Grant Shapps
Tories now see ‘fruitcakes’ and ‘clowns’ as serious voters impatient for change
We’ve only had a few results through in the local elections, but already the parties are giving their verdict on the way last night worked for them. One thing to… Continue reading
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Ed Miliband faces calls to remove Ken Livingstone from Labour NEC after ‘disgusting’ remarks
Ken Livingstone’s remarks about the motives of the Boston bombing suspects have been widely condemned for suggesting that American foreign policy ‘fuels the anger’ that drove such young men into acts of terrorism. Tory chairman… Continue reading
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Grant Shapps on the Tories and Thatcher
It is one of the paradoxes of modern British politics that in the post-war era the power and hold of political parties have declined and our system has become more… Continue reading
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The Fox pulls in a crowd
An impressive turnout in the Churchill Room of the Carlton Club last night for Liam Fox’s New Year drinks. My eyes in the room reports that a smiling Liam claimed… Continue reading
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Ed Balls reverses over his own progress on fiscal responsibility
The battle-lines over the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill — which faces its second reading in the Commons this afternoon — have been drawn. Labour has tied its opposition to the… Continue reading
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Tories make hay with Labour’s welfare stance
The Welfare Uprating Bill won’t fall into difficulty when it has its second reading in the Commons today, but with around five Lib Dem MPs expected to vote against or… Continue reading
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Grant Shapps launches Tory target seats campaign
If the Tories are to win a working majority at the next election, they are going to have to take seats off Labour. Even if the Tories won every single… Continue reading
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Shapps’ campaign skirmish
There’s long been a sense on the Tory side that the party’s campaigning isn’t as sharp as it should be, that CCHQ isn’t up to the job. The Ashcroft target… Continue reading
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Grant Shapps tells Coffee House: there’ll never be a Tory/UKIP pact
I’ve just spoken to Grant Shapps, who was pretty unequivocal about the chances of the Tories and UKIP teaming up in 2015. ‘No,’ he told me. ‘There will be no… Continue reading
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Grant Shapps: No talks with the Lib Dems on a party funding for boundary changes deal
Grant Shapps, the perky new Tory chairman, has just been grilled on The Sunday Politics by Andrew Neil about the Tories’ majority strategy. In a sign of how tight the… Continue reading
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Steerpike at the Tories’: Grant Shapps’ ‘how to guide’ on gate-crashing
If warm white wine and dodgy canapés are your thing, then party conferences will be your heaven and I urge you to gate-crash them before the parties become extinct. Gate-crashing is… Continue reading
1 Comment Conservative conference: Shapps pushes ‘shy’ Tories to shout out about their achievements
Grant Shapps used his speech this afternoon to the Conservative party conference to encourage Tories to not be shy. It’s not a charge you could level at the Conservative party… Continue reading
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Re-arranging the desk chairs on the Titanic
New Tory Chairman Grant Shapps has taken the dramatic step of reinstalling the general election countdown clock in CCHQ to remind staffers that there are only 959 days until voters… Continue reading
15 Comments Grant Shapps addresses the 1922 committee
Grant Shapps, the new Tory chairman, has been addressing the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers this evening. Shapps appears to have gone down fairly well. MPs are glad to have… Continue reading
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There’s no right to live in Chelsea
Your local council owns prime real estate and could sell it to build new social houses. Housing Minister Grant Shapps says the appeal of this idea promoted by Policy Exchange… Continue reading
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Shapps leading a reshuffled pack?
The wettest drought on record has made work for idle thumbs on Twitter this afternoon. There is a smattering of reshuffle chatter about, prompted by the ‘omnishambles’ as much as… Continue reading
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How serious is Miliband?
The Tories reckon that Ed Miliband’s proposed donation cap of £5,000 is a con that will hit their funding every year, while preserving Labour’s funds except at election time thanks to… Continue reading
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The politics of taking big money out of politics
Ed Miliband is nothing if not persistent. Party funding has been a running theme of his leadership, necessitated by his cosy relationship with the unions. He has returned to the… Continue reading
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Shapps has ‘deep reservations’ about the ‘conservatory tax’
There is deep unease among Tory ministers about the proposals for a so-called ‘conservatory tax’. The idea, which was pushed hard by Chris Huhne when he was Energy Secretary, is… Continue reading
32 CommentsShapps sharpens the Right to Buy
It’s a day for growth initiatives. In addition to those described earlier, George Osborne has announced that Whitehall’s annual underspend will be reinvested into capital spending projects. The emphasis on… Continue reading
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