Conservative Leadership Contest 2024

Yeah I mean in terms of education both Sunak and Starmer hardly are underachievers in their non-political careers.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Damien

Party electorates are always very small and unrepresentative. That's why I would prefer that when the party in Government needs to change its leader, it is done only by their elected MPs rather than members. MPs have a greater mandate to decide the next PM than self-selecting party obsessives.

Maybe so, but they seem to stick to the same liberally-minded types. The Party needs a shake-up, and I think that’s what Kemi can achieve.

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Originally Posted by Chris

On the other hand, Boris Johnson, Teresa May, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were all chosen while in government.

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She’s a clear and confident orator as well. She’ll make a good leader of the opposition. Doesn’t make her a shoo-in to win an election 4 years from now though; Michael Howard was a great performer against Tony Blair, but no beans.

Yes, but there was something of the night about him…

[daveeb]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Maybe so, but they seem to stick to the same liberally-minded types. The Party needs a shake-up, and I think that’s what Kemi can achieve.

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Yes, but there was something of the night about him…

Never hear of a guy called Boris Johnson, he had more of the night about him than Nosferatu.

[Pierre]

She has one mission and one mission only, and that is to appeal to the red wall and disaffected conservatives and make Reform irrelevant.

That’s no small task against the Charismatic Farage.

But, you know what, I don’t think Farage’s heart is really in it. I don’t think he actually really wanted to stand….he left it long enough.

If she makes decent inroads to Reform, I think Farage will call it a day, he’ll make more money outside of Parliament

From the new Conservative leader’s first PMQs today

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cjw0...50e41e50a#post

Conservative leader Badenoch asks the prime minister if he will match the commitment the Tories made to raise defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030.

Starmer says there is "no more important duty" than keeping people in the UK safe.
He says the government is "committed" to the 2.5% spending on defence, adding that it was last met under the previous Labour government 14 years ago.

Badenoch hits back, saying he will not make that commitment. She says last week's Budget did not mention defence.

From last week’s budget…

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks...ng-2024-10-30/

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - British finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday she would provide the defence ministry with an additional 2.9 billion pounds next year and promised an annual 3 billion-pound support for Ukraine would continue for "as long as it takes".

In her first budget speech, Reeves said the extra spending would take Britain towards its goal of allocating 2.5% of GDP towards defence, and ensure the country exceeded the NATO commitment of spending 2%.

She added that the promise to maintain the annual military support to Ukraine came on top of a 2.26 billion pound loan, part of the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration agreement announced last week, to aid the country in its war against Russia.

Wasn't a great start for her at PMQs, strangely flat, but there will be plenty more to come.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

From the new Conservative leader’s first PMQs today

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cjw0...50e41e50a#post



From last week’s budget…

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks...ng-2024-10-30/

He’s committed to it, but this budget doesn’t achieve it.

Happy to throw £3B every year to Ukraine, with no receipts.

Hopefully, when Trump ends the war, that £3B can be added to the defence budget to get to 2.5%

The point you seem to be ignoring was that she said last week's Budget did not mention defence, when, in reality, last week’s budget did mention defence…

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

The point you seem to be ignoring was that she said last week's Budget did not mention defence, when, in reality, last week’s budget did mention defence…

Oh wow! And that’s like more important than committing to 2.5% or not.

Keep Focusing on the important stuff!

Originally Posted by Pierre

Oh wow! And that’s like more important than committing to 2.5% or not.

Keep Focusing on the important stuff!

Oh wow! One thing actually happened, and was a factually incorrect statement by the new leader of the Conservatives on her first PMQs, and the other is something you think might not happen…

Here’s something else that actually didn’t happen - after 2010, the U.K. has spent under 2.5% of GDP on Defence.

[Mr K]

She's not very good is she?
Tbf they haven't got a lot to choose from. I'd give it 12 months max, before the knife in the back comes.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Mr K

She's not very good is she?

Based on what? Hasn’t done anything wrong yet. Hasn’t done anything yet. Good or bad.

You’re a bit premature with your view I think…….