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. 🙃

41 minutes ago, royal white said:

Let’s be honest about this French deal, they’re going to make a token effort to stop the odd dinghy have a photo op and get the press down to show us that they’re actively stopping or trying to stop the small boats. In reality over the next sand dune dinghies are loading up (which they know about) with dozens of them heading over. They’re not daft.

I'm not sure we've got enough information to make that decision as things stand.

That's the risk of course.

22 hours ago, Cheese said:

No problem. Here's a leaflet with some details about Private Health Care alternatives. Off you pop.

Private healthcare is the same.

Step mum works in a care home, mostly dementia or really high medical needs.

She has patients asking for her as her skins "not as dark" as the others..

Seems Filipino migrants are acceptable to senile old people...

1 hour ago, Ani said:

You mean something like this ?

The £662 million UK-France small boats agreement signed in April 2026 makes British funding conditional on performance results for the first time. Under the three-year deal, the UK can withhold up to £100 million of the funding if French authorities fail to meet agreed interception and disruption targets. [1, 2, 3, 4]

1 hour ago, kent_white said:

Yeah exactly like that 😁

And I might also let it run for more than 4 months before writing it off as a bad job.

57 minutes ago, royal white said:

Let’s be honest about this French deal, they’re going to make a token effort to stop the odd dinghy have a photo op and get the press down to show us that they’re actively stopping or trying to stop the small boats. In reality over the next sand dune dinghies are loading up (which they know about) with dozens of them heading over. They’re not daft.

under that deal they still get to keep £562m if they do a bad job

we've made several deals now in recent years and sent them £1bn to do their bit

I doubt it's making any difference and seems like a massive waste of money

spend that money on processing them accordingly seems a better idea to me

3 minutes ago, Zico said:

under that deal they still get to keep £562m if they do a bad job

we've made several deals now in recent years and sent them £1bn to do their bit

I doubt it's making any difference and seems like a massive waste of money

spend that money on processing them accordingly seems a better idea to me

Processing them has increased , but the increased number being processed now means there are record numbers appealing the desicion

In the UK, the initial decision asylum backlog fell to roughly 35,700 cases (covering about 49,000 people) by March 2026, marking a 72% drop from its peak in June 2023. However, faster initial processing has caused a surge in the appeals backlog, which reached a record 87,500 cases

39 minutes ago, kent_white said:

I'm not sure we've got enough information to make that decision as things stand.

That's the risk of course.

Make what decision?

15 minutes ago, Ani said:

Processing them has increased , but the increased number being processed now means there are record numbers appealing the desicion

In the UK, the initial decision asylum backlog fell to roughly 35,700 cases (covering about 49,000 people) by March 2026, marking a 72% drop from its peak in June 2023. However, faster initial processing has caused a surge in the appeals backlog, which reached a record 87,500 cases

so has the 1bn we've given France been money well spent?

29 minutes ago, Zico said:

under that deal they still get to keep £562m if they do a bad job

we've made several deals now in recent years and sent them £1bn to do their bit

I doubt it's making any difference and seems like a massive waste of money

spend that money on processing them accordingly seems a better idea to me

These programmes all just need an honest and non-partisan review.

It's hard to judge just based on numbers arriving in the UK. Because the number attempting fluctuates all the time.

Be interesting to hear what the French intercept numbers are. And whether this is improving under the new scheme

32 minutes ago, Zico said:

so has the 1bn we've given France been money well spent?

Strange response

You said you would rather we spent money on processing people , but we are doing that as well. As I showed you.

I have never said the money to France was being spent well, just pointed out above that we have at least put in some clawback now.

I have no idea if the French spend is going well but with crossing down, legal immigration down , applicants being processed quicker it would appear that we are moving in the right direction. There was never going to be one single thing that sorted this or significantly improved it , but the series of measure are having the required result . The only question is how to make it happen quicker.

20 hours ago, Jol_BWFC said:

You mean “thickos”…?

You'd know.

18 hours ago, kent_white said:

That's an argument for further negotiations with the French authorities and looking at whether there is any claw back mechanism as part of the agreement of a review finds it's underperforming.

Not for sticking warships in the channel! 😁

FFS, don't be silly. Haven't you ever watched The Guns Of Navarone?

18 hours ago, royal white said:

Let’s be honest about this French deal, they’re going to make a token effort to stop the odd dinghy have a photo op and get the press down to show us that they’re actively stopping or trying to stop the small boats. In reality over the next sand dune dinghies are loading up (which they know about) with dozens of them heading over. They’re not daft.

They aren't, no. Not so sure about some of our fellow posters though.

7 hours ago, bolty58 said:

FFS, don't be silly. Haven't you ever watched The Guns Of Navarone?

I've not watched The Guns of Navarone.

Is this where you get your steer on international diplomany and partnership working? 😁

Just now, kent_white said:

I've not watched The Guns of Navarone.

Is this where you get your steer on international diplomany and partnership working? 😁

*diplomacy before you jump on this typo 😉

12 hours ago, kent_white said:

I've not watched The Guns of Navarone.

Is this where you get your steer on international diplomany and partnership working? 😁

My diploma is a HND.

12 hours ago, kent_white said:

*diplomacy before you jump on this typo 😉

Forget it pal. I'm not letting that one pass by 😁

Small boat crossings are on track for the lowest number in years.

Worth noting the weather has been perfect for small boats this summer as well.

Just saying.

58 minutes ago, Spider said:

Small boat crossings are on track for the lowest number in years.

Worth noting the weather has been perfect for small boats this summer as well.

Just saying.

Well here’s the strange bit. All those who hate migrants, also hate Burnham. Because he’s labour. They don’t want the country to be a better place. They just want to be proven right. Their political leaning is more important to them than a better Britain

So they actually now yearn for more small boat crossings, in order to throw shade at him. They’ll never admit that. But it’s true.

they want him to fail and one of his main judgements will be on migration/immigration

1 minute ago, boltonboris said:

Well here’s the strange bit. All those who hate migrants, also hate Burnham. Because he’s labour. They don’t want the country to be a better place. They just want to be proven right. Their political leaning is more important to them than a better Britain

So they actually now yearn for more small boat crossings, in order to throw shade at him. They’ll never admit that. But it’s true.

they want him to fail and one of his main judgements will be on migration/immigration

And when Nigel becomes PM and destroys the economy like Truss on steroids, it will all be Burnham's fault.

Burnham seems like a normal guy who just wants the best for ordinary people and the country.

He’s so far removed from self serving establishment toffs like Cameron, Farage and Johnson etc.

5 hours ago, boltonboris said:

Burnham seems like a normal guy who just wants the best for ordinary people and the country.

He’s so far removed from self serving establishment toffs like Cameron, Farage and Johnson etc.

He dose look like it

he as 2 Years to win the people over

6 hours ago, Cheese said:

And when Nigel becomes PM and destroys the economy like Truss on steroids, it will all be Burnham's fault.

AB

has got 2 Years to win the people

Over/Back

he could just do it

That will be the End for

Nigel/Reform

I see the bureaucratic bunglers are infighting again.

Schengen showing cracks with the eye ties and dago's tit for tatting each other.

We just need the bubbles to have a national strike now seeking the retirement age to be lowered to 45.

Remember the 52.

5 hours ago, bolty58 said:

I see the bureaucratic bunglers are infighting again.

Schengen showing cracks with the eye ties and dago's tit for tatting each other.

We just need the bubbles to have a national strike now seeking the retirement age to be lowered to 45.

Remember the 52.

You must be getting desperate to resort to rambling about Europe.

Mind you with AB on the rise, the corrupt NF fast becoming irrelevant and the racist DJT a daily global embarrassment, I can understand why you’re trying to cling onto something.

So, Andy Burnham gets his mate to stand down as an MP giving him pretty much free reign to win the seat so that he could run for, and become the unelected PM, he then gives his mate, the one who stepped down (for reasons unknown) a role in his government and doubled his wages, me being a thick owd racist see that as corrupt.

9 minutes ago, athywhite1958 said:

unelected PM,

I take it you were equally outraged with the Conservatives when they did it several times this decade and last, and when Gordon Brown replaced Blair?

Edited Sunday at 11:462 days by jmjhb