Tag Archives: Politics

‘Pure Comedy, Chaos And Shambles’: The Best Jokes About Sunak’s Damp Start To The General Election

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Rishi Sunak’s bold decision to call a general election in the middle of yesterday’s downpour has opened the floodgates on social media.

The prime minister stood outside No.10 Downing Street, in the pouring rain, and declared a general election would be held on July 4.

He then immediately tried to rally voters with a few digs at Labour over the party’s campaigns and policies.

But, no one really focused on that. Most of the attention was on Sunak’s suit, which became completely sodden within minutes.

While all the journalists there to capture the historic moment were sensibly wearing coats or carrying umbrellas, the PM’s bizarre decision to go without for such a pivotal moment, has been demolished by everyone, including today’s newspapers.

Protesters also blared Labour’s 1997 election theme tune – D:Ream’s Things Will Only Get Better – throughout the PM’s speech.

And so critics were quick to coin the phrase “Things Will Only Get Wetter” in a scathing take on Sunak’s announcement.

Considering the Conservatives are around 20 points behind Labour in the opinion polls right now, the image of a downtrodden Sunak standing in the rain was seen as an apt metaphor by many people on social media.

Others pointed out that the Conservatives actually set up an expensive press conference room within No.10, which is warm, dry and available to use.

Either way, the impact that image of a soaked Sunak has had among his online critics – and the newspapers – is clearly significant.

Here’s a round-up of social media’s best jokes about the embarrassing PR gaffe…

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Voter In Rishi Sunak Campaign Video Came ‘Close’ To ‘Clobbering’ The Prime Minister

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Rishi Sunak’s election campaign has been hit by another blunder after he released a video featuring a voter who said he came “close” to hitting him.

A slick promotional video published on X by Sunak, showed him delivering the speech in Downing Street and meeting voters across the country.

One member of the public Sunak is pictured with is Josef Schindler, in Altrincham market, on January 6.

Schindler posted a photograph of him and the prime minister on Facebook at the time.

In the comments below the post, Schindler was told: “You do look like you’re going to clobber him.”

He reacted with a laughing emoji and replied simply: “close”.

His speech was also disrupted by Labour Party anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ being played by protesters nearby.

The shambolic opening to the campaign was headlined “things can only get wetter” by the even the Conservative supporting Daily Telegraph.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Sunak said he was the “first to admit that it was a bit wet”.

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Tories Shamed Over UK’s Polluted Water Supply: ‘They Turned A Blind Eye’

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The Conservatives have been torn apart by a Labour MP after thousands were impacted by a parasite in their water supply last week.

Approximately 16,000 households and businesses in Brixham, Devon, have been urged to boil their water before use after traces of cryptosporidium were found and some people were hospitalised with the bug.

South West Water has promised to pay £3.5m in compensation to customers impacted by the diarrhoea-inducing parasite – but others are still holding the government responsible.

Speaking in the Commons on Monday, shadow minister Emma Hardy said: “Another day, another example of the depths of failure that this government have taken us.

“I cannot believe that I am about to say this, but after 14 long years of Conservative rule, in 21st Century Britain, our water is no longer safer to drink.

“The government will of course be flailing around, desperate for someone else to blame, but this crisis is theirs.”

She called for the government to take responsibility for the ongoing issue, blaming them for weakening regulations around the UK’s Victorian-era sewage system.

“They turned a blind eye and left water companies to illegally pump a tidal wave of raw sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas,” Hardy said.

The Labour MP recalled that her party had warned the Conservatives last week about the health implications of the UK’s contaminated water.

She said: “Is this an example of their plan working? Is this what they think success looks like? And now this, the icing on the cake of failure – a parasite outbreak in Brixham, with South West Water?”

More than 100 people have reported symptoms and two others, including a 13-year-old boy, have been admitted to hospital.

“This is appalling. Enough is enough,” Hardy said.

She called for the government to put the water companies under special regulations, to make law-breaking bosses face criminal charges and for company bonuses to stop until the crisis is addressed.

Concerns about the cleanliness of UK water has been a pressing concern for some years now.

According to Surfers Against Sewage, there were more than 584,000 discharges of raw sewage into UK waterways last year alone – and 75% of UK rivers pose a serious risk to human health.

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Ofcom Reaches Decision Over GB News Broadcast Featuring Rishi Sunak

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Ofcom has ruled that GB News broke guidelines around impartiality with a broadcast involving prime minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year.

Back in February, Sunak held what was billed as a “people’s forum” in which he answered questions from undecided voters in County Durham in a much-derided live broadcast.

A week after it aired, it was revealed that more than 500 viewers had complained to Ofcom about the segment, which led to an investigation.

On Monday morning, the media regulator confirmed that GB News did, in fact, break impartiality guidelines by not incorporating a more “wide range of significant views” into what was technically a news broadcast.

In a statement on their website, they explained: “Ofcom has no issue with this programme’s editorial format in principle. In line with freedom of expression, broadcasters are free to innovate and use different editorial techniques in their programming – including offering audiences innovative forms of debate. But in doing so, they must observe the rules in our Broadcasting Code.

“We recognised that this programme would focus mainly on the Conservative Party’s policies and track-record on a number of specific issues, meaning that Conservative viewpoints would be prevalent. We are clear that this, in and of itself, did not mean the programme could not comply with due impartiality rules under the Code.

“It was incumbent on GB News, however, given the major matters under discussion, to ensure that an appropriately wide range of significant views was given due weight in the programme or in other clearly linked and timely programmes.”

GB News could now face sanctions due to this breach, with Ofcom adding: “Given the very high compliance risks this programme presented, we found GB News’s approach to compliance to be wholly insufficient, and consider it could have, and should have, taken additional steps to mitigate these risks.

“We found that an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints were not presented and given due weight in the People’s Forum: The Prime Minister, nor was due impartiality preserved through clearly linked and timely programmes.

“As a result, we consider that the Prime Minister had a mostly uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his Government in a period preceding a UK General Election.”

This is far from the first time that GB News has been in hot water with Ofcom, though.

Last year, it faced another investigation due to a live broadcast which saw Laurence Fox launching into a sexist tirade against a female journalist during an appearance on Dan Wootton’s evening show.

Ofcom later ruled that this also breached guidelines, as did a separate live show fronted by Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, for which the station was later put “on notice”.

In response to Ofcom’s latest decision, a GB News spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “Ofcom’s finding against GB News today is an alarming development in its attempt to silence us by standing in the way of a forum that allows the public to question politicians directly.

“The regulator’s threat to punish a news organisation with sanctions for enabling people to challenge their own prime minister strikes at the heart of democracy at a time when it could not be more vital.”

It went on to claim that their live programme gave an “gave an independently selected group of undecided voters the freedom to challenge the Prime Minister” and that they “cannot fathom” how Ofcom came to their conclusion.

They say the ruling should “terrifying anyone” who believes the “media’s role is to give a voice to the people of the United Kingdom”.

GB News’ statement concluded by saying: “We are proud to be the People’s Channel and we will never stop fighting for the right of everyone in the UK, whatever their political persuasion, to have their perspective heard.”

This article has been updated to include GB News’ response to Ofcom’s ruling.

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‘Keir Starmer’s Going To Kick Me’: Wes Streeting Embarrassed After Forgetting One Of Labour’s 6 Pledges

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He said: “Economic stability, cut NHS waiting lists, 6,500 extra teachers, Secure Border Command, Great British Energy and … what’s the one I’ve missed? I’ve put them out of order.”

As Kuenssberg and her other guests laughed, Streeting pulled a card containing the pledges out of his jacket pocket and said: “Crack down on anti-social behaviour.

“The annoying thing is I was preparing for that question and I still fluffed it. I might as well just go home now.”

Asked about his gaffe while appearing later on LBC, Streeting said: “Don’t even go there. You have no idea how hard I’ve been kicking [myself].

“I knew that question would come up, you spend time preparing for it, in the moment I had a total brain freeze. I think Keir Starmer is going to kick me on Monday.”

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Wes Streeting Rejects Archbishop Of Canterbury’s Call To Axe Two-Child Benefit Cap

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Wes Streeting has rejected the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s call for the “cruel” two-child benefit cap to be scrapped.

The shadow health secretary said that although he personally opposed the policy, he could not promise that an incoming Labour government would end it.

The two-child cap was brought in by the Tories as part of their efforts to slash the welfare bill.

It means that families only receive Universal Credit or child tax credit payments for the first two children they have.

Welby told The Observer: “The two-child limit falls short of our values as a society. It denies the truth that all children are of equal and immeasurable worth, and will have an impact on their long-term health, wellbeing and educational outcomes.

“Shamefully, children from ethnic minorities and homes where someone is disabled are most affected.

“Children should grow up in families and households where they can flourish and be supported to find their place in the world. Yet the two-child limit prevents many from accessing the resources they need.

“This cruel policy is neither moral nor necessary. We are a country that can and should provide for those most in need, following the example of Jesus Christ, who served the poorest in society. As a meaningful step towards ending poverty, and recognising the growing concern across the political spectrum, I urge all parties to commit to abolishing the two-child limit.”

Appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News this morning, Streeting said he “really welcomed” the Archbishop’s intervention, but could not commit to agreeing to his request.

He said: “One of the consequences of the Conservatives’ disastrous
handling of the economy is the public finances are in a mess and there are harder choices to make.

“So unless and until I can sit on your programme and say we will do X by funding it through Y, that’s not a commitment I’m able to make today.”

Streeting added: “I voted against the two child limit, so by definition, I wish it
wasn’t there. But as we’ve seen across the board, it’s a lot easier to get rid of stuff that is to put stuff back.

“And that’s the frustrating thing about the vandalism we’ve seen through
14 years of conservative government.”

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Yet Another Senior Tory MP Is Quitting Parliament As The Party Heads For Defeat

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A cabinet minister has become the latest Tory MP to announce they are quitting parliament as the party braces itself for election defeat.

Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said it had been an “honour and a privilege” to represent Daventry since being elected in 2010.

But in a letter to Rishi Sunak, he said: “I feel the time is right for me to look for new challenges.”

That total is edging ever-closer to the 75 Tory MPs who said they were standing down ahead of the 1997 Labour landslide.

Announcing his decision on X (formerly Twitter), Heaton-Harris, who was a Tory MEP for 10 years before entering the Commons, said: “After 24 years in politics I won’t be standing at the next election.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve and I’d like to thank the good people of Daventry, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak for putting their trust in me.

“I started as a campaigner and I’ll be out campaigning for Conservatives at the next election because we are the only party that has and can deliver for the whole of the United Kingdom.”

In his letter to the prime minister, Heaton-Harris said he planned to remain as Northern Ireland secretary “but obviously would understand if you feel it best to replace me”.

His announcement comes as the Tories continue to trail well behind Labour in the opinion polls and with election experts unanimous in their view that the party is heading for a heavy defeat when the election takes place later this year.

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LBC’s Iain Dale Compares Ban On Gender Identity Talks In Schools To Section 28

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LBC presenter Iain Dale compared the government’s plan to ban lessons about gender identity in schools to infamous legislation from the 80s.

Speaking on BBC Question Time last night, Dale hit out at the new strategy which would prevent all children under nine from having any sex education, and stop all students from being taught about trans issues.

PM Rishi Sunak claimed this new draft guidance would stop children from being “exposed to disturbing content”.

However, Dale argued that this ban just echoes Section 28, a damaging Thatcherite policy enforced between 1988 and 2003 where schools were prevented from “promoting” homosexuality.

Dale told BBC Question Time: “Young people always have questions.”

He continued: “In an ideal world, our parents would be able to answer those questions. But we don’t live in an ideal world.

“There are many parents who just will not go into this area whether it’s gender identity of just sex education, so therefore it’s left to the teachers.

“What I don’t want to see is a repeat of what happened in 1988 when Section 28 was brought in and teachers weren’t even allowed to mention the word homosexuality.

“We don’t want that to be here – if young people have got questions about gender identity, they have personal issues, they should be able to approach people [like teachers] for whatever.”

Host Fiona Bruce pointed out: “So the government aren’t suggesting that it wouldn’t happen, but they’re saying it wouldn’t be taught.”

“Well, if I was a teacher I wouldn’t find that very acceptable,” Dale said.

He said that governments are always “years behind developments”, and pointed to the rapid advancement in the field of pornography as an example, saying children are exposed to it now.

He said: “Therefore, if you try to sweep this under the carpet and say nine-year-olds actually shouldn’t be taught that this [pornography] is wrong in school, I think that’s a problem.”

Dale continued: “I don’t want young people today to experience what I did in school where you have the head of needlework and head of geography doing the sex education.

“Neither of them wanted to do it, neither of them really knew anything about it.”

He said the solution was to have “professionals teach sex education”, going from school to school, and “doing it properly”.

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Putin And Xi Have Denied The Obvious With A Strange Take On Russia’s Relationship With China

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Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have revealed that they apparently share a rather unusual view on Russia and China’s place in the world.

The Russian president is currently on a rare two-day state visit to Beijing to visit one of his few remaining allies after his illegal invasion of Ukraine, Xi.

According to the Russian state news agency, TASS, Putin began his trip by claiming relations between Moscow and Beijing “are not opportunistic and are not directed against anyone”.

While this year marks the 75th anniversary of positive relations between the two countries, there’s no doubt that this “bond” deepened after Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Beijing supplies Moscow with essential equipment used to build weapons, while also buying enough Russian fossil fuels to keep the economy afloat amid Western sanctions.

China stops short of offering actual weapons or ammunition though, so as to dodge the West’s ire.

However, Putin did not mention any of this transactional relationship – in public, at least.

Instead, he said: “Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena.”

Putin continued: “Together, we uphold the principles of justice and a democratic world order that reflects multipolar realities and is based on international law.”

Similarly, Chinese outlet Xinhua reported that the Xi said their close cooperation helped maintain positive global stability and promote greater democracy.

“China and Russia defend a world order based on international law,” Xi said.

An international arrest warrant is actually out against Putin right now over for the illegal deportation and transfer of children during the Ukraine war.

This move prompted the leader of a group seeking independence for the Uyghur people from China to request a similar warrant for Xi.

The Chinese leader has also faced international condemnation for the suppression of protests in Hong Kong.

Putin was just re-elected for his fifth term in office in a sham election, after he eliminated all feasible opposition – and China is known as a one-party state.

However, both leaders claim to be figures of harmony.

Referring to Xi as “my dear friend”, Putin said: “We are determined to further harmonise integration processes in the Eurasian space.”

The Russian president also thanked his Chinese counterpart for his efforts to “regulate the situation” in Ukraine, referring to Beijing’s 12-point plan to end the Ukraine war.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg Has A Plan For A Tory Election Victory – But Not Even Tory HQ Likes It

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Jacob Rees-Mogg has a new plan to make sure the Conservatives win the next general election – but it’s not exactly popular.

Speaking on his GB News show last night, the former cabinet minister and current backbencher announced his plan to “reunite the right” with a “big, open, comprehensive offer to those in Reform”.

Yes, that’s Reform UK, a party originally set up by famous Brexit campaigner and ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage, now run by Richard Tice and Ben Habib.

Reform currently has just one MP, Lee Anderson, who defected from the Tories earlier this year shortly after resigning as the Conservative Party deputy chair.

It’s thought Reform could end up splitting the right-wing vote when the public next hit the ballot box.

So, Rees-Mogg suggested bringing famous right-wing figures back into the Conservative fold.

He said: “With the help of Nigel Farage in a Conservative government, with Boris Johnson probably returning as foreign secretary, as well [as] welcoming the likes of Ben Habib and Richard Tice into the Conservative Party.”

His nod to the former prime minister is no surprise, considering he served in his government.

The MP also claimed in his “Moggologue” that a truly Conservative government would then be able to look at “slashing migration”, “rolling back the disastrous green agenda” and “abolishing the Equality Act”.

He even suggested that if Farage rejoined Reform, the party would shoot up to 16% in the polls, just 5% behind the Tories – so merging the two parties together would take the Conservatives up to Labour’s current polling at just over 40 percentage points.

He said it is by doing so, “winning the next election is well within reach”.

However, the Conservative Campaign Headquarters told POLITICO’s Playbook they were “unequivocally” ruling out this idea.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats called for the Tories to suspend the whip.

The party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said the Conservatives are “a shambolic mess” with MPs in “open revolt” against Sunak.

“If the Prime Minister had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative Party,” she said, and called for a general election.

There is no denying that the Conservatives’ electoral chances are currently in dire straits – polling gurus predict there is a 95-99% of a Labour victory – but people could not help but laugh at this idea…

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