Tag Archives: Politics

Donald Trump’s Turn Of Phrase On Ukraine Is Slammed On Social Media

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US President Donald Trump’s choice of words on Ukraine during a press briefing drew criticism — and a stark reminder — on social media on Wednesday.

Trump was recalling a “very good talk” he’d had with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and their reported joint desire to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict as soon as possible, when he was asked if he views Ukraine “as an equal member of this peace process.”

“Hmm, it’s an interesting question,” replied Trump.

“I think they have to make peace,” he continued. “Their people are being killed and I think they have to make peace. I said that was not a good war to go into and I think they have to make peace, that’s what I think.”

Trump’s apparent implication that Ukraine was to blame for the years-long bloodshed prompted critics to remind the president that it was Russia, under Putin’s orders, who invaded its neighbouring country in February 2022.

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‘A Dark Moment In British History’: Labour Slammed Over Illegal Immigration Crackdown

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Labour ministers have been accused of creating “a dark moment in British history” in their latest crackdown on illegal immigration.

Changes announced by the Home Office mean that anyone arriving via an unsafe route, such as across the Channel in a small boat, will be blocked from becoming UK citizens.

The new guidance states: “A person who applies for citizenship from 10 February 2025 who has previously arrived without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship.”

The controversial move has already sparked a Labour split, with Stella Creasy MP saying it would turn illegal immigrants into “second class” citizens.

Refugee charities have also joined in the backlash against the “deeply damaging” policy.

Kolbassia Haoussou, of Freedom From Torture, said: “Make no mistake, this is a dark moment in British history. If the government really follows through with blocking refugees from getting citizenship, the UK will be taking a huge step backwards.

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said: “This change flies in the face of reason. The British public want refugees who have been given safety in our country to integrate into and contribute to their new communities, so it makes no sense for the government to erect more barriers.

“We know that men women and children who are refugees want to feel part of the country that has given them a home, and support to rebuild their lives.

“So many refugees over many generations have become proud hard working British citizens as doctors, entrepreneurs and other professionals. Becoming a British citizen has helped them give back to their communities and this should be celebrated, not prevented. We urge ministers to urgently reconsider.

“Everyone deserves the chance to settle and fully integrate into society. I’m a survivor of torture, a British citizen, and I’ve even received an MBE from the late Queen.

“I know many people who also want to contribute to Britain, but blocking their ability to become citizens prevents refugees from fully integrating and flourishing in their new communities.”

Citizenship applications are decided on a case-by-case basis and policies are kept under review.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “There are already rules that can prevent those arriving illegally from gaining citizenship.

“This guidance further strengthens measures to make it clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally, including small boat arrivals, faces having a British citizenship application refused.”

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Jeremy Clarkson Says He Cannot Be Friends With Anyone Who Voted For Brexit

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Jeremy Clarkson has said he cannot get on with people who voted for Brexit having experienced the consequences.

The TV presenter, who voted to remain in the EU, said he can generally spend time with people who have different opinions to him, although there is “an exception” – anyone who voted to Leave in the 2016 referendum.

In an article for The Times, he said: “It’s not so bad if they put their hands up and admit they made a mistake. But if I encounter someone who still thinks it was all a brilliant idea, I get so cross my hair catches fire and my teeth start to itch.”

He added: “Brexit hasn’t made our lives better in any way that I can see.”

In the piece – which is headlined, ‘Brexit makes me want to sit in a gutter and weep’ – Clarkson explained that he came to this conclusion after an experience linked to his farm.

The presenter claimed that when he was supposed to be travelling through the Channel Tunnel to Calais for part of his Prime Video series, Clarkson’s Farm, he said he ended up being stuck in “a gigantic lorry park full of trucks from every conceivable European country”.

As he and his colleague had to take filming equipment with them, he said he had to wait for two hours for “someone in a cabin to stamp our form” before they could even reach the tunnel.

They then had to do the same thing at the other end, once arriving in France.

He said: “I have crossed many tricky borders over the years and the paperwork always takes time.

“Iraq to Turkey took a moment, that’s for sure. And Rwanda into Tanzania was challenging as well. But nothing has ever taken as long as it us to get from post-Brexit England into France.”

The former Top Gear presenter also took aim at the government’s stance that Brexit is a success because “it’s better to be governed by a democratically elected parliament than some bankers in Brussels”.

He said: “I’m not sure about that. I’d certainly prefer the bankers to Starmer and Reeves. I’d prefer anything. The fourth form of my local school. My dogs. Trump, even.”

Clarkson has already made his opposition to the current government clear, having joined a protest over the Budget last November.

He opposed changes to the inheritance tax rules, and accused chancellor Rachel Reeves of taking the figures she has used to justify the Budget “from the sixth form debating society that she was no doubt a member of”.

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Reform UK’s Chairman Claims Party Will Take Up To 400 Seats At Next General Election

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Reform UK’s chairman has claimed his party will secure between 350 and 400 MPs at the next general election.

That would equate to a landslide victory and would be just a few seats short of the majority of 412 Labour secured in July.

It would also be a world away from the five MPs Reform returned seven months ago.

But, speaking about his party’s astonishing rise, Zia Yusuf told the BBC’s Radio 4′s Political Thinking podcast he thinks Reform “will win between 350 and 400 members of parliament” at the next election, which has to be held before August 2029.

It comes after Reform came out on top of a YouGov poll of voting intentions earlier this week, with 25% compared to Labour’s 24% and the Tories’ 21%.

Another pollster, Find Out Now, claimed on Thursday that Reform had a four-point lead over the other two main parties on 29%, while Labour had 25% and the Tories lagged behind on 18%.

The findings are another boost for Reform’s leader Nigel Farage – who already claims to be the “official opposition” to the government – and will worry Labour and Tory quarters ahead of the local elections in May.

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Find Out Now voting intention:
🟦 Reform UK: 29% (+2)
🔴 Labour: 25% (+2)
🔵 Conservatives: 18% (-3)
🟠 Lib Dems: 13% (+2)
🟢 Greens: 10% (-)

Changes from 27th January
[Find Out Now, 5th February, N=2,487] pic.twitter.com/he05V9LJa2

— Find Out Now (@FindoutnowUK) February 6, 2025

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Find Out Now voting intention:
🟦 Reform UK: 29% (+2)
🔴 Labour: 25% (+2)
🔵 Conservatives: 18% (-3)
🟠 Lib Dems: 13% (+2)
🟢 Greens: 10% (-)

Changes from 27th January
[Find Out Now, 5th February, N=2,487] pic.twitter.com/he05V9LJa2

— Find Out Now (@FindoutnowUK) February 6, 2025

Yusuf also took aim at the Conservatives, telling the BBC: “History will judge Boris Johnson as one of the most damaging prime ministers in this country’s history.”

He said the increase in net migration during Johnson’s time in office was “a total betrayal of everybody who voted for Brexit”.

He added: “He took public spending close to Soviet Union spending. So there was nothing Conservative about him.”

His comments are particularly cutting considering Reform – when it was known as the Brexit Party – chose not to contest 317 Tory-won seats in the 2019 general election so as not to split the Leave vote.

Boris Johnson went on to win a landslide victory and the Brexit Party did not secure a single seat in the Commons.

Yusuf addressed worries about the world’s richest man and Donald Trump’s new informal advisor, Elon Musk, donating up to $100m to Reform, too.

“I can understand those concerns. We’re going to play by the rules,” he said.

Pressed on whether his party would accept any donations from the tech magnate, Yusuf said: “Who knows if he will or if he won’t, but if was to make a donation and it was within the rules and it helped us win, then why not?”

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