This does not bode well for the SNP, although there may well be time for him to turn this around, at least for the Holyrood election in 2026 if not the Westminster election. I do expect Yousaf to see an improvement in his ratings given the events in Israel and Gaza, not just because of the circumstances of his in-laws but the way he has comported himself generally which has earned him praised from Jewish community. TSE
Alastair Meeks has alerted me to this interesting aspect on the next Labour leader market as seen in the tweets above. Andy Burnham is currently the Mayor of Greater Manchester, which means he’s also the Police & Crime Commissioner for the area, that prevents him from being concurrently the Mayor and a member of parliament which presents a bit of a problem for Burnham to succeed Starmer. I don’t think Labour could successfully pull off the Earl of Home trick…
One of the reasons I expect the Tories to be out of office for more than one term is the increase in mortgages and rents inspired by the Liz Truss premiership. This is something the voters do not forget and often take ages to forgive. The only sliver of good news for the Tories is that their elderly base haven’t been as badly impacted as other age groups, which is usually a result of them having paid off their mortgages….
The Times are reporting that Convicted rapists and burglars will be spared jail from next week after judges were told that the country’s prisons are full. Crown court judges have been ordered to delay sentencing hearings, The Times has learnt, as the prison population has reached bursting point. Lord Edis, the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, has ordered that sentencing of convicted criminals who are currently on bail should be delayed from Monday, The Times also understands, from…
After the ‘excitement’ of the last few years I wonder if the country is yearning for a boring Prime Minister. I think Starmer and Labour will be utterly delighted with ‘Honest’ being so prominent, although I think that might be the result of Starmer being a lawyer and integrity & honesty are intrinsic to being a lawyer which is a contrast to the banker (sic) Sunak. TSE
Whilst Labour supporters must be chuffed with the headline voting figures what should worry them is how poorly Starmer’s ratings are, especially on a Prime Minister in waiting, the key factor is how badly the Tories and Sunak are doing which makes Labour look good. Back in 2019 Boris Johnson’s ratings were historically bad for an incumbent Prime Minister but he won because Jeremy Corbyn’s rating, particularly after the Salisbury attack, ended up in the toilet and never recovered. If…
Rishi Sunak must have been hoping he would get a boost in his ratings after the Tory conference but he has seen a large increase in his disapproval ratings with Redfield & Wilton but given the other shit show with the HS2 cancellation and the Network North plans being utter rubbish these changes aren’t surprising. We live in a de facto Presidential campaign when it comes to general elections, so in a general election campaign where Sunak will be front…
Whoever is advising Sunak, they are advising him badly. I was struck by this tidbit in today’s Sunday Times. MPs understand Sunak’s approach but believe he has been too indulged by his aides, who have let him write his own slogan (“long-term decisions for a brighter future”) and sell himself as he pleases. A member of Vote Leave said: “It’s not exactly ‘take back control’ or ‘get Brexit done’, is it?” This is a prime minister who is happiest mired…