Tony Robertson

Inside Starmer’s shambles With some Labour MPs in despair and others in revolt, the prime minister’s situation now looks terminal

With some Labour MPs in despair and others in revolt, the prime minister’s situation now looks terminal

✏️ @jamesrball.com

“We all know why,” says Matt Goodwin.

And we do! It’s because the methodology for estimating emigration changed! I’m sure that’s what Matt is getting at here, right?

Starmer’s squandering of a historic election victory is a tragedy nearing its finale | Rafael Behr The tactics that gave Labour its huge majority in 2024 were no preparation for government – and the prime minister has proved he has nothing more to offer, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

#Starmer’s squandering of a historic election victory is a tragedy nearing its finale - www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... "presages a massacre of Labour candidates in council and devolved elections next May. It will be a moment of extreme peril for Starmer, assuming he survives that long."

Labour has tripped itself up big time via a narrative of misery. When the electorate voted for hope talking up little, if any, hope has surely been terrible politics.

Bright Blue - As seen at the Stephenson Railway, North Tyneside on a crisp autumnal morning #trains #ukrailways

GB News broadcasted a package last week on analysis of people with "foreign sounding" names.

Peddling unverified and racist statistics on national TV is dangerous and we must call it out.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on Ofcom to investigate and take swift action.

Anna Sabine MP

“We must be looking at a customs union with the EU to grow our economy.”

@helenmorganlibdem.bsky.social

These are the voters that Labour strategists have made very clear over a long period of time that they don't want any more, and it's a message that has now been heard

Coverage of the refugee proposals demonstrates why we have such a broken political system. Endless focus on left-wing anger and right-wing support. Basically nothing on whether the reforms will work. They will not, which is why we'll still be here having the same debate in three years.

By mimicking Reform to win back support, the Labour government is making a serious mistake. This race to the bottom emboldens Farage, punishes vulnerable people, amplifies racism, and undermines those working to hold communities together.

Some headlines don’t age well. This from *checks notes * 1 October 2025.

Everything is the fault of foreigners, everything can be fixed by penalising foreigners. To call them Little Englanders is generous and euphemistic.

I've been out canvassing quite a lot in London lately. Labour's vote has absolutely evaporated.... it is quite extraordinary to go to places where Labour were on 50-60% of the vote at the last locals and find nobody, or virtually nobody, supporting them.

The phrase 'I voted Labour last time, but...

Rechtsruck: Großbritannien plant härtesten Asylumbau seit Jahrzehnten Großbritannien plant eine Asylreform nach dänischem Vorbild. Wer ankommt, soll kaum noch Rechte haben. Kritiker warnen vor dem Rechtsruck.

From Germany: "Under pressure from its populist opponents on the far-right, Britain's Labour government has announced a drastic tightening of asylum rules. Those who arrive will have virtually no rights. The Labour Party has adopted the rhetoric of the far right."
#BlueLabour

What the Labour Party used to understand was that it wasn’t that immigration was tearing the country apart, but that immigration was what was holding the country together. Immigration kept our NHS going, our transport system going, our education and much more.

It’s still true. They must know it.

The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.

Maghull's Frank Hornby Heritage Centre on Merseyside, UK (where Meccano inventor Frank Hornby lived for much of his adult life) has been learning how model builder Peter Schofield has constructed a biplane from scratch - www.frankhornby.co.uk/meccano - #bsmuseums

Starmer’s anti-asylum policies show how utterly clueless he is about the right-wing media’s role in politics.

He’s trying to fix a “problem” contrived by Farage, GB News and The Telegraph. He’ll never win, because ultimately he’s fighting a ghost – he’s fighting something that doesn’t really exist

Time for decent Labour MP's to put a stop to this madness.

Starmer' s government is turning the UK into savage animals. I'm utterly appalled.

The Netherlands is to invest up to €1 billion in cycling infrastructure to connect hundreds of thousands of new homes nationwide.

Read more: zagdaily.com/trends/dutch...

Anglican bishop shaken ‘to the core’ by home secretary’s asylum seeker comments Bishop of Edmonton says people coming to UK are being ‘scapegoated’ for years of policy failures

It's hard to find words to capture quite how revolting, steeped in bigotry, irresponsible, morally unmoored, Labour has become. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Millions of Brits can't afford to buy enough food. How do we feed a hungry nation? For those living with food insecurity, skipping meals or going entire days without eating has become a grim reality.

In the UK, one in six households lives with food insecurity, meaning they struggle to access a reliable and healthy source of sustenance
buff.ly/vQgWKDW
Millions of Brits can't afford to buy enough food. How do we feed a hungry nation?
@marisharay.bsky.social @stevedarlingmp.bsky.social @tuc.org.uk

The challenge there will be to get Labour to "unBrexit" - which thus far Starmer has point blank refused to countenance.

"Leaving the ECHR would deny British people hard won rights, free speech, the Hillsborough inquiry and protections for older people."

The ECHR is fundamental for all of our rights. Asylum seekers have a right to be treated in a dignified and humane manner.

also it's too clever (or stupid) by half - hardly anyone thinks Labour has stuck to its promises *because it hasn't*. Raising employers NI broke a manifesto promise! Scrapping Dilnot, while barely noticed, also broke a manifesto promise. And winter fuel was seen that way too
bsky.app/profile/cjte...

Utterly appalling. Labour just chasing the Reform vote and it won't work!

YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic The government won’t achieve ‘decency’ over ‘division’ by trying to be Reform Lite

Labour’s plan risks weakening protections for all of us. Human rights are universal - politicians may not always find them politically convenient but it shouldn’t fall to any government to say who those rights should and should not apply to. It’s a slippery slope to oblivion youtu.be/bl0Lm7v_T18?...