Monday
Monday is a rough start to a week in most cases, but Nigel Farage MP (Clacton/Reform UK) got off to a running start, as well as Richard Tice MP (Boston and Skegness/Reform UK). They both appeared at a branded and fronted press conference in London to launch a broadside against Greater Manchester Police. Their effort was to bring up the beating of a police officer or two in an airport there, and the leaking of subsequent video footage.
Later on, they both appeared in a debate in the House of Commons over the Chagos Islands, sparing with David Lammy MP (Tottenham/Labour) Foreign Secretary, over the rights and wrongs of it all (the UK recently announced a handover of sovereignty back to the Islands). They obviously feel passionately about it.
In the evening, they graced us with a launch of a relatively new feature in their repertoire – a party political broadcast. It’s novel for them because it doesn’t quite make sense circa a year ago. I get the sense they can’t believe, having been at it for so long, it’s now their opportunity to reach out on television cold turkey.
Tuesday
Tom Tugendhat MP (Tonbridge/Conservatives) was kicked out of the Tory leadership race. It’s not a bad end to a long-running, populous campaign that started with six. It’s now down to three.
The remaining candidates all put up a good fight, but James Cleverly MP’s campaign (Braintree/Conservatives) has surged ahead and may be the likely one to win. However, we have to watch this space.
Wednesday
Perhaps politics can be a bag of surprises, and considering James Cleverly MP (Braintree/Conservatives) was kicked out of the Tory leadership contest today, maybe we need to be reminded it sometimes happens overnight. It’s not to say his supporters are wrong but it’s a question of what Conservatives are looking for right now.
Thursday
President Zelenskyy visited London today, not to pay his respects to our political system, but to meet with the Prime Minister to allegedly discuss his “Victory Plan” in the war against Russia. As it happens, London is a busy day for a visit like this, so it’s interesting to see important-looking people in the usual hive of activity.
