POLITICS CORNER

[Big Kev]

I had missed completely that David had lost his seat.... I didn't even know he was standing!

Things will all change again in a year's time when PBC is no more...

David still has LCC and Barlick Town Council.

[Stanley]

I hope so Kev. Life without DBW at the head is too stressful....

[Tripps]

There has been some talk in the media that Andy Burnham is risking all to be an MP again. Some have said that if he loses the byelection he will be neither an MP nor Mayor of Manchester.

However I find that

A strategic authority mayor does not have to resign to stand for election as an MP, only if they are elected. If the mayor fails to be elected to the House of Commons, they will continue to be the mayor.

So not so brave after all. He has nothing to lose. The MP who gallantly gave up hs seat though is a different matter. It will be P45 time for him.

[Stanley]

That's interesting David, thanks for that!

[Stanley]

See THIS report on youth unemployment.
The government spends 25 times as much on benefits for young people than it does on supporting them into work, the author of a major review into youth inactivity has said. Former minister Alan Milburn told the BBC that this was "shameful" and with nearly a million young people not in work, training or education (Neets), a complete "system reset" was needed. In an exclusive interview with Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Milburn said it was absolutely essential Labour reformed the welfare system, even though the government had shelved some planned benefit reforms in the face of opposition from their own MPs. The first part of his government-commissioned report into the issue will be published this week. Milburn's calculations are based on the amount spent on 16 to 24-year-olds taking part in core employment programmes funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus. Spending on Welfare is based on the amount spent on key benefits like Universal Credit, Job Seekers' Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (Pip) and Disability Living Allowance. The full methodology will be published in the report later this week. The former Labour health secretary under Tony Blair was asked by the government to investigate why so many young people were in the position of not working, studying or taking part in training programmes - the highest level for more than 10 years. There were 957,000 young people who were Neet in the UK from October to December 2025 - equivalent to 12.8% of people in that age category, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, released in February. More than half of those were deemed to be economically inactive as they were not looking for work. When Milburn's initial report is published this week he said it will conclude that the problem was a result of a widespread failure on behalf the state.
I'm glad attention is being drawn to this.... It is a catastrophe in the making and will not be helped by changes in the jobs market caused by quantum computing and AI.

[Stanley]

Does THIS qualify as politics?
29 minutes ago
Walking down the streets of Burton-upon-Trent 30 years ago, Al Wall could smell different aspects of the beer brewing process through the day - but those moments are now few and far between. He is the head brewer at the oldest and largest independent brewery remaining in the town that once produced a quarter of British beer, with more than 30 breweries at its peak. These days the brewing scene in Burton is a shadow of its former self, and the town is not alone. Across the UK 320 businesses shut last year, Companies House data shows. Yet only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150. In addition, the beer industry estimates that around two pubs closed a day in the first quarter of 2026. The net loss has continued this year. As of April, the number of UK beer brewing companies fell to 2,320. It peaked at 2,594 in 2022. Tim Webb, from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), explained the domination of big brands is one of the main issues. "The big problem that breweries have got, and it is getting worse, is access to market," he said. "The problem, which is really happening everywhere across Europe, is large brewery companies owning the draught lines in pubs." Smaller breweries are also blocked from supermarket sales due to price undercutting.

[Stanley]

THIS is heading the political news today.....
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell, the estranged husband of the former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh and has been remanded in custody. The 61-year-old used party funds to illicitly purchase luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome. He admitted to embezzling a total of £400,310.65 between 12 August 2010 and 19 October 2022.
Nicola Sturgeon has been officially cleared by the police but this is not preventing questions being asked about what she knew by her political opponents....

[Stanley]

See THIS for more criticism of Starmer.....
Sir Tony Blair has accused Sir Keir Starmer's government of having no "coherent plan" for the country and introducing policies that have held back business. In a highly critical essay, the former Labour PM singled out measures including new workers' rights laws, the phasing out of the British oil and gas industry and the above-inflation uplift to the minimum wage. However, he warned that whether there was a change of leader was "irrelevant if it doesn't start with a policy debate". Downing Street declined to comment on the essay, but said Sir Keir was "fully focussed on delivering change for working people". A spokeswoman pointed to measures aimed at easing the cost of living, with the economy growing before the Iran conflict broke out, as well as falling NHS waiting lists, migration and serious violent crime. She added: "But there's obviously much more to do, and we are getting on with that job." The essay of more than 5,600 words is Sir Tony's first in-depth critique of Sir Keir's government. It comes as the prime minister is under severe pressure, following a disastrous set of election results earlier this month and five ministerial resignations, with a leadership challenge widely expected.

[Stanley]

See THIS response to Tony Blair's critical essay.....
Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting have accused former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair of underestimating the impact of inequality in his critique of the government. Sir Tony used a 5,600-word essay to argue the Labour government had "no coherent plan" for the country and had introduced policies that had held back business. He urged Labour not to move to the left and to embrace the "radical centre" instead. But Burnham and Streeting - both considered potential Labour leadership challengers to Sir Keir Starmer - suggested Sir Tony had overlooked how inequality is shaping modern politics. Burnham, who is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir if he wins a by-election next month, told the Observer, external that Sir Tony "doesn't mention inequality once" in his essay. "If you don't get how that's driving politics now, if you are not rooting your analysis in the fact that people are unable to live and that things that were taken for granted are no longer affordable, then you are not understanding what's going on," said the mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham is seeking to become an MP again on 18 June in the Makerfield by-election, on the outskirts of Wigan, in what is expected to be a closely-fought contest with Reform UK's Robert Kenyon. Streeting, a former health secretary, has also said he will stand if there is a leadership contest - but Prime Minister Sir Keir has said he will not walk away from the top job. Writing in The Guardian, Streeting said the "striking weakness" in Sir Tony's intervention was that the "defining issue of our age is barely confronted at all". He said: "Inequality - the economic, social and democratic fracture running through modern Britain - is treated as peripheral rather than fundamental. "But inequality, rather than being incidental to the crises reshaping western democracies, is actually their cause." Streeting said "resentment grows" when people believe the rules "no longer reward effort fairly" and the centre-left "cannot answer populism merely with managerial competence or technological optimism". He added the question is whether the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution "will be governed in the interests of the many or captured by the privileged few".
I have to agree with both of them. It was Starmer's adoption of Blairite Centrist policies that led to where we are now.

[Tripps]

Simon Webb yesterday proposed this solution to the cross channel small boats problem. I never saw any such solution before. He is as usual quite convincing.
Simon Webb 270526

I now read that the Government has used the exact measure, and the ringleaders of a recent crossing are now in prison. All done over a bank holiday weekend. I imagine all the travellers could have been dealt with under the same rules, but a thousand court cases and places in prison would have been impractical.

BBC report.

Wll we hear more of this matter? It is policy to "smash the gangs". This measure would quckly do the job.

PS Here's the view of a barrister. I think he confirms my long held view that the Government do not actually want to 'stop the boats'. The 'public interest' is a matter of opinion.
Black belt barrister

[Stanley]

You make a good case David and I agree that it looks suspiciously like you are correct. I have never bought the official line on immigration and this is another nail in the coffin.... But I don't profess to have a solution and am too old to spend time and energy worrying about the problem. I'm afraid this applies to many of the situations we face at present..... My immediate concerns are much closer to home....

HERE'S what caught my eye this morning.....
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he made the right policy choices given the backdrop he inherited, after former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair accused his government of having "no coherent plan". In a highly critical essay, external, Sir Tony said measures including increasing employers' National Insurance, new workers' rights laws and phasing out of the British oil and gas industry had held back business. But Sir Keir said his government had been "vindicated", pointing to recent economic growth figures and falling NHS waiting lists. Sir Tony's intervention comes as the PM faces a potential leadership challenge following a disastrous set of election results and ministerial resignations. Sir Tony, who came to power in 1997 and won two further general elections, argued a change of leader was "irrelevant if it doesn't start with a policy debate". In his essay of more than 5,600 words - his first in-depth critique of Sir Keir's government - Sir Tony argued the "principal problem" was not "Keir's personality" or "a failure to communicate 'our achievements'". He wrote: "It is because we don't have a worked-out coherent plan for the country in a fast-changing world and are in the wrong political position from which we can devise one and win a second term." In response, Sir Keir told broadcasters he agreed with his predecessor "that we should be having a discussion about policy and ideas". However, he added: "I don't agree that the policy choices of this government weren't the right policy choices given what we inherited, a very different situation in 2024 to 1997.
I'm not sure but I think this is an argument about how far to the Right these two want to take the Party......

[Stanley]

See THIS advise for Blair from Badenoch......
9 hours ago
Kemi Badenoch has told former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair to "not waste your time" trying to convince the Labour government to change course. The Conservative Party leader said Sir Tony was right to ask Labour MPs to focus on a "proper political project that increases our economic and military strength". But Badenoch claimed there was "only one show in town" to deliver this, as she advised the Labour grandee to vote Conservative at the next general election. Her letter follows Sir Tony's 5,600 word essay, external that argued Sir Keir Starmer's government had no "coherent plan" for the country and had introduced policies that held back business. The prime minister has defended his decisions. Badenoch's open letter published in The Times, external is the latest contribution to the debate over Labour's future, which has seen essays and opinion pieces published by key Labour figures.
I don't see how this advances the quality of governance..... (Or is she just intent on fomenting division in Labour?)

[Stanley]

See THIS report on action for youth unemployment....
2 hours ago
The former chief executive of Marks & Spencer has been brought in by the government to help get more young people into work after a review warned of a "lost generation". The review, authored by former minister Alan Milburn, found that one in six young people is set to be out of work, education or training in five years unless action is taken. Marc Bolland has been tasked with bringing business leaders together to expand opportunities for young people. He will also advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on how to respond to the review.
I hope this is the start to positive action......

[Stanley]

HERE'S another piece of politics which has still got legs....
Nicola Sturgeon has told the BBC she feels like she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" after her estranged husband admitted embezzling £400,000 from the SNP, the party she led for years. In an exclusive interview with Laura Kuenssberg, Scotland's former first minister refused to apologise for the scandal and struggled to hold back tears, recalling gifts from Peter Murrell that turned out to have been purchased with stolen money. Sturgeon told the BBC: "I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes." She has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell's wrongdoing, committed between 2010 and 2022. The former first minister was not charged following a police investigation. Sturgeon was SNP party leader between 2014 and 2023 and in that role shared responsibility for monitoring the party's accounts.
Nicola Sturgeon was such a bright star, many of us wished she was in charge of politics south of the border.
Enoch Powell, in his 1977 biography of Joseph Chamberlain, said that all political careers end in failure. This is certainly proving to be true in Nicola Sturgeon's case......

[Stanley]

HERE'S the main political news....
6 hours ago
Long-awaited documents published by the government have revealed messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers strongly criticising the prime minister, No 10 and Labour MPs. The 1,500 pages cover, external communications about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US - a role he was later sacked from due to his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In one message, Lord Mandelson described No 10 as "beleaguered and bereft" and in need of a "complete revamp". In another exchange, minister Pat McFadden appeared to complain about Labour backbenchers saying: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions."
As expected the result is even more erosion of the authority of Starmer and Number Ten.

[Stanley]

See THIS disturbing report.....
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says there are "serious questions for police" after the release of bodycam footage showing how officers responded to the murder of teenager Henry Nowak. His killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed on Monday for a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Nowak with a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith. Bodycam footage shows the 18-year-old Southampton university student being handcuffed and telling police "I can't breathe" after Digwa lied to officers at the scene of the stabbing, claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack. On Tuesday evening, several hundred people gathered in Southampton, with clashes between protesters and riot police. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the unrest as "completely unacceptable". She said the Nowak family had made a "powerful call" on Monday to "not let Henry's death be used to create further division, hatred or tension". "There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder," she added. Speaking to broadcasters earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir said the bodycam footage was "really harrowing" and he'd "felt sick watching it". Sir Keir said the question of "how accusations of racism informed decision making" must be addressed.
I understand the concern but it sounds like a very complicated situation and I don't think anyone should leap to any conclusions....

[PanBiker]

Having watched the footage from the body cameras I have a view about this. The situation presented itself to the police with one person immobile on the ground and saying he had been stabbed and had difficulty breathing. The other person was standing and complaining of racial abuse. Surely the priority here would be the person on the ground, and in this case a proper assessment wasn't made on his condition, instead he was handcuffed and died shortly afterwards. All of the police involved should be sacked in my view for this conduct, I know one has resigned. They should have restrained the person standing as a matter of course until the fact had been established. A medic has commented that it would not have made any difference as the person on the ground had injuries to a main artery and would not have survived. How the hell did the police miss this?

[Stanley]

See THIS latest news Ian. You are not alone in your opinions.....
5 hours ago
The chief constable of Hampshire police has apologised to the family of Henry Nowak for the student being handcuffed and arrested as he lay dying. Chief Constable Alexis Boon told the BBC he was "distressed" as others had been by the bodycam footage which showed the 18-year-old repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. Police can be seen in the footage arresting the teenager after his murderer Vickrum Digwa had falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the victim. Asked what he would now say to the family, Boon told the BBC: "I'm so sorry you've had to go through this." He reiterated an apology on behalf of the force for the way in which Henry had been handcuffed and arrested. Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on Monday for the murder in December. However Boon, who heads Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said he was not going to resign over the matter. He also said that he would not pre-judge the outcome of an Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the circumstances of the police response. One of the officers in the bodycam video has now left the force for an unrelated reason and three others are no longer on front-line duties, he confirmed. "What was filmed there is a tragedy, an absolute tragedy. You can't help but be affected by it. It's very difficult to watch. I really feel for the family of Henry at this time," he said.