Forum Topic

Rumours that a snap GE date will be called out today

The PM has called for a mandatory meeting for cabinet ministers at number 10 this afternoon.Lord Cameron (call me Dave) has had to abandon his visit to Albania and Grant Shapps also has abandoned his schedule for today.Why else would this snap meeting be called but for a sudden decision to call for an early GE date?If so, the Tories must fancy their chances.

Denis Ian Fox ● 278d89 Comments

Rishi said they will continue with funding.

Janice Evans ● 268d

Torquay has had good funding to improve the area as have others soyes any neglected areas.

Janice Evans ● 269d

The great idea of 'Levelling up' has been forgotten now that the red wall has been breeched,the Labour Party being mostly responsible for that happening imo.There has always been a north/south divide,and the idea has become more like sharing the crumbs from the rich man's (the south east) table amongst the rest of the country.Its not just the north btw,what about the south west and Wales?

Keith Iddon ● 269d

I'm not totally against it although levelling up is what I voted for and isvery important for neglected areas of the Country.

Janice Evans ● 269d

Patronising with a whiff of anglophobia in my opinion.

Keith Iddon ● 270d

I think I'd let her Constituency party decide who should be their candidate. Personally I find her patronising, and would have been very upset and thought about de-selecting her when she decided to send her son to a private school, only a 'leftie' when it suits.

Vanessa Smith ● 270d

The Abbot saga just confirms how disorganised the Labour Party is. Nobody can provide clear answers. They just keep contradicting themselves. Not sure why Abbot wants to stand. From the look of her she clearly isn’t well but many have been questioning her mental competence for quite a few years now.

Steve Taylor ● 270d

Any thoughts on the Diane Abbott kerfuffle, Vanessa ?

Richard Greenhough ● 270d

Well the clue is in the word. It’s a ‘National’ service designed to help people ‘nationally’!!  If that means taking some money from the Levelling Up funds, so be it. It’s for the greater good of the whole country. It will benefit people in all areas needing ‘levelling up’.  It’s a brilliant plan.

Steve Taylor ● 270d

'The Corbynite left are just biding their time - if Labour win the election they will come out snapping and snarling and Starmer will struggle to control them.'Is that like successive Tory PMs have completely failed to control the various right wing loony factions over many years?

Vanessa Smith ● 271d

Well, hope springs eternal.

Vanessa Smith ● 271d

He does and I hope he changes his mind.

Janice Evans ● 271d

"Any one who thinks Keir Starmer hasn't brought about seismic change within the Labour Party hasn't been paying attention."The Corbynite left are just biding their time - if Labour win the election they will come out snapping and snarling and Starmer will struggle to control them. Remember how Ken Livingstone ousted Andrew McIntosh as leader of the GLC immediately after the May 1981 election ?

Richard Greenhough ● 271d

'If Rishi continues with levelling up I will vote for him.'Blimey - shock, horror. As I understand it dear Rishi wants to snaffle some of the 'levelling up' dosh for his bonkers National Service brainwave.

Vanessa Smith ● 271d

"If Rishi continues with levelling up I will vote for him."Well he has made your decision very easy then. The recently announced reintroduction of National Service is to be funded by the scrapping of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which was meant to replace EU regional development schemes that provided  support to less economically developed regions. This was £2.5 billion and was basically the core of the levelling up programme.

Francis Rowe ● 271d

If Rishi continues with levelling up I will vote for him.

Janice Evans ● 271d

Rishi has many attributes; a fluent speaker, a pleasing manner, smart dresser, but has no control whatsoever over a football.Worse even than Sir Ed Davy's skills on a waterboard, looking a proper arse throwing himself into Lake Windermere, this after banging on last week about our polluted rivers and seas.Why?Maybe both politicians (rightly) thought the public needed a break from all the platitudes and slogans they are now repeating day after day.

Denis Ian Fox ● 272d

Any one who thinks Keir Starmer hasn't brought about seismic change within the Labour Party hasn't been paying attention. The attack line that he sat at the same table as Corbyn is undermined by the realisation that those that chose to quit the party at the time achieved nothing and are no longer in politics. The polls suggest people are judging him on results.

Mark Evans ● 272d

Rishi’s campaign speeches today were absolutely brilliant. He’s a natural!  No notes, no cue cards. Just speaking from the heart.

Steve Taylor ● 272d

"I can understand the reluctance to vote Labour at that point."And now they have a leader who was urging everyone to install Old Jeremiah in No.10 just four and a half years ago. Change ? Don't bet on it.

Richard Greenhough ● 272d

Well the pandemic and the war are facts, and they had to deal with it,we have no idea how anyone else would have coped with the situation sounder the circumstances they had not done badly in my opinion howevercannot see them gaining votes as everything they have done recentlyseems to be pushing voters away.

Janice Evans ● 272d

'This is the only Government that has had a setback of pandemic and a war so personally I think they have had the worse time ever to deal with.'No, it won't wash, they use Covid and Ukraine whenever they run out of excuses. The whole world was affected by Covid and we were not helped by having a PM who was an inveterate liar, and thought the rules he imposed on us did not apply to him, and those surrounding him. The point of seeking office is because you think you are the most able to govern effectively even in times of great crisis and the best people to ensure the safety of the country. The Tories made a right hash of that as we are now finding out. What next? A campaign from them saying we're the ones to vote for but only if absolutely nothing goes wrong?

Vanessa Smith ● 272d

I don't think a significant proportion of the 'Red Wall' voters actually joined the Conservative party - the membership remains massively skewed to the south east. However, the only time they had an actual say in all this was at the 2019 election when they were offered a choice between Johnson and Corbyn. While I think anyone voting Conservative made the wrong call, I can understand the reluctance to vote Labour at that point.

Mark Evans ● 272d

This is the only Government that has had a setback of pandemic and a war so personally I think they have had the worse time ever to deal with.

Janice Evans ● 272d

Vanessa,I have no doubt that most people who stand for office are honest and decent as another poster pointed out rather obviously,but the vast majority of them either lose their way,are ineffectual of corruptable or get to the point where they realise there is not other job they could do where they would earn the same money and pension, so they hang around until their constituents get bored with them.Of course there is always the chance of a company directorship or two along the way as a perk of their influential position.

Keith Iddon ● 272d

I think you become more cynical as you get older Keith, as you have generally been round the block several times. I hate this generalisation that anyone older automatically is a Tory voter, it is arrant nonsense, neither do we vote just for what we are promised. I do think a lot of people will maybe vote for the least worst option this time around. The country is in a mess no doubt, I wonder how many of us would willingly pay more tax to fund our public service and ensure decent health and social care? Not sure we have one politician who'd be honest (politically suicidal) enough to tell it like it is, but we aren't children, deep down many of us know there will be some tough choices ahead. But, the fact is the Tories have had 14 years to sort things out, and have shown themselves to be totally useless and self indulgent.

Vanessa Smith ● 272d

Mark, these voterswere previously Labour voters up North and were neglected so I hope they don't return to labour, a taste of those on this forum shows how they were treated.

Janice Evans ● 272d

Thanks for the lecture,Mark.If I started taking advice on how to think and feel from complete strangers I would probably seek some sort of counselling or psychiatric help,but keep it up.It's good for a laugh.

Keith Iddon ● 272d

While Johnson did at least win an election he was made leader by a vote of Conservative party members (average age 72) who would have been well aware even at that stage of his unsuitability for office. That they repeated the mistake with Truss is inexplicable but certainly does not advance the argument that they are better qualified to make political decision that 16 and 17 year olds.While you may believe you would do a better job than any of the people standing for election, there is no point whining if you haven't chosen to put yourself forward as a candidate. The reality is that most people who stand for office, across the party spectrum, are decent and committed to public service. As delivering Nirvana is not always possible and politics is the art of compromise, they may not always do exactly what you want but perhaps show a bit of respect?

Mark Evans ● 272d

"Some of the pensioners on this forum could do with a year of National Service."Humpty Campbell could do with joining the French Foreign Legion.

Richard Greenhough ● 272d

No one chose Liz Truss to be prime minister except the Conservative Party..ditto Sunak.I ddon't know about you Mark, but I have become less impressionable as I get older,so I don't lend my vote cheaply or on the promise of a few quid off my tax bill.One of the reasons 'this country is such a mess' is that we have no confidence in either main party.to so anything beyond their own self interest and we are voting not for the best,but for the least bad.

Keith Iddon ● 272d

One of the reasons this country is in such a mess is that old and impressionable people chose Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to lead the country. 16-year-olds would never have made such an error.

Mark Evans ● 272d

It does seem like the Tories are trying to bolster their core vote with the proposal for pensioners.It's probably a response to the Labour party proposing to lower the voting age to 16 as they know the young and impressionable will most likely vote for them.Tit for tat.

Keith Iddon ● 272d

'Some of the pensioners on this forum could do with a year of National Service.'You've got some nerve, it is my experience that a great many retired people do a lot of volunteering work. Often that follows on from the various ways they have always got involved  whilst they were part of the working population.

Vanessa Smith ● 272d

Interesting to see the Tories come up with the Triple Lock Plus gambit today which is clearly aimed at bolstering their core support among the elderly. However, it is a policy of a party that has already accepted that it isn't going to win the election. Quite sensibly Jeremy Hunt had been going in the opposite direction with the a reduction in National Insurance.Rachel Reeves has to go down this road as it is the only way to restore national finances to some sort of equilibrium. Wealthy pensioners make up a significant part of the population yet are significantly undertaxed because their party has been in power for the last fourteen years.Labour needs to more towards a complete abolition of National Insurance while raising thresholds and income tax rates. They probably know this but can't be too explicit about it because old people vote and generally determine election results. If you find Rachel Reeves vague it is because she can't spell out exactly what she is planning as it would let the Tories back into the race.

Francis Rowe ● 272d

Some of the pensioners on this forum could do with a year of National Service.

Paul Campbell ● 274d

And lets forget about front line. What you can learn from the army,navy,raf is very long from engineering to communications and navigation. The list is long, not forgetting respect for those around you and team work. And its only for a year,but you can see more staying on longer. And working in the community can only be a bonus given some of the troubles the young can get into with nothing to do but hang out.

Julian Pavey ● 274d

It’s an excellent idea. The youth are constantly moaning about being bored and whinging about lack of youth centres etc. Youth boredom is also used by the Labour Party for the escalating crime, stabbings, drugs, theft etc. Here is the perfect solution to get the youth to contribute to society instead of just taking from it. Labour should be welcoming this initiative and not playing pathetic party politics by being so childishly negative.

Steve Taylor ● 274d

"young people would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year “volunteering,” in their community." On the whole its not a bad idea whoever brings such a scheme in. Obviously it would need tinkering like if it applies to those who go onto further education and how that works with some working weekend for extra money when it comes to the idea of working in the community one weekend a month. But on the whole,its not a bad idea in my book. And i want to get away from that election idea of winning extra votes. I would support it coming from any party.

Julian Pavey ● 274d

I see Rishi thinks it's  National Service is a vote winner with older voters. It was abolished in 1960, do you'd have to be 82 to have fond of other memories of it. I think if we have money to spend it should go on fixing armed forces housing, which , for other ranks, is dire

David McLoughlin ● 274d

Oh dear oh dear. Rachel Reeves proved just how totally incompetent she is on the Laura Kuenssberg show this morning. Failed to answer any questions cohesively. Just made excuse after excuse after excuse. She is actually getting worse than Yvette Cooper now with her obfuscation.

Steve Taylor ● 274d

Serially underachieving men will always lack the cognitive ability to calculate their limitations. Hence their predilection to conspiracy theories.

Paul Campbell ● 275d

>It will be a better world when men realise how worthless their unqualified opinions are and exit the discussion.Yes, indeed, have a good sleep!

Russell Pearson ● 275d

It will be a better world when men realise how worthless their unqualified opinions are and exit the discussion.

Paul Campbell ● 275d

"but you cannot claim to have a better qualified opinion than Mark Carney" But i have not. Im out of here before someone bores me to death with anything for an oppinion

Julian Pavey ● 275d

Some see him as a reactionary old technocrat, but I guess all criticisms are verboten nowadays.

Russell Pearson ● 275d

You can claim to not be a misogynistic old git but you cannot claim to have a better qualified opinion than Mark Carney. Keep coping.

Paul Campbell ● 275d

"Well she is also endorsed by Mark Carney. But the serially underachieving misogynistic old men of the Chiswick forum know best."Nope its an oppinion by someone who is not a misogynistic old git and only time can tell.

Julian Pavey ● 275d

Well she is also endorsed by Mark Carney. But the serially underachieving misogynistic old men of the Chiswick forum know best. There is a lot of struggle with coping being displayed about this election on this reactionary conservative forum. Gonna have to stock up on more popcorn for the next six weeks.

Paul Campbell ● 275d

As an economist she is at least qualified for the post unlike the mix of PR men, management consultants and Daily Telegraph  columnists that have gone before

David Burke ● 275d

“ im always told by parts of the media she worked for the bank of england i will have you know. ”Doesn’t even need the media to tell us. She tells us herself over and over again as if we are supposed to be impressed. She still doesn’t seem to understand finances. Whenever she is asked to explain something all she can do is talk about 14 years of Tory mismanagement

Steve Taylor ● 275d

"Rachel Reeves becomes chancellor and destroys the economy" Dont be silly,im always told by parts of the media she worked for the bank of england i will have you know. A junior economist at the Bank of England as her first job il have you know Shes clearly the bees knees

Julian Pavey ● 275d

Seems pretty conclusive, with Rishi having a duvet day, that he has totally lost interest in the UK and its people. He just can’t wait to get back to California and work with people of equal intelligence as him rather than try to work with the clowns in his party and the morons on the opposition benches. No doubt he is frantically trying to get his money out before Rachel Reeves becomes chancellor and destroys the economy.

Steve Taylor ● 275d

Totally agree 100% that those responsible should be brought to book / charged/  imprisoned / sacked etc but there is no need to go down the USA compo route. It’s disgusting. Money can’t buy people their dignity. The fact that the perpetrators are brought to book should be compensation enough. Except for those prosecuted in the post office scandal. They deserve massive financial retribution.

Steve Taylor ● 275d

'We are where we are. Alleged victims should get over it and stop this never ending demand for compensation.'And would you be thinking like that if you'd been on the receiving end of tainted blood or the malicious behaviour of the Post Office. And the scandal of Windrush and Grenfell still to come? How appalling - if someone has had their life ripped to shreds, or lost someone because of wrongdoing and subsequent cover ups, they are entitled to some recompense, and no matter how much it is, it will never bring people back or completely repair lives, victims know that, but what they really want is justice and to see those responsible brought to book. Nevertheless some financial restitution to make their future more comfortable, has to be forthcoming. And frankly if this shower of a government can spend God knows who much on this cruel and misguided Rwanda plan, then they have no excuse.

Vanessa Smith ● 275d

We are where we are. Alleged victims should get over it and stop this never ending demand for compensation. It’s ridiculous and the taxpayer cannot be expected to continually dish out dosh.

Steve Taylor ● 275d

..not forgetting the sewage scandal, the maternity provision scandal, the benefit clawback scandal, and the Windrush scandal. In every case, we’re promised heads will roll and victims will be compensated, but in the end we’re left with ‘lessons have been learned’ and unconvincing apologies.

Peter Evans ● 275d

Steve, there is one other big difference between the two contestants, Labour's mission to net-zero by 2030.If Sir Keir allows Ed Miliband to let loose on achieving this target, households will be hit with even higher energy bills in the form of green levies.Rishi had the grace to put back this target realising households are already cash strapped.This prospect and Labour's non committal towards reducing immigration will make many voters think twice.But the "posh boys" are too much in the mire now to turn the forecasts around.

Denis Ian Fox ● 275d

Well if you believe this election is only about border control and immigration, Ron's "send them to Rwanda" views should be popular with the Conservative associations doing the selection.

Michael Robinson ● 275d

This election is purely about border control and immigration. Anyone who thinks it isn’t is delusional. Social housing, jobs, schooling, NHS, Crime, Prisons, rents, sewage dumps etc etc is all connected to increased propulsion which is linked to immigration and border control.

Steve Taylor ● 275d

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the political parties would be prepared for an election but apparently not and it appears that the Conservatives need to find almost 100 candidates.I know that Cllr Ron Mushiso has been trying to find a Westminster seat to stand as a MP for some time (he says so in his blogs). If he can’t get one now, will he ever find one?Chances of getting elected is a different matter although trying and failing is meant to be a rite of passage for many prospective MPs.

Michael Robinson ● 275d

I am already bored by the election campaign. We have to put up with another six weeks of this posturing. How long to the next scandal. We have the Blood scandal, the Covid scandal, the Post Office scandal and the Grenville Tower scandal almost all being investigated at the same time. Lessons supposedly to be learnt of course, by our betters, not the peasants who raise these issues.

Chris Dakers ● 276d

Simon Case says that he was never informed about Eat Out to Help Out. We already knew Whitty and Vallance were out of the loop but I think this new insight into how this was implemented on the fly and how it undermined efforts to keep the virus in check would have been front page news but for the calling of the election. Whether this was the main reason remains up for debate but it must have been a factor.

Mark Evans ● 276d

Richard, I would find it hard to disagree with your view of the people that make up the Labour group on Hounslow council. But local and national politics are different animals, and this government have been so bloody dire, I have to have faith that a Labour government has to be better. I have great difficulty recognising many of our local councillors as dyed in the wool Labour party people, I think most of them are a bunch of chancers, and have little or no real conviction or understanding of Labour principles. Were I on my own in that view that would be one thing - but I know I am not, there are quite a few of us out here - former members/activists who are saddened by the state of things locally.

Vanessa Smith ● 276d

I note there is a 'David Kerr' standing for Reform UK for Brentford & Isleworth.Anyone know if this is the same David Kerr who was one of the leaders of OneChiswick and who posts on this forum?Must be a mistake? Wayne Kerr would be a more suitable name if you're running for Reform UK.

Brian Green ● 276d

When will the next one after be? Either we get the predicted landslide Labour victory which will give them some time before they slip in the mud of history, or a hung parliament. Which, whether they are on the right or wrong side of that teleological master, could bring it earlier.

Russell Pearson ● 277d

Surely not Mike. It would be too much of a stereotype of a rabid car supremacist and velophobe to stand for MP under a Reform ticket. Must be a different David Kerr.

Paul Campbell ● 277d

People are dying and emigrating Keith. It's not a one way street.

Paul Campbell ● 277d

"They are out of touch, arrogant tosspots, and the sooner we get a Labour government the  better."The first bit of that sentence could equally well describe the Labour administration running LB Hounslow. Please explain why you think the same party would be better if it took power at Westminster.

Richard Greenhough ● 277d

If your figures ate correct Denis, that's roughly a 1% rise in population every year or a city the size of Sheffield,plus 10%.Surely that's not a good idea for anyone.

Keith Iddon ● 277d

Vanessa, your ambivalence towards immigration is misplaced.With a net immigration figure of 673k last year and bigger annual figures forecast under a Labour administration, you can forget about fixing social housing and easing the strain on the NHS, etc.The Tory immigrant mismanagement has opened the door for Labour.Sir Keir, Raynor (if she hangs on), Yvette Cooper, Emily and co are proving adept at talking the talk.Will they w.t.w.?

Denis Ian Fox ● 277d

The frustrating thing for me over the last 20 years or so is that I find myself not really convinced or enthusiastic about almost anything I have heard from either main party and find myself thinking who I wouldn't want to see in power the most rather than who I want to the most.

Keith Iddon ● 277d

Candidates announced to date:Hammersmith and Chiswickhttps://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.hammersmith-and-chiswick.2024-07-04/hammersmith-and-chiswick/Brentford and Isleworthhttps://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.brentford-and-isleworth.2024-07-04/brentford-and-isleworth/Ealing Central and Actonhttps://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/parl.ealing-central-and-acton.2024-07-04/ealing-central-and-acton/I note there is a 'David Kerr' standing for Reform UK for Brentford & Isleworth.Anyone know if this is the same David Kerr who was one of the leaders of OneChiswick and who posts on this forum?

Michael Robinson ● 277d

"Too many lefties in the party". LOL!

Robert Fish ● 277d

It may come as a shock to some people but we are not all obsessed with 'stopping the boats'. What would be preferable is a proper immigration policy and a recognition that we need  immigrants and their skills to fill the many job vacancies and skills shortages we have. More to the point a real push for social housing, and some justice and protection for leaseholders and private renters is at the top of a lot of people's wish lists. The fact is that this bunch of vacuous rich boys and girls have had fourteen years to get their act together, we've had liars, idiots, and complete dipsticks thrust upon us, what makes anyone think that they'll suddenly see the light and change? They are out of touch, arrogant tosspots, and the sooner we get a Labour government the  better.

Vanessa Smith ● 277d

Keir Starmer wants it but then again he is so weak and wet, and changes his mind all the time, that he will probably start saying he doesn’t want it.  I dread having to listen to his Methodist minister like boring sermons for the next four years. He simply has  no statesman like qualities. He isn’t a leader. Even worse will be listening to the weird and rather unpleasant voice of Rachel Reeves spouting nonsense.

Steve Taylor ● 277d

The one abiding factor why the Brexit referendum went the way it did, and why the current conservative party formed such a massive Commons majority was because the people wanted immigration control.The Tories have failed miserably: numbers on legal immigrants have soared, and could easily have been avoided. The boat people could have been stopped had Rishi had the gumption to get out of the ECHR because while we remain inside that outdated court, no airplanes will ever take off for Rwanda.Legal numbers coming in have decreased this year but it's too little too late.Rishi has done good things for the country, but Tories abject dismissal of the electorate's wishes to curb the immigration influx will get its due reward on independence day.A hung parliament in favour of Labour.

Denis Ian Fox ● 277d

Who would want that job, impossible to please everyone.

Janice Evans ● 277d

Doesn’t surprise me that Rishi called this election. He took this job purely to make the UK a better place to live. He didn’t do it for the money. He has enough. He took it to do good and he tried. Unfortunately he has too many lefties in the Party and he couldn’t pacify the right wingers. My guess is that he realised that the country is well and truly f&£)@d and he no longer wants any part of it. Much better to live in California and enjoy the climate and the way of life and boost his coffers.  He probably is so frustrated with the British people and knows now that they don’t deserve him. He’ll just have a good laugh when Rachel Reeves collapses the economy and Yvette Cooper makes the UK a free for all for refugees , boat people and bogus asylum seekers

Steve Taylor ● 277d

Students can register in both their home and university towns. But they can clearly only vote in one of them.https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/students

Paul Scullion ● 277d

The impact on the student vote will vary from institution to institution but, while sit-down exams may generally all be done by the end of June, submission deadlines for course work and dissertations may be later. Many students who are done with exams may have already booked travel.The reaction from within the Tory party this morning seems to be a mixture of surprise and dismay. Simon Case is due to finally give evidence to the Covid enquiry today and that may be explosive and his evidence may not reflect particularly well on Sunak so this could be another factor in the timing.

Mark Evans ● 277d

I didn't fully grasp either your or Jeremy Pakinson's comment about the student vote. Are you suggesting that many students are registered to vote in their university towns, and may have left those towns by 4th July? I was also surprised by Jeremy's comment about the impact of exams on student voting. I thought most university exams were held in May and June.

Robert Fish ● 278d

School Holidays,euros,glastonbury and more Im getting my ring door bell set very soon which says BOG OFF when they come knocking.

Julian Pavey ● 278d

With that date there might be some fall off in the student vote in some university towns unless they organise postal votes.

Peter Evans ● 278d

That's a good omen.

David Burke ● 278d

Last July GE was in 1945 apparently

Philippa Bond ● 278d

Well, not a mention of the great umbrellas shortage he was demonstrating.

Mark Frost ● 278d

It is an intriguing decision. The strategy up to now had been to hold on in case Keir Starmer was spotted headbutting David Attenborough or some other such like and Rishi seeing off an attempted coup by the swivel-eyed loons after the council election debacle meant that he was secure until October. Perhaps he just fancied a summer holiday before he takes up a new job in Silicon Valley where he might have some actual authority.

Mark Evans ● 278d

Fair comments Jeremy, but the fact remains: The Tories are toast, and deserve to be.

Denis Ian Fox ● 278d

4th July, Independence from the Tory Party?

Paul Scullion ● 278d

These rumours look better founded than the ones that have been occurring recently.What prompted Rishi Sunak to take the revolver out of the desk drawer will probably only become public knowledge when these people write their memoirs but there are a number of possible explanations.The slightly higher than expected inflation number today dashed any hope of multiple interest rate cuts before October and the sheer scale what needs to be paid out in the tainted blood crisis now falls in Labour's lap. It also covers up the failure to deliver on pledges on Rwanda. Combined with July being a good month for lower student turnout due to exams plus Rishi wanting to be in California before the winter - it probably should have been more widely predicted.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 278d