Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has made some pretty bold claims recently. He’s out there saying that both Conservative voters and Reform UK voters are being “conned” because neither party is being straight up about the possibility of them joining forces. In an interview with Beth Rigby from Sky News while he was chilling in Rossendale in Lancashire, Starmer was asked about his thoughts on the Tories and Reform in the upcoming local elections. And guess what? He sees them as equally challenging. He straight up said: “The Tories have been messing up for 14 years. Reform is just out here complaining without offering any solutions.”
And then he dropped the bomb – there’s been talk about the Tories and Reform cozying up and merging. But like, why would a Tory voter who’s not about that pro-Russia foreign policy want to merge with Reform? And if you’re a Reform voter who’s been disappointed by the Tories for over a decade, how would merging with them even work? It’s all a big fat con, according to Starmer. He’s convinced that behind the scenes, some shady folks are cooking up a coalition of these two parties, which he thinks would be an absolute disaster for Britain.
But hold up, Kemi Badenoch, the head honcho of the Conservatives, and Nigel Farage, the big cheese at Reform UK, have both shut down any talks of a pact or coalition. They’re out here saying they see each other as rivals, not pals. But word on the street is that if Reform is still riding high in the polls come the next election, the Tories might just have to make a deal with them. The Sunday Times even spilled the tea, claiming that Badenoch low-key agrees. According to Caroline Wheeler and Tim Shipman, she’s been hinting to donors that some sort of pact is inevitable if they want to take down Labour at the next general election.
Now, I’m not really sure why this matters, but there’s this proposal from the UK to the EU about a statement of shared values. It’s all about backing Ukraine, sticking to the Paris Climate Agreement, and keeping trade open and free. Seems like they’re trying to reset things post-Brexit. Looks like they’re trying to distance themselves a bit from the US, without actually mentioning Trump. Interesting move, I guess.
And in other news, Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, seems to be gearing up for more than just five local grooming gang inquiries. She’s talking about possibly going even further, depending on what this report by Louise Casey brings to the table. She’s making it clear that she’s in it for the victims, no matter what Casey recommends. And when Reform UK’s Lee Anderson tried to throw shade at her for not supporting a national inquiry, she shut him down real quick. She’s all about standing up for the victims, no matter what.
But let’s not forget about the Royal College of Nursing. They’re not too thrilled about this 3% pay rise proposal for nurses. Jo Galbraith-Marten, their big shot, is saying that this won’t cut it. Nursing is in shambles, with fewer people joining and more people leaving. They’re demanding a fully funded pay rise, none of this taking away from other services business. They’re ready to take action if they have to.
And then there’s Nigel Farage, out here making wild claims about doctors over-diagnosing kids with Send. Helen Hayes and Bridget Phillipson are not having it. They’re calling him out for being irresponsible and just plain wrong. They’re focused on getting better outcomes for all kids, Send or no Send.
So yeah, it looks like things are heating up in the political arena. Starmer’s calling out the Tories and Reform, Badenoch might be hinting at a pact, the UK is trying to cozy up to the EU, Jess Phillips is on a mission, the RCN wants a proper pay rise for nurses, and Farage is stirring the pot with his controversial comments. Just another day in politics, I guess.
