This is a photo of a man captured today loitering in the centre of London. He is known to be involved ‘underground’ in various criminal networks.
His active involvement in people trafficking is not yet fully known. He is however under suspicion of acting as a ‘point of contact’ for traffickers at large.
There is a sense that Rishi Sunak faired poorly this time because of some overriding concerns.
They included a wacky races approach to ‘getting the job done’, started by Boris Johnson himself. He was a popular if populist figure in the Conservative Party and has only been followed by two further Prime Minister’s because his Government failed.
There’s a definite sense that a strong start needs an even stronger finish.
The other problem is the parties’ campaigning.
A recent YouGov poll conducted on 4 July asked the question, “Who do you think has run the best election campaign?”. The results aren’t surprising. Labour polls strongly at 20% but only because 5% of respondents thought the Conservatives did well. It’s an appalling outcome.
The campaigns were both bombastic and lacklustre.
In Manchester, Labour attempted a stratospheric launch with its manifesto. Sir Keir Starmer spoke proudly of his newish message of “Change”.
Meanwhile Rishi Sunak had attempted his own entry into the foray but it largely sank as soon as he set sail owing to a betting scandal.
The impact on the doorstep is measured in days not weeks, and by the looks of it Labour managed to survive the weeks long process.
In the end, the Tories achieved a ripple effect.
It showed in the eventual outcome, and on the Prime Minister’s face as he smiled gingerly at the door of Number 10 and welcomed us into his new future.
It was another lesson in political statecraft.
In North Yorkshire Rishi Sunak retained his seat in the Richmond and Northallerton constituency. His vote share is 23,059, which is a strong showing against 10,874 for a second place Labour rival Tom Wilson.
Reform UK presented a respectable third place with Lee Taylor who polled 7,142 votes. It confirms a strong showing for a relatively new party.
In other news, turnout was particularly high in North Yorkshire. It shows democracy remains vigorous there.
Reform UK show a strong polling tendency in their five winning constituencies. In spite of poor projections from some involved, the ‘first past the post’ system has in fact yielded a few key wins for the party.
The general election of 2024 has gone down as a year of seismic changes.
Nowhere is this clearer seen than in Wales where the Conservative Party have lost all their seats. The decline of a national party from 13 seats to 0 – and the rise of Labour from 21 to 27 – is hardly unremarkable.
Such a surge in support shows that Sir Keir Starmer has an approach that works while Rishi Sunak did not.
Now the dust has settled on another election year, it’s victor Sir Keir Starmer has to set down to work.
His work is mostly set before him already. He’s got to fulfil the duties of any ordinary Prime Minister.
He will do the rounds of Cabinet meetings. He will turn up to Prime Minister’s Questions on a Wednesday afternoon. He’ll also attend speeches, events, and launches of key or signature policies.
It’s a lot to do. He’s got his work cut out as the UK’s busiest politician.
In the meantime Nigel Farage will barrack him from the back benches (where Reform UK will likely end up). Also other upstarts will take their opportunity to make a mark in UK politics.
It’s left to him to make sure he gets it right. A promise of ‘change’ is easy to say but hard to deliver.
Today, he appointed his ‘war’ cabinet.
Angela Rayner has taken second place as Deputy Prime Minister as well as the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Ed Miliband is the newest Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Sir Patrick Vallance – who cut his teeth during the Covid pandemic – is now the new Minister of State (Minister for Science) in the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
These are key appointments, as is Rachel Reeves – Labour’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The way ahead is set out for Starmer already. All he needs to do now is make a success of it.
Reform UK stormed the polls overnight to win four seats in the English Parliament.
As expected the response has been mixed.
The television crews have responded in usual surprise that Reform are able to achieve anything at all.
At a press conference early this afternoon, Nigel Farage was put down by pundits as hecklers interrupted over the course of minutes.
However, their success is more businesslike than controversialist.
Their three ‘big hitters’ – Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, and Nigel Farage himself – each won a seat as well as a fourth candidate, Rupert Lowe, in the Great Yarmouth constituency.
Their wins are straightforward.
They wanted their key members to win out in their first real chance at Parliamentary glory. In fact, they secured an historic ‘first’ within the party and got all three through the gate.
The naysayers in the television studios were discrediting Farage – again – as a racist and far-right agitator but were caught out. This time it’s Reform’s day in the sun.
The weather isn’t the only difference north of the border.
Scotland has a different set of priorities in mind but what is the real mood of the people?
It’s fair to say Scotland works by a different calendar.
There are separate celebrations and different traditions that bring forward or set back particular things.
However it has to abide by the date of a general election. This year it falls in Royal Week and members of the Royal Family have already visited Scotland this week to celebrate its history and culture.
It’s also the 900 year anniversary of St Giles Cathedral – an important seat in religion in Edinburgh and Scotland at large – and it’s a milestone in Scottish life and worship.
The timing of a general election couldn’t be more apt especially because of dreams of independence.
Yet this isn’t a referendum so it’s back to basics when it comes to thinking about this election.
In general the feeling is Scotland is ready for change but it depends on what it is.
If life is largely the same it’s ok, but the reality is politics can bring with it a tinge of regret than only Scot’s will feel if it doesn’t go to plan.
Mainly because it’s only they who will suffer if it does.
The issue of people trafficking continues to plague us. The situation is helped as new “intelligence” filters through that is able to be used toward its cessation.
Today a man was spotted waiting on a platform at Birmingham New Street station at about midday.
His style of dress was casual but it’s clear – with prior intelligence – that he’s implicated in the early stages of the illegal landings. This is stretching back years.
However intelligence was picked up that includes him in the process of this illegal activity.
In a startling day, another ‘operative’ has been spotted in central London, sleeping homeless. This time the man is laid outside a known place of worship in the borough of Westminster.
This is not an uncommon sight in criminal circles, but it’s concerning to those who are unaccustomed to the ways of criminal gangs. The exact details of this man are unknown but he is identified as being a part of the people trafficking scam we’ve encountered.
Another key ‘spot’ has been achieved, this time in Dover exclusively to ConservativeNewsSite.com.
The photo captures an exact representation of a ‘catcher’, the term for an operative who is based in an important location.
This proves that Dover is significant to the people traffickers who are still active in and around the UK.
