Latest news with #Beales
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Department store chain shutting last shop TODAY after 140 years as it's wiped off high street due to Budget tax hikes
The historic store launched a scathing attack on the Chancellor before shutting up for the last time today SHUTTERS DOWN Department store chain shutting last shop TODAY after 140 years as it's wiped off high street due to Budget tax hikes AN ICONIC department store has been forced to shut its last branch after 140 years of trading due to Rachel Reeves' Budget hikes. Beales has confirmed its last ever shop, located in the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole, Dorset, will be closing for good today. 2 The Poole branch was the final department store to close Credit: Alamy 2 Beales hit back at the Chancellor's economic policies by announcing a "Rachel Reeves' Closing Down Sale" Credit: FACEBOOK - BEALES POOLE It marks the end of an era for the one of the oldest faces of the British high street, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881. Struggles began for the retailer when it entered administration in January 2020, forcing the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. Despite weathering the financial storm for the past five years, Reeves' economic policies proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the iconic departmental store. Beales hit back at the Chancellor's economic policies by announcing a "Rachel Reeves' Closing Down Sale". On social media, the popular chain joked that it had fallen victim to the Budget "black hole". The closure will also affect an NHS clinic, which is located on the top floor of the Poole store. It was set up in 2021 to reduce waiting times, but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. The death of the high street is the death of communities Beales chief executive Tony Brown explained that business had become "unviable" following the Chancellor's Budget last October. He said: "This, coupled with the risks and uncertainty of further tax increases in the coming years, have left us no other option. "We have been working with the Dolphin Centre, who have been supportive, along with our investors to ensure an orderly exit. "Our team has been informed, as have our suppliers. We will ensure the exit is managed and no one will be left with a financial loss." Below the advert for the "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale", which included discounts of up to 80%, the high street favourite launched a scathing attack on the Chancellor. A caption on the store's Facebook page read: "Our closing sale is almost over (cheers for the help, Chancellor) - and we've just dropped hundreds of lines to 80% OFF or more! "Grab a bargain before we vanish into the budget black hole. #FinalSale #80Off #LastChance #WhenItsGoneItsGone." UK Retail Shake-Up: Superdry and More It has struggled to cope with rises in national insurance contributions and higher minimum wage which came into effect last month. Like many other businesses, Beales faced higher employer NI contributions, which have risen from 13.8% to 15%. Additionally, the threshold at which these contributions must be paid has been lowered from £9,100 to £5,000. It came as the national minimum wage was notably increased, rising to £12.21 per hour. For workers aged 18-20, the minimum wage increased to £10 per hour from £8.60. These changes to the tax system were confirmed by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget last October and came into effect on 1 April. The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) warned this closure could be the first of many as retailers continue to struggle with mounting costs. Commercial director Jeff Moody said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about Beales shutting up shop. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." He added: 'This is not just the loss of another shop. "It represents the end of a retail institution that has served communities for nearly one-and-a-half centuries. 'This closure starkly illustrates the devastating impact that recent tax increases are having on our retail sector.' At its peak, Beales operated 41 stores across the country, selling a range of furniture, cosmetics, fashion products and toys. The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Department store chain shutting last shop TODAY after 140 years as it's wiped off high street due to Budget tax hikes
AN ICONIC department store has been forced to shut its last branch after 140 years of trading due to Rachel Reeves' Budget hikes. Beales has confirmed its last ever shop, located in the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole, Dorset, will be closing for good today. 2 It marks the end of an era for the one of the oldest faces of the British high street, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881. Struggles began for the retailer when it entered administration in January 2020, forcing the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. Despite weathering the financial storm for the past five years, Reeves' economic policies proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the iconic departmental store. Beales hit back at the Chancellor's economic policies by announcing a " Rachel Reeves ' Closing Down Sale". On social media, the popular chain joked that it had fallen victim to the Budget "black hole". The closure will also affect an NHS clinic, which is located on the top floor of the Poole store. It was set up in 2021 to reduce waiting times, but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. The death of the high street is the death of communities Beales chief executive Tony Brown explained that business had become "unviable" following the Chancellor's Budget last October. He said: "This, coupled with the risks and uncertainty of further tax increases in the coming years, have left us no other option. "We have been working with the Dolphin Centre, who have been supportive, along with our investors to ensure an orderly exit. "Our team has been informed, as have our suppliers. We will ensure the exit is managed and no one will be left with a financial loss." Below the advert for the " Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale", which included discounts of up to 80%, the high street favourite launched a scathing attack on the Chancellor. A caption on the store's Facebook page read: "Our closing sale is almost over (cheers for the help, Chancellor) - and we've just dropped hundreds of lines to 80% OFF or more! "Grab a bargain before we vanish into the budget black hole. #FinalSale #80Off #LastChance #WhenItsGoneItsGone." UK Retail Shake-Up: Superdry and More It has struggled to cope with rises in national insurance contributions and higher minimum wage which came into effect last month. Like many other businesses, Beales faced higher employer NI contributions, which have risen from 13.8% to 15%. Additionally, the threshold at which these contributions must be paid has been lowered from £9,100 to £5,000. It came as the national minimum wage was notably increased, rising to £12.21 per hour. For workers aged 18-20, the minimum wage increased to £10 per hour from £8.60. These changes to the tax system were confirmed by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget last October and came into effect on 1 April. The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) warned this closure could be the first of many as retailers continue to struggle with mounting costs. Commercial director Jeff Moody said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about Beales shutting up shop. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." He added: 'This is not just the loss of another shop. "It represents the end of a retail institution that has served communities for nearly one-and-a-half centuries. 'This closure starkly illustrates the devastating impact that recent tax increases are having on our retail sector.' At its peak, Beales operated 41 stores across the country, selling a range of furniture, cosmetics, fashion products and toys. The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Iconic high street chain to shut its last ever store in just HOURS after more than 140 years trading
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONE of Britain's oldest department stores will shut its last remaining branch after more than 140 years of trading. Beales, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881, has launched a closing down sale before they shut the doors for the last time in hours. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Beales in Poole was the last remaining department store Credit: Alamy Beales at the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole will close for good on May 31. Retail industry bosses said the closure of the historic store 'illustrates the devastating impact' of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage. Beales chief executive, Tony Brown told BBC: "We've looked at everything - these are not decisions you take likely. "We looked at a whole raft of redundancies but to get to where we needed to be the shop itself wouldn't be able to open most of the time because we wouldn't have enough people. "Obviously, it's devastating especially for the staff who have tried so hard over the last five years." The retailer has also come under pressure from shifting shopping habits in recent years, with younger shoppers turning away from large high street stores towards online rivals. In January 2020, Beales tumbled into administration, leading to the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. The NHS clinic was set up on the top floor of the department store in 2021 to reduce waiting times but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. Beales operated 41 department stores in market towns across the UK at its peak, selling a range of furniture, fashion, toys and cosmetics. Popular retailer to RETURN 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 236 stores The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. It comes after a series of store closures by The Original Factory Shop with another 10 shops closing in the coming weeks. Other businesses have warned of price rises and closures as a result of the Budget tax hikes. New Look began ramping up its store closure programme prior top April's National Insurance increase. Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online. Fans of Paperchase were devastated when the retailer disappeared from the high street in April 2023. Its 134 shops all closed after it fell into administration, including its concession stands in Next and Selfridges. However, supermarket giant Tesco bought the rights to the brand and the brand is now stocked at 250 Tesco supermarkets. M&Co, previously called Mackay's, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022. M&Co's brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing. The chain's 170 shops were not part of the deal though and all sites closed their doors at the start of 2024. Popular chain Cath Kidston, which once boasted hundreds of shops around the world, closed the last of its stores for good in June 2023. The brand was bought by Next after falling into administration in the March - but the sale didn't include the physical shops and remaining sotres closed that summer. You can buy Cath Kidstone products on the Next website Topshop disappeared after falling into administration during the pandemic. The brand was bought by Asos and is now sold online. The ecommerce giant has teased a return to bricks and mortar though.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Iconic high street chain to shut its last ever store in just HOURS after more than 140 years trading
ONE of Britain's oldest department stores will shut its last remaining branch after more than 140 years of trading. Beales, which first opened in Bournemouth in 1881, has launched a closing down sale before they shut the doors for the last time in hours. Beales at the Dolphin Centre shopping mall in Poole will close for good on May 31. Retail industry bosses said the closure of the historic store 'illustrates the devastating impact' of the rise in national insurance contributions and the higher minimum wage. Beales chief executive, Tony Brown told BBC: "We've looked at everything - these are not decisions you take likely. "We looked at a whole raft of redundancies but to get to where we needed to be the shop itself wouldn't be able to open most of the time because we wouldn't have enough people. "Obviously, it's devastating especially for the staff who have tried so hard over the last five years." The retailer has also come under pressure from shifting shopping habits in recent years, with younger shoppers turning away from large high street stores towards online rivals. In January 2020, Beales tumbled into administration, leading to the closure of 22 of its 23 shops. The shop in Poole reopened the same year after relocating to the shopping centre and remained the only Beales store standing. The NHS clinic was set up on the top floor of the department store in 2021 to reduce waiting times but will now move to St Mary's hospital on June 5. Beales operated 41 department stores in market towns across the UK at its peak, selling a range of furniture, fashion, toys and cosmetics. Popular retailer to RETURN 13 years after collapsing into administration and shutting 236 stores The high street chain shut its store in Southport last September just three years after the site reopened. It comes after a series of store closures by The Original Factory Shop with another 10 shops closing in the coming weeks. Other businesses have warned of price rises and closures as a result of the Budget tax hikes. New Look began ramping up its store closure programme prior top April's National Insurance increase. Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. FAMOUS NAMES GONE FROM THE HIGH STREET Beales is not the only brand that's been wiped from the high street in recent years. Ted Baker, fell into administration last March after years of turmoil. At the time it had 46 shops in the UK employing around 975 people. The last stores shut in August after failing to secure a full rescue. It was relaunched as an online brand in the UK and Europe after a partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. Flooring retailer Carpetright filed for administration in July after efforts to turnaround the struggling firm were derailed by a cyber attack. The business had 1,800 staff and 273 shops across the country before going bust. Around 54 stores were snapped up by its arch rival Tapi Carpets & Floors, which also bought its brand name and continues to run the brand online. LloydsPharmacy, once the UK's second biggest community pharmacy chain, went into liquidation in late January 2024 with debts of £293million. The previous year it had closed all of its pharmacies inside Sainsbury's and divided its 1,000 pharmacy estate into packages of hundreds of stores that it then sold to rivals in smaller deals. There are no more LloydsPharmacy-branded sites on the high street, but it continues to operate online. Fans of Paperchase were devastated when the retailer disappeared from the high street in April 2023. Its 134 shops all closed after it fell into administration, including its concession stands in Next and Selfridges. However, supermarket giant Tesco bought the rights to the brand and the brand is now stocked at 250 Tesco supermarkets. M&Co, previously called Mackay's, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022. M&Co's brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing. The chain's 170 shops were not part of the deal though and all sites closed their doors at the start of 2024. Popular chain Cath Kidston, which once boasted hundreds of shops around the world, closed the last of its stores for good in June 2023. The brand was bought by Next after falling into administration in the March - but the sale didn't include the physical shops and remaining sotres closed that summer. Topshop disappeared after falling into administration during the pandemic. The brand was bought by Asos and is now sold online. The ecommerce giant has teased a return to bricks and mortar though.
New Statesman
14-05-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
PMQs review: Farage eclipses Badenoch as real opposition leader
Photo by House of Commons Labour has decided (as reported by George Eaton) that, while the Conservatives may be the official opposition, the main threat comes from Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Today's PMQs demonstrated quite clearly who Keir Starmer sees as his biggest rival – and why. Let's get Kemi Badenoch's performance out of the way first. There was a brief moment of solidarity at the start when she condemned the suspected arson attacks on the Prime Minister's family home, saying 'this wasn't just an attack on him, but on all of us and our democracy', after which Starmer thanked her for messaging him straight away. The issue of MP safety is one that genuinely unites the House. It went downhill for Badenoch from there. The words lacklustre, unmemorable and irrelevant all come to mind. In a week where there is one obvious headline topic – immigration – the Conservative leader decided to swerve it. No doubt she was anxious to avoid giving Starmer the ammunition to repeat his well-rehearsed lines that the Tories lost control of the UK's borders with their 'failed free-market experiment'. Still, a more adept leader could have homed in on the disquiet within Labour's ranks and accuse the government of being mired in infighting. They could also have congratulated the Prime Minister on taking a policy (increasing residency terms for those seeking Indefinite Leave to Remain) straight out of the opposition's book, thus proving the Tories' continued relevance in setting the policy agenda. But no. Badenoch reverted to her usual attack lines on the economy. And as usual, they failed to land. There's no real point going through her questions one by one, but the classic Badenoch flair was on display. She cited the department store Beales which has said it is shutting its doors after 144 years as a result of Labour's tax policy and is holding a 'Rachel Reeves closing down sale'. This story comes straight from the right-wing papers, where Badenoch often searches for her PMQs ammunition. It misses out, for example, that Beales has been struggling for years, and talks of its likely collapse go back long before Labour were in power. She also tried to get a dig in about Labour's 'tiny tariff deal', which just gave Starmer the opportunity to list all the jobs – from car manufactures in Solihull to steel-makers Scunthorpe to whisky distillers in Scotland – which the trade deals signed with India and the US will protect or create. What with that and calling Badenoch 'the only former trade minister who's against all trade deals', the PM was clearly having fun. Badenoch's final gambit was to claim 'Labour isn't working' – citing the iconic 1978 poster, which helped win Margaret Thatcher her first election a year later. Like all Conservative leaders, Badenoch claims Thatcher as an inspiration, and no doubt hoped the parallels between now and the winter of discontent will help her cause. Alas, it is more likely to suggest that this Tory leader is out of ideas. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The rest of PMQs was peppered with signs something has shifted. Nigel Farage, with new Reform MP Sarah Pochin at his side, stood up to declare that his was 'a party that is alive and kicking' (no prizes for guessing who he was sniping at there) and to claim Starmer seemed 'to be learning a very great deal from us'. There was some kerfuffle as Farage addressed his comments directly to the Prime Minister rather than to the Speaker as convention dictates, but even with that distraction you could sense the unease on the Labour benches at the Reformer leader claiming how much he enjoyed Starmer's immigration speech. Farage noted that since the speech 'one thousand young undocumented males have crossed the English Channel' and called on the Prime Minister to declare the situation a national security emergency. Starmer had an answer ready in the form of the border security bill, saying it was 'extraordinary' that Farage had voted against it. The PM seemed visibly more alert and prepared than he had batting back Badenoch's questions. There was more preparation on display elsewhere in the Commons too. Two Labour MPs – Melanie Onn and Nesil Caliskan – asked friendly question that were clearly aimed at Reform. Onn spoke of protecting thousands of renewable jobs in her Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency now the new Reform mayor of Greater Lincolnshire (Andrea Jenkyns, if you're wondering) 'has declared war on renewables'. Caliskan focused on workers rights, inviting the PM to agree that 'Reform MPs working and voting against our employment rights bill show that they are no friend of workers in this country'. Both questions gave Starmer a chance to refute Farage's claim that his was the party of working people – something Labour strategists believe will be a key dividing line. 'We're backing British workers, they vote against them at every turn,' Starmer reiterated. Lest anyone be in any doubt as to what the Prime Minister thinks of the official opposition, at another point Starmer claimed that a question from a Conservative MP was 'further evidence so far as I can see that the Tory project is just finished'. He also multiple times attacked 'the parties opposite' – plural – as though a party with five MPs is just as relevant as one with 121. One final note about the potential risks of Labour's Farage strategy, demonstrated (as is so often the case at PMQs) by Ed Davey. The Lib Dem leader used his first question to call for a higher minimum wage for care workers, which is standard fare for him. But for his second, he turned to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the urgent need to get food, water and medicine into the area. The war in Gaza is a potent issue on the left – Labour lost several seats in the last election to pro-Gaza Green and independent candidates. With Labour pivoting further towards Reform and potentially risking its left-wing base further since July, there is an opportunity for the Lib Dems to join the Greens in picking up votes from the left. Davey's question was carefully worded, as was Starmer's answer. But the fact he asked it at all hints at further challenges for Labour on its left-wing flank. Farage isn't the only threat in town. [See more: Related
