Tim Smith

This is @KemiBadenoch’s chamber, you’re just sitting in it.

I know everyone is poring over election results, but let’s not forget… Today is VE Day. It’s still living memory and being able to have elections is one of the freedoms fought for. That freedom was bought by men and women who served our country. Even now our veterans need defending. The battles are different…like stopping brave veterans being dragged through the courts for vexatious claims in their old age. Conservatives continue to fight. Just yesterday, the Supreme Court reinstated immunities after my Shadow Attorney General, Lord Wolfson stepped in, acted pro bono for veterans, and won. We’re the only party doing the work. On VE Day, we remember their sacrifice. But remembrance is not enough. We should also honour our veterans by looking after them and defending them in Parliament, in the courts just as they defended us.

Tomorrow (7 May) is the deadline Nigel Farage set for defectors to join Reform. The decision to set a deadline for defectors in the hope it would create a stampede from the Tories has been a failure. Here's why: independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

Nigel Farage is facing questions over a £5m gift he received from a billionaire backer before he became an MP @vicderbyshire runs through the timeline #Newsnight

You may not agree with me, but you will always know where you stand with me. Today in Billericay, a heckler tried to shout me down as I spoke about the normalisation of hatred towards Jews. I did not back down, because it needs to be said. British Jews are being targeted and too many people are pretending this is the same experience of other minorities. This lady implied Muslims are being similarly targeted. This is simply not true. Let's be honest about what is happening. Certain groups (in particular but not solely Islamic Extremists) are creating a climate of fear and intimidation that is normalising Jew hatred. I will never stand for that. Governments have spent too long hand-wringing, making excuses and hoping it would go away. It is time to call this what it is: a national emergency in our attitude, our urgency and our response. I will always engage with people who disagree with me. That is politics. But there is a difference between argument and intimidation. Shouting does not make a bad case good. It's done to silence others. And it certainly does not change the truth. The truth is that British Jews have been made to feel less safe in their own country. Our country. They are being singled out, threatened and harassed in ways that should shame everyone in public life. If we do not stand up now and stop this rise in antisemitism, then why bother saying "Never Again" at Holocaust Memorial Day? Because this is how it starts. I am not prepared to play along with the pretence that this is normal, or manageable, or just another example of tension between groups. It really is not. It is targeted hatred and it is getting worse. So my message is simple. Not here. Not in Britain. And not on our watch. We need to stop the hand-wringing and start doing the right thing. That means standing with British Jews openly, unapologetically and without fear.

Exclusive for @Independent: Olly Robbins friends saying he was not asked for an explanation by Starmer when he was sacked despite assurances by PM to MPs on Monday. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

The wilful misunderstanding in this post says everything about the people behind the “Islamophobia” definition. The point is not that Sikhs have danced on Trafalgar Square. Or that the Passion Play has been hosted there. Neither is the point that Muslims gathered on Trafalgar Square. The point is that mass ritual prayer in public - in this case next to a church - is an act of domination. So is the public call of the Adhan, which explicitly denies other religions including Christianity. That is the difference. And yet neither Dominic - nor the Labour MPs who were instructed by No10 to attack me last night - will engage with the substance. Instead he claims he knows my personal views when we haven’t talked, and incorrectly describes me as a spokesman for the Free Speech Union. People like Dominic can’t work out why the ideological world they built is falling apart. They never pause to wonder if perhaps they might have got things very badly wrong.

@tonytardio Mate you were an arsehole to people who supported you. Cop it and move on.

Bit more brutal honesty. Top 2 managers from Syd who’ve presided over destruction of 200 mil in capital collect 1 point 5 mil between them while the entire network ekes out a profit of 4 mil. Hence cuts and news coming out of Sydney. Melb listeners are being short changed.

The British Government’s weak approach to tackling the Iranian threat to our country is shameful. The lack of decisive action from the Foreign Secretary exposes the weakness of Keir Starmer and his Government. The Iranian regime is a threat to our country and must be treated as such.

The Ayatollah’s representatives should be expelled from our country.

WATCH 🔴 Sky News Australia anchor, live on-air, in Persian: "A message to the late Supreme Leader: You son of a b*tch, burn in Hell!" Wild times

Iran is a regime that has sponsored terror around the world. It has murdered thousands of its own citizens and supports Iranian proxies operating here in the UK. I welcome the US and Israeli attacks against this regime. Keir Starmer should do more to proactively support our allies against this evil regime.

Britain’s Defence Secretary can’t tell us if our government supports the strikes on Iran. The Labour government has already lost all support and all credibility. It now can’t answer simple questions. We are not being governed.

Why do the Canadian PM and the Australian PM say they support the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, while the UK PM remains silent on that critical question? Do they have different international law advice? Or just better lawyers?

I repeatedly asked the Defence Secretary whether we support the US/Israel strikes on Iran. He repeatedly declined to answer👇

No-one should shed any tears for the death of Khamenei. He was an evil tyrant who suppressed the rights and freedoms of Iranians and butchered them. He threatened international stability and our interests. And he turned Iran into the most prolific state sponsor of terrorism, spreading his despotic ideology across the region and responsible for bloodshed, murder and misery. We must all now work towards a future with a free and peaceful Iran.

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Hi @MartinSLewis, thank you. I really appreciate that, and honestly, don’t worry. I do love a feisty debate! It helps people understand what the real issues are. You and I agree on the principle: student loans have become a scam. It took me eight years to pay mine off. I made my last payment in 2011, and I remember how happy I was, and my debt was only £14,000. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a young person with £40,000 debt today. Whatever the Coalition government brought in back in 2012, it’s clearly not working for the world of 2026. So I’d genuinely love to come on your show and debate my plan vs yours. I’m putting student loans on the political agenda because we’ve got to do more for young people. It’s just one part of our New Deal For Young People. As the opposition, Conservatives may not be able to change the law right now, certainly not without cross-party support, but we can set the agenda especially while the government seems distracted by all sorts of other things. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing my job: setting out practical solutions and showing how we can make life in this country better, especially for young people. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Robert Jenrick really doesn’t want you to watch this video.

@beverleyturner @MartinSLewis @KemiBadenoch

@beverleyturner @MartinSLewis @KemiBadenoch Bev, have you seen that Martin has apologised to Kemi?

Imagine having @MartinSLewis in front of you, being so informed and feeling so passionate about student loans and trying to talk over him... All too often @KemiBadenoch gives the impression of someone who doesn't listen. This was a chance to stand her ground but also to say, "I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm very happy to discuss this with you over coffee in my office." The audience respect him. She should have done the same.