@LNER As a regular traveling on these services, one of the worst journeys. 1940 from Newark Northgate delayed 20 minutes. No food on offer in first class and only one drink on the journey offered. This really isn’t first class and not a normal service. Awful
@EastMidRailway As per normal the 16:39 from Manc Oxford Road is running late and slow. Why is this service hardly ever on time. It’s so frustrating. There is never anyone on the train explaining why. Your service is awful!
With Labour, energy bills have gone up.
Starmer's claim to have "cut bills by £150" is a sleight of hand. He's moved costs straight from your energy bill to your tax bill, and he’s hoping you don't notice.
You're still paying for it, just from a different pocket.
@prestigeflowers this company is the worse florist online, poor and rude customer service. Delayed flowers, ruined Valentines Day. Never use them. Still not received the flowers. Looks like it will be Monday now. Stay away from this company. #ValentinesDay#PoorService#florist
People say “nothing has been done in 14 years of Conservatives.”
Not true. Here’s a quick tour of what has been achieved 👇🇬🇧
💼 Jobs & Economy
Unemployment dropped to the lowest since the 1970s.
Millions more in work.
The economy stabilised after the 2008 crash.
💷 Taxes
Raised the personal allowance.
That means ordinary workers keep more of their pay each month.
🗳 Brexit Delivered
Like it or not, the referendum was honoured.
The UK left the EU — ending years of political gridlock.
💉 COVID Response
The UK had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world.
It saved lives and reopened the country quicker than many others.
🇺🇦 Backing Ukraine
Britain led from the front.
Weapons, aid, training — all delivered early.
The world noticed.
👮 Policing
20,000 new police officers recruited.
Investment in security & counter-terrorism kept Britain safe.
💰 Wages & Pensions
National Living Wage introduced.
Pension auto-enrolment now means millions more saving for retirement.
🎓 Education
Academies and free schools expanded.
Standards in maths and reading rose in international rankings.
🏡 Housing
Help to Buy backed over 800,000 onto the property ladder.
First-time buyers given real support.
🌍 Energy & Climate
The UK became a world leader in offshore wind.
Billions invested in renewables & net zero projects.
🤝 Global Trade
Over 70 trade deals signed since leaving the EU.
Strengthened ties with allies worldwide.
🏥 NHS Funding
Record levels of investment.
Commitment to build new hospitals & recruit more doctors and nurses.
🇬🇧 The Bottom Line
Not perfect.
But 14 years of Conservatives hasn’t been “nothing.”
It’s been jobs, security, global leadership, and reforms that shaped Britain’s future.
Oh look, no one saw this coming!!!Angela Rayner dodges £40,000 stamp duty - This Government have NO shame, they imposed taxes on the rest of us but find ways not to pay them themselves. https://t.co/gByiXAGaN7
As the sun rose over Dunkirk, I called the French police. Ten hours of tracking had established that a group of migrants were hiding in a cemetery just yards from the beach, waiting to cross the Channel.
Surely this was the moment for the authorities to sweep the beach or search the streets to find the migrants and their smugglers? You know, to “smash the gang” I had found.
“I will pass it on,” came the first response. I pressed - this was urgent. “The police will probably not come,” the 112 handler said, dismissively. No further details sought. No interest shown.
I’d come to northern France to see for myself what is really happening as Channel crossings surge and communities back home bear the intolerable consequences of broken borders. Just me and a cameraman - no French minders, no protection.
What I saw in the camps, streets, and beaches was sickening. The reality is worse than I have ever seen. The whole racket is a disgrace, and the French are aiding and abetting it.
Take the camp near Loon-Plage: half a mile from tidy villages sits a lawless, dangerous space. Someone was shot dead there last month; stabbings are common. It is strewn with litter, ramshackle tents, and menace. Almost all the migrants are young men. They sit on the ground, scrolling their smartphones, waiting. No police. No officials.
Those willing to speak were clear: they are coming to the UK for jobs, housing, benefits, and free healthcare. None said they were fleeing persecution - they are already in France. None had a trade or profession to offer. They will be a huge strain on already struggling UK public services.
Some were polite; others threatened violence. One man pressed his face close, telling me to leave. Another began hurling glass bottles - one smashing beside me, another flying past my head.
Do you want men like this in your community? I don’t. For saying this, I’ve been called a “xenophobe” on the BBC. But I doubt those levelling that smear have been to this camp, seen those men, and imagined them outside their children’s school gates. This is a national security emergency.
And the French? We’ve given them £800m and get dismal theatre in return. They could stop this tomorrow. Instead, they stick two fingers up at Britain - and literally bus illegal migrants towards the beaches.
That afternoon, I saw 40–50 migrants with lifejackets, marshalled by smugglers, walking along the railway. They headed to a public bus stop by a supermarket and boarded. Imagine that outside your local shop - lifejackets in hand, plain as day. Authorities know exactly what’s happening, yet facilitate it.
We followed the bus into Dunkirk. The migrants walked towards the beach, one even in a wheelchair with a lifejacket on her lap. By nightfall, they were camped beside the cemetery. We checked on them through the undergrowth. A few hundred yards away, Dunkirk beach was empty of police or patrols, despite all the “special equipment” UK taxpayers fund.
At dawn, they were gone. Their rubbish littered the ground. Binmen arrived to clean the mess up - but not the migrants. I rushed to the beach, convinced a launch was imminent, and called the police again. Still, nobody came.
Sitting there, I felt anger at the French farce and shame at our own weakness. State visits, “landmark deals,” and hundreds of millions wasted. The French stop fewer boats than last year. Two thousand migrants have crossed in the last week alone. It’s all in plain sight.
We are told this is “too complex” to fix. It isn’t. Change the law. Leave failed treaties. Deport illegal migrants. We are an island nation for goodness sake - we can end this. And end it we must.
@northernassist So my train from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield ended up being 10 minutes delayed, giving me only 60 seconds to get from Platform 5A to 7A after running up and down stairs I clearly missed it! Now having to wait for the 1906 service instead! Compensation?
'He's not had a pandemic. He's not had a war break out in Ukraine. He's just made mistake, after mistake, after mistake.'
Emily Sheffield grills Labour MP Barry Gardiner on Keir Starmer's performance in his first year as Prime Minister.