Iain Duncan Smith MP Chingford & Woodford Green

We must be careful not to frame employment policy as a choice between younger and older workers. If policy is weighted too heavily in one direction, it risks creating unintended barriers in another. There is real competition in the system, if you focus on one, you risk blocking the other. We’ve made this mistake before. You can’t fix youth unemployment while ignoring older workers. The Work Programme proved you can move long-term unemployed people into jobs without upfront cost. On National Insurance, Treasury decisions matter. Raise the cost of hiring, and employers hesitate full stop. We need a balanced approach to support younger people, but get older workers back into work too.

Rather than engaging in what sounds like a sort of tautological tap dance around the issue, will the Minister simply be honest with the House? If we are involved, what is the Government’s plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz, and what British assets will be deployed to ensure freedom of navigation through that critical route? The difficulty here is that this Government said it would not be involved in this conflict, yet within a day it allowed the US to operate from British bases. Whether Ministers like it or not, that decision effectively brings the UK into the war. Given that reality, I find it hard to understand the Government’s reluctance to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation. The Strait of Hormuz is already central to this conflict and is one of the most vital shipping routes in the world.

My position has been clear from the start, as I write in today’s @DailyMail. I said Britain should allow the United States to use our airbases if needed (NOT to join the initial strikes as Starmer claims), and when we were targeted to strike at those attacking our bases. The Prime Minister argued against that... but then changed his mind and did exactly as I had suggested. We see the same confused leadership across his government. Today’s youth unemployment policy shows the pattern: decisions taken without thinking, followed by frantic attempts to undo the consequences. This is what happens when a Prime Minister governs by chasing polls rather than acting on conviction. You may not always agree with my conclusions. But they come from principles and a clear plan. At a moment like this there is only one serious and credible alternative to Labour. The Conservative Party. Read my full piece👇 dailymail.co.uk/debate/article… (2/2)

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✍️ 'Starmer no longer has the authority to dictate terms to his own party' | Writes @CamillaTominey 'If it is not Ed Miliband effectively dictating the Government’s foreign and energy policy, it is restless Labour backbenchers pulling him in every direction' Read the full column below 👇 telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/1…

Keir Starmer didn’t need any extra checks to know appointing Peter Mandelson was a mistake. Mandelson has a long history of controversy, resignations and questionable associations with wealthy and powerful figures. Appointing him as US ambassador was always going to be a disaster. Astonishingly @Keir_Starmer left the final questioning to Morgan McSweeney and Matthew Doyle, which is an absolute absurdity. He should either have accepted the advice he was given, or questioned Mandelson himself. Ultimately the responsibility lies with Keir Starmer. If a Prime Minister misleads the House, that is the ultimate breach for a Member of Parliament and there must be consequences. When Boris Johnson was in office the Labour Party shouted, screamed and demanded accountability. This time there is silence from their ranks while Starmer stumbles on, and that is doing Britain, and the reputation of Parliament, no good.

With all the news, the ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING details of the #HKETO foreign interference trial are going unnoticed. Here's a 🧵 of some of the jaw-dropping details from the prosecution: 1. Defendants pour water under the door of the victim, then force entry (📽️ below) bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… 2. Defendants allegedly surveil victims' flat with an endoscopic camera. instagram.com/reels/DVicSKTj… 3. Defendant repeatedly knocked on the victim's door while claiming to be building maintenance in order to gain entry. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… 4. Defendants deliver package to the victim at their address while filming the encounter. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… 5. Defendant uses access to the Home Office ‘Atlas’ immigration database in order to obtain personal information. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… 6. Defendant attends anti-china protests using a fake police ID card. news.sky.com/story/city-of-… 7. Defendant sent a list of names back to handler in Hong Kong naming several UK lawmakers and HK pro-democracy supporters. Including @MPIainDS independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/… 8. Defendant allegedly paid £4,500 per month to record and track local pro-democracy campaigners. independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/… 9. Defendant and former Hong Kong Police officer discussed deploying local Chinese triads (14K) to “teach Mr. Cheng a lesson”. In a separate incident, pro-democracy protestors were beaten up in London’s Chinatown by the members from the same triad group. pulsehknews.com/20260311chu_fa… Please note that this work was allegedly commissioned and paid for by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office - Hong Kong's de facto 'embassy' in the UK. Let this serve as a rebuke to those who claim that a mega-embassy (with attendant increase in PRC diplomats) will have no impact on interference.

The Education Secretary must demand councils withdraw any guidance which prohibits children from depicting Christ in case of offence. It is censorship of children & the imposition of one religion’s doctrine onto every child’s education, regardless of their own faith. It is wrong.

The man in these photos is a father, an entrepreneur, and a defender of a free press. His name is #JimmyLai. For nearly five years, he has been held in solitary confinement for defending democracy. And at 78 years old with deteriorating health, he doesn’t have much time left. As @POTUS prepares for his upcoming trip to China, we’re hopeful he will do everything he can to help #FreeJimmyLai.

💥 Sir Iain Duncan Smith LAMBASTS "the weakness of the government" after Peter Mandelson was paid with taxpayer money. @TVKev | @MPIainDS

🚨 "Some of his meetings with Epstein were known about." Sir Iain Duncan Smith BLASTS the Prime Minister's judgement. @TVKev | @MPIainDS

🚨 Sir Iain Duncan Smith SLAMS Sir Keir Starmer for appointing Peter Mandelson despite warnings. "There has to be some kind of obsession with him for you to ignore all the stuff being said about him." @TVKev | @MPIainDS

And again. The Prime Minister’s claim to the House Mandelson was subject to the normal vetting and appointment processes that are applied to other ambassadorial appointments was a straight up lie.

This Mandelson scandal is all about Keir Starmer being dishonest. He lied about what he knew.

This is a second document that proves Starmer lied to the House.

Currently away, and just catching up on the Mandelson docs. The key issue for me is this. On 10 September, 2025 Starmer told the House “full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors”. The Powell note shows beyond doubt that was a lie.

Sadiq Khan previously said there were no grooming gangs operating in London New BBC reporting exposes vulnerable girls being groomed and sexually exploited by gangs in our capital Alongside fellow London MPs and Assembly Members, I have written to the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London, demanding urgent action and a full investigation These horrific crimes must be fully exposed, and those responsible must face justice @JuliaLopezMP @DavidSimmondsmp @MPIainDS @BobBlackman @GarethBaconMP @louie_french @Councillorsuzie Thomas Turrell AM @PeterTFortune @ShaunBaileyUK

Gosh. So we were right to raise concerns around #Mandelson's fast tracked vetting. Even Jonathan Powell thought it was weird....

PMQs: Starmer appears to be simultaneously arguing that fuel duty is both frozen and going up🤔

Parliament to outsource lawmaking to the EU as Starmer’s reset becomes rejoin by stealth.