DOG WHISTLE BESTS LEGO HEAD

An awkward embrace as Lucy Powell is elected deputy leader

In an absolutely woeful contest, Lucy Powell has emerged victorious over Bridget Williamson in the fight to succeed Angela Rayner as Labour's deputy leader.  Less than 17 per cent of Labour members and affiliates could muster the enthusiasm to cast a vote, with Powell receiving 87,407 votes against Williamson's 73,506.  The poor turnout is in stark contrast to the last deputy leadership election, in which Rayner stormed to victory on an almost 60 per cent turnout.

A lot has happened since the 2020 election and while Rayner did not publicly rock Starmer's boat too much, it's unclear whether her successor will be similarly brought to heel.  Like Rayner, Powell is another Greater Manchester MP on the soft left of the party, and her victory was definitely not what Starmer wanted.  His much preferred option was rising star Phillipson, who - as a centrist like him - could have steadied his sinking ship.

Instead, it's the woman he sacked as Commons Leader less than two months ago.  Powell was reportedly not best pleased with her dismissal, which should have happened four months earlier when she made her disgusting remarks about rape gangs.  However, Starmer stood by her during that controversy, something that will now haunt both of them as they reluctantly team up.

The deputy election outcome is another dagger in a long list of mostly self-inflicted wounds for Starmer.  Time will tell as to how much damage Powell can inflict on his position.  She already has a rocky relationship with his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and as a close ally of Andy Burnham, she potentially has another motive for undermining Starmer.  Her position on digital IDs is unclear, with many on the left of the party opposed to the non-manifesto policy.  It could be another future flashpoint, with passage through the Commons by no means guaranteed at this point.

The election itself may have been uninspiring, but the result is further proof that the party remains divided.  With Powell back in the sphere of influence, that division could grow exponentially.

David Lammy remains the deputy PM, which is a separate post to that of deputy leader and is appointed by the PM as opposed to the membership.

BY-ELECTIONS 23.10.25

Plaid Cymru have taken the Senedd seat of Caerphilly in a crucial indicator of how next May's Senedd elections could pan out.

Labour's red wall in south Wales has never fallen, not even in the 2019 Brexit election that saw many seats in the red wall across northern England turn Tory blue.  However, recent council by-elections had seen Reform taking several Labour seats in the Valleys that make up the sturdiest red wall of all.

Reform were also expected to take the Senedd seat of Caerphilly on Thursday, but polls and bookmakers called it wrong.  The most recent poll conducted in the constituency found Reform leading on 42 per cent, closely followed by Plaid Cymru on 38 per cent.  Labour were way back on just 12 per cent.  Bookies put even more faith in Reform gaining this seat, making them odds on favourites, considerably ahead of Plaid, but miles in front of Labour who were languishing way back on 33-1.

It would have been a colossal victory for Reform, having previously finished last in 2021 with less than two per cent of the vote.  They still surged past every other party in this by-election - except for one.  Plaid Cymru emerged victorious with a fairly comfortable margin over Reform of 3,848.  Labour finished a distant third, as predicted, but they will take solace in the fact that their left-wing comrades in Plaid were the victors and not the dreaded Reform.

Labour had held Caerphilly since the dawn of what was then known as the Welsh Assembly.  Its first AM (now termed MS) was Ron Davies, the leader of Welsh Labour who led the charge for devolution back in the late 90s, before an infamous incident on Clapham Common in London brought him down in disgrace.

The most recent MS for Caerphilly was Hefin David, who was found dead in a suspected suicide two months ago.  In the 2021 Senedd election he secured Labour's biggest ever majority in the constituency, which has now been overturned by the fake nationalists of Plaid Cymru.  And check out that huge swing from Labour to Reform...

Caerphilly, Senedd

Lindsay Whittle (Pld) 15,961 (47.4%) +19.0%

Llŷr Powell (Ref) 12,113 (36.0%) +34.2%

Richard Tunnicliffe (Lab) 3,713 (11.0%) -34.9%

Gareth Potter (Con) 690 (2.0%) -15.3%

Gareth Hughes (Grn) 516 (1.5%) New

Steven Aicheler (LDm) 497 (1.5%) -1.2%

Anthony Cook (Gwd) 117 (0.3%) New

Roger Quilliam (UKIP) 79 (0.2%) New

Previous result

Hefin David (Lab) 13,289 (46.0%) +10.7%

Delyth Jewell (Pld) 8,211 (28.4%) -1.1%

Steven Mayfield (Con) 5,013 (17.3%) +8.4%

Stephen Jones (AbAs) 1,119 (3.9%) New

Steven Aicheler (LDm) 787 (2.7%) +1.3%

Tim Price (Ref) 495 (1.7%) New

There were also seven council contests taking place on Thursday, with Labour defending two seats - one each in south Birmingham and Colchester, Essex.  They were defeated in Birmingham by the Lib Dems, who were very much in the ascendancy overall.  The Moseley ward was previously contested for two seats, which is why the vote shares look a little off.  It is very much a left-leaning 'progressive' ward, which is why Reform and the Tories were nowhere to be seen.

Labour managed to cling on in Colchester, holding off a Lib Dem challenge, but saw their vote share plummet.  The Labour vote share was down in every seat contested, with the exception of Glastonbury in Somerset, where they were newcomers.

Reform made a gain in Portsmouth at the hands of an outgoing independent, garnering more than five times the vote of the second placed Tories.  Overall, Reformers would probably be disheartened by this election night, but the truth is that they are still taking the electoral landscape by storm.  From the other six council seats contested, they finished second in four at the first time of asking.

The Tories held a seat in Cambridgeshire, but lost a seat to the Lib Dems in Somerset.  The Lib Dems really were the success story of these council by-elections, gaining three and holding another.  There is still little evidence of a Green bounce, as per opinion polling, although they did marginally increase their vote share in three of five seats contested.

Moseley, Birmingham City Council

LDm: 1,634 (34.7%) -11.9%

Lab: 1,149 (24.4%) -14.1%

Ind: 923 (19.6%) New

Grn: 474 (10.1%) +1.5%

Ref: 345 (7.3%) New

Con: 101 (2.4%) -4.1%

Ind: 80 (1.7%) New

LDm GAIN from Lab

New Town & Christ Church, Colchester City Council

Lab: 800 (29.7%) -27.6%

LDm: 657 (24.4%) +12.1%

Ref: 600 (22.3%) New

Grn: 401 (14.9%) +5.3%

Con: 200 (7.4%) -8.9%

Ind: 38 (1.4%) -3.1%

Lab HOLD

Whittlesey North West, Fenland District Council

Con: 483 (47.5%) -9.8%

Ref: 346 (34.1%) New

Ind: 127 (12.5%) New

Lab: 60 (5.9%) -16.2%

Con HOLD

Paulsgrove, Portsmouth City Council

Ref: 1,770 (64.2%) New

Con: 311 (11.3%) -4.0%

Lab: 289 (10.5%) -4.1%

LDm: 239 (8.7%) +5.7%

Grn: 143 (5.3%) +1.9%

Ref GAIN from Ind

Glastonbury, Somerset Council

LDm: 882 (36.4%) -0.7%

Ref: 523 (21.6%) New

Con: 506 (20.9%) -9.7%

Grn: 480 (19.8%) -7.5%

Lab: 35 (1.4%) New

LDm HOLD

Dunster, Somerset Council

LDm: 1142 (49.6%) +8.4%

Ref: 666 (28.9%) New

Con: 449 (19.5%) -22.8%

Lab: 44 (1.9%) -4.2%

LDm GAIN from Con

Milton & Tamarside, Torridge District Council

LDm: 428 (37.5%) New

Ref: 355 (31.1%) New

Con: 191 (16.7%) New

Ind: 101 (8.8%) New

Grn: 67 (5.9%) -23.9%

LDm GAIN from Ind

Abbreviations

Pld = Plaid Cymru

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

Gwd = Gwlad

UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party

AbAs = Abolish the Welsh Assembly

Ind = Independent

WOKE WEDNESDAYS #47

It seems that every sinew of British life is now infiltrated by the Marxist war on speech, on and off dry land.  As an island nation, we are naturally at home on the waves, albeit our trawlers are now inhabited by 'fisherpeople' as opposed to 'fishermen' according to the likes of the BBC.  While the workers scoff at such bizarre gender-neutral language, the disease of politically correct speech is now being extended to sailing in all its forms of leisure pursuits.

New guidelines from the Royal Yachting Association - which boasts Princess Anne as its president - have declared that certain sailing terms are potentially offensive to women and so-called 'non-binary' people.  Use of 'man overboard' is now problematic, and should be replaced with the much longer 'person in water' - an extra two syllables which could cost valuable seconds in response time when someone is drowning.  Just as long as no-one is offended, eh?

The term 'sportsmanship' is also deemed potentially offensive, as is 'seaman' and 'seamanship', which should be replaced with 'deckhand', 'deck work' or 'boat handling'.  

The guide states:

"Some language in sailing and boating environments might not value or represent people who identify as female or prefer gender-neutral terms.  For a long time, some terminology focussed on the male perspective to being involved in sailing and boating.  As the representation of people identifying as female or non-binary has increased within our sport and recreation, it’s important that the language that we use honours and values them too."

The RYA is not just responsible for yachting, but all manner of leisurely sailing vessels - everything from paddle boards and kayaks upwards.  Perhaps they can apply it to migrant boats too, despite the fact there is little chance of anything other than a man going overboard!

Last week's Lenny Henry meme generated 252 comments and 60 shares on Facebook.

TOON TUESDAY #77

This week we begin with the Chinese spy scandal, which gently morphs into Reeves' looming budget before ending on a standalone Shabana Mahmood toon...

Steve Bright for The Sun

Peter Brookes for The Times

Chris Riddell for The Observer

Andy Davey for The Daily Telegraph

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph

Dave Brown for The Independent

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Matt Pritchett for the Daily Telegraph

Dave Brown for The Independent

Andy Davey for The Daily Telegraph

Graeme Bandeira for The Northern Agenda

Morten Morland for The Times

BRASS NECK BABY KILLERS

Labour's Andy MacNae and Michelle Welsh

Last week was 'Baby Loss Awareness Week', which has been held in the UK for more than 20 years.  To coincide with the event, a debate on baby loss was held in the House of Commons last Monday.

Opening the debate was its co-sponsor, the member for Rossendale and Darwen - Andy MacNae.  During his almost 15 minute speech, the Labour MP detailed the tragic death of his own baby daughter who passed away just five days into her life.

MacNae was followed later by another co-sponsor of the debate, the Labour member for Sherwood Forest.  Michelle Welsh launched into a tirade against healthcare professionals who she accused of treating her with 'utter contempt' during the birth of her son.  A verbal assault on the saintly NHS is not something one would normally associate with the socialists, but Michelle clearly wanted to show she had skin in the game.

Welsh was followed by her Labour comrade Luke Charters (York Outer), who described her as an 'inspirational mum'.  Various MPs joined the debate, including Labour's Fleur Anderson (Putney), Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Gateshead South), Jess Asato (Lowestoft), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Richard Burgon (Leeds East), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire), Lizzi Collinge (Morecambe and Lunesdale), Sarah Smith (Hyndburn), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire), Jo White (Bassetlaw), Adam Thompson (Erewash), Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North), Dave Robertson (Lichfield) and Sean Woodcock (Banbury).

Now all these MPs have something in common - asides from the despicable party to which they belong - they all voted in favour of a certain amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill four months ago.  Yes, that's right, despite all their posturing and hand-wringing about the lost lives of babies - each and every one of them voted FOR the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth.

The two Labour co-sponsors of this three hour debate voted to kill babies.  Their 17 party comrades who spoke during the debate voted to kill babies.  MacNae voted to legalise the murder of children five days younger than his own departed child.  Please spare us your crocodile tears.

MEME MONDAY #57

Digital IDs, peace in Gaza and political footballs were among the themes for last week's 15 efforts from our very own meme making legend...

Mon 13 Oct - 86 shares

Mon 13 Oct - 344 shares

Tue 14 Oct - 565 shares

Wed 15 Oct - 556 shares

Wed 15 Oct - 64 shares. Poor Greta. With the wicked Orange Man having persuaded
the Israelis to stop their assault on Gaza, whatever will she turn her hand to next...

Thu 16 Oct - 37 shares. DUP MP Sammy Wilson backs the cash campaign

Thu 16 Oct - 84 shares. A Leeds United player refused to observe
the latest kneeling exercise, while the fans roundly booed his team
mates and the opposition. Like the very first player to make a stand,
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is of mixed race descent. Will a white
player ever have the guts to stand?

Fri 17 Oct - 28 shares

Fri 17 Oct - 213 shares

Fri 17 Oct - 53 shares. Reform are currently odds on favourites with
all the major bookies to take the Senedd seat of Caerphilly in this
Thursday's by-election. Labour, the defending party, are seen as a
distant third behind Plaid

Sat 18 Oct - 285 shares

Sat 18 Oct - 42 shares. The backlash against Gary continued on Saturday when
three protesters temporarily halted a Salford City match wearing 'Gary Neville
is a traitor' t-shirts. One of them tried to plant a Cross of St George in the centre
circle! Neville co-owns the club

Sat 18 Oct - 72 shares

Sun 19 Oct - 3,075 shares. A massive response to this, but alas, there were a
handful of despicable comments from the usual suspects. Pleased to report that
the 66 laughing emojis were absolutely dwarfed by more than 13,000 positive
reactions

Sun 19 Oct - 134 shares

Just a couple of Facebook Stories last week, including a bluntly worded reprisal to the perennially offended...

If you appreciate our work you can contribute to our campaign by buying us a metaphorical pint each here.  This helps fund our work and serves as a vital morale booster.

BOATWATCH #32

It was a fairly quiet week in the English Channel, although a flurry of seven boats on Saturday brought the numbers right back up into the hundreds.  Crossings tend to drop off significantly in October as winter draws near, but numbers are currently marginally ahead of the previous record year at this stage.  Another 9,000 arrivals before the end of the year will be enough to beat 2022's all time record of 45,774 imported boat migrants.

The Boriswave is giving way to the Starmerwave...

Total = 490 (down 1,353 on previous week)

REMEMBERING PETER LYNCH

We are remembering political prisoner Peter Lynch today.

The 61 year old grandfather of three was found hanging in his cell on 19 October 2024, just two months after his imprisonment for 'violent disorder'.  He attended a migrant hotel protest in Rotherham in the wake of the Southport massacre, but did not physically attack anyone or throw any missiles.  He rocked up with a placard accusing the establishment of corruption and allegedly shouted towards police lines demanding to know why they were 'protecting child killers'.  He was referring to the inhabitants of the hotel and his words were later labelled 'racist' and 'provocative' by the prosecution.

If Peter had ignored his solicitor's advice, there is every chance he would still be alive today.  There is little chance he would have been found guilty before a jury, but he instead chose to heed his solicitor's advice (as did Lucy Connolly and others) and pleaded guilty.  Presumably, his legal brief had told him that a guilty plea would earn him a lesser sentence, but there was no leniency on show from the judge.  Peter Lynch was labelled a 'disgraceful example of a grandfather' and sentenced to an astonishing two years and eight months inside.  For context, another man who took part in that very same protest received the exact same sentence as Peter, but he not only hurled insults at the police - he physically assaulted an officer and reportedly spent an hour throwing bricks and other missiles at police lines.

The full inquest into Peter's death has still not been held, despite the lengthy passage of time.  However, we now have a major clue as to why he chose to end his life at that particular point.  A pre-inquest hearing held last week revealed that Peter was served 'adjudication papers' on the evening of 18 October 2024, following an unspecified 'breach of prison rules'.  He was found dead in his cell the next morning.

No further details have been released and an inquest date remains to be set.  According to his son Casey, his father had made two previous suicide attempts during his prison stay and has demanded to know why these incidents were not taken seriously by prison authorities.

Peter Lynch was a working class family man concerned about the rapidly changing demographics of his country and the disastrous effects that multi-culturalism was having on native communities.  He had been married for 36 years, fathered four children and his most recent job had been in a packing warehouse.  He reportedly suffered a heart attack earlier in 2024 and had been diagnosed with several illnesses including angina and diabetes.  He came from the former coal mining town of Wath-upon-Dearne, a few miles north of Rotherham.

Rest in peace, comrade.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 16.10.25

Ten seats were up for grabs this week, with vacancies in Surrey accounting for more than half of them.  There were two Labour defences, both in the crumbling red wall of the north west of England.  They lost both, one each to the Lib Dems and the Tories.

The Lib Dems and Reform pushed Labour into third place in Preston, the party suffering a cratering 35.7 per cent drop in vote share.  There was a significant swing from Labour to Reform in this seat.  A 19 per cent drop in Trafford was enough to gift the seat to the Tories, who won despite a drop in their own vote share.

Labour finished last in an astonishing five seats, including a humiliating tally of 17 votes in Babergh, Suffolk.

North of the border, the outgoing Ayrshire councillor was elected for the SNP, but left the party a year into his term and served as an independent up to his death.  We had this down as an SNP defence.  They lost to an independent.

Elsewhere, it was very much a Lib Dem affair, with the party successfully defending three seats and making four gains - one each at the expense of Labour, the Greens, Tories and a local residents' group.  However, they did not have it all their own way and lost a seat to Reform in Babergh.  There was a significant swing from the Lib Dems to Reform here.

One other party of interest was the Green Party, whose results on the night did not reflect current polling, in which one poll this week had them tied in second place with Labour.  They were not just beaten in their one defence - they were totally demolished and finished a humiliating fifth place.  They made no impression elsewhere, a distant second in Reigate their best result.

Copdock & Washbrook, Babergh District Council

Ref: 323 (32.0%) New

LDm: 292 (28.9%) -27.5%

Grn: 238 (23.6%) +9.5%

Con: 140 (13.9%) -15.7%

Lab: 17 (1.7%) New

Ref GAIN from LDm

Ashton, Preston City Council

LDm: 659 (35.5%) +14.0%

Ref: 548 (29.5%) New

Lab: 429 (23.1%) -35.7%

Ind: 101 (5.4%) New

Con: 61 (3.3%) -16.4%

Ind: 60 (3.2%) New

LDm GAIN from Lab

Meadvale & St John's, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council

LDm: 1,009 (48.3%) +11.7%

Grn: 368 (17.6%) -0.5%

Con: 251 (12.0%) -16.9%

Ref: 242 (11.6%) New

Ind: 218 (10.4%) New

LDm HOLD

Ayr North, South Ayrshire Council

(first preference votes)

Ind: 850 (25.1%) New

SNP: 790 (23.3%) -22.5%

Lab: 691 (20.4%) -3.7%

Ref: 584 (17.3%) New

Con: 195 (5.8%) -14.8%

Ind: 151 (4.5%) New

LDm: 73 (2.2%) +0.5%

Ind: 51 (1.5%) New

Ind GAIN from SNP (elected at stage 8)

Staines, Spelthorne Borough Council

LDm: 804 (38.0%) New

Ref: 499 (23.6%) +21.6%

Ind: 261 (12.3%) New

Con: 231 (10.9%) -21.9%

Grn: 163 (7.7%) -36.3%

Lab: 158 (7.5%) New

LDm GAIN from Grn

Camberley West, Surrey County Council

LDm: 1,617 (49.5%) +16.6%

Ref: 845 (25.9%) New

Con: 666 (20.4%) -28.8%

Lab: 140 (4.3%) -11.4%

LDm GAIN from Con

Caterham Valley, Surrey County Council

LDm: 1,182 (48.1%) +0.6%

Ref: 601 (24.5%) New

Con: 320 (13.0%) -23.5%

Grn: 135 (5.5%) New

Ind: 131 (5.3%) New

Lab: 89 (3.6%) -6.9%

LDm HOLD

Guildford South East, Surrey County Council

LDm: 1,426 (41.3%) +18.0%

Con: 788 (22.8%) -8.1%

Ind: 565 (16.3%) -21.4%

Ref: 416 (12.0%) New

Grn: 172 (5.0%) New

Lab: 89 (2.6%) -5.6%

LDm GAIN from Ind

Whyteleafe, Tandridge District Council

LDm: 259 (44.9%) +14.2%

Ref: 154 (26.7%) New

Con: 57 (9.9%) +0.4%

Lab: 56 (9.7%) -1.7%

Grn: 51 (8.8%) +3.6%

LDm HOLD

Broadheath, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council

Con: 1,614 (36.8%) -4.4%

Lab: 978 (22.3%) -19.0%

LDm:: 841 (19.2%) +14.9%

Ref: 723 (16.5%) +11.2%

Grn: 204 (4.7%) -1.9%

Ind: 22 (0.5%) -0.8%

Con GAIN from Lab

WOKE WEDNESDAYS #46

You might say that establishment comic Lenny Henry (full title Sir Lenworth George Henry CBE) has done reasonably ok for himself.  Despite being mostly absent from the stand-up circuit for decades, he is never short of work in a variety of roles - on stage, screen and behind the scenes as screenwriter and producer.  He has had numerous honours bestowed on him, beginning with a CBE in 1999, followed by a knighthood in 2015.  He has been recognised with various lifetime awards, has an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent Univeristy and he was recently given the freedom of the City of London.  He has a reported net worth of £7.3million.

It's not a bad résumé for a Black Country-born lad from a large Jamaican immigrant family.  He is perhaps one of the finest examples of how colour is not a barrier to success in the UK, as long as one is prepared to work for it.

And yet instead of promoting that message to those who expect to have the easy life bestowed on them, he has joined the chorus of demand for 'slavery reparations'.  What's more, this pursuit of victimhood for the black community did not happen in a throwaway line during a media interview - he has co-wrote an entire book that lays out the case for £18 trillion worth of reparations to people who have never been slaves, whose parents and grandparents weren't slaves.

Absurd.

His book, co-penned with diversity hack Marcus Ryder MBE, is entitled The Big Payback, and justifies reparations with the usual claims that black Britons are forever victims of an institutionally racist country.  The pair claim reparations will 'end racism', overlooking the fact that such a colossal payout would make multimillionaires of every black Briton, driving up inflation and pissing off just about every non-black person in the entire country.

It's remarkable that such a book of idiotic victimhood can be written by two guys who have apparently done so well for themselves without success having been handed to them on a plate...

Last week's Gary Neville meme generated 46 comments and 39 shares on Facebook.

TRUMP'S ULTIMATE STARMER SNUB

Keir Starmer may well be regretting his dash to Egypt for Donald Trump's victory lap, after the US president brokered a peace deal in Gaza.  He will certainly be regretting his decision to stand behind the President as he addressed various world leaders and representatives.  If Starmer had wanted to get himself some limelight - for doing absolutely nothing to deliver said peace - he succeeded in one respect.  He became the main talking point stemming from the 45 minute conference.

Richey breaks it down below.

Our nation salutes you Mr President.  Long may your shoddy treatment of our tin pot tyrant continue!

TOON TUESDAY #76

The latest instalment of peace in the Middle East is in its infancy, but there is little ambiguity as to who made it happen...

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Johannes Leak for The Australian

SKS Cartoon on X

Peter Schrank for Encompass

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegraph

Tom Stiglich on X

SKS Cartoon on X

Peter Brookes for The Times

Stanley McMurtry for The Mail on Sunday

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Cian Ci on X

Matt Pritchett for The Daily Telegraph