Little wonder Kemi Badenoch is making little headway as new Tory leader and little wonder the British people don’t trust a word the Conservative Party says.
Having failed abysmally to control mass immigration — something the Tories were elected to do in 2019 — it was revealed just days ago that more migrants have been removed from the UK since Labour was elected in July than in any other six-month period over the past five years — or a little over 13,400.
True, small boat crossings continue apace, but frankly the Conservatives don’t have a leg to stand on with regards to this issue – the best the party came out with was a gimmicky Rwanda plan which would have likely failed to begin with.
For the Tories to claim Labour is « failing to control our borders and should hang their heads in shame » is frankly risible given the slipshod way the last government managed this issue.
The fact Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was at an event with immigration hawk and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni recently to focus on immigration speaks volumes and does demonstrate some seriousness on Labour’s part.
This may of course also be part of a wider strategy not only to ingratiate the UK with a more right-leaning EU but to guard against the rise of Reform UK, fast stealing a march on the Conservatives as Nigel Farage‘s party is.
This comes as Reform is edging Labour out in recent election polling while closing in on the Conservatives. Of course given Britain’s antiquated first-past-the-post voting system this need not necessarily translate into parliamentary seats but nevertheless will send alarm bells ringing in Number 10.
Next year’s local elections will be a particular test of how far Reform UK can go before the likely next general election in 2029. No doubt Labour’s increasingly tough language and policies on immigration are designed to ward off the Reform threat.
For the Tories meanwhile, the party frankly hasn’t got a leg to stand on with Reform squarely parking its tanks on the Conservatives‘ lawn. Having spat in the face of those who voted for Boris Johnson, the Conservatives oversaw record non-EU immigration. Now the public simply cannot take seriously Tory claims on this issue.
Whether or not Labour delivers is in many ways secondary to the fact the Conservative Party lost all credibility. Voters see in Farage and Reform UK meanwhile the Real McCoy rather than a pale imitation.
Little wonder Labour grandee Baroness Harman suggested Reform could be the main opposition come 2029. Labour has not performed spectacularly since July 4, not least on controlling Britain’s borders, but relatively speaking this latest announcement can be chalked up as a victory.
Voters now get a choice between a genuine right-wing party in Reform and a centre-left alternative in Labour (and the Lib Dems). The Tories are increasingly being squeezed out of the national conversation and need more than a few chippy words about Labour to salvage what remains of their bruised and battered reputation.
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