[Boiler]

Sweet. I know a nasty little braggart on another forum who's both a Trumpshagger and Reform voter: I do so hope that's his council

[Youngian]

Intriguing...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2lvp9vk5ro

Labour has won a county council by-election, taking the seat back from Reform.

Julie Griffiths was elected to serve the Murton ward on Durham County Council on Thursday.

The by-election was called after former Reform member David Cumming stepped down last year due to work commitments. The turnout was 24.9%.

Griffiths got 1,004 votes, with Reform's Theo Bell coming in second on 786 votes, and Isaac Short of the Green Party third with 95 votes.

[mattomac]

Sorry I was on the move.

I should have posted what it was.

[Bones McCoy]

Sorry I was on the move.

I should have posted what it was.

Labour take council seat off Reform.
Have BBC politics declared a day of mourning yet?

[mattomac]

Mason’s probably too busy thinking of his next jibes for Starmer.

[Youngian]

Hardly any BNP and UKIP councillors were re-elected. Voters are surprisingly quick at spotting that you're a useless twat at council level. Especially if you drag them out at a by-election.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'll take Labour winning an egg and spoon race in the current climate, let alone a by-election.

I see Reform have only done a small (1.99%) council tax rise. We'll see how that works out for them, though the Government have helped them out by changing the funding formula which is broadly progressive. I was ready to add this to the list of "things people cared about till Starmer did them" but perhaps there could be some positivity for the Government in this, especially if Reform burn out.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hardly any BNP and UKIP councillors were re-elected. Voters are surprisingly quick at spotting that you're a useless twat at council level. Especially if you drag them out at a by-election.

I was thinking that Epping Forest Council (well basically the seats round Loughton/Debden) were an exception to this, because I recall them hanging about there for years. But it seems like they only ever retained one seat there (the leader's seat, in 2008). They were also lucky that there were no local elections there in 2005, where the higher turnout on a General Election day would have probably done for some of them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Useless old Starmer, why didn't he have HMS Dragon there already? What does he think this is? The Hackney Lesbian Peace Club?

Perhaps Kemi and the media could use google. That's assuming that it's too much to expect the Leader of the Opposition and highly paid journos who sound off about Defence to read press releases from the Ministry of Defence. Because the answer isn't too hard to find.

UK Carrier Strike Group to deploy to North Atlantic to keep UK safe
UK will bolster regional security by deploying a Carrier Strike Group to the North Atlantic and High North

Operation Firecrest will involve thousands of personnel from all three services of the Armed Forces, demonstrating Britain’s ability to project force wherever it is needed and operate seamlessly within NATO. The Carrier Strike Group will exercise alongside NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group 1, itself being led by the UK, with HMS Dragon acting as the command ship of the NATO maritime group throughout 2026.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-c ... ep-uk-safe

Beth Rigby wanted Starmer to apologize for leaving the Cyprus base undefended, and I'm sure she's by no means the worst for this stuff. This isn't even armchair general stuff. We all opine on stuff we aren't qualified to, and it's possible that someone might in good faith reach the conclusion that HMS Dragon was better employed where it'll end up, Cyprus. I'm prepared to give people doing that a pass.

But what this is is pure political spite, directed against a Prime Minister who (per the poll released yesterday) seems to be acting pretty much in line with public opinion. And who inherited what everyone agrees were armed forces that aren't up to the threats we face.

[Abernathy]

Indeed. Rigby et al clearly want to give the false impression that Akrotiri will be completely undefended while they get that battleship ready. Yet more grist to the Starmer-trashing mill.

[The Weeping Angel]

What is Mahmood playing at?

[Boiler]

She's playing at being worse than Patel and Braverman?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Reading the article, the word 'may' is again doing the heavy lifting the Guardian so often demands of it.

In exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, when someone being deported violently resists, restraints may be used...

Colour me amazed.

Guardian, meet sewer.