UK Tories Apologize for Truss Budget, Pledge Spending Restraint
The UK Conservatives apologized for former Prime Minister Liz Truss's disastrous 2022 mini-budget as the country's main opposition party sought to restore its reputation for economic competence and build a platform to return to power in the next general election.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride on Thursday expressed remorse for the decisions made in September 2022 by Truss and her finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, to slash taxes by £45 billion ($61 billion) without outlining where the funding would come from. That helped drive the pound to a record low against the dollar, roiled the bond market and pushed mortgage rates higher.
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Let the chips fall': New B.C. party's leader vows to go where others won't
VICTORIA - The interim leader of B.C.'s newest political party says it will raise issues other parties won't dare to touch. Dallas Brodie said these included the effects of the 'reconciliation industry,' electoral reform, and ending mass immigration, and she will 'let the chips fall where they may' when it's time to run for re-election. The new One BC party went public on Thursday, with Brodie announcing herself as interim leader and Tara Armstrong house leader as they unveiled plans to combat what Brodie called 'the globalist assault' on B.C.'s history, culture and families. 'Tara and I are taking a principled stance,' Brodie said in an interview on Friday. 'We believe that there is room for the discussions that we are raising, and we will take our shots at the polls, and we will do our best to build (the party).' Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad kicked Brodie out of caucus in March following comments about residential schools, and Armstrong and Jordan Kealy followed her out. All three sat as Independents before the creation of One BC, and Kealy said he hasn't ruled out joining the new party, although he has doubts about its chances. Brodie said the party has four planks: major cuts to taxes and government spending; dismantling 'the reconciliation industry and ending racist laws like … the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act;' ending mass immigration, and introducing democratic reform that would see most B.C. residents vote on the same day with ballots counted by hand. The party's website also calls for the support of a 'broad array of life-affirming policies to increase birthrates, marriage rates, and life expectancy among other indicators of a healthy and vibrant society.' Brodie acknowledged that her former party had campaigned on many of those issues, when asked what her new party is offering that the Conservatives aren't. 'Also what we ran on was being strong on social issues, and that has been all watered down by the Conservative Party,' she said. '(There) is almost no difference between them and the NDP that I can see at this point — it's NDP and NDP Light.' Brodie said she believes there are other members of the legislature who will join her party, but she declined to identify them. Two sitting members in the house give One BC official party status, which Brodie said would make the party more 'interesting to other MLAs, who are still in the Conservative caucus.' Kealy said in an interview Friday that he questioned the new party's electoral prospects. 'I think they'll have a very difficult time getting re-elected, because I think that spectrum of (potential) voters is becoming disenfranchised, and in all honesty, I think talk is cheap.' Kealy said his role as an MLA is to fix existing problems in his riding of Peace River North, adding that his experience of seeing the Conservatives turn into a 'big tent party' has made him 'cautious' about joining another party. 'I have said that even before I joined the Conservative Party, that I am doing this for my region first and foremost, and I will not be whipped by a party.' Brodie said the door remains open for Kealy. Mark Marissen, a political strategist and former mayoral candidate in Vancouver, said on social media that the emergence of One BC is the birth of a 'new anti-First Nations political party.' When asked about Marissen's comments, Brodie said the effects of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act need to be discussed in open and her party is committed to repealing it. 'It's taking a lot of communities by surprise,' she said. Brodie, who represents Vancouver-Quilchena, said the legislature needs to be a place where 'there are no topics that are off limit.' She said few people want to discuss the law passed by the NDP government on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in an 'open' and 'transparent' manner. 'They (would) just rather call people names, and shut down the conversation, and that's not going to help B.C.,' she said. Armstrong is the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. Brodie has been criticized in the past for comments about First Nations. In February, she wrote on social media that the 'number of confirmed child burials at the former Kamloops Residential School site is zero.' Speaking at an election event in October 2024, Brodie said First Nations demanding autonomy must take responsibility for the problems of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. '(When) a large percentage of your people are on the Downtown Eastside, it's important that you come take responsibility for that piece as well,' she said. 'It's not OK to leave your people dying.' Brodie said she doesn't deny what has happened at residential schools. The New Democratic Party said in a statement that the One BC members are 'fixated on spreading anti-Indigenous racism, attacking the LGBTQ+ community (and) stoking western separatism.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Minister agrees small boats crossings mainly men after Question Time claim
Darren Jones has said he agrees most people arriving by crossing the Channel in small boats are men, after previously appearing to suggest the majority are 'children, babies and women'. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury faced criticism for his remarks on the BBC's Question Time and sought to clarify that he was referring to a single boat that arrived when he visited the UK Border Security Command. Writing on social media site X, Mr Jones said: 'Of course the overall majority of people arriving illegally on small boats are men – but not 'north of 90%' as Reform claimed. Of course the overall majority of people arriving illegally on small boats are men – but not 'north of 90%' as Reform claimed. On @bbcquestiontime I shared a story from my visit to the Border Security Command about a dinghy that arrived mostly carrying women, children and… — Darren Jones MP (@darrenpjones) June 13, 2025 'On BBC Question Time, I shared a story from my visit to the Border Security Command about a dinghy that arrived mostly carrying women, children and babies who had suffered horrific burns. 'I'm happy to clarify this given how this is now being misrepresented.' Mr Jones said on Thursday's Question Time that 'the majority of the people in these boats are children, babies and women'. PA news agency analysis of Home Office data indicates that adult males made up 73% of small boat arrivals from January 2018 to March 2025 where details of age and sex were recorded. A further 9% of these arrivals were adult females and 16% were under 18. Speaking on the BBC programme, Mr Jones said that the Government had been returning people, and also spoke about a visit to the Border Security Command. 'When you're there on the site seeing these dinghies put together by these organised criminal gangs which are clearly not safe, and when you see that the majority of people in these boats are children, babies and women…' he said. He later added: 'When there are babies and children put into that position by human trafficking gangs who are coming across on the Channel with skin burns from the oil from those boats mixing with the salt seawater. 'I would ask any of you to look at those babies and children and say 'go back where you came from'.' He also said that the immigration system was 'left out of control' by the Conservatives. Asked about Mr Jones's comments, a Number 10 spokesman said on Friday: 'The Government is absolutely focused on tackling these vile smuggling gangs that risk lives in the Channel.' Asked if the Prime Minister had confidence in Mr Jones, the spokesman said: 'Yes.' The Conservatives accused Mr Jones of being 'completely out of touch with reality'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'No wonder this is shaping up to be the worst year on record for small boat crossings. 'If this is what passes for reality inside the Labour Government, Britain is in serious trouble.' People were pictured arriving in Dover on Friday. Figures up to Thursday indicated that 15,264 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025. The most on a single day this year was recorded on May 31, when 1,195 people arrived across 19 boats.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Defections are ‘good thing', claims Badenoch
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed defections from her party are a 'good thing' because the people leaving 'don't believe in conservatism'. Nigel Farage's Reform – which claimed to have 11,000 members north of the border – has taken a steady stream of councillors from the Tories in Scotland in recent months, most recently on Thursday when Aberdeenshire representative Lauren Knight made the move. The shift comes after the party surged in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election, rising to third and coming close to the SNP in the seat, won by Labour's Davy Russell. But despite the perceived threat to the Tories from Reform, Ms Badenoch said she did not have an issue with people leaving for the party. 'Reform are not a centre-right party,' she told journalists at the Scottish Tory conference. 'This is a party that's talking about nationalising oil and gas. 'This is a party that wants to increase benefits at a time when the benefits bill is so high. 'So if Nigel Farage is taking out of the Conservative Party the people who are not Conservatives, then I'm quite fine with that. 'One of the things that we ned to do is make sure that people see an authentic Conservative Party, we don't want people who want nationalisation and more benefits.' She later added: 'If offering a very, very clear kind of conservatism is now sending out the people from our party who don't believe in our values in the long run, that's a good thing. 'There is no point in us just accumulating lots of people who don't believe in conservatism just so we can win, then when we get into government, we can't govern. 'That's what we saw happen before, that's what we're seeing with Labour, they don't have a plan. 'They just had a plan to win elections and now they're going round and round in circles. 'We want to have people who believe in our agenda, not just people who want to be politicians.' The Tory leader also hit out at former Tory MSP Jamie Greene – who defected to the Lib Dems earlier this year, attacking his support for the Scottish Government's controversial – and ultimately blocked – gender reforms. 'How anyone could have supported what was obviously a mad piece of legislation and think themselves a Conservative is beyond me,' she said. Former party leader Jackson Carlaw and current health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane both also backed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. Speaking as she made her first appearance at the Scottish Tory conference since taking over as leader, Ms Badenoch declared Nigel Farage a 'threat to the union'. 'If he wants the SNP to have another five years, then that is a threat to the union,' she said. She pointed to an interview Mr Farage gave to the Times earlier this year where he suggested his party could side with the SNP ahead of Labour, but he added that Scotland was 'not going to leave the United Kingdom, it's not going to happen in a month of Sundays'. In her speech, the Tory leader said: 'In April this year, Nigel Farage said he would be fine with the SNP winning another five years in power. 'He's fine with another five years of higher bills, longer waiting lists, declining school standards, gender madness, and ultimately, independence.' Addressing members of the party, she said 'Scottish people deserve better' than another five years of the SNP – the party currently leading in the polls ahead of next year's election – while also announcing her party would scrap the windfall tax on oil and gas if it wins back power at the next UK-wide vote. While the SNP may be in the lead, some polls suggest Reform could beat Labour to second place and push the Tories to fourth. A pleasure welcoming @KemiBadenoch to Scottish Tory conference. Together, we're fighting for a common-sense future for our country 🇬🇧🏴#SCC25 — Russell Findlay MSP (@RussellFindlay1) June 13, 2025 'In April this year, Nigel Farage said he would be fine with the SNP winning another five years in power,' she said in her speech. 'He's fine with another five years of higher bills, longer waiting lists, declining school standards, gender madness, and ultimately, independence.' Addressing her first Scottish conference since taking on the top job, Ms Badenoch claimed: 'Reform will vote to let the SNP in, Conservatives will only ever vote to get the nationalists out.' Part of her 'positive vision of the future' includes 'standing up' for the North Sea oil and gas industry, with Mrs Badenoch claiming that by increasing the energy profits levy – also known as the windfall tax – the Tories had introduced, Labour is 'killing the oil and gas industry'. Speaking about the levy, she said: 'Frankly if it is allowed to remain in place until 2030, as is Labour's current plan, there will be no industry left to tax. 'Thousands will have been made unemployed and all the while we import more gas from overseas – from the very same basin in which we are banned from drilling.' She called on the UK Government to remove the energy profits levy, as she added that the Tories would also 'scrap the ban on new licences' for oil and gas developments that has been imposed since Labour came to power. 'We will champion our own industry,' Mrs Badenoch told supporters. 'We will let this great British, great Scottish industry thrive, grow and create jobs – ensuring our energy security for generations to come and making Scotland richer in the process.'
