PopCons seek to rally Tory base as they look to a post-election future

Shortly after Liz Truss and co took to the stage to launch the new Popular Conservatism - or "PopCon" - movement, pitching itself as an anti-woke, anti-green, anti-elite, anti-immigration voice of the voter, my phone buzzed with a message from a very disgruntled MP.

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‘The UK dodged a bullet by leaving the EU but dangers remain,’ warns Frederick Chedham

Time flies, and the nation finds itself celebrating the fourth anniversary since the United Kingdom finally wrenched itself free from the control of the European Union.

Not everyone is happy, of course, and a cult of Remainers desperately seeks comfort in tiny cheese tariffs with Canada, posting pictures of the occasional passport queue, searching out supermarkets to find some empty shelves to complain about, and of course, acting surprised that bank holidays cause bottlenecks at Dover.

For the most part, those who follow the Gold Stars can be left to gather in diminishing rallies waving their flags and miming Beethoven, while the rest of us get on with life and thank the stars for dodging the bullet before it was too late.

And what a bullet we dodged.

The UK economy did not collapse, as many predicted (and probably hoped). Indeed, while the Eurozone and the major economies lurch into recession, the UK has consistently outperformed Germany and France. Despite a Government frightened of its own shadow and furious institutional friction, we are on the cusp of the global potential of the CPTTP partnership with the growing and emerging markets of the East.

We’ve learnt that only the EU takes decades to negotiate trade deals. Left to itself, the UK has knocked them out of the park. Oh, and London hasn’t been overtaken by anywhere as the leading global financial centre; in fact, it recently overtook New York.

The global influence of the Nation has not diminished. The world still looks to British leadership in the West’s response to Russian aggression in Ukraine; it provides a more powerful voice on countering Iranian aggression than the EU or its members, and its position in major world institutions such as the UN Security Council, Nato, OSCE is secure.

Most importantly, the people of this country can now vote directly for the people who make its laws without fear of transnational jurisprudence undermining Parliament and our courts.

Over three thousand EU instruments have passed into EU law since our final departure. None of them apply to us, and when I say dodged a bullet, this is what I mean.

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Stupidly, the Government drags its heels over removing EU law from our statute book. Despite this lethargy, the creeping invasive tide of regulations and directives that, with the compliance of a politicised CJEU, has extended deep into our social policy, well beyond its supposed trade mandate, has been halted.

Could it be done better? Of course, it could. The Government should be held to account for not exploiting opportunities quicker. The Windsor Framework is a mess stemming from early failure to confront the EU over its insistence on confecting the Irish Border with exaggerated alarmist rhetoric over security (and I know the border better than most). It’s the EU's job to protect its Single Market access, not ours.

Be under no illusion; dangers remain. The unelected Lord Cameron now heads a Foreign Office plot for closer alignment with EU defence structures. This includes committing UK armed forces to Ursula von der Leyen’s plans for ‘defence unification,’ something he intends to sneak unnoticed past the British people.

The EU craves the UK’s diminished but still potent military capability, while Whitehall mandarins believe that such an alignment would attract EU concessions elsewhere. That this could result in operational control and decision-making on the employment of UK forces being taken in Brussels is not appreciated by the current crop of ministers. Worse, Labour will actively seek it. We must have no part in EU CSDP.

Labour is even more dangerous. They will claim better relations with the EU that will in effect amount to compliance and capitulation. It’s probably too late to prevent a period of Starmergheddon, but forces loyal to Brexit will need to fight him step by step to preserve the gains he would happily give back.

Brexit was a triumph of people power versus the elites, progressives, and liberals. Time and time again, the people prove they have more common sense than the self-righteous cabals in our politics, media, and institutions. That we have a generation of politicians who still feel the need to ignore the people’s instructions is not the fault of Brexit. But that will change, and resisters to the direction the country has chosen face a future being mocked and irrelevant.

The next challenge that the people will have to put right? Net Zero stupidity.

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Labour excluded some campaigners from race equality act launch event

Labour's plans for a new race equality act were announced at a behind closed doors event that excluded equality campaigners who wanted to review the proposals, Sky News can reveal.

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'In touching distance': Is a united Ireland now a realistic prospect?

Two years after power-sharing collapsed in Northern Ireland, Stormont is back in business with Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill becoming its first nationalist First Minister.

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Joe Biden dodges major interview with liberal TV network after repeated gaffes

President Joe Biden is set to break an annual pre Super Bowl tradition for the second year in a row.

CBS News confirmed to Variety that President Biden will not take part in an exchange during pre-game coverage leading up to the Super Bowl.

Variety reports that CBS News offer was believed to have been for a 15-minute interview, three or four minutes of which would have aired during the network’s pre-game coverage.

However, it is the second year in a row that President Biden has turned down the opportunity, which typically draws an audience of tens of millions.

The interview had become a tradition in recent decades, with President Barack Obama starting it in 2009.

Before then, President George W. Bush took part in a Super Bowl coin toss in 2002 and joked with presenter Jim Nantz of CBS Sports before the network’s 2004 broadcast of the event.

President Trump chose to skip a sit down with NBC News and anchor Lester Holt in 2018.

It was reported President Trump wanted to avoid a conversation about criticism he had made of NFL players who had knelt during the playing of the National Anthem to protest social injustice in the United States.

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White House spokesman Ben LaBolt told Variety: "We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned in for — the game."

President Biden has had a mixed relationship with journalists, as he has not granted many press interviews since taking over the Oval Office in 2021.

However he has spoken to CBS News presenters Norah O’Donnell and Scott Pelley, and recently granted brief exchanges to Robert Costa and Ed O’Keefe.

It comes as President Biden was believed to have a strained relationship with Fox News.

Presenters who have conducted the pre Super Bowl interview have spoken about how difficult the interview with the President can be.

Savannah Guthrie, who conducted an interview with President Obama in 2015, told Variety: "You have to remember, this is an interview that takes place in the Super Bowl pre-show.

"The last thing everyone is thinking about or wanting to talk about is politics.

"[It is about] striking the right balance, having the right tone for the context of the day, but you want to do an interview that is helpful, asks some important questions."

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Rishi Sunak set to come under fire over Clapham chemical attack

Rishi Sunak will come under pressure from both Labour and Tory rebels this week over the Clapham chemical attack.

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Elon Musk blasts Biden as he sensationally accuses him of plot to make a 'one-party state'

Elon Musk has accused President Biden of letting millions of people into the country on purpose, so the Democrats can permanently stay in power.

The Twitter and Tesla CEO criticised the President's approach to securing the southern border.

Musk made the comments on social media while sharing a 2021 news story headline claiming that Biden had intended to prioritize offering legal status to an estimated 11 million people while in office.

He also claimed that the influx of illegal immigrants will be used as a ruse for ballot harvesting in upcoming elections.

He said: "Biden’s strategy is very simple. 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible. 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state.

"That is why they are encouraging so much illegal immigration. Simple, yet effective."

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report for fiscal 2023 shows that the number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket has risen from 3.7 million in 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in 2022 to nearly 6.2 million in 2023.

Musk added: "This explains why there are so few deportations, as every deportation is a lost vote...As happened this week, you can literally assault police officers in broad daylight in New York, be released with no bail, give everyone the finger and *still* not be deported!! Outrageous."

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Reacting to the report of a Venezuelan woman who had been arrested eight times in the last six months, he wrote: "What is even the point of arresting criminals if nothing is done!?...No prison, no deportation."

He also criticised suggestions for a bipartisan Senate deal to be passed to fix the unprecedented levels of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.

The bill is expected to include billions of dollars to Ukraine.

He said: "No laws need to be passed. All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing. That is how it used to be."

It comes after Biden secured an overwhelming win in South Carolina's Democratic primary, the first official Democratic primary ahead of this year's presidential election.

The president, who faces little competition within his party pledged to make Republican Donald Trump a "loser".

The 81-year-old recalled how South Carolina voters "breathed life" into his 2020 campaign and said he had "no doubt" they would set him on the path to winning the presidency in 2024.

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Sunak to meet with Northern Irish leaders at Stormont after power-sharing restored

Rishi Sunak is visiting Northern Ireland to celebrate the restoration of power-sharing at Stormont, where he will meet the country's first nationalist first minister.

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As NI confirms first nationalist leader, is a united Ireland within 'touching distance'? | Adam Boulton

The confirmation of Michelle O'Neill as first minister of Northern Ireland is historic.

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UK military's readiness for "all-out war" in doubt, MPs warn

The UK armed forces are losing personnel faster than they can recruit, leaving their "warfighting readiness" in doubt, according to a new report by the Defence Committee.

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Joe Biden’s hypocrisy laid bare as President U-TURNS on abortion stance: 'Wouldn't trust him at all!'

Joe Biden has been criticised for his changing stance on abortion laws in the US, following an appearance at a rally in Virginia.

The US President spoke at a campaign rally in Manassas where he condemned abortion bans that have increasingly endangered the health of pregnant women across America.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their campaign rally with a focus on abortion rights, a factor which may prove to drive voters to the polls to oppose conservative measures.

This comes as the controversial decision by the US Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion in 2022, impacting the lives of millions of women and transforming the political landscape.

Biden took aim at Republicans over their efforts to curb abortion rights, and stated women's fundamental rights "have been stripped away" because of Donald Trump.

He added: "In the state of Alabama, the Attorney General is threatening to prosecute family members who help their loved ones travel to another state to get healthcare they need. That can’t be America in 2024."

Discussing Biden's efforts to oppose the Republican bans on abortion, US Attorney Robert Patillo claimed the US leader has been "pro-life his entire career".

American Radio host Dan O'Donnell argued that he "understands why Biden had to change his view", in order to try and secure votes ahead of the Presidential election in November.

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Robert Patillo told GB News America: "President Biden is a moderate on abortion. He's a devoted Catholic. He has been pro-life his entire career. However, he understands that because of his personal views, he cannot push that on 150 million women in this country and that's why he supports pro-choice programs.

"President Biden is more interested in making abortion obsolete as opposed to making it illegal."

He continued: "This is why he has pushed forward an agenda to provide economic relief to single parents, because it's more important to care for children than to make it illegal. Republicans for some reason believe that being moderate, centrist, and bipartisan is a weakness in American politics.

"There's a reason that this Republican Congress has been the least productive Congress in American history. They passed no bills out of this Congress because they don't believe in working across party lines who work in a moderate fashion which supports the majority of American people."

Dan O'Donnell was asked by host Patrick Christys if the current President can be "trusted" with abortion rights in the US.

O'Donnell admitted: "If I were a pro choicer, if I was someone who is going to vote on the basis of abortion, I would say yes, but only because he's now beholden to the more radical elements of his party who want abortion up until the moment of birth.

"He himself has refused to answer this question, steadfastly, I might add, but for his entire career, he wasn't a moderate."

He continued: "This is someone who is only pushed to the left on the abortion issue because he realised there was no way that he was ever going to get the 2020 Democratic nomination for President. So of course he had to change his position.

"Frankly, I like the old pro-life Biden, but I understand why he had to change. Frankly, if I were voting on the basis of abortion, I wouldn't trust him at all."

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Blackstone CEO claims US economy isn’t prepared for another term under President Biden: ‘No end in sight’

The boss of Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, has expressed his doubts about the US economy if President Joe Biden wins the US re-election this year.

Stephen Schwarzman made the remarks after he was asked what he thought would happen to the economy if Biden was elected for a second term.

Speaking to Bloomberg, he said: “We’ve now got $2trillion deficits with no end in sight.

“We’ve got our debt-to-GDP [ratio] going up. We’ve got open borders with eight million people coming over.

“I don’t know that the country, frankly, is prepared for four more years of that.”

The US national debt hit $34.1trillion by January 31, according to the real-time US debt clock.

This is more than the combined GDP of the top five global economies after the US - China ($17.9trillion), Japan ($4.2trillion), Germany ($4.0trillion), India ($3.4trillion) and the UK ($3.0trillion), World Bank data shows.

On the same day, the US federal budget deficit was at $1.75trillion.

Nevertheless, Mr Schwarzman said he was "optimistic" for 2024.

Pointing out the economy is slowing "a bit", he said: "That's normal with high interest rates."

However, Mr Schwarzman said he was sure the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates, expecting them to be reduced in the second half of the year.

He added: "I think 2024 will be a good year. I think it'll start out slower, in the sense that interest rates are still pretty high and the Fed will keep them that way... probably until the second half [of the year]."

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The Federal Reserve held the target rate at 5.25 to 5.5 per cent on Wednesday.

"We will get the cuts," Mr Schwarzman insisted, explaining the way Blackstone measures inflation means they are finding it's already at the Fed target of two per cent.

"I think it's quite confident that they'll be lowering rates."

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Martin Daubney recalls being threatened with knives amid calls for MP security: 'I thought I could die'

GB News presenter and former Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney has recalled a horrific knife attack he experienced whilst working as a politician in 2019.

This follows the announcement from Justice Minister Mike Freer that he is being forced to step down as Finchley & Golders Green's MP after years of abuse and threats to his life.

Speaking to GB News, Freer revealed he has been victim of abuse and targeted attacks for years, with an arson attack at his office on Christmas Eve being the "last straw".

Following his announcement that he is to step down as MP, Freer said “serious threats” weighed heavily on him and his husband Angelo Crolla. Freer also claimed many politicians have resorted to wearing "stab vests" to protect themselves from any potential attackers.

Speaking to GB News' Political Editor Christopher Hope, Freer said: “There comes a point when the level of threats becomes beyond the pale. Most MPs have to cope with a level of routine abuse, routine graffiti, that kind of low level stuff.

“Maybe we shouldn't have to deal with it, but it is kind of bread and butter now the way we handle our jobs as MPs."

Some MPs have tragically lost their lives within their work. Labour's Jo Cox was tragically killed in 2016, and Tory MP Sir David Amess was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery meeting by an Islamic extremist in 2021.

Discussing the increasing concern of politician security, GB News host Martin Daubney shared his personal experience of a life-threatening situation whilst canvassing for the Brexit Party in 2019.

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Martin told GB News Political Correspondent Katherine Forster: "I was on the receiving end of a death threat when I was a candidate in Ashfield in the general election in 2019. A bunch of lads came out with knives.

"It was almost funny afterwards, because I'd been knocking on these doors for weeks trying to canvas. Turns out I didn't know it was a crack den, and they thought I was an undercover copper."

Martin continued: "They came down the street at me with knives, they pulled them out and I just thought, 'I could die here'.

"I stood my ground and looked them down and I just held my arm out and went 'Martin Daubney, Brexit Party, did you vote to leave the European Union?', and the situation dissolved."

Reflecting on Mike Freer's resignation and the growing concern for safety in politics, Martin stated that it could possibly "drive people out of the game" if nothing is done to increase security.

Martin told his GB News viewers: "Another thing I'm worried about is how people vote. It's a matter of public record, how you vote. Are people going to be scouring how anybody votes as far as Israel, Palestine, foreign affairs?

"Will that in itself make make democracy be stifled by the fear of the consequences of putting your opinions public?

"We're getting to a point where it's dangerous to have opinions. Isn't it the job of politicians to have opinions to get things done?"

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'You just have to say, enough': Tory minister quitting parliament over death threats and 'narrow miss'

A Conservative minister quitting parliament over a raft of death threats and abuse has told Sky News: "There comes a point when you just have to say 'enough'."

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‘Lovely to see you!’: Richard Tice hilariously trolls ‘Stop Brexit Man’ Steve Bray as UK marks anniversary

Richard Tice marked the fourth anniversary of Brexit by “making up” with campaigner Steve Bray.

Bray, known as ‘Stop Brexit Man’ thanks to his antics outside Parliament, was approached by the Reform UK leader who arrived wanting a handshake.

“I am going to come and make up with Steve Bray on the fourth anniversary of Brexit Day”, Tice said as he approached a group of Rejoiners.

Holding out his hand, Tice was then confronted by anti-Brexit protesters who branded him a “traitor” for his efforts in securing the UK’s departure from the bloc.

After a short period of bargaining, Bray then obliged and shook Tice’s hand, before telling him that Britain has undergone a “bad Brexit”.

Tice, departing the scene after securing a handshake, then quipped: “Lovely to see you.”

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A furious anti-Brexit protester then remarked as the Reform leader departed: “We want to rejoin.”

Four years on from the UK’s departure of the bloc, Britons spoke to GB News about how they feel it has gone since.

One person said: "I'm a fisherman and my quota before we left was a waste of time. I couldn't work, I couldn't live on it.

"Now because of Brexit, I can catch a ton of skate a week, a month. Now I'm allowed to catch 10-ton skates a month."

Another said: " I am very disappointed and we can now look forward to the future. But God knows what's going to happen when it comes to an election. I don't regret it.

"I was a leaver and I remain that we should be independent and stand on our own feet. But unfortunately, no one in government has got the guts to stand up and do what the people want."

However, a lingering sentiment amongst Britons was perceived Tory ineffectiveness when it came to reaping the rewards of leaving the EU.

“I don’t feel like anythings changed really”, one said.

“We all got told a load of tosh”, she added. “It’s a shame Boris has gone because he was the one who started the ball rolling and I think if he hadn’t got kicked out we might have got better.”

“We haven’t moved on as much as I would have liked”, another said.

“I feel like at the moment, nothing much is moving. Especially with the boats crossing the Channel.”

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