Bored Boris?
On winning the London mayoral contest, Boris Johnson was quick to reignite his rivalry with the prime minister, telling his team that in winning they had “survived the rain… the budget, and the endorsement of David Cameron.” But according to some close to the mayor, he is deflated after victory. Unless Johnson can find a way of standing for parliament while serving his second term as mayor, as first suggested in this magazine last year, he may find himself locked into the London job during the next Tory leadership contest. According to Just Boris, the biography by Sonia Purnell, Johnson told an aide earlier this year: “the last thing I really want to do is endure another four years of boring meetings with Transport for London.” Now, Purnell tells Prospect: “Of course he also has to do mundane things like judge Busker of the Year competition while Cameron swans off to banquets at the White House.” City Hall insiders say the smart money is on Boris standing for parliament before his second term is up in 2016.
Hague’s local difficulty
Are the coalition’s domestic problems getting in the way of pressing international questions? On 19th April world leaders gathered in Paris for a conference on Syria, called by Alain Juppé, then the foreign minister under Nicolas Sarkozy. Many went well out of their way to get there, including Hillary Clinton, who flew in from a trip to Brazil. There was one notable absentee: William Hague, the foreign secretary who was prevented from jumping on the Eurostar for the summit because he had to vote for the controversial finance bill.
Lord Adonis MP
Andrew Adonis, the former Cabinet minister, has made a return to the heart of Labour politics, brought in by Ed Miliband to advise on industrial policy. Prospect has learned of an intriguing possibility that Lord Adonis, appointed to the Upper House by Tony Blair, may make a return to the Commons. A friend says he wants the mandate of being elected. He backs an elected second chamber, but that prospect seems remote. Yet life peers cannot renounce their place in the Lords. Hereditary peers can do so, which is how Sir Alec Douglas-Home and Tony Benn shed their titles and escaped the Upper House. Adonis's chances of being able to stand as an MP may depend on Nick Clegg's ability to push through Lords reform.
Blair the evangelist
Tony Blair popped up at the Royal Albert Hall on 14th May, as the “mystery” guest of a “leadership conference” organised by the evangelical London church, Holy Trinity Brompton. He surprised his fellow Christians with this anecdote: “I had to do some address to the country when I was prime minister. You know the American president finishes an address to the American people by saying ‘God bless America.’ I had the idea of finishing my address by saying ‘God bless Britain.’ This caused consternation in the whole system. A committee was convened, and we had to discuss it. I remember we had this debate on and off but finally one of the civil servants said in a very po-faced way ‘I just remind you prime minister, this is not America’ in this very disapproving tone, so I gave up the idea.”
Davis on manoeuvres
David Davis has been telling fellow backbenchers that too many policies are ending up muddled because they are “split” between the desires of the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. Instead, Davis argues, some policies should be given to the Lib Dems, and some kept “fully” Tory, such as immigration.
Hollande packs his bags
France is getting used to the “Mr Ordinary” style of new president François Hollande. Standing through the sunroof in his small Citroën hybrid, he got drenched, coatless, on the Champs-Elysées on the day he took office. Behind the scenes, he has been in a dispute with French security, who want him to move out of the modest apartment he rents in the 15th arrondissement of the Left Bank with his partner Valerie Trierweiler. Hollande’s presence is causing chaos in the road, which has been closed, to the annoyance of neighbours. Security want him to move into the not-so-ordinary Elysée Palace.
On winning the London mayoral contest, Boris Johnson was quick to reignite his rivalry with the prime minister, telling his team that in winning they had “survived the rain… the budget, and the endorsement of David Cameron.” But according to some close to the mayor, he is deflated after victory. Unless Johnson can find a way of standing for parliament while serving his second term as mayor, as first suggested in this magazine last year, he may find himself locked into the London job during the next Tory leadership contest. According to Just Boris, the biography by Sonia Purnell, Johnson told an aide earlier this year: “the last thing I really want to do is endure another four years of boring meetings with Transport for London.” Now, Purnell tells Prospect: “Of course he also has to do mundane things like judge Busker of the Year competition while Cameron swans off to banquets at the White House.” City Hall insiders say the smart money is on Boris standing for parliament before his second term is up in 2016.
Hague’s local difficulty
Are the coalition’s domestic problems getting in the way of pressing international questions? On 19th April world leaders gathered in Paris for a conference on Syria, called by Alain Juppé, then the foreign minister under Nicolas Sarkozy. Many went well out of their way to get there, including Hillary Clinton, who flew in from a trip to Brazil. There was one notable absentee: William Hague, the foreign secretary who was prevented from jumping on the Eurostar for the summit because he had to vote for the controversial finance bill.
Lord Adonis MP
Andrew Adonis, the former Cabinet minister, has made a return to the heart of Labour politics, brought in by Ed Miliband to advise on industrial policy. Prospect has learned of an intriguing possibility that Lord Adonis, appointed to the Upper House by Tony Blair, may make a return to the Commons. A friend says he wants the mandate of being elected. He backs an elected second chamber, but that prospect seems remote. Yet life peers cannot renounce their place in the Lords. Hereditary peers can do so, which is how Sir Alec Douglas-Home and Tony Benn shed their titles and escaped the Upper House. Adonis's chances of being able to stand as an MP may depend on Nick Clegg's ability to push through Lords reform.
Blair the evangelist
Tony Blair popped up at the Royal Albert Hall on 14th May, as the “mystery” guest of a “leadership conference” organised by the evangelical London church, Holy Trinity Brompton. He surprised his fellow Christians with this anecdote: “I had to do some address to the country when I was prime minister. You know the American president finishes an address to the American people by saying ‘God bless America.’ I had the idea of finishing my address by saying ‘God bless Britain.’ This caused consternation in the whole system. A committee was convened, and we had to discuss it. I remember we had this debate on and off but finally one of the civil servants said in a very po-faced way ‘I just remind you prime minister, this is not America’ in this very disapproving tone, so I gave up the idea.”
Davis on manoeuvres
David Davis has been telling fellow backbenchers that too many policies are ending up muddled because they are “split” between the desires of the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. Instead, Davis argues, some policies should be given to the Lib Dems, and some kept “fully” Tory, such as immigration.
Hollande packs his bags
France is getting used to the “Mr Ordinary” style of new president François Hollande. Standing through the sunroof in his small Citroën hybrid, he got drenched, coatless, on the Champs-Elysées on the day he took office. Behind the scenes, he has been in a dispute with French security, who want him to move out of the modest apartment he rents in the 15th arrondissement of the Left Bank with his partner Valerie Trierweiler. Hollande’s presence is causing chaos in the road, which has been closed, to the annoyance of neighbours. Security want him to move into the not-so-ordinary Elysée Palace.
