Latest news with #Reform
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Aberdeenshire Tory civil war reaches breaking point
She became a Tory party agent when she was 19, moved to London and worked for Theresa May for nine years. READ MORE When she moved to Scotland she became the party's North East area manager and the agent for Douglas Ross. In 2007, she was elected to Aberdeenshire Council, eventually leading the Tory led administration. Now, she's one of a growing band of independents in the authority. Her shock resignation last week follows months of drama. She had been under pressure since a colleague leaked a screengrab of a WhatsApp message in which she called her fellow Tory councillors 'f****** b*******s' to the press. The situation was not helped when her husband, Steve, allegedly told a grandmother to 'p**s off' at a nursery protest. Mrs Owen denied her husband had sworn, telling the Press and Journal that the confrontation was sparked when the protesting pensioner 'violently shook a tambourine' at them. There was also a 'horrible' insult about a councillor from another party in a separate group chat. Details of exactly what Cllr Owen said remain private, but her apology was public. She told her rival they had every right to feel 'upset, angry and disgusted' at her 'callous and insensitive' comment. 'I want to sincerely apologise,' Cllr Owen wrote, calling the outburst a 'complete lapse in judgment' that did not reflect her true values or respect for the colleague. 'I do deeply regret this, and I am so very sorry,' she added. She said she made the decision to resign on Wednesday after receiving an email from a Tory colleague. It is not clear what was said — but it was the final straw. Douglas Ross and Gillian Owen (Image: Facebook) 'That finished me off. And I thought, now I'm not doing this anymore. I've just decided that the time had come for us to part ways, sadly. But now I'm just going to move on. That's what I want to try and do.' Ms Owen insists she is not defecting to Reform UK. 'I'm not crossing the floor or joining another party. People elected me as a Conservative, and I respect that. But judging by the emails I've had, some people might support me more now that I'm not in the party. I want to make it clear I'm not joining Reform — I've no intention of doing that.' That makes her an oddity among ex-Tory councillors in the North East, where five of her former colleagues are now in Nigel Farage's party. Former Aberdeenshire Council chief Mark Findlater and Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie joined last year. Ellon's John Crawley and East Garioch's Dominic Lonchay soon followed. Lauren Knight made the switch just two weeks ago. In fact, of the dozen ex-Tory councillors in Reform's ranks Scotland-wide, more than a third are in Aberdeenshire. There are some Reform-adjacent former Tories in the authority too. Robbie Withey quit the party to sit as an independent but is a supporter of Reform. Is this just Aberdeenshire — or a glimpse of the brutal civil war that could erupt within Tory ranks across Scotland as the threat from Reform looms larger? Nigel Farage's party has a strong ground game in the North East, particularly around Fraserburgh, where they are winning over disgruntled Conservatives and unhappy SNP voters. Last week's large-scale MRP poll by YouGov had them winning their highest vote share in Scotland in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency, second behind the SNP. The poll showed them 10 points ahead of the Tories in a seat which Douglas Ross lost by just 942 votes at last year's election. The same poll had Reform winning three seats at the next general election, and coming second in a slew of others. How do the Tories tackle this insurgency? Well, if Aberdeenshire is any guide, they will be hoping to fall back on the constitution. Last month, Ms Owen announced she was standing down as leader of the council's ruling Tory, LibDem and independent coalition, triggering a vote for new joint leaders. The SNP nominated Gwyneth Petrie for leader. Although she was defeated by 36 votes to 28, the split with the Tories is now so bitter that on Thursday the five Reform councillors backed the independence supporting councillor from Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford. READ MORE The Scottish Tories were cock-a-hoop. North East Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden was almost floating. 'Nigel Farage has already said he would be happy to let the SNP into power. Now we know for sure Reform candidates will vote for the Nationalists, while the Conservatives will keep the SNP out.' Following the vote, Reform councillor Laurie Carnie defended the support for John Swinney's party, telling local press: 'Obviously we're Unionists, but we just don't agree with the way the administration has conducted itself.' Gillian Owen's departure may seem like a local spat. Yet it is hard not to see in it something larger: a party fraying at the edges, struggling to hold the line as old loyalties snap and new alliances form.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Inside Labour's identity crisis as party members and MPs speak their mind
More than two-thirds of Labour members want the party to shift to the left - as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces calls for a reset of the direction of his Government More than two-thirds of Labour members want the party to shift to the left - as Keir Starmer faces calls for a reset. Polling by LabourList, shared with The Mirror, shows 64.5% of Labour members back a move to the left, with just 1.6% calling for a rightwards shift. Next weekend will mark a year since Keir Starmer won a landslide election victory. But now, the PM is battling flagging poll ratings, rebellious Labour MPs and the surge of Nigel Farage 's Reform UK. After last week's U-turn on welfare cuts, Mr Starmer's former political director Luke Sullivan warned the Government it must 'use this as a moment for a reset'. Some Labour MPs have grown uneasy over the direction of the Government, culminating in a major rebellion over welfare cuts. Keir Starmer was forced into a climbdown over plans to cut Personal Independent Payments to avoid a humiliating defeat in the Commons. He had faced losing a crunch vote on his welfare legislation next week after 126 backbenchers signed a rebel amendment. It came after the PM last month announced a U-turn on cuts to winter fuel payments. The policy sparked a backlash and was blamed for a difficult set of local election results for Labour, while Reform UK took control of a number of English councils. There have been signs that Labour has been spooked by the success of the rightwing outfit. The Home Office has published pictures and video of migrants being deported, sparking criticism from refugee charities. Mr Starmer also came under fire when he said Britain was at risk of becoming an 'island of strangers' in a speech on immigration, which drew comparisons to Enoch Powell's infamously racist Rivers of Blood speech. The PM has since admitted he 'deeply regrets' using the phrase. Labour MP Nadia Whittome said: "While this government has taken some crucial steps towards undoing this, there's a growing sense across the country that the scale of change just isn't matching the urgency of the moment, while other policies, like the proposals to cut disability benefits, feel like a repeat of the austerity era. At a time when the far-right is gaining ground both at home and abroad, Labour must also show bold, principled leadership. We cannot abandon our progressive values in pursuit of Reform voters." One Labour MP, who asked to speak anonymously, told The Mirror: 'Personally, I don't think you can ever out-Reform Reform, or the right, on issues like immigration. That isn't who we are. 'We are an internationalist party and that's what our values should remain rooted in. We're haemorrhaging votes to progressive left-wing parties, not to the right.' They said the series of U-turns over winter fuel cuts and disability benefits showed the Government 'did not have a clear plan'. Criticising the welfare reforms appearing to be born out of a need to save money, the MP continued: 'When you start from a position of wanting to just make cuts, inevitably, you are going to hurt the most vulnerable. 'And that's a political choice, and it was the wrong choice, morally and economically, and it was moving us away from our Labour values: Equality, social justice and fairness. We've just got to remember who we are as a party… We shouldn't be tacking anywhere to the right on any of these issues.' Another Labour MP said party members want the party to return to its 'core values' and just be more 'Labour'. 'The Labour Party was set up in the first place to be a voice for working people, to stand up for equality and social justice, and therefore they won't recognise the party today and some of the decisions it's making,' they said. They said ensuring people had vital support, as opposed to withdrawing it, trying to lift children out of poverty, and trying to clamp down on corporate greed should be at the heart of Labour values. They said 'there are so many positive things' the Government are doing, from renationalising the railway, building more social homes, improving employment rights, or expanding free school meals for kids. 'But when it comes to these crunch issues, they're just missing the point. Not engaging with people that policies are impacting is not how the Labour Party should behave. So I just call on the Labour Party to be more Labour.' But not all Labour MPs agree with party members' plea to move to the left. MP Gurinder Singh Josan said: "When it comes to winning elections, how the voters see things has to be more important than just our members' views. "And recent elections, including the catastrophic 2019 general election defeat under a markedly more left wing leader, shows voters are more often in the centre and are more interested in practical solutions to everyday problems rather than an ideological fixation." Another Labour MP, who also did not want to be named, said moving left was not the solution and the Government must continue to be 'country first, and party second'. 'I'm a big fan of solutions-based politics where you don't always have to be entrenched in a left or right view,' they said. 'It's about what will deliver the change that's needed for the country. So we've got our manifesto, that's what's being voted on, and then in terms of the policy that we push through, it's to deliver that. Left, right, centre is completely irrelevant.' The MP said, immigration issues such as the small boats crisis should be looked at from a humanity, security, economic and infrastructure perspective. 'It's about then finding solutions that some might perceive as being more to the right, but actually it's about delivering them within Labour values, so you're not demonising and creating that horrible rhetoric that we see from some parties,' they added.
Wales Online
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Wales Online
Eluned Morgan gave three reasons why people should not vote for Nigel Farage
Eluned Morgan gave three reasons why people should not vote for Nigel Farage The Welsh First Minister joined Keir Starmer in criticising Nigel Farage's party Reform UK First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan during the 2025 Welsh Labour party conference (Image: Getty Images ) Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan has told voters not to vote for Reform in the upcoming Senedd election. She said the danger from Nigel Farage's party is "real". In her speech, she cited three specific reasons that she said Reform would be bad for Wales. She claimed the party would wreck the NHS by privatising it, she said Nigel Farage's promises on steel and Port Talbot were a fantasy, and thirdly she claimed that Reform UK's interest in Wales was artificial. Speaking to WalesOnline after her speech, she went further. The First Minister: "The danger from Reform is real. There's a real threat to the NHS, today people know they can go to their local pharmacy and get their prescription for free, that could end with Reform. "Nigel Farage is on record as saying he is interested in introducing an insurance-based model for health, and that means people who can't afford it won't be able to go to the local doctors. All these things are real. There's a threat to workers' rights, and there's a threat when it comes to jobs and cuts. "They are not committed to public service. They talk about cutting waste, we've had years of austerity so there isn't much left to cut, so what they're talking about is going after peoples jobs, 300,000 people work in the public sector in Wales and many of those will be cut if Reform gets into power." Article continues below In her speech, she said Mr Farage's pledge to reopen the blast furnaces at Tata's Port Talbot plant, were "fantasy." "While Nigel Farage is in Port Talbot and peddled fantasies about sending people's grandchildren down coal mines and reopening blast furnaces, we're dealing with the reality they left behind - the scars of decades of Tory neglect, the cost of industrial decline. We're not romanticising the past - we're cleaning it up," she said. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . She said Reform is a "force of division". She added: "With Plaid, you get risk. With the Tories, you get ruin. With Reform, you get a wrecking ball. We cannot - and we will not - let that happen. Not on our watch. Not in our Wales." The Welsh Labour leader said: "We will build a nation ready to take advantage of the Artificial Intelligence revolution, a tool that can improve lives. Because the race is on - and Wales won't be left behind. I want our country, and our people, match-fit for the future. "Our nation powered the Industrial Revolution. Pioneers of coal, steel, and steam. We powered an Empire…but those days are well gone. Nigel Farage may want to drag us back to that past - but I'm focused, unapologetically, on the future. "Reform say they're worried about Artificial Intelligence. Well, their interest in Wales is certainly artificial - and when it comes to policy? We're still waiting for the intelligence," she said. Asked if there was a danger that continuing to talk about Reform glamorised the party - which currently has no seats in the Senedd. "There is nothing glamorous about Reform," she said. "They're really dangerous and it's important we point out the danger to people in our communities. "It's not just a football you can kick to get at the party of government, there are real implications to the public in this country if Reform gets into power. "It's very very serious. You'll see investment start to dry up, you'll see dislocation when it comes to public service, they have no experience of being in power," she said. Article continues below
South Wales Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Labour rule in Wales taken for granted and under threat at Senedd poll
Baroness Eluned Morgan warned in her speech to the Welsh Labour conference that the Senedd elections will be a 'moment of reckoning' as Nigel Farage's party are 'rising', prompting people to ask 'big, serious questions about what kind of future they want for Wales'. Reform is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination at the Senedd elections in May next year. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Mr Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. 'I think they're the biggest threat to Wales and our way of life,' Baroness Morgan told the PA news agency. 'I think people take Labour for granted in Wales. It's something that, you know, there's an expectation that we'll always be in power. 'So the things that are real in people's lives today, like free prescriptions, free parking in hospitals, free school meals for children in school. All of these things are political choices, and Reform would make different political choices.' Asked if she felt the best way to counter the threat of Reform in the elections was to shift to the left, she said: 'What I'm clear is that we've got to stay true to the values of Welsh Labour. 'And the values of Welsh Labour are consistent with the red Welsh way … and there are times when we will be in a different place from the UK. 'And yes, I think the political centre of gravity in Wales is further to the left than throughout the UK.' She had earlier accused Mr Farage of 'peddling fantasies about sending people's grandchildren down coal mines and reopening blast furnaces' while the Welsh government deals with the 'cost of industrial decline'. Mr Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot's blast furnaces, which were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place. The Prime Minister warned in his own speech that Mr Farage 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for Port Talbot's blast furnaces. Sir Keir Starmer said the Reform leader has 'no idea what he's talking about' when it comes to the furnaces, and has 'no plan at all'. The Prime Minister had earlier warned of the prospect of the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru forming a coalition in the Senedd in what he called a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. It would be 'working families left to pick up the bill', he added. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said.
South Wales Argus
12 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Labour rule in Wales taken for granted and under threat at Senedd poll
Baroness Eluned Morgan warned in her speech to the Welsh Labour conference that the Senedd elections will be a 'moment of reckoning' as Nigel Farage's party are 'rising', prompting people to ask 'big, serious questions about what kind of future they want for Wales'. Reform is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination at the Senedd elections in May next year. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Mr Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. 'I think they're the biggest threat to Wales and our way of life,' Baroness Morgan told the PA news agency. 'I think people take Labour for granted in Wales. It's something that, you know, there's an expectation that we'll always be in power. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage spoke at a press conference in Port Talbot earlier this month (PA) 'So the things that are real in people's lives today, like free prescriptions, free parking in hospitals, free school meals for children in school. All of these things are political choices, and Reform would make different political choices.' Asked if she felt the best way to counter the threat of Reform in the elections was to shift to the left, she said: 'What I'm clear is that we've got to stay true to the values of Welsh Labour. 'And the values of Welsh Labour are consistent with the red Welsh way … and there are times when we will be in a different place from the UK. 'And yes, I think the political centre of gravity in Wales is further to the left than throughout the UK.' Port Talbot's remaining blast furnaces were shut down in September (PA) She had earlier accused Mr Farage of 'peddling fantasies about sending people's grandchildren down coal mines and reopening blast furnaces' while the Welsh government deals with the 'cost of industrial decline'. Mr Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot's blast furnaces, which were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place. The Prime Minister warned in his own speech that Mr Farage 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for Port Talbot's blast furnaces. Sir Keir Starmer said the Reform leader has 'no idea what he's talking about' when it comes to the furnaces, and has 'no plan at all'. Sir Keir was critical of Reform UK's plans for Wales (Welsh Labour TV/PA) The Prime Minister had earlier warned of the prospect of the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru forming a coalition in the Senedd in what he called a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. It would be 'working families left to pick up the bill', he added. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said.
