[Crabcakes]

Badenoch is proving to be an outstanding asset…for Labour.

I don’t think even Corbyn with his letter of the week from Mavis from Doncaster was close to this woeful. Whoever is coaching her seems to be setting up open goals more than anything else. And I bet she inexplicably thinks she’s doing a good job.

[Crabcakes]

I mean, this is *incredible*

Badenoch asks if Starmer will stand by his decision to ban the sale of petrol cars by 2030, even if jobs will suffer.

Starmer says the EV mandates were introduced by the last government. And Badenoch was the business secretary who introduced them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

She’s confirmed that she is calling for Starmer’s resignation.

[Crabcakes]

Amazingly, she not only messed up with the EV thing being her policy - she then messed up about there not being farmer protests after the last Tory budget. There were, and it was her policy *again*.

This isn’t just piss poor - it’s practically self-destructing.

https://bsky.app/profile/sturdyalex.bsk ... wl7xvilc2t

[Tubby Isaacs]

Absolutely baffling performance.

LOTOs generally do lots of preparation for PMQs for obvious reasons. The first question was pretty good, could Starmer repeat what Reeves said to the CBI about tax. Of course he didn't. Back to Kemi, who you'd think had the follow ups prepared, right? Apparently not, all over the place. Presumably Kemi's team had prepared follow ups to press the point, but she thought she'd go for some unfocussed ranting instead. I don't know if Starmer even had to bait her.

And all done in the superior manner of a teacher in an old sitcom. Dreadful.

[Crabcakes]

I imagine she thought Starmer would dutifully repeat what Reeves said and had stuff lined up for that. Because obviously, the guy who masterfully set up traps for Boris Johnson would be a dead cert to blunder into the political equivalent of a large hole very loosely covered in straw and marked “perfectly safe solid road - please walk forward”.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I always say this, but it's like when a kid in my chess team said he lost because the opponent didn't play the opening right.

She's done an immigration event this afternoon and has managed to say that they lost because people voted Reform. Some of those would have voted Labour, lots more wouldn't have voted at all.

[Youngian]

Used to play this ex con chess wizard and found a way to beat him by going a pawn up and offing all his pieces. He lost his rag and said "you don't play like a man, son" and then stomped off; "you ain't got no bottle."

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha.

Unbelievably, Kemi didn't head straight back under the bedsheets after PMQs. Also been doing immigration.

Matthew Holehouse
‪@matthewholehouse.bsky.social‬
Kemi Badenoch: "Yes, economists sometimes argue that immigration can increase a country's wealth, but they are not thinking about the effect on individual people. In government, there's little detailed analysis about the impact of different kinds of immigration on living standards or wage levels."

This has rather surprised Jonathan Portes and Simon French who wrote something on this for the DWP in 2005. Not to mention the Government's own Migration Advisory Committee.

[Youngian]

Won't demand for immigrants dry up if Labour's destroying all the jobs with tax rises?

[Oboogie]

IDS must be excited, it looks like he might at last be relieved of his title as least capable LOTO in UK history.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Here she goes again. Government loses a discrimination case. Kemi connects it with the Chagos Islands.

The government minister who made the unlawful decision in the first place? Er, it was Kemi.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7n1gy94evo

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said it is "unbelievable" that the Labour government have decided to no longer contest a discrimination case brought by Belfast rap group Kneecap.
The group won its case against the UK government over a decision Badenoch took when she was a minister to withdraw an arts grant.
The group was awarded £14,250 - the same amount they were initially granted.
A government spokesperson said the decision was made not to continue contesting the band's challenge as "we do not believe it is in the public interest".
They added: “This government’s priority is to try to reduce costs and help protect the taxpayer from further expense."
Badenoch described the move as "yet another cowardly decision after giving away the Chagos Islands".
"Labour will always capitulate rather than defend UK interests," a spokesperson for the Conservative leader added.
The decision to block the grant, taken by Badenoch when she was business and trade minister, was described in court by Kneecap's barrister as "unlawful and procedurally unfair".

[Tubby Isaacs]

In a statement following the settlement, Badeonch's spokesperson said "this case is not about whether a band promotes violence or hates the UK, as Kneecap clearly do; this is about whether government ministers have the ability to stop taxpayers' money subsidising people who neither need nor deserve it".
"Labour would rather waste your money than stand up to a group of Irish republicans who go to court because the UK government won’t hand them cash."

Labour are wasting money by accepting the decision in a case caused by your fuck up? "Irish Republicans"? Do Kneecap really promote violence? I don't know anything about them. Sounds like there might be a letter from some learned friends heading Badenoch's way.

[Oboogie]

Kneecap are proud Irish Republicans, that's indisputable. Hating the UK is not a crime so, even if true, it's irrelevant. Whether they promote violence or not I've no idea, Badenoch could be in trouble unless she can produce some evidence.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I could guess their politics. I was querying the implication that this was somehow foreign, and not the same position as eg the actual First Minister in Stormont.

[kreuzberger]

They sing in English about shagging, getting cunted and fuck the Bruddish. I don't speak Irish, so I can't comment on the other half of their output.

[Youngian]

Let it go Kemi, no one in Saffron Walden has the faintest clue about politics in Northern Ireland or even cares.

[Tubby Isaacs]

She’s trying to get the Chagos Islands in wherever she can. A grant to a rap group in Northern Ireland is as good as anything.

I wonder how long she’ll be able to keep up the pretence that the US base is disappearing.

[Andy McDandy]

Let it go Kemi, no one in Saffron Walden has the faintest clue about politics in Northern Ireland or even cares.

They hate the IRA, think Paddy ought to know his place, think the Birmingham Six were probably guilty of something, and never laughed at Derry Girls. That's enough for her.

[Watchman]

I more a Wolftones man