In a victory against the grim spectre of UK censorship, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a Christian volunteer who faced two unjust arrests for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, has received a £13,000 settlement from West Midlands Police. This came after issuing two claims against the arrests with support from ADF UK. Though she’s been vindicated for her ‘thoughtcrime’, Labour’s push against free speech to protect the snowflakes is only beginning…
Ministers are now reviewing the initial guidance designed to protect “silent prayer”, having already axed the Free Speech Act designed to support debate in universities. Meanwhile, Yvette Cooper’s proposed Misogyny Extremism Law raises fears of further censorship and threats to free speech. A reminder that violence and misogyny against women are already criminal offences, and definitions of misogyny can vary widely. Labour should focus on addressing actual crimes rather than filling prisons with individuals convicted of so-called hate crimes…
In the latest “uniparty” development the Tories are continuing to rage against Labour’s sound economic decision to means test Gordon Brown’s Winter Fuel Allowance. Known colloquially in endowed circles as the “Champagne Allowance”…
Guido hears local Tory associations are fired up and busy planning protests involving blanket-clad octogenarians turning up at the town hall. The Daily Express has meanwhile launched its “Save Winter Fuel Payments” campaign and got all six Tory leadership contenders to sign up with it. Which proves as The Times opines this morning that “If leadership means anything it is the willingness to put principle before immediate popularity. So far in this competition, the goal that serious Tories pride themselves on prioritising above all others, sound money, is running a distant second to gesture politics.” This issue demonstrates just how committed the leadership contenders are to returning to true Conservative ideals…
Senior Tories say pretty much the only thing that has cut through so far under Labour is Reeves’ decision to cut the benefit and deprive retired hedge fund managers of their £300. Expect more socialist bleating in the months to come…
Last night in Chicago, President Joe Biden struggled to deliver what was supposed to be a fiery speech, ultimately passing the baton to the electoral candidate Kamala Harris. True to form, Biden slurred his way through more anti-Trump jabs, dredging up the tired and discredited claim that Trump called Neo-Nazis and white supremacists “very fine people” after Charlottesville. For those keeping score, Trump was referring to those defending a statue of General Robert E. Lee, not the extremists. Biden also doubled down on the “bloodbath” hoax, whilst saying under Trump, women do not have “electoral” power…
Biden finished strong, welling up as Harris came onto the stage after saying farewell to his party: “I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you.” Bye-den…
Summer may be the time MPs head back to their constituencies, though that hasn’t stopped many members attending the social events of the season on all expenses-paid freebie tickets. The latest update to the Members’ Register of Interests has revealed our parliamentarians have been enjoying Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Chelsea Flower Show, the Pet Shop Boys and plenty of football among other events. Here are some of the more interesting examples…
- Football proved a popular freebie for our MPs. In the cabinet alone, Keir Starmer, David Lammy, Jonathan Reynolds, Wes Streeting and Pat McFadden were amongst those bagging free tickets, usually on the padded seat of a hospitality box. Their visits alone were worth over £6,000. Score…
- Some of the summer’s biggest music events were also attended by our parliamentarians. Former Tory Chair Richard Holden bagged a camping ticket at Glastonbury valued at £950, Labour newbie Polly Billington saw a Pet Shop Boys performance at The Royal Opera House worth £500, and Pat McFadden got freebie tickets for him and his wife to see Bruce Springsteen. Saving £328 in the process…
- Keir Starmer snagged four tickets worth £4,000 to see Talyor Swift’s Eras Tour. Corbynista Dan Carden, Labour’s Kim Johnson, Catherine McKinnell, now former Labour MP Ian Byrne also enjoyed the concert worth a total of £4,700. Not such a Cruel Summer for them…
- A whopping £22,221 worth of tickets and hospitality was dished out by donors for members to attend the British Grand Prix. Tory MP Greg Smith, the biggest recipient, bagged six tickets worth over £7,300, while Priti Patel found herself in the ‘Legends Suite’, to the value of £3,300. Nice to qualify for those tickets…
- Wimbledon tickets accounted for another £2,112 worth of freebies. Scottish Labour MPs Tracy Gilbert and Gordon McKee two finals tickets worth £275 each, whilst LibDem’s Layla Moran, Labour’s Stephanie Peacock and Toby Perkins all attended earlier matches. Advantage of being an MP…
- Three MPs secured entry to the Chelsea Flower Show, with Tan Dhesi scooping hospitality tickets worth £895. Jeremy Hunt and his wife received tickets worth £370, as did the appropriately named Tulip Siddiq.
Social events aside, some MPs have been generating eye-watering sums on the international circuit, namely Suella Braverman. She netted £56,171 for ‘speaking engagements’ in South Korea, expensing £27,801 for a four-night trip to Israel with her husband. At least she has her speeches to fall back on since she crashed out of the Tory leadership race…
Pro-tax fanatics the Tax Justice Network got an inordinate amount of coverage today for their report claiming that a “global wealth tax” which copies that of Spain would raise £1.5 trillion. Spain’s applies to those who own assets over €3 million and can go as high as 3.5%. The tax was implemented in 2022 and raised a measly €632 million…
Along with fawning coverage from the usual suspects, the BBC had a representative from the campaign on this morning for a soft-touch explainer in which he was allowed to promote his agenda without substantial pushback. The report itself dismisses the obvious fact that people will leave if you implement a wealth tax as a “myth.” Helpfully ignoring that in 2022 Spain had net external migration of 727,000 – the highest in 10 years…
Naturally the Green Party jumped on the crank proposals to demand a replica in the UK. Wealthy Norwegians left the country after it imposed a wealth tax. The same goes for China. Sweden abandoned its wealth tax after it destroyed revenue. Spain’s combination of personal capital income taxes and wealth taxes is now resulting in marginal tax rates above 100% – which means that, by saving, the value of wealth shrinks. Literally crushing growth…
Rebecca Long-Bailey is continuing to rage from the backbenches, this time about… housing proposals. The erstwhile “Northern Powerhouse” has fired off a letter to the Salford planning department to protest against plans for the regeneration of a run-down retail park in the local area. A dastardly £1 billion investment to build homes, a new park and a playground…
3,300 homes would be built with the investment. Long-Bailey issues the classic NIMBY complaints that the buildings wouldn’t contain enough affordable homes and that plans are “not in keeping with the local character and distinctiveness of the area.” This is the “Local Character and Distinctiveness” that Long-Bailey is fighting to conserve…
Meanwhile 770 kids are living in temporary accommodation in Salford as blockers force housing costs up. Any way to oppose the Starmerites…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
