UK Politics Thread part II

[Jimbuna]

Voters in England are going to the polls in three constituencies in London, North Yorkshire and Somerset to elect new MPs and I expect at least one will fall to Labour.

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Labour and Lib Dems are celebrating big by-election wins in two safe Conservative seats.

Labour overturns a Tory majority of 20,137 in the North Yorkshire seat of Selby and Ainsty.

Keir Mather becomes the youngest MP currently in the House of Commons, at 25 years old.

And the Lib Dems' Sarah Dyke overturns a Conservative majority of 19,000 in Somerton and Frome.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey, standing in front of a cartoon cannon, says the victory shows that voters are uniting to defeat the Conservatives.

But Rishi Sunak says the next general election is "not a done deal" after the Tories narrowly hold the London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Labour blames their loss in Boris Johnson's former constituency on the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez)

Steve Tuckwell wins that constituency by 495 votes after a recount.

[Jimbuna]

Nothing beats a good dose of 'sour grapes'.....or a by-election defeat.

Johnny Mercer has come under fire for launching a scathing attack on Labour’s newest MP. The Tory minister took aim at Keir Mather, comparing him to a character from the popular sitcom, Inbetweeners.

Mercer’s comments were made on Sky News, where he also suggested that MPs should have raised a family before standing for parliament. Mather, who is just 25, overturned a 20,000 Tory majority in the seat to pull off an historic win in Selby and Ainsty.

Despite his triumph, Mercer claimed that Mather is ‘too inexperienced’ to become an MP and accused him of robotically “parroting” Labour lines because he does not have enough ‘life experience’

Mercer said: “I think it’s always good to get new people in politics. I think we mustn’t become a repeat of the Inbetweeners. You’ve got to have people who have actually done stuff.

“This guy has been at Oxford University more than he’s been in a job. You put a chip in him there and he just repeats Labour lines.

“The problem is people have had enough of that, right? They want people who are authentic, people who have worked in that constituency, who understand what life is like - to live, work and raise a family in communities like theirs.

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics. It’s exactly why people like me couldn’t vote in the 2015 election, because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in, put a chip in them and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...fab7c30f&ei=13

[Moonlight]

The Tories got off lightly me thinks, they deserved to lose that bi-election in Selby & Ainsty as no one of importance campaigned on behalf of the Tory candidate, in fact the Tory candidate didn't do much campaigning either. A strange affair me thinks, maybe the voters told them a few home truths in the weeks before the vote and the Tories already knew they were going to lose it, I can't think of anything else as to why they would throw the towel in so easily.

The LibDems won the Somerton & Frome seat and the Tories held Uxbridge & South Ruislip, it's looking grim for Sunak at the moment and his 5 pledges are not being delivered either, if he doesn't deliver on them soon there'll be calls for his head to roll.

When the Labour manifesto is in the public domain then Starmer has to get off that fence he loves so much and try and get the country behind it, that'll be easier said than done, voter rejection at not being able to define what a woman is and Labours support of the Union Barons will cost him dear, then there's the money from the Eco backers he's been getting, tricky ground Starmer, tricky ground.

[Jimbuna]

The Tories can thank Mr Khan and his ULEZ plan for keeping that seat me thinks.

[Moonlight]

Aaah yes, I forgot about Ulez, the General Election next year could kick a lot of these career politicians off of the gravy train, and Ulez could be an ass kicker for the Labour Party as well, interesting times ahead me thinks.

[Jimbuna]

Speaking during a visit to Shefford in Nadine Dorries' constituency of Mid Bedfordshire, the Labour leader told journalists: "I don't think there is any doubt that Ulez was the reason that we lost the election in Uxbridge."

Sir Keir said he had spoken to the London mayor, adding: "But we're not sitting back, we're not looking over our shoulder. We're pressing forward."

Sources close to Mr Khan told the BBC he was in "constructive listening mode" but added that he had no plans to delay the scheme's expansion at the end of August.

Asked whether Labour needs to rethink its climate polices, Sir Keir said: "When it comes to green commitments, it's not a question of whether they should be done, of course it needs to be done - it's how they're done.

"So there's a discussion to be had about that."

Mr Tuckwell, the winning candidate in Uxbridge, said the "damaging and costly Ulez policy" had cost Labour the chance of winning the seat.

The Ulez is a £12.50 daily charge for driving in London, applicable if the vehicle does not meet certain emission standards. It initially covered the same central area as the congestion charge before widening to the North and South Circular roads in 2021.

A further expansion to cover all London boroughs is due to start on 29 August.

On Friday, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said the Uxbridge result showed that "when you don't listen to voters, you don't win elections".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66277211

[Jimbuna]

There are reports circulating allegedly from senior SNP figures saying that Sturgeon and her husband as well as the party's former treasurer could soon be facing charges for wrongdoing.

[Moonlight]

Wow, wrongdoing?, £600,000 of funds raised for an independence referendum campaign has gone missing, I wouldn't call that wrongdoing old boy, I'd call it what it is, either fraud, theft or embezzlement.

The bank should be able to tell the police who withdrew that money or had it transferred to another account, me thinks the police have opened up a can of worms and it'll be quite a while before their investigations have officially finished.

[Jimbuna]

It is now being suggested there could be a challenge to First Minister Humza Yousaf.

[Jimbuna]

Humza is a stupid as the person he replaced.

Same old tune just a different musical instrument.

Scotland would adopt a citizenship model similar to that of Ireland if it ever becomes independent, the First Minister will announce on Thursday.

Humza Yousaf will unveil the fifth paper in a series laying out the prospectus for Scotland after separation on Thursday, focusing on immigration and citizenship.

The Scottish Government has long advocated increased immigration to cope with an ageing population, with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon publishing plans for a separate Scottish visa in 2020, which was almost immediately rejected by Westminster.

Speaking at a roundtable event on Thursday in Edinburgh, Mr Yousaf will announce that anyone with a parent born in Scotland will be able to apply for Scottish citizenship if the country leaves the UK.

The paper will also lay out the rights of British nationals to claim dual citizenship, as well as how the process for foreign nationals to apply will be streamlined.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, the First Minister said: “Today I’ll outline the Scottish Government’s proposals for citizenship in an independent Scotland – they are inclusive, bold and they will help boost both our population and economy.

“Scotland’s working population is being hit by a heartless Westminster migration system that isn’t fit for purpose and a hard Brexit that Scotland didn’t vote for, making our population challenges significantly worse.

“I am in no doubt that alongside the climate crisis, the challenges of an ageing population are one of the biggest issues future generations will face in Scotland, unless action is taken today.

“The Scottish Government wants to make it easier for people, including those seeking to reconnect with family roots, to gain citizenship and contribute to our economy, society and public services like the NHS.

“And when we re-join the EU as an independent country, Scottish citizens will be able to enjoy all the benefits of EU citizenship too.

“An independent Scotland will be a welcoming country as part of our ambition to be an inclusive, progressive and prosperous nation. I look forward to the debate about what citizenship will mean in a modern, independent Scotland.”

Scottish Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said the paper was “more therapy for Humza Yousaf and the nationalist movement than a serious attempt to persuade people to support their cause”.

“Even if it is just for a few hours, it must be a great relief to be distracted from broken ferries, ever longer waiting lists and a social care backlog that mushrooms,” he added.

“But the SNP shouldn’t be using Government time and money when funds are tight and for something that they know just isn’t going to happen. A majority of people want Government to focus on the day job.”

Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture Donald Cameron MSP said: “This latest self-indulgent paper touting independence is not just a blatant misuse of public money and resources by the SNP, it demonstrates how out of touch they are with the public.

“It’s a sign of Humza Yousaf’s weakness that he is once again obsessing on breaking up the UK – because it’s the only issue his feuding party can agree on.

“Rather than wasting taxpayers’ money and civil servants’ time on pushing a divisive, party political agenda, a strong leader would be concentrating on the issues that matter to Scots – unacceptable NHS waiting times and the cost-of-living crisis.

“As for tackling population decline, the SNP’s policy of making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK is an active disincentive to people settling here.

“While the scandal-ridden SNP retreat to their independence comfort blanket, only the Scottish Conservatives are focused on Scotland’s real priorities.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...b010e9f7&ei=73

[Jimbuna]

Rishi Sunak has made stopping small boats arriving in the UK one of his government's main priorities since becoming prime minister last October.

But continued crossings, a large backlog of asylum claims and legal challenges to the government's policies have hampered their efforts.

Nearly 15,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in boats this year.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman was working on contingency plans to erect the tents in the coming weeks, with a surge of boats expected.

So, fun times ahead I suspect.

[mapuc]

From what I understand is that this breach is very serious.

Saw some minutes on Sky News on the topic.

Is it the entire police corp with names addresses who has been breached ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

What breach Markus?