Category Archives: POLITICS

Labour Deputy Leadership Hopeful Warns Starmer Party ‘Can’t Out-Reform Reform’

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Keir Starmer has been warned to stop trying to “out-Reform Reform” by an MP running to be his deputy.

Left-winger Bell Ribeiro-Addy hit out at the prime minister after throwing her hat into the ring to replace Angela Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader.

She has been joined in the race by education secretary Bridget Phillipson, who becomes the first minister to run.

HuffPost UK also understands Lucy Powell – sacked by Starmer in last week’s reshuffle – will announce today that she is standing after encouragement from allies.

Labour MPs have until 5pm on Thursday to get the 80 nominations they need to get on the ballot paper.

On Radio 4′s Today programme this morning, Ribeiro-Addy said the Labour leadership had got it wrong on the situation in Gaza, the winter fuel allowance and welfare cuts.

Instead, she accused No.10 off becoming more right-wing in an attempt to win back Reform voters.

Ribeiro-Addy said: “We are currently haemorrhaging votes to the Lib Dems, to the Greens, and ultimately all we seem to want to do at the moment is chase down Reform, and we cannot do that. We are not good at out-Reforming Reform, but we can do so much better at being Labour.

“If we keep going down in this direction we are not going to be able to attract or even to retain voters, and I think most people would agree that the most important thing is to make sure that Labour members have confidence in their deputy leader.”

Phillipson, the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, said she was running “to unite our great party and deliver for working people”.

She said: “I’ve taken on powerful vested interests in the education sector – and even as they threw everything at me, I have never taken a backwards step. I will bring that same determination to every battle ahead of us.

“Because make no mistake: we are in a fight. We all know the dangers Reform poses our country. But not only am I ready for it: I’ve proven we can do it. I’ve shown we can beat Farage in the north-east, while staying true to the Labour party’s values of equality, fairness and social justice.

“With me as deputy leader we will beat them right across the country and unite to deliver the opportunity that working people across this great country deserve.”

Dame Emily Thornberry is also trying to drum up support, but Rosena Allin-Khan has decided not to stand.

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4 Completely Bonkers Things That Happened At The Reform UK Conference

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Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham has come and gone, and for fans of the strange, odd and downright crazy, it did not disappoint.

Nigel Farage had hoped that the glitzy two-day event would show the country that his party is professional, competent and ready to form the next UK government.

And while there were certainly moments which demonstrated precisely why Reform is currently leading Labour and the Tories in the opinion polls, there was also enough evidence to suggest it has a long way to go before it can shake off its eccentric image.

Here, HuffPost UK looks at four of the conference’s most bizarre moments.

1) The Singing Mayor

Farage was forced to bring forward his keynote speech to the conference on Friday after in an attempt to avoid being overshadowed by the cabinet reshuffle taking place at the same time.

But it was the actions of the Reform leader’s warm-up act, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, that grabbed the headlines.

The mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, a trained opera singer, strode onto the stage in a sparkling jumpsuit to a recording of her self-penned song “I’m An Insomniac”.

For reasons known only to herself, Jenkyns decided to join in, with her arms outstretched in an attempt to gee up the crowd before the main event.

In a tenuous attempt to link the song’s lyrics to the conference, the former Tory MP asked the audience: “Is this godawful Labour Government giving you sleepless nights and insomnia too?”

The muted response from the presumably-stunned audience spoke volumes.

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This woman has always been an absolute fruit loop, Andrea Jenkyns singing herself onto stage at the Reform cringefest. 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/zEF6CwBLza

— Rameses Niblick III (@TheLittleWaster) September 5, 2025

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This woman has always been an absolute fruit loop, Andrea Jenkyns singing herself onto stage at the Reform cringefest. 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/zEF6CwBLza

— Rameses Niblick III (@TheLittleWaster) September 5, 2025

2) Platforming Lucy Connolly

On the day that three girls attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class were murdered last year, Lucy Connolly posted a tweet calling for “mass deportation now”.

She called on people to “set fire to all the fucking [asylum] hotels full of the bastards for all I care”, before adding “if that makes me racist so be it”.

A month later, she pleaded guilty to writing a social media post intending to stir up racial hatred and was jailed for 31 months.

During her time in prison, Connolly – who was released last month – became a cause celebre for many on the right, who claimed her incarceration was evidence that freedom of speech is being undermined in the UK.

Introducing her to the conference stage on Saturday, Daily Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson described Connolly as “Britain’s favourite political prisoner”.

She received a warm ovation from the audience, who seemed happy to overlook the fact that she had actually pleaded guilty to a serious crime.

Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges pointed out: “Staggering that someone just released from jail after admitting a crime of racial hatred is invited to speak at a major party conference. Completely undermines Reform’s modernisation narrative.”

3) Anti-Vax Doctor Says Covid Vaccine Gave King Cancer

Reform officials have been at pains to stress that the party is not home to conspiracy theorists and extremists.

But that was rather undermined by the fact that an vaccine-sceptic doctor was allowed to give a speech from the main conference stage claiming the Covid vaccine was linked to cancer in the Royal Family.

After claiming vaccines “created havoc” in the human body, Dr Aseem Malhotra said wanted to pass on the views of a doctor he described as am eminent oncologist.

“He thinks it’s highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor in the cancer of members of the royal family,” he said.

“This isn’t just his opinion many other doctors feel the same way.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies.

“Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism.”

Dr Aseem Malhotra, Cardiologist and Medical Advisor, MAHA Action addresses delegates on day two of the Reform UK party conference at National Exhibition Centre on September 06, 2025 in Birmingham, England. Members of Reform UK gather at the NEC Birmingham for the Party's two-day conference. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Dr Aseem Malhotra, Cardiologist and Medical Advisor, MAHA Action addresses delegates on day two of the Reform UK party conference at National Exhibition Centre on September 06, 2025 in Birmingham, England. Members of Reform UK gather at the NEC Birmingham for the Party’s two-day conference. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Leon Neal via Getty Images

4) Andrea Jenkyns Singing. Again

The conference ended with senior Reform members standing awkwardly on the conference stage singing the national anthem.

Inevitably, leading the singalong was Andrea Jenkyns, whose voice almost gave in and who, it seemed, changed the lyrics at one point to God Save The Queen, even though Elizabeth II died three years ago.

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