logo
Word cloud exposes Labour's biggest success is after 1 year

Word cloud exposes Labour's biggest success is after 1 year

The National04-07-2025
Pollsters More in Common asked voters to list Labour's biggest achievement after one year in power, and the top answer by a landslide was "NOTHING".
More in Common are known for their word clouds, like this one for Keir Starmer (which is also features a huge NOTHING), and this one for Rishi Sunak, just before the General Election in July last year.
They are fantastic visuals to really get across the overall opinion of the sample set, or better yet, really put the sting in the perception have of you.
I've personally never seen a bigger and more brutal NOTHING.
READ MORE: Glasgow locals give verdict on Keir Starmer's Labour after one year in power
It's followed by the NHS, but that is actually the only other thing you can read without squinting. Or is that just my eyesight?
Those asked were also asked to say, in their own words, what they thought the UK Government's biggest mistake in the last year was.
"It's one of the most stark word clouds we've seen," UK Director Luke Tyrl wrote on Twitter/X.
Winter Fuel Allowance drowns everything else out.
But we can also see immigration, benefits, welfare and economy. So all good in Downing Street, aye?
With his Chancellor crying in the Commons and his predecessor launching a new party, proclaiming "real change is coming", I'm sure the Prime Minister is having a very happy first anniversary in office.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Keir Starmer promises government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's Crown Works Studios on track
Keir Starmer promises government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's Crown Works Studios on track

ITV News

time14 minutes ago

  • ITV News

Keir Starmer promises government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's Crown Works Studios on track

Sir Keir Starmer has promised the Government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's flagship Crown Works Studios project back on track. It emerged earlier this summer that the main private backer behind the £450 million film and TV studio development had pulled out. North East leaders are now pushing to find new investors to ensure that the huge regeneration, earmarked for the banks of the River Wear in Pallion, can go ahead. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Tuesday, the Prime Minister pledged his support in the hunt for new investment that can deliver a project hailed as the biggest boost for the region since the arrival of Nissan. The Government has already put £25 million into the Crown Works plans, via the devolution deal which established the North East mayor last year, while the local authorities have committed to a total public investment of up to £120 million. Asked what support Downing Street had offered since Cain International's withdrawal from the Crown Works deal, Sir Keir said: 'Let me be really clear on this because I know it really matters – we really want to see this landmark project come to fruition. It is such a good project, good for jobs, good for growth. 'We announced £25 million of funding for the studios in the Autumn Statement to support filmmaking and economic growth, and we are working with the mayor [Kim McGuinness] very closely because we need to get private investors to get in behind this. 'I am determined that we will do everything we can to see this project come to fruition. It is really important locally, it is a huge thing, and we need to give it our full backing.' Global entertainment company Fulwell Entertainment, who were behind the Sunderland 'Til I Die Netflix series, had partnered with Cain on the joint venture to build 19 sound stages on the riverside plot. The firm has said it remains committed to working with Sunderland Council to find new funding for the filmmaking hub. It had been hoped that the scheme could create more than 8,000 jobs and Labour's new creative industries strategy specifically highlights the 'game-changing plans for film production in Sunderland'. Planning permission for the development was secured last year, but detailed approval has only been granted for a first phase of building that would include four sound stages, production offices, workshop buildings, and a multi-storey car park. City council leader Michael Mordey has previously said that he expects to have new funding secured by the time that land remediation works at the site are completed later this year.

Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour
Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour

The Independent

time14 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour

People smuggling arrests by the UK's organised crime agency have fallen under Labour, despite Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to "smash the gangs", as the number of small boat migrants arriving since he took charge soars past 50,000. The latest National Crime Agency (NCA) data shows 192 people were arrested for organised immigration crime in the year to April – down 16 per cent from 229 under the Tory government the previous year. Labour has faced growing criticism over its failure to cut the number of people making the perilous crossing, with education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith admitting the figures were 'unacceptable'. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the latest arrest figures proved 'it's never been easier to be a people smuggler', while former home secretary Chris Philp said they proved Starmer's big talk about smashing the gangs has been an 'abject failure'. It comes as the government ramps up its efforts to tackle the issue amid growing public anger, which has sparked a series of violent protests outside migrant hotels across the country. The prime minister has adopted a hardline approach on immigration, with a string of new measures announced, as he tries to win back voters and fend off the surge in popularity from Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Earlier this year, Yvette Cooper announced an extra £100m to tackle people-smuggling gangs, including 300 more staff at the NCA ' focused on intelligence targeting crime gang members'. And last week, Sir Keir confirmed that the first migrants had been detained under the new 'one in, one out' swap deal between the UK and France – although none have yet been sent back to Europe. The Home Office has also expanded its 'deport now, appeal later' scheme, which sees foreign criminals deported before their appeals have been heard. Despite the fall in people smuggling arrests last year, the NCA said it has "dedicated more resources than ever before' to tackling the threat from organised immigration crime. NCA acting deputy director Dan Barcroft said: 'Arrests on their own are not the only way to judge impact. We have also achieved record numbers of disruptions against people smugglers – 347 last year, up almost a third - each of which will have removed, prevented or reduced a criminal threat.' 'Arrest figures may fluctuate, but over the last four years the NCA has been involved in more than 900 arrests relating to organised immigration crime in the UK and overseas.' The Home Office told The Independent that further people smuggling arrests have been made by Immigration Enforcement and police forces, but refused to share any details. A spokesman said: 'We are taking firm and targeted action to dismantle the organised criminal networks responsible for dangerous small boat crossings – networks that put vulnerable lives at risk and undermine border security.' Reacting to the figures, Mr Jenrick said: 'Starmer said he'd smash the gangs but arrests of people smugglers are down and record numbers of migrants have crossed this year. For all of Starmer's talk, it's never been easier to be a people smuggler.' A Labour MP on the right of the party told The Independent they were 'frustrated' by the government's pace of action. They said: 'The public think we're basically not doing anything and don't believe smashing the gangs will make any material difference. And so far, their suspicions are being borne out by the facts. We have to move heaven and earth to get and show we have control.' Over the past decade, the NCA has been involved in over 2,200 arrests linked to immigration crime in the UK and overseas, with a 93 per cent conviction rate. While the figures do not exclusively cover small boat migration, a large proportion of such crimes involve bringing people across the Channel. This includes arrests across the people smuggling operations chain, from those who supply small boats to lorry drivers illegally ferrying migrants. The NCA told The Independent it is currently leading 91 investigations into organised immigration crime. Despite lower arrest numbers, the NCA said its increased disruptions 'reflect a move towards taking the fight to gangs upstream, focusing on the highest harm networks, and hitting them where the impact on their business will be greater'. One such example last month saw the NCA and Bulgarian law enforcement seize 25 inflatable boats set for use by people smugglers crossing the Channel. Sunder Kutwala, director at the British Future thinktank, said the government's best shot at tackling the problem is to scale up the one-in-one-out deal with France to 500 or 1,000 people a week. 'If [people smuggling] is a lucrative business, and the barriers to entry are pretty low and the cost of getting your dinghy slashed is quite low – or getting low-level operatives arrested is low – you'll always get new entries to the market' he told The Independent. 'The government has now got a shot at establishing the returns deal and, with enforcement, it looks more viable than any of these offshoring models [like Rwanda]. If I was the government, I would [scale up] quickly not slowly.' The number of migrants crossing into the UK by small boats is up 47 per cent from the same time last year, at record levels. Fourteen people have already died this year trying to cross into the UK, with the highest on record (73) last year, and a woman, 30, died on Monday while trying to board a boat attempting to make the crossing to the UK from Dunkirk. The Mayor of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, said that the situation "can't stand much longer". He called for the creation of a "legal immigration route to the UK" saying "our coastline is a daily witness to an absurd, ineffective and terribly cruel management of the migration crisis".

'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone
'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone

Daily Record

time14 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone

Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes in four Scottish cities as "little more than cash cows" in a blistering statement. A row has broken out after a Reform UK politician urged Renfrewshire Council to rule out ever introducing congestion charges or a low emission zone (LEZ). ‌ Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes as "little more than cash cows" and said the local authority "must have no part in this" in a blistering statement. ‌ But the elected member for Renfrew North and Braehead has been accused of "hyperbolic word salad" on an issue that was settled almost two years ago. ‌ In September 2023, the SNP administration confirmed it was not considering the introduction of an LEZ in Paisley or any other part of Renfrewshire at a full council meeting. Councillor McGuire, who defected from Labour to Nigel Farage's Reform in June, said: "Scotland's four main cities already have LEZs in place and their experience should be a warning. "These schemes have acted as little more than cash cows, generating income for councils while hitting those who can least afford it. ‌ "People on the lowest incomes, who are far more likely to drive older vehicles, have been penalised simply for trying to get to work, take their children to school or care for relatives. "Renfrewshire must have no part in this. A congestion charge or LEZ in our towns would be a hammer blow to local households and businesses. We are a working community that depends on accessible, affordable transport. "Many residents travel across Renfrewshire for work, education, and caring responsibilities, while small enterprises rely heavily on vans and cars to serve customers and move goods. ‌ "Imposing extra charges on them is not just unreasonable, it risks undermining our local economy and making it harder for people to live and work here." He added: "The SNP-led Renfrewshire Council must act now to rule out – clearly, unequivocally and permanently – ever introducing either a congestion charge or a low emission zone in our area. "Residents deserve certainty, not the constant threat of new charges hanging over them." ‌ Councillor Jim Paterson, SNP convener of the planning and climate change policy board, claimed Councillor McGuire was "trying to raise his profile" with the comments. The elected member for Renfrew South and Gallowhill said: "Another day, another fabricated outrage from Councillor McGuire. "The position of the SNP administration and indeed Councillor McGuire on this issue was settled in 2023 when the Conservative group called on the council to rule out establishing any form of LEZ in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire for the duration of this council term. "The SNP position along with a Labour amendment was agreed then by the vast majority of councillors which stated that the council would not consider the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ/ULEZ) in Paisley or any other parts of Renfrewshire. That position remains unchanged. "Councillor McGuire, like his newfound political hero Nigel Farage, may like to trade in misinformation but to imply that there has been any change to the agreed position of 2023 is just nonsense and to suggest there is a 'constant fear' hanging over residents is just hyperbolic word salad from a councillor desperately trying to raise his profile to secure the top spot in his party's internal list for Holyrood 2026."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store