Andrew Grice

Profile: Full name: Andrew Grice Area of interest: Politics Journals/Organisation: The Independent Email: a.grice@independent.co.uk Personal website: Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/biography/andrew-grice Blog: Representation: Networks:

Biography: About: Education: Career: Westminster journalist for more than 20 years. The Sunday Times: political editor for ten years; The Independent: political editor, 1998- Current position/role: The Independent: Political Editor also writes/has written for: Freelance journalism for Campaign magazine Other roles/Main role: Other activities: Disclosures: Viewpoints/Insight: Broadcast media: Video: Controversy/Criticism: Awards/Honours: Scoops: Won the London Press Club Scoop of the Year (with Barrie Clement), 2002 - for revealing Jo Moore's memo suggesting "burying bad news" in the wake of the 911 attacks. Jo Moore story wins scoop of the year for 'Independent', The Independent, 30th April 2002 Other:

Books & Debate: Latest work: Speaking/Appearances: Debate:

The Independent: Column name: Inside Politics / Inside Westminster Remit/Info: Political analysis Section: Role: Political Editor Pen-name: Email: a.grice@independent.co.uk Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/biography/andrew-grice Commissioning editor: Day published: Saturday Regularity: Weekly Column format: Average length:

Articles: 2013 Friends abroad, but David Cameron has blood-scenting rivals at home - Cameron’s strategy could only work if Eurosceptics trust him. They don’t, and it hasn’t - 18th May Why the Coalition is still doomed... to last until 2015 - Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband talked intensely at St Paul’s Cathedral as they waited for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral to begin - 11th May Even without winning a single constituency, Ukip could still transform the 2015 general election - Britain now has a four-party political system - 4th May The IMF's check-up will give George Osborne another headache - Miliband may need five symbolic cuts to convince that he means business on the deficit - 27th April Margaret Thatcher's ghost still sets agenda in divided Britain - Even after her funeral, Baronness Thatcher shapes the political debate – the ultimate tribute. The Conservatives agonise over whether to be “Thatcherite” or “Thatcher-lite”. David Cameron is stuck awkwardly in the middle, being pulled in both directions - 20th April Margaret Thatcher caught the tide of change. Can Ed Miliband? - Today, there is only one politician who aspires to end the post-1979 consensus - 13th April The ghost of Margaret Thatcher will haunt David Cameron until he shows he can win an election - The unusually large band of 148 new Tory MPs elected in 2010 are very much 'Thatcher’s children' - 10th April George Osborne's happy to pick a fight over welfare reform. But is it one he can win? - George Osborne set his trap, and Labour appeared happy to walk into it - 6th April Nobody will be more pleased about David Miliband stepping down than his younger brother Ed - Our Political Editor draws a parallel between what the former Foreign Secretary has done and what Tony Blair did when Gordon Brown succeeded him as Prime Minister - 29th March Nobody will be more pleased about David Miliband stepping down than his younger brother Ed - Our Political Editor draws a parallel between what the former Foreign Secretary has done and what Tony Blair did when Gordon Brown succeeded him as Prime Minister - 28th March George Osborne has found a Plan B – it's called the Bank of England - Labour risks winning the battle over whether cuts stalled growth but losing the war in 2015 - 23rd March David Cameron can see off a challenge from Theresa May. But Boris Johnson is another matter - anti-Cameron plotting continues in a party which has ousted three of its previous leaders - 16th March After Eastleigh the Lib Dems still have a long way to go, but don't bet against them just yet - Clegg feels he has proved the critics wrong and allies say he is now 'absolutely secure' in his post for the 2015 election - 4th March More policies, Ed Miliband, you've misunderstood history - By the start of 1997, New Labour had already put down firm foundations - 16th February Fuelled by Haribo and coffee, the PM won a battle. The war will be harder - Cameron’s success on the budget will raise greater expectations on a return of EU powers to London - 9th February The one thing plotters hate more than coalition is the PM - Cameron lacks the authority that an outright win in 2010 would have given him - 2nd February PM is not in Holland, and pro-Europeans may prevail - Eurosceptics are never satisfied. If Cameron announced a referendum tomorrow, they'd complain it wasn't yesterday - 19th January Today’s the day Ed Miliband answers his Blairite critics - A month ago, George Osborne set what looked like a clever trap for Labour by announcing a Bill to cap rises in most state benefits at 1 per cent for the next three years - 12th January Can Cameron resist the siren calls of the Tory right? - At the start of a new year, the Coalition reaches an important milestone - 5th January

Articles: 2012 After one bark, Deputy Dawg will go back to nodding - Our politicians are learning that coalitions do not stand still; they evolve. The priority for the Liberal Democrats in the first year was to show that “coalition works” - 1st December Patten should defy his Tory foes and stay as chairman despite - Lord McAlpine, like some Tory MPs, is gunning for his old foe to be ousted from the BBC - 17th November Recession may be over, but no one is making capital - Politically, however, the GDP figures are very significant - 27th October Is David Cameron aping Gordon Brown's headline-grabbing habit? - It should have been a good week for David Cameron. A collective shudder went through the leading figures of the Labour Party who were watching the BBC's 10pm news bulletin on Wednesday - 20th October Away from conference, the prospect of coalition lives on - David Cameron and Ed Miliband left their respective party conferences happy that their troops had been cheered up after receiving their marching orders. In public, the two leaders exuded confidence that they were on course for victory at the next general election - 13th October To overcome his Downton problem, David Cameron should start by claiming the nation as his own - When voters are asked what they associate David Cameron and his Government with, some reply: "Downton Abbey" - 6th October Now's the time for Miliband to show what he's made of - The more people see of Ed, the more they like him. The more they see of Cameron, the less... - 29th September Nick Clegg's apology may look wise in six months' time - Many politicians would have tried to spread the blame – and Clegg could have pointed at Vince Cable - 22nd September George Osborne the octopus pulls the PM into troubled waters - More chairs! We need more chairs!" The cry went up in 10 Downing Street as the new Cabinet prepared to meet on Wednesday - 8th September 'Man or mouse' reshuffle has not magically created a Tory majority - This reshuffle may stabilise Cameron's party for a while, but there could be trouble ahead - 5th September Is Nick Clegg's brand so bust he can't remain leader? - His friends blame the "Continuity SDP" for the emergence of a debate on leadership - 1st September Does Boris want to be the PM? Yes, and his team is already trying to make it happen - Being Mayor is one thing; being PM is another. Do voters want his finger on the nuclear trigger? - 4th August Is Boris already the first big winner of these Games? - Ambitious Boris Johnson once joked to friends that he wanted to be 'king of the world' - 28th July Has the Coalition charabanc reached a fork in the road? - Clegg has to show that coalition works. Flouncing out would undermine that - 21st July PM is caught between yellow devil and deep blue ranks on Lords - On Monday, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will try to get the Coalition back on track after it hit the buffers on House of Lords reform this week - 14th July As soon as Clegg learnt the whips had failed, he knew he had to accept the inevitable - A chaotic day that left the Coalition scarred - 11th July Dig a little deeper and it's been a good week for the Tories - Inside Westminster: Unusually, more than half of voters could be described as ‘don’t knows’ or floaters - 7th July Two-thirds of voters want to see Lords reformed - Poll boost for Nick Clegg as rebel Tory MPs prepare to shoot down Bill in crucial vote - 4th July Cameron's European headache will get worse - Boris Johnson knows calling for a referendum hits his party’s sweet spot and so does it regularly - 30th June Cameron facing a perfect Eurosceptic storm - These are bumpy days for the Coalition. Next week the Prime Minister and his deputy will try to head off another split - 23rd June David Cameron may live to regret speaking out about Jimmy Carr's tax - The proverbial genie is out of the bottle and the media will not stop asking Mr Cameron his views about other celebrities, Tory party donors and businessmen who advise the Government - 22nd June A Prime Minister whose personal brand is bust - Inside Westminster: The abiding memory of Mr Cameron's five hours of evidence was that text message from News International's Rebekah Brooks about arranging a "country supper - 16th June Cameron, the forgetful sheriff, dodges silver bullets - He looked uncomfortable at the questions about his relationship with senior Murdoch empire figures - 15th June It's no LOL matter for George Osborne as he's drawn into BSkyB affair - Jeremy Hunt survived his day in court, but the net cast by the Leveson Inquiry is widening - 2nd June Chancellor punished fornot reading the small print - Labour advisers pointed out that the pasty tax was repeatedly rejected by ministers - 30th May So David Cameron lacks an ideology. Who knew? - It sounds mad, but sane Tories are talking about ousting David Cameron after the elections - 26th May Darkening clouds of euro crisis make life perilous for the PM - The election of the Socialist François Hollande in France on a "growth before austerity" ticket threatens to tip the EU balance in favour of growth - 19th May Anti-politics mood is giving Labour a hard time in opposition - Things ought to be only getting better for Labour - 12th May Clegg may have missed his big chance. But it's Cameron who's feeling the heat - Normally, governments are keen to shout from the rooftops about the key measures in its Queen's Speech. Yesterday was different - 10th May Bruised and battered, Clegg will struggle to sell Coalition relaunch - Yesterday's election results make it a very unhappy anniversary for the Coalition, formed after the general election, held two years ago tomorrow - 5th May It's time to take a step back, Mr Cameron - "Hand on heart, we all did a bit too much cosying up to Rupert Murdoch," David Cameron told MPs on Wednesday. "No we didn't," mouthed Nick Clegg - 28th April Behind closed doors, the love-in goes on - From recent headlines, you might think the wheels were in danger of coming off the Coalition -21st April Is current crisis a blip – or worse? The jury's still out... - Cameron's advisers are cursing a run of bad luck - 20th April What's the problem – a lack of vision, or George Osborne? - The Tories have slipped in the opinion polls. So why has the Government suddenly run into trouble in the past four weeks? - 17th April Cunning Osborne sets a tax trap - David Cameron and Mr Osborne talk up the prospect that Cabinet ministers will publish their tax returns - 14th April Cameron must think short-term to end headline horrors - Politicians often argue – in public – that they must rise above the day-to-day headlines to take the right long-term decisions for the country - 7th April Once again, Miliband forges ahead – then blows it - Labour's surprise by-election setback is part of a pattern. Mr Miliband gets himself into good positions and then blows it - 31st March Cameron's terrible week shows he can no longer get benefit of the doubt - There was plenty of competition for Mr Cameron's worst moment - 30th March Budget for the wealthy that exposes Tories’ fatal flaw - I doubt David Cameron is having sleepless nights over the Budget. But he should be. It has backfired badly - 24th March How Osborne missed the white rabbit trick - The Chancellor made a fatal mistake. The key measures leaked out but one big one did not - 23rd March How the Chancellor pulled off the 50p tax cut - George Osborne's judgement was that it was 'now or never' to cut the top rate - 21st March Osborne playing with fire over the 50p tax rate - The Chancellor would not be the first political animal to keep an eye on his own long-term prospects - 17th March They had a mutual interest in making trip work – and it did - They don't need to act; the bonhomie is real," one British minister said, reflecting on David Cameron's bonding with Barack Obama as his three-day visit to the United States ended last night - 16th March Clegg invades Tory turf to get under Cameron's skin - Clegg's invasion of Tory turf shows how the Coalition game has changed - 10th March Labour must bite welfare bullet to match the public mood - David Cameron had a welcome break from the endless controversy over his Government's health reforms on Wednesday when he issued a triumphalist statement after Parliament passed the Welfare Reform Bill - 3rd March Osborne's Budget is shaping up to be a battle for the soul of the Coalition - Normally, politicians make their Budget TV broadcast in the few days after the event - 25th February Cameron could live to regret his reluctance to kill the Bill - "I hope I backed Andrew [Lansley] enough," David Cameron said after PMQs on Wednesday - 11th February Sadly for them, Labour still owns the economy - "Oh, the luxuries of opposition," David Cameron sighed as he reflected on a rare but important victory for Ed Miliband - 4th February Clegg can reap rewards from his canny tax plans - While David Cameron and George Osborne cut their teeth as special advisers to Cabinet ministers in the 1990s, there was a rule of thumb at Conservative HQ that the opinion poll ratings of any government move in line with people's optimism about the economy - 28th January PM lags behind in rush to embrace moral markets - David Cameron's address was a much more passionate defence of markets than Labour had expected - 21st January This could prove to be Ed's defining moment - When Ed Miliband ran for the Labour leadership on a "not Blair" ticket, he reassured his party he would not pick fights with it to win cheap headlines - 18th January Osborne: the SNP's secret weapon - Senior Lib Dem and Labour figures were appalled by the way Mr Cameron launched his challenge to Mr Salmond last weekend. Nor did they think it was clever to announce that George Osborne would mastermind the fight against independence - 14th January Balls may be right – but the voters just don't care - Voters are in no mood to give Labour credit for anything - 7th January

Articles: 2011 Clegg's 'greatest triumph' comes unstuck - While George Osborne gives with one hand, he will grab back more with the other - 27th December How a wealth tax would pay dividends for Clegg - If David Cameron and George Osborne opposed it, they would come over as defending their rich supporters - 24th December Divisions on Europe point to a rocky road ahead for Coalition - The genie is out of the bottle and it was Mr Cameron who opened it - 17th December This PM dared to go where even Thatcher feared to tread - Although the public might like Mr Cameron's posturing now, I am not sure they would vote to withdraw from the EU - 12th December Plenty of talk about cracking down on lobbying – but still there's no action - The political parties may talk tough – but they are happy to take the lobbyists' money - 6th December An age of austerity just might benefit the Tories - The official, still unpublished Conservative Party inquest into why David Cameron did not win an overall majority last year found that his modernisation project failed to win enough support in three key groups - 3rd December The Chancellor's pain will see only a few gain - George Osborne did not want his Autumn Statement next Tuesday to be a big deal - 26th November Beware, George, of playing the euro blame game - The eurozone debt crisis provides a convenient cover for the UK’s flatlining economy - 19th November Gould may get his dying wish: the brothers reunited - The last time I saw Philip Gould, the Labour strategist who died this week after a long battle with cancer, was at a recent birthday party - 12th November The EU genie is out of the bottle and can only cause Tories trouble - For more than a year, it was the dog that didn't bark. Europe, the issue that divided and destabilised the Thatcher and Major governments, was firmly back in its box and David Cameron had reason to think it would stay there - 5th November Curious case of the silent watchdog - The Liam Fox affair has highlighted a flaw in the rules governing the conduct of ministers which means that allegations against them can be investigated by the civil servants who serve them - 12th October Cameron is posh, Ed Miliband is weird... - ...but which will be the bigger liability at the polls? - 8th October Ed Miliband may have the last laugh - It would be lazy and dangerous to rely on Mr Miliband to deliver the prize; the Tories will have to earn it - 1st October Public won't listen until Ed says sorry - I am not sure the public has really heard the party's 'mea culpa' - 24th September Cameron - still the 'heir to Blair'? - These days the Prime Minister prefers to learn lessons from Blair's mistakes - 20th September Clegg could soothe Lib Dems but what about the voters? - The Liberal Democrats don't need to tack right like New Labour or left like Cameron's Conservatives - 17th September Darling's book could help Labour - Alistair Darling's intervention may be a wake-up call for Labour - 10th September Cameron should resist the siren calls urging him to the right - When will the real David Cameron stand up? When he speaks to the Conservative Party's annual conference on 5 October, it seems. In the run-up, he is being pulled in different directions by groups inside his party urging him to use his address to tilt the balance in their favour - 3rd September Miliband must switch focus from Tripoli to London to gain capital - Cameron has had a good war in Libya. Although it is not over yet, the minds of Conservative MPs are already turning back to what they regard as the Government's immediate priority – ensuring peace on the streets of Britain rather than Tripoli - 27th August Osborne can use all the spin he likes – it won't help the economy grow any quicker - "Things can only get better" worked as a slogan as well as a theme tune for Labour at the 1997 election. "Things could be even worse than they are" is George Osborne's song today. It will never top the charts - 30th July People of Middle England, beware politicians - Out of each £100 of GDP, only £12 goes in wages to the bottom half of earners - 25th July Politicians hit back at newspapers - I have been surprised by the thirst for revenge displayed by politicians - 23rd July On hacking Ed has barely put a foot wrong - Perhaps the time has come for Mr Miliband's responsibility agenda - 16th July Is News International's misery Gordon Brown's revenge? - Some say Mr Brown believes he could still be Prime Minister today if the most recent claims about hacking had emerged before the election - 12th July Murdoch's support is now a threat to PM - Mr Miliband senses a chance to define himself against his opponent - 9th July An autumn of discontent suits neither side in pensions battle - The trade unions are back. After years in the wilderness, they are all over the television news bulletins and front pages - 2nd July PM knows a strong euro is good for the UK - Although a pragmatist in his head, he is a Eurosceptic at heart - 25th June The big boys fight it out while their leader sits in the middle - The big boys fight it out while their leader sits in the middle - 19th June While the PM and his deputy jockey for credit, Labour is the real winner - Why the Tories' health U-turn is important - 14th June For a man who won the leadership, he seems remarkably short of friends - Even some of the trade union allies who ensured his narrow victory over his brother are becoming restless - 13th June Miliband needs to find a voice fast if he wants to be heard - When Ed Miliband pronounced New Labour "dead" on winning the party leadership last September, he was trying to signal a new style of politics rather talking about the substance of policy - 11th June Chancellor adds flexibility to stability - The Tories claim Labour's policy is no different to their own - 7th June What a difference a month can make in the life of a coalition - Before this month's elections and referendum, the Chancellor was "George" in the Liberal Democrats' internal discussions. Now he is "Osborne" or "the Chancellor" - 28th May Clarke has had a bad day at the office but the Tories need his experience - It was the moment the new, more tribal phase of the Coalition became very public - 21st May Progressive majority may find its voice despite AV disaster - On the eve of the referendum on the electoral system, Ed Miliband said supporting the alternative vote (AV) would give expression to the "anti-Conservative, progressive majority" in Britain. On the face of it, he could not have been more wrong - 14th May The Coalition will never be the same again - From now on, the Liberal Democrats will have some surprises of their own - 7th May Sniping over vote reform changes things irrevocably between Clegg and Cameron - After the Coalition was formed almost a year ago, Nick Clegg and his advisers resolved that unity between the two parties would be the top priority for the Government's first year - 30th April Miliband has few options over AV - Mr Cameron could call a "dump, cut and run" election as early as this autumn - 26th April The week the No camp wheeled out its big gun - Fear of losing the vote has persuaded Mr Cameron to rewrite the rulebook - 23rd April The Tories cannot promote Brown and attack his legacy - David Cameron's attempt to stop Gordon Brown running the IMF is another stage of the Coalition's so-far successful campaign to persuade voters that Britain's record peacetime deficit was caused by Labour, rather than a global crisis - 20th April Referendum is a tricky task for Miliband - Mr Clegg's allies suspect Mr Miliband is playing a double game - 18th April From Saint Nick to Calamity Clegg - In a rollercoaster year, he has gone from Cleggmania to Old Nick - 16th April Cameron learns from mistakes and tightens his grip over his ministers - Cabinet "colleagues" are not shedding too many tears for Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, who is getting most of the flak for the mess the Government is in over his controversial NHS reforms - 9th April Clegg has a plan to profit from defeat on AV - A No vote would provoke claims that Clegg had blown a opportunity to change the voting system - 2nd April The Chancellor's game is to lay a tax trap for Labour - Stand by for an election at which the parties say they are all tax-cutters now - 26th March PM has backing of the Commons – but it won't last - The Labour leader has left himself room to criticise if things turn sour - 22nd March Why Osborne will struggle to sell his Budget of growth - David Cameron promised to end Tony Blair's "sofa government" but it has made a temporary comeback ahead of next Wednesday's Budget - 19th March Clegg may be catching flak from all sides, but all is not lost just yet - Nick Clegg feels like a man with his head in the stocks. Passers-by throw rotten fruit at him. They are not always sure why - 12th March Championing the 'squeezed middle' - Miliband will try to capitalise on the feelbad factor, citing the waiting tax traps and cuts in public services - 5th March Coalition will struggle to survive a 'No' vote - The special relationship between Dave and Nick may face its toughest test yet - 19th February The Big Society is unlikely to play on estates - The Big Society might work very nicely in leafy Oxfordshire, but what about the most deprived parts of the country? - 12th February Cameron has read Blair's memoirs, but he hasn't learnt from them - Mr Cameron deployed a classic Blair argument, his "modernise or die" mantra - 5th February Fear of a double dip stalks the Coalition - The coalition cannot admit that it might need an economic Plan B - 29th January Balls has to address the past - Until he says more about the past, Labour will not have much of a future - 22nd January There is life in the Lib Dem parrot yet - Dave will not be able to throw Nick a similar lifeline in the May elections - 15th January Breathing space for Miliband - a bloody nose for Clegg - First, the good news for Labour. Victory in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election will help silence the mutterings about its leader, Ed Miliband, from critics in his own party - 14th January Oldham is Ed's chance to prove he is the right brother at the right time - Inside Politics: It had to happen. Towards the end of Ed Miliband's bruising BBC Radio 2 phone-in on Thursday, one caller addressed him as David. This man is not alone. At least one of Mr Miliband's staff does it too - 8th January With figures like these, Clegg faces a painful 2011 - Nick Clegg is said by aides to have returned from his Christmas break in Spain with a spring in his step. He will need it - 5th January

Articles: 2010 If Barack Obama can win election on small donations, why can't Ed? - The expenses scandal left politicians reluctant to make the case for more taxpayer support - 28th December The Year in Review: The Coalition - Nick and Dave – the wedding of the year - 24th December Backbenchers are a problem for the leaders - Backbench rumblings can grow into something much more threatening - 18th December The Coalition isn't finished, but Clegg must learn the lesson of this fiasco - Mr Clegg feels cast in the role of fall guy. Little or no mud has stuck to Mr Cameron or Mr Osborne - 11th December Cameron can relax over the fairness vote - Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all? - 27th November Ed Miliband needs ideas fast - It's not enough to proclaim the death of New Labour - 20th November The week that taught the Coalition the reality of being in power - Although he had a busy schedule in China and South Korea, David Cameron had to devote more time than he had bargained for to events back home - 13th November The Civil Service is back – and the Coalition doesn't like it - Benchmarks and milestones are in, but they look like slimmed-down targets by another name - 9th November Ed Miliband is in for a long wait - I would be surprised now if the coalition doesn't survive until the election date - 6th November Landmines on the road to re-election - In delaying some of the economic pain, has Osborne ensured several doses of political pain for the Coalition? - 23rd October Has Osborne just completed the Thatcherite revolution? (Not that he'd ever want to admit it) - Andrew Grice: Nick Clegg has repeatedly assured us that the spending cuts will not involve a repeat of the 'slash and burn' approach of the Thatcher government in the 1980s, when poorer regions of Britain were left to sink or swim - 22nd October In the end, it was all a bit less bloody than they feared at start - Contrary to expectations, the Star Chamber did not have to hold any minister's feet to the fire - 21st October The Coalition - frugal and fair? We shall see... - Nick Clegg was at it again yesterday, announcing a morsel of good news - 16th October Just one of Cameron's new problems - The Tories have problems with the middle classes who flocked to Blair - 9th October Ed believes in a 'new politics'. Who doesn't? - Cameron and Clegg are practising the new politics daily in front of the voters - 2nd October How first his bottle and then his brother cost David Miliband his dream - A career frustrated by crucial mistakes - 30th September The Coalition isn't a sitting duck for Labour - The most important task facing the new Labour leader will be to decide the party line on public spending - 25th September Members fear Clegg could drive away the left that gave him power - "He must be the first party leader to invite people not to vote for him." That was how one bemused senior Liberal Democrat reacted to Nick Clegg's declaration that his party had no future as "a receptacle for left-wing dissatisfaction with Labour" - 23rd September Prime Minister will stand by his man – but for how long? - David Cameron's return to the political fray after the birth of his daughter was not supposed to be like this - 8th September Blair's true legacy was Brown as leader - In contrast to Blair, Brown was poor at the job for which he waited for so long - 4th September This leadership contest has come alive at last - Perhaps it was naïve for the brothers to think they could stand against each other without harming their relationship - 28th August Senior figures have now accepted that talking to the coalition is better than shouting from sidelines - Analysis: Despite the inevitable public sector cutbacks and clashes ahead, some union pragmatists have expressed a sneaking admiration for David Cameron - 24th August Cameron's approach to foreign relations - He judges that honesty strengthens rather than weakens Britain’s hand - 31st July Labour must stop fighting if it wants power - With all the nastiness it is a miracle that Labour got anything done in office - 17th July Labour's nightmare looms - The realignment of politics might just take place on the centre-right - 10th July AV vote will test coalition not destroy it - With complaints on both sides of the fence, maybe it shows the PM and his deputy are getting it right - 3rd July How the Government's Afghan wires have become crossed - Any talk of dates makes military commanders wince since they know it only strengthens the enemy's resolve to sit tight, play it long and then claim victory - 2nd July In the face of this crisis, all the G20 could serve up was fudge - Analysis: If everyone cuts to calm the markets, where is the growth going to come from? - 29th June Cuts mean the charm offensive is over - Both leaders give an impression to the voters that they are obsessed with cuts - 26th June Clegg is forced to eat humble pie over VAT increase - The carefully stage-managed picture of four men in white shirts sitting around the Cabinet table – George Osborne next to Nick Clegg, opposite David Cameron and Danny Alexander – told the story the coalition wanted: they were all in it together - 24th June Osborne must sell destination, not the best way to get there - Inside politics - 19th June The Chancellor is overplaying the scale of the black hole to shift blame for cuts on to Labour - George Osborne prepared the ground for higher tax rises and deeper spending cuts than previously expected in next week's emergency Budget as he seized on the first report from the new independent fiscal watchdog he has set up - 15th June The coalition needs a strategy for growth as well as for making cuts - Inside Politics - 12th June A month is a long time in politics - The love affair between David Cameron and Nick Clegg is contagious - 11th June Why one side of the coalition benefits more than the other - David Laws is one of us," one senior Conservative MP boomed. "He's got balls of steel," beamed another - 29th May The coalition leaders may have bonded, but have their parties? - The new government has achieved a lot in just two weeks. It would surely have taken about two months on the Continent, where coalitions are much more common - 26th May Labour's voting system puts Ed in pole position - Forget the bookies' odds, which make David Miliband the favourite - 22nd May Now Mr Cameron's 'liberal conservative' credentials can be tested - It is already clear that this is much more than a "marriage of convenience" - 15th May Two manifestos become one: but how long will it hold? - "There is a coalition at the heart of the Treasury," George Osborne, the new Chancellor, told his officials yesterday - 13th May A coalition with the Tories comes with huge risks for Clegg - One of the ironies of being the third party is that it wanted and yet feared a hung parliament - 12th May Lib Dems must talk to the Tories but they have more in common with Labour - A number of Tories will not feel comfortable in bed with the Lib Dems and the feeling is mutual - 10th May His dream of leading a progressive alliance lies in tatters - The game is still in play. There is still a prospect of a Liberal Democrat deal with Labour – but not with Mr Brown - 8th May Cameron's self-serving electoral reform plans - Shock news: David Cameron is committed to electoral reform - 6th May The 1983 election shows peril of splitting the anti-Tory vote - Will we make it?" the Tory frontbencher asked nervously when he rang yesterday. "Do you think we will come fourth?" the Labour official asked later - 1st May Some MPs are still more equal than others - Most of the events in this General Election seem to be strictly men-only - 29th April The yellow battlebus is still driving this election campaign - The spectacular advance of the Liberal Democrats has electrified this campaign - 24th April Voters know self-interest when they see it - Another proposed rise in NI seems to have alienated the business community - 10th April NICs and a brazen pitch for votes - I didn't think that David Cameron and Mr Osborne would resort to a 'wheeze' - 3rd April The ghosts of politics past haunt campaigns - The strikes are allowing the Tories to revel in a 'spring of discontent' - 27th March No fireworks but Alistair stands up at last - Just over two years ago, friends warned Alistair Darling that he was seen as "an appendage of Gordon Brown" and he had to break free if he were to have credibility as Chancellor - 25th March Don't expect the Budget to be boring - Labour hopes to paint a line between Labour optimism and Tory austerity - 20th March Clegg shouldn't count on a hung parliament - Nick Clegg knows he can't avoid questions about a hung parliament - 13th March Flogging a dead horse? No, it's still running - Mr Cameron's impressive speech to the Tories' spring conference last Sunday steadied nerves. But not for long - 6th March Complacency is no longer the Tory problem - Conservative MPs, candidates and the party's grassroots are jittery - 27th February Chancellor is already thinking beyond the election - When Alistair Darling replaced Gordon Brown as Chancellor in 2007, he was confident that his long-standing partnership with the new Prime Minister would stand him in good stead - 25th February Cameron might not ditch sofa government - The Tories believe they have found "booby traps" left by Labour - 13th February Brown's insurance against defeat - PM's deathbed conversion to electoral reform may look like pure opportunism - 10th February For the first time, the Tories are worried - They are not used to Labour turning its guns on the enemy, instead of itself - 6th February Stench will linger when stables are swept - The election will probably see the highest turnover of MPs since 1945 - 5th February How Cameron's clever trick turned into the second Conservative wobble of 2010 - Labour always hoped a relatively untested Tory leadership would crack under the pressure of an election, when intense media scrutiny can magnify any change of emphasis. Team Brown now thinks it is happening - 2nd February Capturing the public mood is one thing – keeping it is quite another - In his first speech to the Conservatives' annual conference after becoming party leader, David Cameron endorsed gay marriages. He didn't know how Tory activists would react. Some old farts sat on their hands, stony-faced. But after a pregnant pause, applause began to ripple around the hall - 30th January Weak performance plays into Brown's hands at election - When Downing Street issued its list of ministerial engagements and news events for Westminster journalists yesterday, there was no mention of the long-awaited official figures showing that the economy had finally returned to growth - 27th January Iraq inquiry has rebounded on Brown - British elections are about domestic events. Now, it's the economy, stupid - 23rd January Gordon must use the dreaded 'C-word' - What should be the dominant issue at the general election? The cuts, stupid - 16th January Labour is desperate to prove it can still change - The card symbolised a time for change, the most powerful message in politics - 14th January A shift in power – towards Mandelson - Even those who are not his natural allies say the position of Lord Mandelson has been strengthened - 9th January There was nobody to pull the trigger - Brown knew it was coming, even if he did not know the precise mechanism - 7th January

Articles: 2009 This is Clegg's chance to shine – or sink - For Mr Clegg, the debates are a threat as well as an opportunity - 26th December Review of the year 2009: Expenses scandal - They’ll have to get used to life in the duck house - 23rd December Perhaps Labour is working after all - Cameron needs to paint a rosier picture than cuts, cuts and more cuts - 19th December A test of nerve for Cameron - On the surface, the Cameron show goes on and it is an impressive one. Yet behind the scenes, all is not well - 12th December Darling hasn't got the money to be a game-changer - It was Gordon Brown who insisted on reviving one of New Labour's favourite tunes in the pre-Budget report: "schools'n'hospitals first." For good measure, he added the police - 10th December Summit poses possible headache for Tory leader - Climate change really is an issue that can split conservatives around the world - 2nd December Enough of the philosophy, Mr Cameron. - Think-tanks play an important role in politics. But they have their limits - 28th November Blair beaten, but a coup for PM nonetheless - Mr Blair would have loved to become a powerful figurehead for Europe - 21st November A belated attempt to force the hand of the Tory 'gamblers' - He raised the stakes yesterday. But how will Brown pay for his promises? - 19th November Whisper it, but Whitehall is already preparing for a change at No 10 - you can almost sniff the expectation of change in the Whitehall air - 14th November Cameron's great expectations - Tory leader said he would not let matters rest if Lisbon Treaty became law - 7th November This medicine may lead to unwelcome side-effects - At first glance, the Committee on Standards in Public Life has proposed some sensible reforms and its chairman Sir Christopher Kelly presented its report confidently - 5th November The Government wants to have its cake and eat it - No winners in the bitter confrontation between Alan Johnson and Professor David Nutt - 3rd November Cameron has yet to earn the Tories' love - The Cameron modernisation project has still not seeped deep into his party - 24th October Just as Mandelson was finally winning over his party... - After Lord Mandelson wowed last month's Labour conference, Tony Blair sent him a text in which he jokingly asked whether the party had been won over by the Business Secretary or whether it was the other way round - 23rd October Why the City need not fear a windfall tax - "Get real – Darling warns the bankers," said a front-page headline in The Independent in July. In an interview, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, expressed concern that the bonus culture was creeping back in the City and threatened a law to rein them in - 21st October He meant to open fire on the Tories. Instead, Brown shot his own troops - After a brief summer respite, the cloud returned this week. For Labour, it was supposed to be the moment to turn its guns on the Tories after the party conference season - 17th October Another big headache for Brown - Gordon Brown must feel he can't win on MPs' expenses. His first attempt to clean up the system, pre-empting the review by the Kelly Committee on Standards in Public Life by issuing his own proposals, is remembered only for his infamous YouTube video - 13th October Cameron must fill the holes left by a policy-free conference - The Tories will be relieved that, so far, there is no sign that the past three weeks will interrupt Cameron's glide towards Downing Street - 10th October Cameron is determined to win a mandate for cuts - Yesterday's package ensures a debate on real cuts. The phoney war about efficiency savings is over - 7th October Labour finds chinks in the Tories' armour - Labour rediscovered the class war at its annual conference this week - 3rd October Delegates limp in to Brighton in search of a guiding hand - Labour gathers for its last annual conference before the general election in a sorry state. When cabinet ministers admit that, it must be true – and highly significant - 26th September It's up to the Liberal Democrats to win support – with well-defined policies - As their annual conference in Bournemouth begins today, the Liberal Democrats sense that they are in the game, but worry, in their private moments, that they are not doing better when Labour is playing so badly - 19th September Belt-tightening will happen later - Both parties will want to avoid spelling out too many 'hard choices' before the general election - 16th September What's Labour got to lose by axeing Brown? - Backbench knives are being sharpened for the Commons return on 12 October - 12th September Brown's day of reckoning is getting closer - Time is running out - this relaunch may be Mr Brown's last - 5th September Vote Tory for tax rises' – it's not as daft as it sounds - In a way, Mr Cameron has gone full circle. Before the economic crisis, his goal was to transform "society" in the way that Margaret Thatcher revitalised the economy - 29th August Do not underestimate this peer's reach - Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative Party's deputy chairman, is feared and loathed in equal measure by some of his Tory colleagues as well as political opponents - 28th August Voters ready to mark Brown's homework - There is no magic bullet to enable Labour to transform its fortunes - 25th August Daniel Hannan is not a lone loose cannon - He is not alone in questioning Cameron's unwavering support for the NHS - 22nd August Can Gordon do a Major? Probably not - Andrew Grice: The optimists dream of 1992, with a PM winning despite the odds against an untried, untrusted Leader of the Opposition - 18th July Clegg has to shout to be heard, but voters may be ready to listen - to succeed (and get noticed) he has to take risks, and that there is a gap in the market for his party because many voters have written off Labour but can't bring themselves to embrace the Conservatives - 11th July Voters may be ready to listen to Clegg - The Lib Dem leader has tackled his visibility problem in recent weeks - 11th July Tories fear 'scorched earth' policy by Government - Conservatives worry there are many poison pills in the machine - 4th July It's your choice: Dodgy Gordon or Honest David - One test for any party leader is whether he can turn setbacks into opportunities - 27th June Handle your positives better, Mr Brown - To exploit the Tories' weakness, the PM will need to be more honest - 20th June How a duck island changed politics for a generation - The expenses scandal is the biggest shock to the political system since I began pounding the Westminster beat 25 years ago. To borrow the language beloved by campaign strategists, it has "cut through" to the public in a way that very few political events do - 19th June The real reason why Brown might back constitutional change - I am not talking about the Lib-Lab coalition Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown dreamed of before Labour's 1997 landslide. The Liberal Democrats got their fingers burned then and would be cautious next time. But they might support a minority Labour government in key Commons votes in return for a programme of constitutional reform - 13th June If Gordon Brown can survive this, he can survive anything - MPs want anything but an early election - 9th June Don't believe the spin – the PM didn't get what he wanted - 6th June Is Westminster justice fair? - The body count is soaring but backbenchers are first for the chop - 23rd May This could be a Lib Dem bonanza - This crisis for politics might be good news for the Liberal Democrats - 16th May (see: MPs' expenses: summary) Farce or tragedy? Sadly, it is both - MPs, too mindful of their own pockets, have been slow to change that culture - 9th May Doing the unthinkable - spending cuts - Hard choices await in the battle to balance Britain's books - 2nd May The moment that cost Labour the election - What next for Labour? A 70p top tax rate in the pre-Budget report this autumn? - 25th April Why public revulsion forced Brown to act - Why did Gordon Brown suddenly take the initiative on MPs' expenses? He has been shocked by the scale of public anger about the recent torrent of stories on MPs' claims - 22nd April McBride's unfriendly fire may have shot the PM's electoral hopes - 18th April Our MPs are honourable. Honest - After July, Jacqui Smith's blue movies will look like a trailer for the main event - 11th April This was the Bretton Woods of our times - Mr Brown deserves credit. He played a blinder at the summit - 4th April Tories must adapt policies to the times - Pledge to cut inheritance tax looks like a bad one in the middle of a recession - 28th March Brown has been forced to lower expectations - Gordon Brown has softened his language in recent days as he lowered expectations ahead of what might be achieved at next week's G20 London summit - 27th March Unwelcome shadows lurking behind Brown - Blair and Cameron are the names on many lips in Euroland - 21st March Pressure on Darling to be bold with Budget - Darling can't remember a single "good news" day since he became Chancellor - 14th March Can Brown walk the economic walk? - He talks a good game on reform. But talk is one thing, agreement is another - 7th March Obama could teach Brown to say sorry - Brown's aides agonise over his language as he tries to find the right tone - 28th February How Cameron the politician was changed by Ivan - The discovery that his first child Ivan was severely disabled did much more than change the lifestyle of David Cameron. It also changed him as a person and a politician - 26th February Old Labour still haunts this Government - Some ministers think Mr Brown should just nationalise the major banks - 14th February How bonuses became a headache for Brown - After saying they would not "do an Obama" – a reference to the United States President's £340,000 salary cap for bankers whose firms have taxpayers' support – British ministers are now trying to repeat his trick - 11th February Wilson's jibe may return to haunt Brown - The economic crisis squeezes out time and space for other issues - 7th February The soundbite that haunts the PM - I don't think he meant it literally. But he was trying to send a signal - 31st January Will Brown accept any blame? - The normal rules of political gravity, suspended last autumn, have resumed - 24th January Labour must stop fighting a class war - The ‘class war’ headlines generated by Harman’s plan worried some ministers - 17th January The 'Squeeze the rich' mantra is back in fashion - Cameron is gambling that the public won’t lose much sleep about a public spending squeeze - 10th January The Miliband brothers - Younger brother Ed has emerged as a contender for the Labour leadership - 3rd January

Articles: 2008 Role of the state is defining question for 2009 - The issue underlying the economy in 2009 will be the role of the state - 27th December 2008 Why there won't be an election in 2009 - It is the Tories, not Labour, who are talking up an early general election - 20th December 2008 UK envoy issues formal protest - The question Cameron fears: ‘What did you do in the economic war?’ - 13th December 2008 No matter how bad it gets, Brown escapes the blame -“Fears about a 2009 election have been enhanced by a slimline Queen’s Speech” - 6th December 2008 And the real champion of leaks is... - In opposition, Mr Brown was a regular recipient of leaked documents, which he deployed with devastating effect against the Tories. Now the boot is on the other foot - 29th November 2008 Tax rise is a repudiation of New Labour - Yesterday's surprise announcement that Labour will raise the top rate from 40p to 45p in the pound if it wins the next election marks a sea change for New Labour - 25th November 2008 The Chancellor must consider tax hikes - Despite the weight on his shoulders, the Chancellor remains remarkably calm - 22nd November 2008 Tax cut or tax con, Cameron has a problem - “Like the banks, the Tories have seen their world turn upside down” - 15th November 2008 PM can't rely on recession to win the election - Labour's victory in Glenrothes is another shot in the arm for the Brown - 8th November 2008 The last thing the Tories want is to look like fat cats - 25th October 2008 Back in the frontline – and revelling in it - Despite their famous14-year feud, Mandelson is now the Prime Minister's right-hand man, a trusted member of his inner circle - 20th October 2008 Tories haunted by Hague and Howard failures - There has been a touch of Corporal Jones about the Tories this week - 18th October 2008 Financial woes create election hope for Brown - 11th October 2008 Fear, loathing and leaks at the top - Tense relations between No 10, No 11 and the Bank of England ensured yesterday's crisis was a drama, too - 8th October 2008 The day Brown nailed his colours to the Blairite mast - A much more dramatic cabinet reshuffle than expected gives Gordon Brown the final word of a fascinating party conference season - 4th October 2008 Cameron shows he is learning the lessons of Kinnock's defeat - 2nd October 2008 Fight is not yet won – and he knows it - The tide of events flowing the Tories’ way has become a dangerous whirlpool - 27th September 2008 Don't write off Nick Clegg just yet - The LibDem leader has reason to be optimistic - 13th September 2008 The hurdles for Mr Brown get higher by the day - Brown must stop looking at the Blair years and move on - 6th September 2008 In substance as well as style, Brown can learn from Obama - 30th August 2008 Labour MPs think Cameron can be beaten. That's why they are in revolt - 2nd August 2008 Brown will not go quietly, but the air is thick with plots - 26th July 2008 Tax remains 'toxic' for Labour - 19th July 2008 Gordon just needs a good story, and a Campbell - 12th July 2008 Obama shows how to reconnect with the people - 5th July 2008 How can governments survive a recession? Ask John Major - 28th June 2008 Why Irish 'no' vote could be double trouble - 21st June 2008 Threat to Cameron's cleansing of Tory brand - 14th June 2008 The luxury of opposition won't last for ever - 7th June 2008 Crewe's seismic shift can shake Labour into anti-Brown revolt - 24th May 2008 Will Labour learn to be as ruthless as the Tories? - 17th May 2008 Darkening mood in the Downing Street bunker - Tuesday 13th May 2008 In the heat of the battle, nobody is talking about climate change - 10th May 2008 PM was caught trying to be all things to all men - 3rd May 2008 Brown's luck has run out – and his core support has run away - 26th April 2008 The PM has only himself to blame for Budget mess - Thursday 24th April 2008 John Major's mistake was trying to do too much. Gordon Brown must learn from it - 19th April 2008 As he heads to the US, Gordon Brown has more in common with the President than he would like - Tuesday 15th April 2008 Tories need fewer questions, more answers - 12th April 2008 The Week in Politics - Brown's MPs are in a darkening mood - 5th April 2008 PM may pay heavy price for expenses affair - 29th March 2008 There's no way to dodge the Iraq inheritance - 22nd March 2008 The Tories fear they are losing momentum - 15th March 2008 A different Chancellor, but the same mantra - 8th March 2008 Tribalism is still a stain on the Tories' image - 1st March 2008 How the ghost of John Smith still haunts Labour's attitude to the rich - 16th February 2008 Back Ken to hang on to his £11bn budget - 9th February 2008 Subversive – or just a supporter of human rights? - Wednesday 6th February 2008 A new world order is Brown's next project - 2nd February 2008 First Stalin. Then Mr Bean. It only remains for Brown to turn into John Major - 26th January 2008 Blairite mantras creep back on to the agenda - 12th January 2008

News & updates:

References:

Links: Hack watch: The security services and Whitehall have long kept dossiers on certain journalists but, characteristically, New Labour has widened the focus - as an internal cabinet memo obtained by the Guardian shows, Seumas Milne, Kevin Maguire, The Guardian, 22nd January 2001