Alanb Stards News Today

Tory jitters mount at political drift of Boris Johnson’s government Analysis: lack of substance in PM’s ‘levelling up’ speech adds to growing discontent as summer recess nears Boris Johnson’s speech in Coventry was widely criticised for its lack of policy detail. Photograph: David Rose/AFP/Getty Images Boris Johnson’s speech in Coventry was widely criticised for its lack of policy detail. Photograph: David Rose/AFP/Getty Images Sat 17 Jul 2021 02.00 EDT Boris Jo...

Tory jitters mount at political drift of Boris Johnson’s government Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot © Provided by The Guardian Photograph: David Rose/AFP/Getty Images Boris Johnson’s levelling up speech in Coventry on Thursday was billed as the moment the prime minister would set out the substance behind the central idea of his premiership. In the event, he announced £50m for community football pitches and 15 more local high street upgrades, and mused about the potenti...

Everyone’s mum – or Mam, as we say in the North East – has their favourite embarrassing story about their children. Mine loves to recount how, aged eight, I answered the door to a Conservative candidate out canvassing, and upbraided the poor man at length on how wrong he was about everything. I was born and bred in Middlesbrough, only a few miles from Hartlepool, into a family steeped in Labour loyalty. My parents weren’t party members: You didn’t need to be. ‘Labour was in the air ...