Good on Kemi!

You are referring to the Covid period TBF.

What about the glorious Labour government of the 70s when we had to go to the IMF and the entire country went on strike? Luckily the Conservatives sorted that out once Thatcher got in but Im pretty sure that the Labour government pre 1979 wasn't the best...

Exactly

Not a Tory (though also NOT happy with current Labour) and don’t agree with Kemi on many things but I had to admire the way she kicked ass! He actually handed her a way to look stronger not weaker - though Reform definitely is a threat.

Surely those defecting to Reform would say they are ‘real’ Conservatives and not the Blair 2.0 party that so many voters became disillusioned with?

I’m astonished that anyone doesn’t consider this current government as by far the worst in living memory.

I’m 72 and the 2019-2024 government was the worst in my memory. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in this one but it’s far from being the worst.

It was a genuine question actually and one you didn’t answer. It may be that GDP is up but it’s not a meaningful statistic in its own right.

Can’t remember what I asked when Sunak had growth but oh my lord, how much longer are we going to hark back to the failures of the Tories as a foil for Labour? Pretty much seems to be Starmer’s PMQ strategy - don’t answer Kemi’s questions, just divert to all the things the Tories got wrong.

Do you think that will still be their election strategy in 2029?

And I thought the left believed that immigration was good for growth and absolutely essential so why would 5m migrants be a problem?

A bit like what we have now with Labour then . All sacked for fraud or inappropriate behaviour. All within this short term government tenure .
Angela Rayner
Louise Haigh
Tulip Saddique
Andrew gwynne
Ruckashana Ali

Agree OP, for once. 😁
Kemi certainly had the last laugh. She was excellent yesterday.

Right. Plus support is even lower now. A recent poll put it at 15%. That is incredibly low. 85% choosing not to back them.

Badenoch & others on this thread, totally trashed Starmer for threatening to ban X over sexualised images on Grok.

X stepped back and will reprogram Grok...

Badenochs approach would have meant these images would have continued.

Starmer showed, when it matters, he can be strong, same over Trump and Greenland.

Sacking someone who has already said he is defecting, isn't strong, she had no choice, as has said herself.

Yesterday felt like a satire by Armando Iannucci - Badenoch stealing the thunder; Farage promising faithfully that he wouldn’t be announcing Jenrick…and then announcing Jenrick; the press conference was a series of awkward moments (e.g. when Jenrick missed his cue and Farage stood like a nervous groom at the altar); Jenrick stood and listed all the ways the Tories had broken Britain, while everyone was meant to nod and pretend like he hadn’t been a key part of that. Lee Anderson looked like he was dressed up as a magician, and is posting ‘Friends Reunited’ cringe on social media. Past tweets (there’s always a tweet!) resurfacing yet again. What a bunch of unserious politicians / self-serving clowns.

Post Brexit lots of the barely right of centre types left and tortures Lisburn to the right, if this clears out the furthest to the right and leaves a more centrist party that’s much closer to where British elections are won from. I expect Reform to do well this time, but Tories will be back, even if they are out of power for 10-15 years.

If they don't have a vote or don't vote, then thats immaterial.

i'd imagine you wont be complaining if Reform/Tories win on a similar share...

Do you want PR to fix this issue?

Starmer received the lowest share of the vote for a winning party in over 100 years.

I don’t like Kemi or the Tory party but she played this very well. I’m impressed. She makes Starmer look very weak in comparison.

I’m floating voter, left wing so usually Labour, occasionally LD but I’m very umipressed with Starmer.

It was not 23%. It was 20% of registered voters and nearer 16% of all UK adults.

That in part is why we’ve ended up in such a mess with this government.

I know it sounds silly but I think Kemi has very strong Mum of three small children energy. And I like it.

As I saw someone say on X, soon the Conservatives will have a strong campaigning line: “we’ve got rid of the dross to Reform, now you can vote for the real Conservative party”.

I think its was actually 23% of the total electorate.... "Out of control "😂

Our next Govt will, whoever wins, will be lucky to get 15%, based on current polling that Reform are on 24% of those who intend to vote.

FPTP might have worked when there were 2 main parties, with 5, its a disaster, we will need some form of PR but will Starmer grasp that particular nettle?

Starmer got a lower vote share than Johnson. A fair bit lower.

Agreed.

Kemi couldnt do other than she did but the floodgates are opening.

Its about to be quite a dark time.

Nick candy as uk treasurer isnt anything to relish

Exactly. Whilst the right wing press are busy trying to spread perjorative terms like "Rachel from accounts" & "The worst PM ever", mainly in response to a November budget incl 35billion of tax rises - mainly loaded towards future years e.g extending freezing of tax thresholds by 3 years, we are reminded that the OBR revised Boris' capitulation brexit deal impact to £95billion per year, that the Truss/Kamikwase budget of unfunded tax cuts required a £60billion bailout of LDI pension funds (almost twice the 35bn tax rises), & precipitated the 3rd biggest ever collapse in sterling - nb a budget lauded by Farage as the best budget since Lawsons "green shoots of economic spring" in 87. Have i mentioned the £11billion "lost" in Covid, although "found" in the polished floors of Tory fast lane yachts & that the same freezing of tax thresholds were frozen for 7 years til 2028 under the Tories.
Starmer/Reeves havn't been perfect, e.g. a sales tax on education is cruel but the treasury balance sheet is sound (£20 billion of fiscal headroom) & bond / sterling vigilantes are hiding again because competence seems to have returned to the treasury. Labour clearly have not been helped by the madness of Trump trade taxes & a slow retreat from NATO, but the right wing press would do well to remember how bad some Tories were (id excuse Sunak & Hunt to a large extent) but that Farage is unbelievably even more incompetent.
But good on Kemi, RJ is a snake & she has shown decisive leadership

Ha ha always looking for the negative...

I bet you never asked that when Sunak had some growth just before the last GE...

Perhaps if people like Jenrick and Badenoch hadn't let in around 5m migrants, we would have better GDP per capita...

I think Farage needs to be careful, if Reform voters feel it is the new Conservative party they will turn away

Yes, in Jenrick, Farage has recruited an even more skilled liar than he is, he "could" quickly overshadow Farage (& not in a good way) who is the reason Reform have done so well.

The really question is "Who will benefit if Reform 'would be' voters turn away?"

I suspect many wont vote at all.