The Daily T: Musk v Trump, Yusuf v Reform — inside the right's fight with itself
It's been a tumultuous twenty four hours on the right, both in the UK and in the US.
Firstly, Reform chairman Zia Yusuf resigned from the party yesterday evening, claiming that 'working to get a Reform government elected' was not 'a good use of my time'.
Then, Donald Trump and Elon Musk's row deepened further, with Musk calling for the president to be impeached and claiming that Trump was was 'named in the Epstein files'. Trump for his part said Musk was 'wearing thin' and had 'lost his mind'.
Former Conservative blogger turned Reform activist Tim Montgomerie joins Camilla Tominey and Gordon Rayner to reflect on Zia Yusuf's departure from Reform, plus they speak to one of Reform's most recent defectors from Labour, Scottish local councillor Jamie McGuire, about the party's results in the Hamilton by-election where it came third behind Labour and the SNP.
They also catch up with Daily Telegraph Senior US Correspondent Rob Crilly about the escalating war of words between two of the world's most powerful men.
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BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Harlow housing block dubbed 'open prison' to be redeveloped
Councillors have unanimously backed their authority buying a 14-storey building that was controversially converted from offices into temporary leader of Harlow Council in Essex, Dan Swords, said Terminus House had been "a massive postcard image of the decline of Harlow" and said the authority would redevelop the town centre leader, Labour's James Griggs, said he supported the plans, but his primary concern was what would happen to the 150 to 200 people living council said it would take ownership once the current owner has re-housed the residents. The owner, Caridon, said the building had helped hundreds of people avoid homelessness. 'An open prison' Glen Lane, 65, has lived in the tower block in one room with an en-suite since 2018. He described conditions as "the worst place I have ever lived in", saying it "feels like an open prison, probably worse than an open prison".Mr Lane was homeless and said he struggled to get on the local council housing list."It's depressing. It's got a reputation this property. It's embarrassing when I put my address down," he said."I feel quite ashamed about it as I haven't always lived like this. I used to have my own property and job but I lost all that." His room is only a few square metres in size. At the end of his double bed, the kitchen the last eight months he said the property had been plagued with insects. He had used insect powder but they were still "climbing on me at night when I'm sleeping". Crime rose by 20% in the area around Terminus House after it was turned into accommodation in 2018, according to police figures.A BBC East and Panorama documentary highlighted the cramped conditions. In 2021, the government imposed a minimum size of 37 sq m (398 sq ft) on new office to flat conversions. 'Housed out of Harlow' Harlow Council has become the largest landowner in the town centre, buying up buildings to regenerate them into new housing, leisure and retail authority's latest decision to buy Terminus House has brought uncertainty about the building's future. Conservative leader Dan Swords said plans were being finalised on whether it would be demolished or he said in any scenario it would look "completely different from that which it does now"."The existing tenants, which have largely nearly all come through temporary accommodation from London boroughs, will be housed outside of Harlow," he said. Labour's James Griggs argued that "sending them back somewhere else seems completely wrong".He told the BBC that some people had been living there for years. "There are families who now consider themselves Harlow families. They have children in Harlow schools, the parents are working in the town."The redeveloped site would likely include housing. The local authority has not disclosed how much it was paying for Batrick, a charity organiser who supports local families, said many people living in Terminus House would be "reeling at the news that their homes will be going"."There is a real concern about the human element of this," she said. Caridon, the company that owns Terminus House, said in a statement the building met "a pressing need for temporary accommodation at a time of limited options". "The building has since supported hundreds of individuals and families in avoiding homelessness and finding stability during difficult periods," it at his flat, Mr Lane welcomed Harlow Council's plans."I'm glad they are doing it. It definitely needs upgrading," he where he and others will end up living is not currently known. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
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Belfast City Hall: What do people think of new plans to charge £4 for exhibition?
Should people be charged to tour a Belfast City Hall exhibition?On Monday, People Before Profit councillor Michael Collins proposed to drop Belfast City Council's plan to charge people £4 to visit the venue's ground floor exhibition, which is usually a vote TUV councillor Ron McDowell was the only politician to second the proposal while the other parties voted against scrapping plans for the new News NI went along to find out what tourists and locals thought about being charged £4 for self-guided tours in the future. What are people being charged for? In May, Belfast City Council agreed plans to charge people a £4 entrance fee to the city hall ground floor exhibition as part of its 'City Hall Income Generation Project'.It was decided that free tours should take place through community visits organised by councillors and that under 18s would be exempt from the new members of the public can turn up for a walk-in booking or book exhibition tickets for up to nine people by email at no cost. Collins said plans to raise revenue by increasing the prices of services was "worrying"."An exhibition that really was free, is now going to be charged. Where does this end? Will we start charging people to access the building itself?", he who seconded the proposal said that he felt Collins had a point, "considering this building is owned by the citizens of Belfast" that it would be charging them for something they "already own". The DUP, SDLP, UUP, Green Party, Sinn Féin, Alliance Party and one Independent councillor voted against the proposal to scrap the new News NI contacted the main parties. A spokesperson for the DUP group on Belfast City Council said that they have a "strategic plan" to deliver more benefit to the ratepayers of the city. "At present tourists to the city, mainly large groups from cruise ships, are accessing the exhibition for free and costs for staffing etc are being absorbed by ratepayers."The £4 charge means visitors can pay £10 to access both the exhibition and a tour of city hall."Provision has been made for residents of the city to still access these for free through civic dignitaries or councillors." What's free and what's not? It is currently free to visit the City Hall visitor exhibition. The exhibition opened in 2017 and is found on the east wing of the ground floor. If offers a self-guided journey from Belfast's past to present across six themed zones, stretching through 16 city hall offers a separate 45 minute guided tour for visitors which costs £6 for adults and is free for tour offers glimpses into areas not usually accessible to the public like the council chamber and some of the upstairs public has full access the toilets, coffee shop, gift shop and stained windows along the north west and north east corridors from the main reception. There are no plans to change this. What do members of the public think? Geraldine and Martin O'Hare, originally from Belfast, came from Melbourne to visit O'Hares have lost neither their accent nor their nostalgia for Belfast."If you come to Belfast, you have to see the City Hall. For Australians or anyone, the City Hall is Belfast. Not the docks. Not the parks."That's what it's all about", Martin told BBC News later, he was reunited with his aunt outside the iconic building that he said is a central part of Belfast for tourists and locals alike. Geraldine told BBC News NI that everything in the city hall should be free for those who live in Northern Ireland, instead of the free tours having to be booked through a councillor."A public building should be available for the public, the people of Northern Ireland and Belfast especially.""It's there for the public to use and even a bonus for the visitors of Belfast", she added. Visiting Belfast from Copenhagen, Henrick thought that £4 "isn't too bad". Fresh from doing the tour, he said it was a "great experience" where you can "read a lot about the history of Belfast and Northern Ireland"."I think you can make tourists pay for it and then the members of the city or community should be free of charge. That's a way you can do it", he added. Sahid Zaman and Zerin Salma weren't as enthusiastic about paying for the tour."It's very good but not worth the money. I think it should be open to all people so they don't need to pay that", Sahid message for councillors was clear: "I think it should be free – keep it as it is". "This is our own history so you shouldn't pay", Zerin added. Fionnuala McCarten and Ted Workman were visiting the city hall to register the birth of their four-week-old daughter Fiadh. Asked if they would pay for the exhibition, Fionnuala said if she was tourist she would but if you live here, "there's no point".Ted agreed: "As someone who lives here I wouldn't pay £4 but maybe as a tourist I actually would because if I was visiting a different country I probably would to go in and check out the history and stuff". Stockport Trefoil members Eva, Ashley and Jean are in Northern Ireland for the Trefoil national meeting in Belfast on Saturday. They popped into the exhibition before heading over to the the Titanic museum. Jean told BBC News NI that in Manchester "a lot of the tours you have to pay but they are free to local residents so maybe that is the way to go".Eva thinks that £4 is a reasonable amount for visitors but said because it was free, it was "more of a tempting offer". She said she felt "rates" that local people pay mean it should be free for them. No date has been set yet for the charges to come into action and the council has already decided they will be reviewed after one year.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
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How stunned Joe Rogan reacted to Trump and Musk war in real time during Kash Patel interview
It was supposed to be just another no-holds-barred conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience, but what unfolded in real time stunned even Joe Rogan himself. Midway through the recording of Rogan's high-profile interview with FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday afternoon, chaos was erupting on social media. Donald Trump and Elon Musk, once the closest of political allies and collaborators, were detonating their relationship in a flurry of public insults, threats, and finally, an explosive accusation that would leave political world gasping. 'Jesus Christ,' Rogan muttered, his eyes widening as he read aloud Musk's now-infamous post: 'Time to drop the really big bomb. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That's the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' The podcast had already been knee-deep in a discussion of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 's shadowy network, when Rogan's producer put up Musk's incendiary post on the screen. It was an accusation aimed squarely at Trump, dragging him into the murky world of Epstein's infamous island and the so-called 'Epstein files' - flight logs and documents long rumored to implicate the powerful and well-connected. 'I'm not participating in any of that conversation between Elon and Trump,' Patel said immediately, distancing himself from the explosive spat. But Rogan couldn't look away. 'Someone should take his phone away,' Rogan muttered, incredulous. 'Jesus Christ that's a crazy thing to say. How does he know? Does he have access to the Epstein files?' Patel remained calm but firmly replied: 'I don't know how he would. But I'm staying out of it. That's way outside my lane.' Still in disbelief Rogan added: 'What the f*** are they doing?' The Musk-Trump row had been simmering for days, but few expected it to erupt so spectacularly. 'I understand he owns Twitter, but I think it's bad for your mental health,' Rogan said moments later. 'Posting all day and arguing with people all day - that can't be good for you.' 'I know my lane and that ain't it,' Patel said again, staying as far from the blast zone as possible. Hours earlier, at a White House meeting, Trump had lashed out at Musk's blistering critique of his prized 'Big Beautiful Bill,' calling the Tesla founder 'very disappointing.' From there, the tit-for-tat escalated with breathtaking speed. Musk upped the ante by threatening to back a third-party challenger, a nightmare scenario for Republican strategists. Trump, never one to back down, retaliated by publicly musing about cancelling Musk's multi-billion-dollar government contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense. By Friday, as word of the Musk-Trump implosion spread, Washington seemed to be in full crisis mode. Senior Republicans scrambled to contain the damage, fearful that the spectacle could derail crucial legislation, including Trump's controversial tax and border spending bill, which Musk had labeled an 'abomination.' 'I hope it doesn't distract us from getting the job done,' Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington) told reporters nervously. Others practically begged for a reconciliation. 'When the two of them are working together, we get a lot more done,' Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Fox News. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) posted a photo collage of Trump and Musk, pleading: 'Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?' But Trump, in true Trump fashion, showed no interest in extending an olive branch. 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' he scoffed when asked about Musk during a phone interview with ABC News. 'I'm not particularly interested in talking to him.' Later, aboard Air Force One en route to his Bedminster golf club, Trump struck a more detached tone. 'Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, Russia, Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk. I just wish him well,' he told reporters, even as aides privately fumed that Musk's accusations could inflict serious damage. Still, the president couldn't resist one last jab: 'He's lost it.' The political earthquake was soon matched by a financial one. Tesla's stock plummeted more than 14% on Thursday amid the very public feud, wiping out nearly $100 billion in market value before recovering slightly by Friday. At the White House, aides whispered that Trump was considering getting rid of the bright red Tesla Model S he famously purchased earlier this year, a symbol of the bromance that once was. Musk is seen jumping on stage as he joined Donald Trump during a campaign rally last October 'He's thinking about it, yes,' a senior White House official confirmed. Meanwhile, Musk remained unusually quiet on Friday, steering clear of his usual rapid-fire posting on X, the platform he owns and has aggressively reshaped. For Trump, Musk's financial and political support had been crucial. The billionaire donated nearly $300 million to Trump's 2024 campaign. But Musk, too, has much to lose.
