'Manchester is not the United Kingdom and all he did at Manchester was spend money which the Government had given him'
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told #BBCBreakfast Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, has questions to answer if he succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister
https://t.co/4xMvA75eZU
Look at them all, grinning as they parachute in a bloke who has tried and failed to be Labour leader twice, who won a manufactured by-election and will now become PM unopposed so he can avoid all scrutiny of what he actually stands for. Risible.
The country is not being governed and Labour say there won't be a Prime Minister till September.
Keir Starmer is off on a farewell tour and Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday. Neither is thinking about our national security.
We need to cut welfare and fund our military.
The problem with the UK is we have an electorate that wants a Japanese approach to immigration, Nordic welfare, an American tax system and a political class that would rather pander to this delusion as opposed to levelling with public about the necessary trade offs. This approach will continue to produce failed leaders until it fundamentally changes.
Reform would not have won Makerfield even if every other party on the Right stood down.
Meanwhile, in Aberdeen, the Conservatives took half the votes despite Reform being on the ballot paper.
We united the city behind a genuine offer.
Had I done a deal, our emphatic victory in Aberdeen would have been diminished. People would have sneered that we only won because Reform stepped aside. A win 'helped' by Reform would have been no win at all.
That’s why I am not doing any deals. If you want the Right -Vote Conservative
It is NOT ok to experiment on kids as young as 11 and make irreversible changes to their bodies.
We must protect children from dangerous ideology.
Conservatives will not just sit back and let this happen. I refuse to believe MPs, if given the chance, would let this continue. That is why we will force a vote, not just to pause this trial but to stop it completely.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Unemployment is skyrocketing under Labour.
I report on this devastating story - all stemming from the choices made by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves👇
While the Press will be focused on the battle for the Labour leadership and Conservatives celebrating our win in Aberdeen, there are two people I want to pay tribute to.
The first is @Winstamike who was an excellent candidate for us in Makerfield. He represented our party with grace, dignity and competence. The result was no reflection on him but on the circumstances of a peculiar by-election where the question was not “who would be the best representative?” but “should Andy Burnham challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership?”
The second is @j_cruickshanks whose valiant efforts in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry took us from 3rd behind Labour to 2nd place, increasing the Conservative vote share.
By-elections can be more intense than general elections because of the focus and scrutiny. I am proud of all our Conservative candidates this morning. Part of a strong, united team.
This is a significant result, and I want to start by congratulating @DLumsden_MSP on becoming the new Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South and the newest Conservative MP!
Makerfield was about one man’s job.
Aberdeen South was about thousands of jobs in oil and gas across our country and the future of an entire city.
Yesterday, the people of Aberdeen sent a message on behalf of the whole country. Energy security is national security. They know it is common sense to use our own oil and gas rather than importing it from overseas. They know it is madness to make ourselves poorer, weaker and more dependent at a time when even the government’s own intelligence says we are under threat. The first duty of any government is to keep its people safe. The Conservative Party will always put Britain’s security first.
What makes this result particularly significant is that many people who voted Conservative today have never voted Conservative before. I want to thank every one of them.
Many will have voted for us because they care deeply about Aberdeen and its future. Many will have voted for us because they are sick of the SNP’s shenanigans. Others because they are worried about what Labour’s policies mean for their jobs and livelihoods. Many voted for us because they wanted a strong local champion.
Douglas is that champion. He has lived in Aberdeen all his life. He spent two decades working in the oil and gas industry. He knows this city, he knows its people, and throughout this campaign he brought energy, optimism and a genuine belief in Aberdeen’s future. Wherever he went, he had a smile on his face and a positive message about what this great city can achieve.
The Conservative Party is working to earn the trust of the country again. I am grateful and humbled that Aberdeen looked at the choice before them and decided that the Conservative Party was the party that would fight for families, workers and business.
Thank you, Aberdeen. I will never stop fighting for you. Douglas will never stop fighting for you.
The Conservative Party will keep fighting for common sense, a stronger economy and a stronger country.
The plan Kemi has announced for the City today will see it return to its full glory.
We will:
1️⃣Amend outdated post 2008 rules to ensure The City does not fall behind competitors around the world.
2️⃣ Replace enforcement mechanisms like the Financial Ombudsman Service, that don’t work for consumers nor the sector.
3️⃣ End ring-fencing which has left Britain’s businesses under capitalised for little benefit.
We will also review the burden of tax on businesses, including:
- Corporation Tax
- Capital Gains Tax
- Stamp duty on shares
To ensure that taxes don’t hold back growth, competition, and investment.
Our goal is LOWER and SIMPLER taxes that Britain can afford while bringing down debt.
This is only the start. We will go further, falling back in love with risk and unburdened this economic powerhouse. 👇
https://t.co/WYtpvkwZN2
This is the most avoidably dumb thing I've ever seen. It's like rifling through a well-stocked pantry and deciding that the absolute best thing to make is baking powder and vinegar soup.
https://t.co/8oFzYcdQeM
@lukerobertblack This is literally insane 🤯
Making it something or someone else’s fault! How about the novel thought that people should actually be accountable for their own actions…?!
I hope that people across Makerfield will vote for the truly local candidate who has a plan for Makerfield. Polls are open until 10pm. Vote Michael for Makerfield.
🚨 Wayne Rooney on Declan Rice's set-pieces that inspired England's 4-2 victory:
🗣️ “For the whole of last season, people mocked Arsenal's set-pieces. They called them boring, said they were ruining football and claimed they could never win the biggest trophies playing that way.
Now look at England.
Declan Rice is delivering those same quality dead balls and they've played a huge part in a 4-2 win.
I've watched this World Cup closely and one thing stands out: Arsenal players have consistently produced dangerous set-pieces, with several leading directly to goals.
Maybe the issue was never the set-pieces.
Maybe people were simply frustrated because their own teams didn't have players capable of executing them at that level.
Football fans love effective set-pieces when they're winning games. They only complain when someone else is better at them.”
Great to be in Makerfield today to support our fantastic @Conservatives by-election candidate Michael Winstanley - fittingly and tellingly in Winstanley.
Michael's local credentials and commitment to the local community are second to none! #VoteConservative
Great speech and press conference this morning from @KemiBadenoch.
Only the @Conservatives have a clear, credible plan to strengthen our defence and keep us secure.