Farage goes for the Lords
This morning the Times splashes on a letter from Nigel Farage to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, in which he demands that Starmer allow him to nominate Reform peers to the House of Lords. It is not a totally unreasonable request either, with the Greens and the DUP represented in the chamber and Farage has gone after Starmer for 'democratic disparity'.
Former Reform spinner Gawain Towler joins James Heale and Lucy Dunn on the podcast to discuss the likelihood that we will see teal in the Lords soon. And who would they nominate? Would Gawain accept a peerage?
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The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tories and Reform decry two-tier justice as suspended Labour councillor cleared
Conservative and Reform politicians have decried what they call 'two-tier justice' after a suspended Labour councillor who called for far-right activists' throats to be cut was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder. Ricky Jones, 58, faced trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of the offence after he described demonstrators as 'disgusting Nazi fascists' at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders. He was cleared on Friday. Nigel Farage and shadow home secretary Chris Philp both pointed to the idea of 'two-tier justice' in relation to the case. Mr Philp compared the case to that of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed after she posted a tweet calling for 'mass deportation' and 'set fire to all the f****** hotels' on the day of the Southport attacks last year. In a post on X, Mr Philp said: 'The development of two tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.' Ex-Reform chairman Zia Yusuf also referred to Connolly's case, and said that 'two tier justice in this country is out of control'. Connolly pleaded guilty last year to a charge of inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing 'threatening or abusive' written material on X, which meant she did not face a trial. In Jones' case, a jury deliberated for just over half an hour before they found him not guilty. A video showing Jones addressing crowds on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau. The suspended councillor said in the clip: 'They are disgusting Nazi fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.' He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd. Jurors deliberated for just over 30 minutes and found him not guilty on Friday. Jones, who wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and pale pink tie in the dock, was seen mouthing 'thank-you' at the jurors. Family and supporters hugged each other before Jones, who declined to comment on the verdict, was driven out of the court grounds in a car. The 58-year-old, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union, was arrested on August 8 last year and interviewed at Brixton police station that night. Jones, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by Labour the day after the incident. It is understood that a party investigation remains ongoing, and its outcome will decide what happens to his membership. A spokesperson for the party said at the time that his behaviour 'was completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated'. Giving evidence in his trial, Jones said his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them. Before he made the comment, jurors were shown video where he said to crowds: 'You've got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays. 'They don't give a shit about who they hurt.' He told the court he was 'appalled' by political violence, adding: 'I've always believed the best way to make people realise who you are and what you are is to do it peacefully.'
Western Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Tories and Reform decry two-tier justice as suspended Labour councillor cleared
Ricky Jones, 58, faced trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of the offence after he described demonstrators as 'disgusting Nazi fascists' at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders. He was cleared on Friday. Nigel Farage and shadow home secretary Chris Philp both pointed to the idea of 'two-tier justice' in relation to the case. This is another outrageous example of two-tier justice. — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) August 15, 2025 Mr Philp compared the case to that of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed after she posted a tweet calling for 'mass deportation' and 'set fire to all the f****** hotels' on the day of the Southport attacks last year. In a post on X, Mr Philp said: 'The development of two tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.' Ex-Reform chairman Zia Yusuf also referred to Connolly's case, and said that 'two tier justice in this country is out of control'. Connolly pleaded guilty last year to a charge of inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing 'threatening or abusive' written material on X, which meant she did not face a trial. In Jones' case, a jury deliberated for just over half an hour before they found him not guilty. A video showing Jones addressing crowds on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau. It is astonishing that Labour councillor Ricky Jones, who was caught on video calling for throats to be slit, is let off scot free – whereas Lucy Connolly got 31 months prison for posting something no worse. The development of two tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.… — Chris Philp MP (@CPhilpOfficial) August 15, 2025 The suspended councillor said in the clip: 'They are disgusting Nazi fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.' He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd. Jurors deliberated for just over 30 minutes and found him not guilty on Friday. Jones, who wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and pale pink tie in the dock, was seen mouthing 'thank-you' at the jurors. Family and supporters hugged each other before Jones, who declined to comment on the verdict, was driven out of the court grounds in a car. The 58-year-old, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union, was arrested on August 8 last year and interviewed at Brixton police station that night. Jones, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by Labour the day after the incident. It is understood that a party investigation remains ongoing, and its outcome will decide what happens to his membership. A spokesperson for the party said at the time that his behaviour 'was completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated'. Giving evidence in his trial, Jones said his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them. Before he made the comment, jurors were shown video where he said to crowds: 'You've got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays. 'They don't give a shit about who they hurt.' He told the court he was 'appalled' by political violence, adding: 'I've always believed the best way to make people realise who you are and what you are is to do it peacefully.'
Leader Live
39 minutes ago
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Lords does not need ‘Putin apologists like Farage', minister says
Defence Secretary John Healey said the Reform UK leader wanted to fill the upper chamber with 'his cronies', and accused his party of being 'conspicuously absent' from debate on the Ukraine war. In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Farage had said that a 'democratic disparity' in the Lords needed to be addressed. Reform has four MPs and controls 10 councils in England. When asked about the party leader's demands, Mr Healey said: 'The same Nigel Farage who called for the abolition of the Lords… now wants to fill it with his cronies. 'I'm not sure that Parliament's going to benefit from more Putin apologists like Nigel Farage, to be honest.' Asked whether that accusation was 'a bit strong', Mr Healey told LBC: 'Look at what he's said about Russia, look at what he's said about Putin in the past. 'At this point, when maximum pressure needs to be put on Putin to support Ukraine in negotiations, when the maximum condemnation of Putin is required from someone who is sitting down with Trump in Alaska but turning up the attacks on Ukraine, it needs all voices. 'And I have to say, the voice of Reform is conspicuously absent in any of our discussions and any of our defence debates about Ukraine and about Russia.' The minister urged Mr Farage, the MP for Clacton, to start 'weighing in alongside us and the other parties in the House of Commons' in condemning the Russian president. Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice accused the Defence Secretary of 'an absurd smear'. 'Is Mr Healey suffering from a touch of August sunstroke?' he said. During the general election campaign last year, Mr Farage was criticised by leaders from across the political spectrum for suggesting the West provoked the Ukraine war. He also said he disliked the Russian president but 'admired' him as a political operator because 'he managed to take control of running Russia', in a BBC interview. Mr Farage has repeatedly denied that he supports Mr Putin and said he is clear that the Russian leader is to blame for the war. The Reform leader has previously called for Lords reform, writing in an article for the Telegraph in February that 'a smaller chamber is needed'. In his letter to the Prime Minister, first reported by the Times, Mr Farage said: 'Reform UK wishes to appoint life peers to the upper house at the earliest possible opportunity.' In what he described as a 'modest request', he said it was time that Reform was represented in the unelected second chamber. 'My party received over 4.1 million votes at the general election in July 2024. We have since won a large number of seats in local government, led in the national opinion polls for many months and won the only by-election of this parliament,' he said. Political appointments to the Lords are made at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who is under no constitutional obligation to elevate opposition figures but will sometimes ask other leaders to nominate individuals. In December, Sir Keir appointed 30 new Labour peers, including his former chief of staff Sue Gray – which Mr Farage said at the time showed the ruling party's 'lofty ambition' to abolish the Lords had 'fallen by the wayside'. The Conservatives appointed six new peers, while the Liberal Democrats appointed two.
