Politics LIVE: Nigel Farage set to win 450 council seats as Kemi Badenoch braces for Tory wipeout
WATCH NOW: Nigel Farage BLASTS remainers as 'less patriotic than Brexiteers'
GB NEWS
Nigel Farage could snatch up to 450 council seats as Kemi Badenoch's Tories look to set to lose almost half of the wards its currently defending, a top pollster has claimed.
Lord Hayward, a polling expert and Tory peer, suggested Reform UK could expect gains between 400 and 450 seats.
Such a scenario would mean Farage ends up returning the most councillors, having not won a single seat four years ago.
Meanwhile, Badenoch, who already admitted the Tories face a "difficult" set of Local Elections, could win as little as 375 wards, putting net losses at 525.
Despite a significant drop in the opinion polls, Sir Keir Starmer appears to have been handed a boost as Hayward expects very little change compared to 2021.
Lord Hayward told The Telegraph: “They will make some gains from the Conservatives but there will be losses to Reform and others.
“They will fail to take seats in the Midlands and the North that they should have won.”
Addressing the threat posed by the Liberal Democrats, the polling guru added: "In the South and West it will be predominantly the Conservatives versus the Liberal Democrats, while Labour versus Reform will be fighting it out for dominance in the East Midlands and the North.
“The dividing line will, in essence, be a line from the Wash to the Severn.”
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'Cold hard facts!' Nigel Farage warns net migration is making UK poorer
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has set out the "true cost" of surging net migration rates, describing the data as "cold hard facts".
The Clacton MP claimed the UK's foreign-born population is 40 per cent more likely to be in unemployment.
He also pointed out GDP per capita has been trending downwards in six out of the last eight quarters.
Zia Yusuf hails Reform's membership surge ahead of major migration speech
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has hailed the populist party's surging membership just seconds before introducing Nigel Farage to the stage in Dover, Kent.
Yusuf highlighted how Reform's 225,000 members now puts Farage on Sir Keir Starmer's tail.
Labour's membership, which reached a modern peak during Jeremy Corbyn's stint as Leader of the Opposition, dropped to 309,000, the latest data shows.
Nigel Farage prepares 'emergency announcement' on Channel crossing crisis
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has confirmed he will make an announcement in just a few minutes time about the ongoing Channel crossing migrant crisis.
Taking to social media, the Clacton MP said: "Reform UK will make an announcement on the illegal migration emergency at 11am today."
Ex-Labour MP demands apology from Keir Starmer after being 'hounded out of party' over gender-critical views
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has demanded an apology from Sir Keir Starmer after quitting the party following a bust-up over her stance on trans issues.
Duffield, who quit Labour last September, told The Times: “He’s been asked about it for about four years just in terms of good politics. If I were him I’d just have done it and then no one gets to ask that question over and over and over again. But also it would be just quite nice and quite good manners.”
During a fiery exchange in Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also demanded an apology on behalf of Duffield.
She said: “He cheered an ideology that denied safe spaces to women and girls because he thought it was cool to do so. He hounded a brave female MP out of his party for telling the truth he accepts now. And now he is hiding behind the Supreme Court judgment and isn’t that because he doesn’t know what he actually believes?”
PICTURED: John Swinney's anti-Reform summit rocked by protesters as SNP accused of being 'scared' of Nigel Farage
John Swinney's anti-Reform summit rocked by protesters as SNP accused of being 'scared' of Nigel Farage
PA
John Swinney's anti-Reform summit was rocked by protesters yesterday after placard-wielding activists accused the SNP of being "democracy deniers".
The Scottish First Minister held the gathering of more than 50 leaders from political parties, civic society, faith communities, and the trade union movement in Glasgow.
Demonstrators wore T-shirts saying “not far-right”, with some holding up banners branding Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar as "democracy deniers."
Reform UK councillor Thomas Kerr, who defected from the Tories, told reporters outside the summit venue: "What’s going on in this building behind us, though, is an affront to democracy.
“The First Minister is using taxpayers’ cash to have a summit against a political opponent that he doesn’t like. I think that’s an absolute disgrace."
Ed Miliband: 'There can be no national security or international security without energy security'
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband and Under-Secretary for Climate, Kerry McCarthy at Lancaster House
PA
Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has addressed representatives from around 60 countries at a summit on the Future of Energy Security in London.
Miliband said: "In an unstable and uncertain world, there can be no national security or international security without energy security."
Reflecting on the war in Ukraine, Miliband added: "As long as energy can be weaponised against us, our countries and our citizens are vulnerable and exposed.
"It's for this reason that energy security is also at the heart of economic security. Because it is essential to living standards, job creation and economic growth."
Keir Starmer prepares to visit deck of aircraft carrier as PM promises to protect trade routes
HMS Prince of Wales
GETTY
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to visit the deck of an aircraft carrier as he promises to protect trade routes around the world.
The Prime Minister will meet soldier, sailors, aviators and marines on board HMS Prince of Wales as the carrier prepares to set sail for the Indo-Pacific.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Starmer said: “We are sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies.
“National security is the foundation of my Government’s Plan for Change. We have announced the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – backing British jobs, British business and putting more money in working people’s pockets.
“We will always stand with our allies and our commitment to global stability is unshakeable.”
Defence Secretary John Healey added: “From reinforcing global stability and security, to supporting billions in UK exports, this deployment demonstrates how our Armed Forces keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad while making defence an engine for economic growth, and delivering on our Government's Plan for Change."
'It's time to take a stand!' Headphone-dodging commuters who play music out loud on trains should face £1,000 fines
Headphone-dodging commuters who play music out loud on trains should face £1,000 fines, Sir Keir Starmer has been told.
The Liberal Democrats have put pressure on the Prime Minister to crack down on the antisocial behaviour that disproportionately impacts train-travellers in major UK cities.
Sir Ed Davey's party is now seeking to amend the Bus Services Bill currently moving through Parliament, alongside a national campaign to shame “headphone dodgers” into stopping the practice.
The Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Smart said: “Far too many people dread their daily commute because of the blight of antisocial behaviour — and headphone dodgers playing loud music on buses and trains are some of the worst offenders.
“Whether you're heading to work, taking your kids to school, or simply trying to enjoy a moment of peace, everyone deserves to feel safe and respected on public transport.
"Time and time again, I hear from people who say they feel too intimidated to speak up when someone is blasting music or other content from a phone or speaker.
"It's time to take a stand for the quiet majority who just want to get from A to B in peace."
Nigel Farage takes aim Kemi Badenoch's Tories in hilarious breakfast photo
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has taken aim at Kemi Badenoch's Tories in a hilarious social media post this morning.
Sitting down for his breakfast, the grinning Clacton MP was tucking into "Special Kemi", a take on the popular breakfast cereal Special K.
Captioning the photo, Farage said: "Eating the Tories for breakfast."
Farage, who was chuckling in the House of Commons when Sir Keir Starmer made the same comment yesterday, also tagged the Prime Minister in his post.
Speaking in a fiery Prime Minister's Questions, Starmer admitted: "The member for Clacton is going to do what he always does, eat the Tory Party for breakfast."
WATCH NOW: Top Tory warns Ed Miliband risks ‘disproportionately burdening families' with energy bills shake-up
Ed Miliband's plan to introduce "postcode energy pricing" risks "disproportionately burdening families", a top Tory has warned.
Shadow Financial Secretary Gareth Davies told the People's Channel: "I think it'll be another example how families are going to paying more for their energy bills at a time when they're already increasing and they were promised they'd go down."
Ed Miliband blasted over 'postcode energy pricing' after vowing to 'get UK off fossil fuel rollercoaster'
Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has come under fire after being accused of pushing for "postcode energy pricing".
Miliband, who vowed to help the UK "get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster", is expected to propose splitting the UK into seven energy market zones.
The ex-Labour leader welcomed a Scottish wind farm's plan to power up to 1.3 million homes.
The Moray West development - built by Ocean Winds - employed 1,500 people during its construction and hopes to reach an output of 882 megawatts at full capacity.
Nigel Farage reacts to Robert Jenrick with one word as top Tory eyes Reform UK ‘coalition’
Nigel Farage has told GB News his supporters would be “revolted” if he agreed that the Tories and Reform should not compete at the next general election.
Shadow Justice Minister Robert Jenrick, who was pipped by Kemi Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest last year, has suggested the two right-wing factions should work together to bring about an end to Labour’s premiership.
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, Farage reaffirmed his lack of faith in the Conservative Party.
“If I agree with him, I think my supporters would be revolted”, Nigel said on the People’s Channel.
Rachel Reeves could lower tariffs on US car imports to secure Donald Trump trade deal
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been considering lowering tariffs on US car imports in a bid to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump.
Reeves could reduce tariffs from 10 per cent to 2.5 per cent on US vehicles and parts, a document shared with The Wall Street Journal has suggested.
The report is the second concession the UK is willing to put on the table after Sir Keir Starmer mulled over shelving a planned digital services tax.
Keir Starmer fast-tracks £300m for offshore wind as PM pushes ahead with clean energy push
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer visits an on-shore wind farm near Grimsby
PA
Sir Keir Starmer has announced £300million in funding for domestic offshore wind supply chains as the Prime Minister looks to secure clean energy investment in the UK.
The funding through publicly owned company Great British Energy, brought forward as an initial investment ahead of the spending review, will be invested in a domestic supply chain for components such as floating platforms and cables for the offshore wind industry.
Starmer said: “Delivering the plan for change means winning the race for the clean energy jobs of the future, which will drive growth and help us reach clean power by 2030.
“That is why I am bringing forward much-needed investment in our domestic offshore wind supply chains, strengthening our security and creating good jobs for our welders, electricians, and engineers.
“Let my message to the world go out: come and build the clean energy future in Britain.”
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