Saturday, March 08, 2025
Trouble in paradise
The Guardian reports that Reform UK has erupted into open civil war after the party said its MP Rupert Lowe had received complaints about bullying and had made threats against the party chair, a day after Lowe criticised Nigel Farage for being “messianic”.
The paper says that Lowe responded with anger, saying there was no evidence to back up the bullying claims, and that it was “entirely untrue” that he had made threats. He again criticised Farage, saying Reform was “our party as much as it is Nigel’s”:
In a joint statement by the chair, Zia Yusuf, and Reform’s chief whip, Lee Anderson, they said they were “obligated to disclose that the party received complaints from two female employees about serious bullying” in Lowe’s offices.
One of the complainants worked in Lowe’s parliamentary office and the other in his Great Yarmouth constituency office, they said, adding: “We understand complaints have been made to parliamentary authorities.”
The statement said: “Evidence was provided to us of workplace bullying, the targeting of female staff who raised concerns, and evidence of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about women, including reference to a perceived disability.
“We feel we have a duty of care to all our staff, whether employed directly or indirectly. Accordingly, we appointed an independent king’s counsel to conduct an investigation into the veracity of these complaints. To date, Mr Lowe has yet to cooperate with this investigation.
“In addition to these allegations of a disturbing pattern of behaviour, Mr Lowe has on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence against our party chairman. Accordingly, this matter is with the police.”
A Reform spokesperson said Lowe had lost the party whip in parliament.
In a reply sent to the Guardian and posted on X, Lowe said he was “disappointed, but not surprised” at the statement, and that he had fully cooperated with the KC, saying she was “shocked” at what had happened.
He said: “Allegations of physical threats are outrageous and entirely untrue. I have never made any derogatory comments about women, or those with disabilities. This is a lie. These allegations are not even referring to me. I will be seeking legal advice immediately.
“There is no credible evidence against me, as the KC has stated on numerous occasions.”
On Thursday, Lowe, the former Southampton FC chair, criticised Farage’s leadership in an interview.
Lowe, who was touted as a replacement leader by Elon Musk earlier this year, had said Reform needed a “proper plan”, more policy and spokespeople. He also suggested he could leave the party unless it was centred less around Farage’s “messianic” leadership, and had a formal frontbench. There has been speculation within Reform about tensions between Lowe and Farage, especially after Musk’s intervention.
Farage responded angrily, saying Lowe would not have had a chance of winning a seat without his leadership of the party.
This pattern is all too familiar. It didn't take long for the former UKIP group in the Welsh Assembly to fall out with each other either. Is Reform's parliamentary group going the same way?
Friday, March 07, 2025
Donald Trump and the transgender mice
Those howlers speak not only to his state of mind, but also to his cognitive ability, his intelligence and his focus, all key attributes that should be present in a leader wielding such power and influence.
The latest gaffe, and one that is already searing the interweb with memes, is the reference in the Presidents address to the joint session of Congress to transgender mice.
The latest gaffe, and one that is already searing the interweb with memes, is the reference in the Presidents address to the joint session of Congress to transgender mice.
As the Indy100 points out, this was Trump’s first joint address since taking office in January and went on for more than an hour and 40 minutes, during which he praised his own stance on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives, tax cuts and trade tariffs.
Those watching it though were fascinated at the moment that saw the president claim the Biden administration had spent $8 million dollars to make “mice transgender”:
The comment drew laughs from those in the audience, as well as online, as people believed Trump appeared to be confusing it with “transgenic mice”.
Making mice transgenic is a revolutionary process by which scientists add human cells to mice to enable them to more accurately study the effect of disease on human tissues.
This includes studies that use transgenic mice to understand more about the role of hormones in illnesses such as breast cancer and asthma.
The moment quickly became a meme online.
“Mice after receiving gender affirming surgery” someone wrote.
Another baffled viewer said: “He just said ‘transgender mice’ yeah we’re not making it out.”
Following the speech, an official White House webpage attempted to claim that Trump definitely did mean to say “transgender”. They posted a list of studies they say were “to perform transgender experiments on mice”.
One study was titled: “Gonadal hormones as mediators of sex and gender influences in asthma.”
The White House claimed: “The Fake News losers at CNN immediately tried to fact check it, but President Trump was right (as usual).”
It wouldn’t be the first time Trump has slipped up on facts, after he wrongly claimed the European Union was set up to “screw the United States”. Trump also falsely said that Spain was a country in the BRICS bloc of 10 developing economies.
It wouldn't be the first time somebody had misspoke during a big speech of course, so why did the official White House webpage try to justify the error?
Those watching it though were fascinated at the moment that saw the president claim the Biden administration had spent $8 million dollars to make “mice transgender”:
The comment drew laughs from those in the audience, as well as online, as people believed Trump appeared to be confusing it with “transgenic mice”.
Making mice transgenic is a revolutionary process by which scientists add human cells to mice to enable them to more accurately study the effect of disease on human tissues.
This includes studies that use transgenic mice to understand more about the role of hormones in illnesses such as breast cancer and asthma.
The moment quickly became a meme online.
“Mice after receiving gender affirming surgery” someone wrote.
Another baffled viewer said: “He just said ‘transgender mice’ yeah we’re not making it out.”
Following the speech, an official White House webpage attempted to claim that Trump definitely did mean to say “transgender”. They posted a list of studies they say were “to perform transgender experiments on mice”.
One study was titled: “Gonadal hormones as mediators of sex and gender influences in asthma.”
The White House claimed: “The Fake News losers at CNN immediately tried to fact check it, but President Trump was right (as usual).”
It wouldn’t be the first time Trump has slipped up on facts, after he wrongly claimed the European Union was set up to “screw the United States”. Trump also falsely said that Spain was a country in the BRICS bloc of 10 developing economies.
It wouldn't be the first time somebody had misspoke during a big speech of course, so why did the official White House webpage try to justify the error?
This episode is just one of many that raises doubts as to whether Trump is fit for office, but also about the people he is surrounding himself with and their agenda. This really is car crash politics.
Thursday, March 06, 2025
Labour plan their own austerity measures
The paper quotes Treasury sources as saying that several factors have impacted plans presented under Reeves’ October budget, with increased borrowing costs and weak economic growth likely to require further spending cuts in order to meet commitments on managing the public finances:
Curbing the cost of welfare and a drive for greater efficiency across Whitehall are expected to contribute the bulk of the savings.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is likely to cut the cost of welfare to help manage public finances (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire) ITV’s deputy political editor Anushka Asthana reports senior sources across government have told her they have been asked to identify the 20 per cent of spending within their departments that they see as lowest priority.
The hosts of ITV News Talking Politics podcast also wrote that the Department for Work and Pensions was drawing up plans to overhaul disability and health benefits to significantly reduce the number of people who are judged as unable to work.
That will mean that far fewer disabled people will receive higher benefit levels, and many more will be expected to search for work.
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, who is expected to set out welfare reforms within weeks, told cabinet colleagues on Tuesday there are 2.8 million people not in work due to ill-health and one in eight young people not in education, training or employment.
She told them this is “holding back the economy” and is “bad for people’s wellbeing and health”, with the sickness and disability bill for working-age people rising by £20 billion since the pandemic and forecast to hit £70 billion over the next five years.
A Health and Disability Green Paper will set out plans to supports those who can work back into jobs, rather than write them off, she said.
So all the cuts that Labour condemned the previous governments for implementing are now on their own agenda. The need to rearm is of course important, but if Germany can relax their fiscal rules to do so, why can't we follow suit?
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
Abolition of leasehold at last?
The paper says that the sale of new leasehold flats will be banned under government plans to make commonhold the default tenure, handing homeowners greater control over their properties:
After years of complaints from leaseholders about crippling costs and deteriorating buildings, housing minister Matthew Pennycook vowed an end to the “feudal” system.
He said homeowners have been subject to “unfair practices and unreasonable costs” for too long, with measures set out in a commonhold white paper on Monday marking the “beginning of the end” for the system.
Under the current system, third-party landlords can own a building’s lease and therefore make decisions on behalf of homeowners.
The government has proposed bringing the leasehold system to an end, as promised in Labour’s manifesto, giving homeowners more control over how their buildings are run.
Homeowners will not have to pay extra costs such as ground rent under the proposed reforms.
The white paper states commonhold will be “reinvigorated” through a new legal framework and the sale of new leasehold flats will be prohibited.
This is very welcome, but there are other reforms that are needed as well, not least with the latest trend of imposing service charges on new freehold housing estates without giving homeowners any say in how the money is spent or how much is raised.
In leasehold flats the home owners can vote to change management company. That should also be an option on freehold housing estates.
