaCrerar
It’s clear
@RishiSunak
is going to have to spend a lot of political capital defending
@nadhimzahawi
. The Tory Chairman needs to recognise this story will go on and on - and the best option may be to do the PM a favour and step down.
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Across the Blue Wall we can hear Conservative candidates say:
Not now, Rishi!
8 years ago today, I proudly voted for Brexit.
While we delivered on the will of the people, Keir Starmer tried to reverse your vote.
That’s the difference between us.
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Arron Banks should absolutely be held to account by
@BBCNews
and
@AndrewMarr9
. They have given themselves a big task - and it is vital in a democracy. I want to hear what he has to say in answer to some tough questions. Let’s judge the interview - not try to stop it happening.
I have written to Lord Hall, director-general of the BBC, about Arron Banks being invited onto this Sunday’s Marr show
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Vicky Flind - who is married to Huw Edwards - is a hugely respected figure in broadcasting. As the Metropolitan Police say there is no evidence of law breaking, we should respect her call for privacy for her family, knowing we will soon hear the full story.
BBC news anchor Huw Edwards named by his wife as presenter in explicit photo row, in statement on his behalf
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Surprising to read
@theresa_may
cried on hearing the Brexit result in extracts from
@AnthonySeldon
’s book. She could hardly have been more unhelpful in the campaign.
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In the history of badly staged/posed pictures this is right up there. I’m sure he always does his work against a blank wall, with a flag over his shoulder and an open, but empty red box.
I have signed the legislation setting in stone the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972. This is a landmark moment in taking back control of our law. It underlines that we are leaving the EU on October 31.
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@CarolineLucas
In the end
@CarolineLucas
you believe journalism has a role in holding people to account, or you don’t. The legal process is at a point where there is no issue with him being interviewed. Why not let people see and decide. Don’t you trust their ability to judge?
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Well done
@maitlis
@SamMcAlister1
and
@BBCNewsnight
- the interview with
#PrinceAndrew
was forensic and beautifully understated. It will go down as one of the worst PR decisions ever - proof you really can make things a lot worse when you try to explain yourself.
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Turns out a bad deal is now apparently better than no deal 👇
Esther McVey writes in the Sunday Telegraph that she will back Theresa May's withdrawal deal
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The
@AndrewMarr9
interview with Arron Banks boiled down to one simple question: which company generated the cash? He didn’t clear it up. For that alone it was worth doing.
#Marr
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The leadership candidates saying how they are going to get the EU to make significant moves in the withdrawal agreement are a bit like parents debating what they should leave out for Santa and his reindeer, when they know the truth is - they aren’t coming down the chimney.
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A clip from a great conversation with
@JohnSimpsonNews
on my podcast, Desperately Seeking Wisdom, out tomorrow👇. He’s moving on choosing his father over his mother at just six-years-old, his relationship with his own teenage son, and why he’s still reporting at 78…
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Interesting to hear Michael Gove complaining about the distortions of social media. £350m? Turkey? EU army?
#R4Today
.
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Fascinating to be in the
@BBCNewsnight
studio when
@MaryCreaghMP
ruled out
@UKLabour
agreeig to an election. If she’s right and the vote passes tomorrow
@BorisJohnson
will be in a very tight spot.
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Liz Truss invents a foot-stamping conspiracy theory as the cause of her humiliation.
She was warned repeatedly about her fantasy economics.
Now her argument seems to be: I hadn’t realised I was a bull in a China shop and the crockery was to blame.
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So a court rules that we can cancel
#Brexit
and remain on our current terms. It’s heartbreaking to see that the deal that is best for the U.K. - just staying put with extraordinary opt outs - seems politically impossible.
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Hard not to agree with Anthony Lloyd, the journalist who found Shamima Begum, speaking on
@BBCNews
, when he says the decision to strip her of British citizenship was cruel, hasty and ill thought through.
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Here’s a picture of me briefing George Alagiah and others outside No10. He was in his element - about to go on air. Losing him is hard for so many - but I can’t help thinking of him reminding me just to be grateful that we get to experience all of this. I was lucky to know him.
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The parade of commentators asked for a solution to
@theresa_may
’s
#Brexit
problems are missing the point: there’s no magic bullet. Chequers = unacceptable. Canada+ = threatens Union. WTO = major economic shock.Slowly it must be dawning: seeking a clean Brexit is a fool’s errand.
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There’s something more than a little naive about people pointing out polls with a 7 point Conservative lead. They seem to be forgetting the 24 point leads ahead of the 2017 General Election and the volatility of politics over the last few years.
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Amazing to see this seal on my run by the Thames this morning...
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Conservative MPs appear to have finally forced
@theresa_may
out believing anyone would be better. I’m not so sure: the reality of the EU being unwilling to reopen the withdrawal agreement & Parliament refusing No Deal won’t have changed; and they don’t want a 2nd ref or Gen Elec.
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3 years after the UK left the EU, it’s clear:
Instead of getting Brexit done, Brexit has done us.
We are the only major economy forecast to shrink this year - even behind sanction-hit Russia.
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.
@Anna_Soubry
on fire on
@BBCRadio4
#Today
- calling for a Government of National Unity and claiming
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
is running the country.
#Brexit
.
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Good to see
@AmberRuddUK
commenting that Brexiteers admit it’s been a disaster after a drink or two on my podcast Desperately Seeking Wisdom is trending on Twitter. You can hear it and her wherever you get podcasts…
Brexit supporters admit leaving EU was a ‘disaster’ after ‘a drink or two’, ex home sec Amber Rudd says
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The country can’t be without a Chancellor or a Health Secretary. There is going to have to be a major reshuffle while No10 is trying to put out major fires. The advice to the PM has to be - accept the inevitable. Don’t let yourself be dragged out.
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Boris Johnson on the ropes at PMQs, his only defence: wait for the inquiry results. He must be fairly confident Sue Gray is going to say people sincerely believed the parties were office events & technically ok. That’ll cause outrage among many but he’ll try to use it to move on.
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Keir Starmer will be pleased with that - the audience was broadly sympathetic.
@BethRigby
asked some awkward questions, but nothing that caused serious damage. I still think he can afford to be clearer on what he’ll actually do.
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Can someone explain the Brexiteer logic? Parliament is about to vote that there can’t be No Deal. EU is clear nothing more forthcoming. So it’s something much softer, a 2nd Ref, General Election, or terminal delay. Which one of those is better than
@theresa_may
’s deal for them?
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This was Paddy Ashdown throwing himself into the EU referendum with total enthusiasm. It was great to meet a politician who was so willing to focus on what united rather than divided. RIP.
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I’ve just finished The Vietnam War on Netflix. It’s a long, bleak but brilliant study of one of the darkest of all wars. It’s also a masterclass in story-telling - giving equal weight to both sides. I finally understood the madness of it all. Well worth the investment.
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The real failure on immigration is to have persistently stoked it as a populist issue, while pretending there are easy solutions (Rwanda, Stop the Boats, and - yes - leaving the EU).
If you feed the crocodile, it eventually comes back and eats you.
Net migration rises to new record figure of 606,000 in the year to December 2022
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Wow…
@bbcnickrobinson
really puts it to
@SuellaBraverman
-“Isn’t the truth you are a headline grabber who does it by spreading poison?”
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There’ll be relief in No10 at that - but the truth is no one really got what they wanted today. Those who triggered the vote just look frustrated, unfocused and lacking a strategy. For the rest of us - the Government stumbles on, no nearer an answer or resolution.
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A sad end to Huw’s career at the BBC. Wishing him and his family well.
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The
@bbclaurak
criticism is unfair. I dealt with her a lot when at No10. Didn't always like it - but had no doubt she is fair and impartial.
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Much as I love Michael Caine, this is utterly complacent and it repeats the nonsense that we are somehow slaves to Brussels, instead of a sovereign state capable of deciding its own future.
The multi-millionaire actor Michael Caine on Brexit: “I’d rather be a poor master of my fate than be rich and having someone I don’t know running it”
@BBCr4today
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I’m glad the
@guardian
has apologised for claiming
@David_Cameron
only felt “privileged pain” over the death of Ivan. They’ve recognised how bad their editorial was & we should move on. The lack of empathy &, crucially, forgiveness is a major problem in politics. We need both.
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Heard
@grantshapps
claim he could be PM because he sat in DC’s daily team meetings. Suspect that puts the final nail in coffin of this plot.
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This isn’t an Alan Partridge sketch, it really happened. Best bit is the elephant wandering randomly into shot...Richard Madeley angrily 'terminates' live TV interview with Gavin Williamson
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Just had the Oxford/Astra Zeneca jab. Didn’t do the full Lord Bethell...lovely staff vaccinating 120 people an hour.
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If you ever doubted that ignoring a problem often just delays it and makes it worse, read this 👇.
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.
@michaelgove
follows
@trussliz
with a full on attack on the “wrong values” signalling she will face a full on rebellion and he will lead it.
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This is such an important point 👇 the
@LibDems
seem to have conveniently forgotten they were first to call for a referendum. Also: rise of UKIP; fact you had to be nearly 60 to have voted on 8 member community that had grown to 28 etc etc
Jo Swinson says she doesn't "forgive" Cameron for calling referendum. LibDems were calling for one long before Cameron caved. Nick Clegg led his MPs out of parliament in protest over refusal of gvt to consider a referendum: 26 Feb 2008.
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What nonsense from
@Nigel_Farage
trying to suggest he was stitched up. There were numerous people on the
#Ch4News
report very close to him saying truly disgusting things.
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It’s back - and bigger than ever...This family around the corner from me *really* love Christmas...
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The problem with
@DavidDavisMP
calling for revolution is that if he were successful there’d be another senior figure calling for a different revolt. There’s no great plan out there just waiting for everyone to support that is better than our current membership.
David Davis today calls for a cabinet uprising against Theresa May over Brexit — as MPs and ministers said they are ready to oust her if she does not change course
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Odd feeling seeing
#election2010
which I edited. 20 mins before exit poll had a row with big boss who didn’t want us to give numbers, fearing wrong. David Dimbleby walked off saying: We’re on air soon, please sort it out!
John Curtice said he was sure: went with him & was spot on
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Powerful stuff from
@jonsnowC4
using the death of a talented girl at Grenfell to show journalism's failure to reflect the society it reports
The tragic story of 12-year-old Firdows, a young girl I met two months before she was killed in the Grenfell Tower disaster
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I totally get the levels of frustration with
@theresa_may
- but the fact is
@Conservatives
are like people in a bus on a gridlocked motorway. Dumping the driver now won’t change the fundamental situation and will automatically taint the new leader.
Moment PM told to resign at Welsh Conservative conference
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Tweet of the day 👇
If you're going to try a dead cat strategy, you should probably check that the cat is, in fact, dead - and preferably not armed.
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People really don’t like politicians who say one thing and do another - anyone listening to
@joswinson
’s recent comments about not forgiving the calling of an EU referendum really should listen to this:
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She definitely made mistakes - but I can’t help feeling
@AmberRuddHR
resigning means one of the good guys has gone - and no one really benefits from that.
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The result of the
#ITVDebate
:
Sunak nil - Starmer nil.
That will suit
@UKLabour
nicely.
The format was poor - cramming too much in and then getting frustrated when the leaders tried to go at each other. Fewer topics - more actual debate - would have been far more instructive.
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This is hilarious - and well done
@afneil
for taking it in such good heart...
That time when two 10 year olds just decided to destroy Andrew Neil on national TV
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Macron is a class act on
#Marr
. There’s a great documentary on his rise to power on Netflix that’s really worth watching.
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The strength and decency of George
@BBCAlagiah
shines through in this tweet. I know I’m one of a huge number of people wishing him and his family well.
Always knew cancer could come back but still tough dealing with disappointment. Harder for my family. I know what I have to do: stay calm, stay content, stay fit and let doctors do their best.
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As I pointed out yesterday - one thing you can say about Mark Carney that you can’t about
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
is that he can count to 48.
Jacob Rees-Mogg calls Bank of England Governor Mark Carney a 'failed-second tier politician'
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With the chances of a No Deal
#Brexit
rising today, I’d like to start hearing interviewers asking those who say, “It’ll be fine,” if they will stand up and accept responsibility if things turn out to be more chaotic than they claimed.
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Prince Andrew’s phrase, “My tendency to be too honourable...” will be used in media training courses explaining how not to justify yourself for years to come.
@maitlis
#Newsnight
.
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This👇is completely wrong.
@David_Cameron
spent the whole of the 2015 election campaign making clear he would not lead any form of Government that didn’t have a referendum. Look at almost any interview he did. The coalition as “excuse to bail” is a myth.
BBC: Donald Tusk repeatedly told David Cameron he was “stupid” for promising a referendum. Cameron told him “there’s no risk of a referendum”
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It’s extraordinary that
@Keir_Starmer
’s team still hasn’t come up with a better answer to: Why did you say Jeremy Corbyn would make a great PM? They seem to think it was ok to mislead people because he didn’t think Corbyn would win.
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So, the “hate” and disrespect on today’s march came from the hard right - almost certainly encouraged to be there by those stoking anger & division rather than attempting to calm things. Not a great look for
@SuellaBraverman
. Perhaps she’ll learn…
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👇significant. If
@UKLabour
supports being in the single market & an amendment is accepted to that effect v few Tory rebels needed.
#Brexit
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Bringing
@David_Cameron
back in is the best move by
@RishiSunak
for some time. Having a strong, moderate, experienced consigliere is exactly what he needs.
The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted.
We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more
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Looking back, I think David Cameron’s decision not to complain about Philip Schofield’s stunt saved the tv presenter. He sent the PM a hand-written apology that lamented the fact names on the card had been revealed - but with no understanding he’d contributed to a witch hunt.
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Listening to Lady Hale outline why the decision to prorogue Parliament was unlawful, I feel glad to have wise and thoughtful people guarding the law. Everyone should accept the Supreme Court ruling and move on. I’d have felt the same if they’d found otherwise.
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Thankful for
@MarinaHyde
making us laugh during
#coronavirus
...
Eamonn Holmes under the hammer as daytime TV's fiercest sleuth goes rogue | Marina Hyde
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The Prime Minister having to apologise for not staying for all of the D-Day commemorations is a major moment in this campaign. It was a huge error of judgment - suggesting he put politics before what really matters and allowing his opponents to suggest he doesn’t care.
The 80th anniversary of D-Day has been a profound moment to honour the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our values, our freedom and our democracy.
This anniversary should be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The last thing
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Reading extracts of
@AnthonySeldon
’s biography of
@theresa_may
- his assessment of her as “inflexible and introverted” and an aide saying she could be “surly and not particularly pleasant” were both clear to anyone who worked with her before she became leader. And yet she did.
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I suspect if the Government tries to ignore a law passed by Parliament to stop No Deal, the protests against proroguing will seem mild.
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Well done to
@RoryStewartUK
for shaking up the Tory leadership race. He made a real mark - and I suspect will take a much bigger role on the stage of British politics going forward.
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5) Or ii) Total divorce - where we go onto WTO rules and severely damage the economy. Many now realise that isn’t appetising either. In the absence of the “cake” option they seek someone to blame. Reality is biting and this argument is displacement activity.
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Extraordinary to hear
@RLong_Bailey
positioning herself as Continuity Corbyn. Would have been like someone positioning themselves a continuity IDS after his disastrous leadership. What will be more extraordinary is if
@UKLabour
buy it.
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The shame of being a Prime Minister standing on stage having to answer questions about allegations of corrupt behaviour by members of his team is excruciating to see.
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I’m going to be talking to
@markaustintv
on
@SkyNews
at 645pm about why one way or another Tory MPs are going to have to find a way to fire a third Prime Minister in a row.
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Just recorded
#BBCNewscast
with
@adamfleming
and
@bbclaurak
after another febrile day where
@BorisJohnson
seemed to have made it through PMQs without a knockout blow, only to be knifed by
@DavidDavisMP
. The PM lives to fight another day - and the podcast is out later tonight.
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The
#Marr
interview with
@BorisJohnson
was painful to watch. People will take sides on who was to blame:
too many interruptions; or bulldozing answers.
Whatever, it bordered on the unintelligible and achieved almost nothing other than to leave people bemused and disillusioned.
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Classy statement from Ursula von der Leyen, quoting Shakespeare: Parting is such sweet sorrow.
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Standing ovation as four firefighters come on in
#Game4Grenfell
. Donate £3 by texting Grenfell to 70007.
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We should be under no illusion that today
@michaelgove
declared war on
@trussliz
. It’s going to get very bloody.
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The
#BBCSwithOff
campaign is appalling. I’ve had my share of run-ins with the BBC & it is far from fault free (the worst is claiming it gets everything right because both sides attack it) but its attempts to be impartial are invaluable in the current environment.
#BBCswitchon
.
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