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A forced but welcome U-turn on cancelling elections

The move follows The Telegraph’s campaign against Labour’s attack on democracy Daily Telegraph 16/02/26 Having spent weeks defending its decision to cancel elections to around 30 local councils in England, the Government has unexpectedly abandoned the idea in the latest U-turn staged by No 10. This newspaper has campaigned from the outset against what was by any measure an attack on democracy. Lawyers acting for Reform UK were proposing to argue that the Government was misusing powers under the Local Government Act 2000 that were never intended to allow the postponement of elections other than in exceptional circumstances. Labour had claimed that the looming reorganisation of local authorities would make elections expensive, complicated and unnecessary. Steve Reed, the Local Government Secretary, had already told MPs that he was tabling powers under the Act and was still defending his decision last week. But, in a letter published yesterday, he said that he was withdrawing his de...

Cancelling elections is an abuse of power, High Court to hear

Reform UK launches legal challenge to Starmer’s decision to deny 4.6 million people the vote Daily Telegraph 15/02/26 Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to cancel local elections is an abuse of power that threatens the foundations of British democracy, the High Court will hear. In a legal challenge to the decision to cancel some of May’s elections, lawyers acting for Reform UK will argue that Labour acted out of political interest to deny 4.6 million people the right to vote. In court documents seen by The Telegraph, they claim it is “patently irrational” to postpone elections in peacetime and that it “stands in contradiction to the basis of the country, namely democratic rights and the basis of individual rights”. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, is expected to appear at the High Court for both days of the hearing next Thursday and Friday. Writing for The Telegraph on Saturday, Mr Farage accuses Sir Keir Starmer of “running scared” from voters who are being denied a chance to sen...

Starmer: Britain’s Brexit years are over

PM to deliver speech in Munich calling for UK to work more closely with EU on defence Daily Telegraph 14/02/26 Sir Keir Starmer will claim the UK is no longer “the Britain of the Brexit years” when he addresses world leaders in Munich. The Prime Minister will argue that Britain should work more closely with the EU on defence, and will urge Europe to end its over-dependence on the United States. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Sir Keir will claim that turning inwards would amount to a “surrender” of control during an era of heightened international instability. “We are not the Britain of the Brexit years anymore,” he will say. “Because we know that, in dangerous times, we would not take control by turning inward – we would surrender it. And I won’t let that happen. “There is nThe Chancellor’s comments represented a significant shift in tone. In January, she said Britain could not “go back in time” in its relationship with the EU. Europe ‘must reduce d...

A bad day for democracy and a good day for supporters of terror

The Palestine Action ruling means it is no longer politicians taking the ultimate decisions on national security; it is the judiciary Daily Telegraph 13/02/26 We live in a democracy under the rule of law, so the High Court’s ruling on the prescription of Palestine Action (PA) must be respected. Be clear, however, about what it means: it is another example of how it is no longer politicians, elected by and answerable to voters, who take the ultimate decisions on national security and protection of the public from terror. It is the judiciary. When the High Court rules, as it did today, that “the proscription of Palestine Action was disproportionate” and that “a very small number of Palestine Action’s activities amounted to acts of terrorism within the definition of section 1 of the 2000 Act”, it is imposing its will and its view of the threat posed by a group and individuals over that of ministers and Parliament. Legitimately so, of course, since that is the nature of judicial revi...

A fate worse than Starmer

Time was when political scandals rocked nations and altered history. Watergate wasn’t just a bad headline or a name-calling spat, it was burglary, taped conversations, perjury and congressional hearings. Profumo had a serious breach of national security and a romantic affair to boot. Now, though, we have 21st-century scandal-lite: confected outrage for clicks, trivial infractions inflated into “crises” by opportunistic politicians who still think they’re in the student union. At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch traded blows that most people wouldn’t notice, much less care about. Two-Tier (or Still-Here as he’s reminding us) declared that Robert Jenrick should have been sacked for saying there were no white faces in parts of Birmingham. This was a statement of demographic fact, not some racial slur, as the perpetually incandescent This is no Watergate Daily Telegraph 11/02/26 Left claims. Anyone who has walked through certain districts of our majo...

The Starmer palace coup is a national disgrace

The destructive fools of Westminster are needlessly pushing Britain towards a gilts and sterling crisis Daily Telegraph 10/02/26 Britain is acquiring a bad reputation for hounding its leaders out of power in rapid succession and in petulant fashion, lurching from one set of policies to another with no economic or political compass. What I notice in my job covering the world economy is a creeping change in tone. A narrative is taking hold that this country is degenerating into an intractable and feral condition, prone to going down every rabbit hole of the culture war and lacking the discipline to see anything through. This is a dangerous reputation to have for a country that is running a large structural trade deficit, needs constant inflows of foreign capital, and has still not expunged the stain of the Liz Truss episode. Bond markets have become acutely sensitive to any sign of fiscal slippage anywhere on the planet. They will punish states that stray – even America, with the ex...