Hilarious scenes on Whitehall this afternoon as Insulate Britain were told they couldn’t deliver their letter to Boris, and instead would have to post it like everyone else. After one activist read a statement to the awaiting press, another then confidently approached the gate, only to be told he wasn’t going to get in. The group has now boldly committed to sending it via post instead, as well as sending an email for good measure. Guido’s sure Boris will keenly take a break from his holiday to read it…
Video credit: @GuyBertie
After the embarrassment of this morning’s 10 point Tory poll lead, Sir Keir’s facing yet more awkward headlines after his own local deputy mayor quit the Labour party and defected to the Greens. Camden Councillor Lorna Jane Russell announced the decision this morning, saying last night she took the “difficult decision” to switch. Russell slammed Sir Keir’s Labour in an op-ed:
“Nationally, I am concerned that the party lacks a coherent vision for the future, that it is prepared to break fundamental promises like those on common ownership and freedom of movement, and that it has a questionable track record on equalities.”
As recently as June this year, Russell tweeted that she’d been “delighted” to bump into Sir Keir at Wembley. Is Sir Keir Cam-done for?
The annual Climate Transparency Report has been released for 2021, and it’s not great news for Europe: not only are their per capita emissions higher than the G20 average (7.9 to 7.5), their overall climate commitments have been dubbed “insufficient” and in need of “substantial improvements“:
“The EU’s climate policies and commitments need substantial improvements to be consistent with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature limit […] The EU is not meeting its ‘fairshare’ contributions to climate action.”
Grim reading for Ursula von der Leyen, who promised in July that the EU is “ready to lead the way” on climate action. Although perhaps she has less to answer for than liberal golden child Justin Trudeau; Canada’s emissions are still 2.6x higher than the G20 average…
Despite being constantly painted as the world’s bad guy, the UK still scored an overall rating of “almost sufficient” and remains “the only G20 member with a domestic target that aligns with a 1.5°C modelled domestic pathway in 2030″. The report also says the UK boasts lower per capita emissions than the G20 average, 6.8 to 7.5. Worth bearing in mind the next time Extinction Rebellion smash windows or Insulate Britain glue themselves to the motorway…
A Lord has been slapped down this afternoon by a government minister after he suggested that Britain no longer has a “god-given right to rule the waves”, “despite what we hear on the Last Night of The Proms”. The downbeat, anti-patriotic remarks came from the crossbencher Lord Singh of Wimbledon. Defence minister Baroness Goldie was having none of it, telling the Lords that “this Government has got is a fundamental democratic responsibility to keep this nation secure and safe“:
“I have to say to (Lord Singh), with the greatest of respect, it is very difficult to do that with an inadequate defence capability and we have seen over decades what happens when our defence capability frankly drops below what is needed.”
She stopped short of saying her noble friend was talking a load of old ship…
Insulate Britain has announced they’re suspending campaigning until the 25th ahead of COP26. Oddly, the group cites a speech given by Boris at the UN in September as the reason behind the campaign suspension, despite having mainly carried out its protests after the speech was delivered. They say his words to the UN indicate the PM is serious about climate change:
“In light of the speech you made (to the UN on the 22nd September) in which you recognised that “We are approaching that critical turning point – in less than two months – when we must show that we are capable of learning, and maturing, and finally taking responsibility for the destruction we are inflicting, not just upon our planet but ourselves”, we ask you to use this time to signal that you believe what you say.”
Britain’s motorists can breathe a temporary sigh of relief…
Scottish MPs are preoccupied this morning after learning the fate of their jobs, thanks to the Scottish boundary review publication. The initial draft of Scotland’s new boundaries, due to be implemented in 2023, confirms a cut of two seats overall:
Unsurprisingly, the SNP aren’t happy. Kirsten Oswald claimed the boundary changes will “further reduce Scotland’s representation at Westminster”. In far more frank terms, Pete Wishart called it a “dog’s breakfast”…
