Robert Jenrick isn't running for Tory leader. Honest
Jenrick went to Stratford station to castigate unsuspecting fare dodgers he filmed appearing to break the law as he claimed lawbreakers were 'chipping away at society'. He also hits out at other crimes on the rise, including tool theft, drugs in town centres and 'weird Turkish barber shops'.
Jenrick was defeated by Kemi Badenoch in last year's Conservative leadership election but, ironically for a hardline Brexiteer, while he lost, he's not got over it. The former immigration minister continues to wade into issues well beyond his brief, including Tube fare dodging (which comes under the Home Office and Transport rather than Justice).
In numerous interviews today Jenrick has painted an apocalyptic image of the capital under the mayoralty of Labour's Sadiq Khan (who has defeated three Tory challengers to remain in the job), including the completely unsubstantiated claim that the closures of numerous night-time venues was due to young Londoners being afraid to go out.
When challenged by Times Radio's Hugo Rifkind with the actual statistics which show that crime in London is lower than it was 20 and 30 years ago, Jenrick hit back: 'I'll call you out on that, because there is a big rise in London, as across the country, for things like mobile phone theft.'
Could Jenrick think of one possible reason, perhaps, why more mobile phones are being stolen in 2025 than there were in 1995…?
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The Herald Scotland
39 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Voters feel ignored & betrayed by Scotland's political establishment'
This seems barely believable. I'd always imagined Reform to be a peculiarly English political force feeding mainly on the racial tensions that swirl south of the Border and which have never really been a feature of Scottish society. What gives in this region which had only lately been annexed in the devolved era by the SNP following generations of largely Labour control? Why are decent, cautious, working-class Scots, traditionally suspicious about end-of-the-pier chancers like Nigel Farage, now shuffling towards the party he leads? Read more We've been joined by Thomas Kerr, the most high-profile of recent Scottish Tory defections to Reform. Kerr, formerly head of the Conservative group on Glasgow City Council, is fresh from a lively appearance on BBC Scotland's Debate Night. There, he'd been harangued by representatives of the main parties who've all been quite palpably spooked by these upstarts. 'We're sensing an urgency among voters that something needs to be done to address their real problems and challenges, none of which are currently being addressed by Labour and the SNP,' says Lambie. 'There's growing resentment at the amount of money and time being spent on meeting Net Zero targets which are of only peripheral concern to families here, while NHS waiting lists get longer. They feel ignored by Scotland's political establishment.' Within minutes we're approached by an elderly lady. An exchange ensues which couldn't have been more telling than if it had been scripted. She's been a lifelong Labour voter but now feels 'betrayed by their attack on the winter fuel payment'. When she learns that Reform have pledged to restore this and to scrap the two-child benefit cap, she says the magic words: 'I'd consider voting for you.' A second woman stops for a chat. She didn't know much about Reform and had voted SNP at the last election, but she's keen to talk. 'I grew up in the Blackwood estate,' he tells her. 'Oh, my mum grew up there too,' she says. The candidate is keen not to be too vociferous in criticising his political opponents, sensing that such an approach is often counter-productive. 'They've had 18 years,' he says, 'and they haven't improved anything in this community.' She isn't disagreeing and I'm putting her down as a 'maybe'. In the course of the next two hours not a single person has declared for Labour or the SNP, but several are inclining towards Reform. 'What Labour voters are telling us follows a pattern,' he says. 'There's an overall feeling of betrayal. They're absolutely raging about what they see as an attack on pensioners over the heating allowance. Kevin McKenna joins Reform UK candidate Ross Lambie canvassing in Larkhall (Image: GordonTerris) 'The way the WASPI women have also been treated is also raised and they've clearly turned against Keir Starmer as a person. They also feel they've been taken for granted and when they find that we've pledged to lift the two-child benefit cap they're taking an interest in us.' As the afternoon progresses and a few more people stop to chat, I realise I am witnessing in real-time the worst nightmare of the Scottish Tories and the Scottish mainstream Left. Once, when Labour voters wanted to send a sharp message to their party they might have parked their votes temporarily with the Lib-Dems and maybe the Greens. In places like this, though, many now view these parties along with the SNP and elements in Labour as middle-class elites who can't hide their loathing for communities like these. For Labour, it's an even worse nightmare. These are their people, generations of whom backed them in the expectation Labour would always fight for their jobs and better services while providing a safety net for them in sickness, unemployment and old age. Labour, in turn, were comfortable in the knowledge that many in places like these could never vote for the Tories. But what if another party would came along with candidates raised in this community who weren't posh? A party like Reform would be the ethical alternative to voting Tory. Working-class people needn't apologise for choosing them. I also sense a dawning realisation amongst some of these voters that Scotland's governing party has been hijacked by a cohort who loathe the people who live in places like Larkhall and North Ayrshire and some of Glasgow's edgier neighbourhoods where family, faith and tradition have always maintained social cohesion and community. Reform candidate Ross Lambie canvassing (Image: Gordon Terris) Lambie rejects my suggestion that Reform's suite of newly-minted policies around social welfare are a bit opportunistic. 'Look, we want to have high birth rates in this country and to support families. It's all about choices. There's a sense that the ruling elite at Holyrood would prefer to prioritise a Net Zero obsession which contributes nothing to the lives of these people. 'What's also pleasing is that our support is not breaking along tribal or sectarian lines. We're receiving indications of approval, if not outright support, from people of all party political traditions who, for different reasons, all feel let down by the parties they've always voted for. They're willing to consider Reform because they sense we're actually listening to them instead of merely pretending.' When he talks about Net Zero he's on solid ground. Lambie says he's a successful architect who says he doesn't need to do politics. 'Once you strip out all the Net Zero requirements in building regulations it reduces the average price of a house by £30,000,' he says. 'The drive for reaching Net Zero punishes people who are striving to make a good life for themselves amidst rising living costs and wages which haven't caught up with them. Are our birth rates are so low because people don't have the confidence to start families? Is it because they don't feel good about our education system or flexible working patterns that would support making families?' There's a curious anomaly at work here, though. The falling birth rates present major social problems as baby-boomers approach old age. It's a gap that can be plugged by immigrant labour, but not when Nigel Farage is talking about Anas Sarwar's ethnicity after the Scottish Labour leader's calls for more Pakistani Scots to become involved in politics. This, after all, was the messaging of white, Catholic Irish immigrants in the post-war era: 'Get educated, get promoted, become influential.' Just what is it about Sarwar's messaging that seemed to have upset Nigel Farage so much? I sense that both Ross Lambie and Thomas Kerr are exasperated by Farage's comments. After all, Reform are doing a decent job of picking up disaffected Labour votes without making race an issue. I press Lambie on this. Farage's comments seem to covey something ugly. Read more 'I meet people like you and Thomas,' I tell him, 'and you both seem to be sound. But you must have winced when he starts talking about people's ethnic heritage. A lot of the people you want to level up are minorities who've previously been kept down: Black, Asian, Chinese, Afro-Caribbean, Gypsy, Irish...' Mr Lambie chooses his words carefully, managing to distance himself from his leader's comments without overtly criticising him. 'I absolutely agree with you,' he says. 'Reform's position on this has always been that we believe in merit. People should get promotion and work on merit. It should not matter what age they are, whether a man or a woman, or what ethnicity they are. 'Whereas SNP and Labour, they have gone down this rabbit hole of DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] and want to try and socially engineer the make up of companies and governments and councils. We just do not believe in that. 'You judge Reform based on the people in it like me, from a working-class background. My parents are from the council estate just down the road.' At this point, Thomas Kerr is trying to source a couple of copies of the Daily Record. On today's front page it carries a picture of John Swinney and his personal message to voters: 'Labour can't win this by-election so if you want to beat Reform the only way to stop them is vote SNP.' It's a clumsy and desperate stunt transmitting fear. Today, in these streets, there's a growing sense of voting Reform to stop the SNP. Kevin McKenna is a Herald writer and columnist and is Scottish Feature Writer of the Year. This year is his 40th in newspapers. Among his paltry list of professional achievements is that he's never been approached by any political party or lobbying firm to be on their payroll.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
New plans to provide Winter Fuel Payments to more pensioners could be due next week
An update on Uk Government plans to issue the heating payment to 'more pensioners' could be given on June 11. Keir Starmer reveals partial U-turn on Winter Fuel Payment cut Details on when Winter Fuel Payments could be restored to more pensioners could be announced next week. The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, recently indicated the Spending Review by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday, June 11 could be when an update is given. Limiting the annual payment of up to £300 to only those in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit or Universal Credit (for mixed age couples), was one of the earliest moves made by the Labour Government when it set out plans to deal with what it called a £22 billion 'black hole' in the public purse left behind by the outgoing Conservative government. Sir Keir Starmer recently said at Prime Minister's Questions that he wants to restore Winter Fuel Payments to 'more pensioners,' claiming the UK's improving economic prospects could allow for the move at the next 'fiscal event'. Many in Westminster took the PM's comments to mean the Budget in the Autumn, but Ms Rayner suggested it could come sooner during a recent appearance on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News. She said: "I think that we've got the upcoming Spending Review, and I'm sure that the Chancellor will set it out when we've got the opportunity, at the first opportunity, she will set out what we'll be able to do.' Asked if this means details on the Winter Fuel Payment will definitely be announced at the Spending Review, Ms Rayner added: 'I don't know, but I hope so. 'I mean, the Prime Minister has announced it, so logically to me that indicates that the Prime Minister wants to do something in this area. And if the Prime Minister wants to do that, I'm sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.' Ministers are reportedly considering restoring the payment to all but the wealthiest pensioners, according to the Sunday Times, but could face delays rolling it out this winter due to ageing computer systems. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the immediate restoration of the Winter Fuel Payment when she appeared on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, on May 25. She said: "We need to restore it right now. We would never have taken the winter fuel (payment) away. We kept it for 14 years - we brought in the Triple Lock - we look after pensioners.' By contrast, the Scottish Government announced earlier this year that all 1.1 million pensioners living north of the border would receive at least £100 this winter. First Minister John Swinney confirmed to the Daily Record last month that payments of either £100, £203 or £305 would be issued by St Andrew's Day on November 30. Options to reintroduce Winter Fuel Payments Full reversal One option would be a full reversal of the decision to strip the benefit from millions of pensioners. The decision to make it available only to those who claim pension credit last year meant those claiming Winter Fuel Payment fell by almost 90 per cent and saved around £1.5 billion a year, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates. Undoing last year's policy change would make some 11 million more households eligible and of course wipe out the £1.5 billion in savings. Create a specific threshold for Winter Fuel Payments Creating a new threshold and means test would allow households not on Pension Credit to apply directly for Winter Fuel Payments. Raising it 20 per cent above the Pension Credit threshold would cost around £100 million and see payments go to around 400,000 more families, according to the Resolution Foundation. One option would be to model this on Child Benefit by allowing all pensioner households to claim but then require those above a certain income level to pay some back via a self assessment tax return, the IFS notes. But there is a risk to adopting 'a clunky bureaucratic mechanism for what is, ultimately, a relatively small payment', IFS associate director Tom Waters warned. Expand entitlement to those who get disability or housing benefits Some 1.8 million more households could get Winter Fuel Payment at a cost of around £500 million per year if entitlement is extended to those on disability benefits, the IFS estimates. However, this would be more complicated to put in place in Scotland, where disability benefits are devolved. Extending eligibility to include those on housing and disability benefits would give support to 1.3 million more pensioner families at a cost of £300 million a year, the Resolution Foundation estimates. This would be an 'affordable' and 'sensible way forward', chief executive Ruth Curtice said. Pay Winter Fuel Payments to individuals, not households One difficulty in allocating the Winter Fuel Payment is that it currently goes to households rather than individuals. Changing this would mean the UK Government could do a means test on an individual basis and use information that it already records for income tax purposes. It would see pensioners with a low income but with a high-income spouse get the winter fuel payment. However, it could also see couples get twice as much winter fuel payment as single people, where at the moment a single person would get the same amount as a couple sharing a household.
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Russell Findlay wants SNP out of power for ‘collective good of society'
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has said he wants to see the SNP out of power at next year's Holyrood elections for the 'collective good of society'. The Conservative refused to rule out working with other parties to achieve that as he accused John Swinney's party of being responsible for 'gargantuan' waste of public cash while in office. Having only been elected to Holyrood in 2021, Findlay will be fighting his first election campaign as Scottish Tory leader next year. Speaking to Holyrood magazine, the former journalist insisted he would 'never, ever work with the SNP' – but said it would be 'silly to say no' to potential deals with either Labour or the Liberal Democrats. With the Scottish Parliament elections not taking place until May 2026, the Tory said it would 'complete folly for me at this point to start speculating on what that might look like'. But he also made clear his main aim for next year is to 'get the SNP out of power'. His comments come as polls suggest the SNP, which has been in power at Holyrood since 2007, is on course to remain the largest party. However, with polls also indicating Nigel Farage's Reform UK could win a number of seats at the Scottish Parliament, it seems unlikely the SNP will have an overall majority after May's election. That surge in support for Reform could see the Tories lose seats at Holyrood, with Findlay's party – which is currently the main opposition – possibly falling to third or fourth place in the election. Findlay said he was a 'realist' as he accepted he is unlikely to be Scotland's next first minister. However, he spoke out about his ambition to oust Swinney from Bute House. PA Media The Tory leader wants to remove John Swinney's SNP from power 'for the collective good of society' (Jane Barlow/PA). The Tory said: 'Despite John Swinney having a spring in his step and this sudden belief that he's going to hang about for a decade, we need to get them out for the collective good of society, we need to get the SNP out of power.' On the prospect of a deal with either Scottish Labour or the Liberal Democrats, Findlay said: 'If the Lib Dem leader or Anas Sarwar, or whoever it might be, wants to speak to me, it would be silly to say no.' While he stressed this was 'all very speculative', the Scottish Conservative leader admitted he did 'worry' about the country's prospects if the SNP remain in power. He said: 'I've had to live under the SNP for a lot of my adult life, I see the damage they're doing to the city I live in, Glasgow, and across the entire country.' He criticised the SNP's handling of government finances, accusing the party of 'gargantuan' waste. He stated: 'The mis-spending in Scotland is utterly ridiculous and I think any serious political party, any credible government, will be able to identify that and do something about it. 'If you gave me 10 minutes in St Andrew's House, in the filing cabinets, I'd find tens of millions of pounds worth of savings.' The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
