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LAST UPDATE | 3 Jul
JUST A YEAR shy of their landslide win, the Labour Party in the UK has seen the biggest first-year poll drop for the governing party since the 1990s – the first fall of its kind since John Major’s Conservative government of the 1990s.
The party, divided by welfare cuts and disagreements over fiscal policies, are now rating lower in the UK than Nigel Farage’s Reform.
Yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared to cry in the House of Commons as British prime minister Keir Starmer declined to guarantee she would remain in place until the election.
A UK government spokesperson said that Reeves was visibly tearful over a “personal issue” but that didn’t stop the financial markets reacting, with value of the pound dropping noticeably as the Prime Minister spoke in Parliament with Reeves in the background.
Her emotional moment has dominated the UK front pages this morning.
So, what did the UK’s papers make of it all?
‘Markets panic as she sobs behind PM’, The Sun reports, alongside a much-used image of an emotional Rachel Reeves.
‘Pound falls after Reeves’s tears’, The Telegraph headlines its lead story this morning.
The Daily Mail has also used Reeves’s quote admitting she’s ‘under pressure’. It also reports that there are claims of an ‘angry bust-up’ with deputy prime minister Angela Raynor prior to Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
An opinion piece featured on the front page says, ‘Rachel needed a hug’ and calls Starmer a ‘political vampire’ for using the party’s Chancellor as a scapegoat.
‘Day of drama leaves Reeves on brink’, the Daily Express reports – but they’ve replaced the tearful Reeves with a smiling Princess of Wales.
The Times has gone back to the image. ‘Reeves battles doubters after PM spooks markets’, its headline this morning reads.
The Guardian has gone with ‘Tears and turmoil as PM forced to defend Reeves after welfare fiasco’ alongside an image of Reeves and Starmer from Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.
Rachel Reeves said today that she was “clearly” upset during her appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions PMQs), but insisted she was “cracking on with the job”.
She appeared alongside Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting as the government launched it’s 10-year plan for the NHS in London.
Reeves made no mention of yesterday’s incident in the Commons as she made her first public appearance since crying in the chamber.
Reeves and Starmer shared a hug, and she smiled throughout the public appearance.
Reeves would not, however, be drawn into answering questions about the “personal matter” which had upset her.
She told reporters: “Clearly I was upset yesterday and everyone could see that. It was a personal issue and I’m not going to go into the details of that.
“My job as Chancellor at 12 o’clock on a Wednesday is to be at PMQs next to the Prime Minister, supporting the Government and that’s what I tried to do.
“I guess the thing that maybe is a bit different between my job and many of your viewers’ is that when I’m having a tough day it’s on the telly and most people don’t have to deal with that,” Reeves added.
She rejected suggestions that her tears were related to a conversation with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle or another member of government.
“People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday,” she said.
Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.
Starmer gave a full-throated defence of Reeves, and said he had not appreciated how upset she was while he was focused on the cut and thrust of Parliament’s most-viewed weekly event.
Additional reporting from Andrew Walsh and PA
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Maybe she saw a preview of Doctors Under Attack, which aired last night on Channel 4 after the BBC refused to show it. The majority of the British media are more upset by a performance at Glastonbury than by footage of decapitated Palestinian children. The IDF are modern day Nazis. We must all say enough. 20,000 children are not a statistic. They are beautiful children. They are somebody’s world ❤
@Anthony Curran:
1,000;000 children and 2,000,000 women in Isreal living under the threat/promise of continuous 7th Octobers slaughtering. Muslims are permitted by Koran to surrender to save civilians. Next move, Hamas.
@thomas molloy: Don’t worry, your heroes have killed the 20,000 babies responsible for the craturs ongoing anxiety.
@thomas molloy: you have just proved Anthony’s point. People like you think all this started on Oct 7th. the Palestinians have had many Oct 7ths for decades and the world kept quiet. Its one of the main reasons Oct 7th happened
@Anthony Curran: Maybe the British media are not as easily hoodwinked. Unlike their sycophantic terrorist following Irish counterparts.
@Nick Gall: Nasty.
@thomas molloy: a sad little person you are.
@John Brennan: It’s war, Palestine Hamas miscalculated that by using western Christian softness compassion they could hide behind their fellow women and children and Jewish hostages and they were safe. Muslims have indisputably got fixed beliefs(1600 years) and they have a smaller neighbour also with fixed beliefs(6000 years). Waiting and hoping that either side will loose their beliefs soon is unrealistic. That’s not my fault. Neither side see things with a “Christian” mindset.
@Nick Gall: Hoodwinked? They’re bought shills. My eyes don’t lie.
@thomas molloy: No normal society murders 20,000 beautiful, loved children because some bad guys carried out 1 terrorist attack. Israel is a sick, psychopathic society. They sing songs about slaughtering kids. They rape prisoners. They drop 500lb bombs on cafés. They’re genocidal maniacs. And so are those who support them whilst they watch and cheer on their crimes against humanity.
@Anthony Curran: Observing and describing what is unfolding is not supporting. Every death is a tragedy. You must see that using their own women and children as martyr shields is wrong. It is a calculation on Christian sympathy that emboldens non Christian terrorists and is resulting in these deaths. It’s how terrorists work.
@thomas molloy: “1,000;000 children and 2,000,000 women in Isreal living under the threat/promise of continuous 7th Octobers slaughtering.”
Total rubbish. Hamas are a mess . IDF are all over it . There is no evidence that Israel is at imminent threat. I a few years time they might face revenge attacks but they will have brought it upon themselves
Just like the Iran lark, never at real risk due to distance and better military gear and allies
@p gert: Sod that, he’s deluded . Nothing wrong with being nasty if one is correct and have evidence to back it up. This chump has none. Attack what he said and stop acting like a girly boy. So what if he is nasty . It is worse that he is wrong and a liar
@thomas molloy: nonsense. It’s the illegal israeli regime which is illegally occupying Palestine and attacking other countries. The israeli terrorists wouldn’t be “living in fear” if they could behave like decent humans. Religion is irrelevant to human rights & why should the Muslim population surrender to the jewish occupiers?
Sorry to see that but if she was bullied over something that’s unacceptable. But what I will say is there wasn’t any tears from her for the people who will be under pressure due to the he Kendall and Starmer’s inflicted on the disabled in the UK.
@John McEvoy: but there are undeserving people receiving the benefit too. Over 10% of working age adults claim to be disabled there, not an issue for you? Perhaps the genuine should be given more and the chancers should be given nothing, no?
@Darius Guppy: Drug users claim Disability benefit through claiming psychological or physical impairment. That’s the reason it’s at 10%
@John McEvoy: she’s insisted that it was a “personal matter” so either she wasn’t bullied or can’t be trusted to stand up and tell the truth. As for tears for those affected by “labour” policies – the current iteration of labour is closer to Thatcher’s Tories than any real Labour.
the empire is coming home roost,fffg could learn a big lesson here locals first
@jn: racism AND xenophobia all in one short comment – congratulations!
@Jimmy: Jimmy, I don’t think you understand the difference between the two.
@Jimmy: Nothing racist said at all. People like you shouting racist at every opportunity is the problem. It should be irish first in Ireland. I’d expect locals put before me in a different country.
@Mick Joe: I absolutely do. The xenophobia is in relation to your hatred of the UK. The racism is your comment on “locals”. You’re welcome!
@Jimmy: If xenophobia is a mental aberration, is xenophilia not one also?
@Brian Hunt: skiddlydiddlybopp
Brexit was such a great idea wasn’t it.
Wake up. It’s the benefits that make people risk lives traveling from France..
You need a earned system of benefits to protect the system from collapse.
I worked in anti fraud in the UK for a number of years.
A few facts.
The population of the UK is approximately 70 k. The number of “live” National Insurance Numbers is 300 million +
The working population is approx 27 million the non working population is also approx 27 million.
The benefits system is so rigged that there is no in-between- you either work or you don’t.
There is massive organised fraud in the system but it is committed by big players and not by individuals. This is because payments of many benefits are made directly to service providers rather than to the individuals who claim them.
Individuals are seldom in a position to commit serious fraud whereas landlords etc. are and the rewards can be staggering.
As in this country benefit recipients are often exploited as a source of cheap labour by “businesses”
then leave !!?
There are now more disabled people in UK than in Gaza. So many they can scare Labour MP’ with slim majorities. Why so many. Is there a war going on there?
@Fran Ken: We have this same moral war in Ireland. Irish media are on eggshells scared to touch it with the chancers epidemic expanding.
This Labour government performs poorly… They are not as bad as Reform who would put UK back a couple of Decades…
Labour have some quick wins…
First, UK people voted to leave EU 9 years ago… They regret that, so just join the EEA.. UK people said nothing about being a member of Customs Union, Free Trade… STOP the Brexiteers defining that vote, Brexit means Brexit and UK left EU..
Stop doing stupid stuff like commenting on Kneecap/Vylan/BBC… The answer is simple, I might disagree with what these people said but I defend there right to say it and I will not censor the BBC. If you want this type of government I suggest you move to a different country.
Finally, stop picking on poor people to pay for the mess caused byt an horrendous Tory government. Speak plainly to the UK people on where you are and show what you are going to try to do to get out of it… Firmly blame the Brexiteers for it, it is their fault.
@Jack Dermody: Reform are going to be the next UK Government. Labour and Conservatives have betrayed the British Public. The British Public have had enough of lies for the last five decades. The public have been patient but now have called time on the lies and deceit.
@Laois Weather: Like they won’t get lies and deceit from reform. Farage is a lazy B, he’ll never be prime minister. He never actually did anything but snipe from the sidelines.
@Laois Weather: Brexit has been a disaster so you’re solution is to vote for the guy who pushed it thr hardest? Bizarre logic, reward Faranges incompetence and xenophobia
Our Nigel is waiting in the wings.
Ridiculous that the banks and market would have such an overreaction ffs
This is why politics if for men.
Have your cry or rage exposition, just do not do it in public and worse, in the chambers. Bringing shame to the Chamber . This weak conduct is unbecoming
There is an increasingly unhinged Trump and USA holding control over Trident targeting, and USA is unlikely to fulfil NATO article 5.
All existing spending on Trident deterrent is now worthless, a black hole money pit.
Combine that with the recent illegal under International Law support of genocide by Israel, and it is not hard to see where Britain is hemorrhaging spending uselessly.
Britain is clinging desperately to delusions of former Empire, when it ought to be sorting its own house first.
have your say