Colchester City Conservatives

The former Labour minister who wrote Keir Starmer’s Strategic Defence Review has accused the PM of “corrosive complacency” and said “we cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget”. I completely agree. It was exactly what I told Starmer in Parliament yesterday and said in my speech to Defence experts at the weekend. We need to get serious. The Conservatives would restore the two child benefit cap and repurpose funds from net zero projects to invest in our military. Meanwhile the government have NO plan and, as Lord Robertson points out, Rachel Reeves had only 40 words on defence in her Budget and none in the Spring Statement. You can’t trust Labour on defence.

Reform UK are obviously struggling for candidates in Essex. They’re doubling up all over the place. Sophie Preston-Hall lives in Mersea, is standing for Colchester City Council in Prettygate, but also for Essex Council in Rochford. Aimee Keteca is already a Reform UK councillor on Tendring District Council, and is standing for Essex Council in Brightlingsea BUT is also a candidate for Colchester City Council in Tiptree. Wonder how they are going to do their role(s) justice.