Reform rages at Labour over ‘disgraceful’ farmers row as Starmer dragged in to condemn ex-Blair aide

by Admin
November 12, 2024

Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has been left raging as Labour finds itself embroiled in a fresh row about British farmers.

Sir Keir Starmer was today forced to swat away comments by ex-Labour aide John McTernan following an appearance on GB News yesterday.

McTernan claimed: “Farming is an industry we could do without.” He also urged Starmer to quell farmers’ protests like Margaret Thatcher thwarted the 1984 Miners’ Strike.

Hitting back, the Prime Minister said: “No, I totally disagree. I am absolutely committed to supporting our farmers. I said that before the election and I say it after the election.”

However, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe was far from impressed with the row engulfing Labour.

He said: “The farming sector employs nearly half a million people. Doing anything other than supporting it is wrong. It is an industry we absolutely cannot do without.

“To say John McTernan’s comments are disgusting would be an understatement. He is advocating for shutting down family farms, leaving hundreds of thousands unemployed, and bringing further poverty to our country. People like this should be nowhere near power.

“Reform UK is committed to the preservation and prosperity of farming communities across the country. It is clearer than ever that the values and aims of this Labour Government do not align with the interests of British jobs or rural communities.

“An attack on farming is an attack on Great Britain. Our farmers are the backbone of this nation, yet Labour’s disregard for their livelihoods is nothing short of disgraceful.”

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‘Blunt weapon!’ Labour blasted for attacking rural communities as farmers switch support to Farage – ‘Already moving to Reform’

A British farmer has hit out at Labour for using a “blunt weapon” to attack rural communities, as he claimed that many in the profession are switching support to Reform UK.

Guy Tucker revealed he was forced to sell his land due to tax rises and now rents a farm in Hertfordshire.

In an exclusive interview with GB News, Tucker shared his wider fears for the industry and claimed that the Labour Government is targeting those that they “perceive to be wealthy.”

He said: “I think everybody that they perceive to be wealthy is being targeted more. When it comes to rural communities, this is a very blunt weapon that they’re using. It’s definitely going to have an impact.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Labour issued crushing blow after just four months in power as Tories OVERTAKE party in polls

Labour has been issued with a blow as new polling has put them in second place behind Kemi Badeonch’s Conservatives.

The polling, from More in Common, has the Tories on 29 per cent, with Labour behind on 27 per cent. Reform UK are in third on 19 per cent with the Liberal Democrats at fourth on 11 per cent.

The Green Party are behind on eight per cent, with the SNP on just two per cent.

Polling also showed that Sir Keir Starmer’s approval has ticked back up further but still languishes at -25 points. Kemi Badenoch enters the approval tracker at minus three per cent approval though 31 per cent say they don’t know.

It also found that only one in three people knew who Kemi Badenoch was and that Cost of Living remains the most important issue facing the country.

UK Director at More In Common Luke Tryl said: “As you would expect at this stage people are not that familiar with Kemi Badenoch. As that familiarity figure grows the early first impressions she makes as Leader of the Opposition will be key to setting the course of her leadership.

“This is very early into term, new leadership, so things will shift one way or another and it’s most useful as a benchmark for judging what happens next.”

Sue Gray rejects new role over rumours Starmer was going to withdraw offer

Former senior civil servant Sue Gray joined Labour to become Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, igniting the controversyPA

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray has rejected the post of nation and regions envoy after it became evident the Prime Minister was planning to withdraw his offer.

One government source, who is sympathetic to Gray, said that Gray knew the job was withdrawn, telling The Guardian: “She has been warned that this is the direction of travel.”

One Downing Street source told Guido Fawkes that “Sue reluctantly accepts this position.” The Cabinet Office added “nothing to add to the recent No 10 responses to this at Lobby.”

Starmer warns against climate ‘inaction’ following Trump victory

Sir Keir Starmer warned that “the path of inaction” on climate change will lead to global insecurity.

The Prime Minister said there are “two paths ahead” on climate as he positioned the UK as a “first mover” on green investment and emissions cuts.

It comes as environmental activists in the UK have accused Starmer of not doing enough to curb emissions and prevent climate change.

Starmer told Cop29: “The way I see it, there are two paths ahead…One, the path of inaction and delay leading to further decline and vulnerability. Warming above 1.5C will expose hundreds of thousands more people in the UK to flood risk, greater economic instability and national insecurity.

“Or second, the path we walk, eyes wide open not just to the challenges of today, but also fixed firmly on the opportunities of tomorrow. This is the path towards national security, energy independence and the economic stability necessary to boost living standards for working people.”

Starmer pushes back on former Labour advisor’s comments on GB News

$\u200bPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks on day two of the Cop29 climate summit$

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks on day two of the Cop29 climate summit

Sir Keir Starmer has pushed back on comments made by former Tony Blair adviser John McTernan, who said on GB News last night that small farming is “an industry we can do without” following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax plans.

Speaking in Baku today at the COP29 climate summit, the Prime Minister told GB News he “totally” disagreed with McTernan’s claims.

He said: “No, I totally disagree. I am absolutely committed to supporting our farmers. I said that before the election and I say it after the election. That is why in our Budget last week I was very pleased to be investing £5 billion of our Budget over the next two years in farming. That is really important for our farmers, and I will do everything I can to support them. I think it is essential that they not only prosper, but prosper well into the future. So I totally disagree with those comments.”

A Labour source also told GB News that McTernan’s comments were “shockingly irresponsible nonsense from someone who does not represent the Government.”

Energy minister insists Labour’s clean power ambition will lead to lower energy bills

Labour’s clean power by 2030 ambition will lead to lower energy bills, energy minister Michael Shanks has told the Commons.

This came in response to Conservative former minister Tom Tugendhat, who said: “I’m delighted that the minister is setting out the report that promises an extra £40 billion a year of investment in the energy sector, and presumably the taxes to go with it, which is of course going to come off the businesses that are otherwise paying for everything else in the Budget that’s just gone by.

“Is there anything at all in his proposal that’s actually going to bring down the cost of energy and not be replaced by taxpayer funding? Because it appears at the moment there is zero, and already energy prices are going up.”

Shanks replied: “I would encourage (Mr Tugendhat) to read the NESO (National Energy System Operator) report, because it does in great detail set out that not only is clean power 2030 achievable, but that it will lead to lower bills.

“Companies are choosing to invest in this country when they didn’t under the party opposite and the reality that he has to answer is that once upon a time this party opposite recognised that the drive to net zero was important, they’ve abandoned that commitment now.”

Farage slams silent Starmer after PM ‘ignores’ Reform UK’s immigration demands – ‘Does he care?’

Politics LIVE: Farage slams silent Starmer after PM ‘ignores’ Reform UK’s immigration demands – ‘Does he care?’

Nigel Farage has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer after he claimed the Prime Minister ignored Reform UK’s immigration demands.

In an open letter published on November 1, Farage, alongside the other four Reform MPs, called for the release of a selection of immigration data, accusing the Government of information being “withheld or deliberately concealed” from the public. The MPs have demanded that Labour make public data on tax, welfare claims, arrest and sentencing rates and asylum hotel costs.

The letter said: “According to the national polls, the British people consider immigration to be one of the most important issues facing the country.

“The overwhelming majority of ordinary people want to end the deliberate policy of mass, uncontrolled legal immigration and regain control over illegal immigration.

“This is causing a national crisis, with public trust in politics and the system collapsing… While other Governments across Europe are collecting and making more data available on the impact of immigration, Government departments in the UK appear to be publishing less. Why is this?”

Now, the Clacton MP has claimed that Keir Starmer has not responded to the letter. Farage wrote on social media: “We are yet to receive a response to this letter from Keir Starmer. Does he care about the concerns of the British people?”

Starmer wants to get ‘ahead of the game’ on green energy

The Prime Minister has said he wants to “get ahead” of the game for green energy jobs

Setting the UK’s greenhouse gas emission target, Sir Keir Starmer said: “The race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow. I don’t want to be in the middle of the pack, I want to get ahead of the game.”

He told reporters at the Cop29 climate summit in Baku: “At this Cop I was pleased to announce that we are building on our reputation as a climate leader with the UK’s 2035 NDC target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81 per cent on 1990 levels.

“But a global problem also requires global partnership, responsible international co-operation, which is why we took the opportunity at this Cop to again urge all parties to come forward with ambitious targets of their own.”

Starmer pledges UK to cut emissions 81 per cent by 2035

$S\u200btarmer attends a bilateral meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoan, President of the Republic of Turkey$

Starmer attends a bilateral meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey

The UK has pledged an 81 per cent cut to emissions by 2035, Sir Keir Starmer said at the Cop29 conference in Azerbaijan.

The goal, unveiled by the Prime Minister at Cop29 in Azerbaijan, is in line with the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee.

This target is based on reducing emissions compared with 1990 levels and forms the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) – a commitment that countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.

Assisted dying bill is ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ says former DPP

The assisted dying Bill is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Parliament to act in the public interest, former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill has said.

Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, he said the current settlement either leads people to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland if they have money, or for relatives to consider assisting their loved ones to die against the law if they cannot make the journey.

Sir Max said: “Those two reasons combine surely to make an unanswerable argument that the law at the moment provides no safeguards, no rails, no guidance and leaves the vulnerable in a pitiful situation. When I look at the draft Bill that has just been released, it has got safeguards all over it on every page and at every stage.

“All I say is that once we get past November 29 and the second reading of this Bill, that provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Parliament, who act in all of our interests, to debate every word, every line and every clause in this Bill.”

German election date set for February following collapse of Scholz’s government

$\u200bGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz$

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Reuters

Germany is set to hold fresh elections on February 23, eleven weeks after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition.

Opposition parties wanted a vote as early as January, warning Germany risked being left rudderless at a time of economic crisis and as Donald Trump’s US election victory poses new diplomatic challenges.

But Scholz warned that the January vote originally sought by Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative opposition, would overstretch electoral authorities during the holiday- and virus-packed winter season and risk leaving parties unprepared.

To trigger new elections, Scholz must call and lose a confidence vote in parliament. A date for the vote has been set for December 16.

Starmer insists UK can be friends with both EU and Trump’s America

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has downplayed suggestions that the UK could end up caught in the middle of an EU-US trade war, and insisted the country can remain friends with both parties.

He said: “I want good relations with all of our allies, that’s really important — whether that’s the EU or the US.

“Obviously European countries are our nearest trading partners and we have got a long shared history…But equally the special relationship with the US was forged in difficult circumstances, it’s hugely important to the UK I want to ensure we’ve got good relations with all of our important allies, and that includes the EU and the US.”

Miliband says UK will have to find ‘common ground’ with Trump

$\u200bEnergy Security Secretary Ed Miliband$

Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband

Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband has said the UK will look to find “common ground” with Donald Trump on climate change.

He suggested the US president-elect, who has described climate change as a “hoax” could be swayed by the economic arguments for shifting to green power.

He said: “It’s our job to work with the duly-elected US president. He has his own views. I think what’s interesting about this, and you will see what decisions the new administration makes – is that the economics now point in the direction of clean energy.

“If you think about lots of the decisions that companies and countries are making, they recognise this is the single biggest job creator of our era, and so people want to be ahead in that race.

“So, we will seek to find common ground with Donald Trump, he will make his own decisions about what he wants to do. I obviously want him to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement, but that’s his decision.”

Tories take lead over Labour in new poll

A new poll by More in Common has given the Conservatives a narrow lead of just two points.

The first poll conducted since Kemi Badenoch took over as Tory leader has them on 29 per cent, with Labour behind on 27 per cent. Reform UK are in third on 19 per cent with the Liberal Democrats at fourth on 11 per cent.

The poll found Keir Starmer’s approval has ticked back up further and now sits at minus 25 points. Kemi Badenoch enters the approval tracker at minus three per cent approval though 31 per cent say they don’t know.

Liz Truss was preparing for Putin to launch nukes in Ukraine

$\u200bLiz Truss lasted just 45 days in Downing Street$

Liz Truss lasted just 45 days in Downing Street

An updated biography of Liz Truss has claimed crisis meetings were held in Whitehall due to concerns Vladimir Putin was close to deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

According to the book Out of the Blue, Truss was concerned wind would carry the fallout to British skies, and spent the final days in office studying weather maps and preparing for radiation to hit Britain.

Meanwhile a separate book, War, by Watergate journalist Bob Woodward, reports that the White House believed there was a 50 per cent chance Russia would deploy a battlefield weapon based on the intelligence received.

President Biden said there was a “direct threat” of nuclear weapons being deployed by Russia for the first time since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis “if, in fact, things continue down the path they are going.”

Assisted dying Bill will say terminally ill can take their own life in three weeks

The assisted dying Bill will tell terminally-ill people that they could be allowed to kill themselves in three weeks. The legislation will require two independent doctors to determine whether the person satisfies the criteria to take their own life.

A judge will then have to take evidence from at least one of the doctors, and could question the terminally-ill person themselves, before deciding whether they should be allowed to self-administer the fatal medication.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, from Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, is due to be published on Tuesday and is likely to run to more than 40 pages.

Leadbeater has said the draft assisted dying laws will feature the “strictest protections” against coercion anywhere in the world. Sir Keir Starmer was asked if he was going to vote in favour of the legislation and whether he had any concerns about potential coercion or issues raised by disability charities.

The Prime Minister said: “Look, it’s going to be a free vote and I mean that. It will be for every MP to decide for themselves how they want to vote. I’m not going to be putting any pressure whatsoever on Labour MPs. They will make their own mind up, as I will be.

“Obviously a lot will depend on the detail and we need to get the balance right but I’ve always argued there will need to be proper safeguards in place.”

Starmer will not be ‘telling people how to live their lives’ over emissions reduction target

$\u200bPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrive at Heydar Aliyev International Airport$

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrive at Heydar Aliyev International Airport

Sir Keir Starmer says he will not be “telling people how to live their lives” as part of plans to reach the UK’s new emissions reduction target.

The Prime Minister will set the emissions goal out at Cop29 later on Tuesday but it has been reported that the UK will pledge to reduce its emissions by 81per cent compared with 1990 levels by 2035, a goal in line with the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee.

Speaking to reporters in Baku, he said: “I’ll set out our goal later on today, but look, it will be ambitious, and that’s measured not by telling people what to do…It’s measured by making sure that we get to clean power by 2030 – that’s the single most important target on the way to the emissions.

“And that will bring with it lower bills for people, for their energy it’ll give them independence, so that tyrants like (Vladimir) Putin can’t put his boot on our throat, causing all sorts of difficulties for our energy bills.”