Sam Baker

🇬🇧

[Marcus Walker @WalkerMarcus]

Amazingly it is not a joke that Ukraine’s number of disabled claimants has increased by less than Britain’s in the period since the Ukraine War began.

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

@BBCBreaking RIP

[John Healey @JohnHealey_MP]

My letter to the Prime Minister

[BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking]

More than one million 16-24 year-olds not in education, employment or training, as report warns of "lost generation" - follow live https://t.co/2WeDmHgb7H

[max tempers @maxtempers]

Tony Blair… welcome to the resistance

[Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound]

Further to Blair. Literally every honest sensible person in all the main parties privately agrees with all these propositions:

- welfare spending is too high and is throwing good people on the scrapheap
- defence spending is too low
- the triple lock is unsustainable
- without cheap energy we cannot exploit the AI revolution
- we should be investing in EVERY form of energy: renewables, nuclear and the North Sea
- migration needs to be controlled to boost social cohesion and because the boats look like a huge failure of the state
- any new relationship with the EU will be imposed on us until we are stronger and cannot involve the closeness some desire without freedom of movement
- we are deeply embedded with America in ways which the public does not understand and cannot be told and however joyous it makes us feel to hate Trump, disengagement at the deep state level is not only wholly unrealistic but also undesirable
- Whitehall needs a total overhaul so specific project expertise and political appointees can be brought in quickly

Blair basically says all that.

The one thing he doesn’t say and which the same group of people agree on is this and it’s something Blair left behind:

- judges and quangos have too much power, are unaccountable and without redressing the balance in favour of parliament it is very difficult to do anything big fast
- the bare minimum that needs to change in this regard is to reform judicial review and planning law so we can put building and economic growth ahead of newts and NIMBYs

None of that above really ought to be up for discussion. It is all common sense but not one of our politicians will publicly say all of it

Whatever you think of Blair, engage with what he’s saying not how he makes you feel. The bare minimum we should expect from any leader is that they have an analysis of the current situation and a plan to deal with it which is as coherent and realistic as his intervention. Pretty well every critique I’ve read so far has failed to meet this requirement.

Over to Andy and Keir and Kemi and Nigel and Zack and all the others

[Conservatives @Conservatives]

Leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act to secure Britain’s borders.

Scrap green levies and ideological net zero targets to deliver cheaper energy.

Hire 10,000 more police and increase stop and search to make our streets safe.

Restore the two child benefit cap, and face-to-face PIP assessments to get Britain working.

Increase defence spending by £50 billion, using savings made to the welfare budget to defend our country.

Scrap the 3% interest added to Plan 2 student loans and get under 16s off social media to help young people.

That’s what the Conservatives under @KemiBadenoch’s leadership would do.

[Neil O'Brien @NeilDotObrien]

Today's Telegraph reports on some of my research about the growth of really large welfare claims - with over 600k households now getting more in benefits than the average person takes home after tax.
Quick thread: (1/10)

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

Should we not already be reinforcing our military garrison plus sending additional naval support?

[Tommo @Sierra__Alpha]

3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment are overflown by 2x RAF Typhoon FGR4s. Falkland Islands, 2019.

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

I am British. Je suis Français.

[Isul☀️🔥 @SukberiaFR]

I'm French.

I hate the british.

But the Falklands are british.

Yanks and Argies butt out.

🇬🇧🇪🇺🇫🇷

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

When were realists not proved correct by geopolitical reality. Discuss.

[Javier Milei @JMilei]

LAS MALVINAS FUERON, SON Y SIEMPRE SERÁN ARGENTINAS.
VLLC!

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

Surely it can’t work out like this….

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 NEW: Angela Rayner’s allies have told Keir Starmer that he must sack Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for her to return to Cabinet

Rayner recently branded Mahmood's immigration reforms "un-British" and a "breach of trust"

[@thetimes]

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 NEW: Wes Streeting has suggested he supports cutting welfare to fund defence

“It’s got to come from somewhere”

[Keir Starmer @Keir_Starmer]

We need a transparency revolution. There should be no power without accountability, and true accountability requires transparency.

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

@Fred_Mills @TheB1M Looking forwards to seeing the insights, v exciting project.

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

Too little, too late.

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 BREAKING: The Government has announced that interest rates on plan 2 and 3 student loans will be capped at 6% from September 1st

[Tom Harwood @tomhfh]

We should be more free:

- Free to advertise food even if it does have sugar in it

- Free to drink through a straw even if it is made of plastic

- Free to build a home even if it does have large sash windows with no safety bars

We’re risking death by a thousand restrictions.

[MTZ @Tobeech]

Welfare spending has overtaken tax revenue for the first time in UK history. The Treasury raised £331bn in income tax last year, while the state spent £333bn on welfare.

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

Is there any point engaging with people that hold these beliefs? Seems futile, they will never be convinced of the reality that everyone faces

[Tris Osborne MP @TrisOsborneMP]

Let’s make it happen…

[Sam Baker @SJDBaker_]

Terrorist supporter.

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

The illegal attack on Iran by Israel and the United States is a catastrophic act of aggression, brutality and escalation. Human beings will pay the price.