logo
Kemi Badenoch mocked for basic Scotland-Wales gaffe

Kemi Badenoch mocked for basic Scotland-Wales gaffe

The National16-05-2025

CAN someone please help Kemi Badenoch.
The Tory leader is having a hard enough time of it watching her party haemorrhage voters and members to Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK, let alone the reputational damage she's suffering from her dismal performances at Prime Minister's Questions.
Now, it seems Badenoch is confused even about where she is.
For clarity: the Tory leader is in Wales for the Welsh Conservative conference this Friday. Maybe one of her aides could let her know.
Because somewhere on the way to Llangollen, Badenoch got a bit turned around.
Speaking to the Welsh Tory conference in the Welsh town, Badenoch said it had been 'wonderful to meet so many MSPs'.
Except, as keen-eyed readers will know, MSP stands for Member of the Scottish Parliament …
Badenoch almost certainly meant to say she had met Members of the Senedd – the Welsh Parliament. But who can tell the devolved nations apart anyway.
Welsh journalist Will Hayward shared the gaffe on Bluesky, leading one user to say: 'Obviously the catastrophic sequence of Johnson, Truss and Sunak is responsible for the (very pleasing) destruction of the modern Tory party, but it'll always be hilarious that they chose Badenoch to oversee their funeral and postmortem.'
A second added: 'Making a run for 'worst leader of a political party', but still a long way to go to match Starmer's performance this week.'
And a third quipped in response: 'But she doesn't make gaffes …'
(Image: BBC) The reference is to Badenoch's increasingly infamous claim, made more than once, that she has 'never' had a gaffe and does not make them …

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

5mph speed limits: another bonkers Labour idea to make drivers' lives hell
5mph speed limits: another bonkers Labour idea to make drivers' lives hell

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

5mph speed limits: another bonkers Labour idea to make drivers' lives hell

The war on motorists grows more bizarre every day. Wales, long ruled by Labour, remains the source of the most bonkers ideas. Earlier this year, Jane Hutt MS, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, appeared to be floating the idea of a speed limit of 5mph being appropriate 'in some circumstances'. 🚨WELSH GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE 5MPH SPEED LIMITS?🚨 Welsh Government minister @JaneHutt appears to endorse cutting speed limits to as low as 5mph, before saying the 20mph policy, which cost taxpayers £32m, was "welcomed by the people of Wales". Out of touch. — DOGE Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿💰 (@SeneddWaste) May 20, 2025 That is roughly the speed of a horse-drawn carriage, so long as it was walking. A trotting horse would typically do double that speed, leaving Ms Hutt in the dust in her car, presumably before being promptly turned into glue for speeding, if the Senedd had its way. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. After all, this is the administration which famously withdrew support 'for all major road projects in Wales because of climate change', and pushed through the controversial 20mph blanket speed limit across all residential roads and busy pedestrian streets in 2023. Nearly two years since the imposition of the policy, Welsh drivers remain furious. And who can blame them? The speed limit is a stick with which to beat drivers into swapping their cars for bicycles and public transport. 'To suck every bit of joy out of driving and make life miserable for drivers,' as a friend once put it. He's picked up nine points, all for driving around 24 or 25 miles per hour, after struggling to rein in a life-long habit of driving at a slightly more reasonable and efficient pace. 'I spend the whole time looking at the speedometer,' another told me. 'The journey to work takes about 20 minutes longer, so I burn fuel for longer and pay more for it'. With a minimum fine of £100 and three penalty points for going over the limit and prosecutions starting at 26mph, the costs to motorists are considerable. The risk of loss of licence and even livelihoods for some is a real danger. There are also more cars on the road for longer, resulting in increased stop-and-go traffic, with frequent braking and accelerating also contributing towards greater fuel consumption and associated costs. Then there's the wider costs. The Welsh government's own research reportedly found that the 20mph policy could potentially cost the economy £4.5bn, though spread over 30 years. This analysis was signed off by the minister for climate change in January 2023 as 'a fair and reasonable view of the expected impact' of the policy, but – in line with the eco evangelism proudly adopted by her government – that she was 'satisfied that the benefits justify the likely costs'. But it's not only in Wales that drivers are being driven out of town. This side of the border motorists are being caught out by 'low traffic neighbourhoods' which not only imposed steep fines when the often imperceptible borders are innocently breached, but have been blamed for increasing pollution on major roads where poorer residents typically live. One scheme set up by Lambeth council in south London was deemed unlawful by the High Court after it ruled the authority had failed to properly listen to residents' concerns. Cash-strapped councils are raising ever-growing sums from parking permits and fines. Across Britain, local authorities have raised £360m from residential parking permits over the last five years, according to Cinch, the online car dealer. Top of the list was Wandsworth Borough Council, which collected £38m from residential permits between 2020 and 2024 alone. And that's before you add in fines from mistakes like driving in bus 'gates' and lanes as well as car parking charges. Back to Wales and its obsession with slow driving. Sense has prevailed in Wrexham at least, with some roads already returning to a 30mph limit. We must not let the age-old argument of safety hold back progress. An infamous New York Times article from 1928 raised concerns around 'horseless carriages' being driven without the added intelligence of a second creature. The answer was to improve safety, not to place restrictions that would make them less efficient than the horse-drawn carriages they were destined to replace. The same is true today, with technology gradually making cars safer. That's not to mention the improved air quality the advent of electric cars – over which I have other concerns, perhaps best discussed in another piece – will usher in at least in this country. As ever, families and businesses are left to pick up the price of government interference, through higher running costs and missed opportunities caused by delays, and in some cases, even the loss of livelihood.

Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row
Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row

South Wales Argus

time4 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row

Nilesh Sachdev, the Welsh Government's preferred candidate to take the helm at Natural Resources Wales (NRW), appeared before the Senedd's climate committee on June 11. On his CV, Mr Sachdev boasts of securing £6bn of UK Government investment as chair of East West Rail (ERW) which is leading on a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge. The railway was controversially reclassified as a Wales-and-England project by the UK Treasury, denying Wales any consequential funding through the Barnett formula. Llŷr Gruffydd, who chairs the committee, asked: 'I was just wondering whether you have any qualms about… how does it look that potentially the chair of one of the biggest public bodies in Wales is actually spending Welsh money on England-only projects?' During the pre-appointment hearing, Mr Sachdev replied: 'A very fair and reasonable ask, I guess, I think I'll turn it around the other way: what a great opportunity. 'I managed to persuade, through my board and chief executive, to get the government in England to give all that money to East West Rail, I wonder what we could do here. 'So, I think there's an opportunity of saying: how can we, in Wales, put a case forward that makes sure the money that Welsh taxpayers are paying stays here?' Mr Gruffydd pressed concerns about his involvement with ERW, saying: 'I know you don't decide where the money comes from – but you're the guy signing the cheques.' Asked about his motivation for wanting to be chair of NRW, Mr Sachdev pointed to his passion on climate change and a recent move to Bristol. 'In fact, it's quicker to get here than it would be from Abergavenny in the traffic,' he said. He told the committee: 'I want to play a part in a community I dearly respect and have an affection for in an area I deeply care about.' Pressed about his local links, the father of three confirmed he has never lived in Wales but said his wife's grandparents were born in Gower and his son attended Cardiff University."

Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row
Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row

Western Telegraph

time4 hours ago

  • Western Telegraph

Senedd hears incoming NRW chair embroiled in rail funding row

Nilesh Sachdev, the Welsh Government's preferred candidate to take the helm at Natural Resources Wales (NRW), appeared before the Senedd's climate committee on June 11. On his CV, Mr Sachdev boasts of securing £6bn of UK Government investment as chair of East West Rail (ERW) which is leading on a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge. The railway was controversially reclassified as a Wales-and-England project by the UK Treasury, denying Wales any consequential funding through the Barnett formula. Llŷr Gruffydd, who chairs the committee, asked: 'I was just wondering whether you have any qualms about… how does it look that potentially the chair of one of the biggest public bodies in Wales is actually spending Welsh money on England-only projects?' During the pre-appointment hearing, Mr Sachdev replied: 'A very fair and reasonable ask, I guess, I think I'll turn it around the other way: what a great opportunity. 'I managed to persuade, through my board and chief executive, to get the government in England to give all that money to East West Rail, I wonder what we could do here. 'So, I think there's an opportunity of saying: how can we, in Wales, put a case forward that makes sure the money that Welsh taxpayers are paying stays here?' Mr Gruffydd pressed concerns about his involvement with ERW, saying: 'I know you don't decide where the money comes from – but you're the guy signing the cheques.' Asked about his motivation for wanting to be chair of NRW, Mr Sachdev pointed to his passion on climate change and a recent move to Bristol. 'In fact, it's quicker to get here than it would be from Abergavenny in the traffic,' he said. He told the committee: 'I want to play a part in a community I dearly respect and have an affection for in an area I deeply care about.' Pressed about his local links, the father of three confirmed he has never lived in Wales but said his wife's grandparents were born in Gower and his son attended Cardiff University."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store