News

The Conservatives and Reform UK have a 70 per cent chance of merging before the next general election, according to the most senior Conservative MP.Father of the House, Sir Edward Leigh, told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast on Thursday (February 13) that the likelihood of a merger was “very high.”“If not a merger, then a deal,” he told the podcast.Leigh added that around a third of the party’s MPs want a merger or a deal with Reform. More

An audience member on BBC Question Time slammed a discussion between MPs over immigrants as “disgusting.”The debate on Thursday night (13 February), followed the Home Office’s recent move making it nearly impossible for refugees arriving by small boat to gain British citizenship.During the show, the audience member condemned the treatment of immigrants, saying, “It’s disgusting how we’re talking about human beings who are genuinely seeking asylum.”He also criticised successive governments for “creating the problems” and blaming immigrants. “It’s the element of calling these people invaders or dehumanizing them so that we can point a finger at them and say, you’re the reason that we’ve got a housing shortage.” More

BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce clashed with Labour minister Baroness Jacqui Smith over the government’s immigration policy.The clash during Thursday night’s show (13 February) came after the Home Office this week toughened up guidance to make it nearly impossible for refugees to become British citizens if they travel to the UK by small boat.On Monday, the department updated guidance for staff assessing refugees so it now says applicants who have “made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”.Ms Bruce confronted the minister over the plans, repeatedly asking: “Will denying citizenship to anyone that enters the UK legally reduce the number of people trying to get in?” More

Ukraine’s “voice must be at the heart” of any peace deal negotiations to end the war with Russia, the UK’s defence secretary has said.Speaking as Nato allies gathered in Brussels on Thursday (13 February), John Healey maintained that Russia “remains a threat well beyond Ukraine” after Donald Trump claimed that he and Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin talks on ending the conflict.The US president said he agreed with his Russian counterpart to “work together, very closely” on ending the three-year conflict in a phone conversation on Wednesday.”There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine, and Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks,” Mr Healey added. More

Boris Johnson has accused Nigel Farage’s Reform of “glomping on monkey glands”.The former prime minister discussed the group’s rise in popularity during his appearance at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday (12 February).The former Tory leader told CNN anchor Richard Quest: “They were on zero per cent when I was running the show.”He added: “You can’t make your self any more attractive to the electorate as a political party if you try to glump on monkey glands from another political party.” More