Are you ready for a referendum on “Brexit part 2”?
A vote on leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is being talked about inside Government – after this week’s defeat for the plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.
At No 10 and on the Tory backbenches, anxiety is growing about missing Rishi Sunak’s big five policy promises.
So pledging a referendum on leaving the ECHR in the Conservative manifesto would be a ploy to win back lost voters. “It may be our best shot,” one minister tells i columnist Katy Balls.
Do I think another referendum will happen? On balance, probably not.
Yes, in 2016’s Brexit vote, Remainers under-appreciated the importance of “sovereignty” to their opponents.
That could apply here on the ECHR. But polling suggests the Tories are currently on course to lose 2024’s general election. And after seven years of turbulence, the public appetite for another referendum is low.
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A dark sense of humour can be found lurking in any newsroom. It’s a coping mechanism for some editors and reporters, who are exposed to grim stories and images every day.
Of course, plenty of these reports and photographs never make the paper, because we’re your filter. Factor in the regular deadlines and you have a recipe for adrenaline.
Last night’s parlour game saw journalists compete for the highest score in iweekend’s “12 symptoms of stress” feature. I got 1½ out of 12. I’m not counting “unexpected weight gain” because I expect to gain weight after troughing M&M’s. How do you score?
