Just emailed Boris Johnson's office to ask for data on whether he has carried out any constituency surgeries in the last 5 years, and they have refused my request. I can only assume this means that he has held no surgeries in that time.
Used to like BBC News as a fairly unbiased source of reporting, but their refusal to run anything today on the huge news that Zahawi seems to be a tax evader means I just can't trust them any more. Where should I go instead?
I will block anyone who suggests GB News!
@davesumnersmith
There's quite a common joke outside the UK:
"Why are the pyramids in Egypt?
Because they were too big to fit in the British Museum."
Sadly we have a very long standing reputation for looting antiquities.
@richardosefton
There seems to be this almost cultish devotion to free speech, with people utterly obsessed with their right to say things no matter how offensive they are. I would imagine the same sort would insist on calling gay men "fags" and getting upset when told it's just not okay.
@frail_james
You thought wrong then. The armed forces will not obey rules that require them to breach their duty to humanity as a whole, and international maritime law is very clear about the duty to offer assistance to anyone in danger at sea.
SCAM ALERT
The Tories are currently running a load of sham petitions with the whole purpose of trying to harvest your contact data. If you sign one of their petitions, they bundle consent to be called by the Tories into your signature.
Stay safe, avoid the Tories.
@johnredwood
You can't tell us what it's all about now, John, we were all around for the campaigns where promises were made that trade would improve as a result. That was a lie, wasn't it John?
I have also said that I will interpret this as an answer of "no" unless given data on surgeries actually organised, and that I will apologise if it turns out that he actually did his job.
@BlaiseBaquiche
, what will your policy on surgeries be?
@ElliotHammerSR
If she wanted a handshake, she shouldn't have spent her campaign lying about Khan and refusing to apologise for supporting racist accounts and posts.
She chose to make the campaign really dirty, she absolutely cannot complain when she is treated like scum for doing so.
@johnredwood
They did have a voice and a say in the EU laws. Then you and your colleagues from the lying Leave campaign came along and persuaded the country - nefariously - to vote to have no say in such laws. You did this - own it!
@Bren4Bassetlaw
Err, no. We won't be "moving on", as the Speaker didn't allow an amendment to actually punish the wrongdoers. Most of your party couldn't even be bothered to turn up to discuss the fact that 7 of their colleagues had tried to attack the privileges committee to save their friend.
@tuckwell_steve
Are you kidding? The library is being closed, the hospitals are falling apart, Uxbridge police station is still closed, and you think that your time is best spent trying to get a chippy a bit nearer to your house?
Definitely adding this to your record
@AndyGJBurge
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
Yep, he came across as someone who knew he was in the wrong but was searching for a technicality that meant he couldn't face consequences.
@RichardJMurphy
I did ask someone yesterday who was worried about immigration because "they might not share our western values" what those western values were. After quite a lot of back and forth, it turned out he just didn't like Muslims.
#FollowBackFriday
Going to deviate from my usual humour and get serious for a moment.
I am campaigning to become an MP. I believe in democracy, equality and freedom for everyone, and I believe that necessitates a robust public sector.
Follow me if you share these ideals.
@SimonBaumMusic
Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Steve Barclay, Nadhim Zahawi, David Simmonds, Lee Anderson, Andrew Bridgen, Suella Braverman. I could go on, but that;s my starter for 10!
@POLITlCSUK
@thetimes
Just another reason why the House of Lords needs to be scrapped. PMs who resign in disgrace should not be allowed to stuff the upper chamber with anyone, let alone 100 of their chums.
@RachelCDailey
Utterly ridiculous. I am disabled, and I also shop in Aldi from time to time. I will either be hanging off the shopping trolley or using my walking stick to make sure I don't fall over. Doesn't mean I don't have limitations, but I have a life!
@AndrewBoff
You and I likely don't see eye to eye on most political issues, but the way you were treated today absolutely wasn't on. Genuinely hoping you quit the party as a result.
@Bren4Bassetlaw
Criminal gangs? The Tories have embezzled or lost some ยฃ100 billion just in Covid-related projects. Definitely need to look at the problems in your own ranks before you start casting stones at anyone else.
@i_iratus
@Nigel_Farage
As someone with a blue badge, this makes him worse than pond scum in my eyes. He had no need to take that slot, especially since his car has a chauffeur, but his sense of entitlement made him think that little things such as looking out for disabled people are beneath him.
Without question, I oppose the withdrawal from the European Court of Human Rights. Not only does it threaten peace in Ireland, but last time I checked I was in fact human!
@snb19692
@PeterSE16Bhoy
In fairness, I have an EU passport and am campaigning to be an MP. I'm firmly pro-EU and want to see us rejoin. I have the second passport because it helps me retain benefits of being an EU citizen, something I want for everyone.
For anyone arguing that we need to vote Labour to get the Tories out for good, how well did that work in 1997? Did the Labour landslide mean we never had a Tory government again? Why is it different this time?
@Eyeswideopen69
A scapegoat would be innocent. You clearly trousered vast quantities of wealth that you weren't entitled to and then swanned off to spend it on your lavish lifestyle. They might be throwing you under the bus, but don't act like you are innocent of all this.
@JustStop_Oil
Good luck getting the message heard. I hate that you have to do what you do, and I feel for those inconvenienced by it, but I can definitely understand why you have to do it.
Steal ยฃ10 worth of food for your family and get demonised by the current government. Steal tens of millions through corruption and fraud, and silence.
A two-tier justice system going on there.
Merry Christmas, I hope that you are celebrating despite the cost of living crisis.
A reminder to everyone that with the General Election coming up later this year (probably) you should make sure you have everything you need to vote. That means correct ID if you are voting in person or registration for a postal vote.
I didn't get my 200 followers for xmas, but maybe I can start 2023 with that many. Follow if you like:
* Political rants, particularly damning of the Tories
* Seeing what I get up to as a parliamentary candidate
Also general trolling.
#FollowBackFriday
@SBarrettBar
You have to be dishonestly stretching the definition of "necessary". No birthday cake has ever been necessary by any definition, let alone a birthday cake at work.
Johnson is a disgrace, and defending him tarnishes you.
@johnredwood
Our taxes aren't high, and the fact that so many large companies can divert their profits so they pay no UK tax is a travesty of your party's making.
@RishiSunak
@Conservatives
So you're abdicating your responsibility to negotiate with some of the most important workers in the country because you feel you have "done enough". Nonsense.
Get back to the negotiating table, or call a General Election and let someone else do it.
@richardodurrant
That poor girl already paid her life, the very least we can all do is respect her gender identity. Genuinely sickened there are people out there who see it otherwise.
@carolvorders
Unfortunately, Carol, stopping the Tories now isn't enough. We're long past the point where we desperately need to overhaul the electoral system, and any system which gives Labour a huge unearned majority is just going to give the Tories a chance to get back in in a few years.
Is anyone still planning to vote for the
@Conservatives
at the next General Election? If so, why? What policies that they have implemented do you think are actually good?
@KevinMo66635517
If that was true, why is London still standing strong after 2 terms with him as Mayor? Is it because London is bigger than any one Mayor and will carry on regardless of who is in charge?
@andreajenkyns
Great, report her to the standards committee or the police, then get on with sorting out the mountain of crime that your own party is currently sitting on.
@in_bloke
@UKLabour
Stated that it was an oath made under duress, which likely nullifies it in any rational court. Very sad that this is necessary when Parliament is supposed to be sovereign and serving the UK citizenry.
@jessphillips
What a horrible response that was. Nothing stops anyone from collating the names of those killed in circumstances they feel particular sympathy for, but for some reason these awful people only ever denigrate the efforts of others rather than doing something themselves.
@wesstreeting
Isn't the whole point of the Lords to review and offer oversight of legislation coming out of the Commons? In which case, it was the duty of Labour peers to vote on the amendment.
@marcolonghi4dn
@LeeAndersonMP_
Please make him your Chairman. It would utterly end the conservatives as a political party, pushing you into at least 3rd place in Westminster, maybe even 4th.
Go for it, please!
@Conservatives
Sounds like you're just looking to arrest people if they want to protest your party, your policies. Honestly sounds like totalitarianism.
@RicHolden
Be honest, they're bankrupt because of two reasons:
1) the ineptitude of Tory pay tactics in the 2000s, and
2) the cuts to their funding by the Tory central government.
This is the direct result of Tories being useless or malicious.
@DavidGHFrost
Really? When did I get my vote as to whether Sunak was Prime Minister? How about my vote on whether Charlotte Owen got a seat in the House of Lords for life?
We don't get to choose our senior political figures.
This petition only has 93 signatures so far. Not good enough given the outrage that we saw last week over MPs raking in millions from "second" jobs. Take a look, sign and share far and wide!
@g_gosden
Maybe she'd have a point if he had stepped down as an MP, but right now he's being paid ยฃ85k a year to skip 187 votes. We pay his salary, we have a right to criticise him.
Also, he was PM. That means his actions are going to be subject to scrutiny for centuries.
I'm up ridiculously early this
#FollowBackFriday
, not out of necessity but just because my brain evidently decided that 4:30 was a good time to be awake! Would much rather be sleeping.
Anyone else awake involuntarily?
#insomnia
@_HenryBolton
He does indeed have that right. I have the right not to agree with him, and to call him out for despicable views. If he has the right to state his opinion, then so do others when issuing a response.
@metpoliceuk
Presumably anyone carrying a padlock, a belt, sellotape, glue, shoelaces, braces, or a whole host of other everyday items will now be arrested because they have "reasonable grounds" to think that such items could be used to "lock on".
Pull the other one.
@alanrose9
Kwarteng's little misadventure didn't exactly help, but Sunak really needs to realise who has had control of the purse strings for many years apart from that short blip.
Uxbridge & South Ruislip, there was a hustings this evening. Noteable by their absences were
@UKLabour
and
@Conservatives
, both of whom couldn't be bothered turning up for this vital part of the democratic process.
Don't let them get away with taking your vote for granted.
@PoliticsPollss
Absolutely cannot believe that there are people actually responding "no" to this. Why not just skip the pretence and go straight to advocating for extermination camps? Yes, if you answer "no" to this question, you might as well be a Nazi advocating for the final solution...
@kelvmackenzie
@bbcquestiontime
So your supposition is that the audience was wholly in support of the policy but too cowardly to admit it? Not sure that's really a claim you ought to be making...
After a burst of new followers over the weekend, I now seem to have slowed to a crawl, and the new followers are largely cam girls. Much as I appreciate smut as much as the next person, I can't help but suspect that these ladies aren't following me for keen political insights!
@andrealeadsom
Why on earth was Stanley Johnson on the list then? I know people who have dedicated literal decade to actual public service, but apparently nepotism and rewards for friends are still very strong in Johnson's eyes. Anyone accepting these "honours" is dirtied by them.
Just musing - is it possible to sue an organisation that wastes huge amounts of other people's money, flouts laws, breaches sanctions and otherwise causes immeasurable harm to the UK as a whole.
Looking at you,
@Conservatives
@RichardJMurphy
If they can't even comment on international law because they aren't experts, what the hell are they doing in a senior leadership position for the country? I very much doubt more than a handful of them are experts at their specific briefs.
@garygilligan
Even assuming that the 5p/l cut was new, and average price of ยฃ1.50p/l, the saving of ยฃ16.50 would require a fuel tank of 330l compared to the average of about 55l.
Only one order of magnitude out, Gullis, that's good for you!
@johnredwood
It's like you still don't know the first thing about Ireland, John. You and your ilk caused this whole mess, now own it and find a solution.
This
#FollowBackFriday
, I figure it would be a good idea to target around 2,000 total followers. This is far higher than any week I have managed so far, but it's likely necessary if I want to hit the target you all set for me!
Wonder why the Tories don't want a general election at the moment... Suddenly the "will of the people" argument doesn't look so good for them, does it?
@EstherMcVey1
As you know, 92% of the small boat passengers in the last 5 years filed asylum claims, which means they are NOT illegal immigrants according to international law. Presumably you are including them rather than only talking about the 8% who don't.
@kelvmackenzie
So someone's view is worth less because of where they live? Is there a formula for calculating the percentage of worth an opinion has?
How do I tell this clearly scientific approach from just outright racism?
@LeeAndersonMP_
Lol, no chance. People really hate the tories now, and the more time there is for more scandals to surface, the more people will abandon them.
@drchrisnewton
An mp from a completely different constituency with a history of taking radical hateful stances. Why should they engage with her? They aren't performing animals, they have every right to decide for themselves that Braverman isn't worth talking to.
Just heard on
@LBC
that ambulance wait times are at their worst level since records began. Thanks
@Conservatives
, really good work there. I'm sure people having a stroke are happy to wait for over an hour for emergency medical assistance!
@JuliaHB1
You have an interesting definition of "fact". It seems to be "whatever vile hatred I want to be true", which is definitely not the case.
Trans women are women. Fact. Now that we've stated contradictory "facts" how do we resolve the claims to work out who is wrong?