THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 3-9 NOV 2019

03.11.19 - Bob Moran, Sunday Telegraph

04.11.19 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

04.11.19 - Ben Jennings, The Guardian

04.11.19 - Brian Adcock, The Independent

04.11.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

05.11.19 - Brian Adcock, The Independent

06.11.19 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

07.11.19 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

07.11.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

08.11.19 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

08.11.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

08.11.19 -  Dave Brown, The Independent

08.11.19 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

08.11.19 - Peter Brookes, The Times

09.11.19 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph 

09.11.19 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

09.11.19 - Peter Brookes, The Times

DUDLEY VOX POPS

Black Country rag the Express & Star has gone onto the streets of Dudley to gauge opinion about Ian Austin and his crusade against Jeremy Corbyn.  They spoke to four middle aged men, three of whom spoke warmly of their outgoing MP.  The odd one out?  You won't be surprised...

LABOUR'S 'FINAL SAY' IS BOMBING

Labour lefty Laura Pidcock spoke to Jo Coburn on Politics Live yesterday to discuss the party's Brexit policy and how it was going down on the doorsteps.  Pidcock's north-east region of England was one of only three areas where Labour remains in the lead according to a new YouGov survey.  This is despite the region's big Leave vote in 2016.  Laura's own constituency of North West Durham returned one of the smaller Leave votes at 55 per cent.  We're no body language experts, but watching Laura's response to Coburn it appears that Labour's bullshit Brexit policy is not going down well at all.  Shifting awkwardly and looking down and away to the side is not the look of someone answering a question honestly.

At some point during this campaign let's hope that someone points out the bullshit of Labour's Brexit approach.  They are not offering a 'final say' about whether we Leave or Remain, the two options they are offering are Remain and Remain.  Their new deal would retain membership of both the customs union and single market, with freedom of movement set to continue.  This is not Brexit, it is Remain.

YOUGOV REGIONAL POLLS

Regional polling released on Friday by YouGov suggested Labour support had dropped significantly across the entire mainland in comparison to the 2017 general election result.  The Tory vote was down too, although not by near as much as Labour.  In a stark wake-up call to Corbyn and his cronies, Labour are now polling behind the Tories in Yorkshire and the north-west of England.  Let that sink in - two of the three northern Labour heartlands.  In Wales the party maintains a slender lead over the Tories of just one point.

YouGov polling suggests the Tories have overtaken Labour in two of its heartlands

Support for the main two parties has shifted directly to the Lib Dems, the Brexit Party and, to a smaller degree, the Greens.  Although the figures make dreadful reading for Jeremy Corbyn, they don't in any way guarantee a Conservative majority.  The rise in the small parties could still cause massive problems on election day.  Let's not be complacent - as we know all too well opinion polls can count for nothing when the actual poll drops.

Please note that in the graphs below the Brexit Party's polling figures are compared directly with UKIP's 2017 results.  This is down to YouGov, not us.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 07.11.19

There were six by-elections last night, but most of the action was independent-oriented.  In two by-elections for Shetland Council only one party put up a candidate, while independents also dominated the contest in Pembrokeshire.  Labour stood in two wards in the south-east of England and saw their vote plummet by more than 10 per cent in both.  The Tory vote fell slightly in three out of the four seats it contested.

Marconi, Chelmsford City Council

Lib Dem: 563 (48.1%) -0.1%

Con: 311 (26.6%) +0.4%

Lab: 156 (13.3%) -12.3%

Ind: 72 (6.1%) New

Green: 69 (5.9%) New

Lib Dem HOLD

Wadebridge West, Cornwall Council

Ind: 558 (38.5%) New
Con: 384 (34.5%) -2.2%
Lib Dem: 250 (17.5%) -31.6%
Green: 123 (8.6%) +0.8%
Ind: 13 (0.9%) New

Ind GAIN from Lib Dem

Fairfield, Croydon London Borough Council

Lab: 849 (40.8%) -10.2%

Con: 536 (25.7%) -4.1%

Lib Dem: 397 (19.1%) +10.0%

Green: 237 (11.4%) +1.3%

Women's: 40 (1.9%) New

Ind: 23 (1.1%) New

Lab HOLD

Hundleton, Pembrokeshire County Council

Ind: 220 (36.2%) New
Con: 128 (21.1%) -4.5%
Ind: 58 (9.6%) New
Lib Dem: 57 (9.4%) New
Ind: 46 (7.6%) -2.6%
Ind: 37 (6.1%) New
Ind: 35 (5.8%) New
Ind: 25 (4.1%) -11.2%
Ind: 1 (0.2%) New

Ind GAIN from Ind

Lerwick South, Shetland Islands Council

Ind: 374 (35.1%)

Ind: 350 (32.8%)

Ind: 154 (14.4%)

Ind: 116 (10.9%)

Ind: 73 (6.8%)

Ind GAIN from Ind

Shetland Central, Shetlands Islands Council

Ind: 344 (47.0%)

Ind: 116 (15.8%)

SNP: 111 (15.2%)

Ind: 84 (11.5%)

Ind: 77 (10.5%)

Ind GAIN from Ind

BACK ON SALE (WHILE STOCKS LAST)

The Labour deterrent door poster is back in stock for a limited time only (while stocks last).  Click below or here to buy.

AUSTIN DEMANDS McDONNELL APOLOGY

Ian Austin's crusade against Corbyn has been predictably trolled by the keyboard warriors of the left.  On Twitter he was denounced by Corbynistas with the usual 'far right extremist' tosh and John McDonnell announced to a packed Labour gathering that Austin was "employed by the Tories".  Austin took exception to this on Twitter and demanded that McDonnell "withdraw the lie and apologise".

This is not true. It is a complete lie.
I was appointed an unpaid trade envoy in July, along with 27 other MPs and peers from different parties, including Labour, to promote UK trade and exports
John should withdraw this lie and apologise. https://t.co/HP8GLJTCJD

— Ian Austin (@IanAustin1965) November 7, 2019

Doubtful Austin will elicit such a response.  He'll probably get a one on one with McDonnell if Corbyn becomes Prime Minister.  In a room with no windows.

O'BRIEN VS CORBYN APOLOGIST

James O'Brien, the nation's most sanctimonious liberal, clashed with a deluded Corbynista on LBC yesterday.  The caller quite possibly expected lenient treatment as he rolled off excuse after excuse for the anti-Semitism of Corbyn and his followers.  O'Brien wasn't buying it.

IN FOCUS: GLASGOW

Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and the third most populated city in the UK, after London and Birmingham.  It is currently divided into seven constituencies for elections to the UK Parliament and nine constituencies for elections to the Scottish Parliament.  All Glasgow seats for the Scottish Parliament are currently held by the SNP, the map below shows the Westminster constituencies.

Population (2018 est):  626,410
City Council:  No overall control, since 2017
Composition:  SNP (38 cllrs), Labour (30), Conservatives (8), Green (7), Ind (2)
Ethnic make-up (2011):  white 88.4%, Asian 8.0%, black 2.5%, mixed 0.5%, Arab 0.4%, other 0.2%
Scottish independence referendum:  53.5% Yes
EU referendum:  66.6% Remain
Largest UK Parliamentary majority:  Glasgow North West (Carol Monaghan, SNP) majority 2,561
Smallest UK Parliamentary majority:  Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens, SNP) majority 60

Glasgow was until fairly recently a solid Labour city.  Before the SNP post-referendum surge of 2015 Labour held every UK Parliamentary seat here.  After that election they held none.  They also ran the council until 2017, when for the first time since 1980 they lost overall control.  The fall in Labour support here mirrored the party's decline across Scotland, due in part to the rise of the SNP, but in Glasgow it also haemorrhaged support to both the Tories and the Greens.  The SNP has never controlled Glasgow City Council, but that could well change after the next local elections in 2022.

For elections to the Scottish Parliament, once again Labour were in complete control and held every seat up until 2007.  In that election they lost one seat to the SNP.  Four years later they lost a further four seats and in 2016 they were completely wiped out by the SNP.  SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has represented the Glasgow Govan constituency since 2007.

Glasgow voted Yes to Scottish independence in 2014 and also voted heavily to Remain in the EU two years later.  All city MPs voted to block the triggering of Article 50, at which time all seven were SNP.  Labour won one seat back in 2017, albeit with a tiny majority.  Two more seats are among the most marginal in the UK, with the SNP clinging on in 2017 with majorities of just 60 and 75.  However, with the current state of Labour in Scotland they are not expected to make any gains here next month.

Please note that the following are Westminster constituencies.

Glasgow Central

Incumbent:  Alison Thewliss (SNP), majority 2,267
Born:  Lanark, 1982
First elected:  2015
Leave/Remain:  Remain, voted against triggering Article 50

Glasgow Central has been held by the SNP since 2015, before which it was held by Labour since 1950

EU referendum:  71% Remain

General election 2017

Alison Thewliss (SNP) 16,096 (44.7%) -7.8%
Faten Hameed (Lab) 13,829 (38.4%) +5.4%
Charlotte Fairbanks (Con) 5,014 (13.9%) +7.9%
Isabel Nelson (Lib Dem) 1,045 (2.9%) +1.3%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

Glasgow East

Incumbent:  David Linden (SNP), majority 75
Born:  Glasgow, 1990
First elected:  2017
Leave/Remain:  Remain

Glasgow East was created out of boundary changes in 2005 and has changed hands between Labour and the SNP three times since.  It is one of the tightest marginals in the UK.

EU referendum:  56% Remain

General election 2017

David Linden (SNP) 14,024 (38.8%) -18.1%
Kate Watson (Lab) 13,949 (38.6%) +6.2%
Thomas Kerr (Con) 6,816 (18.8%) +12.8%
Matthew Clark (Lib Dem) 576 (1.6%) +0.8%
John Ferguson (UKIP) 502 (1.4%) -1.2%
Karin Finegan (Ind) 158 (0.4%) New
Steven Marshall (SDP) 148 0.4%) New

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

Glasgow North

Incumbent:  Patrick Grady (SNP), majority 1,060
Born:  Edinburgh, 1980
First elected:  2015
Leave/Remain:  Remain, voted against triggering Article 50
Notes:  Also a member of Plaid Cymru

Glasgow North has been held by the SNP since 2015, before which it was held by Labour since the seat was created in 2005

EU referendum:  78% Remain

General election 2017

Patrick Grady (SNP) 12,597 (37.6%) -15.5%
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Lab) 11,537 (34.5%) +6.5%
Stuart Cullen (Con) 4,935 (14.7%) +6.9%
Patrick Harvie (Green) 3,251 (9.7%) +3.5%
Calum Shepherd (Lib Dem) 1,153 (3.4%) +0.7%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

Glasgow North East

Incumbent:  Paul Sweeney (Lab), majority 242
Born:  Glasgow, 1989
First elected:  2017
Leave/Remain:  Remain
Notes:  A former army reservist, one of three Labour MPs to have served in HM Armed Forces.

Glasgow North East was created out of boundary changes in 2005 and has changed hands between Labour and the SNP twice since.

EU referendum:  59% Remain

General election 2017

Paul Sweeney (Lab) 13,637 (42.9%) +9.2%
Anne McLaughlin (SNP) 13,395 (42.2%) -15.9%
Jack Wylie (Con) 4,106 (12.9%) +8.2%
Daniel Donaldson (Lib Dem) 637 (2.0%) +1.2%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP GAIN

Glasgow North West

Incumbent:  Carol Monaghan (SNP), majority 2,561
Born:  Glasgow, 1972
First elected:  2015
Leave/Remain:  Remain, voted against triggering Article 50

Glasgow North West has been held by the SNP since 2015, before which it was held by Labour since the seat was created in 2005.

EU referendum:  69% Remain

General election 2017

Carol Monaghan (SNP) 16,508 (42.5%) -12.0%
Michael Shanks (Lab) 13,947 (35.9%) +5.0%
Christopher Land (Con) 7,002 (18.0%) +9.6%
James Speirs (Lib Dem) 1,387 (3.6%) +0.8%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

Glasgow South

Incumbent:  Stewart McDonald (SNP), majority 2,027
Born:  Glasgow, 1986
First elected:  2015
Leave/Remain:  Remain, voted against triggering Article 50
Notes:  LGBT activist

Glasgow South has been held by the SNP since 2015, before which it was held by Labour since the seat was created in 2005.

EU referendum:  72% Remain

General election 2017

Stewart McDonald (SNP) 18,312 (41.1%) -13.8%
Eileen Dinning (Lab) 16,285 (36.6%) +6.8%
Taylor Muir (Con) 8,506 (19.1%) +9.4%
Ewan Hoyle (Lib Dem) 1,447 (3.2%) +1.2%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

Glasgow South West

Incumbent:  Chris Stephens (SNP), majority 60
Born:  Glasgow, 1973
First elected:  2015
Leave/Remain:  Remain, voted against triggering Article 50

Glasgow South West has been held by the SNP since 2015, before which it was held by Labour since the seat was created in 2005.

EU referendum:  59% Remain

General election 2017

Chris Stephens (SNP) 14,386 (40.7%) -16.5%
Matt Kerr (Lab) 14,326 (40.5%) +7.7%
Thomas Haddow (Con) 5,524 (15.6%) +10.6%
Ben Denton-Cardew (Lib Dem) 661 (1.9%) +0.9%
Sarah Hemy (UKIP) 481 (1.4%) -1.0%

BTLP general election prediction:  SNP HOLD

NEXT WEEK:  Sheffield

Please support our work by donating what you can here

JEWISH CHRONICLE FRONT PAGE

The Jewish Chronicle has made a bad day even worse for Jeremy Corbyn as they published tomorrow's damning front page - today!  The newspaper published the full page spread online this morning, directly urging all British people to oppose Corbyn.

The full text:

The vast majority of British Jews consider Jeremy Corbyn to be an antisemite. In the most recent poll, last month, the figure was 87 per cent.

Putting oneself in the shoes of another person, or another group, can be difficult. But we believe it is important - and urgent - that you do that. Perhaps the fact that nearly half (47 per cent) of the Jewish community said in that same poll that they would “seriously consider” emigrating if Mr Corbyn wins on December 12 will give you an indication of what it feels like to be a British Jew at a time when the official opposition is led by a man widely held to be an antisemite.

There is racism on all sides of politics and it must be called out wherever it is found. History has forced our community to be able to spot extremism as it emerges - and Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader in 2015 is one such example.

Throughout his career, he has allied with and supported antisemites such as Paul Eisen, Stephen Sizer and Raed Salah. He has described organisations like Hamas, whose founding charter commits it to the extermination of every Jew on the planet, as his “friends”. He has laid a wreath to honour terrorists who have murdered Jews. He has insulted “Zionists” - the word used by antisemites when they mean “Jew” because they think it allows them to get away with it - as lacking understanding of “English irony”.

There were some who hoped that he might change as leader. The opposite has happened. The near total inaction of Mr Corbyn and the rest of the Labour leadership in dealing with antisemites in the party has both emboldened them and encouraged others.

Indeed, Mr Corbyn and his allies have actively impeded action against the racists.

Instead of listening to and learning from mainstream Jewish bodies such as the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council, Mr Corbyn has treated them and their recommendations with contempt - and given support to fringe organisations set up solely to deny the existence of Labour antisemitism.

Is it any wonder Jews worry about the prospect of Mr Corbyn as prime minister?

Yet, while we see all this, we also see an election being fought in which antisemitism in the Labour Party, inspired by its leader, is mentioned only occasionally as an afterthought. Brexit, austerity, the NHS, education and myriad other issues are, of course, vital. But how can the racist views of a party leader - and the deep fear he inspires among an ethnic minority — not be among the most fundamental of issues?

That is why we are seeking your attention. If this man is chosen as our next prime minister, the message will be stark: that our dismay that he could ever be elevated to a prominent role in British politics, and our fears of where that will lead, are irrelevant.

We will have to conclude that those fears and dismay count for nothing.

But we think you do care.

We believe that the overwhelming majority of British people abhor racism. We ask only that, when you cast your vote,you act on that.

FULL IAN AUSTIN SKY INTERVIEW

Former Labour MP Ian Austin gave a number of interviews this morning about why Jeremy Corbyn should not be Prime Minister of our country.  He's never made a secret about his opposition to Corbyn's leadership, but he has gone much further this time and urged Labour voters to back Boris Johnson in next month's election.  His most devastating interview this morning came on Kay Burley's show, in which he was close to tears.  Watch the full ten minute interview below.

It's a shame that Austin isn't standing as an independent as it would have gifted his old seat to the Tories.  However, his majority was so tight that it's fair to say if they don't gain here, they'll not gain anywhere.

Dudley North general election 2017

Ian Austin (Lab) 18,090 (46.5%) +4.7%
Les Jones (Con) 18,068 (46.4%) +15.6%
Bill Etheridge (UKIP) 2,144 (5.5%) -18.5%
Ben France (Lib Dem) 368 (0.9%) -0.3%
Andrew Nixon (Green) 240 (0.6%) -0.7%

LABOUR'S MEDICINE FIGURES "NONSENSE"

Andrew Neil deftly exposed Labour's scaremongering about a post-Brexit US trade deal on Wednesday night.  Hapless frontbencher Andy McDonald was all over the place as Neil ripped into Labour's fantasy figures about medicine imports from the US.  Watch below.

Corbyn must be wondering if any of his frontbenchers are capable of giving anything other than a car crash interview at the moment, but then again it's not easy defending the indefensible.  Since the election was announced we've had disastrous appearances from Long-Bailey, Burgon, Starmer and now McDonald.  Possibly the only capable pair of hands on Corbyn's front bench has just announced he is quitting as deputy leader, so who is left?  One thing's for sure, we await the turns of Abbott and Thornberry with glee!

WILLIAMSON THROWS IN THE TOWEL

After being barred from standing as a Labour candidate earlier today, Corbyn loyalist Chris Williamson has finally given up the ghost.

After almost 44 years of loyal service and commitment, it's with a heavy heart that I'm resigning from the Labour Party.

I'll be standing as an independent candidate for Derby North to fight for social justice, internationalism and socialist values. pic.twitter.com/rKmxpJrFSP

— Chris Williamson #GTTO (@DerbyChrisW) 6 November 2019

By standing as an independent next month he will not be doing his former party any favours.  Williamson had a slender majority and by splitting the Labour vote he will undoubtedly gift the Tories an easy gain.

Derby North general election 2017

Chris Williamson (Lab) 23,622 (48.5%) +11.9%
Amanda Solloway (Con) 21,607 (44.4%) +7.7%
Lucy Care (Lib Dem) 2,262 (4.6%) -4.0%
Bill Piper (UKIP) 1,181 (2.4%) -12.2%

TOM WATSON QUITS

Labour's deputy leader has stunned politics tonight by announcing his resignation.

Click to enlarge

Corbynistas are understandably cock-a-hoop, but their enthusiasm may be misplaced.  Watson may well have lost his seat next month anyway, but he wouldn't be quitting so easily unless he expected a nationwide defeat.  This is the guy who has endured years of abuse from Corbyn's footsoldiers, but remained steadfast and almost smug about it.  He even set up his own centrist group within the party earlier this year.  His decision to quit now does not bode well for Labour's chances in the election.

Leave-voting West Bromwich is now guaranteed to have two brand new MPs come Christmas.  Both incumbent Remainers have stood down rather than face their voters.  Adrian Bailey announced his departure last week from his 69% Leave seat.  Both men were expected to face tough challenges from the Tories, with Watson and his 68% Leave seat considered a prize scalp for the Conservatives.  UKIP polled big here prior to the EU referendum, so the presence of the Brexit Party could potentially throw a spanner in the works next month.

West Bromwich East general election 2017

Tom Watson (Lab) 22,664 (58.0%) +7.8%
Emma Crane (Con) 14,951 (38.2%) +13.3%
Karen Trench (Lib Dem) 625 (1.6%) -0.4%
John Macefield (Green) 533 (1.4%) -0.3%
Colin Rankine (Ind) 325 (0.8%) New

West Bromwich West general election 2017

Adrian Bailey (Lab) 18,789 (52.1%) +4.7%
Andrew Hardie (Con) 14,329 (39.7%) +15.8%
Star Anderton (UKIP) 2,320 (6.4%) -18.8%
Flo Clucas (Lib Dem) 333 (0.9%) -0.6%
Robert Buckman (Green) 323 (0.9%) -1.1%

FAREWELL KATE

I’m pro-union, I’ll do anything to make sure that the United Kingdom has Northern Ireland as an integral part of it on the same terms as any other part of the United Kingdom when we leave the EU”.

(Kate Hoey)

by Richey Edwards

Parliament has been dissolved and the gloves are off.  Dozens of MPs have either retired, bottled it or (in Labour's case) been purged.  One of those purged MPs is Kate Hoey.  She is the only Labour MP to have consistently voted in favour of Brexit (a clean break Brexit) in every single Parliamentary vote.  While many Leave voters rage about MPs going against their Leave voting constituencies, Kate Hoey actually went against a 78% Remain vote in her Vauxhall seat.  Steadfast in her lifelong Eurosceptic views, her refusal to adopt a London Labour Remain attitude put her at odds with her constituency party.  They pulled out the stops to ensure she would not be re-selected as Labour's candidate and rather than fight a losing battle, at the age of 73 Kate threw in the towel.  There was a suggestion that she may stand for the Brexit Party in the forthcoming election, but that now appears unlikely.  She referred to her troublesome local activists in her emotional farewell speech (see below).

Kate Hoey always stood apart from her comrades on the left.  While the overwhelming majority of Labour MPs hail from the metropolitan elite, Kate was an Ulster Protestant who was brought up on a farm.  This fact alone put her at odds with her fellow Marxists.  She was not ashamed to say she was British and that she didn't share their support for a united Ireland.  Despite this she managed to obtain the Labour ticket for the 1989 Vauxhall by-election following the resignation of the incumbent.  This was not without controversy as she was not the preferred candidate at local level and was foisted upon them by the National Executive Committee.  Her Labour opponent was the mother of Kate Osamor, the controversial Labour MP for Edmonton since 2015.

Despite the resentment over her appointment, Hoey went on to represent Vauxhall for an unbroken 30 year period, during which she more than doubled the Labour majority from less than 10,000 to more than 20,000 at the last election.

A keen athlete in her youth, Hoey later worked for several professional football clubs as an advisor.  She was Minister for Sport in the Blair government.  Over the years she moved away from the hard left and adopted a more libertarian ideology.  She rebelled against New Labour many times and opposed the war in Iraq, the introduction of ID cards and the smoking ban.  Her support for foxhunting also put her at odds with her metropolitan colleagues.  However, it was her Euroscepticism for which she will probably be most remembered.  She opposed both the Maastricht and Lisbon treaties and still believes that Britain will one day leave the European Union.

Farewell Kate Hoey, one of the decent ones.

Vauxhall general election result 2017

Kate Hoey (Lab) 31,576 (57.3%) +3.5%
George Turner (Lib Dem) 11,326 (20.5%) +13.6%
Dolly Theis (Con) 10,277 (18.6%) -8.7%
Gulnar Hasnain (Green) 1,152 (2.0%) -5.6%
Harini Iyengar (Women's) 539 (0.9%) New
Mark Chapman (Pirate) 172 (0.3%) -0.1%

BREXIT BULLSHIT WITH KEIR STARMER

Keir Starmer was wheeled out on Tuesday morning for a whirlwind tour of broadcast media.  In the space of less than 45 minutes he had appeared on the BBC, Sky and ITV.  Only Sky's Kay Burley got to meet him in person as the other interviews were done via satellite link.  She went to town on him, in particular over Labour's bizarre claim that a post-Brexit trade deal with the US would result in "rat hairs in our paprika and maggots in our orange juice".  This interview was preceded by another intense exchange on Good Morning Britain where both Piers and Susanna piled in.  The BBC's Dan Walker was tame by comparison, no surprises there.

Labour's plot to overturn Brexit has become much clearer today.  As Starmer himself admits, he has spent lots of time in Brussels over the last three years discussing the kind of Brexit deal that a Labour government would seek.  To retain membership of the customs union, single market (and freedom of movement) is not Brexit, it's Remain.  They would then put this deal "back to the people" with the alternative option of... Remain!  So, essentially what we would be getting in the event of a Labour government is a commitment to overturning the first referendum as Leave would no longer appear on the ballot paper.  At least the Lib Dems are honest about their intentions!

No, we're not sure why he was wearing two poppies on Kay Burley's show either.

REMAIN VERSUS REMAIN

Another hilarious angle of Labour's (current) Brexit policy was exposed by Tom Swarbrick on LBC yesterday.  Speaking to Labour's Mike Buckley, Swarbrick managed to extract an admission that Labour's proposed new Brexit deal would basically be the same as staying in the EU.  Therefore, in the second referendum that Labour has pledged, the two options could potentially be a) Remain with our deal or b) Remain.  The fact that Remain was rejected in 2016 is anathema to Labour.

When we checked out Buckley's Twitter page, we found this.  He'll probably be blocking Tom Swarbrick as well after that interview.

CORBYN HUMILIATED BY TEEN PRANKSTERS

Jeremy Corbyn was the victim of an exquisitely planned and executed prank on Saturday night.  The Great Leader was at Gloucester University and probably felt he was on universally loyal territory.  However, he didn't count on the ingenuity of a couple of teenagers, primarily 15-year-old Thomas Chambers.

The crafty teens are filmed approaching the Labour leader after his speech and asking him for his autograph.  After Corbyn signs the folded piece of paper it is deftly passed to Thomas who unfolds it to reveal a damning message.  His accomplice then takes a picture while the entire incident is filmed by Thomas's dad Alastair, a former Labour supporter.  Watch below.

The Chambers travelled to the event from their home in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire.  After their stunt they left the event and Corbyn and his team were still none the wiser.  Thomas told the Sun it was his idea, but he was surprised at just how easy it was.

“I was really surprised at the security, it was rubbish and I walked right to the front of the room after he had finished speaking, said hello to him and got him to sign the piece of paper.  He didn’t say anything, there were no questions or concerns, he signed it willingly and was oblivious.  I don’t like his views in relation to anti-Semitism and I don’t like how he is affiliated with Hamas and Hezbollah, who he refers to as friends”.

Thomas Chambers

“I voted Labour for the last 17 years, my mum is Spanish and more socialist, my dad is English and more conservative, I have always been more on the socialist spectrum. Since Jeremy Corbyn has been leader, he has had a complete disregard for the UK, the way he talks about the SAS, who go undercover, fight for their country and get no recognition is wrong. He disgusts me. If they looked to change their leader and policies I’d consider voting for Labour, but on December 12th I will be voting for Boris Johnson".

Alastair Chambers

Corbyn even chortles to himself, oblivious as to what is going on

Follow our YouTube channel and get access to our latest videos first.

CAMPAIGN STATS 04.11.19

News of a looming general election has given our campaign a much needed boost following the censorship of our Facebook page two weeks ago.  If we can maintain our presence at least until the election we will easily surpass 100,000 followers by then.  Obviously in the event of a Labour/SNP government we may well be silenced indefinitely at some point.  Critics and freedom of speech don't fair well under communism and make no mistake, that's the kind of authoritarian regime we can look forward to under the direction of John McDonnell.

Contrary to last week's update (when we did not expect an election), we'll now be increasing Facebook activity.  Engagement is still relatively low compared to reach, but we expect that to change in the coming week.  It was a record week on Twitter, largely thanks to this guy.  We also picked up a handful of new YouTube subscribers.

Blog

454,588 total page views (+5,111)

Facebook

92,048 likes (+1,630)
97,319 follows (+1,851)

7,695 most shared post (-518)
35 number of posts

2,436,057 post reach (+2,199,854)
806,225 post engagement (+744,668)

Facebook (backup page)

4,474 likes (+47)
4,728 follows (+52)

Twitter

661 followers (+129)

YouTube

154 subscribers (+14)

Figures correct at time of publishing.

MOST SHARED: WEEK 237

This iconic photo perfectly lines up the three most inept frontbenchers on Corbyn's team, from left to right - Burgon, Abbott and Thornberry.  The meme was posted on the same day Labour voted to block a general election for the third time.  It wasn't until the following day they finally caved in.

A BTLP original this was shared 7,695 times via the Facebook page.

WRONG-BAILEY EXPOSED BY RIDGE

Labour's Rebecca Long-Bailey was interviewed by Sophy Ridge this morning and rather unsurprisingly it didn't go well.  First up on Ridge's agenda was the question of Brexit and Scottish independence.  Asked directly whether these two topics would be put to referenda again in the event of a Labour government, Wrong-Bailey stated categorically "No".  She then proceeded to confirm that Labour would hold a) a second EU referendum and b) would not stand in the way of a second Scottish referendum.  Contradictory much?

Ridge then went on to discuss the cloudcuckooland of Labour's election pledges.  Watch the full interview below, if you can stomach all the lies.

FOOTBALLER SCORES AGAINST THE LEFT

A professional footballer has evoked the fury of the left by daring to criticise Jeremy Corbyn.  Lyle Taylor took exception to Labour's persistent attacks on the super rich.

One could hardly accuse Lyle of being a billionaire himself.  He currently plays for Championship side Charlton Athletic, the highest level of league football he's achieved to date.  Predictably he came in for a barrage of abuse from Corbynista keyboard warriors, but the centre-forward wasn't quite finished and subsequently went to town on the trolls.

One troll referenced Lyle's fundraising efforts for Cancer Research UK, in which he's dyed his hair pink during October two years on the bounce.

Finally, he posted this hilarious picture to the top of his feed.

One more thing to note about Corbyn's current crusade against wealth is the fact that when he embarked on this a few months ago he referred to "millionaires".  When it was pointed out that he is himself a multi-millionaire, Corbyn rebranded the campaign to target billionaires.

Further reading

THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 27 OCT-2 NOV 2019

27.10.19 - Morten Morland, Sunday Times 

27.10.19 - Steve Bright, Sun on Sunday

29.10.19 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

29.10.19 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

30.10.19 - Andy Davey, Daily Telegraph

30.10.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

30.10.19 - Peter Brookes, The Times

30.10.19 - Steve Bright, The Sun

31.10.19 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph

31.10.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

31.10.19 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

31.10.19 - Peter Brookes, The Times

01.11.19 - Bob Moran, Daily Telegraph 

01.11.19 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

01.11.19 - Peter Brookes, The Times

02.11.19 - The Spectator

PLANT-BASED CONSPIRACY LOONS

Last night's BBC Question Time was a very good watch indeed.  With Brexit-blocking Lib Dem Layla Moran sat next to pro-Leave journalist Isabel Oakeshott it was always going to be a good ride.  The Brummie audience didn't disappoint either.  About ten minutes in a very young man tore into both Moran and Labour's Jon Ashworth.  Ashworth was writing notes when the teenager began and wasn't taking any notice, but was soon shaken to attention when the audience began applauding.  It was one of the highlights of the show.

This lad was awesome 👏 #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/lpAjwu8u9x

— Bin The Labour Party (@binlabour) October 31, 2019

This quickly became our most popular tweet to date, but also attracted the fury of Labour leftists.  The word 'plant' was deployed time and time again as they vented their anger that a Tory supporter had been allowed airtime.  The irony of their referring to him as a 'fascist' while denouncing his right to speak was clearly lost on them.

The young lad was soon identified as Layton Smith, a pro-Leave Conservative and 'aspiring politician'.  Some Labour trolls were cock-a-hoop as it provided further evidence of their crazed 'Tory plant' conspiracy.  One daft professor spun a bizarre yarn about a BBC producer dressing the young man up to look more 'working class'.

This young man is called Cyril and he is from an incredibly affluent family. A BBC producer (@RobBurl) dressed him and had his hair cut to make him look like a regular working class youngster. I can assure you, I know this boy and he is a fox hunter. https://t.co/tD1g3yiw8y

— Dr Robert 'Rob' Zands PhD #BeKindOnline (@DrRobertZands) November 1, 2019

In an excruciatingly embarrassing u-turn the professor later admits that he got the wrong producer (Rob Burley doesn't work on Question Time) and that the lad in question is not actually 'Cyril' at all!

Many who have read this viral tweet will see a retraction of sorts, further down the thread. Unfortunately I got the producer mixed up and the young man is not the Cyril I know. Just a very similar looking young Tory. What I will say, however, is that all the vile abuse WILL stop https://t.co/1ipyL0HJzd

— Dr Robert 'Rob' Zands PhD #BeKindOnline (@DrRobertZands) November 1, 2019

Even the basic premise of a 'plant' doesn't stand up to much scrutiny.  Anyone, literally anyone, can apply to be in the Question Time audience.  Activists from a myriad of political parties have popped up in the audience over the years - including Labour activists.  Naturally, these people don't complain as long as it's the Tories who are being attacked.

In any case this episode backfired on them immeasurably.  This time yesterday Layton was a fairly anonymous young man who had a couple of hundred followers on Twitter.  After the trolls began spreading his name around the Twittersphere he garnered a following of more than 5,000 (and counting).  Needless to say, the 19-year-old is now the very happy recipient of a rapidly growing profile!

BURGON CONFUSES HIMSELF

Dickie Burgon did the media rounds yesterday and as per usual provided some light entertainment for the election campaign.  On Good Morning Britain he was taken to task by Ben Shepherd and Susanna Reid over Labour's politics of envy.  Poor Richard ran rings around himself talking about targeting individuals one minute and then espousing a kinder, gentler politics the next (yes, that old Corbyn chestnut).  Even backbench MPs like daft Dave Lammy make more sense than bungling Burgon, but the glory of Dick is that this moron actually sits on Labour's front bench.  You could sense the presenters' growing exasperation as they moved on to Brexit and Labour's non-position.  Watch below.

Burgon followed up his ITV disaster by appearing in the Sky studio with Kay Burley.  You may recall that she humiliated him live on air last week.  Yesterday she followed this up with another epic burn.  We've edited the two clips together.

Burgon, like his front bench colleagues Thornberry and Abbott is the gift that keeps on giving.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here to get access to our videos first.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 31.10.19

Just the one last night and another truly awful result for Labour.  In almost three months the party has managed to increase its vote share in just one by-election.  With a general election on the way, last night's result in Worcestershire was particularly dreadful.  The party not only lost the seat it was defending, it slumped to last place.

Bromsgrove South, Worcestershire County Council

Con: 769 (40.2%) -0.3%

Ind: 436 (22.8%) New

Lib Dem: 357 (18.7%) +13.7%

Lab: 351 (18.3%) -32.2%

Con GAIN from Lab

Rather unusually there were a couple of council by-elections held earlier this week.  On Tuesday the Lib Dems were defending in Warwick and on Wednesday the Tories were defending in Maidenhead.  Both held, both increased their vote and, yes, you guessed it - Labour's vote shrunk.

Leamington Lillington, Warwick District Council

Lib Dem: 1,296 (55.3%) +7.1%

Con: 664 (28.3%) +11.1%

Lab: 384 (16.4%) -5.5%

Lib Dem HOLD

Riverside, Windsor & Maidenhead Borough Council

Con: 794 (41.1%) +5.6%

Lib Dem: 566 (29.3%) +9.4%

Borough First: 428 (22.1%) -6.1%

Lab: 70 (3.6%) -4.0%

Green: 60 (3.1%) -5.8%

Women's Equality: 16 (0.8%) New

Con HOLD