UK Politics Thread part II

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

I very much doubt the media outlets of Russia and China have much if any credibility at all in the eyes of the majority of the world.

They must not blind the world.
Blinding their people only is fully sufficient.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Lee Anderson: MP suspended from Tory party over criticism of London mayor

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson has been suspended from the party after "refusing to apologise" for comments aimed at Sadiq Khan.

The Conservative Ashfield MP told GB News on Friday "Islamists" had "got control" of the mayor of London.

Responding on Saturday, Mr Khan described the remarks as "pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred".

Losing the Conservative whip essentially expels Mr Anderson from his party in Parliament.

Just over an hour after Mr Khan's criticism, a spokesperson for the Tory party's chief whip Simon Hart said: "Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP."

Speaking on GB News Mr Anderson said: "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London… He's actually given our capital city away to his mates."

Pressure then mounted on Rishi Sunak to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP after Mr Khan criticised a "deafening silence" from the prime minister and his Cabinet.

Until January Mr Anderson served as one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party, but he resigned so he could rebel against the government over the Rwanda vote.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Khan responded to Mr Anderson's comments which he described as "Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist".

"These comments pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred," Mr Khan said.

The London mayor added he was "unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his Cabinet" were not calling out the remarks or condemning the comments.

Mr Anderson's remarks prompted criticism from some Tories - including former chancellor Sir Sajid Javid who reposted the video of Mr Anderson making the comments and wrote "a ridiculous thing to say".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68392621

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

WARNING: LONG READ

Lee Anderson refuses to apologise for Islamist claim about Sadiq Khan

Ex-Tory party deputy chair Lee Anderson has said his words were clumsy but has refused to apologise for suggesting Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists.

Mr Anderson was suspended as a Tory MP following his remarks which he says were borne out of frustration at the London mayor's record.

Rishi Sunak called the Ashfield MP's comments wrong but avoided saying if he thought they were Islamophobic.

Keir Starmer said the PM lacked the "backbone" to call out Islamophobia.

The Labour leader told reporters: "This is really basic. Islamophobia is something which should be called out by every political leader, and the prime minister isn't calling it out because he's too weak."

In an Evening Standard article Mr Khan said Mr Anderson had "poured petrol on the fires of hatred".

"It shouldn't be hard to call out comments that are so unambiguously ignorant, prejudiced and racist. Yet those at the top of the Conservative government are stubbornly refusing to do so."

The row was sparked by comments Mr Anderson made during a GB News discussion on Friday afternoon.

Mr Anderson said: "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London, and they've got control of Starmer as well."

He later added: "People are just turning up in their thousands, and doing anything they want, and they are laughing at our police. This stems with Khan, he's actually given our capital city away to his mates."

Mr Anderson had been responding to a Daily Telegraph article by ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman in which she said: "The truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now."

Ms Braverman said Islamists "bullied the Labour Party" over its position on the war in Gaza and that some people on pro-Palestinian marches had links to Islamists.

Speaking to reporters on Monday Mr Sunak said Mr Anderson's choice of words "wasn't acceptable, it was wrong, that's why the whip was suspended".

He said it was "incumbent" on parliamentarians not to inflame debate "in a way that is harmful to others".

The prime minister also denied there were Islamophobic tendencies in his party.

Asked if Mr Anderson could be readmitted to the party if he apologised for his comments, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "I'm not going to second-guess the future decisions the chief whip might make... a good start would be for Lee to reflect on what he said and to do what he was asked to do which was to retract those comments and to issue an apology.

"It's entirely up to him whether he does that and then we can judge accordingly."

In a statement released via GB News - who employ the MP as a broadcaster - Mr Anderson said he would not be saying sorry.

"When you think you are right you should never apologise because to do so would be a sign of weakness.

"My words may have been clumsy but my words were borne out of sheer frustration at what is happening to our beautiful capital city."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper urged Mr Sunak to "make clear he [Lee Anderson] won't be let back into the Conservative Party".

Labour party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds has urged the Conservatives to adopt a definition of Islamophobia, as drawn up by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims.

However, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives had instead opted to use the term "anti-Muslim hatred" adding that the definition backed by Labour would create "a blasphemy law via the back door".

Baroness Warsi hit back saying "as you are well aware the definition like the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition on antisemitism is a non-legally binding working definition, not a 'law'."

She also said the government had "dragged its heels on any work to tackle this form of racism".

In 2019, the Conservative Party launched an inquiry into how the party handles discrimination claims, following allegations of Islamophobic behaviour.

The report found evidence of anti-Muslim views at local association and individual level but said claims of "institutional racism" were not borne out by the evidence.

Last year Prof Swaran Singh, who led the inquiry, said the party had been slow to implement some of his recommendations due to "political upheaval".

Asked about Mr Anderson's comments on BBC Radio London, Conservative MP - and former minister for London - Paul Scully said concerns that certain places such as Tower Hamlets in London and Sparkhill in Birmingham had become "no-go areas" needed "to be addressed".

He said: "Lee tends to shoot from the hip. He sometimes goes too far. This is an occasion when he has gone way, way too far."

Birmingham Labour MP Jess Phillips urged Mr Scully to apologise for his comments about Sparkhill which she labelled "utter drivel".

"My kids hang out in Sparkhill day and night, never had a moment's worry, I go there weekly and live literally five minutes walk from there and used to live there myself."

Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: "The idea that Birmingham has a 'no-go' zone is news to me, and I suspect the good people of Sparkhill. It really is time for those in Westminster to stop the nonsense slurs and experience the real world."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68400775

[Jimbuna]

Paul Scully: Former minister and MP sorry for 'no-go' areas comment

London Conservative MP and former minister Paul Scully has apologised for suggesting there are "no-go" areas in parts of Tower Hamlets.

He made the comment in radio and TV interviews on Monday, prompting accusations of Islamophobia and a rebuke from the prime minister.

Mr Scully had also said some people were "fearful for going out".

In a BBC Radio London interview on Tuesday, he said he "put his hands up" for using language he "regrets".

Mr Scully added he was "frustrated in the language" he used and lost "nuance" in the issues he wanted to get across.

The former minister for London, who was also a former mayoral candidate, said: "What I was trying to say, I thought I was being specific about but clearly not, is the fact that a lot of the conversation, and the vacuum that's allowed to then be filled by populists, is when prejudice builds up because of perception.

"There are areas of this country where there are tiny, tiny groups of people that cause people to feel uncomfortable in particular areas.

"That might be a white gang, that might be a black gang, a Muslim gang, whatever, and that then tends to write off whole communities for some people," he added.

The Sutton and Cheam MP described this perception about some communities as "totally inappropriate".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68412010

[Jimbuna]

NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Rish! cowers in No 10 as mob demands peace in lawless London

The United Kingdom, February 2024. A cold wind blew down Whitehall. The streets were nearly empty. The shops boarded up. Just a few veiled women, keeping their heads bowed as they hurried home. Inside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister cowered under his desk. “No more,” he sobbed.

Over in City Hall, Sadiq Khan signed the death warrants of another 50 motorists who had failed to pay the ULEZ charge. His original order had been that first offenders should only have both hands cut off, but he had been overruled by the ayatollahs. Sharia law should never be that lenient.

In Threadneedle Street, Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England was pacing the vast boardroom. The man he was expecting, the editor of the Financial Times, was late. On the table were laid out two bandanas and two suicide vests. In under an hour they – and Jeremy Hunt – would both be dead. Well, what would you do? After all that Jezza has done to the economy. The fight back of the deep state starts here.
Still, the caliphate was expanding its reach. Down in the Cotswolds, Boris Johnson was being dragged through the centre of Chipping Norton. In an hour’s time he would be stoned to death. The punishment for adultery. Let him be an example to other politicians. Up in the balcony of the town hall, David Cameron – AKA Lord Big Dave – allowed himself a wry smile. He would be throwing the first stone.

Er … actually, scrub that intro. That was the Lee Anderson and Liz Truss vision of Britain on Monday. It’s now Thursday.

The United Kingdom, February 2024. A cold wind still blew down Whitehall. The streets were also still empty and the shops boarded up. And Rishi Sunak hadn’t moved since Monday. Nobody had managed to talk him out from under his desk.

Out on Oxford Street, a group of murderous terrorists had formed an orderly queue outside Selfridges. They claimed to be waiting for the shop to open so that they could buy the new Call of Duty video game. But Rish! knew better. He alone had attended the Cobra briefing led by Suella Braverman. Before long, some of the terrorists would be waving flags and walking somewhere else. Some might even be smiling and demanding ‘peace’. Imagine that.

It was the same throughout the rest of this once prosperous land. In the countryside, sheep were lying with donkeys and crops were rotting in the fields. The roads were unpassable, blocked by overturned cars and looted lorries. The sun no longer shone and beggars howled to the skies, their cries unanswered. Bodies lay unburied in the street. And still the mob demanded ‘peace’.

James Cleverly was just the latest cabinet member to tiptoe into No 10 via the secret tunnel. It was far too dangerous for him to use the front door. He kept his head down in the corridors in case his movements attracted the attention of a sniper. He needed to coax the prime minister out. He hadn’t been to the toilet for days.

“What do you want?” Rish! sobbed. “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”

“It’s OK,” said Jimmy Dimly tenderly.

“Is it safe? Is it safe?”

“Is what safe?”

“Is it safe? Is it safe? The country has descended into mob rule. We no longer have a functioning government. By the way, who is the prime minister? And which party has been in power for the last 14 years?”

“You don’t want to know,” said Jimmy D. “But I have a cunning plan. We’re going to let everyone have three protests and then say: ‘You’ve made your point. Enough is enough. Time to go home now and everything will be fine.’”

“You say all the sweetest things, Jimmy,” said Rish!. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

Weirdly, this wasn’t a line of reasoning that the security minister, Tom Tugendhat, chose to employ in his statement to the Commons on MPs’ safety. In fact, he got through the whole hour without mentioning the words ‘mob rule’. Almost as if he was a bit ashamed by his leader. Embarrassed by him. You get the feeling that the end of this parliament can’t come too soon for Tories like Tugendhat.

Instead, Tugendhat just stuck to basics. MPs are increasingly under threat and need protection. No one was going to argue with that. Though he was understandably unwilling to think what might have prompted the surge in death threats. That it might have all kicked off with the coarsening of the debate during the Brexit years. Rightwing newspapers branding MPs and judges as traitors and enemies of the people. And the government just standing by in passive acceptance. Nodding it through.

Back in Downing Street, Jimmy D was still trying to lure Sunak out.

“It’s the big annual Tory fundraiser tonight. The Black and White ball,” Dimly explained. “We need to extract as much dosh as possible with the election coming.”

“What have others given so far?” squeaked Rish!.

“Let me see … Suella has offered a lifelong break in Rwanda. Stay in a two-star hotel. The advance bidding on that has been slow. And Honest Bob Jenrick is offering to help with controversial planning applications. Pornographers especially welcome …”

“And what are you giving?’

“A luxury five-night stay on the Bibby Stockholm, with a banquet dinner cooked by 30p Lee.”

“That’s amazing.”

“In which case I will offer an honorary knighthood. Preferably to someone linked to my father-in-law’s business interests.”

“You’re all heart,” said Jimmy Dimly. ‘All this giving is very tiring’.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...72dc9e40&ei=24

[Jimbuna]

Just about sums up how politics are currently here in the UK

Few politicians can whip up a crowd - and generate controversy - quite like George Galloway.

In a career spanning four decades, he has been hailed as a hero of the anti-war left, ridiculed as a reality TV contestant and elected to Parliament seven times for three different parties.

The 69-year-old's latest political comeback, in Rochdale, shows he has not lost his appetite for a fight - or his talent for riling his opponents.

As he has done in previous by-elections, he mainly targeted his message at Muslim voters, promising, in this case, to be a powerful advocate for Palestinians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

But he also took aim at the entire political and media establishment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68405486

[Jimbuna]

The costs quoted here are nothing short of sheer lunacy.

UK to pay at least £370m to Rwanda for asylum deal, watchdog says

The UK will pay at least £370m to Rwanda as part of its plan to relocate asylum seekers there, the government's spending watchdog has revealed.

Up to £150,000 will also be paid for each person sent to the east African country over a five-year period.

Labour said the new figures in the report by the National Audit Office (NAO) were a "national scandal".

However, the Home Office said: "Doing nothing is not without significant costs."

A spokesperson said: "Unless we act, the cost of housing asylum seekers is set to reach £11bn per year by 2026.

"Illegal migration costs lives and perpetuates human trafficking, and it is therefore right that we fund solutions to break this unsustainable cycle."

The NAO report comes after MPs have been calling for greater transparency over the cost of the scheme.

Under the five-year deal, the UK would be able to send individuals who arrive in the country illegally to Rwanda to claim asylum there.

The aim of the policy is to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats - something Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made one of his key priorities.

However, the scheme has been stalled by legal challenges and no one has been relocated there yet.

The government says it is aiming for deportation flights to take off by the spring.

Legislation seeking to revive the plan has been approved by MPs and will be debated in the House of Lords next week, where critics are likely to seize on the latest costs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68440653

[Gorpet]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Just about sums up how politics are currently here in the UK

Well this mans election, 2 parties and the whole government went into a meltdown.I think he will be good , Why there's no Brits left and this man could be the future.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

It looks likeJeremy will need to pull a great many rabbits out of his hat come Wednesday but even if that were possible I doubt it would be enough to save Rishi HOOD.

Conservative support falls to lowest levels on record as Starmer lead stretches further

Support for the Conservatives has dropped to its lowest level on record, according to a new poll.

Researchers at Ipsos found backing for the Tories had fallen to just 20 per cent, meaning only a fifth of respondents say they intend to vote for them, the poll with the Standard found.

The survey marks the lowest level ever recorded by Ipsos in its Political Monitor survey which began in 1978.

Labour scored 47 per cent, giving Sir Keir Starmer’s opposition a 27 point lead over Rishi Sunak’s governing party – an increase from their 22 point lead in January.

The Liberal Democrats secured nine per cent and the Greens eight per cent; while Reform UK also scored eight per cent, while seven per cent of respondents said other.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said: “The historical comparisons continue to look ominous for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.

“The Ipsos Political Monitor series started in the late 1970s and has never recorded a Conservative vote share this low.”

Sunak’s satisfaction rating has also fallen to its lowest level since he took office, giving him a net rating of -54, while 83 per cent of those surveyed were dissatisfied with the government.

Starmer’s ratings have also fallen since January, leaving him with a net score of -26, which is only slightly above his lowest finding of -29 in May 2021.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, Jeremy Hunt also saw his worst score as Chancellor, with 56 per cent of respondents reporting dissatisfaction, versus 52 per cent in February 2023.

According to Ipsos, the public think Labour’s Rachel Reeves would make the most capable Chancellor by 39 per cent to 24 per cent – up from her 12 point lead in October last year.

Skinner added: “Job satisfaction trends for the Prime Minister and his government since he took office are also heading downwards.

Combined with Labour taking leads on issues of economic credibility to go with their traditional strengths in public services, this means the Conservatives face big challenges across a number of fronts if they are to turn the situation around.”

Previous low points for the Tories include 22 per cent under John Major in the mid-1990s – and 23 per cent both in 1997, after Labour’s landslide win, and in December 2022.

The survey ran up to February 28, and 1,004 adults across Great Britain were interviewed.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...e3901573&ei=13

[Moonlight]

^The worst Prime Minister there's ever been, leading the worst Tory government there's ever been, these muppets are taking incompetence to a level never seen in the UK before.

Foreign hate preachers face being deported from the UK in latest crackdown on extremism

More word salad from the useless bastard, just the same rhetoric he used when he spouted his mouth off about stopping the boats, **** off Rishi, no one believes you anymore.

[Jimbuna]

Can't say I'm surprised.

Defiant peers inflict heavy first defeat against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill

Peers have inflicted their first defeat against Rishi Sunak’s proposed Rwanda asylum law putting the unelected Lords on a collision course with the Government.

The upper chamber backed by 274 votes to 172, majority 102, a move to ensure the draft legislation, aimed at clearing the way to send asylum seekers who cross the Channel in small boats on a one-way flight to Kigali, is fully compliant with the law.

The Prime Minister has previously warned the Lords against frustrating “the will of the people” by hampering the passage of his Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which has already been approved by MPs.

Ahead of the next election, Mr Sunak has made “stopping the boats” a key pledge of his leadership.
The heavy Government defeat sets the stage for an extended tussle between the Commons and Lords during “ping-pong”, where legislation is batted between the two Houses until agreement is reached.

The controversial draft legislation and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to prevent further legal challenges to the stalled deportation scheme after the Supreme Court ruled the plan was unlawful.

As well as compelling judges to regard the east African country as safe, it would also give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights has said the proposed Rwanda legislation was “fundamentally incompatible” with the UK’s human rights obligations and would flout international law.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...e68cb660&ei=48

[Moonlight]

Now Labour frontbencher who branded Rule Britannia 'alienating' says historic green benches in Commons are sexist and should be replaced because they are too big for women

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...big-women.html

Has this currant tripped over her tampax string too many times and has become mentally unstable, or has she always been this thick?, she's in the Labour Party so I'm assuming she's from a similarly infected population, yes, Bristol West!, I ****ing knew it.
They don't make them much thicker than those currants down in Bristol I can tell you, there's only one cure for her and that's a baseball bat to the head, delivered at optimum velocity of course, you've gotta make sure of success.