Reform lost 6 by elections this week 🎉

[TheRealSmurfette]

Some good news to start the week!
The mainstream media might be quiet about it, but the numbers don’t lie: Reform UK just lost SIX by-elections in a single week.

Their momentum is officially hitting a wall. On Thursday, they failed to win across the UK and even lost the incumbent seats they were supposed to defend:

• Amble Ward (Northumberland) — LOST (Gained by Labour)
• Hirst Ward (Northumberland) — LOST (Reclaimed by Labour)
• Claremont Ward (Blackpool) — LOST (Held by Labour)
• Long Whatton & Diseworth Ward (NW Leicestershire) — LOST (Held by Conservatives)
• Wick & East Caithness Ward (Highland) — LOST (Stormed by Lib Dems)
• Forth & Endrick Ward (Stirling) — LOST (Held by Conservatives) about:blank 1, 2]

The right-wing vote is splitting down the middle, squeezing them out in low-turnout battles. Proof that real, local communities are seeing through the rhetoric.

Keep it up lads! 🙌

Your first question is just a variant of my question!

Let's deal with whether there was interference before we get on to your second question.

Nail on head!

@concertinacornflake

Burnham has made the statement that Russia interfered in the 2016 referendum, but has not produced any evidence. Considering he is UK prime minister, should he be making such statements without obtaining evidence first? No, he shouldn’t.

It’s all deflection from the real issues that people face everyday such as:

Food prices rising
Fuel prices rising
Utility prices rising
Council tax rising

Even it is proved that:

Russia interfered with the 2016 referendum, and;

People were actually swayed by the interference

How will that change, or improve, any of the above listed issues? It won’t is my best guess.

Your naivety is truly terrifying 😬

Theres been no finding that the ballot was conducted in any way unlawfully.

I don't think the suggestion is that hordes of Russians were shaking the snow off their boots as they disappeared all the ballots for Remain though.

However, given how narrow the vote was - certainly within the margin of error - it wouldn't have taken much.

No. We have a long tradition of free and fair elections and votes in this country. There was no suggestion of Russian interference in the ballot or the campaigns themselves.

What are you suggesting then? Are you suggesting someone may have been telling lies on the Internet during a campaign (like our own PM) I am shocked you might suggest such a thing! Shocked I say.

It's possible the interference started long before there was any referendum. Useful idiots like Johnson manoeuvring behind the scenes to ensure that the vote was designed to cause maximum disruption for minimum (say 3.8%) effort.

If I was undertaking a performance review for Brexit on the basis it's aim was to stall the UK from engaging in world affairs, I would resign the team were not given a bonus and a bump.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/former-mi6-chief-very-confident-in-burnhams-assertion-russia-meddled-in-brexit-v-5HjdjnW_2/

@JuliaMaesa

Johnson manoeuvring behind the scenes to ensure that the vote was designed to cause maximum disruption for minimum (say 3.8%) effort.

How can anyone control in advance how 33.4 million people will vote?

@blossomtoes

Has the MI6 person presented his evidence? Remember that Cameron was confident remain would win in 2016, but it did not happen.

Many people have been Eurosceptic for decades. Including the Today programme in the 80s. Its hardly a novel view that the Russians can suddenly distort.

I assume you can read the article just as well as I can.

They can't.

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told Sophy Ridge this morning that any attempt to interfere with the election had been unsuccessful. No.10 spokesperson also said unsuccessful.

@blossomtoes
@JuliaMaesa
@ElonAteMyHamster

Burnham has backtracked on his view that Russia interfered with the 2016 referendum.

Credibility - Andy in going to Burn Ham all done.

It was an obvious attempt to cast doubt on the Brexit result so he has an excuse to try and get back in the EU again. Mainly for electoral reasons. Presumably he thinks none of us noticed what he was up to.

Interesting the Remainer Big Cheese Starmer was in power for two years and never mentioned this Russian plot...

Has he? He said he thought the result was legitimate which isn’t quite the same thing.

Hmm...but what motive could he have for raising suspicion now? To cast doubt on the outcome of the result of one of the most divisive votes in our history? Andy Burnham who tells everyone he doesnt want the politics of division?

All politicians do these things for an underlying reason. Or alternatively just have big gobs that blurt out things by mistake.

It's because there is widespread (across all democracies) concern about external interference in elections.

The previous governments didn't want to discuss for political reasons, this government does want to discuss for political reasons.

All politicians do things for political reasons, yes. This is not news!

But there is no evidence of material interference in the Brexit vote?

So hes raising it to stir things up, is what you are saying? So much for the new kinder politics (or whatever this particular politicians catchphrase is)

Well according to the former MI6 chief there is. I think he probably knows better than any of us.

@BIossomtoes

Has he? He said he thought the result was legitimate which isn’t quite the same thing.

So, why interference at all? If interference has zero effect on how people vote, what difference does it make if it happens or not?

I agree with PineNeedles. Andy (credibility - I’ll Burnham all down) was attempting to reopen Brexit. M

Maybe an attempt to divert attention from the forthcoming budget? Tax rises are on the cards I would say.

I wonder what the EU leaders think of Burnham? Stated in Makerfield that UK would not rejoin the EU, but then changed his mind after elected. Now he has backtracked on the Russian claim of interference.

So, why interference at all? If interference has zero effect on how people vote, what difference does it make if it happens or not?

Once again. Saying the result was legitimate is not the same thing as saying there was no influence. It really isn’t that difficult.

Why raise the spectre of the most divisive period in UK politics for decades at all? We know why.

What he is hinting at is that the vote wasn't 100% kosher. He quickly backtracked. But its now out there.

That’s what you’ve inferred, it doesn’t mean it’s correct. It’s perfectly obvious that we need closer links with the EU, the damage to the UK economy is undeniable.