UK Politics

  • Starmer says he never knew – but who did?

    The Prime Minister has denied being told of a failure to clear Peter Mandelson to take up the position of Ambassador to the US before it became clear he would do.

    He implies that his Cabinet carried on believing that everything had been approved at a senior level and that nobody had been made aware of problems that were flagged.

    Prime Minister Starmer explains his position on the failure of a former colleague to get security clearance (Source: BBC).

    It’s a staggering omission from a party that promotes its broad way of organisation as the best the UK has, and the real reason why voters should trust it in the first place.

    The lack of accountability for its key figures has slowed the progress of Starmer’s term. As his approval rating struggles, he’ll have to change his strategy or exit the door.

  • Westminster Week: Thinking it over

    Monday

    Sarah Coombes MP (West Bromwich/Labour) highlights a flashpoint issue in her constituency, regarding racism against a local Sikh community’s place of worship. An offensive item that was left outside its doors leaves her questioning how the building can be made safe again.

    Wednesday

    Any talk of war brings up the subject of the funding of our Defence infrastructure. It epitomises the worries of people across the UK who feel exposed to global conflicts and also sense we’re underprepared at the same time. The Iran debacle has not slowed in raising the temperature of conversations across Whitehall and Government (as it usually does), and in Parliament there are signs that it’s an issue at the forefront of many people’s minds too. The only trouble is, who has the right answer?

  • Badenoch wants defence to do smart things

    Admittedly, Kemi Badenoch’s approach to politics isn’t thrilling, but it’s now beginning to appear to go places. The appeal of a quieter campaign to set out aspirations is likely gaining support from all of the right sources. Now, as the Prime Minister struggles to galvanise enough plaudits for his own agenda, Badenoch is finding herself capable of setting out her objectives in front of an attentive audience.

    Her latest outing at the London Defence Conference is just such an example of a circumspect and almost clandestine manoeuvre to get heard in the centre ground. She wants to pull in the doubters, objectors, and even naysayers to distil a vision that might just get us over the finish line, putting the frustrations of a faltering new Labour era behind us.

    The plan is built on being smart, and the latest innovations are free flowing points in her pitch for a return to military strength. She strains to offer an integration of all the newer things into a classical British mindset that works. It’s not to please America, satisfy Europe, or placate powers further off, but just make ends meet. Her deal is for all that it promises us it can be.

    The fulfilment of this mission is a hard task even for a historic Conservative party that sees the UK has been pushed to the margins, principally by Labour, which seeks to just give anything away. The frustration over the Chagos Islands has followed nervous wrangling over the Falklands, Gibraltar, and even Northern Ireland – not to mention the Gaza Strip – in a litany of errors and rebukes. It’s left many people here in need of further clarity.

    The chances of Badenoch imminently winning an election are better but not greater than before. She has to find a way to build back her party so that it could win her access to Number 10. If events last, it could be on the issue of defence itself. It’s a popular move. Many people are looking for a strong sense of security in a volatile world. Her sensitivity to this may find a way through and secure her time in office.

  • If an election were held today…

    The prospect of an election today could have excited Reform UK out of their Millbank offices and into the fray once again for a battle on the streets, but enthusiasm might have frayed for the other big hitters.

    In the event, Labour would have scored another first place result, topping the Conservatives, but for a minority stake in government. A much reduced share of seats – perhaps at 310 – would pin it as a lone star or a partner with another.

    The Conservatives could have scooped 220, leading to a small success story for an existing cohort and a new slew of hopefuls. The outcome would put it closer behind but not on-top of Labour to determine a closer path ahead.

    The rest is determined by history, or a forthcoming narrative out of the towns and cities eager for their say in the great scheme of things. Reform UK may have even pulled in many more than eight to show some fight in the game. It’s all possible now.

  • Your Party have lengths to go to appeal to people

    The Your Party platform is the Death Star of Lefty politics in the UK, a uniting powerhouse of a galaxy of forces and tribes into a single alignment for ultimate domination.

    Of course, the publicity is always a misnomer in these things.

    Jeremy Corbyn MP (Islington North/Your Party) holds onto a seat for the uses of a collective of souls that seek more from a system than a bit of time and attention, here and there.

    This is his junket flying through space and time for a bigger purpose.

    It has lengths to go to reach people that have sober thoughts in mind, more local concerns, and a few complaints themselves. It needs to open up to take in a huddled one or two, trying to think of what to do if everything has failed them too.

  • Liz Truss sees past the clutter

    Liz Truss is a former Prime Minister establishing her own standing after a drubbing at the stumps. It didn’t impress many that she could communicate, hold a meeting, and drive conversations about ideas forward. This isn’t the whole point about her short tenure, but apart from claims that her government’s plan fell far short of the mark, if given enough time her bright intellect may have renewed a lot about the tired State that’s around us.

    Liz Truss speaking at a CPAC event in Texas on her idea for a renewal of American politics.

    It’s certainly now her message to others, and her appearance at CPAC in Grapevine, Texas levelled this teaching of a new model of a prosecutor style of politics to get rid of the rubbish that other party’s put in across the pond. It’s certainly a rallying cry here, because Labour have now tried twice to marshal their powerful legacy as a rhetoric for changes here, there, and everywhere in a fix-everything approach for modern problems.

  • Ed Davey is a tired horse

    Ed Davey MP (Kingston and Surbiton/Liberal Democrats) is a leader of manners and letters, but he’s been in the job a long time. His leadership of the Liberal Democrats has come about as a boon for the party, but when are they coming back into government?

    The 2010 Coalition Government lasted a full five-year term and gave the Democrats a good run – and look-in – at government. It’s not a promise that’s been fulfilled again, so far, as yet for the party faithful. This is a disappointment for those that work hard for its future and its voters fortunes.

  • Starmer needs to grip the steering wheel

    The Prime Minister is in a fix of his own, not knowing how to progress and yet knowing that a lot lies ahead still. He’s guaranteed a place in the history books, but is it just a page rather than a chapter?

    This is the test of mettle for a Prime Minister that knows a lot of challenges lie ahead. He has to solve the small boats crisis – or Dover Crossings, here – and get on with the clear up in the rest of the UK where confusion is rife about it.

    He can – as a leader – make headway and secure a reputation for class A leadership. However, his options are slight and his chances slim.

    He needs to focus and to push through plans for the proper transaction of his ideas. He has to reassure his support base, especially after the Peter Mandelson scandal took over and scuppered it.

    The public’s support is also waning and he can’t let it slip. This is an important indicator of leadership now. If it doesn’t improve he will struggle to reassure even his party that he should stay on. It might be an early exit on the cards.

  • Labour needs a renewal of what it means to work

    The problem that we can see in the UK is that a large part of the political system is made up of a party that doesn’t seem to believe in working hard anymore.

    While it may be easy to blame this on strikes it is actually the fault of Unions that don’t really encourage hard work or even suggest that people do their full jobs.

    In my experience, Union representatives are often inadequate people who don’t really know how to navigate a modern workplace in the first place.

    This needs correcting because work-related stress is increasing. Most of it has to do with work being left undone. It frustrates and also irritates other people.

  • Exclusive: YCL leader

    In an exclusive for Conservative News Site, a leader of Young Communist League – a violent, radical movement tied to crimes in the UK – has now been spotted.

    A suspect
    A suspect in radical, organised violent crime seen here in Reading Station, in Reading, Berkshire.

    He’s alleged of taking part in raids on agricultural land, occupations of schools, and attacks on business premises. It’s also believed red paint attacks on public buildings in London are due to this group.

    Violent ideology

    The YCL is known to have deep roots, but also a complicated set of ideological positions. It makes their meetings a cause for public concern, and for this reason they’re covertly monitored for public safety.

    This group is the reason many experts believe radical ideology is a real source of trouble. It’s no longer thought it’s purely a medical condition that predisposes someone to act out violent tendencies.

    *A change was made to correct a spelling error.

  • Starmer runs the same risk as Blair did

    “Sir Keir isn’t a King Lear,” a Labour activist once said to me, somewhat cryptically. I think it meant he’s not an imposing figure, but it differs for people how anyone comes across. There are also nuances for us all, in political circles, as to what anything means collectively.

    The current times are not favourable to the softly-softly approach of a Labour figure. Sir Tony Blair ran the same risk and he fell on his own sword, believed by many in its top ranks that he couldn’t keep up with the times anymore, so he left.

    It’s not that Sir Keir is due to leave soon, but his exit of a number of key staff has shown it won’t inevitably hold together, even if it’s led by his own intuition and activity.

  • Gov. approval sinking

    The government’s approval rating continues to show no sign of slowing in its general sink. The latest poll from YouGov shows a 12% approval rating for the Prime Minister. It’s not a good sign after recent changes to staffing and efforts to reach out on international affairs.

  • Reform UK still poll strongly under a Labour government

    The punishing regime of a Labour government has not dampened the turnout for Reform UK, as the Gorton and Denton by-election results showed yesterday. Although a Green candidate won it, Matt Goodwin managed a second place finish with 10,578 votes.

    It’s a good showing in a Greater Manchester constituency that may be wary of a national personality showing up on its doorstep to talk about Reform politics.

    The outpacing by Hannah Spencer MP (Gorton and Denton/Green Party) is a stunning victory for the Green alliance of interests, but it’s a far cry from real politics. Reform must do better next time.

  • Parliament has to safeguard its own activity too

    A Parliamentary by-election is a small matter in UK politics, but because of its random nature it creates a firestorm of media attention – and it grips public awareness in some measurable way.

    While the outcome may in fact come to shape politics in the future, it’s entirely dependant on the progress of that one candidate in their career. It’s not due to the special nature of the election itself.

    What is a Parliamentary by-election in the UK?
    “What is a Parliamentary by-election in the UK?” (Credit: OpenAI ChatGPT).

    This is not always understood and it’s been the cause of no small amount of trouble in the past. In particular, minorities have often felt the brunt of overzealous party activity in respect of believing that in the UK a special event took place.

    The rules of Parliament are vital to its success. It cannot be an institution otherwise. If the public becomes a source of a problem it’s important for its measures to extend outwardly to involve us. It’s to police the process to make it safe.

  • Gorton and Denton is a tossup between Labour and Reform UK

    Try as they might, the Conservative party is on the back foot in many respects. It has seen the departure of some of its MP’s, the loss of structure as it fails to keep up pace, and declining media exposure as Labour take up more airtime.

    These are not good prospects in a buoyant time due to a Labour majority. The timing of the Gorton and Denton by-election is therefore bad luck for the Badenoch clan. They can’t keep up pace with such a stunning race for victory.

    The advance of Reform UK is on the scene of Labour’s grab for the seat back, having lost it following the departure of its holder due to sickness concerns. It’s therefore hotly contested as the governing party and the newest kid on the block equally look for a big PR splash.