
Keir Starmer's ageing visibly, overwhelmed by events and has no plan but to blow your money. It's pathetic to watch. He's finished: DANIEL HANNAN
Sir Keir Starmer seems smaller, greyer, older. Marginalised on the world stage, under siege from Labour MPs, unable to push through even the tiniest reforms to slow the growth in public spending, the PM comes across as… well, spent.
In just over a week's time, he will mark his first anniversary in No 10. Can it be just 12 months ago that his election was hailed as a return to normality and seriousness?
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North Wales Chronicle
4 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
PM ‘incapable of sticking to a decision' after welfare U-turn
The reforms would only have made 'modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill', but Sir Keir Starmer was 'too weak to hold the line', the Conservative Party leader is expected to say. In a speech to the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch will criticise Sir Keir for creating a 'punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work'. 'This week, the Prime Minister backed down on limited reforms that would have made modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill,' she will say. 'He was too weak to hold the line. 'The result? A punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work. 'Right now, Labour are making everything worse. And Keir Starmer sums up exactly what's wrong with politics today. 'Now that his backbenchers smell blood, there's almost certainly another climb down on the two-child benefit cap in the offing. 'Labour told us 'the adults were back in charge', but this is actually amateur hour. The Prime Minister is incapable of sticking to a decision. 'If he can't make relatively small savings to a benefits bill that is set to exceed £100 billion by 2030, how can we expect him to meet his promised 5% defence spending, or ever take the tough decisions necessary to bring down the national debt?' On Saturday, the Prime Minister told the Welsh Labour conference the 'broken' welfare system must be fixed 'in a Labour way'. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference, he said: 'We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work,' the Prime Minister said. 'Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. 'Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way.'

Leader Live
4 minutes ago
- Leader Live
PM ‘incapable of sticking to a decision' after welfare U-turn
The reforms would only have made 'modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill', but Sir Keir Starmer was 'too weak to hold the line', the Conservative Party leader is expected to say. In a speech to the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch will criticise Sir Keir for creating a 'punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work'. 'This week, the Prime Minister backed down on limited reforms that would have made modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill,' she will say. 'He was too weak to hold the line. 'The result? A punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work. 'Right now, Labour are making everything worse. And Keir Starmer sums up exactly what's wrong with politics today. 'Now that his backbenchers smell blood, there's almost certainly another climb down on the two-child benefit cap in the offing. 'Labour told us 'the adults were back in charge', but this is actually amateur hour. The Prime Minister is incapable of sticking to a decision. 'If he can't make relatively small savings to a benefits bill that is set to exceed £100 billion by 2030, how can we expect him to meet his promised 5% defence spending, or ever take the tough decisions necessary to bring down the national debt?' On Saturday, the Prime Minister told the Welsh Labour conference the 'broken' welfare system must be fixed 'in a Labour way'. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference, he said: 'We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work,' the Prime Minister said. 'Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. 'Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way.'


Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Anti-drone lasers will be fitted to military vehicles to protect the UK from swarm attacks by terror groups or hostile nations
Laser weapons capable of shooting down drones will be fitted to military vehicles to help protect the UK from swarm attacks by terror groups or hostile nations, The Mail On Sunday can reveal. Defence experts have said the laser-armed vehicles could guard airfields, sensitive locations such as GCHQ and other areas of critical national infrastructure. Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and reconnaissance vehicles will be equipped with the lasers, which are designed to blast drones out of the sky from more than half a mile. Details of the laser plans emerged as Britain begins ramping up its defence spending to counter threats from Russia and China. After criticism from US President Donald Trump, the UK aims to spend 4.1 per cent of its GDP on defence by 2027, and 5 per cent by 2035. At a Nato summit last week, Sir Keir Starmer said increased defence spending was vital to counter threats at home and abroad. The lasers, known as direct energy weapons, fire an intense beam of infrared light, causing a target to heat up and explode. They will be equipped with sensors capable of tracking drones to ensure the weapon remains locked-on to its target. Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and reconnaissance vehicles will be equipped with the lasers, which are designed to blast drones out of the sky from more than half a mile Unlike conventional weapons, they strike at the speed of light and are virtually limitless in terms of ammunition. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence announced that it would invest £1 billion in lasers. Details of the laser plan have been revealed by the MoD in a 'preliminary market engagement notice' to defence companies. The document, seen by The Mail on Sunday, said the MoD was seeking a 'laser direct energy weapon to destroy small unmanned air systems (drones) at ranges of 1km-plus'. It adds that 'availability to deliver within 12 months ideally' will be required. Defence firms will have to demonstrate the capability of their systems as they bid for the £20 million contract. Earlier this month, the MoD also revealed plans to develop a fleet of drones capable of being launched from Transit vans. Col Philip Ingram, a former Army intelligence officer, said the lasers were vital for national security and 'can't come quickly enough'. The MoD said the laser weapons will be 'created this decade', adding: 'Following the successful trial of a high-energy laser mounted to a Wolfhound armoured vehicle, we are engaging the market to help inform decisions on procurement.'