YouGov’s latest polling shows Starmer has hit his highest unfavourability rating since becoming Labour leader in 2020. A whopping 72% of Brits see Starmer unfavourably, giving him a net popularity rating of -54. Reeves has also managed to hit a new record for herself, with 71% of Brits seeing her unfavourably. In better news for Kemi, she now has a net popularity rating of -26, her highest level to date. Happy Christmas…
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice is in Westminster to talk about why special educational needs and disability support (SEND) needs reform. He’ll announce a new SEND ‘working group’. Watch live below…
Lisa Nandy has launched the BBC’s Charter Review and shied away from any attempt to fundamentally reform the BBC’s funding model. Are you surprised…
“As the licence fee is a tried and tested public funding model, we are not considering replacing it with alternative forms of public funding, such as a new tax on households, funding through general taxation, or introducing a levy on the revenues of streaming services to fund the BBC…
We will consider the potential for reforming the licence fee alongside broader reform options, as set out throughout this chapter, which could support households with the cost of living. This will include looking at options to support the BBC to generate more commercial revenue and operate more efficiently to provide a sustainable long-term funding model for the BBC at the lowest possible cost for households.
At this stage the government is keeping an open mind on activities/services for which households could be required to hold a TV licence. We are seeking to understand the public’s views on the principle of reforming the licence fee, including how those views might be impacted were the cost of the licence fee to change and/or the role and scale of the BBC was altered.”
Too bad for all the single mothers currently facing criminal prosecution for non-payment…
LabourList’s regular polling of party members has seen a marked drop in support for Andy Burnham. Was it something he said?
After the King of the North’s communications grid failed at Labour Conference and his arrival/intervention was more of a plop than a splash he has only gone downhill. Latest briefings about Burnham’s desire for a seat didn’t go down that well either…
Burnham’s net popularity has dropped to +54 which is down 15 points since September. Miliband has a comfortable lead of +69. Something the heavy anti-Starmer briefer will be mulling over…
It’s a sour note to end 2025 for Starmer as President Trump has announced he’s suspending the “landmark” Tech Prosperity Deal with the UK. The single tangible trophy Starmer got from Trump’s state visit in September…
The New York Times reports Trump has paused work on the £31 billion investment package while demanding better terms elsewhere in the trade relationship. White House officials are also said to be frustrated with Britain’s Online Safety Act and the digital services tax that Rachel Reeves refused to budge on…
Back when the deal was unveiled, Starmer hailed it as a “generational step-change in our relationship with the US”, while Trump boasted it would allow the two countries to “dominate” the future of AI. Déjà vu from Starmer’s celebrated Oval Office visit earlier this year…
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show rate of unemployment rose to 5.1% in the three months to October, up from 5% in the three months to September. Tends to happen when you make employment more expensive…
Andrew Griffith, Shadow Business and Trade Secretary, said:
“Higher national insurance, rises in the minimum wage and more employment red tape have all pushed up the cost of hiring so employers are making do with fewer staff. This government must think jobs grow on the same tree as money. They simply don’t understand business.”
Vacancies are also declining. Even the Resolution Foundation blames tax increases…
Lucy Powell on LBC, asked by Tom Swarbrick for her reaction to Labour MP Samantha Niblett’s call for a ‘summer of sex’ debate in Parliament: “I personally don’t own any sex toys, but each to their own… I’m not really sure that’s the right place for it, no.”
