The week in politics

Juliette Gerstein looks back at the week.

David Cameron’s continued opposition to Jean Claude Juncker’s Presidency of the European Commission has dominated the political agenda throughout the week. There were suggestions early on in the week that Cameron could use the Luxumbourg compromise, a mechanism that allows a member nation to veto a decision if it is perceived to be against the country’s national interests, but this was rejected as not being viable. Cameron’s negotiating tactics have attracted widespread comment this week. Philip Collins called Cameron ‘petulant’ and said he failed to answer the pertinent questions, and Chris Blackhurst said that Cameron’s stance was irresponsible and ‘wrong-headed’, but Fraser Nelson praised the Prime Minister as the only leader brave enough to stand up to Brussels. Jesse Norman added his voice of support, but former SpAd Dominic Cummings was unconvinced.

Cameron faced further criticism during the week after Andy Coulson was found guilty during the hacking trial. Although Cameron apologised for appointing Coulson as his Communications Director, Labour said that his apology was the ‘bare minimum’ and demanded he explain why he ignored all warnings about Coulson, including from Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. Additionally, the judge in charge of the hacking trial attacked Cameron for commenting on the verdict when the trial had not fully concluded. Unsurprisingly, the story was splashed across the media this week. Daniel Finklestein said that it was unlikely to cut through to voters, Peter Oborne warned that it left Cameron exposed, and Joan Smith said that it just reinforced calls for a regulator.

Discussions of Ed Miliband’s leadership continued this week, with senior Labour MPs stepping forward to defend him. Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP dismissed suggestions that Ed Miliband should engage more with popular culture, arguing that it would ‘belittle politics’ and Rachel Reeves MP and Andy Burnham MP also supported him. Jon Cruddas MP, who is leading Labour’s policy review, argued that a change of leadership would not solve Labour’s problems, and said that those who thought it would were ‘deluding themselves’, but Steve Ricahards said that Miliband should learn from Dolly Parton. It has been reported that Ed Miliband will launch a campaign this summer to address concerns that the party is anti-business, and that he does not understand how to engage with business leaders.

Elsewhere, Chancellor George Osborne MP used a speech to suggest that a new high speed rail link running east to west would help regenerate cities in the north, but Simon Jenkins criticised the plan. Public Health Minister, Jane Ellison MP, was recorded saying that the Government no longer had much day to day control of the NHS, and Business Secretary Vince Cable MP will use the Small Business, Enterprise, and Employers Bill to crack down on the use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts.

 

Need to know: the week ahead and the week just gone

The Intelex team look back at highlights from the weekend and what’s ahead, with a particular focus on the count-down to the 2015 Election:

The story this weekend: The Mail on Sunday published details of Labour’s public health strategy based on leaked documents, revealing the Party’s plans on public health, fitness, and alcohol.  The document outlined plans including reducing sugar and salt content in products targeted at children and banning advertising before the 9pm watershed.  Other plans include a minimum alcohol price and preventing drinks companies from sponsoring sports, impeding supermarkets from selling sweets at checkouts, a target of encouraging half the population to take up regular exercise within the next decade, and the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes. However the article suggested that the Shadow Business Secretary, Chuka Umunna, opposes this interventionist stance, and quoted an unnamed Labour MP arguing that the Party ‘need to show business we are on their side’.  Umunna last week addressed the Food and Drink Federation annual dinner, emphasising the Party’s support for the sector – and failing to mention any aspect of Labour’s plans to tackle obesity and unhealthy lifestyles.  Labour figures have largely stayed silent on social media about the leak.

More Labour this weekend: Ed Miliband suggested Labour would consider a form of renationalisation of the railways. The proposal may well be popular given rising train prices and the £4bn of annual subsidy the rail network receives. The proposals would see the Labour take over the franchises as they expire, thereby costing the Government nothing. However, there is rumoured to be a £325m short-fall in the rail funding which would probably prevent an immediate cut in ticket prices.

The story of the week ahead: This week marks a year to go until the 2015 General Election and commentators seem to agree on one thing at least: the outcome is uncertain, with the likely impact of UKIP on the outcome posing a major conundrum. As Patrick Wintour outlines in The Guardian, ‘In the short term, The Great Unknown is whether the European and local elections will turn out to be a frolic, and the serious business of politics, as senior Tory Ken Clarke put it last week, will thereafter return.’ In his column, Patrick Wintour looks at the packed schedule of political events coming up over the next year, but reflects that one thing is likely: Government will grind to a halt as the parties turn their attention to the election