Labour sinks to lowest approval rating to date just days into 2025, new poll shows

Jess Phillips hits back at Elon Musk as she claims he 'knows absolutely nothing' about grooming gangs scandal

Jess Phillips has said Elon Musk “knows absolutely nothing” about the grooming gangs, after the owner of X attacked her on social media.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the Home office minister said her life had been put in danger after Musk branded her a “rape genocide apologist.”

This came after she decided to decline a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in Oldham.

She called Musk’s comments “ridiculous,” and said: “My immediate thought was like just, it’s sort of like, what a joke. And then the realisation of what this is probably going to mean for you.”

She added: “The thing that annoys me the most about it is it takes up so much bandwidth of my time from a man who knows absolutely nothing about the subject he’s talking about, when the only thing I ever want to be doing is being able to use all of my brain power to focus on the hundreds of girls I have supported over the years who have been victims of grooming gangs and what needs to happen to make their lives better and to stop what is still happening today.”

Badenoch urged to sack Jenrick over ‘divisive comments’

Kemi Badenoch has been urged to sack Robert Jenrick after he made “divisive comments.”

Jenrick suggested the Conservative Party could cap immigration from “alien cultures with medieval attitudes towards women”.

He stood by his claim that Britain has failed to integrate immigrants from certain countries, using the grooming gangs as evidence.

The shadow justice secretary was accused of “jumping on the bandwagon” after billionaire Elon Musk pushed the issue on his social media platform X.

Badenoch has previously defended Jenrick’s right to make these comments.

'Bad news' for Reeves's economy plans as borrowing costs skyrocket to highest level since 1998

The UK's long-term Government borrowing costs have surged to their highest level since 1998, dealing a potentially significant blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves's fiscal plans.

The yield on 30-year gilts climbed to 5.22 per cent on Tuesday, surpassing last year's peak and intensifying pressure on the Treasury. The sharp increase threatens to squeeze the Government's headroom for public spending as interest costs rise.

This surge in borrowing costs comes as the Treasury faces mounting challenges from a fresh wave of bond sales and growing investor concerns about stagflation risks.

Market expectations that UK interest rates will decrease more slowly than previously anticipated have contributed to keeping rates elevated. The UK's Debt Management Office conducted a sale of £2.25billion in 30-year notes on Tuesday, with a yield of 5.19 per cent.

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Musk says his working class grandmother might have been ‘abducted’ in modern day Britain

Elon Musk has claimed his white working class grandmother might have been abducted by grooming gangs had she been born in modern-day Britain.

Writing on his social media platform X, the billionaire said:

“My British grandmother, Cora Amelia Robinson, was an important part of my childhood. She was very strict, but also kind and I could always count on her.”

“She grew up very poor in England during the Great Depression only to be bombed in World War Two. To earn money for food, she cleaned houses, leaving me with a lasting respect for those who do so.”

“My Nana was one of the poor working-class girls with no one to protect her who might have been abducted in present day Britain.”

This comes as Musk has been tweeting about the scandal for weeks, in which thousands of girls were raped and sexually abused by gangs of mainly British-Pakistani men.

Labour vows to vote AGAINST Commons motion on ‘ending cover up’ of grooming gangs

A minister has revealed that Labour will vote against the Conservative leader's proposal for a government inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

As Badenoch calls for a full national investigation, she hopes to table an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing Bill tomorrow to require a full statutory inquiry into the matter.

However, Alex Davies-Jones has claimed that her party has focused on implementing recommendations from the Jay Report, which was a past inquiry into the issue.

Adding that she also supported the Government in its decision, she insisted that another report is not necessary.

Last week, Badenoch called for a full public inquiry into the scandal, after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips rejected Oldham Council's request for such a report.

Yesterday, Labour MPs erupted in shouts of "shame" during a heated House of Commons debate as Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp addressed the grooming gangs scandal, as he declared that "it is not far right to stand up for victims of mass rape".

Following the news that Labour intends to whip against Badenoch's call, a Conservative Party spokesman said: "The Labour Party announcing they will whip their MPs to vote against a national inquiry into this scandal is total moral cowardice from Keir Starmer and his Labour Party. The victims of these heinous child rape gangs deserve honesty, and they deserve the truth.

"Many towns - like Keighley - have not been looked at and local Inquiries don’t have the legal powers to compel production of evidence. Labour’s decision risks perpetuating the cover-up of the rape gangs.

"There will be many Labour MPs in constituencies where these awful crimes took place and where victims still seek justice. They now need to think long and hard about which side of history they want to be on."

Home Office to consult experts on making ketamine a Class A drug following record use of the substance in 2023

Labour will seek to make ketamine a Class A substance after its use hit record-breaking levels last year.

In the year ending March 2023, a record high of 299,000 people aged between 16 and 59 had reported ketamine use in the last year.

Currently, it is classified as a Class B substance, while the maximum penalty for supplying and producing it is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

It can be responsible for several serious health problems, including irreversible damage to the bladder and kidneys, and is often used in spiking incidents.

Consequently, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson will contact the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to commission advice on ketamine and to determine whether it should remain controlled as a Class B or Class A drug.

She said: "Ketamine is an extremely dangerous substance and the recent rise in its use is deeply concerning.

"Through our Plan for Change and mission to make the nation’s streets safer, we will work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.

"It is vital we are responding to all the latest evidence and advice to ensure people’s safety and we will carefully consider the ACMD’s recommendations before making any decision."

Badenoch defends Jenrick as Lib Dems call for Tory leader to fire 'pound shop Farage'

Kemi Badenoch has defended her former leadership rival after the Liberal Democrats called for the Tory leader to axe Robert Jenrick after his comments made on migration this morning.

Earlier today, the shadow justice secretary suggested that his party ought to limit immigration from "alien cultures", arguing that some of them have "backward, frankly medieval attitudes to women".

In response, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper said that Badenoch ought to fire Jenrick from his shadow cabinet role, saying that his attempt to "exploit this appalling scandal for his own political gain" was "completely shameless".

"He didn’t lift a finger to help the victims when a minister, now he’s jumping on the bandwagon and acting like a pound shop Farage," she added.

A spokesman for the leader of the Conservative Party said: “Robert Jenrick did an excellent job this morning explaining the pressing need for a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.

“The Liberal Democrats should spend less time worrying about tweets, and instead explain to the British people why they oppose an inquiry that would end the culture of cover ups in our institutions and finally get justice for the victims.”

Tories should seek to limit migration from 'alien cultures' fostering 'medieval attitudes to women', Jenrick says

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has suggested that the Conservatives could decrease immigration into the UK from "alien cultures".

The Newark MP said: "We have seen millions of people enter the UK in recent years and some of them have backward, frankly medieval attitudes to women”.

Attributing the grooming gangs scandal to the "onset of mass migration", he added: “I think that we have to be very careful about who is coming into this country, the scale and pace of that immigration so that we can have a much more successful integration policy than we have today.”

“I have always said, and it is a point made by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of my party, that not all cultures are equal. We should be very careful about who is coming into this country and the scale of immigration,” he told the BBC.

Nigel Farage vows Reform will hold public inquiry if Labour fall short - 'If they don't do it, Reform will!'

Nigel Farage has vowed that his party will conduct a "full public inquiry" into the grooming gangs scandal if Labour fail to do so.

"If they won't do it, we at Reform will do it," he told LBC this morning.

"I will have no difficulty in raising the money to do this whatsoever. We'll appoint independent ex-judges and experts and we will have this out in public," he added.

Farage vows to ‘mend broken fences' with Musk after doubling-down on Tommy Robinson fall-out

Nigel Farage has vowed to "mend broken fences" with X boss Elon Musk after doubling-down on his criticism of former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson.

The Reform UK leader said that he will aim to "mend any broken fences" with the richest man in the world when he flies out to Washington DC to support Donald Trump's inauguration.

Over the weekend, tensions soared between the two after the tech mogul took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to slam Farage, claiming that he "doesn't have what it takes" and called for him to be replaced as Reform UK leader.

Musk's outburst came after Farage distanced himself from the tech boss' support for Robinson, who is also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, telling the X boss that he does not know the full story.

Earlier this morning, Farage reiterated his position on Robinson, insisting that he "wasn't going to be moved" on his stance, adding: "This Tommy Robinson character who some see as a hero – and alright, he’s talked about grooming gangs and other things, although he’s hardly been on his own on that, has he?

"I was first being condemned in 2012 for daring to talk about it… Robinson’s talked about this, but he has a criminal record, a list as long as your arm of violence, violence against women. I mean, I could go on.

"And all I’m saying is: 'Look, Mr Robinson, do what the hell you like'. We are totally separate from that and I never wanted, and you know this, I’ve never wanted my parties to have anything to do with the BNP and extremism. And I never will."

Before the apparent breakdown of their relationship, Musk was reported to have been in talks to donate up to $100million to Reform UK, insisting that the party was Britain's "only hope".

Farage 'sacrifices' Musk donation if it comes with 'conditions' after being 'blindsided' by X chief

Nigel Farage has ruled out accepting Elon Musk's Reform UK donation if it were to come with "conditions" after insiders from the populist party admitted they had been "blindsided" by the billionaire's criticism.

The "conditions" that Farage would reject would include any support for ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson.

He added that the populist party was capable of finding the funds required without the tech mogul's support.

Farage said: “I am very happy if Elon Musk wants to be a donor, but if there are conditions placed on any donation that includes an acceptance of Tommy Robinson then that is not going to happen.”

“We have got a burgeoning membership and we will raise the money we need anyway,” he told The Telegraph.

Previous reports had claimed that the world's richest man was planning on shelling out as much as $100million through his British branch of Tesla, his car company.

However, Musk flipped his views on Nigel Farage, claiming that he "doesn't have what it takes" and believed that Reform UK ought to appoint a new leader.

Reform set to be boosted by Labour voter remorse, latest poll suggests

Support for Reform UK is set to be boosted by Labour voter remorse, according to the latest More in Common poll this morning.

The research, conducted for LBC, has indicated that, instead of the Tories becoming the safe haven for those fleeing Starmer's party, the populist party has swooped in to capture the hearts, minds and, most importantly, the votes of the governing party's disillusioned supporters.

Yesterday, it was revealed that one in four of those who supported Labour on July 4 have now come to regret their choice.

Top Tories push Badenoch to adopt net zero immigration in bid to charm back Reform voters

Senior Conservative figures have pressed Kemi Badenoch to adopt a "net zero immigration" policy in their bid to retrieve voters from Reform UK.

An ex-minister from the Home Office, as well as the longest-serving Tory MP, have encouraged the Leader of the Opposition to advocate such a policy.

During the General Election, Nigel Farage's party committed to a "one in, one out" system and subsequently acquired over four million votes across the nation - often causing the number of Conservative votes to be split in numerous constituencies.

Its manifesto - dubbed a "contract" by the party's business-oriented politicians - read: "Freeze non-essential immigration. Strict limits on immigration are the only way to relieve the pressure on our housing, public services, increase wages and protect our culture, identity and values. Essential skills, mainly around healthcare, must be the only exception."

Following the election, Reform UK's support has soared ahead of the Tories' own membership figures, as Nigel Farage celebrated reaching 175,000 members over the weekend at Reform's East of England conference.

"Absolutely disgusting!" Jenrick slams Starmer's claim that politicians calling for national inquiry into grooming gangs were "jumping on bandwagon"

The shadow justice secretary has slammed the Prime Minister for his "most outrageous smear" on politicians who have been calling for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

Yesterday, Keir Starmer described those calling for such an inquiry as "jumping on a bandwagon of the far right".

Speaking on GB News, Robert Jenrick said: "I thought it was the most outrageous smear. Look, millions of people across our country want to see justice for the victims.

"What we're talking about here is thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of vulnerable young girls who were tortured and raped in the most horrific evil manner in towns and cities the length and breadth of our country, and to hear the Prime Minister smearing those of us who want to see the truth emerge, I thought was absolutely disgusting.

"And more than just that, this was the same attitude that got us into this mess in the first place, it's because people like Keir Starmer have said you should turn a blind eye for fear of political correctness, that we have seen this happen time and again, decade after decade. Well, it has to end."

Labour MP urged to apologise after claiming General Election petition was driven by 'misinformation' and foreign interference

A Labour MP has been blasted for her claim that an online petition - shared by tech mogul Elon Musk - calling for another General Election was "foreign interference".

With the petition standing at well over three million signatures, Yasmin Qureshi had attributed its success to "a lot of misinformation" and foreign actors' intervention.

As a result, the MP for Bolton South & Walkden has been encouraged to apologise for her claims.