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Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Have no sympathy for Labour's ‘grown-ups', they brought this on themselves
The pattern for life under Labour has been set. Ministers, hopelessly out of their depth, try to save money, fail, reverse, ending up spending more, and yet the Left calls them closet-Tories and swans off to Jeremy Corbyn. The excess of lefty MPs in the Commons hasn't brought order to Labour but, like an experiment involving overbred mice in a cage, they've started to eat each other. No 10 will try to make a virtue of this. They will say: 'Keir Starmer is where the public is. He is trying to fix the mess left by the Tories in a fair way – balance the books, control the borders – and opposition from both Corbyn and Reform proves he is the non-ideological man we need.' He's the human version of the BBC. Everyone hates it, so it must be good. Except no one watches the BBC anymore, just as dwindling numbers vote Labour, and the vision of Starmer as a man patrolling the middle-ground doesn't ring true. It's more accurate of Rachel Reeves. For all her sins, she's been saying the same things for over a decade (loudly, through a fixed smile). As shadow work and pensions minister, she promised to be tougher on benefits than George Osborne. She did not serve under Corbyn. She called for immigration to be curbed after Brexit. By contrast, Starmer's career is built on a series of U-turns he believes it is our patriotic duty to forget. Forget that he was a militant Remainer, that he knelt for Black Lives Matter or that he won the Labour leadership calling Corbyn's manifesto 'our foundational document' stuffed with 'radicalism and hope'. Starmer, who said 'the free market has failed', stood for a 'moral socialism' that 'opposes austerity'. Left-wing activists had spent the 2010s alleging that welfare reform amounted to murder; John McDonnell quoted someone saying they wished to 'lynch' Esther McVey. Starmer's Labour might have turned on the Corbynites, but it drew from the same pool of assumptions and resentments. Torsten Bell called the two-child benefit cap immoral. David Lammy said his constituents were 'ruined by austerity, left hungry by Universal Credit'. Angela Rayner apologised for calling Conservatives 'homophobic, racist, misogynistic… scum.' Starmer ran ads that suggested Rishi Sunak was soft on paedophiles and his wife was a tax dodger. He called Boris 'pathetic', a man who 'had no principles, no integrity' (I 'loathed' him, he later said). Having abandoned a coherent critique of Tory economics – which, to be fair, had no coherence anyway – Starmer reframed politics from Left v Right to Good v Evil, and this is what a new generation of MPs presumably believed when they won in 2024. Everything the Tories had done was wicked and unnecessary, a choice born of greed. So, what happened when Reeves took over the Treasury, found Rishi had in fact spent too much money, and announced that 'Dickensian choices' had morphed into Labour necessities? Hurt and panic. Akin to a Puritan discovering their mother is a lush and daddy frequents a drag bar. And so the children rebelled – and we should have no sympathy for the adults who once claimed to be back in charge. Why? Because their moral tone before entering office implied that any effort to limit the state was class violence. Another example from Torsten Bell (there are many): in 2021 he wrote that revising the Covid-era uplift to Universal Credit, worth £20 a week, might damage not only 'family finances' but people's 'mental health'.Tory policy could drive you mad. Of course, the Left has well established in the popular mind that mental health is as serious as physical, so must get PIPs; that Britain is a nation of immigrants and human rights, so we can't deport lawbreakers; and the Earth is on fire, so we can't use new sources of fossil fuel. Many of the problems Labour inherited are the by-products of assumptions Labour has helped embed within British institutions (including within the Tory Party, which is why it did little to reverse the trend). Why was Starmer shouted at when he laid a wreath for the victims of the Southport killer last year? Why has Reeves been derided for crying in the Commons? Because most voters do not see Labour as a change agent with Fairy-soft clean hands, but rather as the latest iteration of a grubby establishment that has run this country for decades, and which shares as much blame as the Conservatives for where we are – arguably, more. New Labour bound Westminster with legal restraints, such as the Human Rights Act or the Climate Change Act, while empowering quangos that operate as watchdogs against elected officials. Whoever you vote for, policy options are narrowed so far that we can really only travel in one direction. Thus the economy is in constant crisis because spending is axiomatic, frugality penalised and alternatives for growth shut off (ask Liz Truss). Reeves, in her first year, found herself testing what this political system would tolerate with her modest mix of tax hikes and savings. Last week's welfare rebellion rules out further cuts, while her fiscal rules render it harder to borrow, leaving only taxes on the table, which will kill the growth that grows the pie that makes progressive government feasible. Changing course will be difficult. Starmer and Corbyn have profound differences, but they share the psychological defect of seeing themselves as Very Good People – a condition that makes it easy to give criticism but hard to take it. Good People cannot accept they are wrong because their rightness, or righteousness, is the rock upon which they construct a life. Sitting in Westminster, it's fun to hear Labour MPs bitch about each other. The Starmerites truly loathe the Corbynites; they are 'professional activists 'who harm the people they're meant to help'. The Corbynites say the Starmerites will never fix a capitalist system they don't understand, and thus haven't learnt to hate. Out of power, this conflict was barely worth a column in the Morning Star, but as we enter Year Two of the revolution, journalists must study every nuance, unpack every conference motion, to see where this civil war is taking us. If you want a vision of the future, Winston, it is pro-Gaza activists glueing themselves to a truck at London's Pride parade on Saturday. Black flags v rainbow flags. A family row with consequence, because the entire country is stuck in the traffic behind, pumping the horn, waving our fists, but going nowhere.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Revealed: Palestine Action sets up secret website to recruit new members
Palestine Action has attempted to thwart the Government's terror ban by creating a secret website to recruit activists for further direct action, The Telegraph can reveal. The protest group said it would continue its activity 'regardless of the name it falls under', as it directed potential recruits to a vetting form for a 'new collective' set up an hour before Palestine Action was officially designated a terrorist organisation. The move to ban the group was spurred by it claiming responsibility for the vandalism of two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June, which police said caused around £7 million of damage. Support or membership of Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The group's website has also been blocked in the UK. On Saturday, hours after the midnight deadline brought the ban into effect, an 83-year-old retired priest was among 29 protesters arrested on suspicion of terror offences. The activists had displayed signs supporting Palestine Action outside Parliament. In a statement before the protest, Scotland Yard had warned that showing support for the group would lead to prosecution. But the group's ringleaders have now been privately messaging potential recruits encouraging them to 'join the frontline against Zionism' by signing up to a 'new collective' called Direct Action Training. The message, sent on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, on Saturday, said: 'While Palestine Action is banned, we do not want this draconian move from the Home Secretary to deter your dedication to your solidarity with Palestine. 'Direct action is for everyone, regardless of the name it falls under. We do believe that by staying focused and targeting the heart of the war machine again and again, the people will be able to shut the Zionist supply chain.' Following Saturday's arrests, Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, was asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg whether arresting an 83-year-old priest was a good use of police time. He said: 'The law doesn't have an age limit, whether you're 18 or 80. If you're supporting proscribed organisations, then the law is going to be enforced. 'Officers, you could see, did it with great care and tried to preserve that person's dignity, but they're breaking a serious law.' The website for Direct Action Training was set up at 10.41 pm on Friday and has its internet protocol address in Iceland, a country which is not a part of any major international surveillance alliances and is renowned for its strong data protection laws. The new group, which describes itself as 'training to bring the Zionist machine down brick by brick, wall by wall', said it condemned the 'active participation of the UK' in nearly two years of 'ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza '. The group's website landing page said: 'Direct action has proven time and time again to be the most effective route to create the material conditions for the change we want'. To register an 'expression of interest', prospective protesters are asked 14 questions ranging from queries about their personal details to testing their 'dedication to the Palestinian cause'. The form clarifies that training 'will be specifically aimed at dismantling the Zionist war machine in the UK' and 'for this, your dedication to the Palestinian cause is key'. Candidates must disclose their full name, mobile number, email address, date of birth and where they are based. Recruits must also divulge their social media handles, the name of anyone who could 'vouch' for them, their membership of any other direct action or political groups, their understanding of direct action and any experiences of it. After this, the recruits are then asked if they have a 'political ideology that led you here' and any relevant skills. The new collective then asks recruits about their 'current knowledge of the Palestinian context,' before adding: 'Don't worry, you don't need to be an expert.' 'What led you into solidarity with Palestine?' the questionnaire probes, adding: 'What other causes are you passionate about?' The form was created using the same software as another questionnaire, seen by The Telegraph, which Palestine Action used to recruit members before it was proscribed. It also poses similar questions. In the previous 21-question form, Palestine Action said vetting had to be conducted in the 'interests of keeping cops, Zionists and other bad-faith actors out of the movement'. The Direct Action Training recruitment form also specifies that the group is looking for expertise in areas such as 'climbing' and 'organisational skills', and asks if candidates have a driving licence and would be prepared to drive for the group, given that it could risk 'points on your licence'. It also asks whether participants would be 'willing to take action that risks arrest' and if there were any actions they 'wouldn't consider'. Potential recruits are further questioned about which Palestine Action protests had particularly inspired them. Last month, The Telegraph accessed a Palestine Action workshop in which its host discussed a range of tactics, including 'accountable' and 'covert' actions. The former is carried out with the aim of getting caught and raising publicity, such as locking or glueing yourself to something. The latter, the host said, involves 'covering up anything that might make you identifiable, doing the action at a certain time, making sure it is as quick as possible, and essentially trying to get away at the end of it.' She later added: 'If you're very fast on your feet then it might be worth taking the risk to do covert and run away.'
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Musk should stay out of politics, treasury secretary says after ‘America' party news
Elon Musk should focus on running his companies and keep himself out of politics, Donald Trump's treasury secretary said on Sunday, a day after the world's richest person – and a former White House adviser – announced the formation of a new political party. 'The principles of Doge were very popular – I think if you looked at the polling Elon was not,' Scott Bessent said on CNN's State of the Union, referring to the so-called 'department of government efficiency' that Musk temporarily headed after Trump's second presidency began in January. Opinion polls found Doge and Musk's work implementing brutal spending and job cuts within the federal government to be deeply unpopular. And Bessent alluded to how investors in Musk's companies – including the electrical vehicle maker Tesla, whose sales have suffered during Doge's existence – publicly pleaded for his time with the Trump administration to be short-lived. 'So I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies,' Bessent remarked. 'I imagine that those boards of directors did not like this announcement yesterday, and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.' Bessent's reaction came after Musk delivered on his promise to form and bankroll a new US political party, and accused his one-time ally Trump of 'bankrupting' the country by signing his massive tax and spending bill into law. The tech billionaire announced the creation of the America party in a series of posts late on Saturday and early Sunday to X, the social media platform he owns. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' he wrote. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk, who was appointed to slash federal spending through the unofficial Doge from January through May, has been a vocal critic of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said would increase the national deficit by $3.3tn (£2.85tn) through 2034. It provides substantial tax cuts for the super wealthy while slashing federal safety net welfare programs, with up to 10.6 million people losing healthcare insurance. The pair have feuded over its cost and impacts since Musk left the government in May, and on Friday, when Trump signed the bill into law in a Fourth of July picnic at the White House, the Tesla and SpaceX chief opened a poll on X: 'the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system'. Respondents voted two to one in the affirmative, Musk announced late on Saturday. He gave few details about the structure of his new venture or a timeline for its creation. But his earlier posts suggested it would focus on two or three Senate seats, and eight to 10 House districts. Both chambers of Congress are narrowly controlled by Republicans. 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,' Musk said. Bessent was one Trump ally to quickly take a swipe at Musk's move. Musk's series of posts to X, which continued into the early hours of Sunday, also appeared to indicate that his on-again, off-again relationship with Trump was firmly back in negative territory. When the pair fell out earlier in the summer, Musk lashed out during an astonishing social media duel in which he stated Trump's name was in the files relating to associates of the late pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later deleted the post and apologized to the president as they embarked on an uneasy truce. On Sunday, however, Musk returned to the subject, reposting a photo of the jailed Epstein facilitator Ghislaine Maxwell that questioned why she was the only person in prison while men who engaged in sex with underage girls – a crime colloquially known in the US as statutory rape – were not. In other posts he said it would be 'not hard' to break the two-party stranglehold in US politics enjoyed by Democrats and Republicans. And he questioned 'when & where should we hold the inaugural American Party congress? This will be super fun!' There was no immediate comment from the White House about Musk's announcement, but Trump has made clear his feelings about his former friend in recent days after criticism of the bill. In response to Musk's posts calling the bill 'insane', Trump said he might 'look into' deporting the South African-born, naturalized US citizen billionaire. The president also mused about slashing subsidies to his companies, especially SpaceX, which holds billions of dollars in government contracts. 'Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?' Trump asked reporters on Tuesday. There is no requirement for new political parties in the US to register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) initially, but reporting regulations kick in once spending surpasses what the FEC calls 'certain thresholds'. Musk is estimated to have spent more than $275m of his personal fortune helping to get Trump elected to a second term in the White House in last November's presidential election.
