News about Daniel Hannan

DANIEL HANNAN: When the two finalists were shortlisted, I contacted both campaigns. I'd be happy with either candidate, I told them, but I'd appreciate a chat before my final decision. Both called back. Kemi Badenoch was careful and guarded, and told me that she would not discuss policy. Robert Jenrick (left) was warm and detailed. He reminded me that, two years earlier, I had urged Conservatives to learn from the brilliant Canadian Tory leader, Pierre Poilievre. Rob had taken my words to heart, and had flown to Ottawa to find out what he could from that most successful of Right-wing politicians. He added that he knew I was keen on 'Canzuk' - a closer alliance among Canada , Australia, New Zealand and the UK - and set out in detail his thoughts on how to deliver it. Finally, he told me that he had heard my suggestion that Jacob Rees-Mogg be party chairman. The following day, he announced that, as leader, he would indeed appoint that most courteous and intelligent of Tories.

DANIEL HANNAN: Three years ago, as a new peer, I listened in wonder to a debate on assisted dying. I am no great fan of how the House of Lords is composed but, on occasions like this, it comes into its own. Perhaps a hundred peers contributed, and all had some particular experience or expertise. There were judges and coppers, physicians and scientists, humanists and Muslims, disability campaigners and bishops. I found myself changing my mind back and forth as they spoke. Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (left), a a professor of palliative medicine and vice-president of Hospice UK, told us of cases where assisted deaths had been slow and painful. The Archbishop of Canterbury (right) reminded us that 'no safeguards can perfect the human heart'.

The freedom to say what we want is the most basic freedom of all. It protects us as individuals and, no less important, it protects us collectively by allowing fake ideas to be exposed. Still, free speech does not come easily. One person might strongly uphold your right to argue for the deportation of foreigners, another your right to praise Hamas. But how many do both with equal force?

DANIEL HANNAN: The Prime Minister is promising a 'reset' as he hosts a long-scheduled summit of EU and non-EU states. The summit is taking place at Blenheim Palace, given to the Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his military victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, which prevented Europe from being united under the power-hungry French. Fast forward three centuries, it is Brussels that wants what Marlborough's contemporaries called 'universal monarchy' - total dominance. The EU, which thinks of Britain as a renegade province, has made clear that it is not interested in an alliance between sovereign equals. If Britain wants cooperation, says Brussels, it must pay a price. The question is how high a price the Labour leader will pay.

DANIEL HANNAN: Sir Keir Starmer's immigration policy is based on a lie. A well-intentioned lie, a lie that is supposed to make us feel better about ourselves; but it will be a lie if the government elects anyone to lead. In interviews yesterday, he trotted out his falsehood once more and again. Labour's solution to illegal immigration was to 'break the gangs.' Ah, what a delightful idea. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could blame the Channel crossings on a few evil people traffickers?

DANIEL HANNAN: Were Florida is a member of the European Union, so it will be the bloc's fourth-largest economy after Italy and Spain. It would land at around number 16, roughly on par with Mexico and Indonesia, globally speaking. If so, it would be significant news that Britain has signed a trade agreement with the Sunshine State. With a visibly cheering Ron DeSantis, Kemi Badenoch, the trade secretary, signed the agreement in Jacksonville on Tuesday. The governor of Florida, who hopes that the agreement will lift his sagging campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, spoke of how it could'strengthen the economic relationship between our state and the United Kingdom.'

DANIEL HANNAN: Olivier De Schutter, the UN's special rapporteur who seems to have spent all of two weeks here, has uncritically accepted the poverty estimates submitted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a Left-wing pressure group. These studies were based on a crude definition of poverty, which was introduced at a socialist conference. Poverty does not necessarily mean a lack of basic material requirements under this scheme. It means that other people have more than you. If your household income is less than 60% of the national average, you are poor, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a statistic that gives Britain a higher poverty rate than Bangladesh.

DANIEL HANNAN: Sir Keir Starmer's decision that Brexit has been a disaster. However, he has a scheme to fix it. No, not to return to the EU. He suggested that in the run-up to the 2019 general election, Labour gained its worst result since 1935. In any case, Brussels would not allow Britain to return except in punitive terms: the euro, the borders-free Schengen Area, and even higher budget contributions than before. So, if not full membership, what? Well, the fines are thin, but Sir Keir intends to implement EU "technical requirements" and possibly take a piece of its illegal immigrants, with the long-term objective of becoming an associate member, as opposed by France and Germany yesterday.

DANIEL HANNAN: The debate over electricity, as well as others in our young, Twitter-savvy age, has been incorrectly divided. Either you are concerned about the imminent death of the planet and want every other program to achieve the goal of reducing CO2 production or you are a cigar-chomping science denier who refuses to acknowledge any issue at all. In truth, the majority of us are in neither category. Climate change is one of many issues, according to opinion polls. They want it to be fought, but they want it to be tackleed cost-effectively and affordably. They want cleaner technologies to replace older ones, but not in a way that would not bankrupt them.

DANIEL HANNAN: Government employees should be able to celebrate the awards, as everyone agreed. When pensions are factored in, their overall packages remain remarkably generous. Teachers, lawyers, or prison officers 'deserve' an even larger paycheck increase are beside the point. The Treasury must function within the boundaries of what it has been given. Despite being much closer to their public-sector counterparts, private-sector employees have seen a significant real-terms pay cut, which has helped them return to the office and increase their productivity.

DANIEL HANNAN: Following the 2016 Brexit referendum, Labour divided Labour (led by Jeremy Corbyn) who wanted to accept the result and a faction (led by Sir Keir Starmer) calling for a second referendum. The Starmerites had the upper hand after the 2017 election, and Labour was unashamed to prevent Brexit. A lot of people were offended by this, including many Remainers. We are a fair-minded world, and no one liked the prospect of being sent back to try again, as so many dim-witted children. In 2019, Labour recorded its lowest result in more than 80 years, but the party was clearly walloped. Sir Keir has had to move more carefully since then. He now says he would not return to the EU, single market, or the customs union. But the rest of us can't quite mask his dissatisfaction with him. Hence his pledge in a London address to corporate executives to seek 'a closer trading relationship' with the EU.

DANIEL HANNAN: Priti Patel came first, followed by Dominic Raab. According to a study in The Guardian, officials are now muttering against Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary (pictured). Public servants are supposed to serve for their ministers. Civil servants are servants of the Crown,' as the Armstrong Memorandum on civil servants puts it. The Crown in this sense refers to and is represented by the Government of the day.'

DANIEL HANNAN: If Rishi Sunak can halt the dinghies, he may have a shot. If not, the Conservatives will suffer a 1997-style loss.

The majority of conspiracy theories have left me cold. I've never believed for a second that Princess Diana was killed by MI5 under Duke of Edinburgh's orders. But there is one theory that fits the facts so well that it is 100% certain - Lord Mandelson is destroying Labour for the sake of the EU.