‘You’re Going To Get A Drubbing’: Trevor Phillips Tells Sunak Tories Are Heading For Defeat

Posted on 28/04/2024 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has been told by Trevor Phillips that the Tories are “going to get a drubbing” at Thursday’s local elections.

The Sky News presenter delivered the stark warning as he challenged the prime minister to either quit or call a general election for July.

The pair clashed as rebel Conservative MPs ponder whether to try to oust the PM before the country goes to the polls.

Experts predict that the Tories will lose up to 500 council seats on Thursday, while the futures of high-profile mayors Ben Houchen and Andy Street hang in the balance.

Phillips told Sunak: “You are going to get a drubbing at the local elections.

“How many seats do you have to lose before you accept that the people have lost confidence in you? And it’s time either for you to stand down or to call a general election.”

In response, the PM repeatedly refused to rule out a July general election.

“When it comes to a general election, I’ve been very clear about that multiple times,” he said.

In January, Sunak said his “working assumption” was that it would take place in the second half of the year.

Phillips said: “Second half of this year could be July.”

The PM replied: “I’m not going to say anything more than I’ve already said, I’ve been very clear about that.”

The presenter told him: “I just need to know when to book my holidays. July is possible?”

But Sunak said: “Actually, Trevor, it’s more important than your holiday or anyone’s holiday. I’ve got a job to do which is delivering for the country.”

Emmanuel Macron Launches Bitter Attack On Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Plan

Posted on 26/04/2024 by Boris Clair

The French president said the UK government’s determination to deport migrants to Africa was “a betrayal of [European] values” and would prove to be “ineffective”.

But in a speech in Paris, Macron said he did not agree with “this model that some people want to put in place, which means that you go and look for a third country, for example in Africa, and send our immigrants there”.

He added: “We’re creating a geopolitics of cynicism which betrays our values and will build new dependencies, and which will prove completely ineffective,”

Macron also took a swipe at Brexit which he said had led to “an explosion of negative effects”.

A spokesperson for Sunak said the government’s approach was “the right one”.

He said: “Indeed, we’ve seen other partners and other countries around the world also explore similar options.”

Journalist Asks David Cameron Outright If Rwanda Bill Is A Consequence Of Brexit

Posted on 24/04/2024 by Boris Clair

David Cameron was asked outright by a journalist if the government’s controversial Rwanda bill is a result of the UK’s departure from the EU.

Speaking shortly after parliament finally passed the legislation to deport asylum seekers to Africa on Monday night, the foreign secretary defended the policy – but dodged the questions about his main legacy, Brexit.

ITV News’ deputy political editor Anushka Asthana asked: “Hand on heart, if this had come up when you were PM, would you have gone for this policy?”

Cameron, who was in No.10 from 2010 to 2016, said: “Well, we had a totally different situation, because we had a situation where we could return people directly to France.

“Now I would love that to be the case again – that’s the most sensible thing.

“People land on a beach in Kent, you take them straight back to France, you therefore break the model of the people smugglers.”

“Shouldn’t you be trying to get that?” Asthana asked.

“Well, that’s not available,” the foreign secretary replied.

The journalist asked: “Because of Brexit?”

Cameron ended up resigning as prime minister in 2016 because his campaign to stay in the EU lost.

He did not answer Asthana directly and just said: “Well, because of the situation we’re in.”

The foreign secretary did not explain what he meant by that.

Rishi Sunak has also threatened to take the UK out of the European Court of Human Rights if its judges try to stop the Rwanda policy altogether.

Cameron told Asthana that the UK has to deal with illegal immigration, but added: “I don’t think it’s necessary to leave the ECHR, I don’t think that needs to happen to make this policy work.”

‘Absolutely Nuts’: Boris Johnson Launches Furious Attack On Rishi Sunak

Posted on 11/04/2024 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has launched a furious attack on Rishi Sunak’s “absolutely nuts” policies as prime minister.

The former PM took aim at Sunak’s plan to ban the sale of tobacco to future generations and also suggested the government is not spending enough on defence.

Johnson’s comments, at a conference in Canada, are the latest salvo in his ongoing feud with the man he believes plotted to bring him down as prime minister.

Sunak announced at last autumn’s Tory Party conference in Birmingham that anyone currently aged 14 or under would never be able to buy tobacco products in their life.

The measure has sparked a backlash within his own party, with dozens of Conservative MPs expected to vote against the plan when it comes to parliament next week.

Johnson said some of Sunak’s policies that are “being done in the name of conservatism” are “absolutely, absolutely nuts”.

He said: “I see my beloved party… we’re banning cigars. And what is the point? The party of Winston Churchill wants a ban. I mean, donnez-moi un break as they say in Quebec. It’s just mad.”

On defence spending, Johnson said: “Now is the moment for an even more robust posture.

“We all need to recognise the world is more uncertain, more dangerous, we all need frankly to be spending more on defence — that goes for the UK as well as everybody else.”

Johnson’s remarks come just two weeks after Sunak bemoaned the “hospital pass” he had been handed by his predecessors when he became PM in 2022.

Rishi Sunak Squirms As Cab Driver Tells Him To Deploy The Navy To ‘Stop The Boats’

Posted on 04/04/2024 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak said it was “not practical” to deploy the navy to the English Channel to deter migrant crossings as he was confronted by an angry voter.

The prime minister was faced with a question about tackling illegal migration from cab driver Grant Davis as he appeared on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots programme.

The Rwanda deportation plan, which is set to cost tens of millions of pounds, is key to Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorised migrants to the UK.

Davis, who is part of The Sun’s “cabinet” as “transport secretary”, told Sunak to be more direct: “Why can’t you put the navy in the Channel so when the dinghies come over, you pull up, tow them back to Calais and say no thank you.

“If you want to send a message to the organised gangs bringing people over, that’s how you do it.”

Another member of The Sun’s “cabinet”, ex-Army captain Hugh Andree, said sending in the military would breach of France’s sovereignty.

🚨 NEW: A voter asks Rishi Sunak why he isn’t getting the Navy to “tow” small boat migrants back to France

Sunak says that’s not practical pic.twitter.com/5csnu6NavG

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) April 3, 2024

Britain and Rwanda signed a deal almost two years ago that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently. So far, no migrant has been sent to Rwanda under the agreement.

Elsewhere on the show, Sunak gave his strongest signal yet that he is willing to remove the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights amid the stalemate over the Rwanda policy.

The PM told The Sun that controlling immigration is more important than “membership of a foreign court”.

Critics have said the UK would be an international outlier along with Russia and Belarus if it left the convention, which is overseen by a court sitting in Strasbourg. The court’s president suggested in January the plan would breach international law.

Sunak Tells Netanyahu He’s ‘Appalled’ By Killing Of Aid Workers In Gaza

Posted on 02/04/2024 by Boris Clair

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu that he is “appalled” by the killing of aid workers in an Israeli strike in a sign of a growing split between the two allies.

The leaders spoke after it was confirmed three UK citizens were among seven workers for the World Central Kitchen food charity killed in Gaza.

Downing Street said Sunak “demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation into what happened” and described the situation in Gaza as “increasingly intolerable”.

Britain is a staunch ally of Israeli, but Sunak has become increasingly critical of the conduct of the war. He is under pressure to suspend UK arms exports to Israel.

He told Netanyahu that “Israel’s rightful aim of defeating Hamas would not be achieved by allowing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

The UN says at least 180 humanitarian workers have been killed in the war so far.

James Henderson, 33, and John Chapman, 57, were named as two of the Brits who had died in the bombing. On Tuesday night, a third was named as James Kirby by the BBC.

**People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.**

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening.

“He said he was appalled by the killing of aid workers, including three British nationals, in an airstrike in Gaza yesterday and demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation into what happened.

“The prime minister said far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.”

Netanyahu has acknowledged that the country’s forces had carried out the “unintended strike” on “innocent people in the Gaza Strip”. He says officials are “checking this thoroughly” and “will do everything for this not to happen again”.

Footage showed the bodies, several wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo, at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Those killed also included an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.

Tories On Course To Win Fewer Than 100 Seats At The Election, According To New Mega-Poll

Posted on 30/03/2024 by Boris Clair

The Tories are on course to win fewer than 100 seats at the next election, according to a new mega-poll.

The Survation survey for the Best for Britain campaign group says Labour is set to win a landslide 142-seat majority on a catastrophic night for Rishi Sunak.

The poll of 15,000 people puts Labour on 45% overall, with the Conservatives on 26%, the Lib Dems on 10% and Reform UK on 8.5%.

But a seat-by-seat analysis of the findings leaves Labour with 468 MPs, the Tories on 98, the SNP on 41 and the Lib Dems on 22.

Cabinet big-hitters Penny Mordaunt, James Cleverly and Grant Shapps are among the high-profile Conservatives who would lose their seats if the poll is correct.

Even Sunak himself, along with Claire Coutinho, Michelle Donelan, Oliver Dowden and Michael Gove, are at risk as the Tories face total meltdown.

The party would also be left with no MPs in Scotland or Wales, according to the poll.

Although the poll predicts Reform UK will not win any seats, the right-wing party is set to take support from the Tories in seats across the country.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, said: “With the polling showing swathes of voters turning their backs on the Tories, it’s clear that this will be a change election.”

The findings will pile yet more pressure on the prime minister amid mounting speculation that he could be ousted by Tory MPs even before the election takes place.

Polling experts have predicted the party will lose 500 seats at the local elections on May 2, a result which could trigger a wave of no confidence letters being sent in to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers.

It has been suggested that Sunak could call an election for June or July in an attempt to see off any challenges to his leadership.

‘Demob-Happy’ Rishi Sunak Hands Knighthood To Tory Donor

Posted on 28/03/2024 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak is facing a backlash for handing a knighthood to a Tory donor who gave £5 million to the Tories last year.

Mohamed Mansour, a senior treasurer of the Conservative Party and a former Egyptian government minister, was knighted for business, charity and political service.

PA News reported senior No 10 sources pointing to his charitable work and record of public service, including support for The Prince’s Foundation, now The King’s Foundation.

But Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds hit out at the prime minister for the decision, which was announced as parliament is in recess and on the eve of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

She said: “This is either the arrogant act of an entitled man who’s stopped caring what the public thinks, or the demob-happy self-indulgence of someone who doesn’t expect to be prime minister much longer.

“Either way, it shows a blatant disrespect for the office he should feel privileged to hold.”

Tory MP Philip Davies and Mark Spencer, the farming minister, were also knighted, while Tracey Crouch, a former minister, was made a dame along with Treasury committee chair Harriett Baldwin.

People from the worlds of entertainment and AI were also recommended for honours by the PM to the King.

Rishi Sunak Corrected By Community Notes On X 25 Times, Report Finds

Posted on 24/03/2024 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has been publicly corrected on 25 different occasions for his misleading posts on social media, according to a new report.

The research, conducted by pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain and first reported by The Independent, also found that the Conservative Party is almost five times more likely to be corrected than Labour.

Best for Britain came to that conclusion by comparing the number of community notes added to posts on X (formerly Twitter) from the prime minister, cabinet ministers and the official Conservative account to their opposition counterparts.

What are community notes?

Community notes are a feature in the social media platform which were added in January 2023 to allow other X users to add context or clarifications to posts.

Users who sign up to be “contributors” can add notes to posts offering different points of view. If enough of these notes are rated as helpful by fellow contributors, it will appear below the post in question as a community note.

According to X, “community notes aim to create a better informed world by empowering people on X to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts”.

How many times have the Tories and Labour been corrected in this way?

Best for Britain found 73 community notes attached to government accounts in total, compared to 15 from official opposition accounts.

Twenty-six of those posts were attached to the Conservative Party’s official account, and 25 were from the PM who vowed at the start of his premiership to lead with “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.

In the first week of January, Sunak was rebuked three times for posting misleading claims about clearing the asylum backlog, suggesting tax was cut, and claiming responsibility for halving inflation.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer has accrued four community notes in the same period while the Labour account has seven.

David Lammy was the only shadow minister to receive more community notes than his counterpart, David Cameron – Lammy has two, while the foreign secretary has none.

The group’s CEO Naomi Smith said the findings “shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially in an election year where lack of trust can feed dangerous populism”.

“A government that the public can’t trust to act with integrity and transparency – both essential for liberal democracy – is a government that shouldn’t be in power,” Smith continued. “We need a general election and our polling shows that the public want it now.”

Andrea Leadsom Suggests Cost Of Living Crisis Is Over As Inflation Fall Has ‘Cheered Everyone Up’

Posted on 20/03/2024 by Boris Clair

Andrea Leadsom has suggested the cost of living crisis has “ended” after a fall in the rate of inflation “obviously cheered everyone up”.

On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics revealed UK inflation has fallen from 4% in January to 3.4% last month, the lowest it’s been since 2021.

While the news is significant given that the measure of the growing cost of goods and services peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, a 41-year high, a decline only means prices are going up at a slower rate, they are not falling.

What’s more, the 3.4% figure is still short of the Bank of England’s target of 2%.

Nonetheless, Conservative minister Leadsom was keen to promote the downward trajectory against the backdrop of Tory unrest.

When asked on Sky News about whether the party was now united, Leadsom said instead: “I think what’s really important is we have seen a fantastic drop in inflation today. That’s what’s really important.

“That has obviously cheered everyone up, it’s what we have been working towards is seeing the cost of living crisis end … seeing people able to take more home in their pay packets or in their salaries every day. That’s the critical point.”

When Rishi Sunak became prime minister, he promised to halve inflation by the end of 2023 – and it ended up being the only one of his five pledges he managed to fulfil.

However, economists question whether government’s can sincerely take credit for getting inflation back under control, not least since central banks control the base interest rate that is the key tool to combat price growth, and ministers blamed global factors when inflation spiralled to record highs.

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