Showing posts with label Keir Starmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keir Starmer. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Nigel Farage Attacks Labour over Smoking Ban Proposal

Aug 29, 2024 | Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has criticised Sir Keir Starmer's potential plan to ban smoking outside pubs whilst enjoying a pint and smoking a cigarette outside the Westminster Arms pub in Westminster.

Sir Keir has said the Government will 'take decisions' on a potential outdoor smoking ban in an effort to curb preventable deaths and alleviate pressures on the NHS.



I know that this video is a little old now, but the problem of UK smoking bans has not gone away.

Regular visitors to this website will know that I am NO FAN of Nigel Farage; in fact, he is my bête noire, mainly because of his anti-EU stance and his dragging of this country out of the European Union, thus causing the nation to be impoverished and UK citizens to be robbed of many rights. So, seeing me post something positive about him will come as a bit of a surprise to many, I feel sure. However, I like to be fair to all, and on the smoking ban, Nigel Farage is absolutely correct. Even though I am no longer a smoker—I haven’t been a smoker for nearly four years, now—I am four square against any smoking bans. And for many important reasons. These are some important ones…

1. I loathe and despise bans of any kind: they go against my love of freedom and my devotion and commitment to libertarianism. The state should not interfere in my right to live my life as I see fit.

2. A generational smoking ban will be totally and utterly unworkable. Moreover, the police has its work cut out already, trying to police the important things—and they are failing to do that half the time—so let us not add more unworkable tasks to their day-to-day list of crimes and misdemeanours which they have to try and deal with.

3. By outlawing cigarette smoking to the young, you are making it more appealing. Anyone who has ever worked with young people should know that nothing is more appealing to the rebellious youth than something, some activity, which is forbidden. The Bible teaches us this from the story of Adam and Eve. If our politicians want to make smoking more desirable and enticing, then all they have to do is ban it!

4. By making cigarette smoking impossible, either through bans or prohibitive pricing, all you do is push our young people—and older people—to other unhealthy activities and pursuits. No politicians of any stripe are ever going to be able to create Utopia. So, what people will do is increasingly turn to drugs—cannabis, ketamine, fentanyl, cocaine, etc—for their kicks. For, be not mistaken… they will seek out their kicks.

Life is replete with risks and unhealthy activities. No politician can eliminate them, and nor should any politician even try to. Let people work hard and then play. This is the only way to ensure a well-functioning, happy and content society. — © Mark Alexander

Saturday, February 07, 2026

Michael Lambert: Why No Leader Can Fix Britain’s Current Course

Feb 7, 2026 | In this video I reflect on recent events in British politics from a very different perspective — speaking from Bangkok and watching the UK from afar.

I discuss the latest defections to Reform UK, why Nigel Farage still represents a political cul-de-sac rather than a governing future, and what these shifts say about the Conservative Party’s decline.

I also look at Keir Starmer’s trip to China, the reality behind the so-called “sophisticated relationship”, and the uncomfortable truth about Britain trying to negotiate alone in a world dominated by large trade blocs.

Along the way I touch on Peter Mandelson, Labour’s leadership dilemma, Andy Burnham, Davos and the wider question of whether Brexit has left Britain trying to play a role in the world that no longer exists.


Saturday, January 24, 2026

Telegraph View: Britain’s Weakness Has Been Laid Bare

THE TELEGRAPH: If we continue on this path then the UK will be at the mercy of countries that put a premium on hard power

The last seven days should have dispelled any remaining complacency about Britain’s place in the world.

Sir Keir Starmer spent the week buffeted between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The Prime Minister gave ground on the Chinese super-embassy to the fury of the United States, worked to talk Mr Trump down from his aggressive rhetoric on Greenland, and then last night pulled a House of Lords vote on the Chagos deal scheduled for Monday.

This may foreshadow another U-turn by Sir Keir’s Government. It is now uncertain whether Britain’s relinquishing of sovereignty over the archipelago will in fact go ahead. This would be a reversal that should be welcomed, but it is tragic if it has only occurred because of foreign pressure. » | Telegraph View | Friday, January 23, 2026

I am no fan of Keir Starmer’s, but he is not the architect of Britain’s relative economic decline. Farage and Brexit are.

What Europe needs is an integrated and single European military, and the UK must play a major part, an integral part. As long as Europe remains an agglomeration of individual nations, it will remain weak. The build-up of a European military—land army, air force, and navy—is essential and urgent; and it must have a single command structure.

Economic growth for the UK is essential and urgent. We Brits need to stop dilly-dorking around, looking this way, and that. We are Europeans, and we must belong to the wonderful European Union, the club that has brought Europe peace, prosperity, and hope.

If Keir Starmer is guilty of anything, he is guilty of vacillation and indecision on the European Union. — © Mark Alexander

Thursday, January 08, 2026

Does Keir Starmer Believe Actions in Venezuela Are in Breach of International Law

Starmer fails to impress! Ge is talking out of both sides of his mouth. Weak is as weak speaks! Let me say it for Starmer... It was in breach of international law and it was WRONG. VERY WRONG.

Wednesday, January 07, 2026

Piliers de la vie britannique, les pubs menacés par la réforme de la sécurité routière

LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - En abaissant le taux d’alcool autorisé au volant, le gouvernement travailliste est accusé de mettre en danger les établissements ruraux, souvent déjà en proie à des difficultés économiques.

Les pubs, donc la patrie, sont en danger. L’Angleterre s’enflamme au sujet de cette sacro-sainte institution, alors que le gouvernement présente un projet de loi pour lutter contre les morts sur la route. Il prévoit notamment un abaissement du taux d’alcool autorisé au volant. La mesure mettrait en danger les pubs ruraux. La polémique fait rage et l’affaire est devenue politique, le patron de Reform UK, Nigel Farage, dénonçant l’assassinat programmé de ces piliers de la vie communautaire.

En publiant sa « Road Safety Strategy », Downing Street vante la première grande initiative de sécurité routière depuis plus de dix ans. « Elle doit permettre de sauver des milliers de vies sur les routes britanniques » assure la ministre des Transports, Heidi Alexander, qui précise que cela se fera en luttant contre la conduite en état d’ivresse, en améliorant la formation des jeunes conducteurs et en instaurant des examens de la vue obligatoires pour les conducteurs âgés de plus de 70 ans. L’objectif est de réduire de 65 % le nombre de décès et de blessures graves sur les routes d’ici à 2035, avec un objectif encore plus ambitieux de 70 % pour les enfants de moins de 16 ans. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange, correspondant à Londres | mercredi 7 janvier 2026

Réservé aux abonnés

Putain ! Encore des restrictions ! Les gouvernements travaillistes n'ont jamais su que gâcher nos joies ! Interdiction de fumer ! Interdiction de boire ! Si vous devez boire, buvez moins ! Interdiction de manger ceci ! Interdiction de faire cela ! Interdiction d'écrire ceci et cela ! Qu'on instaure une interdiction de fumer pour toutes les générations ! Qu'on interdise de fumer dans les terrasses de bars ! Les gouvernements travaillistes n'ont jamais su que tuer la joie ! Keir Starmer est un maître en la matière. Quel pays morne et déprimant est en train de devenir la Grande-Bretagne ! — © Mark Alexander

Is Starmer’s Reluctance to Criticise Trump Smart Tactics – Or the Sign of a Man Without a Plan?

THE GUARDIAN — OPINION: The PM won’t call out Trump over Venezuela, and won’t commit to Europe. His refusal to choose leaves vital choices for Britain to be made by others

For an inveterate liar, Donald Trump is remarkably honest. The best guide to what he thinks is what he says. When forecasting his likely course of action, start with his declared intentions – removing the president of Venezuela, for example – and assume he means it. When he says the US must take possession of Greenland, he is not kidding.

The motives are sometimes muddled but rarely hidden. Trump likes making deals, especially real estate deals, and money. He wants to be great and to have his greatness affirmed with praise and prizes. He craves spectacle. The world as he describes it doesn’t always resemble observable reality, but there is an effortless, sociopathic sincerity to his falsehoods. The truth is whatever he intuits it to be in the moment to advance his interests and manipulate his audience.

Trump’s freewheeling brazenness lies at the extreme end of a spectrum where the opposite pole is Keir Starmer’s verbal constipation on camera. It isn’t the most profound difference between the two men, but the contrast reveals something significant about the prime minister’s present difficulties. » | Rafael Behr | Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Is it the sign of a man without a plan? No! It’s the sign of an obsequious, fawning man without balls! — G Mark Alexander

Saturday, January 03, 2026

Michael Lambert: Starmer, Trump & AI - My Predictions for 2026

Jan 3, 2026 | It seems certain that the next 12 months are going to be extraordinarily important and potentially very dangerous.

In this video I talk about:

• The liklihood that Keir Starmer will be replaced as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party after the May council elections
• The worrying rise of Farage and what a Reform government could look like
• Why Britain still hasn’t faced the reality of Brexit
• How I believe that Donald Trump will not serve his full term and that he will soon be gone. This is because he appears to have health issues including possible cognitive decline. There may even be another impeachment in which case his support would be far from certain.
• I also talk about why AI is going to change our lives far more quickly — and more profoundly — than most people realise. I’m not making firm predictions, but I am joining the dots.



I was particularly interested in Michael Lambert’s assessment of Sir Ed Davey, because his assessment of him mirrors my own. I think he is the best politician around, and I also think that he is a thoroughly decent man. And decency is hard to find among politicians these days. I would love to see Ed Davey becoming our prime minister. But naturally, I am not holding my breath. — © Mark Alexander

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Chlorinated Chicken Is Back and Starmer Is Letting It Happen

December 30, 2025


Oh God! We beseech Thee to spare us the pain of Farage as our prime minister. The man has already done untold damage to the British economy with his ridiculous Brexit. Please don't let him finish the job and totally destroy it.

Moreover, let Americans enjoy their inferior quality foodstuffs, their chlorinated chicken and their hormone-injected beef. WE DON’T WANT THEM.

Starmer needs to grow a backbone and stop pandering to the Orange One. That goes for our royal family too. We Brits are Europeans, and our place is in Europe. We should also be able to enjoy the wonderful array of European foodstuffs. If we take just cheese alone, the variety of European cheeses can be counted in the several thousands. France alone produces nearly 1,800 cheese varieties. America simply cannot compete. For the gourmet, it has to be Europe, not America. — © Mark Alexander

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Michael Lambert: Trump & Starmer Are Finished: Why Both Leaders Won’t Survive 2025

Dec 13, 2025 | In today’s video I explain why BOTH Donald Trump and Keir Starmer are now entering the most dangerous moments of their political lives.

Trump continues sinking into delusion, dishonesty, and chaotic decision-making — from reckless tariff claims to bizarre political boasting, sweeping pardons, and state piracy at sea. The US economy is weakening, tourism is collapsing, and key industries are suffering. His grip on reality and on his own party appears to be slipping.

Meanwhile in the UK, Keir Starmer is doubling down on honouring a Brexit that is visibly damaging the country. With the NHS, local authorities, courts, police, and trade all deteriorating, Starmer’s refusal to confront Brexit head-on is pushing Labour into a political corner. And inside his own party, pressure is growing.



This is an excellent synopsis of the dire situation the UK finds itself in as a result of that absurd decision to leave the European Union. Keir Starmer is not the man who can lead us back into the EU or bring about prosperity for this nation. To be honest, I don’t really think that Starmer understands economics. Starmer has the mind of a bureaucrat. I also think he is risk-averse. He is certainly lacking in charisma. In fact, he reminds me of a programme the BBC used to show when I was a child: The Wooden Tops! 😊 Or Bill and Ben, The Flowerpot Men!

Under Starmer, this country is going nowhere fast. Problem is, other than Sir Ed Davey, no other politician speaks any sense. But even though the Liberal Democrats have done really well with Ed Davey as their leader, I have my doubts that the British electorate would be willing to give him a chance to become prime minister. That, in my opinion, is a great pity, because he is the only man who talks any sense. — © Mark Alexander

Monday, December 08, 2025

Volodymyr Zelenskyy due to Meet European Leaders for High-level Ukraine Talks | BBC News

Dec 8, 2025 | Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting key European leaders in London on Monday, as Ukraine's allies plan their response to an ongoing US push for Kyiv to accept concessions in peace talks.

The leaders of France and Germany will join Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at No 10 Downing Street as they seek to ensure any deal deters a future Russian attack.

The high-level meeting follows three days of talks in Florida, where Zelenskyy's chief negotiator pushed for changes to a White House plan widely considered to accommodate central Kremlin demands.

The US and Ukraine said there was progress but US President Donald Trump appeared to criticise Zelenskyy on Sunday, saying he "hasn't read" the draft.


Friday, November 21, 2025

Starmer Accuses ‘Spineless’ Farage of Failure to Tackle Racism in Reform Party

THE GUARDIAN: PM says Reform UK leader also has ‘questions to answer’ about alleged racist comments and chants when at school

Nigel Farage has been accused of being “spineless” by the prime minister and a “coward” by Dulwich college contemporaries over his response to allegations of racism.

Keir Starmer said the Reform UK leader had “questions to answer” about alleged comments and chants as a teenager that include songs about the Holocaust, and accusations of bullying towards minority ethnic schoolboys.

He added that Farage had a “track record” when it came to racism, pointing to his failure to discipline his fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts.

Speaking to reporters on the way to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Starmer said: “He needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible. He hasn’t got a good track record in relation to this because Sarah Pochin, his MP, made some clearly racist comments and Nigel Farage has done absolutely nothing about it.”

He added: “The man is spineless. If that had been someone in my party, I’d have dealt with it straight away. He needs to explain the latest allegations, and whilst he’s at it, he needs to explain why he’s too spineless to take action in relation to what is obvious racism in the comments of his fellow MP. » | Daniel Boffey, Kiran Stacey in Johannesburg and Mark Blacklock | Friday, November 21, 2025

Ministers call on Nigel Farage to address ‘repulsive’ teenage racism allegations: Liz Kendall and Jo Stevens intervene after about 20 people claim they witnessed or were victims of Farage’s behaviour »

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Racism Returning to UK Politics – and People Are Very Scared, Says Starmer

THE GUARDIAN: PM attacks ‘toxic division of Reform’ and gives strongest signal yet that two-child benefit cap will be lifted

Decades-old racism is returning to British politics, and “it makes people feel very scared” Keir Starmer has said, warning that divisive hard-right politics was “tearing our country apart”.

Speaking to the GP and TV personality Amir Khan, the prime minister accused Nigel Farage’s Reform UK of overseeing a return of the racist and divisive politics “that frankly I thought we had dealt with decades ago”. » | Eleni Courea | Political correspondent | Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Saturday, October 04, 2025

Truth To Power: Farage Broke Britain, But Starmer Needs More Than Slogans

October 4, 2025


Nigel Fags is a self-enriching, fascist-leaning fraud. He is also one of Trump’s clones, so anyone who wonders what a Farage-led Britain would look like, he/she need only cast an eye over the Atlantic and see the cruelty, chaos, and jaw-dropping inequality in delusional Trump’s dystopia. Nigel Fags needs to be kept well away from Downing Street! — © Mark Alexander

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Full Speech: Starmer Delivers Pitch to Voters and Attacks Farage at Liverpool Conference | ITV News

Sep 30, 2025 | Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to warn the country that it faces a "defining choice" between "decency" and "division" as he delivers his speech to the Labour Party conference on Tuesday.

Starmer’s speech comes at a challenging moment for the PM, who faces questions about his leadership and speculation about a challenge from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

The government is also facing numerous difficult decisions around the nation's finances, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves laying the groundwork for more tax rises in the budget due in November.



Keir Starmer appelle à l’unité pour combattre «l’huile de serpent» du parti Reform UK de Nigel Farage : Lors du congrès annuel du parti, à Liverpool, le premier ministre britannique, au plus mal dans les sondages, a tenté de rassurer des troupes travaillistes qui doutent de plus en plus de lui. »

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Keir Starmer promet d’«affronter» le parti de Nigel Farage au Royaume-Uni, avant un congrès travailliste à haut risque

LE FIGARO : Le parti anti-immigration de Nigel Farage, Reform UK, poursuit son ascension dans les sondages, alors que le premier ministre accumule les déboires politiques.

Les travaillistes britanniques commencent à se réunir dimanche à Liverpool pour un congrès annuel à haut risque pour le premier ministre Keir Starmer, de plus en plus contesté dans son camp, qui tentera de convaincre qu’il est capable de mener le «combat» contre le parti anti-immigration de Nigel Farage. Quinze mois seulement après son arrivée au pouvoir, le chef du gouvernement accumule les déboires. L’économie est au ralenti, le chômage à son plus haut en quatre ans, l’immigration illégale bat des records, l’inflation reste plus élevée qu’ailleurs en Europe.

En parallèle, le parti de Nigel Farage, Reform UK, poursuit son ascension dans les sondages, capitalisant sur le rejet de l’immigration d’une partie des Britanniques. «Nous avons devant nous le combat de notre vie, nous devons affronter Reform, nous devons les battre», a martelé Keir Starmer dimanche dans une interview à la BBC. «Ils veulent déchirer ce pays», a-t-il ajouté, jugeant «raciste» et «immoral» leur projet d’obliger les migrants non-européens régularisés à refaire une demande à des conditions plus strictes. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 28 septembre 2025

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Michael Lambert: UK Politics after Brexit

September 20, 2025


A truly excellent synopsis. I can't argue with any of these opinions. My biggest fear now is that the nation will become trumpified. Short of a miracle, the TRUMPIFICATION of the UK seems to be almost inevitable. What a depressing thought that is! — © Mark Alexander

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Trump Turns Fire on Putin and Lauds UK in Press Conference with Starmer

THE GUARDIAN: US president also advises PM to use military to stop irregular migration at conclusion of his second state visit

Donald Trump has accused Vladimir Putin of letting him down in a joint press conference with Keir Starmer during which the US president piled criticism on his Russian counterpart.

Trump said on Thursday that he had hoped to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine soon after entering office, but that Putin’s actions had prevented him from doing so.

His comments came during an hour-long press conference alongside Starmer which marked the culmination of a two-day state visit during which the president has largely steered clear of several points of tension between the two leaders.

Trump largely avoided criticising the prime minister over Palestinian statehood or attacking Britain on free speech, though he caused awkwardness when he suggested Starmer could bring in the army to deal with irregular migration.

His comments about the Russian president, however, will delight British officials who had hoped to use the unprecedented second state visit to isolate Putin on the world stage. » | Kiran Stacey and Pippa Crerar | Thursday, September 18, 2025

BREAKING: Trump Speaks on Kimmel

Sep 18, 2025 | During a joint presser with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Trump addressed ABC pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air “indefinitely.”


This press conference is puke-inducing! One leader as bad and as weak as the other! — © Mark Alexander