Category Archives: conservative party

Johnny Mercer Slammed Over ‘Inbetweeners’ Jibe At New Labour MP

Posted on by
Reply

Johnny Mercer has been criticised after launching an extraordinary attack on Labour’s newest MP.

The Tory minister compared Keir Mather to a character from hit comedy The Inbetweeners after his stunning victory in Selby and Ainsty.

He also suggested MPs should have raised a family before standing for parliament.

Mather, who is 25, overturned a 20,000 Tory majority in the seat to pull off the historic win.

But on Sky News afterwards, Mercer suggested the new MP was too inexperienced to be in parliament.

He also accused Mather of robotically “parroting” Labour lines because he does not have enough life experience.

He said: “I think it’s always good to get new people in politics. I think we mustn’t become a repeat of the Inbetweeners. You’ve got to have people who have actually done stuff.

“This guy has been at Oxford University more than he’s been in a job. You put a chip in him there and he just repeats Labour lines.

“The problem is people have had enough of that, right? They want people who are authentic, people who have worked in that constituency, who understand what life is like – to live, work and raise a family in communities like there’s.

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics. It’s exactly why people like me couldn’t vote in the 2015 election, because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in, put a chip in them and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.”

Keir Mather celebrates winning with 16,456 votes the Selby and Ainsty by-election.
Keir Mather celebrates winning with 16,456 votes the Selby and Ainsty by-election.

Ian Forsyth via Getty Images

A Labour source told HuffPost UK: “Johnny Mercer’s response to a young gay man being elected was to make fun of his appearance and criticise him for not having raised a family. The true face of the Tory Party.”

Asked about his relative inexperience on Sky News, Mather said: “I don’t think people mind a candidate with a bit of energy and determination.

I’m a taxpayer too, I feel the pressures as much as anybody else. I grew up in a rural village, very similar to the ones across Selby and Ainsty, so I do also know what it’s like to struggle to get that GP appointment.

“People are really struggling and I really get those experiences because I’ve lived them myself.”

Share Button

Major Boost For Rishi Sunak As Tories See Off Labour Challenge In Uxbridge

Posted on by
Reply

The Conservatives have narrowly beaten Labour to retain Boris Johnson’s former seat following a bitter by-election campaign.

In a major blow for Keir Starmer, Steve Tuckwell beat Tory candidate Danny Beales by just 495 votes to become the new MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

The by-election was called following Johnson’s dramatic resignation last month after he was found guilty by the privileges committee of repeatedly lying to parliament over partygate.

The former prime minister retained the seat with a majority of 7,210 at the 2019 election.

Tuckwell received 13,965 votes to Beales’s 13,470 to claim the constituency for the Tories once again.

The Conservatives effectively turned the by-election into a referendum on Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the whole of the city from next month.

The result of a huge boost for Rishi Sunak, who had been braced for the Tories to lose the seat, given the unpopularity of the government and Labour’s commanding lead in the national polls.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This was always going to be a difficult battle in a seat that has never had a Labour MP and we didn’t even win in 1997. We know that the Conservatives crashing the economy has hit working people hard, so it’s unsurprising that the ULEZ expansion was a concern for voters here in a by-election.”

Elsewhere, Labour have won the Selby and Ainsty by-election after toppling one of the safest Tory seats in the country.

And in the third by-election of the night, the Lib Dems pulled off a stunning victory in a previously safe Tory seat of Somerton and Frome.

Despite the Conservatives avoiding a three-nil defeat, the swing in the vote went away from the Tories in every seat.

Share Button

Kemi Badenoch Put On The Spot Over Failure To Sign US-UK Free Trade Deal

Posted on by
Reply

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch was put on the spot on Sunday morning over the failure of the government to secure a free trade deal with United States, as had been promised by many Brexiteers.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Badenoch was repeatedly pressed on the topic.

“There is no sign of that American trade deal that is promised,” Kuenssberg said.

“That Brexit promise of a sort of buccaneering Britain massively benefiting from trading around the world, that just has not come to pass has it?”

Badenoch said the lack of a trade deal with the US was because of the “change of administration” from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

“We can’t force other countries to do things that are different from what they want to do,” she said.

Kuenssberg pressed: “But that was a promise that was made to British voters.”

Badenoch said: “That was an agreement that was had with the previous president. You cannot force countries to join free trade agreements.”

Kuenssberg added: “So, it was a promise then that you were never going to be able to keep?”

A free trade deal with the US was one of the main selling points for Brexiteers in the run-up to the 2016 referendum.

But Liz Truss finally admitted in September last year – during her short time as prime minister – that it was not going to happen any time soon.

Rishi Sunak also conceded on a trip to Washington in June that an agreement was no longer “a priority” for either side.

Badenoch was speaking to the programme from New Zealand signed the UK up to the the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The trade zone of around 500 million people includes Australia, Canada, Mexico, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Badenoch hailed the agreement as having “so much potential” as “the world is our oyster”.

But the government’s own assessment of the deal suggests it could add only 0.08% to the size of the UK’s economy in 10 years.

Share Button

Tory Party Chair Leaves Twitter Bewildered With His Attempt To Mock Keir Starmer

Posted on by
Reply

Greg Hands left people scratching their heads when he posted a video on Twitter trying to show up Keir Starmer – and failed, miserably.

The Conservative Party chair shared a 14-second video on Twitter on Thursday lunchtime showing the Labour Party leader arriving to campaign in the Selby and Ainsty by-election.

It comes after the Tory MP Nigel Adams resigned earlier this month. As a long-standing ally of Boris Johnson, he was expected to received a peerage in the ex-PM’s resignation honours but didn’t make the final cut.

When Starmer, deputy leader Angela Rayner and their team arrived at Selby train station, Conservative campaigners appeared to have arranged an ambush for them.

″Welcome to Selby, Sir Keir,” the Tories cheered, laughing and clapping as they spotted him.

But, the Labour leader looked far from taken aback. He just walked over to greet them, and the two groups seem to have an amicable exchange.

When Hands shared the footage on Twitter, though, he said: “North London Leftie lawyer and top flip-flopper Sir Keir is one of the Conservatives’ trump cards in the Selby By-Election!”

Understandably, Twitter was pretty confused over the point of the tweet, noting there didn’t seem to be any “gotcha” in the video (or the caption) at all…

Others reminded Hands that he, too, is a London MP…

And plenty said it just showed Starmer in an even better light.

Other people just joked that this was a sign the seat was going to be passed over to Labour.

Share Button

Greg Hands Gets Rinsed After Claiming Labour Would Put Everyone On The Dole

Posted on by
Reply

Tory chairman Greg Hands got rinsed on Twitter after claiming a Labour government would mean “we’ll all be queuing outside the job centre”.

The outspoken MP – who regularly tries to troll the opposition on social media – posted a picture of the famous Tory election ad from 1979 showing a lengthy dole queue with the headline: “Labour isn’t working”.

Hands said: “If Labour get in, we’ll all be queuing outside the job centre.”

But the tweet led to a backlash from thousands of Twitter users – with many of them pointing out that Hands himself could be among those out of work after the election.

Hands is MP for Chelsea and Fulham, where he was re-elected in 2019 with a majority of 11,241.

Share Button

Thousands Denied A Vote Because Of Tory Voter ID Law, Say Election Chiefs

Posted on by
Reply

Thousands of voters were barred from taking part in last month’s local elections because of the Tories’ voter ID law, election chiefs have revealed.

For the first time ever in Britain, voters were required to provide photographic proof of their identity in order to collect their ballot paper.

Ministers had argued that it was necessary to prevent voter fraud, despite there being no evidence that it is widespread problem in this country.

A report out today by the Electoral Commission found that around 14,000 who went to their polling station on May 4 were not given a ballot paper because they did not have the correct photographic identification.

Research found that 4% of all people who said they did not vote identified the new ID requirement as the reason.

The Electoral Commission said their data also suggested that disadvantaged groups were more likely to be impacted by the voter ID arrangements.

Opposition politicians said the report showed the new law was “a transparent attempt at voter suppression by Conservative ministers”.

Craig Westwood, the Electoral Commssion’s director of communications, policy and research, said: “The evidence suggests that the vast majority of voters were able to present an accepted form of ID at the May elections.

“But it also shows that some people were prevented from voting in polling stations due to the requirement, and significantly more did not attempt to because they lacked the required ID.”

He added: “We don’t want to see a single voter lose the opportunity to have their say. We are working to understand the challenges people faced, and will make recommendations that, with the engagement of Government and wider electoral community, will support the participation of all voters.”

Former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted last month that the voter ID policy was an attempt at “gerrymandering” to boost the Tories – but that it had backfired because it kept more of their supporters out of the polling booths.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “No legitimate voter should be locked out of democracy but that has been the effect of the Tories’ failed voter ID regulations.

“This evidence suggests shows that as well as those turned away at polling stations, many others did not attempt to vote because they lacked the required ID.

“It’s particularly alarming that under-represented groups look to have been more likely to have denied their say by these new barriers to voting. These strict rules are having a chilling effect on democracy.”

Lib Dem local government spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said: “It is an outrage that thousands of people were denied a voice at the local elections because of the Conservative Party’s Voter ID rules.

“Obstructing people’s right to vote like this in such a disproportionate way is a complete waste of money that undermines our democracy.

“It looks like a transparent attempt at voter suppression by Conservative ministers who are desperate to stop people from holding them to account by any means possible.”

Councillor James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “It is a fundamental part of the democratic process that elections can run smoothly and effectively where every citizen is able to exercise their right to vote.

“It is therefore of concern to councils that this review has found that some groups may have been more impacted than others by the introduction of voter ID, with a small number being left unable to vote.”

Share Button

‘You Couldn’t Run A Whelk Stall’: BBC Question Time Audience Member Blasts Politicians

Posted on by
Reply

A BBC Question Time audience member has let rip at Britain’s political class – claiming it is so “incompetent” the two main parties “couldn’t run a whelk stall”.

This week’s show, which came from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, came against the backdrop of more partygate revelations, a backlash to Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list and tensions over the Covid-19 public inquiry.

One question – what could the Tories could do to turn around their fortunes and win at the general election next year – prompted a diatribe from one member of the audience, who appeared dissatisfied with the way the country is being run regardless of who is charge.

He said: “We’ve heard it all before from both of you, from both parties. You’re absolutely incompetent. Those that are not incompetent and corrupt.

“I have no idea why any of us bothered to vote for any of you. You couldn’t run a whelk stall, let alone the country. Either of you.

“And all you can do is bat off each other and not make any sense whatsoever. Stay behind afterwards. Both of you. Have a word from me, I’ll give you some home truths.“

He added: “I’m sick to death of you. The only person who went in parliament with good intentions was Guy Fawkes.”

Both Conservative Lee Rowley and Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth – on the panel – agreed to meet the man afterwards to discuss his concerns. He claimed the recent local elections was the first time he has not voted.

Share Button

Tory London Mayor Hopeful Says The Conservatives ‘Must Modernise To Survive’

Posted on by
Reply

The Conservative Party has to undergo “another period of modernisation if it’s going to survive”, the frontrunner in the race to be its candidate for London mayor has warned.

Samuel Kasumu, a former aide to Boris Johnson, said he was the only Tory in the contest who was able to reach out to a city as cosmopolitan as the capital.

In an interview with HuffPost UK, the 35-year-old also called on the party to have a “much more nuanced conversation about immigration”.

His comments will be viewed as a swipe at home secretary Suella Braverman, who has been criticised for saying the UK faces an “invasion” of immigrants.

Labour’s Sadiq Khan is hoping to win a third term as London’s mayor in May next year.

His Conservative rival will be chosen by party members from a shortlist of three on July 19.

Kasumu is up against technology minister Paul Scully, veteran London Assembly member Andrew Boff and David Cameron’s former deputy head of policy, Daniel Korski.

Kasumu – currently a councillor in Welwyn Hatfield – quit Downing Street in April 2021 amid a row over the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, which was branded a “whitewash” by some anti-racism campaigners.

He said the party had to “appeal to folks you might not even be ideologically aligned with” if it wanted to win.

“The first thing you have to say is, London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world,” he said.

“How do you reach all these groups? I think I am best place to do that. There are probably only two or three people in the whole Conservative movement who are able to do that.

“I’m the only one who is going to make the shortlist who can do that job.”

He added: “The Conservative Party is going to have to undergo another period of modernisation if it’s going to survive.

“Even if you shut the borders today, there are an increasing number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds, and in London specifically, nearly half the population were born outside the country.”

Rishi Sunak has made stopping asylum seekers crossing the Channel one of his five pledges to voters amid concerns that the government has lost control of the immigration system.

Braverman has also come in for severe criticism over the language she has used when talking about the issue.

“I can’t tell the home secretary what to say or how to articulate that,” Kasumu said. “But I think we need to have a much more honest conversation about immigration… a much more nuanced conversation about the subject.

“Most people are quite sensible about immigration. They recognise that immigrants can and will continue to play a role in allowing us to function as a society.”

Sadiq Khan is hoping to win a third term as mayor.
Sadiq Khan is hoping to win a third term as mayor.

Aaron Chown – PA Images via Getty Images

Kasumu also warned Sunak that time was running out for him to set out his vision of the kind of country he wants to build.

The prime minister set out his five pledges to voters in January – stopping the boats, halving inflation, cutting waiting lists, growing the economy and reducing the national debt.

But Kasumu said: “If I’m advising the prime minister – which I’m not anymore – I would say, I get it, five pledges, you need to demonstrate competence, you need to earn the right to be heard again.

“It’s a bit like what I’m saying in London, you’ve got he earn the right to be heard and then at some point, sooner rather than later, we need to have a very clear vision about what the next iteration of a Rishi Sunak premiership could look like.”

“They don’t have a lot of time,” he added. “We have got party conference after the summer. Maybe that’s the time to start to articulate what a Rishi Sunak vision looks like.”

Just as the national polls show Labour ahead, the Conservatives are fighting an even stepper uphill battle in London, with a YouGov poll in April suggesting Labour holds a 40-point lead in the capital.

But Kasumu said: “If we win in London then all bets are off.”

Share Button

Ann Widdecombe Says Poor Families ‘Shouldn’t Have A Cheese Sandwich’ If They Can’t Afford To Buy One

Posted on by
Reply

Ann Widdecombe has told poor families they shouldn’t expect to be able to have a cheese sandwich if they don’t have the money.

The former Tory MP said hard-pressed families should not “do the cheese sandwich” on a BBC politics show discussing the cost-of-living crisis.

Widdecombe is a former Strictly Come Dancing contestant who has also represented the Brexit Party in the European parliament, and now backs the Reform Party.

The cost of a homemade cheese sandwich rose by one-third to 40p last year, BBC research suggests.

Politics Live presenter Jo Coburn asked: “What do you say to consumers who literally can’t afford to pay for even some of the basics if they have gone up the way that cheese sandwich has, with all its ingredients?”

She replied: “Well then you don’t do the cheese sandwich … because we have been decades without inflation we have come to regard it as some sort of given right that our food doesn’t go up.”

In response, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “How out of touch can you get? Anne Widdecombe joins a long line of right-wing politicians who pin the blame on hard-working families for this government’s failures.”

The latest inflation figures from Which? show the cost of British food staples such as cheddar cheese, white bread and porridge oats have soared on a year ago.

Overall inflation on food and drink at supermarkets continued to rise in March to 17.2%, up from 16.5% the month before, the watchdog found.

Cheddar cheese prices increased by an average 28.3% across eight major supermarkets compared to a year ago.

UK inflation remained above 10% in March – far higher than in the US and Europe – with food prices pushing the benchmark up.

Her comment echo the sentiments of Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who attracted criticism for suggesting that people in the UK use food banks because they “cannot cook properly” and “cannot budget”.

Share Button

‘Marxism, Narcissism And Paganism’ Among Tory Fears During Bizarre Gathering

Posted on by
Reply

Conservatives brought a jumble of ideas to a three-day gathering in London – with one MP warning of the perils of “Marxism, narcissism and paganism” during a bizarre few hours.

As Labour leader Keir Starmer mocked the Tories for “holding a series of mad hatters’ tea parties” in the aftermath of their local elections drubbing, the National Conservatism conference opened in London – with high-profile Conservative Party figures in attendance.

The meeting brought together right-wing politicians, journalists and thinkers to discuss the potential of “national conservatism” to provide a path towards renewal for the party.

The conference is a project of the Edmund Burke Foundation, a “public affairs institute” based in Washington DC which has held conferences across Europe and America since 2019 to promote the ideas of national conservatism.

Between two separate protests, with one speech was interrupted early on by a someone warning about “fascism”, and the conference chair suggesting they’ve been “communing” with Margaret Thatcher, here are a handful of the most eye-catching comments.

“The unexamined drive towards multiculturalism” is a “recipe for communal disaster”.

Home secretary Suella Braverman was arguably the “star” turn. Despite being in charge of the UK’s immigration policy, she took a number of swings at the UK’s immigration policy.

She deployed her own background as the daughter of migrants to argue it’s “not racist for anyone, ethnic minority or otherwise, to want to control our borders”.

The cabinet minister also argued that “you cannot have immigration without integration” and “the unexamined drive towards multiculturalism” is a “recipe for communal disaster”.

Braverman said that people who come to the UK “must not commit crimes”, “need to learn English and understand British social norms” and “cannot simply turn up and say: ‘I live here now, you have to look after me’”.

Young radicalised by “Marxism, narcissism and paganism”

Tory backbencher Danny Kruger blamed the country’s problems on the “new religion” of “progressive liberalism” – which is a mix of “Marxism, narcissism and paganism” and is causing a “radicalisation of a generation”. He even hit out at the “dystopian fantasy of John Lennon”.

“As Russell Crowe says in the film Gladiator …”

Multiple speakers decried the impact of “wokeism” on British society, particularly Katharine Birbalsingh, who was once dubbed “Britain’s strictest headteacher”.

She urged conservative parents to take their children out of schools that were “too woke”, and criticised private schools for being even more “woke” than their state-funded counterparts.

In a speech that included lines from the film Gladiator, Birbalsingh bemoaned children “leading” schools, attacked private schools for being more “woke” than state providers, and claimed children at some schools are allowed to wear ears and tails because they “identify as cats”.

“Woke” teaching is “destroying our children’s souls”

Tory MP Miriam Cates identified falling birth rates as the “overarching threat” to UK and western society.

She also said society had ceased to value children and parenthood properly: “You cannot be socially liberal and economically conservative. If you think that government and society should have nothing to say about the conditions that promote strong families, don’t be surprised if you end up with a high-tax, high-spend economy, with a nation of broken people dependent on the state.”

She also criticised “woke” teaching for “destroying our children’s souls” and causing self-harm and suicide among young people.

The Conservative MP faced criticism for hitting out at “cultural Marxism”. John Mann, the government’s antisemitism tsar, said the term has its origins in a “conspiracy theory with anti-Semitism at its core”.

Share Button