The Sophistry of Interpreting the European Election Results & Why a General Election is now More Likely
- 27 May 2019
A lot of spin has gone on to try to present the European elections as some sort of triumph for one side or the other. The truth of the matter is that the result continues to show a country split down the middle. The referendum vote share has barely moved. Can we first of a...
There Must be No Tory Leadership 'Coronation'
- 27 May 2019
This is an unedited version of my Sunday Telegraph column. Just as the last four Tory prime ministers have been defenestrated by the issue of Europe, the next one will almost certainly be defined by it. It will also dominate the imminent leadership campaign, as each cand...
Conservative Party Game of Thrones: Week 1
- 26 May 2019
Each weekend for the duration of this leadershop contest I'll be charting who's up and who's fortunes are on the decline in the Tory Party's equivalent of the Game of Thrones... Boris Johnson - Bookies favourite but will his no deal remarks in Switzerland come back ...
My Personal Memories of Theresa May
- 24 May 2019
I sat at home watching Theresa May's statement in Downing Street willing her to get through it without breaking down. Forget what you think of her record as Prime Minister, this was a deeply human moment. Journalism is the first draft of history, and it may well be the cas...
If You Haven't Decided Who to Vote For Yet...
- 21 May 2019
We are only a few days away from polling day in the European Elections. I thought it might be helpful to pull together all the interviews and debates I've hosted during the campaign in one place. If you haven't made up your mind, watching some of these might help... ...
Let's Not Do God in Our Politics
- 19 May 2019
When I first went to the United States in 1987, I was proud to support the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan. There were a few differences between the Republicans and the UK Conservative Party, but there was little doubt that they were sister parties. Since the mid-1990s, t...
Here are the Three Timetables for a Tory Party Leadership Contest
- 18 May 2019
This week Theresa May agreed with the 1922 Committee Executive that she would address the leadership question with Sir Graham Brady immediately after the Withdrawal Agreement vote. Everyone has interpreted this as her signalling she would then step down, given the likely resul...
Why Can't the Other Parties Match the Brexit Party's Online Campaigning?
- 14 May 2019
This European Election campaign should never have happened. We voted to leave the EU three years ago and yet we're still in it. Blame who you like - the ERG, Theresa May, Parliament, Remain MPs - it doesn't really matter. Fact is, we'll all (well, all might be an exaggeration)...
For the BBC, Danny Baker was Easily Expendable
- 12 May 2019
It's been a busy week on LBC, given I also covered a show on Saturday afternoon as well as my regular weekday and Sunday shows. One of the subjects we covered was Danny Baker's sacking by the BBC. I hadn't intended to talk about this as in the scheme of things I thought it ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 67: So I'm a Soft Interviewer, Am I?
- 5 May 2019
I've never quite understood why some people continue to think that I am a soft interviewer. It's true that I tend not to shout or get aggressive. It's true that if I get a bit shouty, I do it with a smile, but that does not equate to 'softness'. I prefer to do conversational s...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 66 - Behind the Scenes of an Election Night Show
- 3 May 2019
Click on the above and you can rewatch the entire 6 hour show! Preparing for an presenting a live six hour election night show is probably one of the most complex things that we ever do. There is a tremendous opportunity for things to go wrong. And given we stream the w...
Ann Widdecombe Gives Farage Party a Turbo Boost
- 24 Apr 2019
Nigel Farage is putting together quite an impressive line-up of candidates. This morning Ann Widdecombe announced she was one of them. Quite a coup by anybody's standards, and she will bring a lot of Tory supporters with her. Widdecombe hasn't always been a Eurosceptic and...
Announcing my Edinburgh Fringe Show - 'Iain Dale - All Talk'
- 17 Apr 2019
I'm delighted to announce that I'll be doing a 12 day long run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, with a show called IAIN DALE - ALL TALK. I've invited a range of well known people from the world of politics and the media to join me on stage at one of the best known venues on...
The Tory MP Who Doesn't Believe a Word Theresa May Says
- 13 Apr 2019
This is a text sent to Buzzfeed's Alex Wickham this week by someone who he describes as a "Veteran Tory MP"... She told us she would not call an election. She called an election. She said no British prime minister could ever agree to a Northern Ireland-only backstop. She ...
If You're Free on Sunday Mornings for the Next Seven Weeks...
- 13 Apr 2019
"Can I have a word," said James Rea. "Is it going to be another of those 'adult conversations'," I said, smiling? Last time this happened, I discovered I was being moved from Drive to the Evening Show! The long and short of it was that James wondered if I'd be intereste...
Julian Assange - What Goes Around...
- 11 Apr 2019
Eight and a half years ago, in December 2010, I was asked by the Mail on Sunday to write a column on Julian Assange. When it appeared I was traduced and slagged off by his many supporters. How could I not understand what a hero he is, I was asked? Very easily, as it happens. A...
Telegraph Column: Something Changed This Week But Next Week Will Determine May's Future
- 8 Apr 2019
This article first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph. Well she’s still there, clinging to office like a limpet, defying her cabinet and soldiering on unabashed. Theresa May is effectively using the national crisis she created to tell her fractious party ‘stick with nurse for...
Why Being Out of A Box Is Often Better Than Being In One
- 6 Apr 2019
It's one of those Saturdays where I sit twiddling our thumbs, cursing Sky for postponing the Chelsea v West Ham game until Monday. Me in particular. Why? Because a friend of mine who owns a box at Stamford Bridge invited him to join him. That was when the match was scheduled f...
Who Are the Twitter Influencers on MPs?
- 5 Apr 2019
Politico have done an analysis of MPs' Twitter habits, who they follow, and who follows them. All very interesting, I suppose, although you wonder how much it matters. Of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons, 579 of them have Twitter accounts. 82% of Tory MPs are on Twitter...
Jacqui & Iain to Film New TV Pilot
- 1 Apr 2019
I have news. When it was announced that Andrew Neil was leaving 'THIS WEEK' and then that the series was being canned altogether, I emailed Rob Burley, head of political programmes at the BBC to put forward an idea I had for a new programme in that late night slot. Without goi...