Latest weekly polling from YouGov for Sky News has Labour hitting a new low since coming into office last year. Reform leads on 28%, Labour is on 20%, while the Tories take third place on 17%. Not the numbers Starmer will want to see on holiday…
Energy regulator Ofgem has raised the price cap by 2%, meaning typical household energy bills will rise to £1,755 a year in October. More than expected…
Ofgem’s director general of markets Tim Jarvis said:
“We know customers might not be feeling it in their pockets. In the longer term, we will continue to see fluctuations in our energy prices until we are insulated from volatile international gas markets.”
The increase will come into force in October for three months. Another costly winter ahead…
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s as-of-yet-unnamed political party is solving its branding problem by asking the internet to come up with a few suggestions, and the far left have spent the afternoon bickering over it. Who could’ve seen that coming?
Owen Jones put forward his 8-point pitch for ‘the People’s Party’ this afternoon on X:
I think the ‘People’s Party’:
1) The ‘Workers’ Party’ is already taken.
2) It brings together the working class and many people who’d consider themselves middle class, who are now struggling.
3) It’s the ‘People vs. the Elite’.
4) The problem with the ‘Left Party’ is that… https://t.co/1I1VvdydYK
— Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) August 26, 2025
Unfortunately this proposal did not sit well with Jones’ online comrades, who went back and forth over the definition of ‘people’, ‘working class’, and the ‘left’. At least Abi Wilkinson showed some solidarity. Eventually Jones was defending himself from accusations of ‘dishonesty’ for “pretending we aren’t what we are”…
How is dishonest? The party does need to be a coalition of not just self-identifying working class people. It needs to include e.g. self-employed people, people in professional jobs who don’t see themselves as working-class or who aren’t in a Marxist sense.
— Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) August 26, 2025
If even the name causes this much squabbling, imagine what the next few years will look like. For what it’s worth, Owen’s suggestion is the most popular with Brits (23%), according to YouGov… unless you count ‘don’t know’, which scored 54%. The ‘Don’t Know’ Party does have a ring to it…
Economists are warning Britain is paying a “moron premium” on its debt, as borrowing costs climb back towards their highest since 1998. Yields on 30-year gilts spiked to 5.63% today. Tax-obsessive Torsten Bell is now drafting Rachel Reeves’ budget, with up to a £50 billion black hole to fill…
Simon French, chief economist at investment bank Panmure Liberum, says one of Bell’s first jobs will be to answer why the UK is facing a “‘moron premium’ on gilt yields”, adding:
“Markets want politicians to be pragmatists, not ideologues. The facts have fundamentally changed on debt sustainability. Bond pricing suggests UK fiscal policy is drifting without an anchor.”
Meanwhile, top economists are openly sounding the alarm of an IMF bailout. Stand by for the looming ‘Omnishambles Budget’…
A prominent activist organisation with links to Labour encourages children to report each other for “signs of hatred“, Guido can reveal. In a new twist in the free speech crisis gripping Britain, leftist activist group Hope Not Hate has published material suggesting schoolchildren should report “signs of hatred” in their peers – a practice which would make Soviet commissars blush. Just after Labour entered power Hope not Hate – which boasts members of the government among its prominent supporters – suggested in a report that “hateful attitudes” could be dealt with in schools via anonymous reports from children:
“Young progressives could also be encouraged to be “champions” of particular causes in their schools and more widely, being trained to understand and report signs of hatred in fellow pupils and support those who are affected.”
HNH has also published as follows: “Speech which causes division and harm is often defended on the basis that to remove it would undermine free speech. However, in reality, allowing such speech to be disseminated only erodes the quality of public debate.” Heard something which might cause divided opinions? Report!
On that front Hope not Hate has stated regulatory authorities and social media platforms should have to inspect people’s private communications where “strong evidence” of potential harm was “brought to the regulator by the public and civil society groups who monitor extremist activity.” Guido also recently revealed Hope Not Hate’s analysis of Reform voters is being used at the highest levels of Government. The organisation is currently launching a major attack on people raising patriotic flags across the UK…
Asylum seekers in Edinburgh are given 70% off bouncy castle and pool parties. From inflatable boats to inflatable fun…
Edinburgh City Council offers a ‘Relocated People Access (RPA) programme’ in partnership with council-funded ‘Edinburgh Leisure’. The programme offers asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees 70% off all activities at local leisure centres. Some of these include:
- Bouncy castle parties
- Football parties
- Inflatable pool parties
- ‘Multi-activity’ holiday camps for kids
Alongside those discounts, asylum seekers are also offered:
- Free swimming at all Edinburgh Leisure pools
- Free gym access at 17 gyms
- Free fitness classes – including boxing, aerobics, tai chi, zumba and yoga.
Adults are given these freebies for six months, while under-16s get them for 12 months. The Edinburgh Leisure website adds that the RPA programme “aligns with the New Scots strategy from the Scottish Government, promoting the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in our communities, thus fostering cohesive and diverse societies.” Meanwhile Edinburgh’s council tax increased by 8% this year. Locals might feel a little deflated to hear this…
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.”
