Steve Coogan says ‘disappointing' Labour year will ‘pave the way' for Reform UK
Speaking to The Guardian, Coogan said the current Labour Government is 'no different from a Conservative government in neglecting ordinary people'.
Steve Coogan recently starred in The Penguin Lessons (Lucy North/PA)
'What they're doing is putting Band-Aids on the gash in the side of the Titanic,' he said.
'The success of Reform, I lay squarely at the feet of the neoliberal consensus, which has let down working people for the last 40 years and they're fed up. It doesn't matter who they vote for, nothing changes for them.
'They'll pave the way for the only alternative, which is a racist clown. Reform (UK) couldn't organise a p*** up in a brewery, but if there's no alternative, you understand why working people will make that choice.'
This comes after the Labour Government marked one year since winning the 2024 general election.
Coogan said he could understand why voters were turning to Reform (Jeff Moore/PA)
Coogan added: 'It's not just the fact that people are disempowered and feel like they have no autonomy. It's compounded by the fact that these people, these multinationals, are enabled and supported by the Government to keep their foot on the neck of working people.
'If any government wants to address that extremism, what they have to do is tackle the root cause…(which is) poverty and economic decline in the post-industrial landscape, especially in the North.
'If Labour addressed that problem, Reform would go away – all their support would dissipate.'
Coogan also said he agreed 'wholeheartedly' with MP Zarah Sultana's statement shared on Thursday which said the Government had failed to 'improve people's lives' and that the 'two-party system offers nothing but managed decline and broken promises'.
Ms Sultana also announced that she was quitting the Labour Party to co-lead a left-wing alternative with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Coogan is best known for portraying Alan Partridge, a persona which pokes fun at British broadcasters, having appeared in several TV series as well as the 2013 feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
The Government has been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
9 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
‘We will beat Government for second time in court' – Kneecap at largest ever gig
The 45,000-strong crowd in Finsbury Park, London watched them walk on in front of a screen that said 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people'. They were supporting Irish band Fontaines DC, whose front man Grian Chatten joined to perform their collaboration Better Way To Live. People echoed the Belfast group's chants when they repeated the 'f*** Keir Starmer' and 'you're just a s*** Jeremy Corbyn' comments made at Glastonbury the previous weekend. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court earlier this month charged with a terror offence and will return next month. Fellow member Naoise O Caireallain, who uses the stage name Moglai Bap, said 'if anyone's free on the 20th of August, you wanna go to the court and support Mo Chara' before shouting 'free Mo Chara, free, free Mo Chara'. Wearing a keffiyeh, O hAnnaidh responded: 'I appreciate it, the 20th of August is going to be the second time Kneecap have beat the British Government in court – in their own court, on their own terms, and we're going to beat them for the second time. 'I tell you what, there is nothing like embarrassing the British Government.' Last year Kneecap won a discrimination challenge over a decision by former business secretary Kemi Badenoch to refuse them a £14,250 funding award. The UK Government conceded it was 'unlawful' after the band launched legal action claiming the decision to refuse the grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. It was agreed that the £14,250 sum would be paid by the Government to the group. During the performance the group intermittently broke off the mosh pits and raucous crowd by addressing the war in Gaza, which is a recurring theme of their shows. O hAnnaidh said: 'It's usually around this point of the gig that we decide to talk about what's happening in Palestine. 'I understand that it's almost inhumane that I'm thinking of new things to say on stage during a genocide, for sound bites. 'It's beyond words now, like, we always used to say obviously they're being bombed from the skies with nowhere to go, but it's beyond that now. 'They've been being starved for a few months on end, and not only that, the areas that they have set up, to collect aid and food, have turned into killing fields and they're killing hundreds a day trying to collect food.' He continued: 'It's beyond words, but again, we played in Plymouth last night to 750 people and we did the same thing, so it doesn't matter how big or small our audience is, Kneecap will always use the platform for talking about this.' O Caireallain had said earlier in the show: 'They can try and silence us, they can try and stop us, but we're not going to stop talking about Palestine – as long as there's a genocide happening in Palestine we're going to keep talking about it and yous are going to keep talking about it, and they can't stop us.' The UN human rights office has recorded 613 killings near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points in Gaza run by an Israeli-backed American organisation since it began operations in late May. On Friday its spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings, but 'it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points' operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF has denied any serious injuries or deaths on its sites and says shootings outside their immediate vicinity are under the purview of Israel's military. The Israeli military has said previously it fires warning shots to control crowds or at Palestinians who approach its troops.
Powys County Times
10 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon diary: Arthur Ashe remembered and Kasatkina's earring causes problems
Wimbledon remembered trailblazer Arthur Ashe – 50 years on from his historic Centre Court triumph. Ashe became the first black player to win the men's singles title after beating fellow American Jimmy Connors 6–1 6–1 5–7 6–4 in the final on July 5, 1975. It was his third and final grand slam success following victories at the 1968 US Open and 1970 Australian Open. He also captained the US Davis Cup team. Champion. Trailblazer. Activist. Icon. Remembering the late, great Arthur Ashe, 50 years on from his 1975 gentlemen's singles triumph. #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025 To celebrate the anniversary, Wimbledon have an installation in the International Tennis Centre tunnel and a new museum display about him. Growing up, Ashe, who died aged 49 in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the early 1980s, had been refused permission to play tennis in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia because of his skin colour. **** British and Irish sporting stars crammed into the Royal Box on day six. World Cup final hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst, five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave and former cricket star Lord Botham were among the special guests. They were joined on Centre Court by Olympic champions Dame Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Jason and Dame Laura Kenny, in addition to a host of Paralympians, including 19-time gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey. As is tradition on middle Saturday of the Championships, the host of famous faces from across the sporting spectrum were invited by All England Club chair Debbie Jevans. **** Britain's Jodie Burrage had a mixed day. The 26-year-old was up early to watch boyfriend Ben White make his British and Irish Lions debut in a 26-10 win over New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney. She then joined forces with Sonay Kartal in the women's doubles, losing 6-3 6-1 to 11th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund. **** Women's 16th seed Daria Kasatkina endured a day to forget. During a straight-sets exit at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova, which featured two rain delays, she lost a game after her earring become caught in her shirt. 🗣 "I've never seen that before!" 👂🏻💍 Not an ideal way to lose a game 😬 #Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 5, 2025 **** Quote of the day 'It's really not easy, part of you is telling yourself to just put a bunch of balls into the court and that's all you have to do but she is an amazing player, injuries or no injuries.' – Emma Navarro on defeating defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova, who required medical treatment during the match. Picture of the day Stat of the day Sunday's weather forecast
The Sun
15 minutes ago
- The Sun
Britain must hold Emmanuel Macron's feet firmly to the fire over France's abject failure to stop the boats
Time net closed on Macron's failures BRITAIN must hold Emmanuel Macron's feet firmly to the fire this week over France's abject failure to stop the boats. The president will be accorded all the royal trappings on his state visit, including a carriage ride through Windsor. But he must also account for the tens of millions of pounds we have lavished on France to curb illegal migrant crossings — only to see the numbers surge. We reveal today that President Macron will unveil a new tactic to sabotage the dinghies before they leave French waters for the UK. Under the plans, French border police will ride jet skis alongside migrant boats and drop nets to entangle the engines. It does rely on a hitherto reluctant gendarmerie getting their feet wet. But, after the puncturing of a dinghy last week, France may at last be waking up to its responsibilities. Without a proper deterrent like the scrapped Rwanda scheme, the unscrupulous people-smugglers will always try to get one step ahead of the law. But anything that can turn the tide after years of French foot-dragging must be welcome, and one thing is for sure: The cops patrolling the beaches of Calais won't get anywhere unless they do more than just dip a toe in the water. Give us shelter THE Government's latest nanny state health crackdown is one of its strangest yet. Transport chiefs are to be given powers to fine people for vaping at bus stops, even if they are the only person there. French cops FINALLY drag migrant boat to shore - with BBC crew conveniently filming The move comes hard on the heels of Health Secretary Wes Streeting's threats to punish supermarkets that fail to cut sales of unhealthy food. He has already been forced to back down on plans to ban smoking in pub gardens. There is no doubt vaping is bad for children, who should be protected. But adults must be left to make their own informed choices. Labour must stop dreaming up sixth-form gimmicks that are doomed to go up in fruit-flavoured smoke. PIP squeak That means tribunal judges are overturning thousands of Government rulings that would reduce the taxpayer-funded benefits bill.
