Starmerism DOES exist... It's Labour's same old spiteful politics of envy and class warfare dressed up for the modern age
Today – after having been proved comprehensively correct – I would like to make another prediction against the tide of present commentariat opinion.
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Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tories warned Labour about Rachel Reeves' tears 17 minutes BEFORE PMQs started
Keir Starmer 's claim that he did not know Rachel Reeves was in tears was branded 'nonsense' last night after the Tories insisted they gave Labour 'early warning' of her distress. Tory MPs revealed they alerted Labour whips to the fact that the Chancellor was weeping in the Commons to ensure she got help. They say that was at 11.43am – 17 minutes before Prime Minister's Questions when Ms Reeves had tears rolling down her cheeks as she sat next to an apparently oblivious Sir Keir. One Tory MP said: 'It simply beggars belief that with that much warning, the PM wasn't told. 'Nearly 20 minutes before PMQs began, we could see Reeves was already tearful sitting on the front bench and we alerted Labour whips to the problem. 'It's nonsense to say Starmer wouldn't have been aware.' Last night Downing Street was still insisting Sir Keir spent the entire half-hour session of questions unaware of her trauma. But amid continued confusion, party sources claimed last night that Labour whips were so worried at Ms Reeves' state of mind, they tried to stop her appearing alongside Sir Keir. They said whips pleaded with Ms Reeves – who had briefly come out of the Chamber – not to go back inside. But sources close to the Chancellor said there was 'no truth' in that claim. Ms Reeves said yesterday she regretted going into PMQs in tears 'after a tough day in the office'. She told The Guardian: 'It was a personal matter but it was in the glare of the camera. 'And that's unfortunate, but I think people have seen that I'm back in business and back out there.' The events – which sparked turmoil on financial markets – began after Ms Reeves was rebuked by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle as she entered the Commons over taking too long to answer Treasury questions the previous day. She was overheard replying that she was 'under so much pressure' before briefly taking her seat but then leaving afterwards in what appeared to be distress. To the surprise of some Labour MPs, Ms Reeves then reappeared to take her place at Sir Keir's side when he arrived for PMQs. But to the horror of colleagues, the self-styled Iron Chancellor then wept beside the PM. MPs were surprised that Sir Keir was seemingly oblivious to how upset she was, even after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch pointed out how 'absolutely miserable' she looked. Sir Keir also forgot to guarantee that his Chancellor's position was safe after her role in last week's humiliating U-turn on saving almost £5 billion from controversial welfare cutbacks. The Government was forced to deny reports that Sir Keir and his deputy Angela Rayner had rows with Ms Reeves over the benefits fiasco which had upset her. The Treasury insisted her distress was caused by a personal matter, while Ms Reeves sought to bounce back next day with an unexpected appearance at the launch of the Government's ten-year health plan. But questions have remained over how Sir Keir could not have been aware of her state of mind – especially as his parliamentary aide Chris Ward tapped her on the shoulder to check she was OK. Later on Wednesday, Sir Keir told the BBC that Ms Reeves would be Chancellor 'for a very long time to come'. Reeves Paves Way for Tax Rises Rachel Reeves refused to rule out tax rises in the wake of the Government's embarrassing – and expensive – U-turn on welfare reforms. The Chancellor, whose tears in the Commons on Wednesday spooked the financial markets, said: 'I'm not going to apologise for making sure the numbers add up. 'But we do need to make sure that we're telling a story, and a Labour story. We did that well in the Budget and Spending Review, we increased taxes on the wealthiest and businesses.' Asked whether she was prepared to rule out further tax rises, she said: 'I'm not going to because it would be irresponsible for a Chancellor to do that. 'We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement. 'So we'll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.' Reacting to the welfare U-turn, she said: 'It's been damaging. I'm not going to deny that.'
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tim Henman uses his BBC slot to back controversial Wimbledon expansion project
Former British Number One Tim Henman has waded into the row over plans to expand Wimbledon by using his BBC commentary of the Championships to back the development. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has sought planning permission to treble the size of the 42-acre site to include a new 8,000-seat stadium and 38 new grass courts on 73 acres of the former golf course that it has bought across the road. Local residents have lodged a judicial review challenge to the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to approve the planning application, which will be heard in the High Court this week. On Friday, while commenting on British player Cameron Norrie 's victory over Mattia Bellucci, Mr Henman - a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist who sits on the club's board - said when the camera shot to an aerial view of the site: 'Those drone shots as we've seen through the tournament give a great view of the land around and hopefully what might be developed in the future'. In response, a spokesman for the Save Wimbledon Park group (SWP) said: 'Yes, it is a glorious view and SWP are campaigning to keep it that way, without the 8000 seat stadium, the 38 extra tennis courts and the miles of concrete walkways and maintenance hubs that AELTC wish to impose on this grassland. 'We also want to keep those glorious trees whose existence is threatened by AELTC's plans to turn Wimbledon Park into an industrial tennis complex.' Last week, the Mail on Sunday revealed that seven-times champion Novak Djokovic had criticised residents who objected to the expansion project. He said Wimbledon is a 'special place', but delivering on the expansion will make it 'truly outstanding'. Sally Bolton, chief executive of the AELTC, said the club 'remain confident' that the development will be allowed. She added that the judicial review was of the GLA's decision, rather than the club's, which she described as a 'very interested party'. Backers of the proposals say that they would 'deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012' and were 'crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis... and a global attraction for both London and the UK.' Raducanu's volley over 'fluffy' balls The cry of 'new balls please' is familiar at Wimbledon – but this time it's from the players, who say the current ones get too fluffy too quickly. Emma Raducanu was narrowly beaten by Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka, says the balls favour the 'bigger hitters' as they fluff up so quickly and become heavy and slow. Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic has noticed a big difference to 15 years ago and believes the balls benefit the baseline hitters and 'slow the game down to some extent'. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam to use Slazenger balls and world No 3 Alexander Zverev hints at changes to the rubber used. But the All England Club, Slazenger's partner since 1902, says there have been no major changes to the ball since 1995.
Sky News
33 minutes ago
- Sky News
Police arrest 29 protesters on suspicion of terror offences after Palestine Action banned
Police have arrested 29 protesters on suspicion of terror offences after a ban on the Palestine Action group came into effect. The protest group was officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation from midnight on Saturday after a last-minute legal challenge at the Court of Appeal to delay it failed. The Metropolitan Police said on Saturday afternoon that the protesters had been held on suspicion of committing offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a protest in London's Parliament Square. "The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence," the force added. "Arrests are being made." MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban the protest group under the legislation on Wednesday and the House of Lords approved the move the following day. The law change adds Palestine Action to the list of banned organisations along with the likes of al Qaeda, ISIS and Hezbollah, and makes membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Even wearing a T-shirt or badge with the group's name on attracts a maximum six-month sentence. On Saturday, a large number of Metropolitan Police officers circled around dozens of protesters carrying placards that said: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Israel has strongly denied any allegations of genocide. Campaign group Defend Our Juries said demonstrators were set to gather in Parliament Square on Saturday holding signs supporting Palestine Action. Officers who attended the protest were met with cries of "Met Police you are puppets of the Zionist state" and "leave them alone". Others were heard shouting, "British police off our streets", and "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". Chants of "shame" were directed at police. A woman seen lying on the floor in handcuffs was carried away by officers and put in a police van. She was heard saying: "Free Palestine, stop the genocide, I oppose genocide, I support the rights of the Palestinian people, I support freedom of speech, I support freedom of assembly." A large group of people crowded around to film the scene. Officers placed her in a vehicle before returning to the square's Mahatma Gandhi statue. The protest started at about 1.10pm and officers were seen taking people away shortly after 1.30pm. Most of the officers dispersed at around 2.10pm. 'Creeping totalitarianism' Leslie Tate, 76, a Green councillor from Hertfordshire, said the group is not a violent organisation, and the proscription is wrong, adding the protest was "necessary to defend our democracy, and this is the creeping edge of totalitarianism". Among those removed by police was Reverend Sue Parfitt, who is 83. Ms Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action after two Voyager aircraft were allegedly damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June, which police said caused around £7m worth of damage. T-shirt could bring six-month jail term Even wearing a T-shirt or badge with the group's name on attracts a maximum six-month sentence. On Friday, the High Court heard the decision to ban the group was taken before the aircraft were allegedly damaged and as early as March this year. Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, is seeking to bring a legal challenge against the Home Office with a hearing for permission to bring a judicial review set to take place during the week of 21 July. On Friday, her lawyers applied for "interim relief" to temporarily block the legislation from coming into force until that hearing, arguing the Irish author Sally Rooney, who wrote Normal People, was among supporters who fear the "ramifications". But three judges, including the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, refused a bid to pause the ban coming into effect pending any Supreme Court bid at about 10.30pm on Friday, less than two hours before the ban was due to come into force. In their judgment, the judges said: "The role of the court is simply to interpret and apply the law.
