John Rentoul

London

Chief Political Commentator at The Independent

Chief Political Commentator, The Independent; visiting professor, King’s College London. Author with Jon Davis, Heroes or Villains? The Blair Govt Reconsidered

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Articles

Don’t blame Morgan McSweeney - this welfare mess is Keir Starmer’s fault

1 day ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

CommentThe prime minister will survive the rebellion over benefits cuts, because he will cave in to his MPs demands on welfare – but from here on, things will only get worse for him, says John RentoulFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing.
Voices: Don’t blame Morgan McSweeney - this welfare mess is Keir Starmer’s fault

1 day ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | John Rentoul

When Labour got into trouble soon after the election, Sue Gray was the scapegoat. Some of the failure to prepare for government may have been her fault, and her replacement, by Morgan McSweeney, as the prime minister’s chief of staff certainly ensured a clearer political message from No 10. But it didn’t take long for the caravan of blame to circle round and roll over her successor.
So, Daniel Hannan… have any of your post-Brexit Britain predictions come true?

2 days ago | msn.com | John Rentoul

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
So, Daniel Hannan… have any of your post-Brexit Britain predictions come true?

2 days ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

CommentBefore the 2016 referendum, a leading light of the Leave campaign outlined the bright future that an ‘independent’ UK would enjoy outside the EU… in excruciating incorrect detail, says John Rentoul Did you enjoy the fireworks last night? The ones marking our annual Independence Day celebration? You missed them? That is a shame. Allow me to bring you up to date with some other things you may have missed.
What’s the real reason Keir Starmer won’t say if Donald Trump was right or wrong to bomb Iran?

3 days ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

CommentThe prime minister urged de-escalation and the US president ignored him, leaving the British government unable to say whether it is for or against the military action. It’s another blow to Starmer’s standing on the world stage, says John RentoulKeir Starmer urged Donald Trump four days ago not to “ramp up” conflict in the Middle East. The next day, the B-2 bombers struck. So what was the British government’s view?
Mea Culpa: I know why the caged metal bird won’t sing

6 days ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

John Rentoul on mixed metaphors, split infinitives and variant spellings in this week’s Independent We had a wonderful mixed metaphor in a comment article about rich people allegedly fleeing the country to escape Rachel Reeves’s clampdown on non-doms: “The UK, once a favoured magnet for the world’s billionaires and multimillionaires, has fallen off its perch.” I tried to imagine a toy bird attached to a metal perch by a magnet, possibly a special kind of magnet “favoured” by rich people, but...
Keir Starmer accidentally admits his first year has been a failure

6 days ago | msn.com | John Rentoul

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
Keir Starmer accidentally admits his first year has been a failure

6 days ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

CommentThe prime minister said his biggest mistake was that ‘we haven’t always told our story as well as we should’ – an attempt to minimise a problem that is fundamental, argues John RentoulIt is the sort of thing a backbencher who is trying to be loyal would say. Which is damning, and particularly so from the prime minister himself, because a core part of his job is communicating the government’s “story”.
Why is Angela Rayner shifting the council tax burden from north to south?

1 week ago | independent.co.uk | John Rentoul

POLITICS EXPLAINEDA ‘progressive’ redistribution of local government funding to areas with the greatest needs is on the cards. John Rentoul looks at what that might meanWhen Angela Rayner took over her department, the first thing she did was to delete “levelling up” from its name. But she insisted that she was committed to the idea behind the phrase, and now she is about to announce a change in local government funding to prove it.
A second child with autism drowned in a Cincinnati pond in under a year

1 week ago | autism.einnews.com | John Rentoul |Mary Dejevsky |Andrew Grice |Sean O’Grady

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USParents are looking for answers after a second child with autism drowned in a Cincinnati pond in less than a year. Six-year-old Joshua Al-Lateef drowned in a pond at his family’s West Chester apartment complex in November.