Labour Dubbed A ‘Zombie Government’ After Starmer Commits To Yet Another U-Turn

Posted on 16/02/2026 by Boris Clair

The government is facing fresh backlash after U-turning on their plans to postpone elections for 30 local authorities.

Labour originally offered 63 councils the chance to delay their May local elections amid wider plans to re-organise local governments.

Ministers said 30 agreed to delay, pointing to the cost of holding elections during the council rejig.

But critics claimed the government’s move was motivated by a fear of losing those local elections, which Labour denied.

However, local government secretary Steve Reed has now decided to “withdraw his decision” to postpone the elections “in the light of legal advice”.

The reverse-ferret came as Reform UK prepared to take the government to court, so Nigel Farage is heralding it as a victory.

The government is now looking to “agree an order” with Reform to end the case and has promised to “pay the claimant’s costs of these proceedings’.

A total of 136 local authority areas across England will now hold elections in the spring – along with elections to the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament.

The government will be offering £63 million in new funding to help with the reorganising.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “Following legal advice, the government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.

“Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will now go ahead in May 2026.”

Farage told Sky News that the U-turn was “extraordinary”, claiming: “We were due [in court] this Thursday. They’ve caved, they’ve collapsed. It’s a victory for Reform.

“But more importantly, it’s a victory for democracy in this country.”

The MP for Clacton then called Reed’s future in the government into question.

He said: “What I do think now is the minister, Steve Reed, has clearly acted illegally. And given that the government has now given in, knew they’d lose to us in court, I think Steve Reed’s question as a minister should now be debated.”

Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “This is a zombie government. U-turn, after U-turn, after U-turn.

“No plan or programme to deliver anything. Even the simple stuff that should be business as usual gets messed up.

“And we’ve got three more years of this, because Labour MPs don’t want an early election – they know they will lose their seats.”

She also claimed Reed has “very serious questions to answer on whether political considerations were behind his decision”.

“He must come clean or we will use every means at our disposal to get to the truth,” she said.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “The Liberal Democrats have fought tooth and nail to stop this stitch-up and the government has been forced into a humiliating U-turn.

“Labour are terrified of Reform and we are the only party willing to stand up to Farage and beat him, as we do week after week in council by-elections.”

He also called on Starmer to support his party’s plans to stop governments from being allowed to “cancel elections on a whim ever again”.

Labour MP Florence Eshalomi – Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee – said: “I welcome this development.

“As I argued previously, democracy is not an inefficiency that should be cut out during local government reorganisation process.”

She added: “Councils should not have been put in the position of choosing between frontline services or elections.

“I welcome the indication that the government will provide additional resources to ensure that local council elections can take place and look forward to seeing more detail on this.”

Councilor Richard Wright, Chair of the District Councils’ Network, said: “Council officers, councillors and local electorates will be bewildered by the unrelenting changes to the electoral timetable.

“Councils were assured by the government that elections could be legally cancelled but now it seems ministers have come to the opposite conclusion.

“It’s the government, not councils that have acted in good faith, which should bear responsibility for this mess which impacts on people’s faith in our cherished local democracy.”

He added: “We need to have faith in the government’s decision-making as we work on the biggest shake-up of councils in 50 years – but the government is doing little assure us that it has a strong grasp of the huge legal complexity involved.”

Labour MP Fumes Over Party’s Lack Of Communication And Authority Among Backbenchers

Posted on 07/12/2025 by Boris Clair

A Labour backbencher has attacked the lack of clear communication within his party in a surprise intervention exposing the level of discontent among the backbenchers.

Karl Turner called out deputy PM and justice secretary David Lammy on Wednesday after he announced his decision to axe some jury trials, claiming the government had got it “incredibly badly wrong”.

Speaking to Times Radio on Sunday, the MP for Kingston upon Hull East explained he would not have spoken out against such a senior minister in the past – but he was left with little alternative this week.

His remarks come amid growing frustration over the flip-flopping of the government as they U-turn over major policies – like the two-child benefit cap – which their backbenches don’t like.

Responding to concerns about Keir Starmer’s control over his own party, Turner said: “I’ve got no axe to grind. But we’re in a situation whereby it appears as if the government is governing by consent of the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party].

“The Tories did that for a bit – it didn’t get them very far.”

He said the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds “ought to be on the pitch scoring goals” because he is an “incredibly respected” politician.

“He ought not to be in the chief whip’s office where he can’t come out on the telly or Times Radio and do the stuff we need to do as a government,” the MP said.

“The former chief whip – I wouldn’t have been out publicly a week ago if the former chief whip Alan Campbell was in charge of the chief whip’s office, because he would have rang me and would have said, ‘I need to talk to you, Turner.’”

He suggested they would have come up with a more constructive plan together, and Campbell – who was removed as chief whip in the September reshuffle – would have facilitated meetings with the prime minister if necessary to resolve the issue.

In exchange, Turner said he would have kept quiet about his frustrations.

He said it would be a case of only speaking about your discontent in the party if there was “no alternative”.

But in this case, he claimed there was little clear communication. He told Times Radio: “All I’ve had is an attempt by me to speak to the chief whip, which I got an appointment to see him I think two days later.

“And then a text from a whip telling me to please calm down, or words to that effect. Don’t tell me to calm it down, I’ve been in there 15 years. It’s rare for me, in fact it’s incredibly unlikely and unusual.”

He said he would never usually “gob off” unless he needed to, adding: “Campbell would have sorted this. I’m afraid to say this but Johnny Reynolds isn’t capable of sorting this – and I like the man a lot, by the way.”

Starmer is facing intense scrutiny right now over the lack of control and discipline he has over his own MPs.

He suspended one MP, Markus Campbell-Savours, only this week after he voted against an initial vote on the government’s plans to tax inherited farmland.

Questions around just how long he has left in office continue to rise too, as pundits speculate which of his senior allies in the cabinet could be looking to replace Starmer in No.10.

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\"It appears as if the government is governing by consent of the PLP.”

The government is in a “dangerous” position as it lacks authority over its own party, and the chief whip is not managing the situation effectively, says Labour MP Karl Turner. @adamboultonTABB | #TimesRadio pic.twitter.com/eBFVET7b7r

— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) December 7, 2025

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“It appears as if the government is governing by consent of the PLP.”

The government is in a “dangerous” position as it lacks authority over its own party, and the chief whip is not managing the situation effectively, says Labour MP Karl Turner. @adamboultonTABB | #TimesRadio pic.twitter.com/eBFVET7b7r

— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) December 7, 2025

Labour Calls For Probe Into Pro-Russia Links Within Reform After ‘Traitor’ Nathan Gill Jailed

Posted on 21/11/2025 by Boris Clair

Labour has called for a probe into pro-Russian links within Reform UK after the party’s former leader in Wales was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars for taking bribes to promote pro-Russian propaganda.

Nathan Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between December 6, 2018, and July 18, 2019, back in September and was today sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison.

He admitted accepting substantial sums to make pro-Russian remarks both to the media and to the European parliament back when he was an MEP for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and then the Brexit Party.

He served as the leader of Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021, and has been closely associated with Nigel Farage – who has served as leader of both UKIP and the Brexit Party – over the years.

Police have confirmed Farage has not been a part of this investigation and that Gill is no longer a member of Reform.

Still, Labour’s defence minister Al Carns called on the Reform UK leader to conduct a “forensic” independent investigation to root out any pro-Russian links within Reform.

He urged Farage to “leave no stone unturned” and review “every inch” of the party, including donors and membership.

Farage previously said he was “stunned” to learn of Gill’s crimes.

Gill’s sentencing comes amid rising concerns over Russia’s interference in the UK, with the government having revealed a Russian spy ship was in UK waters only earlier this week.

Carns said: “No patriotic British political party should allow pro-Russian elements to covertly have an influence on our political system or society.

“It’s as anti-British as you can get. It’s time Nigel Farage proved he isn’t happy to parrot Kremlin talking points any longer and demonstrate to the public that Putin has no hold over his party.”

Farage himself has been accused of being pro-Putin in the past, having said in 2014 the Russian authoritarian was the leader he admired the most.

He has also been accused of aligning with some Kremlin talking points, after claiming the EU and Nato “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by trying to expand eastwards.

Counter-terrorism police believe Gill, motived by “greed” and possibly an element of a “pro-Russian stance”, took at least £40,000 in cash and offered to introduce other MEPs so they could also be bribed.

Officers believe some individuals involved may have even had direct links to Putin.

The Liberal Democrats also responded to Gill’s sentencing, writing on X: “Nathan Gill; A traitor who was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting Russian adversaries, has been sentenced today. Reform UK should be ashamed. Britain deserves better.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski taunted Reform over the party’s attempts to distance themselves from Gill in recent months. He wrote on X: “Has Nigel Farage or Zia Yusuf remembered who Nathan Gill is yet?”

A Reform UK spokesman told HuffPost UK: “Mr Gill’s actions were reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable.

“We are glad that justice has been served and fully welcome the sentence Nathan Gill has received.”

Is It Accurate To Say Corbyn’s Group Is Now The Biggest Political Party In The UK?

Posted on 29/07/2025 by Boris Clair

Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn’s new left-wing group have repeatedly claimed that it is now the largest political party in the UK.

As proof, they have enthusiastically pointed to the 500,000 people who have signed up to the group since the Islington North MP announced the party last week.

That is, by any means, a staggering number – but it’s worth remembering one key thing: these are free sign-ups, not paid members.

While the yourparty.uk website does have a page for donations, the homepage promises to “update you on news, activities and ways to get involved” as long as you provide your name, email, phone number and postcode.

Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say this now means you are a member of the new party.

The group, which is less than a week old, does not appear to have a system set up to deal with membership yet.

But, 500,000 sign-ups undoubtedly suggests a huge amount of interest in the group, even if it does not have an official name yet.

That number also eclipses the number of members who pay to be part of the other main political parties in Westminster.

Labour, for instance, had an estimated 309,000 members as of February this year, according to LabourList.

The standard rate to be a Labour leader is around £5.88 per month.

There are also around 131,00 Tory members, according to the Spectator, and they pay roughly £3.50 a month.

Reform UK charges just over £2 a month but does have different membership options available. The party claims to have 309,000 members.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats say they have more than 90,000 members, with the annual fee starting at £15 per year (£1.25 per month).

Novara Media reported that the Green Party has an estimated 65,000 members, with the standard rate of membership costing £5 per month.

However, despite this clear difference between his sign-ups and other party membership, many of Corbyn’s backers have proudly proclaimed the unnamed party to be the largest one in the country already…

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How much screen time is the BBC going to give Jeremy Corbyn now he has more party members than Nigel Farage?

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) July 27, 2025

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How much screen time is the BBC going to give Jeremy Corbyn now he has more party members than Nigel Farage?

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) July 27, 2025

Some have even suggested the amount of interest in the pro-Gaza group has motivated Labour prime minister Keir Starmer to host an emergency cabinet meeting on the Palestine territory…

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In 72 hours 500,000 have signed up for membership in a new Corbyn/Sultana initiated party.

Cue Starmer calling an emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza. https://t.co/clJxfQLG2S

— Simon Black (@_SimonBlack) July 27, 2025

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In 72 hours 500,000 have signed up for membership in a new Corbyn/Sultana initiated party.

Cue Starmer calling an emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza. https://t.co/clJxfQLG2S

— Simon Black (@_SimonBlack) July 27, 2025

How Does Farage Want To Protect The UK From ‘Collapse’? By Sending Prisoners To El Salvador, Of Course

Posted on 21/07/2025 by Boris Clair

Nigel Farage has a brand new plan to help save Britain from “societal collapse”, apparently.

In a press conference, the Reform UK leader declared his party would cut crime in half amid a rise of alleged “lawlessness” in Britain.

As his party continues to lead in the polls, here’s the £17.4bn vision he set out for how Reform would manage criminals if it were to win the next general election – including the rather bizarre figures who inspire him…

Utilising other countries – like El Salvador

Farage suggested sending British prisoners overseas to countries like El Salvador in Central America to complete their sentences.

This is one of the arguments Reform has presented as part of the argument in favour of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.

Farage told the media today: “We can send some of our worst violent criminals overseas to serve their terms.

“If that means that [child murderer] Ian Huntley goes to El Salvador…our attitude is so be it.”

When reminded that the detainees in El Salvador have questionable human rights – they are isolated, do not have access to significant legal recourse and held in concerning conditions – Farage quickly backtracked, calling it an “an extreme example.”

Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin then jumped in: “If they [offenders] lose some human rights about family visiting or whatever else it might be, Sky News in the cell. then it’s a good thing, because it’s about time we got tougher with these people.”

But veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil still slammed the idea on Times Radio, saying: “I don’t like his idea of sending prisoners to El Salvador, to some godforsaken hellhole, we’re a civilised nation we shouldn’t be doing that.”

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\"I don’t like his idea of sending prisoners to El Salvador, to some godforsaken hellhole.”

Nigel Farage’s proposal to send prisoners to El Salvador is inhumane for a “civilised nation” like Britain, says @AFNeil. pic.twitter.com/gbC3Zn0nqb

— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) July 21, 2025

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“I don’t like his idea of sending prisoners to El Salvador, to some godforsaken hellhole.”

Nigel Farage’s proposal to send prisoners to El Salvador is inhumane for a “civilised nation” like Britain, says @AFNeil. pic.twitter.com/gbC3Zn0nqb

— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) July 21, 2025

Nightingale prisons

According to Farage, pop-up prisons inspired by the Nightingale hospitals set up during the Covid pandemic would help ease the capacity crisis in Britain’s justice system.

He said 12,400 offenders who have committed low-level crimes could be put up in these new constructions at the cost of £5bn over a five-year parliament.

But Farage overlooked how many of the Nightingale Covid centres never had a patient – as the Guardian reported in 2020 – and that two-thirds of those beds were allegedly unfit for use.

Reform would also unveil 100 pop-up custody centres for crime hot spots, and reopen 50 “mothballed premises” for use as courts.

Borrowing from Rudy Giuliani

Farage admitted his party’s attitude would be inspired by Rudy Giuliani’s crackdown on crime during his time as New York mayor three decades ago.

In his famous “broken windows” theory, Giuliani famously focused on lower level crime in an effort to deter larger criminal operations.

The Reform UK leader said they were “borrowing from the Giuliani playbook unashamedly”.

“What Rudy Giuliani did to New York in the 1990s was nothing short of a blooming miracle,” he said.

Giuliani, formerly a lawyer for Donald Trump, was disbarred in New York earlier this year when he was found to be in contempt of court for falsely accusing officials in Georgia of committing election fraud in 2020.

Inspired by Miliei

Although this plan would cost £17.4bn over a five-year parliament, Farage said:“It’s not really a question of ‘can we afford to do this?’ It’s a question of ‘can we afford not to do this?’ That’s just how grim and serious the situation is.”

“Of course you’re going to say where is the money going to come from,” he noted, before suggesting the funds would come from abolishing the HS2 project, Net Zero and diversity, equality and inclusion programmes.

He then pointed to Javier Milei, Argentina’s libertarian president.

He said Milei was accused of being a “madman” but “look what’s happening”.

Farage continued: “He has cut the size of the public sector by about 15%, 20% in some cases. Argentina is beginning to see the beginnings of an economic miracle.”

Miliei has undoubtedly improved the country’s struggling economy – its high inflation has cooled and its currency controls have fallen – but public sector salaries have also declined in response, and protests have become a weekly occurrence.

Wait, what ‘societal collapse’?

Of course, all of Farage’s proposals are based on several assumptions.

Firstly, that the country is on the cusp of “nothing short of societal collapse” due to its high crime rate.

Secondly, he set out the premise for his plan by saying: “The crime survey for England and Wales is based on completely false data. If you look at police recorded crime… there are some significant rises in crimes of all kinds, particularly crimes against the person.”

There was a 14% increase in crime last year on the year before – but prior to that, there have been significant successive falls over the last three decades.

Thirdly, the MP for Clacton also claimed “tourists are increasingly reluctant to come to London”.

Actually, out of all the city destinations in the world, London had the second highest rate of international arrivals in 2023 with 18.8 arrivals, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation.

Is this all just ‘headline-chasing’?

Naturally, Farage’s political opponents were quick to tear into the announcement.

Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves said: “Nigel Farage repeatedly tried to block tough measures to make our streets safer.

“Reform is more interested in headline-chasing than serious policy-making in the interests of the British people.”

Chris Philp the Tories’ shadow home secretary, said: “Nigel Farage is writing his own crime fiction.

“Their own document admits it is unfunded – which means they are not being honest about the price you will pay for their policies just like Labour.

“This is the same Nigel Farage who calls immigration enforcement ‘divisive’, wants an amnesty for illegal immigrants who’ve ‘integrated’, and says mass deportation is a ‘political impossibility’. You cannot trust a word he says.”

And former chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, told Times Radio: “Where I think what he’s saying just doesn’t add up is that first of all, what he’s proposing will cost far, far more than he’s suggesting and secondly, I don’t actually think it will address the real concerns that people have got about crime.”