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Why has a former Tory cabinet minister just defected to Reform?

Why has a former Tory cabinet minister just defected to Reform?

Telegraph08-07-2025
The Welsh Tories are in a sorry old state. After being obliterated at Westminster last July, they face devastation in Cardiff Bay next May. Down to just 10 per cent in the polls, the Conservatives face being reduced to a rump of six seats in the expanded 96-strong Senedd. Party membership is now less than 3,500. Darren Millar, its leader in the Welsh parliament, has proved unable to stop the rot since taking over in December. 'It's the brand, not the leader', argues one Tory.
The decision of David Jones to defect is the latest symptom of that malaise. After 50 years as a card-carrying Conservative, the former Welsh Secretary now says that 'Reform UK is the party that best represents my views'. The ex-MP cites the cost of living, illegal immigration and the 'erosion of our national sovereignty'. Pointedly, he notes 'I wrote to the party chairman in October to inform him of my intention not to renew my membership. I did not receive a reply'. That will resonate with many disgruntled activists.
Critics will jibe that Jones is not the most high-profile of names. This was, as he himself admits, a defection long in the making. Yet it would be foolish to dismiss his decision to switch parties. Jones says he has no plans to stand for election. Instead, he will offer a useful source of advice as Reform tries to find 40 high-calibre Senedd candidates. His years of experience will aid the new party's development of a credible policy platform too. 'He will play a key role in the background', says an aide. 'Frankly, that was needed.'
Jones' decision helps Reform in other ways too. The criticism of Nigel Farage has always been that he is unable to build an effective team around him. With 16,000 members now, those within the Welsh party argue that this is clearly no longer the case. Jones' decision will be taken as a green light by other Tory waverers, with future defections already in the works. He will likely play a role in future broadcast commitments, helping to share the burdens of leadership and prove that Reform is not a one-man band.
Farage is expected to make more barnstorming visits to Wales over the coming months. But members of his team are now looking to 'spread the magic' of the limelight to others over the next 12 months. In England, that will probably be Zia Yusuf and potentially, Lee Anderson, to highlight his journey from the pit to parliament. But in Wales, Jones, as Reform's most senior defector to date, is likely to fill that gap.
The key for Reform will be learning from the mistakes of the Welsh Conservatives. Thus far, the party has stressed its broad base, peeling off Plaid supporters in the West and Labour voters in the south valleys. If they can avoid the splits on devolution that have riven the Tories, Reform UK will be well placed to win 30 seats come next May.
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Hundreds gather again at Essex asylum hotel in weekend of anti-immigrant protests
Hundreds gather again at Essex asylum hotel in weekend of anti-immigrant protests

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Hundreds gather again at Essex asylum hotel in weekend of anti-immigrant protests

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a hotel in Epping on Sunday for the fifth time to protest at the premises being used to house asylum seekers, as protests spread to other hotels over the weekend. A large police presence containing officers from multiple forces restricted contact between anti- and pro-immigrant protesters, with Essex police saying restrictions were necessary after what it described as repeated serious disruption, violence and harm to the community since the first demonstration took place on 13 July. Two men have been charged with public order offences after a protest of about 400 anti-immigration and 250 counter-protesters outside a hotel in Diss on Saturday, Norfolk constabulary said. There was a further protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf, London, on Sunday, with the number of protesters appearing to be in the low hundreds. The demonstration in Epping, Essex on Sunday – which saw about 300-500 anti-immigrant protesters gather behind metal barriers outside the Bell hotel – was the latest in a series of protests sparked after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault for allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and is in custody. Protesters wore T-shirts and held up signs with the slogan 'Protect our kids', while others waved England flags. Other flags seen included one for Reform UK, and a white flag with a red cross on a purple square, as seen in America at anti-abortion demonstrations. Counter-protesters held banners including 'Don't let the far right divide us with their hatred and violence', and 'Care for refugees'. They chanted 'Refugees are welcome here' and 'Nazi scum off our streets'. Police said three people were arrested during the peaceful protest, two from the anti-hotel protest group and the other from the counter-protest group. 'I want to thank those who attended for the peaceful nature of both protests,' said Ch Supt Simon Anslow of Essex police. 'I am pleased that today has passed off without incident and I am grateful to our colleagues from other forces for their support.' In a letter sent to the Guardian, asylum-seekers said 'harmful stereotypes' about refugees did not reflect the truth. 'There are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us,' they said. 'As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.' The letter mentioned fleeing persecution and violence. 'We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute,' they wrote, adding: 'This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness.' Outside the Bell hotel, one local woman, who did not want to be named, said local people had complained about an increase in antisocial incidents since it began housing asylum seekers but felt ignored and unfairly labelled as 'far-right'. 'I'm not saying everyone in any of these hotels is up to no good. I'm not going to judge everyone, but there is no vetting,' she said. 'We won't stop until they start listening and shut this hotel down.' Activists from far-right groups including Homeland, Patriotic Alternative and the neo-Nazi White Vanguard movement have been present at previous protests. On Sunday Kai Stephens, the Norfolk branch organiser for Homeland, held a sign which said: 'Put local people first.' Stephens said: 'Unfortunately, there has to be a certain point where we turn around and say, the British people should be put first, the indigenous British people.' Supporters of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson were also present. Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had said he would attend before changing his mind and saying it would not be helpful to protesters. Wendell Daniel, a former Labour councillor who is now a film-maker for Robinson's Urban Scoop video platform, asked one man if he understood why Robinson had not attended. He responded: 'We're with Tommy all the way.' Other local protesters said that far-right agitators were not welcome. 'It's 100% unhelpful, because it just gives them a message which is not what we're trying to achieve here,' said one man, who did not want to be named. Stand Up to Racism, the group that organised the counter-protest, estimated about 700 people had gone to Epping. 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Jay Leno blasts late-night comedy hosts over divisive content as Colbert gets the boot from CBS
Jay Leno blasts late-night comedy hosts over divisive content as Colbert gets the boot from CBS

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Jay Leno blasts late-night comedy hosts over divisive content as Colbert gets the boot from CBS

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Starmer faces task of persuading Trump to take different path on Gaza crisis
Starmer faces task of persuading Trump to take different path on Gaza crisis

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Starmer faces task of persuading Trump to take different path on Gaza crisis

Moments after Air Force One touched down at Prestwick on Friday, for a trip in which politics will take as big a billing as golf, Donald Trump was asked about his relationship with Keir Starmer. 'I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard. But he's a good man,' the US president told reporters. At a time when the UK wants Trump's ear on numerous weighty issues, his response to questions about the 'special relationship' will have given Downing Street some reassurance. But it has been hard won. Starmer has been clear since before Trump's re-election that he would work with him if it was in Britain's national interest. There have been uncomfortable moments, but so far his decision to align himself with the US president has broadly paid off. Most notable was the economic deal agreed by the two leaders which slashes some of Trump's tariffs on cars, aluminium and steel, and which – even though it is not yet fully implemented – the UK government hopes will be a first step towards a closer trading relationship. Starmer, along with other western allies, has also helped encourage Trump to shift his position on Ukraine. After initially siding with Vladimir Putin and appearing to blame Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the invasion, the US president now declares himself 'very unhappy' with his Russian counterpart. The prime minister now faces his toughest diplomatic task of all: trying to persuade Trump to take a different path on the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Even getting the issue on the agenda will not have been straightforward, with the White House not regarding Gaza as a priority. Trump is the only international leader whom the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, listens to – and even then, not all of the time – so getting the US president's ear at this precise moment is an opportunity not to be squandered. With international fury over the situation on the ground in Gaza growing, Starmer has also been under pressure domestically – from his cabinet, Labour MPs and increasingly the public – to take further action against Israel. Government advisers are defensive – citing what the UK has already done to hold Israel to account since Labour came to power – and promising further action will follow, even if it is not clear what that might constitute. They point to the UK restoring funding to the UN agency Unrwa, sanctioning far-right Israeli ministers and those who committed settler violence, breaking off trade negotiations with Israel, backing the legitimacy of the international criminal court and restricting arms licences to Israel (though not preventing them entirely). Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The initial urgency is around humanitarian aid, with mass starvation spreading across Gaza, and Starmer will be hoping to persuade Trump that the situation on the ground will only worsen unless the Israelis fully lift their blockade of almost all aid into the territory. The longer-term prize, however, would be a ceasefire. Starmer will press Trump to revive ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiation teams from Qatar last week. Getting them back round the table to agree a 60-day break from fighting is a prerequisite to a more permanent cessation of violence. The window of opportunity is narrow: the Israeli parliament is not sitting until October, which gives Netanyahu the cover he would need to agree a deal. But Starmer knows Trump is the only international figure who can put pressure on him to do so. Only at that point does Starmer feel the UK could follow France and formally recognise a Palestine state. No 10 insiders insist it is a 'matter of when, not if' and David Lammy, the foreign secretary, will be at a UN conference this week to establish a pathway to formal recognition. To the deep frustration of many in his party, the prime minister last week rejected a call to follow France in recognising Palestine amid concerns the move would be largely symbolic without a ceasefire in place, and that issue could overshadow the talks with Trump. But that means that even more rides on Monday's meeting with the US president. It will be a test of whether the energy put into maintaining a good relationship with Trump has been worth it. And it will also show how far Starmer really is prepared to push to help bring an end to the catastrophe in Gaza.

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