Harry Phibbs
The vulnerability for him is that so many of the claims he is making are false.
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What could a Burnham win mean for the Tories?
Tali Fraser
The Conservatives will not be pivotal in Makerfield, but the Tory Party is beginning to wonder about how Makerfield could prove pivotal for them. Over the past week numerous Conservative MPs and CCHQ officials have raised the prospect of an early general election.
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It really was nice, for a week – the quiet
Giles Dilnot
Politics viewed from afar has become horribly loud. Blocking it all out, gives you an idea of how most people see politics. It pops in and out their consciousness because it is not their main priority, or topic of conversation. They don’t ignore it, but they aren’t awash with it.
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James Cowling
If we’re to convince people the Party itself has changed it must be reflected in every single aspect of our approach. Now unassailable in her leadership, Kemi must be ruthless.
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Burnham cannot muddle through fiscal policy forever
David Gauke
At some point tough decisions on public spending are going to have to be made, and neither Burnham nor his party are reconciled to that. He can kick the issue of EU membership into the long grass, but it will not go away and it continues to divide the voters to whom Labour is trying to appeal.
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Council by-election results and forthcoming contests
Harry Phibbs
The Conservatives gained a seat from an independent in Fylde. The Lib Dems gained a seat from an independent in Malvern Hills.
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The Long Read – Brexit Didn’t Fail. We Failed Brexit
Matthew Jeffery
We took back control and then ran away from it. Before declaring Brexit a failure, perhaps we should first have the courage to properly attempt it. Not half-implement it. Not dilute it. Not spend a decade trapped between old systems and new ambitions.
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Why the British centre-right must champion a new European partnership
Era Sakhuja
It is time that the conservative movement showed its adaptability once again by understanding that Global Britain and European Britain are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary.
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Why Kemi should lead the Tories into the next two elections
Ranj Alaaldin
The surest way to lose the electorate is to repeat the mistake of believing that a different face at the despatch box will save the party. Let Kemi finish the job of rebuilding and rehabilitating the party, and to give voters a reason to come home.
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How you stop the breakup of the United Kingdom with a slightly unpopular tool
Austen Morgan
My big idea today is: a referendum (yes, another one!) on a written constitution for the whole UK, which affirms territorial integrity and political independence. That would see off the breakup of the UK, and any risk of regional referendums in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.