Good on Kemi!

Like Labour’s blatant disregard for democracy in cancelling many local elections in May? You can’t get more undemocratic than that.

But Labour have already proven that they lie and adopt criminal behaviour, so we know who they are. We don’t know that that’s going to be the case with Reform, as it’s all whataboutery. Maybe they will turn out to be liars, but until we see that if/when they’re in power, who knows? Unfortunately experience has shown us that most politicians are out for themselves, and will be corrupt if they think they can get away with it. The only way we’re going to find out if this is the case for a Reform government is to try them I guess.

No councils are asking for this but i think those calling for pojntless elections on councils about to be abolished, should pay for the elections with higher council tax....

Almost all trials resulting in a jail sentence are not held under a jury system already...

Banging people up for online abuse? you do realise the Govt don't prosecute people... let alone sentence them...

Proroguing parliament had absolutely no effect. It was a complete storm in a teacup. What difference did it make either way.

No need to get on your high horse about "democracy". You do support a government that are cancelling elections, banging people up for speech and abolishing jury service.

Therein lies the problem, Reform aren't a new party, more a re launch of several failed and failing ones.

Too early to say though if Labour will go the way of the Tories, will depend on the economy and the NHS plus we have 16/17yo's voting for the first time.

Reeves was cleared by the ethics advisor, the same ethics advisor who got rid of Rayner, so clearly not biased.

And Reeves would have gone the same way after her ‘mistake’, but fortunately for her there was bigger news at the time which pushed her under the radar. They’re all as crooked as they come in the Labour Party. It’s true when they’re described as champagne socialists. Want to put their foot on the heads of the upper working classes and middle classes, but are quite happy to adopt the same lifestyle for themselves, by lies and fraud if they need to.

Unfortunately most people in the UK dont share your joy and optimism at this allegedly great booming economy. As shown by the polls. Most people have real life experience of Labour's policies in some way or another hence why we all hate them. Or most of us.

I feel sorry and scared for young people mostly.

I really like Kemi. She performs really well in question time in House of Commons and regularly wipes the floor with Starmer. It’s just a shame she’s at the helm of a sinking ship. I think we’re seeing the demise of the Tory party currently, but I guess it will pass. I remember after Corbyn’s awful campaign against Boris Johnson, people were saying Labour would be in the wilderness for decades. But here we are. I think too that Labour are going the same way now as the Tories. Both parties are pretty poor currently leaving a large gap for a new party to take charge.

I don't disagree. The point I was trying to make is that voters will vote Reform simply to put two fingers up at the establishment.

The buck stops at the top. Kwarteng was acting under instruction.

As for minimising proroguing parliament @Pineneedlesincarpet, frankly I’m speechless. It makes your flagrant disregard for democracy as bad as Johnson’s.

In what way is Reeves worse?

The economy hasn't tanked, neither have Gilt yields, in fact the opposite, borrowing costs falling, Truss trebled them, forced the BoE to print an extra £65billion on debt and wrecked mine and many others DC pensions.

FTSE All Share at record highs, that includes smaller UK companies, not just those in the FTSE100, with overseas earnings.

Polling 3.5years from a GE is meaningless.

This is a master stroke by Kemi and I don’t think it makes Reform stronger, Dorrues, Kwarteng and Jenruck - weak players.

Just to say I still cannot understand why the disastrous ‘Truss’ budget is quoted as such - surely it was the Kwarteng budget 🥴

The immigration issue I agree with.

Proroguing Parliament was something made of nothing. Ridiculous fuss and epitomised how utterly spineless and pathetic the whole of Parliament was, trying to fight back using any weapon against the result of the referendum and undermining the UKs position. They all disgraced themselves. Particularly Keir Starmer. Who has subsequently proven he really is no believer in democracy anyway.

Truss is usually wheeled out as some great disaster. I think Rachel Reeves will turn out to have shafted everyone a lot worse unfortunately. And in any event the polls agree that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are the most unpopular people who have ever held their respective jobs. So most people judge them to have performed worse than Truss and Kwarteng.

Rwanda...pointless because we never knew if it would work. Because Keir stopped it before it even started, without anything effective to replace it with. He will end up with something similar I expect. Another U turn.

And as I said the majority of that period was covid and the effects of covid subsequently.

Yes I like that about her a lot, even though she is further right that me. She did badly when she was first leader but I think she’s improving. And she makes a nice contrast to Starmer who is hard to pin down.

I think she should be less attacky though. That just reminds me she’s a politician. She is far stronger in her “common sense” style.

Yes she was. Not as visibly as many others though, so she might be able to duck that.

She also benefits from looking different (engineer, young, black, woman) from the type that people associate with those Brexit years, who look like the Reform defectors.

I also think she’s getting much better as a leader.

Me too. I liked her since brexit. Whether you voted that way or not, she had a clear view and you knew where she stood - she was honest. She has morals and principals, believes that hard work should pay and I believe she wants to nake the country better. I also like that she is pretty normal, she worked in McDonald's in her teens. She is aspirational and I hope she inspires a wave of young girls to think that they can do the same thing.

I think she needs to campaign on being tenacious, competent and honest.

She can’t campaign on left-right as she can only be right wing, and will always be beaten by Reform at that game.

(Though I suppose she could campaign as economically right, and point out how economically left Reform has gone to win working class votes. But I’m not sure there are enough economically-right votes available that aren’t already Reform. Reform’s a weird party).

The idea that Jenrick has stated ‘The Conservative Party is over’ is breathtakingly arrogant and awful. I’m not a Tory but even I’m hugely aware of their long, established and esteemed history as a Party.

Hundreds of years of history over because Jenrick claims it? Fuck off

I don't like Badenoch, but I thought she had a very good point when she said in effect that she was glad that Jenrick is now Farage's problem and not hers. When you have a party full of defectors, it's a recipe for trouble, particularly when they have more government experience than the leader of the new party does.

Its a plan but unfortunately Badenoch was part of that incompetence and infighting.. which as yesterdays debacle shows, is still carrying on.

Jenrick will be going all out to get more defections, he won the parliamentary vote in the leadership contest.

That would be a good strategy for her to use. But if what’s left still looks like the omni-party along with Labour, their vote share will always be split with the Lib Dems.

I’m not referring to the Covid period. I’m referring to the entire period. Covid had nothing to do with Johnson kicking all his decent MPs out and proroguing parliament. It had nothing to do with Truss and Kwarteng’s disastrous seven week debacle or the expensive and pointless attempt to deport a few immigrants to Rwanda. It had nothing to do with two quarters in recession in 2023 or the flood of immigrants post Brexit.

@TeenagersAngst I think a lot would, but they would be voting for Reform anyway. I think a lot of centre-right and apolitical voters are boycotting the Tories because of their incompetence and infighting last time round.

If Kemi can pin that on the gang that has now defected then the line might work with them. That used to be where elections were won.

“At no point did I blame the Tories for anything…”

Well, in the last year, GDP per capita has grown by 0.9% over 2024/25... happy now?
& as Labour are reducing migration, by some margin, it should continue to grow,

Excusing these 5m on to the left... blimey! thats a reach, since when did let in 5m people inside 3 years?

Migration, like that is utter madness

At no point did i blame the Tories for anything, just pointed out your hypocrisy.