Philip Read

Charlton Athletic supporter. Views expressed are purely my own altho RTs may not be!

[(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges]

Good. Will Kemi Badenoch now be getting her formal apology from Reform.

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

Indeed. Indeed. Indeed. I warned the London media many, many times not to over-rate her, that she was in fact mediocre (as her record governing Scotland and running her party now shows beyond peradventure). But they know nothing of Scotland and fell for her flannel.

[Sharron Davies HoL MBE @sharrond62]

I don’t think there should be any political messaging in work places. It does the opposite, it’s virtue signalling , unnecessary if you’re doing a good job (equally as you should be)creates sectarianism & devision, not cohesion. People divide into tribes of lanyards. Remove it all

[🌼Thistle🌼🩵🇬🇧 @thistle_prick]

@kevinhollinrake We know what she said....

What's this then?

[Kevin Hollinrake MP @kevinhollinrake]

Hey, Zia, you’re lying…..again

This is what she actually said:

“I’m someone who believes every life matters.

I don’t want to hear about black lives matter’

I don’t want to hear about white lives matter’

I want to hear about how we’re looking after everybody”

Lying by omission is still lying.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

Identity politics divides our country whoever is doing it.

The Conservative Party rejects it.

We believe in universalism and equality under the law. We must not treat people differently on the basis of skin colour. We have to build faith and trust in our institutions.

If there is one thing that should come from Henry’s death, it is that we make things better, so that this does not happen to any of our boys again.

That is what I am committed to.

I do not want his death to be in vain.

Let’s do this for Henry. Let’s get this right.

[Philip Read @PhilipRead1]

@JuliaHB1 @Nigel_Farage True!

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

South Wales Police is enforcing its own bespoke Islamic blasphemy law — and it won’t be the only force to do so.

When the FSU warned that the Government’s official definition would silence legitimate criticism of Islam, some accused us of being hysterical.

Our warning has been vindicated time and again.

South Wales Police is now effectively enforcing a blasphemy code, with officers instructed to record speech that goes beyond what they regard as “legitimate discussion” of Islam.

But what constitutes “legitimate discussion” of Islam in a country that abolished blasphemy laws in 2008? And why should officers at South Wales Police have the power to decide what may and may not be said about Islam and Muslims?

The Government’s official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as “anti-Muslim hatred/hostility” — was a gilded invitation for public bodies to go even further with their own definitions and guidance.

The result is legal uncertainty. Individuals cannot know whether their lawful speech or beliefs will be recorded by the police, nor how any resulting record may be retained, used or disclosed.

If an officer decides that someone has crossed the line of what they consider “legitimate” debate about Islam and Muslims, the police will, in all likelihood, record it as an anti-social behaviour incident.

That record could then appear on an enhanced DBS check and cost someone a job.

We will inevitably see women who describe the burka as a tool of oppression logged alongside those who criticise halal food or public prayer events.

Most concerning of all, the policy will deter people from speaking out on sensitive issues — from the grooming gangs scandal to Islamist extremism — including public officials and journalists, for fear of acquiring a black mark against their name.

The Free Speech Union has written to South Wales Police demanding that it withdraw this guidance. If it refuses, it has been warned that judicial review proceedings will follow.

Read FSU Campaigns Officer @MaxHThompson’s opinion piece for @GBNEWS 👇

[(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges]

Reform really are descending into the gutter now. This is a total distortion of what Kemi Badenoch actually said. It’s another example of their increasingly desperate efforts to neutralise Restore.

[(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges]

This is brilliant. And significant. Normally Farage scares people into backing off. Kemi Badenoch is taking the fight directly to him. Good for her.

[Zac Goldsmith @ZacGoldsmith]

It’s appalling to see people like Jenrick & Braverman - both of whom are intelligent and know Kemi very well- actively lying about what Kemi said.

They know she has been rock solid on identity politics forever. They have seen the full quote from which this nonsense has been extracted and warped. They know this attack is based on something that is not only wrong, it is the opposite of the truth.

They insult their members, who they presumably think aren’t capable of spotting the obvious lie. And they position Reform as just another grubby grasping lying political entity.

They should retract and apologise

[The Free Speech Union @SpeechUnion]

In October 2024, the Free Speech Union came to the aid of Rick Prior, the elected Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, after he was suspended for saying that rank-and-file officers had become so fearful of complaints of racism — and potentially losing their jobs — that they no longer dared challenge allegations of racism, particularly when made by people of colour.

According to Prior, some officers were reluctant to intervene when they suspected a crime was being committed if the perpetrator was a black or brown person for fear of being accused of racism.

Fortunately, with our support, Rick Prior won his

Given the circumstance of Henry Nowak's death, it's clear that Rick Prior was right to raise these concerns.

The police have overcorrected in response to the perception that the force is institutionally racist, and that needs to be addressed.

People like Rick Prior — and other elected federation chairs — must be free to speak out about what they believe has gone wrong and propose common-sense solutions without risking suspension or dismissal.

The lack of free speech within policing on these issues has contributed to the current state of affairs in which officers appear to be more concerned about not following up accusations of racism than protecting people from violent criminals.

Watch the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young, below 👇

[Philip Read @PhilipRead1]

@JuliaHB1 @j_l_marsden This is a shocking distortion of the true and tells us everything we need to know about the lies Reform are prepared to tell.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

I don’t want to hear about Black Lives Matter.
I don’t want to hear about White Lives Matter.
Everyone matters.
Henry Nowak matters.

[jake @jakelchambers]

I’ve been a fan of @KemiBadenoch for years, and in recent weeks it’s become increasingly clear.

She’s the strongest Conservative leader since Margaret Thatcher.

Conviction, clarity, and fighting spirit.

We’d all be better off with her at the helm.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

Enough is enough.

Conservatives will vote to FORCE Labour to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

It’s insane that with wars in Ukraine and Iran, Labour STILL haven’t published the plan promised a year ago. Conservatives will put our national security first.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

They are no longer the Labour Party, they are the Welfare Party. It doesn’t matter who is in charge of these people, the party for Benefits Street will tax us all into poverty to pay for more welfare.

Pat McFadden has said in private what he and the Prime Minister deny in public. As I’ve said repeatedly, Labour MPs don’t understand where money comes from. They think our taxes are their money to spend, rather than the result of the hard work of the people in our country who deserve so much better.

The Conservative party is the only party holding Labour to account, as Reform, Lib Dems the SNP and others join Labour in demanding the state pay more and more benefits.

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

Let’s nail this state lie once and for all. The government is NOT increasing defence spending by £270 billion during this parliament. It is a ludicrous claim.
Yet one Keir Starmer made to Parliament’s Liaison Committee in March: Labour, he said, will “spend £270 billion MORE (my emphasis) than we would otherwise have done on defence” in this Parliament.
Starmer has always been weak on facts and figures but even by his standards this is a massive porkie.
This is the truth: £270 billion is the total cumulative projected defence spending for the four financial years from 2025/26 up to and including 2028/29 lumped together.
It is NOT even the cumulative increase in defence spending during these years.
Nobody (except perhaps Gordon Brown) speaks about public spending in this way, unless the intention is massively to mislead.
By 28/29 defence spending is projected to be £13 billion a year more than at the start of the period. So not exactly £270 billion. But I guess if you’re going to lie you might as well make it a whopper.

[Conservatives @Conservatives]

Labour promised to publish their plan to fund our defence in Autumn last year.

9 months on, and there is still no sign of it.

If they won’t act, we will vote to force Keir Starmer to publish the plan within one month.

[Priti Patel MP @pritipatel]

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is a direct threat to the United Kingdom.

Yet weeks after the murderous Iranian regime slaughtered tens of thousands of its own citizens, UK Foreign Office officials attended an event celebrating the Iranian revolution and regime.

Now, the Labour government is refusing to answer questions about this event or explain how this was allowed to happen. They are once again covering up the facts and running away from all scrutiny.

The UK Foreign Secretary should explain to the public why she is happy for her civil servants to go to events hosted by the Ayatollah’s regime while Iran conducts state-sponsored threats and hostile activities in Britain, Iran puts British citizens in harm’s way in the Middle East, and Iran murders its own citizens.

Labour has weakened Britain’s standing on the world stage and is putting our national security at risk.

https://t.co/URT7Ddtsv4