Tag Archives: Conservatives

Tories Slammed Over UK’s ‘Nose-Diving Domestic Human Rights Record’

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The Conservative government has been criticised over the UK’s “nose-diving” record after a “dismal year for human rights”.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just torn into the UK over the government’s policy decisions from the last year, demolishing its action (or inaction) on migration, LGBTQ+ rights and its foreign policy – to name just a few.

In its 740-page World Report 2024, released on Friday, the specialists left no stone unturned – and concluded that the UK government “eroded domestic human rights protections and reneged on important international obligations.”

The UK director at the organisation, Yasmine Ahmed, added: “The UK had another dismal year for human rights in 2023.”

The report pointed to the government’s 2023 legislation criminalising protesters, the Public Order bill, and its attempts to introduce anti-boycott laws.

HRW criticised the parts of the Conservative Party which are still trying to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights, so that it does not obstruct the Rwanda bill.

Then the scathing report moved onto the new legislation meant to ban those who arrive “irregularly” to the UK – the Illegal Migration Act.

It said this was a “flagrant breach of the UK’s international obligations, including under the UN Refugee Convention”.

“The UK had another dismal year for human rights in 2023.”

– Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director at Human Rights Watch

It also lashed out at the Tories for failing to “take meaningful steps to tackle institutional racism and address past wrongs” within the UK, including those still waiting for compensation from the Windrush scandal.

HRW noted the government had “failed to set social security payments at a level that ensures recipients can enjoy their rights and live with dignity” even amid an ongoing cost of living crisis. It noted how food bank usage, and homelessness, have increased, too.

It then moved onto women’s rights, noticing how the gender pay gap was still a problem, that there have been recent campaign efforts for the government to overhaul outdated abortion laws in England and Wales.

The specialists recognised that there’s been a surge in anti-LGBT violence in the UK too, and called out the “government’s undermining of protections for the rights of trans women and over-representation of LGBT people among the unhoused population.”

PM Rishi Sunak was slammed over the decision to backtrack on key climate policies too, and called to do more to “tackle racial disparities of climate change effects in the UK”.

Britain was praised for its actions highlighting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – but HRW was swift to then criticise it for appearing to be “turning a blind eye to ongoing abuses” in Rwanda amid the plan to deport asylum seekers who arrive “illegally”.

The report added: “UK anti-immigrant policies at home have contributed to the government’s failure to resettle vulnerable Afghans.”

Finally, it touched on the UK’s abstention from a UN Security Council resolution in October calling for full humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the release of Hamas hostages amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

And so, the specialists concluded: “The UK’s nose-diving domestic human rights record undermined its efforts to promote the rule of law and human rights globally.”

These findings come as the Conservatives continue to trail significantly behind Labour in the polls, and less than a year before voters are expected to head to the ballot box.

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Poll: Labour Now On 50% With 25-Point Lead Over The Conservatives

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Labour now has the support of 50% of voters and has surged to a 25-point lead over the Conservatives, according to a new poll.

It will be a blow to Rishi Sunak and a boost to Keir Starmer after a difficult August for the prime minister.

The Deltapoll survey put Labor on 50%, the Tories on 25%, the Lib Dems on 9% and other parties on 17%.

Sunak has to call a general election by January 2025 at the latest, but it is widely assumed he will go to the country next year.

The poll was conducted between August 17 and 21 and showed Labour jumping 4-points and the Conservatives dropping 4-points since the previous survey, which was run from August 9 until 11.

According to the pollster, it means Labour has widened its lead over the Tories by 8-points.

The government had hoped to use the second week of August to take the fight to Labour on migration and the NHS.

But “small boats week” backfired when asylum seekers being housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge were removed after the Legionella bacteria was discovered on-board.

Sunak has also admitted he may not meet his pledge to “stop the boats” by the next election.

And “health week” – which followed – was consumed by a row over waiting times for cancer patients.

There was better news for the prime minister last week however, when the latest figures showed inflation dropped to to 6.8% in the year to July from 7.9% in June.

The PM has promised to half inflation from its peak of 10.7% at the start of the year.

Officials statistics also showed UK wages had grown at a record rate in the three months to June.

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Tories Heading For Local Election Disaster, Says Party Chairman

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Tory chairman Greg Hands has said his party is on course to lose more than 1,000 seats in next month’s local elections.

The surprising admission came as the Conservatives continue to trail well behind Labour in the opinion polls.

More than 8,000 seats and 230 councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are up for grabs on May 4.

The Tories currently hold 3,290 of them, with Labour on 2,062 and the Lib Dems on 1,205. Independents and others make up the remaining 1,600 seats.

Appearing on Sky News this morning, Hands said the Tories are heading for a bad night.

He said: “There’s a huge number of Conservative councillors up for re-election in a few weeks time. The Conservatives remain the largest party of local government.

“The independent expectations are that the Conservatives will lose more than a thousand seats and that Labour need to make big gains.

“That is what the expectation is out there, but I’ve been up and down the country and the Conservatives are fighting really hard.”

That is a reference to a forecast by the elections experts Rallings and Thrasher, who said a 6% swing to Labour would see the Tories lose more than 1,000 seats and the opposition gain more than 700.

However, presenter Trevor Phillips accused Hands of trying to “massage expectations” so that if the Conservatives do better than expected, they can claim it as a triumph.

A Lib Dem source said: “This admission of defeat shows the Conservatives have already thrown in the towel before a single vote has been cast.

“This Conservative government has crashed the economy, plunged the NHS into the crisis and allowed filthy sewage to be pumped into our rivers.

“Rishi Sunak is facing a Blue Wall bloodbath as people who voted Conservative all their life say never again, and turn to the Liberal Democrats instead.”

HuffPost UK revealed last month that Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s elections co-ordinator, had warned the shadow cabinet that the opinion polls had “tightened” in recent weeks.

One Labour source said: “People probably have their expectations in the wrong places. They expect this to be a complete bloodbath for the Tories, with Labour hoovering up hundreds of seats.

“But the key thing to look out for is where Labour is winning and what our vote share is compared to the 2019 general election.”

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Boris Johnson Goads Rishi Sunak Over Poor Tory Poll Ratings

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Boris Johnson has goaded Rishi Sunak over the prime minister’s poll ratings, as he delivered his first public speech in the UK after being forced out of No.10.

Speaking in Westminster on Thursday afternoon, Johnson said it was “very unlikely” he would “need to do anything big in politics again”.

But he indicated he would continue to speak out on issues including Brexit, the need to level up the north of England and to help Ukraine.

And the former PM said: “When I stepped down we were only a handful of points behind the Labour Party.”

When Johnson announced his resignation on July 7, 2022, YouGov polling showed Labour on 40% and the Tories on 29% — an 11 point lead.

The latest survey from YouGov has put Labour on 46% and the Tories on 23% — 23 points ahead.

On September 29, 2022, YouGov released a shock poll that showed Labour had surged to a 33-point lead over the Conservatives amid the market turmoil caused by Liz Truss’ mini-Budget.

When Truss quit as prime minister, Johnson mounted a dramatic challenge to Sunak in a bid to return to No.10.

In the end he pulled out of the contest after deciding he did not have enough support from Tory MPs to lead a stable government.

But rumours in Westminster that Johnson still hopes to make a comeback have not gone away, stoked by allies who want him to return.

Asked today about his future plans, Johnson said: “I think it very, very unlikely that I will need to do anything big in politics again.”

He also devoted a large section of his speech to trashing Sunak’s new Brexit deal, which he said would be “very difficult” for him to vote for.

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Labour Increases Poll Lead Over The Tories To 28 Points

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The Labour Party is a whopping 28 points ahead of the Conservatives, according to a fresh poll.

A YouGov voting intention survey shows the Tories on just 22% of the vote – down two points from their previous survey on 8-9 February.

The pollster found Labour on 50% of the vote – an increase of three points from their last poll.

Elsewhere, the Lib Dems have 9% of the vote (-1), while the Greens have 6% (no change) and Reform UK have 7% of the vote (+1).

While polls should always be treated with caution, Labour supporters celebrated the latest figures.

Critics pointed out that the survey contained many in the 24 to 49-year-old age bracket.

However, it follows two other polls published in the last 48-hours that have put Labour well ahead of the Tories.

A Deltapoll survey found Labour on a 22 point lead while a Redfield & Wilton poll put them on a 27 point lead.

According to the YouGov poll, Keir Starmer’s lead over Rishi Sunak has also increased to 13 points.

Participants were asked which party leader would make the best prime minister. Starmer is on 34% of the vote (+1) while Sunak is on 21% (-4).

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Rishi Sunak Rejects Call From Deputy Tory Chairman For Return Of Death Penalty

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Rishi Sunak has rejected calls for the return of the death penalty made by the new deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

Lee Anderson said he backed the death penalty because “nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed”.

He told The Spectator magazine that capital punishment has a “100% success rate” when it came to stopping repeat offenders.

But speaking to reporters during a visit to Cornwall on Thursday, the prime minister said that was “not my view” and “not the government’s view”.

Sunak added: “But we are united in the Conservative Party in wanting to be absolutely relentless in bearing down on crime and making sure people are safe and feel safe.”

The prime minister said his government had “tightened up sentencing laws for the most violent criminals” and “they spend longer in prison”.

The death penalty for murder in the UK was outlawed permanently in 1969, with it totally abolished for all crimes in 1998.

Anderson was the most eye-catching appointment made as part of Sunak’s mini-reshuffle on Monday.

A former Labour councillor before converting to the Tories, he has been no stranger to controversy since being elected as MP for Ashfield in 2019.

He has criticised food bank users and also the England men’s football team for taking the knee in protest at racism.

Earlier, children’s minister Claire Coutinho said that while she was a “big fan” of Anderson, she didn’t back the return of capital punishment.

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Just What Is Really Going On With Rishi Sunak’s Speaking Style?

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Rishi Sunak’s speaking style has attacted some attention since he became the UK’s third (and final) prime minister of 2022.

While he hasn’t received quite the level of criticism aimed at his predecessor Liz Truss and her famously stilted manner, there have been some comparisons to the cringey Will MacKenzie from The Inbetweeners.

As the actor behind the character, Simon Bird, joked to The Times: “I’m absolutely baffled why anyone would see any similarities at all between this privately educated, socially awkward, out-of-touch caricature and … ah. Scrap that.”

Sunak’s first speech of 2023, where he made five promises to rejuvenate the nation, was also subject to some ridicule over its delivery.

Here’s a sneak peek…

The Guardian’s John Crace said Sunak spoke “breathlessly and earnestly. And vacuously”, while The Times’ Quentin Letts dubbed it a “wonderfully terrible” talk where Sunak spoke acted as “wide-eyed as a Girl Guide talking about badges”.

The Telegraph’s Madeleine Grant even said it was like “painting by numbers but with words” or “Count von Count from Sesame Street was moonlight as PM”.

Twitter has also frequently pointed out that Sunak would be the ideal children’s presenter.

But is there a reason why Sunak has such a particular delivery?

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Ges Ray, who teaches people how to speak in public for a living, suggests that Sunak might have deliberately chosen to have more of a “low profile” compared to his predecessors.

Ray notes that Truss adopted the voice of Margaret Thatcher, with her voice dropping in tone and timbre when she took up her place in No.10.

He adds: “Those who watched Boris Johnson noted his ability to adopt the bumbling orator style as a chosen persona, part of his high profile.”

By comparison, he says that Sunak uses an “encourage tone” with “relatively simple and straightforward language”, which allows his critics to categorise him as “primary school teacher, reaching above the noise of the classroom with warm encouragement”.

“Which is the audience that matters? His immediate critics, or the population at large, perhaps more open to the contrast with recent PMs?”

– Ges Ray, speech coach

If the PM wants to change his delivery, Ray suggests he needs to work on “voice tones, gravitas, his physical stature” to improve as a speaker.

But he also asks: “Which is the audience that matters? His immediate critics, or the population at large, perhaps more open to the contrast with recent PMs?

“Could it be – and this is simply personal conjecture! – that with the enormous demands of the greatest of Great Offices of State he has eschewed, and indeed distanced himself from the path of his two immediate predecessors, deliberately choosing not to develop a new speaking style?”

When analysing Truss’s speech during her time in the spotlight, journalist Viv Groskop of the How To Own A Room podcast, explained that there are advantages to being a less conventional speaker.

She told HuffPost UK: “In previous decades we have been used to speakers ― and politicians in particular ― who look and sound more confident than most of us. But often that approach now comes across as stuffy and old-fashioned.

“Now that we are surrounded by TikTok content, TED talks, YouTube and we constantly have people talking at us and trying to get our attention, our perception of what is authentic and worth our time is changing fast.”

But then, we should consider Sunak’s very privileged background, son-in-law to a billionaire and the richest PM ever to take up a seat in No.10.

Some sketch-writers did picked up on Sunak’s slight tone-switch when he started answering journalists’ questions during his speech this week.

Letts noted that a “sparkier, more commanding, combative Sunak” emerged when challenged by the media on his vision.

“He dropped that dreadful Timmy-the-Hamster voice and sounded more like a corporate high-flyer grasping supply-chain problems,” Letts commented.

Does this mean Sunak is still playing with his speaking style? Only time will tell if we’ll ever experience another gem to rival Truss’s “pork markets” again.

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Exclusive: Soaring Cost Of Living Causing Mental Health Crisis, Official Figures Show

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The cost of living crisis is “heaping misery” on households this Christmas, with the poorest families twice as likely to suffer from depression.

A survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this autumn showed people’s mental health is suffering as a direct result of rising energy bills and double-digit inflation.

Food bank co-ordinators say many families feel “excluded” from Christmas this year because they can’t afford to take part in school parties or trips. Many are facing poverty for the first time.

The poorest 20% of households are twice as likely to have moderate or severe depression compared to the richest 20%, the survey found, while over a quarter of renters now have moderate depression.

The ONS also found that those struggling to afford energy bills are five times more likely to suffer from depression on a moderate or severe level and that those who were forced to spend less because of the rising cost of living were twice as likely to have moderate depression.

Last year, 18 million days were lost to mental illness, making it the biggest driver of economic inactivity in the UK. The days lost are estimated to have cost the economy £117 billion a year.

Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour’s shadow cabinet minister for mental health, said Liz Truss’s mini budget in September, which sent the financial markets into freefall and led to an increase in mortgages rates, had contributed to the crisis.

She said Labour would abolish so-called “non-dom” status — which allows foreign nationals living in the UK to avoid paying tax in this country on their overseas earnings—- and spend the money on the NHS instead.

“The disastrous economic policies of successive Conservative governments are heaping misery on millions this Christmas — but Christmas has come early for non-doms,” she told HuffPost UK.

“Labour has a plan to transform mental health services and prioritise prevention, by recruiting 8,500 staff in our first term, guaranteeing treatment starting within a month, providing access to a mental health professional in every school and a mental health hub in every community,” Allin-Khan said.

Charlotte White, who helps coordinate a foodbank in Wandsworth, said she had noticed an increase in people seeking support for their wellbeing through the foodbank.

“Many guests are struggling with their mental health, facing poverty for the first time as they suddenly find themselves unable to heat their homes and feed their families,” she said.

“More and more people are seeking support through our onsite wellbeing service.

“As Christmas approaches, I know that many of our families will be feeling particularly anxious. Whether it is paying for their child to attend the school Christmas party, school Christmas outing or buying a Christmas jumper for the non-uniform day, this year many will feel excluded.”

Separate analysis from Statista found that people living in the North East of England had the least money left to spend over Christmas after losing £189 of their disposable income this year.

They were followed by households in Wales, who will lose £168 and those in Northern Ireland who will lose £152.

Statista/Labour Party

One user at Little Village, a baby bank which operates across London, said Christmas this year would be “very, very difficult”.

“Christmas will just be a normal day,” they said.

“I can’t really afford to celebrate how I used to. I can’t afford gifts for the children, it’s very sad. My daughter will be even more sad. We won’t eat anything special.”

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We understand the impact that global price rises are having here in the UK and the toll that can take on people’s mental health.

“That’s why tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation next year, and the typical household will save more than £900 as we hold down energy bills this winter.

“Over 8 million vulnerable households have received £1,200 in additional cost of living support this year, with a further £26 billion support package on the way next year – on top of increasing benefits in line with inflation, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.

“It’s also vital that people can access mental health support during this challenging time, which is why have invested £500 million this year to expand provision of mental health services and address waiting times, as well as committing to an additional £2.3 billion in funding each year by 2024.”

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Tory Rising Star Dehenna Davison Says She Will Quit At The Next General Election

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Dehenna Davison has become the latest Tory MP to announce they will not be standing at the next general election.

The levelling up minister was elected in the red wall seat of Bishop Aukland in 2019.

Davison is the sixth Conservative MP to confirm they are not seeking re-election next time round – with many more tipped to follow them as the party continues to trail well behind Labour in the polls.

Tory bosses have given their English MPs a fortnight to confirm whether they are standing at the next election as they brace themselves for a mass exodus.

Davison said she had been “humbled” to serve in parliament but that the “time feels right for me to devote more of my attention to life outside politics”.

The 29-year-old was one of the youngest MPs to be elected 2019, when Boris Johnson won an 80-seat majority in parliament.

Other figures who have announced they are standing down include former work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith, select committee chair William Wragg and veteran Tories Crispin Blunt and Charles Walker.

South West Devon MP Gary Streeter announced shortly before Davison that he would also not seek re-election, saying: “The time has come for me to step back and let a younger person take over.”

In a statement, Davison said: “For my whole adult life, I’ve dedicated the vast majority of my time to politics, and to help make people’s lives better. But, to be frank, it has meant I haven’t had anything like a normal life for a twenty-something.

“I will always be humbled to have had the opportunity to serve as a member of Parliament. But now the time feels right for me to devote more of my attention to life outside politics – mainly to my family, and helping support them as they’ve helped support me. That’s why I won’t be standing in the next general election.”

She added: “I will always be grateful to the Conservative Party as a whole, and to all the individual members who have supported me, for giving a young, working class lass from Sheffield the opportunity to serve as an MP.

“And I will always be passionate about politics as a means to create meaningful, lasting and positive change.”

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‘It Is A Catastrophe!’: Martin Lewis And Edwina Currie In Spat Over Energy Bill Crisis

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Martin Lewis took on former Conservative minister Edwina Currie on Twitter on Wednesday, after she called out his approach to the energy crisis.

Lewis, a consumer journalist known as the Money Saving Expert, has repeatedly shared his exasperation towards the government as the energy price cap is set to hurtle towards £3,549 come October 1.

He called on either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, the two remaining contenders left in the race to be the next prime minister, to sit down in an ITV special once they take office to field questions over the cost of living crisis.

His tweet quickly went viral and grabbed Currie’s attention, a former Tory MP who briefly served as a junior health minister under John Major. She lost her seat in 1997′s general election.

Currie is now known for being an outspoken public figure, a media personality and an author – and she had plenty to say about Lewis’ plea to the government on Wednesday.

She tweeted: “I would like you, Martin, to stop using words like ‘catastrophe’, and instead advise people take sensible steps to reduce the effect on their families and businesses.

“And stop pretending that governments can do everything. They can’t.”

He then responded: “It is a catastrophe Edwina!

“While there are steps people can take to help themselves (I explain them in today’s email mse.me/latesttip), energy bills by Jan will cost on average over half the full state pension and bigger proportion of basic UC [Universal credit].

“No sensible steps cover that!”

Several hours later, Lewis also put together a Twitter poll which asked: “Do you think it is fair to call the coming winter energy and cost of living price hikes a ‘catastrophe’?

“Votes split by whether you traditionally vote for Conservatives )even if not right now) or not. To see if view correlates with political stance.”

He tweeted summarising his findings (long before the poll officially closed) by pointing out that of 15,000 votes, 90% of Conservative voters and 95% of non-Tory voters agreed that it was fair to call the crisis a “catastrophe”.

However, Lewis did note that this was a Twitter poll, and therefore does not fairly represent the population.

Currie also replied to Lewis directly, saying: “Emphasise the help. Include local authorities, as in Germany.

“Give people something they can do…not just wringing their hands. The more those who can reduce usage, the easier it gets for those who can’t. Every little helps.

“And no, governments cannot do everything.”

It’s worth noting that Germany has unveiled a long-term strategy to cut energy costs, including insulating old buildings, while also offering one-off payments for workers who pay income tax.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has been called a “zombie government” (by Lewis) and criticised over its inaction for weeks now – especially as the cost of living package offered in May is now nowhere near enough to meet the current needs of the crisis.

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