Page 16 | Labour isn't working - Thread 27

TheNuthatch · 2026-02-09T17:26:50+00:00

A chat thread for those who *don't* like this Labour government.* 💙 🩵* ^The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.^ Previous thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5481789-labour-isnt-working-thread-26?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

EasternStandard · 16/02/2026 14:51

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 14:50

From Sky:

The government has abandoned their bid to delay the local elections to 30 councils in England.
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed has decided to "withdraw his decision" to postpone the elections, due to take place in May, "in the light of recent legal advice", according to a letter from the Government Legal Department shared by Nigel Farage.
It is a victory for Reform UK and Farage, who had taken the government to court in a bid to prevent the elections being delayed.
A two-day High Court hearing was due to start
on Thursday, but the government will now "seek to agree an order" with Reform UK to end its case, and the government "will agree to pay the claimant's costs of these proceedings".

Bloody hell. Good.

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 14:52

the government will now "seek to agree an order" with Reform UK to end its case, and the government "will agree to pay the claimant's costs of these proceedings".

Settle it with whose money? Party funds or the very same taxpayer that they were trying to disenfranchise to save their own party?

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 14:54

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 14:48

Good. And of course it was just in time before they had to justify this anti-democratic reflex in court.

Maybe if they knew it was so bloody unsafe that it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny then they shouldn't have done it in the first place.

Just how much time and money have Labour ploughed into things that they never should have started in the first place now?

They are a bag of dicks. Thankfully the u-turn came in time for voters this May.

They are a bag of dicks

Couldn't have put it better. How many U turns is that now? About 15 I think. Useless idiots.

OP posts:

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 14:59

'in light of recent legal advice'

So it wasn't legal then?
The irony when the front bench are all lawyers, and the bollard is ex DPP.

OP posts:

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 16/02/2026 15:01

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 14:52

the government will now "seek to agree an order" with Reform UK to end its case, and the government "will agree to pay the claimant's costs of these proceedings".

Settle it with whose money? Party funds or the very same taxpayer that they were trying to disenfranchise to save their own party?

Edited

It’s very significant that they’ve offered costs. That’s generally a sign of admission of being in the wrong. Settlements that involve no admission of liability are usually agreed on the basis of each side paying for itself.

I wonder if Starmer was pooing himself about being found worse than Johnson about breach of constitutional law - which in Johnson’s case didn’t matter to democratic process, but here it clearly does.

DameProfessorIDareSay · 16/02/2026 15:01

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 14:59

'in light of recent legal advice'

So it wasn't legal then?
The irony when the front bench are all lawyers, and the bollard is ex DPP.

😝

EasternStandard · 16/02/2026 15:02

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 14:59

'in light of recent legal advice'

So it wasn't legal then?
The irony when the front bench are all lawyers, and the bollard is ex DPP.

I never lose a fight legal bollard too apparently.

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 15:04

EasternStandard · 16/02/2026 15:02

I never lose a fight legal bollard too apparently.

Show quote history

Never lost a fight because he can spin on his heel and run like the wind.

EasternStandard · 16/02/2026 15:05

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 15:04

Never lost a fight because he can spin on his heel and run like the wind.

Show quote history

Ha true. This is defo losing on this one. Especially due to the legal advice, what a blow for them.

DameProfessorIDareSay · 16/02/2026 15:09

That’s now FOURTEEN U-turns according to the Telegraph! I’ll post the list when I get home.

NoWordForFluffy · 16/02/2026 15:12

DameProfessorIDareSay · 16/02/2026 15:09

That’s now FOURTEEN U-turns according to the Telegraph! I’ll post the list when I get home.

The equivalent of one every 6 weeks. 😬

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:19

DameProfessorIDareSay · 16/02/2026 14:39

Breaking, Telegraph:

"Starmer abandons plans to cancel local elections"

Beautiful.

You have made my day - with accompanying sunshine, too.

Once again, all hail the DT, and Reform (on this occasion).

justasking111 · 16/02/2026 15:26

Thank goodness. Don't mind telling you I've had some wobbles about labour postponing the senedd elections in May. Irrational perhaps but in these mad days? 🤷‍♀️

boys3 · 16/02/2026 15:40

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/16/government-cancels-plan-to-delay-local-council-elections-in-england

one bit of positive news. Though as others on recent posts and past threads have implied the thought that they could just casually do this and think they’d get away with it,,,,then again thinking not their strongest suit.

have we seen any resignations?. I’ll take a wild guess and assume not.

Government cancels plan to delay local council elections in England

Polls in 30 areas had been due to be postponed as part of the government’s shake-up of English councils

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/16/government-cancels-plan-to-delay-local-council-elections-in-england

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 15:40

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:19

Beautiful.

You have made my day - with accompanying sunshine, too.

Once again, all hail the DT, and Reform (on this occasion).

Edited

Show quote history

Yep. Love him or loathe him, this is a big win for Farage. He was right, the govt was wrong. Fact.

OP posts:

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 15:44

boys3 · 16/02/2026 15:40

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/16/government-cancels-plan-to-delay-local-council-elections-in-england

one bit of positive news. Though as others on recent posts and past threads have implied the thought that they could just casually do this and think they’d get away with it,,,,then again thinking not their strongest suit.

have we seen any resignations?. I’ll take a wild guess and assume not.

I know. It's the knowledge that their instinct was to deny votes.
Worrying times.

OP posts:

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:50

boys3 · 16/02/2026 15:40

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/16/government-cancels-plan-to-delay-local-council-elections-in-england

one bit of positive news. Though as others on recent posts and past threads have implied the thought that they could just casually do this and think they’d get away with it,,,,then again thinking not their strongest suit.

have we seen any resignations?. I’ll take a wild guess and assume not.

That’s it - Labour is packed with grifters and opportunists.

Unfuckingbelievable, really.

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:53

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 15:44

I know. It's the knowledge that their instinct was to deny votes.
Worrying times.

Show quote history

Absolutely, and you just know that Starmer and Reeves are going to use the ‘increasing’ defence threat, to go for another round of tax hits - they’re already positioning themselves with the rhetoric on defence spending, within this parliament.

It will give Reeves some additional camouflage - that’s how they will see it, anyway.

Upstartled · 16/02/2026 15:59

boys3 · 16/02/2026 15:40

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/16/government-cancels-plan-to-delay-local-council-elections-in-england

one bit of positive news. Though as others on recent posts and past threads have implied the thought that they could just casually do this and think they’d get away with it,,,,then again thinking not their strongest suit.

have we seen any resignations?. I’ll take a wild guess and assume not.

Not before we have offered full support as an appetiser.

Julen7 · 16/02/2026 16:07

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:53

Absolutely, and you just know that Starmer and Reeves are going to use the ‘increasing’ defence threat, to go for another round of tax hits - they’re already positioning themselves with the rhetoric on defence spending, within this parliament.

It will give Reeves some additional camouflage - that’s how they will see it, anyway.

Show quote history

Yes because they’ve blown all the money that was supposed to go on defence on welfare.

Fantastic news on the latest U turn on elections, Labour really are beyond the pale with what they will try on.

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 16:18

DiySteve · 16/02/2026 15:53

Absolutely, and you just know that Starmer and Reeves are going to use the ‘increasing’ defence threat, to go for another round of tax hits - they’re already positioning themselves with the rhetoric on defence spending, within this parliament.

It will give Reeves some additional camouflage - that’s how they will see it, anyway.

Show quote history

Yeh, you can see it coming down the tracks can't you. There's a whopping black hole in that budget (£28bn iirc). Bollard was furious when told apparently, as he was assured that it was fully costed. He must have asked Reeves to calculate it with her broken abacus. 😂

I had a feeling Starmer would announce some form of deployment in his speech on Saturday too. He didn't disappoint. Gotta get those polls up. Cue photo ops in the arctic.

OP posts:

DameProfessorIDareSay · 16/02/2026 16:19

All the U-turns, as reported by the Telegraph (4 images should appear)

Original poster

TheNuthatch · 16/02/2026 16:23

Thanks @DameProfessorIDareSay. What chaos.

Starmer told BBC Radio 2 that there would be no more U turns, 2 hours before the latest U turn. You couldn't make it up.

OP posts:

CruCru · 16/02/2026 16:53

EmeraldRoulette · 15/02/2026 22:04

Sorry to interrupt our lovely delicate dog stories

I wonder if anyone is up-to-date with information about Crewkerne Gazette?

Here's my short version - I started to get a bad feeling about him. I couldn't really tell you why. Possibly because I nearly - nearly - befriended somebody last year who turned out to be a wrong 'un and I got a similar vibe from him.

Anyway, it turns out he has actually done time, quite substantial, for antisemitic hate crime and malicious communications.

I have had a quick look and it seems possible he's one of these people who has posted hateful content about absolutely everyone, or every group you can think of

I can't be bothered to look into it further. He's saying on his X account, linked to a full interview on YouTube, that he now works against hate crime.

I really resent these people who do stuff like this and then claim they've seen the error of their ways

No more views from me. Not trying to police what anyone else watches. Just wondered if others were aware. I saw it completely by chance this evening.

I could well believe it. Some of his stuff has been terrific - mainly how many homes can Rayner buy and his thing of Kemi replying to the budget. But some are not great - and there are so many of them.

EasternStandard · 16/02/2026 17:10

The council reversal is even more than a u turn it’s a defeat.

They got it wrong and the legal process stopped them, how good is that. Particularly for those who pride Starmer on supposedly knowing the law well.

Re defence whenever they try to boost polls with photo ops I’m reminded of the early days and Starmer dressing up. Hilarious - if not so bad at the same time.