The hypocrisy of Tommy Robinson and his fans

The hypocrisy of Tommy Robinson and his fans

Jul 6, 2024 | News

A squalid tale of grift and dishonesty as ‘Tommy Robinson’ is detained for immigration offences yet again, writes Bremain Vice Chair Lisa Burton for Yorkshire Bylines. 

Last week, Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the far-right activist, was arrested in Canada for an ‘outstanding immigration warrant’ after speaking at an event in Calgary. Within an hour, a fundraiser was launched in his name, not for the first time, to help him out with his many run-ins with the law.

His team filmed his arrest, with Robinson heard telling the officers in the police car: “Ain’t it mad how tough you get with immigration on the wrong people?”, “F*** Justin Trudeau” and “It’s mental innit. You act like absolute spineless cowards as a country, letting every bloody goddamn f**ing Abdul or whoever into your country – you don’t know nothing about them, their criminal histories, or anything, or their ideologies”.

It is a bit rich considering this wasn’t the first time Robinson has faced charges of immigration offences, and he has a lengthy criminal record, which bars him from entering many countries. In 2013, he pled guilty to trying to enter the United States illegally by using a friend’s passport. It’s just one of Robinson’s criminal convictions, amongst others for passport offences, mortgage fraud, contempt of court and assault. He’s served jail time on more than one occasion.

What the paperwork shows

What was different this time was that Robinson himself posted his immigration arrest documents online, which showed some curious anomalies. According to these documents, his name is Stephen Lennon, and not only is he an Irish citizen, but they also state he was born in Ireland.

Considering Robinson prides himself on English nationalism, is an anti-immigrant campaigner, and rallies against the criminal behaviour of people he deems ‘migrants’, who are often British-born people of colour, the double standards seemed to be obvious. So I posted the form on X with a comment.

The post took off and incredibly gained over 2.2 million impressions, driven mainly by a mass frenzy of his supporters who were unwilling to see or just blind to the fact that it is ok for their criminal idol to break immigration laws or to lie to illegally enter a country, to be an immigrant with a criminal record, all while demonising migrants, and many he categorises and migrants, even though they are British-born people who by their heritage don’t have the ‘privilege’ of being white.

Born in Ireland or England?

Now, it’s no secret that Robinson’s mother was Irish and his father is English. So, he is wholly entitled to an Irish passport, as are many with Irish ancestry. This was the main shouting point of many of his followers who didn’t quite understand the ‘born in Ireland’ hypocrisy. Because what’s really interesting is that Robinson has always said he was born in Luton, England, and he is English. He confirmed this in an interview article in the Telegraph from 2013 and on other occasions.

Below is a birth registry document for November and December 1982. You can see the entry for Stephen Christopher Yaxley, born in Luton. He later became Yaxley-Lennon to reflect the name of his stepfather, Thomas Lennon. Sometimes, he also goes by Stephen Lennon. However, in 2018, a judge reported at this hearing that his legitimate passport bears the name Paul Harris. Confused yet?

Of course, we don’t know the details of his current British passport. And there’s always a possibility that the immigration officers in Canada made an error on the arrest paperwork, and he has not yet been to court, but it’s unlikely. Robinson has form for entering countries where his criminal record would bar him from doing so, and he was heading to Canada for a tour.

Still, we can all agree it is not customary to have multiple names for no reason unless you’re trying to hide something. This leads us to conclude that this passport and identity confusion is deliberate. One passport states he is an Irish national and citizen, born in Ireland, and his name is Stephen Lennon. The other passport has a different name and we must assume, from his birth records, that it would state he is a British national born in Luton.

The most likely hypothesis is that he uses different passports to try and get past immigration officials and to avoid revealing his criminal convictions or previous immigration offences.

The hypocrisy doesn’t stop there

Research tells us that the majority of grooming gangs are white. However, there is far more manufactured outrage around sexual exploitation if the person or persons are of a minority background, and Robinson and other actions of the media have ensured that fallacy perpetuates.

He says he’s an advocate against sexual violence and exploitation of women and girls, particularly from grooming gangs (only if they are brown-skinned, of course). He is not. He has a long history of failing to condemn the abuse of children by his friends and supporters. Something, when pointed out to his sycophants, they also choose to ignore.

As reported here, “The EDL was a hotbed of sex offenders”. At least 20 members and supporters were convicted of child sexual exploitation offences (that we know of), and at least 10 of these were in the EDL while Robinson was still leading it. In June 2010, Lennon’s close friend and ally, Richard Price, was convicted of making indecent images of children. Far from condemning those crimes, the EDL launched a campaign for his release.

Leigh Mcmillan, a senior EDL figure during Lennon’s time as leader who was active in the Lee Rigby campaign, was sentenced to 17 years after abusing a 10-year-old schoolgirl 100 times in the mid-1990s. The list of offences is shocking and can be read here. No condemnation has been noted from Robinson regarding any of these cases.

Robinson has also defended Andrew Tate, the online media personality who is currently facing charges of rape and people trafficking.

Like all far-right ideologists, his support for illegal behaviour from his own tribe is typical behaviour. Blame others. Say it’s all a conspiracy. It gives them a blank card to deny everything and to corrupt all truth and evidence. It’s a vital part of their playbook, no matter how unhinged, and Robinson sounds completely unhinged.

Robinson, the Brexit supporter

Robinson campaigned for Brexit and received financial, political, and moral support from a wide array of foreign groups and individuals, including US think tanks, right-wing Australians, and Russian trolls. He campaigned for the end of freedom of movement while obtaining or already having an Irish passport, knowing he would never have to give up his freedom of movement. It is also rumoured that he lives in Spain.

There’s nothing wrong with that, his supporters would say. Of course, they would. Foreign interference when it backs their far-right causes is welcome; Obama speaks up about Brexit, and all hell breaks loose; but they have no issues if their false idol has the opportunities he wanted to deny his fellow compatriots

Bethan Nodwell exposes Robinson’s behaviour in Canada

Tommy Robinson went to Canada to ‘go on tour’, and Bethan Nodwell, a right-wing political activist, was going to assist him. So often, we see people willing to overlook alleged wrongdoing.

 

She alleges Robinson was drunk, taking cocaine, and went to massage parlours. She makes implications related to Robinson’s apparent hypocrisy as a proclaimed defender of women and girls. “If you are doing drugs with prostitutes, you aren’t defending women.” “Who are running these brothels […] who are they exploiting? Like marginalised, maybe some white girls, some minority girls.” “You’re actually betraying us; you’re betraying my girls.”

In the clip above, she also alleges that Robinson says he had sold no tickets for his tour and said he “was going to get nicked”, which she ties to getting money from his supporters. Robinson has subsequently denied these allegations.

Robinson is no patriot

So, there we have it laid out. Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, aka Stephen Lennon, Tommy Robinson, Paul Harris or any other name he goes by, is a hypocrite of the highest order. A common thug and criminal who uses his ‘Englishness’ as a weapon to fuel racism, bigotry and the persecution of minorities while milking his supporters and relying on foreign money to fund his lifestyle and politics.

He is a dangerous individual whose organised marches often end in violence, including violence against the police, like with the Cenotaph demonstrations he initiated then ran away from last year, where the protesters chanted “you’re not English any more” at officers and attacked them.

With luck, the UK and Irish authorities will look into these anomalies, and who knows, maybe one of them will deem him to be a danger to the country, just like the British government did with Shamima Begum on national security grounds. She only had British citizenship, Tommy many names has at least two. He can take it.

Tory wipeout or comeback?

Tory wipeout or comeback?

Jun 21, 2024 | Bylines, News

Apparently, all the Conservatives need to turn this around is an opportunity to make their arguments – and some policies – and a magician! Bremain Chair Sue Wilson writes for Yorkshire Bylines. 

I doubt it will have escaped your notice but there’s an election happening soon in the UK. If the polls are to be believed – and the results across multiple sites would suggest they can – then the Conservatives are about to suffer an almost complete wipeout. Or in the words of polling guru, Professor John Curtice, the results would be the worst ever “by a country mile”.

Polls apart

In a new poll by Savanta and Electoral Calculus for The Telegraph, Labour are predicted to win 516 seats and a massive 382-seat majority, with the Conservatives and LibDems neck-and-neck on 53 and 50 seats respectively. If that weren’t bad enough, Rishi Sunak is predicted to lose his own seat – a feat never before accomplished by any prime minister at a general election, and quite the personal legacy. Other big names are also at risk of losing their seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and numerous cabinet ministers.

Two other polls released on the same day – by More in Common and YouGov – have the Conservatives on 155 and 108 seats. Better, but not by much. And whichever way you look at it, a disaster for the government on a monumental and historic scale.

The collapse in popularity of the government could be down to any number of factors: the pain and damage of austerity; changing public attitudes to a mis-sold Brexit; cronyism and chronic waste of public money; mishandling of, well, just about everything they’ve touched, or directly down to Sunak and his colleagues. The list is a long one, and it’s still growing.

 

There’s still time…

But, all is not yet lost, it seems.

While the public, the media, and quite probably most of parliament can see the writing on the Conservative wall, Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove has other ideas. According to him, there is still time to stage a comeback and to pull a rabbit out of the hat in extra time. All that’s needed, apparently, is “an opportunity to make these arguments” before “the final whistle”. And some policies. And a magician.

Gove’s arguments, it seems, amount only to warning voters of Labour’s “tax dangers” and their “plans for the future”. In that respect, he would appear to be on the same page as Sunak and many government ministers, in that their election campaign is all about Labour’s plans, not their own. Not to mention the fact that much of the public seem to quite like what Labour are selling.

Former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost, however, does not share Gove’s optimism. The Conservative Party, says Frost, is “hurtling towards a terrible defeat” because the party is not “doing Conservative things”. Frost also warned that Labour would drag Britain back into the “orbit” of Brussels by renegotiating what Keir Starmer described as Boris Johnson and Frost’s “botched” deal. Again, no sign of any ideas or policies of their own, just more criticism of the opposition.

What Gove, Frost, Sunak et al fail to understand is that hardly anyone trusts them, or believes a word they say anymore. As for suggesting that Labour will increase taxes for the less well off, that’s more than a bit rich coming from the “biggest tax-raising parliament on record” and a bunch of out-of-touch millionaires to boot.

Whether you believe the Conservatives are heading for a wipeout or a comeback, Frost and Gove have something in common – a strong tendency towards delusional thinking that came to a head with Brexit and shows no signs of fading.

The Oxford English definition of ‘delusion’ is “a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary”. There’s plenty of incontrovertible evidence that the Conservatives are going to lose, and lose badly. Those within the party that believe otherwise deserve to be nowhere near positions of power. Thankfully, in two weeks’ time it looks like they won’t be.

Unite the right

Unite the right

Jun 12, 2024 | Bylines, News

As Braverman calls for her colleagues to embrace Farage, it could be argued that they’ve already been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

Across Europe, far-right groups are celebrating minor gains in the EU elections. While not living up to earlier expectations or hype, the result will see an increase in far-right MEPs in Brussels, but only by nine seats. Pro-European centre parties have claimed the victory and will form the majority in the European Parliament. The election results are, however, causing some upheaval – most notably in Belgium and France – with the resignation of Belgian PM De Croo, and with French President Macron calling a snap election.

Here at home, desperate Conservatives have long been witnessing the rise of the far-right both inside and outside their own party. Despite being largely responsible for that shift to the far-right, Conservatives can now only stand back and watch Reform UK steal much of their thunder, while their own leader looks increasingly hopeless, hapless and helpless.

Unite the right

While more centrist Conservatives – if there are any left – lose hope for the soul of their party, one of their most extreme members – former Home Secretary and Attorney General Suella Braverman – has other ideas. Staunch Brexiter Braverman is urging her party to “embrace” Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, saying she would welcome him into the party.

Braverman has argued that “there’s not much difference” between the policies of Farage and the Conservatives, as she called on her party to “unite the right”. This follows recent speculation that Farage could join the Conservative Party after the forthcoming election, potentially as leader – an idea supported by several senior party members, including Braverman, Liz Truss and Priti Patel.

Braverman’s comments follow a recent poll – conducted by the Independent newspaper – that suggested Farage was the most popular option to succeed Rishi Sunak as the leader, with 19% of votes cast. Hardly an overwhelming endorsement considering 48% of those polled said “don’t know” when asked who should be the next leader. Braverman herself received just 4% of the vote, coming in fifth, from a list of seven possible candidates.

When asked recently if he was proposing a merger between the Conservatives and Reform UK, Farage replied that it would be “more like a takeover”. First, though, there is the small matter of him winning a seat at Westminster after seven failed attempts.

 

UK election projection

Despite the rise in popularity of the far-right, the UK’s first-past-the-post voting system means Reform UK are unlikely to convert support into seats in Westminster. The latest YouGov poll shows a landslide result for Labour, with a projected 422 seats (a “historic majority of 194”), just 140 seats for the Conservatives, and no seats at all for Reform UK. For context, when Tony Blair won a landslide victory in 1997, Labour won 418 seats – the most ever – with a majority of 179.

YouGov’s director of political analysis, Patrick English, said the recent intervention of Farage as leader of the party “significantly increases the odds of Reform UK winning one, perhaps two seats at Westminster”. Farage’s return would also “improve Reform’s prospects” and, English added, their best hopes of success would come in constituencies where they were fielding ‘heavy hitters’. The three most likely constituencies to return a Reform UK candidate would be Clacton (where Farage himself is standing), Ashfield (Conservative defector, Lee Anderson) and Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice). The latest betting trends published by Oddschecker would seem to support English’s assertions

 

The Brexit effect

Brexiters Braverman, Anderson and Farage are all peas from the same populist, anti-immigration pod. When Anderson announced his defection from the Conservatives to Reform earlier this year, no one would have been surprised had Braverman followed suit. With Farage now keen to take over the Conservative Party, they could all end up in the same party. Assuming, of course, that any of them actually win enough support to be returned as MPs on 4 July.

As Braverman calls for her colleagues to embrace Farage, it could be argued that they’ve already been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Farage’s influence, whether at the time of the Brexit referendum, or during the 2019 election, has brought the country, and the Conservatives, to where we are now – on the verge of a Labour landslide and with public trust in government completely eroded.

 

With few centrist voices left within what remains of the Conservative Party, their swing to the right, and their terrible legacy of failure, incompetence and waste, will surely bring about their electoral downfall. Perhaps even their total destruction. While the party was busy focussing on the loss of votes to Reform, they were blindsided by Labour’s resurgence, and a British public who have had quite enough.

What will happen to the Conservatives and Reform once our own election is over, remains to be seen. While they both skulk away to lick their wounds, the country will be switching its focus to the incoming Labour government. We’ll have questions. A lot of them. And many of them will focus on Brexit, whether they like it or not.

 

EU moves to the right

As for the European Union, it’s worth remembering that these were the first EU elections that excluded the UK electorate from voting. Not only that, but had we still been EU members, Labour would have – according to former Labour MEP Richard Corbett – “won enough seats to make the Socialists and Democrats the largest political group in the European Parliament”.

Brexit was supposed to be about “taking back control”. In reality, we lost control to far-right-extremists, losing our voice, our influence and our standing. At a time when we should be stood shoulder to shoulder with our allies, friends and neighbours, we’ve been isolated and adrift.

Being left alone to fight the battle against far-right extremism is a risk for the UK. As for Europe, the battle for the centre ground could be assuaged were London to stand beside Brussels. Perhaps, in this fight, the EU really does need us as much as we need them.

As for the next EU elections in 2029, will the UK have a vote? That may be a tall order. But don’t rule it out. A week, and five years, are a long time in politics.

Bremainers Ask ……. Nick Harvey

Bremainers Ask ……. Nick Harvey

May 31, 2024 | Bremainers Ask, News

Nick Harvey became CEO of European Movement UK in July 2023, having formerly served as a Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon (1992-2015) and Minister of State for the Armed Forces (2010-2012). 

Nick was also CEO of the Liberal Democrats, and in Parliament served on the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Standards Committee and the Commission which runs Parliament. He was knighted in 2012.

Since leaving Parliament, Nick has served as Chair of the Joseph Rowntree Trust, as a director on charitable and company boards and has worked on capacity-building projects in developing democracies funded variously by the UK government, the EU and the UN.

Helen Markwood : Do you honestly think that we have a chance of becoming a member of the EU once more under a Labour government?

Yes – I genuinely do, but not in their first term. They have not made this part of their election platform, and indeed have ruled out EU membership or even the customs union or single market. So they could not claim any mandate. However, I do expect this election to be a game-changer, and to see a new government press a RESET button on our relationship with the EU. Some of the issues EMUK have been highlighting, such as Erasmus+, saving environmental standards, musicians and performers touring, market access, border and visa issues, can now be resolved if a positive, progressive government sits down with the EU and looks for mutually beneficial solutions. Each time the British public sees that happen, and our government proudly owning the outcome, the politics of the European issue will detoxify and normalise, and by the time of the 2029 election manifesto I believe they could be much more ambitious. 

 

Ruth Woodhouse : Should the Liberal Democrats be bolder about pointing out to voters the negative contribution that Brexit has made to the current sorry state of the UK?

We would like them to be, and it would help them carve out a more distinct political position. But I do understand why they are not. They were wiped out almost entirely in 2015, but the party now stands a good chance of getting back into business in the next Parliament. They won 11 seats in 2019 and have gained 4 in by-elections since. They are now in serious contention in about 20 more seats and should overtake the SNP to resume their historical role as the third party. However, half their target seats and three of the four by-election defences are in areas which heavily voted Leave. Voters seem to have forgiven them for the coalition, but ramming an anti-Brexit message at them too boldly just now might steal defeat from the jaws of victory. 

 

Steve Wilson : The Tories’ reign has subjected the country to perhaps the worst prime ministers in living memory. Which of them, in your opinion, has done the most lasting damage to our democracy?

My personal view – not that of the European Movement – is that all five Conservative Prime Ministers since 2010 have been, in differing ways, disastrous. David Cameron was the most able and politically gifted, but sadly the old-Etonian/Oxford pedigree manifested itself in hubris. Holding an unnecessary and unjustified EU referendum was foolhardy, and blithely assuming he would win it was catastrophic. Theresa May, a decent and intelligent woman, mishandled Brexit comprehensively – she should have steered from the outset towards a softer Brexit as the logical mandate from a narrow 52:48 vote. Mercifully, Liz Truss only lasted 49 days and must have done more damage per day than any PM anywhere ever in history. Rishi Sunak has been out of his depth from day one, and clearly has little political acumen. This leaves Boris Johnson, who in my view is the worst PM in British history. Morally unfit to hold the role, appalling in office and a vandal of the British constitution – the most egregious example being the attempt to prorogue Parliament to stop it discussing Brexit.

John Curtice recently suggested that a further referendum on EU membership was possible/likely by 2040. Do you believe another referendum is necessary/advisable, and is that timescale realistic?

A referendum has no constitutional force or justification, but it may be politically necessary. Otherwise, Europhobes would say that ‘the people took us out and the political elite forced us back in.’ It needs to be won 2:1, like in 1975 – 52:48 the other way is no good in putting the issue to bed. It should come after the UK and EU have agreed accession terms – so people know what they are voting on, unlike 2016. Before our government would dare apply, and before the EU would let us back in, polls would have to show an overwhelming lead for joining, over a period of years. The earliest would be towards the end of a second Labour term – around 2033. Perhaps a Conservative government will end up taking us back in – there is no way back if the official opposition remains hostile. But if it hasn’t happened before 2040, I fear the boat will have been missed or the caravan moved on, whichever transport metaphor you prefer.

 

Anon : It is encouraging to see European Movement UK becoming more culturally diverse, but what still needs to be done in order to appeal to a younger pro-European demographic?

Difficult, and all campaigning organisations have the same issue. Younger people are far more transactional in their political involvements – they don’t generally join up to anything for a long haul. But making our campaigns relevant and exciting improves the chance of engaging them, albeit temporarily, and as long as we make it all dramatic enough when the big moment comes, they will come through on the side of the angels. YEM is doing well among young graduates. 

Matt Burton : As a former minister for the armed forces, what are your thoughts on a European Army?

I think individuals will always join the army of a sovereign nation. Otherwise, they could be called into an action their own country didn’t support. But British forces can deploy under either UK, UN, NATO, Commonwealth or (in the past) EU command and flag. This is great and nobody should get hung up about it. Europe will have to take more responsibility for its own defence in future, and an EU defence capability should logically be the European pillar of NATO – capable of acting alone when America isn’t up for joining in. It is profoundly in Britain’s interest to be part of this – aside from the issue of EU membership. I greatly welcome David Lammy’s commitment that a Labour government will negotiate a defence treaty with the EU and I look forward to British forces operating under – and on occasions commanding – an EU defence flag again.

 

Anon : What is the most challenging aspect of being CEO of European Movement UK?

Riding two horses at once. We know that to grow, we must recruit members and supporters, raise money and build up capacity. That means delivering to committed pro-Europeans strong bold messages, proclaiming our goal. By contrast, to win, we must be seductive and persuade the middle ground that Brexit isn’t working, and we would do better closer to our European friends. To do that, we have to meet them where they are, not where we are. There is a big jump between admitting that Brexit has failed and wanting to reopen the debate. For Leavers, Brexit failing is someone else’s fault – but rejoining means admitting they got it wrong. So, they need time and space to make that journey with support and a few nudges along the way: seductive not strident, positive not negative, unifying not divisive, looking forward not back. So, we have to master the art of pushing bold messages to pro-Europeans and more nuanced messages to the middle ground. We must use bolder messaging only where it is ‘safe’ to do so, and more nuanced messaging for general public consumption. 

 

Lisa Burton : Some say that as pro-EU campaigners, we should start shifting the dial now and start introducing the idea to the British public of the UK joining the Euro and Schengen. What are your thoughts on this?

I think this is dangerous. Our policy wonks tell me the EU would not even allow us into Schengen, much less force us. As islands, Britain and Ireland are not entirely compatible with the Schengen operating practices. On the Euro, the short history of the Eurozone has made the EU less dirigiste than they once were, and if they are going to admit Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and the remaining Balkan candidates, forcing those on a convergence pathway towards Euro membership is up with the birds. So, the Euro issue will be more relaxed in future and not a deal-breaker in accession negotiations in the way Maggie’s rebate, for example, will be. By that time, economic and currency arguments will have moved on and, who knows?… the British public might want to join the Euro. But it is a red rag to a bull for now, especially with that important middle ground – and best avoided like the plague! One nettle we will have to grasp well before the big battle, though, is free movement: a fundamental which is not going to go away, and which is hugely to Britain’s benefit if people could only be persuaded to see it. 

David hewing

Next month

David Henig is a leading authority on international trade policy and Director of the UK Trade Policy Project at the European Centre for International Political Economy, where he examines the economic and trade implications of Brexit and broader UK policy.

He is an expert adviser to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee and former adviser of the UK Trade and Business Commission. He previously served as a trade specialist in the UK Government, including 3 years on TTIP talks and establishing the Department for International Trade after 2016.

Please submit any questions for David to enquiries@bremaininspain.com no later than Friday 8 June.

Hunt’s taxing rhetoric: empty promises and fear mongering

Hunt’s taxing rhetoric: empty promises and fear mongering

May 22, 2024 | Bylines, News

With the numbers not in his favour, and having run out of ideas, Hunt has opted for the classic finger pointing “look, Labour will be worse, honest!”, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

Speaking at an event in London on Friday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made promises to cut taxes. Again. Though he can’t say by how much, or when. Or even confirm what will be in his party’s manifesto for the next parliament. All he can do is “make a very clear argument that we will bring down taxes, because that is already what we have been doing”. Really? Can’t say we’ve noticed.

Hunt’s empty rhetoric and pointless promises

Like many of his colleagues, promises made by Hunt will only come into effect should the Conservatives win the election. Considering both the country and the government know they are going to lose that battle, the promises are both cynical and pointless.

Not only that but promises being made for the current parliamentary term come with conditions attached. While Hunt has pledged to cut national insurance again this autumn, that’s only “if we can afford it”. By “we”, I don’t believe he’s referring to himself and his fellow millionaires. Hunt also pledged that there would be no increased borrowing or spending cuts and any tax cuts pre-election would “come through growth in the economy”. Given the government’s economic record over the last 14 years, the expectations aren’t high.

The Chancellor defended the government’s handling of the economy, claiming it was a “myth” that the UK was performing badly in comparison to similar countries. While accepting that the financial crisis, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine had been detrimental factors affecting the economy, Brexit, unsurprisingly, failed to get a mention.

Record levels of taxation under the Conservatives

The UK tax burden is currently at historically high levels according to the Office of Budget Responsibility. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) recent annual report showed a tax-to-GDP ratio of 35.3% for the 2022/2023 financial year – the highest level since records began in 2000. The figure is predicted to continue to rise to 37.7% by 2029, despite Hunt’s recent National Insurance cut.

When the OECD figures were produced in December, Labour argued that it was as a direct consequence of years of “Conservative economic failure”. Hardly surprising then that we rarely hear the claim anymore that the Conservatives are the party of low taxes.

So, when the numbers don’t work in your favour, and you’ve run out of ideas and steam, there’s always that favoured old tactic – point the finger elsewhere, preferably at the opposition.

 

This is the reality of any Labour government, as history shows us.

Taxes going up, hitting you in the pocket – as the official analysis by the Treasury today shows. 

— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) May 17, 2024

Look over there!

Forget the financial crisis, Ukraine, the pandemic, or anything else that may have caused the economic mess the country is in. As far as Hunt and his colleagues are concerned, it’s not their fault. And it’s going to get worse when they are not in charge. Not only will “taxes go up” under a Labour government, “as sure as night follows day”, but Labour’s £38bn spending pledge means “tax rises for everyone”.

Labour have responded by stating that all their policies are “fully costed and fully funded”, and that, unlike the Conservatives, Labour would never play “fast and loose with the public finances”.

Labour’s £38bn plan, according to Hunt, would cost every family in the country almost £2,100 in additional taxes. Except, once again, government claims have been “community noted” on social media as inaccurate or misleading. The costings quoted by Hunt were “widely acknowledged to be political” based on “assumptions from special advisers”, rather than from independent civil servants.

With trust in the government at rock bottom levels, all but the most loyal of Conservative supporters are likely to take Hunt’s warnings with a large pinch of salt. If this is a campaign aimed at scaring the public with negative numbers, it’s reminiscent of the doomed Project Fear campaign of the Brexit era – and likely to prove just as ineffective.

Of course, the British public are concerned about the high level of taxes and the impact on their cost of living. But they are also concerned about how those taxes are distributed between the haves and the have nots, and how those taxes are spent. After 14 years of Conservative rule, austerity, spending cuts and waste on an industrial scale, the country is desperate for change.

The next government will have a monumental task on its hands dealing with huge economic pressures and the damaging legacy of the Conservatives. Labour may not have all the answers, but they have one huge advantage in their favour. They are not the Conservatives. That fact alone should give us all cause to celebrate, and to hope for a brighter, fairer and more prosperous future.