What has reaction been to the UK-EU deal?
Fallout continues from yesterday's summit and the announcement of a deal between the UK and EU – or is it fair to call it 'fallout' as, despite criticism over the deal from Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, has the public got Brexit fatigue?
James Heale and Michael Simmons join Patrick Gibbons to talk about the reaction to the deal. Fisheries has taken up most discussion but Michael points out a lesser talked about commitment to energy policy. And, with the government keen to talk about it in tandem with recent deals with India and the US – and Gulf states soon, according to Rachel Reeves this morning – what's the political narrative around the summit?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Civil unrest could sweep through Britain because of failure to control immigration, Nigel Farage warns
CIVIL unrest could sweep through Britain because of a decades-long failure to control immigration, Nigel Farage has warned. The Reform chief said he is 'deeply worried' that riots like those in Northern Ireland and Southport will spread after successive governments opened the floodgates to foreigners who refuse to integrate. Mr Farage claimed communities feel 'completely ignored' when raising concerns about the arrivals' impact on crime and public services. He said that years of brushing off complaints as 'you're a bad person' has turned the country into a pressure cooker — 'and in the end it explodes'. Mr Farage spoke to The Sun on Thursday at The Talbot in Blackpool, Britain's first Reform pub. His warning came in the wake of rioting in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. What began as a peaceful protest responding to the arrest of two Romanian teenagers accused of attempted rape turned into nights of hate-filled riots. Mr Farage said: 'Nobody condones setting fire to houses and hunting down foreigners. 'But there was a population of people, the Roma people, that were put into Ballymena who cannot possibly integrate with the locals and have a completely different set of standards of life beliefs.' He added: 'The truth of it is that immigration only works if you have integration with it. If you don't, you have a divide. 'And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict. 'I am very, very deeply worried about what's happening.' Masked yobs set fire to NI leisure centre 'used to house locals fleeing riots' as violence hits Ballymena for 3rd night Responding to the Ballymena rioting, which began on Tuesday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he 'utterly condemns the ongoing violence'. Downing Street said the local police have the PM's 'full support' in 'continuing to restore order to keep peace and to keep people safe'. 1
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Nobody who enters UK illegally should EVER be allowed to stay – it's totally unfair on law-abiding, taxpaying Brits
IT is barely gone 11.30am and Nigel Farage is already clutching a pint. Not an unusual sight for the man once forced to clarify that he is 'a boozer, not an alcoholic'. 5 5 5 But today's glass of 'Remainer tears' — the name plastered on the tap from which the beer was poured — will taste particularly sweet, for he is drinking it in Britain's very first 'Reform pub'. The Talbot in Blackpool used to be associated with the Conservative Party, but, like so many people in the country the landlord and his punters have switched allegiances. Now it is Farage to whom they give a hero's welcome as he and his entourage sweep into the seaside town on an overcast Thursday morning. Dozens of mostly middle-to-older-aged men, many sporting Reform's turquoise ties, have gathered to see the closest thing they have to a political rock star. A beaming Farage enters the venue to a wall of cheers, then the usual scrum for handshakes and selfies begins. So does he regard himself to be the ultimate man of the people? 'Politicians invent myths of who they are to try to sell themselves to the public,' he tells me. 'I am deeply worried' 'I never do any of that. I'm just as I am. 'Quite frankly, I don't care whether people like me or don't like me, but I think I'm able to go out and talk to everybody in a way that perhaps Sir Keir is not.' Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in 'all-inclusive resorts' paid £700M a year of YOUR money Farage is certainly true to his word to be straight-talking as we tackle some of the UK's most pressing problems. I also appear to have a live audience for my interview, for the punters show no signs of going back to their drinks, instead cheering on their man as he gives his answers. Our discussion comes in the shadow of the ugly riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. What began as a peaceful protest against two Roma teenagers accused of attempted rape has spiralled into nights of hate-fuelled violence. Mr Farage confesses he is 'deeply worried' that similar unrest could erupt across Britain, blaming decades of failure to control the nation's borders and manage integration. He claims communities feel 'ignored' when voicing concerns about the strain mass arrivals place on crime rates and public services. To raucous applause from the Talbot faithful, he declares that years of dismissing such grievances as 'you're a bad person' have turned the country into a pressure cooker. 5 'In the end, it explodes,' he warns. 'Nobody condones setting fire to houses and hunting down foreigners. 'But there was a population of people, the Roma people, that were put into Ballymena who cannot possibly integrate with the locals and have a completely different set of standards of life beliefs. 'Immigration only works if you have integration with it. 'If you don't, you have a divide. And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict. 'I am very, very deeply worried about what's happening.' Our conversation turns to comments made last year by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who sparked outrage by suggesting that 'not all cultures are equally valid' in determining who should be allowed into the country. While Mr Farage makes a catty joke that he has 'never heard of' Ms Badenoch — a recent strategy to push her into irrelevance — he dismisses the notion of comparing cultures as a waste of time. 'Our culture is our culture. Whether it's superior or inferior to Far Eastern culture or wherever else is irrelevant. 'It's our culture. It's what we know. It's what we love. And we don't want anybody from anywhere challenging it and threatening it.' I ask about reports that white British children have now become a minority in some schools. 'It's not about colour — it's about do you fit in with the community,' he says. 'Totally unfair' He continues: 'One of the reasons Reform is doing so well is because this party is framed around values: Family, community, country. 'If you get huge numbers of people coming in who have totally different value systems, it doesn't matter whether they are white or black or Asian. That's irrelevant. They're not going to fit in.' The topic shifts to illegal migration — comfortable terrain for the Reform leader, who launches into a devastating attack on Sir Keir's approach to 'smashing the gangs' and ridiculing Chancellor Rachel Reeves' promise to end the use of costly hotels, albeit not for another four years. Farage reminds me he first warned of an 'invasion' in 2020, recalling the backlash he faced for taking to the Channel in a boat to highlight the surge of dinghies arriving in Kent. 'I was vilified. But 150,000 men later, I think I'm about right.' Home Office statistics reveal a record 14,812 illegals arrived in small boats during the first five months of this year alone. By comparison, in 2024, that figure wasn't reached until July. On Saturday, May 31, 1,194 migrants landed in England on dinghies — the highest number in a single day, obliterating the previous record of 825 set earlier in the month. Immigration only works if you have integration with it. If you don't, you have a divide. And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict Nigel Farage Reform has pledged to deport 'every illegal immigrant' in Britain, but the party has yet to convince the public it has a credible plan for achieving this. When pressed on how Reform would succeed where both the Tories and Labour have failed, Farage replies: 'Understand it's not an easy thing to do. We're giving it real, real thought. 'But be clear, no one who comes into Britain illegally should ever be given permanent leave to remain, should ever be going to the benefit system. 'It's totally unfair to law-abiding taxpayers in this country. It's also totally unfair to immigrants who come to Britain legally and spend a lot of money and time doing it.' The answer seems good enough for the gathered voters who cheer their man as we wrap up our interview. The moment the interview ends, Leah Pettinger, a 49-year-old service veteran from Barnsley, who is one of the attendees, presents her political hero with a portrait she did in her new life as an artist. 'Common sense' In the painting Mr Farage's eyes are bulging out of their sockets because he has his 'Eyes On The Prize' — the title of the artwork. 'I think he's a man of the people,' she tells me. 'He has spoken to a lot of ordinary people here today. He has pulled himself a lovely pint of lefty tears from the bar, which is fantastic.' She is echoed by 76-year-old Jim Redgewell, a former Labour voter who has become a Reform fan. 'I was brought up to be a Labour voter, but life has taught me it's not quite right,' he says. 'I don't mind where people come from, because I'm associated with all sorts of people. 'You know, gay people, black people, Chinese. I don't care where they come from, as long as they don't harm the people that I know. 'We want a safe country to live in, where we can trust the police.' John Ormston, the 55-year-old owner of Kodak Express Blackpool, experienced a similar political awakening — but in his case swapped sides from the Tories. He says: 'The Conservatives were given a massive mandate, Boris didn't deliver, so like a lot of other Conservatives, we just fell out. 'It wasn't conservatism — there's not been conservatism for a long, long time, and I believe Nigel brings back not only the conservative side, but he also brings back common sense.' As Mr Farage drains the last of his pint, the Reform faithful around him buzz with a sense of renewed purpose. For many in that pub, he has not just aired their frustrations — he has voiced a worldview they felt had long been ignored. Whether Reform can turn that raw energy into a Westminster government remains to be seen — but in the Talbot in Blackpool, the revolution was already on tap. 5
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kemi: SNP are stoking the politics of envy… Scots deserve better
Kemi Badenoch has insisted Scots 'deserve better' than the SNP as she launched a blistering attack on its failings in government – and claimed Nigel Farage is a threat to the Union. The Conservative leader said Scotland is in decline under a Nationalist government focused on stoking division, with education, justice and the NHS going backwards while millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash is wasted on 'independence propaganda' and the ferries fiasco. She said the SNP needs to be defeated in next year's Holyrood elections because 'the Scottish people deserve better', and are 'paying for more and getting less'. She also claimed that Nigel Farage is a threat to the Union because he does not care about more SNP rule. In her first address to the Scottish Conservative conference as leader, she said: 'We have seen Scotland decline under the rule of Left-wing parties that stoke division and the politics of envy.' She said education standards have fallen to record lows on the SNP's watch, while police numbers have plunged and the NHS recovery is ' lagging behind England' – with 100 times as many patients in Scotland's hospitals waiting more than 104 weeks for treatment than south of the Border. She said the SNP was still 'obsessed' with breaking up Britain and has been 'wasting millions on independence propaganda'. And she accused the Nationalists of wasting money on 'failed ferry projects', hate crime laws which threaten free speech and 'putting male rapists in women's prisons'. She said: 'This year we saw the SNP suffer yet another loss in the Supreme Court, because instead of sorting out Scotland they were trying to redefine what a woman is. 'This is not a party focused on what people in Scotland need, so we need to bring about their electoral defeat. Because the Scottish people deserve better.' She insisted that 'the answer to these problems does not involve any more devolution'. Hitting back at Reform, which finished ahead of the Tories in third place in last week's Hamilton by-election, she said: 'The Union is just not that important to them. 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. 'Reform will vote to let the SNP in, Conservatives will only ever vote to get the Nationalists out.' Her comments about Reform refer to Mr Farage saying in a recent interview that he is 'not that worried about the SNP' and that the party is 'going to have a resurgence'. Asked by journalists after her speech in Edinburgh if Mr Farage is an 'active threat to the Union', Ms Badenoch said: 'If he wants the SNP to have another five years, that is a threat to the Union, so yes.' On the Barnett Formula – the funding mechanism which delivered an extra £9.1billion over three years to Scotland in this week's spending review – she said it was not the problem, 'it is the SNP that is the problem'. She said: 'It doesn't matter how you change it, they're still going to mess things up. 'What we need to do is get the SNP out of running Scotland, and then all sorts of things will start to improve.' In her speech, Ms Badenoch condemned the income tax gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK, and said: 'The SNP's failure to grow Scotland's economy has cost public services more than £1billion in this year alone. And that's before Labour's jobs tax kills growth. 'Scottish people are paying for more and getting less.' She said she will demand that the windfall tax on oil and gas is ended, saying: 'I didn't agree with imposing the levy in government ... But it is a good example of what I think we got wrong.' Introducing Ms Badenoch yesterday, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: 'We are under new management: two new leaders with a shared vision to renew our party and champion our common sense Conservative values. 'We are both realistic about the challenges we face, but we are also optimistic that our party can earn back public trust. 'Our country needs a strong Conservative and Unionist Party that can win again across the United Kingdom. We need it because of the damage that our rivals are doing to our country. 'The SNP are weaker for Scotland. Look at the mess they have made of our beloved country.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said of Ms Badenoch: 'The suggestion that she is the only one who can address the concerns of Scots is like an arsonist claiming they are best placed to put out the fire.'
