Labour deports more foreign offenders as parties toughen immigration stance
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch appeared to back the idea that 'camps' could be set up to house asylum seekers instead of hotels.
While Reform have claimed they're the only party to 'put the safety of women and children first'.
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The National
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'Combined right' Tory and Reform vote reaches record high in new poll
Research by the think tank More in Common put the Tories on 22% of the vote with Reform UK in the lead on 30%. It means that the 'combined right' vote amounts to 52%, which is a record level according to More in Common's UK director Luke Tryl. READ MORE: David Lammy broke law while fishing with JD Vance Farage is the least unpopular party leader with a rating of minus four, while LibDem Ed Davey comes in at minus eight. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch posted a rating of minus 22 and Keir Starmer finished dead last on minus 39 points. This week's voting intention shows an 8-point lead for Reform while the Tories bump up after their low last week to tie with Labour ➡️ REF UK 30% (-1) 🌳 CON 22% (+4) 🌹 LAB 22% (nc) 🔶 LIB DEM 13% (-1) 🌍 GREEN 6% (-1) 🟡 SNP 2% (-1) N = 2,015 | Dates: 8 - 11/8 | Change w 3/8 — Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) August 13, 2025 Speculation is rife that the Tories may end up in a coalition with Reform if Farage's party does not win outright at the next Westminster election, though both parties have both ruled this out. READ MORE: JD Vance panned for 'lies about Scotland' ahead of luxury Ayrshire holiday However, some within the Conservative Party believe it is inevitable. Tory mayor of the Tees Valley, Lord Houchen, told the BBC in April that if the number of Tory and Reform MPs 'create a significant majority' then 'obviously there's going to be a conversation to form a coalition or some sort of pact'.
The National
2 hours ago
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BBC pulls radio segment after guest calls Robert Jenrick 'xenophobic'
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ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Conservative leader 'understands' public opposition to elected mayors in Hampshire and Sussex
Public opposition to the introduction of new elected mayors in the South of England is "understandable", according to the Conservative leader. Kemi Badenoch said "devolution doesn't fix problems" but as Labour was pushing ahead with the reforms "we have to make the best of it". The government is creating new mayoral positions for 'Sussex and Brighton' and 'Hampshire and the Solent'. They would be similar to those in London and Greater Manchester – with powers over transport, housing, employment, policing and fire services. The role does not replace local councils, but ministers are separately carrying out a major shake-up of local government, abolishing separate district and county councils and forming new large unitary authorities. The first mayoral elections in Hampshire and Sussex are planned for May 2026, pending the approval of Parliament and some of the affected local councils. An official public consultation found 62% of residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight disagreed with the proposed new governance arrangements. Out of 5,988 respondents, just 24% agreed with the proposals. Opposition was even higher in Sussex, with 66% of the 5,959 members of the public who responded to the consultation disagreeing with the plans for a mayoral combined county authority. Asked by ITV News Meridian if she understood local opposition to the new directly-elected mayors, Kemi Badenoch said: "Yes, I do understand it and I've seen it all over the country. "But Labour has decided that. We're not in government anymore. The Conservatives are the opposition so we have to make the best of it." People on the Isle of Wight share their views on plans for a new 'Hampshire and the Solent' mayor Kemi Badenoch added: "The thing is, devolution doesn't work if you get the wrong people in. Where devolution goes wrong, as we've seen with the SNP running Scotland and Labour running Wales, is that when people don't have good ideas, don't have the high calibre of candidates then it will go wrong." The Tory leader visited Ryde alongside the party's candidate for mayor of Hampshire and the Solent, Donna Jones, Isle of Wight East MP, Joe Robertson, and Shadow Chancellor, Mel Stride. The Conservatives are the only major party to select their candidates for the new mayoral races in the South. Long-serving police and crime commissioner, Katy Bourne, is the party's pick for the Sussex position. Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party all plan to announce their candidates in due course.
