The politics sketch
A daily look at life in Westminster and beyond from our politics writers
You could sense the embarrassment as Biden spoke, a sign of how low the presidency has sunk
John CraceThe post-Nato press conference was an opportunity for the world to see Biden unscripted, but there was no coming back from the Zelenskiy/Putin slip up
It’s all so unfair. And Rishi has no one to blame but himself
John CraceTwo years in Downing Street would have looked so much better on the CV, but he wanted to get the whole thing over with
PopCons reassemble and Jacob Rees-Mogg is the sanest person in the room
John CraceThe tone is relentlessly delusional – to listen to this lot you’d think the last 14 years were a socialist paradise
Less is more from Starmer and Reeves in contrast to Tory sound and fury
John CraceThere’s been an energy to Starmer’s slumber and beneath the chancellor’s surface dullness there lies hope
No rest for the winners: business secretary rushed on to Sunday politics shows
John CraceJust 40 or so hours into his role, Jonathan Reynolds sounded much more sensible than anything we’ve heard in recent years
Rishi Sunak departs with a brief nod to his achievements – mostly imagined
John CraceAs Larry the Cat sees off another PM, Sunak suffers the ultimate kick in the teeth as the sun comes out for Starmer
The seconds ticked by to 10pm, when the people’s will would be revealed
John CraceDemocracy can be tense at that one point in the cycle when power resides with the people and not politicians
Rishi sinks into TV sofa as Boris gloats and Mel goes rogue
John CracePM’s This Morning appearance came after his No 10 predecessor had put the boot in and his most loyal lieutenant suddenly decided to tell the truth
Johnson appears on campaign trail at last – to dance on Sunak’s grave
John CraceAfter five and a half weeks of pre-election idiocy, the Tories’ finale is to show off the leader even they thought was a disaster
Starmer advances on the Tory countryside with his flag of unenthusiastic hope
John CraceLabour’s clockwork campaigning may not light wavering voters’ fires but the attack-style symbolism was unmistakable
Dim Dowden is not the right Tory frontman to energise flatlining campaign
John CraceIt was a bad day all round for TV election interviews, and Sunak’s abrasive chat with Kuenssberg will not win points
The Farage faithful know he’s a fraud but they don’t care
John CraceThe Reform UK candidate brought the air of a televangelist to a rally in Sunderland that was all show and no substance
Sunak and Starmer wrap up their final debate of despair
John CracePM and his expected successor repeat same evasions to leave us none the wiser about our future government
The power of Rish! All this self-inflicted damage takes a level of slapstick genius
John CraceThe gambling saga might have been a three-day scandal. Instead he’d let it rumble on until he was almost on his knees
It’s Jimmy Dimly again for Sunday’s TV interviews as Hunt for Jeremy goes on
John CraceJust when you’d expect the Tories to be gearing up for one final election push, their big beasts have gone missing
Raging Rishi – or maybe his avatar – gave us an object lesson in how not to win friends
John CraceHis appearance was the moment the Question Time audience had been waiting for: to give the Tories a kicking
Slumping SNP goes through the motions with reprinted manifesto
John CraceIt was all stuff that has been on the agenda for years, illustrated with a single picture of a lower-profile leader
Channel 4 election debate reaches new depths of futility
John CraceSeven lesser candidates share existential crisis as they debate crime and immigration to negligible interest
On the Hunt for Jeremy, the Tories’ invisible man this election
John CraceChancellor has gone to ground, but no such luck with Mark Harper, who TV viewers were forced to endure on Sunday
Winning a bet may be the best it’s going to get for Rishi Sunak and his team
John CraceWhen even Angela Rayner remains relentlessly on message, you know the election is in the bag / Things can only get betting – for Labour
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