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Reform’s success is more than a ‘protest vote’

  In a few short years, Farage’s start-up party has built up a loyal and ideologically committed voter base. Spiked 08/06/26 The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey is the gold standard of its kind. Conducted annually since 1983 by the National Centre for Social Research, it does not merely track voting intention but probes the values, discontents and self-understanding of the British people. When its 43rd report turns its attention to Reform UK, the results demand careful reading, because they are simultaneously more encouraging and more challenging for the party than the headline writers have managed to convey. The report , authored by Sir John Curtice along with Georgie Morton and Jerome Swan, was published on 2 June 2026. Its central finding has already been widely quoted: Reform’s support is driven not merely as a protest against the system, but by a settled, coherent and emotionally committed worldview. Curtice describes Reform supporters as having ‘a level of emotional at...
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Let Sadiq Khan have control over tax on London homes, Labour-linked think tank says

  ThinkLabour, formerly Labour Together, argues mayors should be ‘custodians of their economies’ Daily Telegraph 10/06/26 Link Sir Sadiq Khan should have control over how much tax Londoners pay on their properties, a think tank with close ties to the Labour Party has said. ThinkLabour, formerly operating under the name Labour Together, said mayors should be given greater powers over taxation, particularly over property levies. Opponents argued the policy would be “a disaster for Londoners” and that more taxes would further “erode the wealth of a nation”. In a report published on Wednesday, ThinkLabour claimed: “By giving mayors the ability to capture the uplift in land values, they will have the incentive to grow their economies and a revenue stream to borrow against.” It would mean devolved authorities such as the Mayor of London could opt to impose higher levies on homeowners. ThinkLabour said mayors should be allowed to be “custodians of their economies”, as they were “more lik...
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If Starmer wants to save himself, he should sack Reeves

  Defence secretary’s resignation exposes a Chancellor guilty of chronic indecision and catastrophic misjudgment Daily Telegraph 11/06/26 link She has already presided over a huge surge in unemployment, a collapse in business confidence, and a jump in the amount the Government has to pay for borrowing. No one, even in the Labour Party, would claim that Rachel Reeves has a great record as Chancellor. But now she is accused of something far more serious. As the devastating resignation letter from John Healey, defence secretary, made clear, she has left the country defenceless – and the Prime Minister surely now has no choice but to sack her. Everyone agrees that Britain urgently needs to increase its defence spending. With a war raging in Ukraine and another one in The Gulf, and with the United States losing interest in Europe, we need more kit and manpower to protect the country. And yet one point emerges with total clarity from Healey’s letter: the Chancellor is refusing to make ...
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In full: Healey’s resignation letter to Starmer

  Defence Secretary steps down in protest over investment plan that ‘falls short of what is required’ Daily Telegraph 11/ ohn Healey has resigned as defence secretary over Sir Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan. Mr Healey announced that he would step down in a letter to the Prime Minister on Thursday. He wrote that the plan, expected to be revealed as soon as Friday, “falls well short of what is required for defence”. Here is Mr Healey’s resignation letter in full. Dear Keir, This is a letter I never expected to write, and I do so now with great regret and reluctance. I am proud of what we have done in less than two years as a Labour Government. We’ve stepped up to lead internationally for Ukraine with the Coalition of the Willing and Ukraine Defence Contact Group, established Britain as a leading voice for Europe in Nato, raised defence investment to 2.5 per cent of GDP three years earlier than anyone expected, launched the deepest defence reforms in 50 years, won the bigges...
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