Best Of

Jesus, Farage ratings are tanking

The beginning of the rot was taking in all those already-despised already-failed top Tories whilst still trying to claim he offered a fresh alternative to the ‘uniparty’, the middle of the rot was trying to trouser that £5 million in secret; so we just need to wait to see how the final rot will set in.

Lots of ways the rot set in. Here are two I think are significant. Voters are getting the hang of tactical voting. This was visible at Runcorn last year when Reform were on the rise but only won by 6 votes, with all parties but Reform and Labour squeezed. It has grown. It will be significant at the next election.

The second, I think, is that over time Farage and the far right come across as unkind about some very ordinary people. Lots of people who don't approve of the degree to which migration has occurred would still be horrified at unkindness to anyone who lives an OK life in this country. And Reform can distance itself from Restore and Robinson and so on as much as it likes, but to most people the far right is a unified blob who, like Reform, use images of people of colour as a scare tactic and includes some vile people who scare nice people of the wrong colour. Brits don't like that.

It's the blokery.

And the explanation "that's how working class men are."
Not around working class women.
Got them to turn out in droves round here.

My money is on Tuesday.

Weekly Cabinet.

He'll make it known that this is when he'll make a decision. Turf out all but Ministers and a few key political appointees. Not civil servants a Labour Party political cabinet meeting.

Go round the room, look everyone in the eye, open and transparent. No repurcussions back me yes or no.

I suspect a majority will say NO

He confirms to them he will not stand for re-election if it's over 50%, in that case he'll request a meeting with the King Tuesday pm

If its under 50% he will put himself to a MP vote if any MPs get the 80 odd needed for a nomination.

This potentially allows Streeting to get his 80 plus, if not it's a coronation.

Far better to walk in to the Cabinet Room and do it this way, either way it's ballsy and puts Cabinet on spot.

It is far more likely it will be his cabinet putting 'him' on the spot if he is still hanging on by Tuesday

"At least wait until Andy has sworn the oath before I resign"

Oh dear.

Revealed: Brexit voting areas have seen faster growth in foreign workers since EU referendum

Guardian investigation also finds same areas experienced relative decline over same period

Leave-voting areas have seen faster relative growth in foreign workers since the Brexit referendum, a Guardian investigation has found.

Data analysis suggests that the decade since the Brexit vote may not have matched the expectations of many Leave supporters, showing their local areas have also become relatively more deprived over the same period.

Migration increased across the UK after Brexit, especially of those arriving on health and care visas, peaking at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023. Net migration has since cratered, and continues to fall as people’s visas expire.

Analysis of government Pay As You Earn data shows that between 2016 and the end of 2024, non-UK workers grew fastest in percentage terms in stronger Leave-voting areas, largely because they had previously made up a smaller share of the workforce.

Wigan, where the Makerfield byelection has taken place, follows the pattern seen in many strong Leave-voting areas. Less than 5% of payrolled employees were from outside the UK in June 2016. That had increased to just under 10% in December 2024 – more than doubling in relative terms.

Across the country, the proportion of foreign workers increased by just 40% over that period, rather than doubling.

Remain-voting areas – often larger cities – still have the largest numbers of non-UK workers. While they have seen bigger rises in absolute numbers, it is Brexit strongholds that have seen faster relative growth of their foreign workforce.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/20/leave-voting-areas-foreign-workers-decade-since-brexit-referendum

The recent NIESR report came to a similar conclusion. London has done OK since Brexit; the regions (with the exception of NI) got shafted.

Car production in Sunderland is half of what it was a decade ago, despite government bungs.

Remania was always going to do better than Leaverstan, because it was the economically successful areas of the country that voted Remain.

Car production will be doubling next year though as Chery take over the other line.

The issue in Sunderland is naff cars more than anything else..

UK car production is at a 73 year low, and in percentage terms a sharper drop than in the EU.

Next year the new EU rules of origin make UK exports more challenging, and there are the Trump tariffs too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clymp4ynldlo?app-referrer=deep-link

It's cold outside. Still, Remain voting London is doing alright at least.