Tom Harris

Tom Harris

Tom Harris is a former Labour MP and sometime spinner who survived the heights and depths of the Blair-Brown era. After serving as a minister in the Department for Transport he led the Scottish Brexit campaign and founded his own lobbying company, Third Avenue Public Affairs. He now delivers his independent, no-nonsense insight every weekday in the Telegraph. His latest book, 'Ten Years in the Death of the Labour Party', is available from Biteback.

Recognising Palestine would be a huge mistake for Labour

It would be seen as confirmation that ruthless, cold-blooded slaughter can be used to lever concessions from gullible Western states

Tom Harris 15 Apr 2025, 3:11pm

Political betting is an enjoyable part of Parliament

Brandishing your winnings in the tearoom is known to increase colleagues’ respect for an MP’s judgement

Tom Harris 14 Apr 2025, 2:10pm
The Tories must face the grim reality of their situation

Kemi Badenoch is right to say the Conservative Party would be open to doing deals with Reform at local elections

Tom Harris 11 Apr 2025, 3:36pm
Trump’s tariffs will hurt those they purport to help

The consequences of the global trade war will immiserate the communities in the American Rust Belt

Tom Harris 10 Apr 2025, 1:36pm

Politicians’ family homes must be off limits

Activist groups should accept that the law is the law and they can’t always get what they want

Tom Harris 9 Apr 2025, 12:39pm
Israel was absolutely right to deport the two Labour MPs

Every country is entitled to decide who enters and stays in it: Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang need to understand that

Tom Harris 7 Apr 2025, 2:55pm
Starmer was right to do whatever he could to become leader of his party five years ago

The only way a successful politician could have risen to the top of Labour after Corbyn was through pragmatism

Tom Harris 4 Apr 2025, 2:24pm
The hypocrisy of the SNP over immigration is finally laid bare

The Scottish government wanted to prove they were morally superior to England, but they have been bitten by reality

Tom Harris 3 Apr 2025, 2:41pm
Labour needs to confront one unavoidable fact: Reform is here to stay

The Government can’t rely on an electoral strategy of waiting for things to get better

Tom Harris 2 Apr 2025, 4:06pm
Angela Rayner is at war with Labour’s growth obsessives

The “turbo-charged” economy we were promised during the general election campaign has failed to materialise

Tom Harris 1 Apr 2025, 2:10pm

We have introduced the toxin of American race politics into our nation

Persistent activists have ensured that DEI lives on in our institutions even as it is rejected at the ballot box

Tom Harris 31 Mar 2025, 10:51am
Sir Keir standing up to woke racism in the courts? Miracles do happen

Elected politicians must make arrogant judges listen to the people

Tom Harris 28 Mar 2025, 3:25pm
Two-tier justice is round the corner in Britain

Keir Starmer needs to support Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in her fight against the Sentencing Council

Tom Harris 27 Mar 2025, 2:48pm
Can Starmer calm the brewing rebellion?

Future tax rises are likely because of the Government’s spending plans and poor growth forecasts

Tom Harris 26 Mar 2025, 4:05pm
Reeves’s shameless acceptance of pop star freebies shows just how out of touch she is

The Chancellor exercised truly poor judgement over the Sabrina Carpenter concert

Tom Harris 25 Mar 2025, 2:02pm
There’s one thing the far-Left and Trump can agree on

Socialists and the American president both have plenty of sympathy for Vladimir Putin’s murderous intentions

Tom Harris 21 Mar 2025, 2:36pm
The Left must decide: trade unions or women’s rights

Any Labour MP who dares defend biological women now risks their entire parliamentary career

Tom Harris 19 Mar 2025, 4:20pm
If Reform fails to win the Runcorn by-election, Farage could be finished

Mike Amesbury’s resignation and the subsequent vote is a big test for all the parties

Tom Harris 18 Mar 2025, 1:21pm
Colour-blind principles must prevail over two-tier justice

Labour will pay a heavy price if it doesn’t get rid of the Sentencing Council’s new guidelines

Tom Harris 17 Mar 2025, 3:52pm
Labour and the Tories still don’t understand the appeal of Reform

Nigel Farage’s party gives a voice to people frustrated by the political establishment

Tom Harris 14 Mar 2025, 3:08pm
Labour’s benefits reforms are absolutely necessary and long overdue

We need more people in work, and out of welfare, to avoid national decline

Tom Harris 13 Mar 2025, 1:10pm
Queen Nicola’s ignominious career is finally over

The former First Minister of Scotland didn’t improve the lives of the people she claimed to represent

Tom Harris 12 Mar 2025, 1:12pm