At the first PMQ of the year, faced with tough questioning by Labour’s deputy leader, the prime minister threw truth to the windsIt’s an ill wind and all that. With Keir Starmer testing positive for Covid for the second time in a matter of months, it w…
Johnson reluctantly took the call. Why did everyone expect answers from the PM? | John Crace
Steve Barclay didn’t want to crash and burn like Raab, so maybe he could be told the line to take todayBoris Johnson: (picking up phone) Who’s that?Steve Barclay: It’s me. Steve.A Farewell to Calm by John Crace (Guardian Faber, £9.99). To support the G…
‘Gathering’ storm: ministers’ party pieces fail to convince | John Crace
Sajid Javid and Mike Ellis both claim nothing untoward happened at events that did not take placeThe day off didn’t seem to have done much to improve Sajid Javid’s mood. The health secretary had cancelled his slots on the Wednesday morning media round …
Tory conference bubble rises to applaud PM’s light entertainment | John Crace
Any hint of reality is accidental in Boris Johnson’s Telegraph column-style conference speechNot so much a conference speech, more an extended Daily Telegraph column. One knocked off in a hurry at the last minute. This was politics as light entertainme…
And we don’t care! Tories operate in their own little bubble in Manchester
Home secretary parades failures as successes to party hopelessly complacent and out of touchIt wasn’t exactly a U-turn. But it was a close run thing. Ever since Wayne Couzens was convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, just about …
Tetchy Boris tries to play down shortages as bumps on the Brexit road | John Crace
There had definitely been small print, it’s just that no one had got round to reading itRejoice. Queues at petrol stations. Food shortages. Gas price rises. If you thought they were a sign of the country falling apart then think again. They’re actually…
Oh Jeremy Corbyn – Labour fringe event is like being in a time warp | John Crace
Andy McDonald’s no-show gives the former leader free rein to revel in his lack of responsibilityI suppose it couldn’t last. Having spent much of the first two days of the party conference squabbling, rather than enjoying the ongoing Tory crises of fuel…
Joe’s reality check: sure you’re World King, Boris – but only of England
Prime minister’s bluster meets real world as promised post-Brexit trade deal fails to materialiseWhen the highlight of your first trip to the US as prime minister is an awkward minute-long conversation with the president about a shared interest in trai…
Boris on the back foot at the UN – but at least he’s not in London
While Jennifer Arcuri was being quizzed in the UK capital, the PM was messing it up in New YorkIf Boris Johnson had a little more self-awareness he might have reshuffled himself last week. The trip to the United Nations general assembly in New York was…
Gavin Williamson: a man too stupid even for a Boris Johnson cabinet | John Crace
PM’s reshuffle prizes uselessness above all with new jobs for the likes of Truss, Gove and DorriesThings were even worse than they seemed. Liz Truss was looking positively chipper on the frontbench ahead of prime minister’s questions. Someone in No 10 …