Sof McVeigh

Conservative councillor at RBKC, Alfresco fan & fair weather cyclist!

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Great progress! #homes #Kensington

[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea @RBKC]

🏘️ We celebrated the half-way mark of Barlby Road new homes scheme which will provide 83 new homes, 38 at social rent and 10 for key workers as well as a multi-use sports hall. This is part of our commitment to providing quality, safe and warm homes.

https://t.co/wppL2rlMm1

@Hill_Group_UK @sofmcveigh

[Louis Mosley @louismosley]

Palantir’s software helps the police catch criminal gangs, root out misconduct, and protect women from abusive partners. The Met Police wants this software to keep Londoners safe, but @SadiqKhan prefers sending political messages to Washington. Read my op-ed in @theLDNstandard ⬇️

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

With @KirstieMAllsopp of course!

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Colour Popping & shopping at #ChelseaFlowerShow And bumped into our Mayor. #Chelsea @RBKCMayor @The_RHS

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Just brilliant. Kemi says it how it is. #conservative

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

You may not agree with me, but you will always know where you stand with me.

Today in Billericay, a heckler tried to shout me down as I spoke about the normalisation of hatred towards Jews. I did not back down, because it needs to be said. British Jews are being targeted and too many people are pretending this is the same experience of other minorities. This lady implied Muslims are being similarly targeted. This is simply not true.

Let's be honest about what is happening. Certain groups (in particular but not solely Islamic Extremists) are creating a climate of fear and intimidation that is normalising Jew hatred. I will never stand for that. Governments have spent too long hand-wringing, making excuses and hoping it would go away. It is time to call this what it is: a national emergency in our attitude, our urgency and our response.

I will always engage with people who disagree with me. That is politics. But there is a difference between argument and intimidation. Shouting does not make a bad case good. It's done to silence others. And it certainly does not change the truth.

The truth is that British Jews have been made to feel less safe in their own country. Our country. They are being singled out, threatened and harassed in ways that should shame everyone in public life. If we do not stand up now and stop this rise in antisemitism, then why bother saying "Never Again" at Holocaust Memorial Day? Because this is how it starts.

I am not prepared to play along with the pretence that this is normal, or manageable, or just another example of tension between groups. It really is not. It is targeted hatred and it is getting worse.

So my message is simple. Not here. Not in Britain. And not on our watch. We need to stop the hand-wringing and start doing the right thing. That means standing with British Jews openly, unapologetically and without fear.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

Tomorrow, vote for cheaper energy, safer streets, stronger high streets, a stronger economy, and a stronger country.

Vote Conservative and get Britain working again!

[Greg Hammond 🇺🇦 @GregHammond66]

Thanks to @griffitha MP for supporting @KCFConservative in Notting Hill today. Lots of support for our brilliant Pembridge ward team:
Georgia Hardisty ✖️
Natacha Tannous ✖️
to keep RBKC under @Conservatives control for top class local services and good value for money.

[Natacha Tannous @NatachaTannous]

#RBKC is central London’s only Conservative council — and it shows! Under Conservative leadership, Kensington & Chelsea delivers some of the best services anywhere in the capital, while still providing value for money for residents. We have:
• 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
• 𝐀 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡-𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭
• 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬
• 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 rated among the very best by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission

On May 7th, do not risk ⚠️ losing the services that make this borough such a great place to live 💙

Vote 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒂 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑹𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆 & 𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒂 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒚 for #PembridgeWard on May 7th 💙✨
Polling station: Kensington Temple ⛪️

#Pembridge #Kensington #London

Promoted by Natacha Tannous Ritchie,
44 Southern Row W10

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

E bikes are a great way to get around - but if you park them badly... Watch out! #Kensington #Chelsea https://t.co/lenqVhcvkZ

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Colour popping magnolias on the colourful streets of #Kensington! @rbkc #nottinghill

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Fantastic that the Council made this work. We 'Stepped up for Step-Free' @rbkc #SouthKensington

[Cllr Kim @cllrKTS]

Delighted to see our South Kensington Station included in the TfL Business Plan which following hard work, lobbying and the Council’s multi-million contribution, will now include the Piccadilly Line in step free access to ALL platforms @RBKC

[Cllr Cem Kemahli @CemKemahli]

Here in black and white is the impact on @RBKC , its residents and its local charities.

All being punished by the incompetents in Government and their local stooges @josephpowell and @ChelFulhamBen

[Cllr Cem Kemahli @CemKemahli]

What was an £82m black hole in our finances has increased to over £100m.

As a sleight of hand they’ve now lifted the council tax referendum.

Meaning the choice is to punish residents with inflation busting tax rises or drastically cut services.

[Cllr Cem Kemahli @CemKemahli]

After months of supposed lobbying, Inner London MPs including @josephpowell and @ChelFulhamBen have managed to make their boroughs worse off!

I know that when Labour negotiate the country loses - but I didn’t think they’d all be quite so able to make a bad situation worse.

[Robert Peston @Peston]

After all the mayhem, the pre-budget briefings and Treasury hysteria about OBR growth downgrades, it turns out that if the chancellor had done precisely zilch yesterday, she would have almost met her main fiscal target, to generate a surplus on day-to-day spending. The miss would have been a rounding error £2bn.

In fact, without her humiliating welfare u-turns - on disability benefit reforms and means testing the winter fuel payment - she would have hit that target by a slim £4.4bn.

In other words the funding benefits of the £44bn of tax rises in last year’s budget were not wiped out by the Office for Budget Responsibility’s decision to downgrade its productivity and growth forecasts - for all the Chancellor’s very public frustration with that downgrade.

Her fuss over the downgrade - which did happen, and which added £16bn to the deficit five year’s hence - was a red herring, a canard, a conjuror’s “look over there, not at what am I actually doing.”

Because the OBR simultaneously calculated that the yield from existing taxes would fill that productivity induced hole almost twice over!

So this was in no sense a fiscal and economic crisis budget. Her £26bn of tax rises were the Chancellor’s choice, not a necessity.

For her personally and for her prime minister however there was a political crisis. Because they feared they were losing the confidence of Labour MPs and could lose the confidence of investors.

So pretty much every penny of that £26bn in higher taxes had a political purpose - to placate MPs who wanted Starmer’s government to show more zeal in helping families on the lowest earnings, to cut energy, prescription and rail bills, and to prove to investors they are not red Liz-Trusses by adding £12bn to the headroom or buffer against future shocks.

The big unanswered political question is whether placating Labour MPs and the mega investors is also addressing the nation’s priorities. On that hinges how Labour will perform in those important May elections, and whether the eviction of Reeves and Starmer is cancelled or merely delayed.

[Alex Armstrong @Alexarmstrong]

Rishi Sunak had Starmer and Labour bang to rights on taxation.

“Mark my words, Labour will raise your taxes, it’s in their DNA”

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Admiring the old - with the new - glazed tiles at Knightsbridge, important to keep our design heritage #knightsbridge #London @RBKC

[Tom Harwood @tomhfh]

This is *insanely* bad. Astonishingly bad. Unbelievably bad.

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

@KirstieMAllsopp I loved that tree too, but sadly Storm Amy didn't...
@RBKC have planted hundreds of new street trees and love all our old ones too.

[Cllr Johnny Thalassites @jthalassites]

@KirstieMAllsopp @CemKemahli @paulpowlesland @RBKC Hi Kirstie, half of the tree had failed in strong winds late last week. There was extensive damage to the remains of the tree, which would have required removal and only left about 40% of the original tree.

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

At a wonderful @macmillancancer coffee morning, organised by Karen and Alexandra. Lots of chats, cakes and a great cause. Thank you both & the @cadoganhotel #knightsbridge

[Sof McVeigh @sofmcveigh]

Just chaired a councillor training for council homes. Lots of good info. #Housing @RBKC