
Reform poll delivers fresh blow to Starmer
The survey, conducted by Merlin Strategy for Novara Media, indicates Reform voters view Mr Corbyn as more authentic, honest, principled, and capable of radical decisions than Sir Keir.
Sir Keir was only seen more favourably than Mr Corbyn regarding his standing on the world stage.
The poll results coincide with Sir Keir's public approval rating reaching a new low, with many voters perceiving his government as chaotic.
The findings follow Mr Corbyn's recent launch of a new political party with Zarah Sultana, which he claims has attracted over 600,000 sign-ups.
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Spectator
3 minutes ago
- Spectator
New Zealand is undoing Jacinda Ardern's disastrous energy legacy
The centre-right government of New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon voted this week to overturn the previous Jacinda Ardern-led administration's Starmeresque prohibition on new offshore oil and gas exploration. The earlier ban, enacted in 2018, was a major part of Ardern's idealistic plan to shepherd the country of five million into a bright and limitless 'clean, green and sustainable' carbon-free future built on renewables rather than fossil fuel. It also threatened to shut out the nation's lights. At the very least, critics warned at the time, it would likely lead to a future of economic instability – all the more so because any replacement solar, wind and battery storage might not come on track fast enough to make up for dwindling gas fields. Ardern found herself accused of virtue-signalling on a particularly grand scale. That criticism appeared to have been borne out in New Zealand after companies such as the energy supplier Genesis Energy were subsequently forced to import coal – which has higher emissions – and the spectre loomed larger of hitherto unimaginable blackouts in the near term. In May, the national grid operator Transpower said that, as a consequence of the policy, the country's gas fields were dropping much faster than expected, New Zealand was now at risk of experiencing electricity outages as early as 2026. In the meantime, electricity prices have surged by more than 10 per cent. Among the most vocal critics of Ardern's ban was not a member of the conservative opposition National party, but a maverick member of her own cabinet, Shane Jones. Jones, a roly-poly figure with a reputation for breaking ranks with his Labour party on 'woke' issues, subsequently left for a new role as deputy leader of the populist New Zealand First, which has since become a junior coalition party in Luxon's conservative government elected to office in 2023. He now serves as the country's resources minister. The new legislation he helped author was meant to be one of the new government's first items of legislative business, but parliamentary glitches saw it shelved until yesterday's vote. What Jones describes as Ardern's 'unwieldly' environmental vision for the South Sea has drawn obvious comparisons with Sir Keir Starmer's one for the North Sea – but the two situations have their differences. Unlike New Zealand, the UK is connected to an international grid and has access to nuclear power. The Kiwis have none of those advantages. Nevertheless, the binning of Ardern's flagship policy was opposed by all three of New Zealand's opposition parties, in particular Sir Keir's Labour counterparts who first ushered in the 2018 ban. Labour's energy and resources spokeswoman, Megan Woods, said upending the ban was a 'very potent symbol' of a dysfunctional government 'out of touch with ordinary New Zealanders and more intent at doing the bidding of multinational oil and gas companies.' Yet even supporters of the turnaround acknowledge that those companies may be slow to return to a local market whose policies could yet switch again should Labour regain office at next year's general election. In a statement on Thursday, Jones reiterated that the earlier policy had always been 'ill-fated' and had 'exacerbated shortages in our domestic gas supply by obliterating new investment in the exploration and development needed to meet our future gas needs.' New Zealand's volte-face comes amid growing criticism of Keir Starmer's North Sea shutdown, with US President Donald Trump saying this week that Britain was wasting a 'treasure chest' of oil and gas In an earlier interview with this writer in his parliamentary office, Jones said he welcomed the American administration's international influence in putting paid to 'shallow juvenile thinking' around environmental adventurism. 'I'm hoping that Trump's influence will permeate,' he said.


The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bring back early years scheme Sure Start to fend off Reform, Labour urged
Labour has been urged to launch a massive expansion of family centres under the Sure Start brand to fend off Nigel Farage 's Reform UK. A commission backed by Labour peer Hilary Armstrong has said a reintroduction of Sure Start family centres could rebuild faith in neighbourhoods blighted by Tory austerity. Her Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods found the reinstatement of Sure Start would be backed across the political spectrum, with two-thirds of potential Reform voters supporting the move. Bridget Phillipson has ploughed £500m into family hubs offering parenting support and youth services across every council in England. The education secretary is targeting disadvantaged communities with what are called 'Best Start' hubs, which she has said will 'give a lifeline' to families. Officials anticipate the network will grow to include up to 1,000 hubs by the end of 2028. Government sources told The Guardian the Best Start brand was tested and came out as a clear winner among voters, with parents viewing it as aimed at parents' ambitions. But Baroness Armstrong's commission found that 62 per cent of people recognise the Sure Start brand, while 72 per cent of voters want to see it revived. More than 1,400 Sure Start centres have been closed since 2010 amid the Conservatives' austerity drive. At its peak under Gordon Brown, the programme had more than 3,600 centres, with Labour ministers repeatedly describing Sure Start as one of the party's biggest achievements in government. Jo White, a Labour MP who chairs the 'red wall' grouping in parliament, told The Guardian: 'Labour's reconnection with left-behind communities, including in the 'red wall' constituencies, has to be tangible. People need to see and experience change, and the reopening of Sure Start centres is a very good start.' Baroness Armstrong added: 'On our visits across the country we have heard time and again how Sure Start made a positive difference to the lives of people in ways that few other policy initiatives have done. 'Our work has shown that bringing back Sure Start centres through upgrading existing services in the most disadvantaged places would not only be good value for money but would also start to rebuild trust in neighbourhoods which saw services taken away due to austerity.' Labour is hoping to see off the rise of Reform, which has consistently topped the polls after Sir Keir Starmer 's shaky start in Downing Street. Mr Farage's party is currently backed by 30 per cent of voters, with Labour on 22 per cent and the Conservatives in third on 17 per cent. Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Giving children growing up in our country the best start in life is central to our mission to break the unfair link between background and success. 'This government is revitalising family services, rolling out up to 1,000 Best Start family hubs in every local area, relieving pressure on parents and building on the successful legacy of Sure Start. 'Through our Plan for Change, our Best Start services will deliver 30 hours of government-funded childcare, expand school-based nurseries, and roll out free breakfast clubs in every primary school to support working parents.'


The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
BA's owner says Arora's plan for shorter third runway at Heathrow is ‘credible'
British Airways' parent company has described hotel tycoon Surinder Arora's Heathrow expansion as 'credible'. International Airlines Group (IAG) chief executive Luis Gallego said 'competition is good to improve things'. Mr Arora and Heathrow's owners submitted rival third runway plans to the Government this week. The former is proposing to build a shorter, 2,800-metre (9,186ft) runway so the M25 motorway does not need to be diverted. His Arora Group company claims this would result in 'reduced risk' and avoid 'spiralling cost'. In contrast, Heathrow is seeking permission for a full length, 3,500-metre (11,482ft) runway. It says a short runway would reduce operational flexibility, and still require either additional capacity on the M25 or alternative rail schemes. British Airways is the largest airline operating at Heathrow. Mr Gallego said: 'We need to work closely with both parties to understand better what they have proposed because the proposals are not comparable.' He said they are 'different solutions that we need to analyse'. Mr Gallego added: 'We have two credible proposals. 'We always think that competition is good to improve things, and we have seen that in commercial aviation in the past.' Mr Gallego continued: 'We need to work with both of them. We don't have any preference. 'We only want to build something affordable that'll allow everybody to have more passengers, but they don't have to pay the level they are paying today.' He said a change in Heathrow's regulatory model is required if a third runway is to be built, as 'this level of investment is not possible with the current one'. Heathrow said its runway and airfield plan would be privately funded at a cost of £21 billion. Its total plan, including terminals and supporting infrastructure, would be expected to cost £49 billion. Mr Arora's plan has a cost estimate of under £25 billion, not including the redevelopment of the airport's existing central area. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will consider the third runway plans over the summer so that a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) can begin later this year. The ANPS will provide the basis for decision-making on any development consent order application.