Latest news with #RishiSunak
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Most Tory voters want to ditch Badenoch and bring back Johnson
Nearly two thirds of Conservative voters would like Boris Johnson to replace Kemi Badenoch as Tory leader, new polling has revealed Some 60 per cent of Conservative supporters at last year's general election said Mr Johnson, the former prime minister, would make a better leader than Mrs Badenoch. Nearly half said they would be more likely to vote for the party at the next general election if she were replaced, the exclusive polling, by Survation for The Telegraph, showed. Of those who voted Conservative at the last election, 45 per cent said a new leader would make them more inclined to do so again, with only eight per cent saying such a change would put them off. Mrs Badenoch's supporters have maintained that another leadership election would not turn the party's fortunes around and could harm its reputation further. At the last election, the Conservatives won 23.7 per cent of the vote, but the latest polls have shown their support dropping as low as 16 per cent. After Mrs Badenoch took over from Rishi Sunak last November, the Conservatives briefly enjoyed a small poll lead over Labour and were in first place on 29 per cent. A haemorrhaging of support to Reform UK since has been blamed for the party's dwindling fortunes. In the last round of local elections, the Tories lost 674 council seats, many of them to Nigel Farage's party. Mr Johnson also polled well among those who supported Reform UK at the general election, with half saying he would make a better leader of the Conservatives than Mrs Badenoch. It comes amid plotting by some party figures to return him to the head of the party. Despite continuing support for Mr Johnson among Tory voters, senior MPs in the party's 121-strong parliamentary cohort said there was no 'appetite' or 'enthusiasm' in the Commons for him to return. His popularity among the public at large is also considerably lower than with Conservatives, with only 33 per cent of all voters saying he would make a better Tory leader. The figures also show that 49 per cent of Tory voters from the last general election were satisfied with Mrs Badenoch's performance, while 19 per cent said they were dissatisfied. She currently has a net negative rating among voters in general, according to Survation's polling, with 31 per cent disapproving of her performance and 27 per cent approving, although a large portion remained undecided. The polling showed that her other perceived rivals for the leadership have had far less cut through with Tory voters than Mr Johnson. Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly, both of whom stood against her in last year's leadership election, are considered a better option now by 27 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. A Conservative Party source said: 'Changing leader again would be the worst possible step in trying to convince voters we're a serious party who understand where we went wrong in the past. 'We all need to be focused on the real goal – kicking out this terrible Labour government that is making everything worse.' Mrs Badenoch has faced a difficult few months as leader of the opposition, with Reform surging and the Conservatives dropping into fourth place behind the Liberal Democrats in some polls. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, has described the Conservatives as a 'dead party walking' and declared that Mr Farage would be his main opponent at the next general election.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Robert Jenrick's TfL stunt reminds us how simple politics can be
Many people have been resistant to Robert Jenrick 's ambition. Rishi Sunak, his former ally, failed to restore him to the cabinet. Conservative Party members failed to elect him leader last year, preferring the more authentic and distinctive Kemi Badenoch. The look on his face as he congratulated his opponent on her victory in that election was a warning and a promise. I will not rest until I have reversed this result, it said. And he has been running ever since, as Keir Starmer joked at Prime Minister's Questions after Jenrick completed the London marathon in 4 hours 40 minutes. His video on Thursday, in which he intercepted fare-dodgers on the London Underground – 'Do you want to go back and pay like everybody else?' – was the high point of his campaign so far. It was an instant classic of the art of the political stunt: simple, effective and watched by millions. Personally, I thought he overdid the 'country is going to the dogs' element. I think London is the best city in the world and the Tube network is great but it does annoy me to see people take advantage of lax enforcement, tailgating or pushing through the barriers to travel without paying. He struck a chord. He identified himself and his party with the message: the law-abiding majority shouldn't pay for a rule-breaking minority. None of the attempts by his political opponents to counter his stunt were successful. He was a hypocrite, it was claimed, hounding the poor and desperate when he was forced four years ago to repay £122 in expenses for a car journey between his constituency and London because he took the train and claimed for both. That didn't work because IPSA, the independent body that runs MPs' expenses, accepted that it was a mistake; and Jenrick did, in effect, 'go back and pay like everybody else'. The more feeble criticism was that Jenrick didn't have permission to film in the Underground station – not that it should matter, but in fact Transport for London appears to require permission only for 'filming any commercial or promotional content on the TfL network'. The rules don't specify whether 'promotional' includes promoting the career of a restless politician. Jenrick's opponents would be better employed asking why his stunt was so successful. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, should be kicking himself for not having thought of it himself. Jenrick is good at this stuff. A previous social media video he made on the Chagos deal was a well-executed documentary that went into some detail about the history of the islands. Not strictly his subject as shadow justice secretary, but again an effective communication that made life a bit harder for the Labour government – which has still been unable to justify the treaty in terms that the median voter can understand. Labour is generally bad at this stuff. Ten years ago this month, in the closing days of the 2015 election campaign, Ed Miliband unveiled Labour's pledges carved on a tablet of stone in a Hastings car park. My description of it is still quoted on Wikipedia: 'The most absurd, ugly, embarrassing, childish, silly, patronising, idiotic, insane, ridiculous gimmick I have ever seen.' The Conservatives have had their misfires too. No one can really explain why William Hague's ride on a water slide at Flambards theme park in Cornwall didn't work, but it didn't, so the baseball cap with 'Hague' written on it became a symbol of his inauthenticity. George Osborne tells the story of when he tried to dramatise a policy to get rid of red tape by lighting a bonfire of actual regulations on the beach outside the Tories' annual conference – only to be prevented by the local council's rules banning fires on the beach. Boris Johnson, on the other hand, was a walking perma-stunt who managed to turn glitches into gold, as when he was stuck on a zip wire holding two union jacks. Like conservative populists the world over – the word 'populist' means 'more popular than liberals think they should be' – Johnson could drive a 'Get Brexit Done' digger through a wall of polystyrene bricks and not look ridiculous. Donald Trump could do something as simple as frying chips in McDonald's and serving drive-through customers, or driving a rubbish truck, and dominate a whole news cycle. And Javier Milei of Argentina had his chainsaw. In Britain, though, Jenrick's only rival is Ed Davey, whose low-content election campaign, featuring him bungee-jumping or falling into water, was highly efficient in converting votes into parliamentary seats. Most of the Tory former cabinet ministers that I speak to expect Jenrick to succeed in his campaign to depose Badenoch eventually, and they think that Jenrick will do a deal with Nigel Farage. They may be right about the first part, although I think they are wrong about the second part: I cannot see what is in it for Farage. A political party cannot survive by stunts alone, but it might help the Tories a bit, at the margins, to have an unconventional communicator such as Jenrick in charge. Such is the depth of the party's crisis that it might even be worth the ridicule that will be attracted by changing leader yet again.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
France stops fewer Channel migrants, despite Sunak agreement
France is intercepting fewer Channel migrants than at any time since the first small boats arrived, despite a £480 million funding deal with Britain to help stop crossings, figures suggest. It has stopped 8,347 asylum seekers from reaching UK waters in small boats so far this year, while 13,167 have so far crossed – meaning that just over 38 per cent have been intercepted. That is down from an estimated 45 per cent last year, 46.9 per cent in 2023 and 42.4 per cent in 2022, the record year when 45,774 people reached the UK and 33,791 were prevented from doing so by France. The fall in interceptions comes despite a three-year, £480 million Anglo-French deal agreed by Rishi Sunak in March 2023 to double officers patrolling beaches to 800, set up a joint command centre and a detention centre to stop migrants leaving France. It coincides with a change in tactics by people-smugglers, who have used 'taxi boats' that remain in the water and collect migrants from beaches in northern France. The strategy allows smugglers to evade capture, forcing police to conduct rescue operations rather than arrest the perpetrators. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has also suggested that the number of crossings – up 30 per cent this year on the same point last year – have surged because of the higher number of good weather 'red days' so far. Ministers believe a series of legal changes in France and Germany will stem the flow of migrants. The French government has amended laws so police can stop boats at sea for the first time. It will enable police to use their own boats in shallow waters to take on people-smugglers carrying migrants in overloaded vessels. French ministers are also planning to restore the offence of an 'illegal stay' in France, which would allow the police to arrest migrants and smugglers before they attempt a crossing. Currently, migrants who attempt to cross the Channel are only considered to have committed an offence when they launch the boat. Germany, where many migrant boats are stored before being deployed to the French coast, is also tightening its laws to make it easier to prosecute those helping to smuggle migrants to the UK. Facilitating people-smuggling is not currently technically illegal in Germany if it is to a third country outside the EU, which includes the UK following Brexit. Under the new agreement, Germany has pledged to make the activity a clear criminal offence. 'France is in breach of international law' A Home Office spokesman said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage. 'Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.' However, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'France is in breach of its international law obligations to stop illegal migration. Stopping under 40 per cent of illegal immigrants attempting to cross is pathetic. Even the 40 per cent stopped are simply let go by the French, and they just attempt to cross the next day instead.' Tony Smith, a former Border Force director general, said: 'The figures on French preventions are disappointing given the investment we are making in resourcing their activities there. 'Promises to introduce maritime interventions even in shallow waters have come to nothing – and allowing boats to continue their journeys even after corpses are removed from what is a potential crime scene is totally unacceptable. 'Also, the French policy of handing out life jackets is a clear signal that they have little interest in preventing asylum seekers from putting their lives at risk by crossing the Channel. 'On the contrary, once the boats have launched, their policy is to do all they can to facilitate their passage to UK waters rather than rescue them and take them back to France, where their safety could be assured.'
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
UK's £2billion ‘super station' reveals huge step forward with new train platforms & plans for 250k passengers a day
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE step forward for a £2 billion 'super station' has been announced. Work has begun at the site as part of the Government's plans to build a station which will serve 250,000 passengers a day. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Work at the Old Oak Common station has begun Credit: PA Media 5 The station will serve as the HS2 hub Credit: PA Media 5 The Chancellor has approved plans to connect the site to another major station Credit: PA Media Engineers have started installing the concrete slabs that passengers will use when boarding at the HS2 station Old Oak Common. Six platforms at the London station are being constructed to serve the high-speed trains which measure a staggering 400m long. As work continues, the delivery director for stations at HS2 said the station will benefit 'generations to come'. Huw Edwards said: 'The installation of the first passenger platforms represents a real step forward in taking HS2 from purely a construction project to the future of Britain's railways. 'Whilst there is still much more to work to do, standing where passengers will alight HS2 services is a reminder of what this railway will achieve – creating connections between people and places, that will benefit generations to come.' Old Oak Common will be the launching point for HS2 services, while development continues at Euston station. The Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last year that her government would be funding a pair of 4.5 mile tunnels between the two stations to make travelling even easier for commuters. It is not yet known when the widely-criticised Euston station will reopen in its new form, after development was halted under Rishi Sunak's government. The then-Prime Minister had hoped to pay for the station's refurbishment using private funding. Old Oak Common will also have platforms for eight other train lines, including the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line. Labour Govt will invest in job training under Rachel Reeves The Elizabeth Line will be the first train route to use the station when it opens. A massive public parkland will be opened outside, along with pop up events such as markets, to make commuting easy. Peter Gow, the HS2 project director for Old Oak Common, said: "We will open between 2029 to 2033 [and] will aim for the front end of that but there are lots of things still to do. 'It's going to make a massive difference to Londoners and nationally." 5 Plans for the station had stagnated under Rishi Sunak Credit: PA Media
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
UK's £2billion ‘super station' reveals huge step forward with new train platforms & plans for 250k passengers a day
A HUGE step forward for a £2 billion 'super station' has been announced. Work has begun at the site as part of 5 Work at the Old Oak Common station has begun Credit: PA Media 5 The station will serve as the HS2 hub Credit: PA Media 5 The Chancellor has approved plans to connect the site to another major station Credit: PA Media Engineers have started installing the concrete slabs that passengers will use when boarding at the Six platforms at the London station are being constructed to serve the high-speed trains which measure a staggering 400m long. As work continues, the delivery director for stations at HS2 said the station will benefit 'generations to come'. Huw Edwards said: 'The installation of the first passenger platforms represents a real step forward in taking HS2 from purely a construction project to the future of Britain's railways. Read More on UK Trains 'Whilst there is still much more to work to do, standing where passengers will alight HS2 services is a reminder of what this railway will achieve – creating connections between people and places, that will benefit generations to come.' Old Oak Common will be the launching point for HS2 services, while development continues at Euston station. The Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last year that her government would be funding a pair of 4.5 mile tunnels between the two stations to make travelling even easier for commuters. It is not yet known when the widely-criticised Euston station will reopen in its new form, after development was halted under Rishi Sunak's government. Most read in News Travel The then-Prime Minister had hoped to pay for the station's refurbishment using private funding. Old Oak Common will also have platforms for eight other train lines, including the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line. Labour Govt will invest in job training under Rachel Reeves The A massive public parkland will be opened outside, along with pop up events such as markets, to make commuting easy. Peter Gow, the HS2 project director for Old Oak Common, said: "We will open between 2029 to 2033 [and] will aim for the front end of that but there are lots of things still to do. 'It's going to make a massive difference to Londoners and nationally." 5 Plans for the station had stagnated under Rishi Sunak Credit: PA Media 5 The station will serve 250,000 travellers each day Credit: PA Media
