Hugo Stephens

Old but not obsolete

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@CricketopiaCom Sobers

[Daniel Hannan @DanielJHannan]

Yes, children spend too much time on their screens. So, indeed, do a lot of adults. But it does not follow that we should give ministers the power to ban platforms they dislike. https://t.co/BBEOKREZ4M

[Julia Hartley-Brewer @JuliaHB1]

Ugh. This is DISGUSTING @LushLtd. Teenage girls love to shop in your stores and here you are happily encouraging them to CUT OFF THEIR HEALTHY BREASTS in the name of trans pride.

This is beyond repulsive. It's dangerous and sick. No parent should allow their child near your stores.

Please share: #BoycottLushNow

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

And one of the best ways of doing that is to join a party that prosecutes its soldiers, leaves them homeless, underequips them and imposes DEI quotas on recruitment.
I am sure we are all sleeping more soundly now as a result...

[Daniel Hannan @DanielJHannan]

When people ask me for advice on standing for election, the first thing I say is “Don’t do it unless you have a purpose. If you think being an MP will be fun, you’ll soon be disabused. But if are working towards a goal, you’ll be able to shrug off all the insults and inconveniences.”
Al Carns is a good example of someone who has gone into politics with a purpose. You don’t lightly step away from commanding the SBS or turn down a senior one-star field appointment. His purpose is plain enough: he wants to reverse the decades-long downgrading of our Armed Forces.
Some MPs will respect his integrity; others will resent the mirror that he holds up to their own motives. We’ll find out soon enough which response is more common.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

Heartfelt plea to Restore voters which misses the point (I think deliberately).
The issue at Makerfield is do you want Labour to win or not?
If you do (and the polls suggest 45% do) then vote Labour; if you don't, then vote for the party that is most likely to beat him (Reform)

[Henry Bolton OBE 🇬🇧 @_HenryBolton]

Makerfield:

Reform and its media supporters argue a Burnham victory in Makerfield would be disastrous and that they are the only ones who can stop him. A few points in that:

1) Regardless of why they did it, Reform, in fact, created the conditions in which Starmer got his huge majority in 2024. That is the reason Starmer has been able to do so much harm and, indeed, why we may end up with Burnham as PM.

2) it’s also the reason - despite what Reform tell you - there will not be an early general election. No Labour leader would be so stupid as to call one now with such a massive majority. That majority would get slashed or they’d lose.

3) Reform fought the local elections on “Vote Reform, get Starmer out!” Now Reform, in effect, is saying “Vote Reform, stop Burnham, keep Starmer in!”

4) What would actually be the difference between a Starmer government and a Burnham government?
- Starmer governs like a timid senior barrister managing wondering what is defensible.
- Burnham thinks like a local politician trying to build legitimacy and public support.
- In practice, the two governments would sound and present quite differently, but policies wouldn’t be much different.

So, does it much matter if Burnham wins or loses in Makerfield? No, not much. We’ll still have a Labour government with a massive majority in the HoC and its policies will not change significantly, albeit the presentation will be quite different.

5) Is Restore Britain splitting the vote? I guess you can argue it is, but only if some voters prefer Restore to any other party. Surely that’s their choice. What Reform and those saying that Restore should stand down are effectively arguing is that those voters should not be offered that choice. Is that democratic? I think not.

6) Are Reform the only ones who can win and stop Burnham? No.

Even if you still think it makes any difference to the country if Burnham wins or loses - which it won’t - Reform is not the only party that can win.

The party that gets the most votes will win. So if you want that party to be the Monster Raving Looney Party, vote for them.

7) THE MAIN POINT: You’ve been told all these things and, frankly misled by Reform’s leadership because they want your vote. Nothing more, nothing less. First they said “Vote for us and destroy the Tories (and incidentally give Starmer a huge majority)” which many of you did. Then they said “Vote for us, get Starmer out” which many of you did”. Now they tell you “Vote for us, stop Burnham (and keep Starmer)”

And tell me… what in all that time has improved for the country.

SUGGESTION
Make history in Makerfield.

Break the model of manipulation.

Don’t vote tactically because a manipulative politician tells you it’s your only option - it is not.

Don’t vote against a party or to stop a particular candidate.

Vote for the party you actually would like to win.

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

Simples:
Release tens of billions from Ed Miliband’s net zero follies for defence capital investment.
Release billions more for day-to-day spending by some tough love for the 10m of working age not working and living on benefits. Plus abandon triple lock.
Go through current defence spending like a dose of salts to root out current waste and inefficiency (which is mega). Cull legacy programmes for platforms soon to be obsolete.

[William Clouston SDP @WilliamClouston]

Great to support the @TN_Policy event at
@NU_Foundation in Newcastle this morning on tackling economic inactivity. Well chaired by Daniel Harrison and great contributions from Dr Paul Goldsmith and Baroness Elliott.

[Mike Yardley @YardleyShooting]

BRITAIN IS FAILING, BRITAIN IS UNDER-DEFENDED. STARMER MUST GO. LABOUR MUST CALL AN ELECTION.

[Mike Yardley @YardleyShooting]

The existence of Reform & Restore are the result of the failure of mainstream politics. It doesn't mean that they're the answer to all the nation's woes, but it does show how many have utterly lost faith in old establishment parties & the vested interests that control them.

[Rt Hon Steve Baker FRSA 🗽 @SteveBakerFRSA]

🗽It’s possible to rescue a nation.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

I think its run out of other people to tax

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

The British Left now has a death wish.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

Precisely.

[Suella Braverman @SuellaBraverman]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

It takes Kemi about 3 years to copy the rest of us. Unable to come up with their own ideas the Tories are putting out a half-baked, heart- hearted copy of what Reform announced 6 months ago. But of course, like typical Tories, it doesn’t go far enough and won’t fix the problem.

Leaving the ECHR, banning the hate marches, Grooming Gangs, two tier policing and now the Equality Act. Every time, in government, she was implacably opposed but now hopes that no-one will remember.

Some of us had the guts to do what was necessary at the time- when it was hard, but vital, and would make a difference.

Others didn’t.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

How very true.

[Mike Yardley @YardleyShooting]

Lack of unity on the Right of British politics may well lead the country into dystopian disaster. We desperately need change. We need less, more efficient, govt and bureaucracy. We need fiscal realism and an admission that the economy is in fact bust and public spending can't continue as it does.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@YardleyShooting Please keep going

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

Not just stupid but also arrogant.
The EU's complete disdain for the people it purports to speak for is off the scale.

[Rt Hon Steve Baker FRSA 🗽 @SteveBakerFRSA]

😤 “Stupid” was ramming the Constitution for Europe through as the Lisbon Treaty despite its rejection by electorates.

🤷🏻‍♂️Otherwise, I’d never have become a Eurosceptic.

💡I hope @FT looks up “affective polarisation” and “fundamental attribution error”. @profpauldolan may help.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@SirShahAnalyst John Arlott was the best

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@YardleyShooting Agreed but shouldn't Reform also target the 40% labour voters? I cant believe they are all Andy Burnham fans

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

This is fantasy.
Reform and Restore hate each other. The Conservatives have been dominated by their liberal wing since Cameron and have nothing in common with Reform/Restore and there are no Labour/Liberal MPs who would want to join such a coalition.
I see no way forward

[Mike Yardley @YardleyShooting]

If Labour are to be beaten, if Britain is to be unbroken, Reform, Restore & Conservative must form an alliance. With such an alliance, Britain just might be saved. There is no reason why it should not include some former Labour and Lib Dems. National survival is now at stake.

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@AEHALL1983 😂😂😂

[Hugo Stephens @FarseerUK]

@Mofoman360 I loved all his work, but I think his performance as Count Dooku in Star Wars made the second trilogy - he dominated the screen