Kemi Badenoch doesn’t really need to speak in public more than once a month and she’ll do ok. In that respect, keeping her head down is proving very effective.

Sniping from the sidelines and criticising everyone clearly has merit. 🙃

The Guardian has now been told by three sources that in March 2024 Nigel Farage told senior Reform insiders that if he were to resume leadership of the party, and run to be an MP, he would need to be compensated for the financial harm of giving up his City career to spend 20 years campaigning and standing for election again. Insiders and donors were insistent that Farage needed to return and to take Reform into not only a 2024 general election but a 2029 one, too. He argued that would cost him £5m, the sources said. No mention was made of security costs in the discussions about needing to replace lost earnings, sources said.

How politics should be...

7 hours ago, Sluffy said:

How politics should be...

He’s leaving. What did you expect?

12 hours ago, kent_white said:

Like I keep saying. It takes years to turn something like this around. Rishi did some good work in this regard which is only just starting to pay off.

We have to stop expecting things to suddenly change in a matter of months. It's like turning an oil tanker around.

And also interesting that Labour didn't decide to reverse these decisions for ideological reasons

Decent result on small boats too!

Still a long way to go and a backlog to deal with. But green shoots! 👍

I’m Not sure how they’re measuring boat arrivals? Crossing increased every year from 2023-25.

Great news on the hotels, problem is now they’re being moved into houses, which apparently there’s a shortage of

1 hour ago, royal white said:

I’m Not sure how they’re measuring boat arrivals? Crossing increased every year from 2023-25.

Great news on the hotels, problem is now they’re being moved into houses, which apparently there’s a shortage of

I don't think they've changed the methodology as far as I'm aware. But I think these are 2026 figures?

I can only find this - from a left leaning title - but it seems like even GN News are acknowledging it.

Be interesting to see whether this trend continues - but 40% would suggest it's not just a statistical blip. Or if it is - it's a bloody big one.

26 minutes ago, kent_white said:

I don't think they've changed the methodology as far as I'm aware. But I think these are 2026 figures?

I can only find this - from a left leaning title - but it seems like even GN News are acknowledging it.

Be interesting to see whether this trend continues - but 40% would suggest it's not just a statistical blip. Or if it is - it's a bloody big one.

The link mentioned 23-25 🤔 god knows

23 minutes ago, royal white said:

The link mentioned 23-25 🤔 god knows

...and are we being told the truth?

Will we be told the truth about the Anne Widdecombe murder?

16 minutes ago, bolty58 said:

...and are we being told the truth?

Will we be told the truth about the Anne Widdecombe murder?

there will be a trial and all that so that justice can be served

like any murder

why wouldn't the truth be told?

she's hardly JFK

1 hour ago, royal white said:

The link mentioned 23-25 🤔 god knows

Sorry - I forgot to put the links in 🤣

Being spun by both sides clearly - but take all that away and the numbers are encouraging

The London Economic

Small boat crossings plummet in first half of 2026

The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats has plummeted by in the first half of 2026, new Home Office figures show.

The London Economic

GB News admits 'smash the gangs' is working, as small boa...

Stopped the boats? New figures show a steep drop in Channel crossings for 2026 - forcing GB News into a 'begrudging' admission.

29 minutes ago, kent_white said:

Sorry - I forgot to put the links in 🤣

Being spun by both sides clearly - but take all that away and the numbers are encouraging

The London Economic

Small boat crossings plummet in first half of 2026

The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats has plummeted by in the first half of 2026, new Home Office figures show.

The London Economic

GB News admits 'smash the gangs' is working, as small boa...

Stopped the boats? New figures show a steep drop in Channel crossings for 2026 - forcing GB News into a 'begrudging' admission.

The link that was posted was 23-25

Yes good news for This year. If they carry on at the current rate the figures should be similar to the tories last full year in power.

5 minutes ago, royal white said:

The link that was posted was 23-25

Yes good news for This year. If they carry on at the current rate the figures should be similar to the tories last full year in power.

Correct if you're only looking at raw numbers.

But if you're looking at the trajectory - the rise started way before Labour came to power.

It rose for Labours first 12 months in office but states to come down in 2025/26 and is down further in 2026/27.

Which to me says that the collective actions by the out going Tory government and the incoming Labour one have been pretty successful in reversing the trend.

18 minutes ago, kent_white said:

Correct if you're only looking at raw numbers.

But if you're looking at the trajectory - the rise started way before Labour came to power.

It rose for Labours first 12 months in office but states to come down in 2025/26 and is down further in 2026/27.

Which to me says that the collective actions by the out going Tory government and the incoming Labour one have been pretty successful in reversing the trend.

The decline started it the Last 18 months of tories then there was a massive increase when Labour took over and 2025 witnessed the highest number of arrivals in 3 years.

4 minutes ago, royal white said:

The decline started it the Last 18 months of tories then there was a massive increase when Labour took over and 2025 witnessed the highest number of arrivals in 3 years.

Yes the trajectory continued to rise during Labours first year in office. It peaked (hopefully) and is now starting to come down.

Too early to say if that's a genuine trend or just noise, but it doesn't fit "the rise started when Labour took over" narrative either.

Also - it wasn't 'declining for last 18 months of the tories'.

It peaked in 2022, came down 36% in 2023 (your decline presumably) but then went up by 43% in their final 6 months in office in 2024. Well Jan to March anyway.

We can spin it whichever way we choose. But I'd just say that the UK governments strategy over the past 5 years has been broadly successful in reducing the numbers of people arriving by small boats. How about that?

Very difficult to completely attribute it to one party or one policy when there are so many contributing factors.

6 minutes ago, kent_white said:

Yes the trajectory continued to rise during Labours first year in office. It peaked (hopefully) and is now starting to come down.

Too early to say if that's a genuine trend or just noise, but it doesn't fit "the rise started when Labour took over" narrative either.

Also - it wasn't 'declining for last 18 months of the tories'.

It peaked in 2022, came down 36% in 2023 (your decline presumably) but then went up by 43% in their final 6 months in office in 2024. Well Jan to March anyway.

We can spin it whichever way we choose. But I'd just say that the UK governments strategy over the past 5 years has been broadly successful in reducing the numbers of people arriving by small boats. How about that?

Very difficult to completely attribute it to one party or one policy when there are so many contributing factors.

Well that’s not 6 months then 😆 Which would make it around 19%

The point is if they’re saying crossings are down between 23-25 I’m assuming they’re comparing that to figures from 20-22? If that’s the case it’s a lie

2 hours ago, bolty58 said:

...and are we being told the truth?

Will we be told the truth about the Anne Widdecombe murder?

I don't think the secret state somehow targetted her... James Bond has bigger fish to fry

4 minutes ago, royal white said:

The point is if they’re saying crossings are down between 23-25 I’m assuming they’re comparing that to figures from 20-22? If that’s the case it’s a lie

I don't know mate. And I can't be arsed arguing about it.

Can we just agree that it's broadly positive news on immigration - small boats and net migration. Whoever is responsible for the improvement? And whatever recent dataset we're comparing it with?

10 minutes ago, Sluffy said:

It's utterly ridiculous, but if for some reason there are enough people in Clacton who dislike Farage enough, to vote for Binface, and Binface wins.........has he said he'll actually rock up in Parliament?

If, and it is a big if, he does defeat Farage, does that mean he's actually fucked and will skulk off, or will he see the funny side, suggest it's everybody elses fault, and then just wait for the GE, and stand in what is perceived as a "safe seat" for him?

5 hours ago, Zico said:

there will be a trial and all that so that justice can be served

like any murder

why wouldn't the truth be told?

she's hardly JFK

Never trust the 'establishment' 😜

BBC News is becoming to the Labour Party what Gosteleradio and Pravda were to the Soviet Union.

3 hours ago, Dimron said:

I don't think the secret state somehow targetted her... James Bond has bigger fish to fry

....and isn't tatted up living in a council house in Rotherham.

28 minutes ago, Sweep said:

It's utterly ridiculous, but if for some reason there are enough people in Clacton who dislike Farage enough, to vote for Binface, and Binface wins.........has he said he'll actually rock up in Parliament?

If, and it is a big if, he does defeat Farage, does that mean he's actually fucked and will skulk off, or will he see the funny side, suggest it's everybody elses fault, and then just wait for the GE, and stand in what is perceived as a "safe seat" for him?

Clacton is a shit hole anyway. A rubbish bin representative rather than the most effective UK politician this century would be appropriate would it not?

1 minute ago, bolty58 said:

Clacton is a shit hole anyway. A rubbish bin representative rather than the most effective UK politician this century would be appropriate would it not?

It is a shithole, but one that Farage decided he wanted to be MP for, so he must like it, and I think he's gone on record saying it's got wonderful people and is a wonderful place - and we all know he never tells fibs.

He will most likely win, but honestly if he doesn't, and that dick wearing a bin does, will he then enter the HoP dressed as a bin?

Sadly, the stunt of calling a by-election, has hugely backfired, and now it's basically a farce with Farage, Fox and Binface scrapping it out

50 minutes ago, Sluffy said:

He has also pledged to build one affordable home which is more than Farage has managed.

Along with nationalising Adele and putting a £1.00 price cap on Croissants 😄