What was behind Starmer's 'Enoch Powell' moment?
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Another week, another sticky situation for the prime minister and some of his MPs - this time it's centred around his language on immigration.
When Sir Keir Starmer announced his White Paper, he argued that Britain "risked becoming an island of strangers" if immigration levels were not cut.
So was he intentionally evoking Enoch Powell's infamous 1968 Rivers Of Blood speech? Or was this a big mistake?
Also, with the Assisted Dying Bill back in parliament this week, Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman go on a tour of the British Isles to look at how different parliaments are approaching their legislation. If MPs in Westminster vote their bill down, could it stop it in its tracks in Holyrood too?
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Glasgow Times
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Badenoch insists Tories are still the main opposition to Labour
Thursday's vote in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse saw the Tories win just 6% of the vote while Reform surged into third place with 26% a month after routing Mrs Badenoch's party in local elections across England. Reform's rise in the polls has led Sir Keir Starmer to regard Nigel Farage's party as Labour's main opposition in the current Parliament, despite having only five MPs. Answering questions after a speech on Friday, Mrs Badenoch dismissed Reform as a 'protest party' and said claims it was the real opposition were 'nonsense'. Describing Reform as 'another left-wing party', she said: 'What they're trying to do is talk this situation into existence. 'Labour is going to be facing the Conservative Party at the next election and we're going to get them out.' The Conservatives' electoral struggles come as the party continues to languish in third place in most polls while Mrs Badenoch's personal ratings show widespread dissatisfaction with her performance. Meanwhile, senior Tory and former leadership candidate Sir James Cleverly appeared this week to split from Mrs Badenoch on her claim that achieving net zero by 2050 was 'impossible'. Speaking on Friday, she maintained that she would be able to turn things around, saying: 'I've always said that things would be tough, in fact in some cases would likely get worse before they get better. 'There is a lot that needs doing, but I am of very, very strong confidence that the public will see that the party has changed and that we are the only credible alternative to Labour.' Her remarks followed a speech at the Royal United Services Institute in Westminster in which Mrs Badenoch launched a commission tasked with examining how leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would work. While she stopped short of formally committing to leaving the convention, she said it was 'likely' that Britain would 'need to leave'. She said: 'I won't commit my party to leaving the ECHR or other treaties without a clear plan to do so and without a full understanding of all the consequences.'
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Men appear in court over fires at properties linked to Keir Starmer
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The Guardian
37 minutes ago
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Badenoch says Trump-style blanket travel bans on foreign citizens could be ‘viable' in UK
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