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You’re either in front of Guido, or you are behind…
The Greens are up to their old tricks in local authorities. After getting elected to councils across the UK on a muted NIMBY platform they’re showing their true colurs…
Down in East Sussex County Council the Greens have put forward a motion to “designate East Sussex as a County of Sanctuary for Migrants.” That apparently includes signing it up to “core principles” including: “No one should be locked up indefinitely,” “No one should be left sick or destitute in our society,” and “We should welcome the stranger and help them to integrate.” How those would work in action is anyone’s guess…
More concretely the motion would sign up the County Council to the “Migrant Champions Network,” an organisation which spends most of its time campaigning for councils “to pledge not to share workers’ data with the Home Office” so that illegal migrants can’t be located by the government. It would also appoint a councillor to act as a “Migrant Champion” who would act as an “advocate for migrant constituents.” How much will that cost?
These are the same Green personnel who run the Wealden District Council with the LibDems. Their leader Rachel Millward has tried to force all events including bonfires to be net zero. All while living in a 6-bedroom mansion with a swimming pool…
Rumours of hope that Lineker might be booted from his role at the BBC on Match of the Day have been swirling, despite the BBC trying to brush off the move. One hack from the Daily Mail thought they’d hear it from the horse’s mouth, doorstepping the ex-footballer in his cushy south-west London home. True to form, the ex-footballer showed his usual charm, telling the journalist to “f**k off” and “go away.” A bit off-side…
Lineker’s contract with the BBC is due to expire next summer, meaning the show could have a new host within the next 12 months. The BBC released a statement saying: “we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract. He is under contract until the end of the season.” Not exactly a denial he may be subbed off when the whistle blows…
Ahead of Reeves’ budget this month Labour policies are costing the Treasury before they’ve even come into place. New analysis from the Independent Schools Council, the largest body representing private schools in the UK, has found that 10,540 fewer students than last year were attending private schools in September ahead of the imposition of the tax at the start of 2025. At a cost of £92.8 million to the taxpayer…
The ISC’s chief executive Julie Robinson makes clear this is just the start:
“This is just the tip of the iceberg and the knock-on effect on schools is significant, with many small schools already at risk of closure.”
The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ sham analysis, which Labour has used consistently to defend its policy, claimed that in total only 40,000 children would be pushed into the state system. Other reports find that so many may leave as to make the policy fully cost-negative within a few years. Bridget Phillipson has also hinted that unannounced tax hikes will be needed to hire more teachers on top of the “£1.5 billion” she says will be collected from the VAT. Rayner and Reeves are getting closer to their old proposal of abolishing private schools altogether…
As the Chagos Islands were in the process of being given to Mauritius you might have thought Foreign Secretary Lammy would be focussed on the aftermath of Starmer’s decision to damage UK strategic interests and shrink its territory. Wrong…
Lammy was, as usual, more interested in talking about race. He sent round an internal memo to diplomats in the FCDO as the news was blowing up talking about… slavery:
“Black History Month is a moment to reflect on the impact of black heritage and culture on our country and our place in the world. It’s a chance to celebrate the enormous contribution of black people in Britain, and also to acknowledge some of our country’s most painful history.
This is important to all of us in the FCDO. First, because of this Department’s role in that history. From King Charles Street, British officials administered colonies in which millions were enslaved. My ancestors were among them, taken from Africa across the Atlantic to labour in the Caribbean.
Second, because of this Department’s role today. Our job is to represent the UK, a nation in which black Britons make an astounding contribution in all walks of life.”
Guido hates to point out the Foreign Secretary’s historical innaccuracies, but the Charles Street building was completed as a Foreign Office headquarters in 1868 – 35 years after the complete abolition of slavery across the empire. History’s never been Lammy’s strong suit…
Lammy’s more interested in lecturing his staff about himself than doing his job. No change there…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”