Labour figures are openly questioning the prime minister's strategy The party's Welsh first minister has urged Keir Starmer to rethink controversial changes to the winter fuel payment and benefits We've been hearing from the government's spokesperson for the first time since the weekend just now One of the man topics that has come up is the announcement from the White House that non-US films will be subject to tariffs by Donald Trump has caused some consternation among the British film industry Asked for a response from the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson said trade talks were ongoing with the US and they wouldn't give a running commentary of developments they did say that any tariffs would be a disappointment - and British interests will be put first The spokesperson added that the UK film industry is a key part of the British economy and the government will discuss this with Washington A calm and pragmatic approach will be taken They rejected the suggestion that the UK film industry is subsidised in a way that disadvantages the US Many blockbusters - including US-made heavy hitters like Star Wars - have been filmed in the UK over recent years thanks to tax incentives There were reports in the newspapers overnight that Downing Street might well be having a rethink of its controversial winter fuel cuts have admitted was a factor in the party's elections battering last week The prime minister's spokesperson has now been asked if a change in approach might be on the cards - and the answer was unequivocal They reiterated the government's oft-repeated line that the winter fuel cuts were "necessary" to "stabilise" the public finances - saying it helped maintain the pensions triple lock and extend the warm homes discount Labour were elected to be a "stable" government and will not be "knocked off course" they said - also ruling out any U-turn on similarly controversial benefits cuts "Only with these difficult decisions can we support public services," the spokesperson added The fallout continues from last week's elections with Labour and the Tories on the defensive following gains for Reform and the Lib Dems Here are the main things you need to know: Reform's new MP will be sworn in some time after 2.30pm as will the party's mayor for Greater Lincolnshire We'll continue to bring you updates and analysis through the afternoon before the return of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge at 7pm Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has surfaced following her party's disastrous local election results last week The party's only real silver lining was winning the mayoralty of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough of Labour They lost every single council they were defending There have since been reports of a nascent challenge to Badenoch's leadership and she admitted the party needs to change quickly Badenoch warned there was a "long road ahead" of the party to get back into government - although said it would not take decades the Tory leader reiterated her determination to take the party into the next general election that will take place in four years She said she's "confident" she'll still be in charge by then Following their drubbings in the first set of elections since forming a government last year there are reports Labour are reconsidering their controversial changes to the winter fuel payment You'll likely recall it was one of the first policy announcements by the chancellor last July - she said it would help fill a £22bn "black hole" in Britain's public finances It had previously been a universal benefit for all pensioners to help them pay for their winter fuel bills but is now means tested so only the very poorest still get it Who is now eligible for the winter fuel payment Labour limited it to people over state pension age who are receiving pension credit or a limited number of other benefits These benefits are income support; income-based jobseeker's allowance; income-related employment and support allowance; universal credit The number of people eligible dropped from 11.4 million to 1.5 million The payment is £200 for households receiving pension credit where the recipients are all under 80 If someone in the household is over the age of 80 The payments were available to everyone above state pension age Most people got the winter fuel payment automatically Pension credit is available to pensioners whose income falls below a certain threshold - the payment tops up their income to this amount Income includes state and private pensions and social security benefits including a carer's allowance But not everything counts as income - disability payments Pension credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you're single and £332.95 if you have a partner Pension credit is often described as a "gateway benefit" as it can lead to further support including help with housing costs and council tax The benefit can be claimed by phone and online and an online calculator can help pensioners check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive it's unsurprising to see the government make announcements targeting the topic One this morning was that a crackdown is being aimed at people who apply for asylum after entering the UK on a visa it was reported in The Times that the Home Office will restrict work and study visa applications from nationalities including Pakistanis The Home Office says this is because these nations are among those that have the highest number of people who overstay their visas A Home Office spokesperson said: "To tackle abuse by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals to identify them earlier and faster "We keep the visa system under constant review and will where we detect trends our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system." there is growing discontent within Labour about the winter fuel allowance cut for pensioners used a speech today to criticise Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer she said: "The cut in winter fuel allowance is something that comes up time and again and I hope the UK government will rethink this policy." She said having the UK government and Welsh government under the same party is still an opportunity to "invest in our public services and secure a fairer economy for working people" Morgan said: "There will be times when what's right for Essex is not right for Barry." She added: "We know that splits and spats make for easy news Morgan also criticised the proposed welfare reforms from the Starmer government She said they were "causing serious concern here where we have a higher number of people dependent on disability benefits than elsewhere" The Welsh first minister called on the PM to look at how Wales's system and how it "supports people" into work Mike Amesbury stood down from his Runcorn and Helsby seat after being caught punching a constituent on camera The former Labour MP spoke to the BBC earlier this morning about Reform UK's Sarah Pochin winning last week's by-election by just six votes He said he was "disappointed" but "not surprised" Amesbury went on to call for Labour to change tack on some of its policies He said "political mistakes" like cutting the winter fuel payment and upcoming changes to benefits would pave the way for Reform "If we're serious about having two terms of a Labour government and transforming this country for the better we've got to listen to the electorate and do the right thing," he said The convicted former MP said it was Reform that had benefitted from the issues with the Labour government Looking at the overall picture of the local elections results from last week Control of almost every single council that was up for election changed hands The only one that did not was Cornwall Council which stayed under no overall control - except that the Tories had been the largest party before the election Use this interactive map to explore the results: Tap here to see the results in full One of the big stories being discussed this morning was the splash in The Guardian - that the government was considering tweaking its cut to the winter fuel allowance But as he explained on Politics At Sam And Anne's, our deputy political editor Sam Coates reveals the extent to which Downing Street is defending the policy - and ergo the chancellor He says: "Nothing says studs up against a story more than a 5.52am unsolicited voicemail from somebody in Number 10 It said "absolutely no review into that - they're not changing it" Sam says he had heard there was more openness to a change recently compared to six or so months ago when the policy was being met with an "absolute dogged" defence Hard to keep Reeves if winter fuel cut scrapped This is due to the way in which it was coming up on the doorstep ahead of last week's elections But the politics of a change are tricky for those at the top of government "If you do anything about the winter fuel allowance you are casting a massive black mark on Rachel Reeve's judgment you have to claim that effectively one of the biggest and most defining things that she has done it's really hard to see her staying in her job." Sam reckons this is why Number 10 is now ardently defending the policy - and by extension - Reeves Starmer’s Reform funk: Listen at the top of the page or click here to follow where you get your podcasts Nigel Farage has launched a scathing attack on Prince Harry, branding his recent comments about King Charles's cancer treatment as "inappropriate" and "unnecessary". the Reform UK leader expressed his dismay at Harry's remarks about his father's health I understand the treatment he is undergoing is pretty intense," Farage said It was why the comments from his youngest son were so inappropriate." Nigel Farage lashed out at Prince Harry on GB News highlighting what he found most troubling about Harry's interview "Of all the things Harry said - that's what I found most upsetting," he remarked He suggested there are fundamental trust issues between the King and his younger son "There's no conversation the King and Harry can have that won't end up on Netflix - there's no trust," Farage claimed King Charles was spotted on Sunday attending church on his Sandringham estate in Norfolk appearing relaxed and happy despite his ongoing health challenges Nigel Farage discussed Prince Harry's comments on GB News His Majesty was photographed smiling and waving from the back of a car dressed smartly in a dark suit and patterned tie The monarch is now looking forward to attending VE Day events this week A Palace aide told The Sun: "The King Queen and other members of the Royal Family are much looking forward to the week's VE Day events." They will join the nation to "celebrate commemorate and give thanks to the wartime generation." Prince Harry's comments came during an emotional BBC interview following his Court of Appeal defeat over UK security arrangements The Duke of Sussex told the broadcaster: "I would love reconciliation with my family there's no point in continuing to fight anymore I don't know how much longer my father has he won't speak to me because of this security stuff "It was this reference to his father's limited time that particularly drew Farage's ire Harry described the security situation as "the sticking point" and "the only thing that's left" in family disagreements Sources suggest Buckingham Palace hopes that "nothing will detract or distract" from the VE Day celebrations which mark the 80th anniversary of the historic event The commemorations come just days after Harry's interview which royal expert Ingrid Seward described as "lengthy and revealing" She told The Sun: "The impression from that quite lengthy and revealing interview is that Harry is obsessive He is very very stubborn - he doesn't think he is wrong the King continues with his royal duties despite his health challenges JONATHAN BUTLER ON NAVIGATING FAME, MUSIC, AND HIS TESTIMONY IN STUDIO MICHAEL OWEN TALKS LIFE AFTER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, PREMIER LEAGUE & VISITING SA LIVING LEGEND LEBO M SITS DOWN WITH OLWETHU POTENTIAL SPA SCAM? ATLANTIC SPA BOUTIQUE HOTEL ACCUSED OF FRAUD | HEART MATTERS INVESTIGATION THE COURT HEARS DETAILS ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR JOSHLIN GANG VIOLENCE GRIPS MITCHELLS PLAIN 15 MILLION RAND PRETORIA BUST FS COLLISION LEAVES 10 DEAD Former international referee Nigel Owens has picked out five Welsh players he hopes will make the British and Irish Lions touring squad Andy Farrell will announce his squad on Thursday with many predicting that there will be very few Wales players featuring in the touring party Owens admits that ‘we all braced for there to be very few Wales players’ to make the squad given the poor run of results at the international level the former match official has pinpointed four players that he hopes will be named by Farrell and another one that he’d be shocked if he didn’t get the call “Jac Morgan is a Lion, as far as I’m concerned,” Owens wrote in his WalesOnline column “The back row is one area where Farrell has got an abundance of choice but Morgan has been head and shoulders above everybody in a Wales jersey for some time now He’s a wonderful player and person and I’d be very very surprised – shocked even – if he’s not on the tour.” While Owens would be surprised not to see Morgan’s name featuring on the list he is hopeful about another four joining him on the plane Down Under “I think Tomos Williams would have been a shoo-in previously given how he’s played for Gloucester this season and how he performed for Wales during the autumn internationals,” he continued he certainly wasn’t in the same form as he was in the autumn he was a bit below par – and that may well influence Farrell’s final decision Dewi Lake would have definitely been a Lion but a lack of game-time for Wales may have affected him He’s certainly a great player who is back on form now for the Ospreys and if he hadn’t had the injuries he’s had this year he would be on this tour without a shadow of a doubt Whether he has played enough to get Farrell’s vote Clive Woodward names just TWO Wales players in his preferred British and Irish Lions tour squad ‘Massive leader’ Finn Russell ‘desperate’ to clinch British and Irish Lions spot in final audition with Bath British & Irish Lions match officials including three Test referees for Wallabies series announced 34-year-old back-rower Taulupe Faletau has had a horrid time with injuries in recent times but the three-time Lions tourist is still in with a shout Faletau has been in fine form with Cardiff but the former referee questions whether he has done enough to earn a spot in a competitive position I would say that Taulupe Faletau and Dafydd Jenkins are both outside chances,” he wrote “Faletau is obviously a fantastic player who has been on three previous tours and has shown glimpses of his greatness since returning from a long injury lay-off but who knows whether that will be enough to earn him a spot “Those would be the five Wales players I think have a chance of being involved this summer but obviously the final decision rests with Farrell and his coaching team who might think completely differently to me!” READ MORE: Lewis Moody Team of My Life: Springboks ‘artist’ and the ‘biggest and strongest’ human in the world Nigel Owens has urged World Rugby to change the remit of the TMOs Planet Rugby breaks down the possible options to start at number eight this summer with Caelan Doris a major injury doubt Following the conclusion of Round 15 of the Gallagher Premiership season here's the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week in partnership with eToro Our Team of the Weekend following a full house of wins for South African teams in Round 16 Reform leader accused of ‘wildly inaccurate’ remarks as he complains about UK creating ‘class of victims’ Nigel Farage says the UK is “massively overdiagnosing those with mental illness problems” and creating a “class of victims”. In comments, which have drawn criticism from campaigners and charities, the leader of Reform UK said it was too easy to get a mental health diagnosis from a GP. “It’s a massive problem. I have to say, for my own money, when you get to 18 and you put somebody on a disability register, unemployed, with a high level of benefits, you’re telling people aged 18 that they’re victims,” he told a local elections press conference in Dover. “And if you are told you’re a victim, and you think you’re a victim, you are likely to stay [a victim].” Farage said: “So many of these diagnoses, for Send before 18, for disability register after 18 – so many of these have been conducted on Zoom, with the family GP.” 12:57How children with special educational needs are being failed in England – videoThe National Autistic Society said this was “incorrect, wrong, fake news”. Assessments for conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism cannot be done by a GP. Meanwhile, statistics suggest that waiting times for mental health are significantly longer than for physical problems. Analysis by the charity Rethink Mental Illness suggests that eight times as many people wait at least 18 months for mental health treatment compared with patients needing physical care. Farage suggested that GPs might be under pressure to confirm a patient had depression or anxiety. “I think you’re the family GP, and I’ve known your family for generations, and you’re saying to me there’s a real problem here with depression, or whatever it may be, it’s quite hard for me as your GP to say ‘no’,” he said. “I don’t think any of these allocations should be done by family GPs. I think it should be done independently. “And I think we are massively – I’m not being heartless, I’m being frank – I think we are massively overdiagnosing those with mental illness problems and those with other general behavioural disabilities. And I think we’re creating a class of victims in Britain that will struggle ever to get out of it.” Mel Merritt, the head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “Nigel Farage’s comments are wildly inaccurate and show that he’s completely out of touch with what autistic children and adults have to go through to get a diagnosis or any support at all. For the record, absolutely no one has got an autism diagnosis through the GP – this is just incorrect, wrong, fake news. “Children with Send and disabled adults, including autistic people, are not victims who are being ‘overdiagnosed’. They are people who face huge delays and long fights to get the most basic support across every aspect of their lives, including diagnosis, education, health and social care. “Spreading misinformation only perpetuates stigma and makes life harder. We’re calling on all politicians to drop the political point-scoring and stand up for their autistic and other disabled constituents.” Brian Dow, the deputy chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “If Nigel Farage has a medical degree, he clearly hasn’t been keeping up with his continuous professional development. “Rather than overdiagnosing young people, we’re abandoning a generation in crisis. Armchair analysis won’t fix a broken system. What we need from political leaders is commitment to finding serious solutions.” Read moreFarage also said it was possible that any councils won by Reform in the local elections on 1 May could ban hotels from housing asylum seekers told ITV on Wednesday he believed the Conservatives would lose up to 525 seats and Farage would win up to 450 gaining some from the Conservatives but losing some to Reform The Lib Dems also hope to pick up seats from the Conservatives in areas where they won at the general election Conservatives are at a high-water mark at next week’s local elections because the elections were last held in 2021 when Boris Johnson was enjoying his “vaccine bounce” Asked whether he believed his party could win 450 seats the Reform UK leader said that outcome would be “quite a political revolution” Key targets for Reform include the Runcorn and Helsby byelection where the seat was held by Labour until the conviction of the former MP Mike Amesbury and two regional mayoralties in Lincolnshire and in Hull and East Yorkshire These would give the parties significant new platforms Reform could also win Doncaster and Lincolnshire councils England — Reform UK topped opinion polls as a protest movement Now it might actually get to run something Nigel Farage’s right-wing party is set to grip its first (small) levers of power after this Thursday’s local elections in England. A recent poll gave the upstart outfit a clear lead in two mayoral contests — Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire — while party chiefs believe they will gain hundreds of councillors potentially even taking charge of some town or county halls This will make tangible the disillusionment that has put populists in power across Europe and could in time threaten the U.K.’s century-long run of prime ministers from two parties: Labour and the Conservatives Labour’s poll rating has tanked 10 months after its landslide; trade unions are watching reps join Reform; Farage has the slogan: “Britain is broken.” Reform chairman Zia Yusuf told POLITICO it is part of “a journey to winning a majority in the House of Commons with Nigel as our prime minister.” Yet victory this week will put Reform in charge of multi-million pound budgets — and MPs and strategists from both main parties believe this will show governing isn’t so easy They believe — or secretly hope — that Farage’s outfit will Take Brighton, where the Green Party brokered a £36 million loan for a 162-meter observation tower that later went bust; or Thanet, Kent, where UKIP (Farage’s previous party) lost control after half its councillors quit in a row over the local airport Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley mayor who faced his own political firestorm over plans to regenerate a former steelworks argued there is a “significant chance” Reform may end up a “basket case.” The Conservative politician told POLITICO: “They’re going to have two or three years to either do something which proves to people that actually they’re a genuine alternative … or they’re going to fall flat on their face.  the spirit of Elon Musk has come to Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns is the overwhelming favorite to become the first mayor for this Brexit-supporting sprawl of rural eastern England The Tory-to-Reform defector campaigned on a ticket of “DOGE Lincolnshire” — modelled on Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — promising to cut “waste” and “bloated bureaucracy” in exchange for “lower taxes.” the former Olympic gold medallist boxer who is the favorite to win Hull and East Yorkshire for Reform who can scythe through spending backed by executive power Combined authority mayors cannot directly cut council tax — they can choose not to raise it by adding a “precept” to the bills charged by member councils Most local spending is also channeled through individual councils although the new mayors will each hold the strings on a long-term investment fund In Greater Lincolnshire it will be worth £24 million a year Jenkyns has pledged “proper flooding defences” and “better transport roads and connectivity,” but Houchen argued: “She’s not going to be able to do all of those things and go in there and cut waste She’s either going to cut specific types of projects or departments that are set up Reform declined requests for an interview with Jenkyns about how she would govern Yusuf said it would be “irresponsible and overly cavalier to make commitments on precisely what’s going to get cut when we don’t have full information as to where the money is going.”  Yusuf said the party would start with “woke projects” like launching TV stations and needless flights The party has submitted 3,000 freedom of information requests to councils and an official pointed to Farage’s pledge in last year’s general election to save “£5 in every £100″ spent in Whitehall They added: “It was said we were absolutely crazy … Now Labour are trying to do exactly that.”  There is an irony to this: the mayoral authority itself is a brand new arm of governance with its own running costs said: “You can’t say ‘I’m going to cut these things,’ because you’re actually setting up the authority and therefore spending money.” who was a member of the European Parliament for 21 years while he called for Britain to leave the EU Yusuf insisted: “We’ve got to play the game as it currently is.” Jenkyns’ biggest hurdle may be the way mayoral authorities — “combined authorities” in local government speak — are actually run the environment and health and public safety.  Yet decisions are made collectively by a “board” of politicians from the individual councils; all in Greater Lincolnshire are currently Reform’s rivals Decisions must be approved by a majority that includes the mayor — which means that if more than half of councils object to Jenkyns’ plans “You don’t have any real unilateral power,” said one combined authority mayor who was granted for anonymity like others in this article to speak frankly “You are one of a number of people on a board and you can be outvoted at any moment.”  They added: “They can tie her up in governance for months and months and months They can say if it’s anything over £50,000 or £100,000 they want to be able to call it in and take that decision as a group … It’s just nonsense to think that as a mayor you have some kind of monarchical control over the organization in your name Houchen — whose 2017 victory was a surprise deep in Labour territory — said it took him a “couple of years” to get the Tees Valley authority into the shape he wanted He said: “I kind of walked into an office with a computer and a chair and nothing else had in effect been part of setting up the combined authority.” though — a direct line into Downing Street.  New mayors will sit on the Council of Nations and Regions 10-convened forum of devolved leaders which is due to hold its next meeting in May and the separate Mayoral Council convened by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner This will hand any Reform mayors a platform to make political points in earshot of the very Labour strategists jittery about Farage’s rise A wave of new councillors will also hand the party an organizing base from which to mount its general election campaign in 2029 Yusuf said he and colleagues are setting up a “new wing” of Reform’s “Center of Excellence,” a training facility for candidates established in November He said it “will be there to offer support resources [and] training to new Reform councilors many of whom will be elected officials for the first time We will also be leveraging some people who do have experience in elected office.” It has been worked on for about a month and will “go live in the coming days,” Yusuf added How much Reform HQ uses its “leverage” on council groups will come under heavy scrutiny given it — and Yusuf personally — has been accused of a controlling approach one of a number of councillors who Reform asked to help draw up rules for council groups it would choose not to make this a completely democratic process But it also disappoints me that the chairman continues to have such a large amount of control Yusuf insisted reports that the party’s council group leaders will be chosen or directed centrally are “total nonsense.” He blamed “deliberate disinformation from CCHQ [Conservative HQ] operatives,” said “Reform councillors will choose their own leaders” and insisted “it’ll be down to them to work together to formulate policy.”  But he added “we want to support them as much as we can,” and said Reform will have a “team” to go through council spending and waste on any authorities where the party takes overall control, including to “assist with expertise around forensic accounting.” All this might get tested just up the road in Doncaster — the only Labour-controlled council up for election this Thursday. The working-class railway city will also renew its directly-elected mayor, a different model to the regional mayors. Keir Starmer’s party won 41 of the 55 seats on Doncaster Council even in 2021, the party’s low ebb. While Labour’s Ros Jones — seeking re-election after 12 years in power — has some name recognition and it would take a sensational night for Reform to seize the reins, Labour activists believe there is a high chance they will lose overall control of the council. The hardest outcome would be a mayor of one party and a council run by another — and Doncaster has been there before.  Until 2013, the council was Labour-led, yet presided over by a mayor from the fringe English Democrats party: Peter Davies. Ministers swept in to oversee Doncaster in 2010 after a damning Audit Commission report said it was plagued by “dysfunctional politics” and failures to keep children safe. Davies’ reign created a “drawbridge mentality” where work between both sides broke down, Jones told me.  Chatting over a cash-only cup of tea from the market in the newly-refurbished Corn Exchange, loomed over by its iron pillars, Jones was scathing about her Reform rival. Alexander Jones (no relation), a 30-year-old foreign exchange trader and male model, has promised to make Doncaster Council “faster, smarter and leaner” at the same time as investing in infrastructure, and accused the city hall of being “terribly mismanaged.” Doncaster Council had £425 million of debt on its books in September 2024, though council officials say nearly 70 percent of that is attributable to nearly 20,000 council-owned homes. “I’m an accountant by profession,” said Jones senior, at 75 playing the elder stateswoman. “He doesn’t understand finance, I think is the kindest way to put it … Unfortunately when the young man quoted things, I had to advise him — you may have debt on one side of a balance sheet, but you’ve got the assets on the other. He doesn’t fully understand all the intricacies that go into running an authority.” I had barely squished into the middle seat of Nick Fletcher’s electrical contractor’s van when the Tory candidate, too, gave both barrels to his “young lad” Reform rival. He claimed Farage “bullied” the candidate into standing because others decided not to, and he now “could quite easily end up winning.” Circling the quaint English Heritage ruin of Conisbrough Castle in his van, signwritten with the hashtag #makedoncastergreatagain, Fletcher said: “Labour are literally going to eat him alive.” Fletcher, who publicly invited Farage to stand for the Tories in Doncaster in 2023, added: “Nigel Farage has not only thrown this young man under a bus, he’s thrown Doncaster under the bus … and Nigel Farage won’t care. Nigel Farage will be down in Westminster doing his GB News show.” POLITICO was unable to reach Alexander Jones for an interview. He and Jenkyns each skipped a hustings event last week. In fairness to Jones junior, frustration at individual mayoral candidates is nothing new. A second Labour MP, who asked for anonymity to speak frankly, said: “I think all political parties need to stop viewing mayors as just getting a figurehead or a backbench MP in place, because they’re people that hold massive budgets. They need to be of the caliber of a minister of state. We’ve all been guilty.” The first big decision for whoever holds the council’s reins will be Sheffield Doncaster Airport. Jones senior says reopening the former military base — which took passengers for 11 years before closing in 2022 — would support 5,000 jobs and pour £5 billion into the local economy by 2050. Councils in the region are due to meet this summer to agree funding arrangements between them and the South Yorkshire mayoral authority. Yet there are already tensions. Labour’s Ros Jones is hoping the funding meeting will come in July, but a local official told POLITICO there were still disagreements over what to do and when. South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has only promised it at some point in the summer. The Tories and Labour have traded barbs over who is to blame. Reform’s candidate has not made firm promises either way.  But arguably the bigger test in Doncaster — or indeed in any council where Reform has a chance of taking control — will be the overall finances.  Labour says Doncaster’s core government funding was cut by a fifth since 2010, with 70 percent (up from 56) now spent on children’s and adult services including care and health. Jones senior said: “The fear is if they took the mayoralty, what people fail to realise is the cuts promised would mean we hit our most vulnerable.” So how will Reform distinguish efficiency savings from cuts? Yusuf picks his words carefully. As well as “woke projects,” said the party chairman, “we also have to look at, how do we ensure that the areas where we know spending is going to have to be significant — you know, for example, in social care. We have to get our arms around where that money is going, is it being spent as effectively as it should be … We won’t have the answer to those questions until we have done the work.” So would he contemplate cutting social care spending in the name of tackling waste? “That’s not the place we’re going to start. Where we’re going to start is the low-hanging fruit … it’s less about cutting it. It’s more about — are the recipients of that care happy with it?” In Doncaster’s Harewood bar, a sort of unofficial HQ for Reform, owner Rod Bloor (“call me the proprietor”) is unafraid to give Fletcher a piece of his mind. His regulars do not hold back about Labour either. “Both my sons are running as councillors” for Reform, says Bloor. This disillusionment will be repeated far and wide. One Conservative strategist said they had been told of voters undecided between Reform and the Lib Dems — despite vast differences between the two parties. “They are basically saying Labour and the Conservatives are shite and we’re going to vote for an anti-establishment party,” the strategist said. Labour is painfully aware of this. One minister said: “The steer from No. 10 is they don’t want strategies and reviews, they just want delivery.” Should it win on Thursday, the task for Reform will then be to show it can deliver instead. But sometimes in politics, the vibes win the day anyway. Downing Street insists nothing has changed despite both main parties getting a drubbing from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. That line may not hold forever. Two U.K. Labour MPs are drawing up amendments on the divisive issue that will likely be considered by the House of Commons this summer. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen tells POLITICO a “coming together in some form” would be “best thing for the country” if the two parties keep splitting the right. U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is meeting her counterpart Scott Bessent in Washington this week. is mulling over a full-time comeback to the sport after taking charge of a special anniversary match between Lampeter Town RFC and London Welsh in west Wales The game marked his first officiating role since overseeing France v Italy in his 100th Test match back in autumn 2020 Owens shared his reflections on his potential return to rugby Despite the lopsided 60-24 victory for London Welsh Owens expressed his enjoyment of the occasion and hinted at his future plans Owens reminisced about his previous visit to the club saying: "I actually refereed a game here when they opened the new clubhouse 10 years ago I was always hoping to carry on refereeing the community game but I've been so busy over the last four years I was quite pleased with myself that I lasted the 80 minutes Owens finds solace in his Gwendraeth Valley farm Owens shared his lifelong ambition to be a farmer a dream that his rugby career helped fulfil We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy detailing his journey to purchasing a smallholding with his partner Barrie following his return from Japan's tournament Owens expressed deep gratitude for having such a passion project as it provided a vital focus post-refereeing "I'm so grateful to have had something like that to focus myself on If I had nothing else to look forward to after finishing refereeing and it had all just ended overnight I probably would have struggled like a lot of referees have done when their careers have ended." This article originally appeared on Mirror US order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive Daily Express uses notifications to keep you updated Hannah Bunting receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) University of Exeter provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK View all partners English local elections on May 1 mark the first time widespread voting has happened in the UK since last year’s general election They are therefore the first big test for the Labour government – but also for Reform’s Nigel Farage Farage has led his party into elections before but not since becoming an MP Reform achieved 14.3% of the vote in July 2024 and opinion polls put them at around 25% now. Farage has declared his party is therefore the “opposition to the Labour government” These elections in 23 English local authorities are about selecting the representatives that will serve communities, both in day-to-day essential operations, and during council reorganisations amid plans for decentralisation of British democracy Yet attention is also being paid to the challenge Reform have set themselves – can they continue the transition from anti-establishment outsiders to a winning party engine There are 1,641 local councillor vacancies up for election this week Reform are contesting more seats than any other party there’s only a handful without their candidate on the ballot This is a major step forward for the party Ukip contested 80% of this set of seats near the height of its popularity 12 years ago the Liberal Democrats 85.1% and the Greens 72.2% There are candidates from others and independents This year’s elections see the Conservative heartlands up for grabs have been solidly Conservative for over 20 years So if Reform see themselves as replacing the Tories then these are the contests Farage’s party should be winning these seats also have the lowest female representation which has partly been driven by the Conservative dominance Analysis of this year’s candidates shows that Reform is fielding the fewest women meaning this gender disparity could be about to get worse There have been 241 vacancies in council byelections across Britain since the general election they’ve generally received significant vote shares taking seats from both the Conservatives and Labour and gaining momentum In the six-month period between October and March Reform contested 64 of 78 council byelections (82%) and either won or came second in half of them This shows that Reform can be successful – and usually on the low turnouts generally seen in byelections With turnout being less than a third at the last two local election cycles followed by the second lowest ever general election turnout it’s these dedicated voters who will be affecting change this week The seats up for election now were last contested in 2021 – when a “vaccine bounce” for Boris Johnson delivered the Conservatives their best local results since 2008 If Reform and the Liberal Democrats wipe out the Tories in different areas but to the same degree there may be no Conservative heartlands left in the country Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter did so badly in 2021 that it could even make gains due to the areas up for election Reform has taken seats from Labour in some of the areas that are up now (Lancashire and Kent) but overall these locals are in Tory heartlands Labour is defending 287 of the seats up this time – and at least 25 are vulnerable local elections are often fought on local issues they could position the new faces they are putting forward for councils as members of the community the party is often seen as a national entity whose main messages are on immigration and the economy And while Farage has set his sights on damaging the two main parties in a continuation of anti-establishment sentiment he is now trying to do so as a semi-establishment figure Ukip received more than a fifth of votes but only ended up with a tenth of the seats Therein lies the biggest hurdle for new entrants to the British voting system Farage’s parties have often polled well but failed to gain the concentrated pockets of support needed to win representatives This was most recently in evidence at the general election where Reform received a higher vote share than the Liberal Democrats but only came away with five seats This is a particularly difficult set of elections to call for a number of reasons Boundary changes in more than 42% of seats are confusing the picture and the fact that such a small number of areas are voting makes projections more difficult Reform is also so new to these races that there aren’t past comparisons to draw on there are around 200 seats with no boundary changes that are particularly vulnerable to a challenger win and it’s feasible that Reform could take a chunk of them More than 900 seats are considered a Tory defence (when boundary changes are taken into consideration) but at least 400 of them are relatively safe Some local authorities sit in areas that returned a Reform MP in July such as Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire and many of them house constituencies that saw Reform come in second place there are also areas like Cornwall where the Liberal Democrats are a strong challenger What it may come down to is the strength of the party engine but the test is whether its campaign has built on a growing base of support But Reform candidates then have to start the hard work of being councillors They’ll need to adapt their “Britain is broken” slogan to start evidencing that they’re fixing it Nigel Farage told me his ultimate goal was to become prime minister It stuck in my mind that he chose to add: "I'm not joking." Nobody in the two traditional main parties finds his stunning success this week funny "Farage is no longer someone we can just laugh off," a former Conservative cabinet minister told me If the idea of Farage in No 10 seemed outlandish in January the backing of millions of voters this week shows it's not a wild notion But this week's results show that Farage has changed the race it's a race to prove that government can actually be a force for good Minister after minister trotted out the same lines as the results came in – waiting lists are starting to come down and new breakfast clubs are opening in schools I could almost recite their script by the end of our election coverage There is little appetite in No 10 to budge on any of the big decisions they've already made complain about cutting winter fuel payments or raising employer National Insurance contributions But Downing Street is desperate to show that despite its unpopularity in the polls and grisly performance in real elections Labour is well aware its main rival at the next election could be Reform not the Tories – the disappointment and disillusionment felt by some in the UK finding a voice in Farage Yet has the party's top brass understood how serious the threat could be One party veteran suggests it's only "just starting to dawn" on those at the top warning "the coming years could be existential for Labour" opposition parties can only 'say' For the Tories it's now a race to look like a serious outfit and for Kemi Badenoch it's a race to become not just a leader who voters recognise In politics it's often said you're quick or you're dead – but the Conservative leader's pitch to her party was "Renewal 2030" and she's repeatedly suggested her approach is to have a long hard think about what the party should do next There is a push for Badenoch to do more faster, and to be more visible. A former council leader has called for her to resign Another said the "main part of the job is grabbing attention – it doesn't matter what you do if no-one sees or hears" Badenoch will join us on Sunday's programme alongside Health Secretary Wes Streeting Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay and Zia Yusuf Pollsters report that six months into the job Badenoch is still an unknown for huge numbers of voters Farage is a past master at grabbing headlines seizing on issues other politicians are sometimes reluctant to Reform has already been ahead of the Conservatives in the polls for months – and many Tories acknowledge privately it's not impossible that Farage's party could replace them in the medium term "but we have to throw everything at it to make sure it doesn't happen The race for Reform is to show that they can go beyond effective campaigning to running things When they walk over the threshold of county halls and mayors' offices for the first time they cross the threshold from being a party of protest to a party with responsibility and a platform at breakneck speed with lots of money to spend making choices that affect voters' lives directly We know relatively little about how they'll operate beyond promises of opening the books Reform has mentioned council equality officers being axed and cutting spending on cycle lanes or traffic calming zones When asked how they would close asylum hotels as promised in the parts of the country they'll run said: "I'll come back to you." suggested migrants could be housed in tents instead and you can bet the other parties will be watching like hawks and seize on any mishaps But this week's extraordinary success for Reform UK is leading an increasing number of politicians in the two traditional big parties to ponder how deep the public's disillusionment really is with the political system – and what they can really do to address it One member of the government told me they have to deal with "anger and frustration said: "We're not connecting and politics isn't working… either Labour will be able to get themselves sorted and show government can work The Liberal Democrats had impressive advances this week too The elections were only in England and at a UK-wide level the jigsaw is already much more complicated But voters' decisions this week have shaken the central dynamic in our national politics a fight between one big bloc on the left and one big bloc on the right Our two-party system has been declared over on many previous occasions – then miraculously survived you wouldn't say it could never happen That week back in January when Farage declared he wanted to get into No 10 a senior government figure told me that their party "mustn't over think the threat" Reform posed that is a phrase they'd be unlikely to repeat Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below. Some County Durham families will be able to apply for up to £6,800, the North East mayor says. Wes Streeting says many voters "aren't happy" with axing the payment for millions of pensioners. The Liberal Democrats are the largest party in the council but remain without a full majority. Anger over the party's drubbing in last week's local elections has not dissipated over the weekend. This week’s election results are a huge boon for Reform UK more scrutiny and the risk of bruising exposure What else would you expect from a byelection Governments lose and this government is unpopular To lose by a hair’s breadth – only six votes – is scant comfort in the forever Labour seat of Runcorn and Helsby while Reform UK’s win of the mayoralty in Tory heartland Greater Lincolnshire is a symbolic blow to Kemi Badenoch Both parties of the old duopoly have fallen under the wheels of political distrust and discontent Change! That’s what Labour promised during the general election and in Runcorn I heard that tossed back at Labour canvassers: well Keir Starmer today pledged to go “further and faster” Those changes that have been ushered in have been deeply unpopular disability cuts and employers’ national insurance rise His big tax cuts for business may not resonate in hard times – though his stealth levy on banks would His renationalising of our lost utilities is a fruitful theme but Labour may have done more of that and should boast more bravely about taking back steel (and its similar plans for rail) and creating Great British Energy The kickback from Labour was refreshingly instant: that sharp rebuke should signal an end to traffic with the Tony Blair Institute Starmer had only just delivered one of his most forceful speeches to seize the opportunities [in low-carbon technology] to boost investment We won’t wait – we will accelerate.” That’s the way to challenge Reform and Conservatives Running away from voters instead of discussing immigration is a political mistake clarity and explanation calm unreasonable panics This was Farage’s night and the Tories’ calamity The political drama is his tug-of-war with the Tories: will they Green and Liberal Democrat supporters to vote against them our monstrous system unfit for five-party politics He will be weighed down increasingly by his Trump contamination with the US president phenomenally disliked in Britain Wait for more Trumptastrophes to inflict increasing damage on him how appealing is a British Trump and yet more mayhem Brexit will age worse with every passing year and even as salient an issue as migration doesn’t alone win general elections Beyond his talent for dressing up a visceral nastiness with a smile he blunders in ways that will come under more scrutiny now His councillors will face bruising exposure Noteworthy byelection and local election results pepper the past the national polls soared over 50% for her nascent SDP I remember internal discussions about who would be in the SDP cabinet these results may be no augury of Farage ascendant then Labour and Tories should consider this: John Curtice today says Reform has reached the tipping point where first-past the-post can aid it As Labour last year won a shocking 63% of seats on 34% of votes so could Farage win a majority on puny votes Electoral reform is now in every party’s interest Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A strong performance at the UK council elections...with Nigel Farage's far-right party reform UK flipping a crucial parliamentary seat from UK PM Keir Starmer's labour party...many would say has encouraged the anti-immigrant leader's prime ministerial ambitions NDTV's Gaurie Dwivedi speaks to Nicholas Nugent politician Nigel Farage speaks during a Trump campaign rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport on Oct Voters across parts of England headed to the polls on Thursday, May 1, casting ballots in local elections. These were seen as the first significant test for political parties since last year’s U.K but the results so far show significant gains made by the Reform UK party a long-standing supporter and ally of President Donald Trump Most Reform UK gains have been at the expense of the Conservative Party the current opposition to the Labour government Labour has also lost seats across the country including a disappointing defeat in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election whereby a seat in the House of Commons was up for grabs The historically close by-election saw Reform UK candidate Sarah Pochin tip Labour to the post, winning by just six votes Read More: After Much Talk of Seeking a Third Term, Trump Tells Crowd: ‘We Actually Already Served Three’ Responding to the results, Prime Minister Starmer told the BBC on Friday morning that the loss was “disappointing” and vowed to learn from the experience "The message I take out of these elections is that we need to go further and we need to go faster on the change that people want to see,” he said Meanwhile, Farage said of the result: “It sends a message across much of the country that we are now the opposition to the Labour Party in government.” Whilst the Labour and Conservative parties have traditionally been the U.K.’s main political bodies right-wing politician Farage has been driving forward Reform UK in hopes of potentially challenging the usual British political order This first hurdle for Farage offered glimpses of exactly that According to YouGov polls before the elections voting intention on April 28 showed that 26% of voters would choose Reform UK if there was an election to be held the next day This was ahead of the current Labour government at 23% In last year’s general election, Reform UK won five constituencies and received 14.3% of the popular vote. MP Rupert Lowe was suspended from the party in March and now represents his constituency as an Independent but the latest results mean that Reform UK stands at five constituencies once more Trump’s influence was felt heavily in the lead up to England’s local elections with the two expressing similar viewpoints Read More: Trump Publicly Calls Out Putin After Meeting With Zelensky at Pope Francis’ Funeral These talking points were key focuses of the party’s election campaign last year, not too dissimilar to Trump, who has put tackling immigration at the heart of his second term in office It appears Farage has been taking inspiration from the President’s rally style, too. On March 28, Reform UK hosted what they described as their "biggest event yet." The rally drew comparisons to Trump’s MAGA rallies for its bright lights Despite his alignment with Trump’s methods and ideas Farage has clashed with another of the President’s advocates Meanwhile, Trump was also a source of debate amongst MPs leading up to England's local elections. In a cross-party TV debate on Tuesday clashed with Conservative MP and Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake over the U.K.’s approach to trade with Trump Hollinrake said: “The Trump storm will pass… To trade fairly and freely across the developed world that’s in everybody’s interest and President Trump’s interest.” Reed replied: “You can’t just wish President Trump away he is there and we’re going to have to negotiate with him.” who is also a Member of the London Assembly reiterated his party’s stance on the President saying: “If Nigel Farage was Prime Minister we’d have a much stronger chance of getting the deal that we need because he has that relationship Trump’s presence was felt across other branches of the local elections, also. One of the mayoral contests came in Doncaster in the North of England. Conservative candidate Nick Fletcher titled his campaign “Make Doncaster Great Again,” taking inspiration from Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) slogan.  Fletcher was ultimately unsuccessful in his campaign, losing out on the Mayor of Doncaster title to Labour candidate Ros Jones just 1% more than Reform UK candidate Alexander Jones In an online manifesto, Fletcher had listed the values that he shares with Trump, including securing borders and tackling illegal immigration, moving away from DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and supporting pro-life initiatives. TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice France and Racing 92 scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec has issued an apology following his simulation attempt against Perpignan The 22-year-old has come under fire for his actions in the Top 14 match after he attempted to milk an incident with Perpignan prop Bruce Devaux Le Garrec ran into the front-row before flinging himself to the floor and dramatically holding his face in an attempt to earn a penalty and a potential sanction for Devaux the match officials did not bite despite the scrum-half’s pleas and continued with the scrum for Perpignan after Racing 92 lost the ball forward after attacking into the 22 His actions sparked outrage on social media with popular rugby columnist Paul Williams stating: “Genuinely think that deserves a ban At the time, Racing 92 were trailing 28-17 and had lost the services of winger Vinaya Habosi to a red card and while they would eventually score a try to reduce the lead After severe backlash, including a remark from former referee Nigel Owens who stated, “He is lucky I wasn’t refin (sic) or he would have had a straight red no hesitation”, Le Garrec has now issued an apology ‘Straight red no hesitation’ – Nigel Owens weighs in on Nolann Le Garrec’s ‘absolutely ridiculous’ dive France star’s ‘proper theatre’ leads to ban calls for ‘absolutely ridiculous’ dive “I wanted to come back to the situation of the contact to my head and my inadequate reaction,” the scrum-half said on Tuesday I received a shoulder blow to the face from the USAP prop and I did not perceive at all if it was intentional or not I do not know if it was nervousness on his part the tensions were high and we had just received a yellow card ourselves for contact to the head I did not know how to react to this shoulder blow I see that this gesture was completely involuntary on the part of the prop The defeat keeps Racing 92 in danger of relegation as they sit in 11th position and hold a four-point buffer over 13th-place Perpignan with five league games remaining They next face Parisian rivals Stade Français before an away trip to Lyon in the Challenge Cup Their final four games include matches against Bayonne READ MORE: Loose Pass: Time for World Rugby to punish simulation and the Premiership’s marmite fan experiment Nigel Owens picks five Wales stars he hopes will make Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad Loose Pass is here to delve into the major talking points in the sport Andrea Piardi will not officiate a United Rugby Championship fixture this weekend Nigel Owens has weighed in on that dramatic dive Italian referee Andrea Piardi will not officiate a United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture this weekend after his handling of Munster v Bulls last Saturday Piardi was at the centre of the controversy at Thomond Park after he mistakenly reduced Munster to 14 men following injuries to both of the Irish province’s tighthead props Starting prop Oli Jager departed the pitch in the first half to undergo an HIA sustained a contact injury early in the second forty This led to uncontested scrums, but in addition, Piardi erroneously ordered Munster to take one of their players from the field of play which would have been the correct decision had both props sustained contact injuries Munster would play the next 14 minutes down a man against the Bulls before the Irish province’s pleas were heard by the officials on the sidelines who allowed Alex Kendellen to rejoin the action While the Bulls did not capitalise on the advantage it did hamstring the hosts during that period as they failed to score as well That was not the only high-profile error that the Italian made as the Bulls’ only try of the match came after number eight Cameron Hanekom tapped the ball off his thigh from a penalty the Bulls would go on to clinch a 16-13 victory becoming the first South African team to knock Munster over on their home turf The URC has since confirmed the match official appointments for round 16 of the tournament Brian O’Driscoll hits out at ’embarrassing’ officiating as Munster can feel ‘very hard done by’ ‘URC is a very, very low level’ – Ex-All Blacks would bench Jordie Barrett as he must ‘prove himself’ again expressed the need for more transparency and openness around officiating performances a coach’s players will perform badly but will still play the following week – maybe because they don’t have another option or because they are still the best option He added: “I think there has to be a bit more openness and transparency “When a referee clearly has made an error that may well have cost a team the game it is dealt with in the sense that the referee manager will feed back to the coach and say they got it wrong The coach will know they got it wrong but it won’t change the result so I understand their frustrations and those of supporters too “There is accountability in that consistent mistakes – although not just a one-off – will affect a referee’s future appointments But the rugby public don’t see that accountability as it’s not out there so it makes sense that they would be frustrated without that clear transparency there.”3 Nigel Owens: Why referee press conferences won’t work despite the need for ‘openness and transparency’ ‘It’s horrendous’ – Bernard Jackman believes URC officiating is ‘worsening’ as players, coaches and fans ‘lose confidence’ READ MORE: Who’s hot and who’s not: Officiating ‘fiasco’, Eben Etzebeth’s return and the ‘lure’ of the All Blacks jersey The match officials for the 2025 mid-year internationals have been confirmed World Rugby’s confirmation that Andrea Piardi has been appointed as second Test referee on the British and Irish Lions tour has generated plenty of heat The match officials for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour have been announced which includes the referees handed the whistle for each of the three Tests has slammed Nolann Le Garrec’s simulation in Racing 92’s defeat to Perpignan stating that he would have given the scrum-half a “straight red” The former Welsh official was renowned for his player interactions and efforts to ensure rugby was played in the right spirit of the game It’s been a tough season for Racing 92, with them currently sitting in 11th place in the Top 14 following their 28-24 defeat to fellow struggler Perpignan with Le Garrec’s actions the latest negative in their spiralling campaign The evident ‘dive’ that saw the French player run softly into Perpignan’s Bruce Devaux was not only a bad look for the sport but also saw time wasted in the match due to the medical attention The event has seen calls for Le Garrec’s suspension and caused uproar in the sport with acts of simulation becoming all too regular Owens has long been an advocate for the standards with him famously quoting through the referee mic that the sport ‘is not soccer’ following a similar incident while he was in charge Having seen the replay of Le Garrec’s actions where he held his face in an attempt to buy a penalty for the team the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final referee made his opposition to the incident known “He is lucky I wasn’t refin or he would have had a straight red no hesitation,” stated Owens on X – slamming the gamesmanship of the France international He is lucky I wasn’t refin or he would have had a straight red no hesitation https://t.co/xqZR0GfN6R — Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) April 20, 2025 With his barrage of relatable player interactions throughout the years it leaves us thinking what line Owens would have used in downing the player’s actions if he had been in possession of the whistle Since his retirement from refereeing in 2020 after a 23-year career Owens has maintained his support for upholding the standards of rugby through his commentary work and columns as he continues to support the officiating of the sport The reaction to the French scrum-half flinging himself to the floor has been bitter with his actions leading to calls for sanctions and repressions to deter any such events from creeping further into rugby Social media and media outlets alike have joined the slamming of the Top 14 dive with the incident bringing negative press that the game is intent on stamping out Absolutely ridiculous,” and “six weeks minimum for this sh***osery” were among the calls from influential rugby journalists who were horrified by Sunday evening’s event One rugby figure stated that the severity of the matter was not in the dive itself but the impact it has on the seriousness in which officials respond to head injuries if players go down holding their head in a similar manner that is often seen in football “This type of simulation should come with a ban Part of the endeavour of treating head contact seriously is that if a player goes down holding their head READ MORE: ‘No worries’ – Legendary France forward Sebastien Chabal has revisited his shocking memory loss claim Nolann Le Garrec has issued an apology for his theatrics Former Test referee Nigel Owens has revealed the two law changes he would make if he had carte blanche to do so The Welshman was posed the question on an episode of World Rugby’s Whistle Watch where he dissects officiating decisions from the weekend’s action and answers fans Owens said that he would change the number of replacements teams are allowed in order to speed up the game He believes that this will result in lighter players as the big men will have to play for longer periods of time The make-up of the bench has been a hot topic in rugby since the Springboks‘ deployed the Bomb Squad tactic to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups Springboks coaches Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber really caused a stir when they selected a bench consisting of seven forwards and just one back against the All Blacks before the 2023 Rugby World Cup and would make use of the tactic twice more during the tournament It was met with strong resistance from some quarters, with ex-Scoltand coach Matt Williams slamming it as ‘against the spirit of the game’ and said that it was ‘discriminating against backs’. Earlier this year, France adopted the tactic for the first time against Italy in the Six Nations and did so again versus Ireland and Scotland Owens was posed the following question by Ben John on the episode: “If you were to restart rugby and start afresh what laws would you get rid of because you think they affect the flow of the game and what would you replace them with?” I would reduce the amount of substitutions “I think eight players on the bench is too much So I’d reduce that and change the way you can use them so it can’t be a tactical substitution I think that would open the game up because you would have players then who would have to play 80 minutes and instead of carrying 130kgs they may have to carry 115kgs because they need to last 80 minutes.” The number of replacements could be up for debate at World Rugby in the near future after Scotland boss Gregor Townsend voiced ‘misgivings’ of teams essentially fielding two forward packs during a Shape Of The Game event in London. I don’t think the bench was set up to suddenly have a new forward pack coming on But that’s for World Rugby to decide what you do with the bench and to make any changes,” Townsend said before facing France’s 7-1 split in the Six Nations 💣 Gregor Townsend doubles down on ‘Bomb Squad’ criticism after airing view at World Rugby summit 💣 Matt Williams claims World Rugby ‘oligarchs’ are blocking laws that don’t ‘benefit’ Springboks That is not the only change that Owens would make as he hit out at the goal-line dropout which World Rugby added to the lawbook in 2022 after successful trials when an attacker was held up over the line the attacking team would be awarded a scrum but Owens is clearly not a fan “I would get rid of the goal-line dropout,” he stated “I don’t think it’s brought anything positive to the game The new deal is part of World Rugby's 'Impact Beyond 2025' scheme Former international referee Nigel Owens believes that there needs to be more transparency around officiating performances in the aftermath of Steve Diamond’s ban The Newcastle Falcons boss has been banned for the remainder of the season following his outburst when he confronted the officials after his side’s last-gasp loss to Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership While Owens believes that Diamond’s actions were unacceptable and that he deserved his ban he added that he raised an interesting point There is a route for coaches to get feedback from the officiating team in all leagues and at the highest level with Owens involved with the URC’s referee managers and selectors If an official continually makes errors and has poor performances they will not be appointed for matches, with the former Test referee stating there is accountability but it is the grey area that creates frustrations ‘Wholly unacceptable’ Steve Diamond handed hefty ban after verbally abusing match officials “If they [coaches] feel a referee has not performed well in a game or perhaps even cost them an important result but then they see them refereeing another game the following week they will think ‘where’s the accountability?’ they would probably argue that they wouldn’t pick them again the next week and the same standard should be held for referees,” he continued a coach’s players will perform badly but will still play the following week – maybe because they don’t have another option or because they are still the best option The idea of a referee press conference after a match has repeatedly been floated and while Owens was open to the idea for the 2019 Rugby World Cup he was wary that the negatives would far outweigh the positives he feels that there needs to be more openness and transparency around the appointments of officials and how their performances are evaluated “I think there has to be a bit more openness and transparency This is where the difficulty lies,” he wrote “When a referee clearly has made an error that may well have cost a team the game “There is accountability in that consistent mistakes – although not just a one-off – will affect a referee’s future appointments so it makes sense that they would be frustrated without that clear transparency there.” Nigel Owens reveals the moment he will ‘regret for the rest of his life’ in an emotional plea to Israel Folau Nigel Owens opens up on ‘hideous’ Bloodgate scandal and reveals the one thing he is ‘glad of’ He added: “At the Rugby World Cup in 2019 some of the referees wanted to have press conferences after games so they could come out and explain decisions but reminded them that while it’s easy to explain decisions that you got right it’s a very different situation to explaining decisions that you’ve got wrong “If you’re coming out into a press conference after a team has just been knocked out of the World Cup because of a wrong decision it’s all anyone is going to want to talk about and it’s hard to know where you go from there “The only way you’re going to get that transparency and accountability is by having open conversations in a public arena like a press conference But I’m not sure if that is the right road to go down What we try to do on the World Rugby platform Whistle Watch is come out and explain why decisions were given so there is a degree of accountability there too “You don’t want to come in and completely hang a referee out to dry but reviewing and critiquing performances is also important for our game Holding our officials accountable is a difficult thing to get right but a common sense approach is needed – and abuse and foul language is certainly not the way forward.” READ MORE: ‘Get rid of it now’ – Nigel Owens pinpoints two laws he’d rubbish including one to depower the Springboks What is the ideology of Reform UK “Conservative” fails to reflect its disruptive energy and willingness to defy convention in that the lumpen bigots who make up much of its activist base are hardly a 21st-century Freikorps “Far right” is a loose designation which also applies to marginal groups like the British National Party or English Defence League typically invoked by the liberal centre to tarnish its opponents on both sides of the spectrum from the hair’s-breadth victory in Runcorn to the clean sweep of the Lincolnshire mayoralty it is now the ascendant politics of the realm as Kemi Badenoch comes under pressure to “unite the right” and strike a deal with Reform it may eventually consume the Conservative Party of which it was once the parasite Any account of our own reactionary surge must begin with Nairn’s analysis of this imperial diminishment – not least because the UK is today grappling with a very different and potentially more implosive form of national decline Nairn began by observing the misalignment between Britain’s global presence and its domestic strength “English imperialism could scarcely avoid the most soaring ambition: it possessed so much and had dominated so much of the world for so long that its power could not help looking ‘universal’… But on the other hand the English universal power was incapable even of governing the British Isles The immensity was also empty.” The country had long relied on this fragile external structure to the detriment of its internal life This imbalance could not be addressed without a project of modernising reform but the dead weight of British conservatism militated against that prospect So English nationalism always had a certain void at its heart lacking both a popular-emancipatory content and a coherent self-standing nation around which to coalesce It therefore assumed a purely romantic quality: obsessed with pomp and pageantry symbols of national greatness with nothing to substantiate them As the country lost control of its overseas possessions imperialists like Powell – whose horror at Indian independence was what motivated him to enter politics – retreated into this dreamworld as a refuge from the new reality of Britain was for the English to revitalise their mythology – to forge a collective narrative which would restore faith in the nation and allow its citizens to reconnect with their ancestors such myths had been galvanised by wartime; fighting to defend the empire or crush the Nazi menace had heightened the power of patriotic symbols from the flag to the Crown to the Palace of Westminster But with no urgent threat from the outside Thus did Powell settle on the immigrant as his principal target “was to have the honour of restoring a popular content to English national self-consciousness… by providing a concrete way of focusing its vague but powerful sense of superiority.” emerged organically from within the English conservative tradition – engaging in the same myth-making fetishising the same icons – yet it displayed a belligerent radicalism that was at odds with it If conservatism functioned as an “instrument of adaptation a way of absorbing and neutralising change” Powell had an ardour and inflexibility which was markedly “un-English” This was true of both his immigration policy and his economic positions which doggedly opposed constraints on the interests of capital Powell insisted that dramatic change was needed to keep everything the same He tried to gain a mass constituency by contrasting the ferocity of his prejudice with the more tepid sensibility of the establishment – pointing out that it was paralysed by the country’s post-imperial predicament he prompted that establishment to move steadily to the right The continuities with Farageism are plain to see: an obsession with the symbols of Englishness (not just the monarchy and St George’s cross but the pint of bitter and the tweed flat cap); a plan to restore “national pride” which amounts to little more than hardening the borders and strengthening big business; a set of establishment positions articulated with a fervour that frightens the establishment itself; an oversized ability to influence the political consensus at a time when both Westminster parties are rudderless while lamenting that too many footloose billionaires are leaving the country it would surely founder on such contradictions But in opposition it can continue to confect hysteria about its pet issues aware that the government will do nothing to push back The historical factors that produced Farageism are Powell was the son of a primary school headmaster who went to public school on a scholarship and then to Cambridge before rising up the ranks of the military during the Second World War and eventually serving as a brigadier in Delhi His “poetic” nationalism was influenced by his classical education and cultivated by his first-hand experience of Britain’s presence abroad is the son of a City stockbroker who skipped university to become a commodities trader when the industry was booming in the early 1980s His window onto the world was not colonial India but an American investment bank This biographical difference says something important about the evolution of the British right Whereas Powell was formed by the twilight years of empire Farage’s political origins can be traced to the early days of neoliberalism the Thatcherite experiment was a paradoxical effort to solve the problem of decline by doubling down on the conditions that created it If Britain had been overly dependent on its foreign possessions neoliberalism sought to extend this external orientation: removing any checks on the City as the entrepôt of globalised capital and consolidating its position as the country’s economic nerve centre If an ingrained conservatism had previously hampered the prospect of modernisation Thatcher effectively recast it as the basis for this new economic settlement – using her scolding moralism to enforce market discipline and wean people off the welfare state a tacit admission that there was no means of reversing the condition of imperial decline; the only hope was to see it through to its logical conclusion This implied a break with Powell’s cosmopolitan idea of the British empire – in which the “Old English and grateful brown-skinned multitudes jostled bizarrely together” – and an acceptance of subordination to the American hegemon which was increasingly imposing its monocultural “values” on the rest of the world Powell’s romantic image of national greatness was long gone – replaced with a more modest Its greatest source of political oxygen is not the decolonisation of India in 1947 but the Great Recession of 2008: the event that undermined the dream of deregulated finance to which Farage has been devoted ever since he was hawking futures in the Square Mile While both ideologies have sought to revive their cherished national myths via racism in Powell’s time national decline was a relatively recent phenomenon – which helped to legitimise his romantic vision Britain’s subordinate position in the world-system is the background condition of its political life: the very basis of its neoliberal order there is little romance to contemporary nationalism Its primary sentiments are rage and despair The rioters descending on asylum shelters aren’t chanting AE Housman His lifelong project to cast off from Europe is not based on any delusion that the UK could act autonomously; it owes more to his neo-Thatcherite view that European integration conflicts with Britain’s obligations as a US satrapy It is a significant irony that many elements of Reform’s programme are foreign imports For although the Powellite image of England was hollow in its own time it could at least arouse popular passions when the memory of empire was still fresh on the fantasies of the Trumpian manosphere the Labour Party is hard at work promoting its own harking back not so much to Thatcher as to Tony Blair in the hope that the spirit of Cool Britannia can be recaptured This has created a striking symmetry between the centrist government and the right-wing opposition both of which have responded to slow growth and global turbulence by nostalgising a simpler period characterised by market confidence and Atlanticist zeal Both have followed Powell in shifting the blame for social ills on to immigrants yet both have considerably lower expectations for the country: promising to rewind the clock to an earlier phase of neoliberalism is whether Farage’s politics represent the ultimate horizon for English nationalism in the 21st century or whether they will turn out to be the precursor to an even more zealous variant If US influence declines over the coming years (by no means a certainty but a definite prospect given Trump’s direction of travel) might we see the renewal of a hard-right Anglo-British sovereignism – one that breaks with Farage’s Americanophilia and strives to restore the UK’s position as a great power might he pave the way for a genuine inheritor [See also: The English rebel] Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Farage says his party has overtaken Tories after securing byelection victory The Reform leader said the results from Runcorn and Helsby Greater Lincolnshire and a handful of local elections around England showed his party should now be taken seriously as a prospective party of government As initial council results showed Labour losing seats, Keir Starmer said he understood voters’ disillusionment but that the answer was to “go further and faster” on what the government had already done Farage, speaking to reporters in Runcorn, where the party won with a majority of just six votes, said: “We’ve dug very deep into the Labour vote and in most of the country we are now the main opposition party to this government.” Reform won in Runcorn and Helsby with a 17-point swing away from Labour, overturning a majority of more than 14,000. The Conservatives slumped from 16% of the vote at last year’s general election to 7% in this contest narrowly finishing ahead of the Green party in third place won the newly created Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty with a majority of 44,000 votes In a victory speech punctuated by angry attacks on her opponents Jenkyns said: “I take my hat off to our leader I know one day he will make a great prime minister.” Reform had won 23 council seats – while Labour had lost 10 and the Conservatives seven – and took control of Staffordshire council Labour did manage to hang on in three closely watched mayoral contests With the bulk of council results still to come in the Liberal Democrats and Greens were bullish about making gains with the Lib Dems in particular predicting they could take numerous council seats in Conservative heartlands The results have bolstered findings from national polls which put Reform ahead of Labour and the Conservatives with support increasingly atomised between the five main UK-wide parties the polling expert and professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde told the BBC: “We’ve never previously had a situation where we’ve got a party other than Conservative or Labour not just with more votes but with more [council] seats than anybody else.” speaking to reporters during a visit to a defence factory in Luton We were elected in last year to bring about change … I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see.” The party also attacked Labour’s cutting of the winter fuel payment – an issue raised repeatedly by voters – as well as its early release of prisoners and the rising cost of energy bills. Free daily newsletterOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters In Doncaster, the re-elected Labour mayor, Ros Jones, also highlighted cuts to the winter fuel allowance as stoking voters’ anger, as well as reductions in disability payments and a rise in national insurance. Read moreAsked whether Starmer was listening to her voters because the people of Doncaster know how hard life can be One Labour MP said: “It’s all very well for No 10 to say we’ve got to keep delivering The problem is that it’s the stuff we’ve delivered that people hate.” saying cuts to benefits and the winter fuel allowance had damaged the party said Runcorn was “a warning we can’t ignore” adding: “Voters want change – and if we don’t offer it with bold The Conservatives were also under pressure after what appears to have been a disappointing night. In Greater Lincolnshire, the party came a distant second. And in the West of England mayoral contest, the Tories came fourth, behind the Reform candidate, Arron Banks, who told the Times during the campaign he thought the mayoralty was a “meaningless job” told the BBC: “This is always going to be difficult for us We lost two-thirds of our MPs at last year’s general election We do have the humility to recognise that we are in the recovery phase.” Nigel Owens has revisited the Israel Folau homophobia scandal to spell out to the fallen Australia star the effect such social media posts from people in positions of influence have on kids “struggling with their identity” Six years ago, three-code ace Folau posted on Instagram that “hell awaits” homosexuals, comments that led Rugby Australia to terminate his contract The 36-year-old is currently playing in Japan Legendary ref Owens came out as gay in 2007, having previously attempted to take his own life. Speaking to Dan Biggar in a deeply personal episode of the A Load of BS on Sport podcast, Owens has a message for Folau “If you go back to what Israel Folau posted the homophobic comments he posted a few years ago,” he begins “He needs to realise that for somebody in a position of influence like him when a young kid is struggling with their identity and they see somebody who is at the top of his game saying that you’ll go to hell if you’re gay imagine the effect that has on that young person “That’s the effect it had on me at the time within 20 minutes of not being here today.” says the pressure of refereeing a Rugby World Cup final is “nothing compared to the challenge of accepting who I truly was” In a raw and incredibly candid account of his early years becoming hooked on steroids and his attempted suicide “Back in the 70s things were very different to what they are now,” he explains to the former Wales captain “I had a very old-fashioned upbringing in a council estate “I told my mum that when I got older I’d get a girlfriend something I’d never experienced before something I hadn’t been told that could happen “And then I would hear this language around me every day about people in the LGBTQ+ community.” Israel Folau receives blunt response from Rugby Australia boss on wish to face British and Irish Lions Israel Folau slams Rugby Australia after being ruled ineligible for British & Irish Lions clash Owens continues: “If you think about it now they’re always used to describe something somebody doesn’t like without meaning to be nasty or even thinking what they’re saying ’Did you see Wales play against England on the weekend They were bloody hopeless they played like a bunch of poofs’ ‘Did you see Wales play rugby on the weekend It’s always used in a negative or nasty way “So when I’m hearing this language growing up at 19 years of age there’s no way I can be gay because nobody’s going to like me’.” Between the ages of 19 and 26 Owens says he really struggled “I started suffering from the eating disorder bulimia where pretty much everything I would eat I would make myself sick afterwards Then I went to the gym because I wanted to have a body that I felt confident in So when I was 25 years of age I was in a pretty bad place I was very very depressed – mental health issues – and I was having suicidal thoughts.” he could no longer put up with the constant pain in his body and mind “I did something that I will regret for the rest of my life,” he adds I just said I could not carry on living my life any more and that I was going to end it “I left the house in the early hours of the morning and because I used to work on a farm I had a shotgun in the house I took a few boxes of tablets that I’d saved up over a few months “What I actually took to end my life actually ended up saving me because I overdosed on the tablets and slipped into a coma If that hadn’t happened I have no doubt today that I would have pulled the trigger of the gun.” When they discovered the note Owens’ parents rang the police who despatched a helicopter to search for him He was found unconscious – “I was dying” – and airlifted to intensive care in West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen The doctor later told him “Another 20 minutes or so and it would have been too late for us to save you” Even then Owens felt he could not tell friends and family why he had done what he did Nobody in the world of rugby had come ‘out’ visiting hours came to a close and everybody left She came into the room and sat on the and of his bed then you may as well take me and my dad with you because we don’t want to carry on living our life without you in it’ “I started crying to myself and I cried for hours and hours “There are many things in life that you can choose: where you live what football or rugby team you support or play for But you’re identity of who you are is not a choice Owens is asked whether he has any advice for young people today unsure of their place in the world “There are still some horrible people out there you only have to look at social media,” he replies “But the majority will embrace you and respect you for who you are Talk to somebody if you’re struggling with it.” The latest episode of A Load of BS on Sport, with Dan Biggar and Daniel Ross, is out now Former referee Nigel Owens is fed up with the suggestion that the Six Nations should introduce a promotion-relegation fixture following another disappointing campaign for Wales For a second year in a row, Wales have collected the Wooden Spoon finishing the Six Nations winless and falling to a 17th straight Test defeat This has once again raised suggestions that the premier Northern Hemisphere international tournament should introduce a form of promotion and relegation These suggestions were rife during Italy’s 36-match losing streak in the Championship between 2017 and 2021 with Georgia dominating the Rugby Europe Championship (REC) The Lelos have won every single edition of the tournament since 2018 they have only failed to lift the REC title on one occasion since 2011 Georgia’s dominance of the REC has led to calls from their head coach Richard Cockerill to introduce the relegation and promotion “If you are finishing bottom of the Six Nations why do you just get free rein to turn up next year and play?” said Cockerill after Lelos’ latest title “We want the opportunity to prove that we can compete so surely that’s logical we get the opportunity to have a play-off “It would be the richest game in World Rugby – Georgia versus Wales at some point in the near future to see who plays in the Six Nations for the next tournament That would be a game people would want to watch.” He is not the first to suggest relegation and promotion for the Six Nations with Sam Warburton doing the same back in 2021 before Italy ended their losing streak and maintained his position earlier this year Sam Warburton backs ‘catastrophic’ Six Nations relegation match despite Wales ‘plummeting so quickly’ Owens does not agree with those sentiments “I think some of the current discourse around where we find ourselves has been quite unhelpful, to be honest,” he wrote in his Wales Online column. one thing has really annoyed me in the last week and that is the calls for Wales to face Georgia in a Six Nations promotion/ relegation match and potentially give up their place in the tournament “Let me make one thing perfectly clear – the Six Nations is not a tournament where promotion and relegation should happen You simply can’t get rid of a team or have different sides coming in and out.” He added: “I’m fed up of hearing people suggest it as an idea Whether they’re just saying it for attention or simply wanting to chuck a hand grenade into the conversation Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill is one of the people leading the calls would he be calling for the same thing then State of the Nation: Wales ‘shambolic’ Six Nations leaves nowhere to go but up after ‘ultimate embarrassment’ The former referee believes that the Six Nations is only second to the Rugby World Cup in international and is the best annual Test tournament It’s not just the on-field action that makes the Championship special in Owens’ point of view but the passion of the supporters particularly when Wales play at the Principality in Cardiff “Cardiff is always heaving on a match day and it’s an atmosphere unlike no other regardless of the result I don’t see how replacing a trip to Cardiff with a trip to Tbilisi is going to help the tournament as a whole it’s a whole event after all,” he wrote He continued: “The idea of demoting Wales and promoting Georgia I’m all for Georgia and the other emerging nations having an opportunity to play against the top nations in the summer or the autumn but bringing them into the Six Nations is not the answer.” “It’s a bit like saying we should get rid of Wales from the British & Irish Lions squad and have Georgian players come into it instead the Georgians did beat Wales a few years ago now but they have been beaten very comfortably by Italy more recently and I’m pretty sure they would not really add anything to the tournament that this Welsh side doesn’t already bring READ MORE: Opinion: ‘Time to act’ for Wales after hitting new low in ‘train wreck’ Six Nations your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt the leader of the far-right Reform UK party who was one of the biggest proponents of Brexit and the UK's departure from the European Union will be put to the test in the country's local elections on Thursday The Reform party currently holds four of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and received 14% of the vote in last year's national elections its support now equals or surpasses that of governing Labour and the opposition Conservatives "We intend to completely change British history and win it,” Farage said highlighting his aim to become the victor in the UK's next national elections Farage has run for election to the House of Commons eight times losing every attempt until he was elected as an MP for the Clacton constituency in 2024 The Reform party's policies blend Farage’s longstanding political stances — strong borders curbing immigration — with those reminiscent of US President Donald Trump's administration Inspired by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Farage has said he would like to implement "a DOGE for every county" in the UK find out why all this money is being spent on consultants and agency workers The Reform party appeals to many working-class voters who once backed Labour but also to social conservatives who have long been drawn to the Tories While some Conservatives are already suggesting an electoral pact between the two parties on the right for the next national election stating the Conservative Party "will be so small by then it won't matter." But the rise of Reform worries both Labour and the Conservatives professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London said a strong result for Farage's party on Thursday might scare both Labour and the Conservatives into toughening their stance on immigration and other issues to try to "become Reform-light." the idea that you are best off tackling these radical right insurgencies by copying some of their policies and some of their rhetoric isn't borne out by reality," Bale said Some may view Farage as Reform's biggest asset but he has also sparked controversy with his stances Critics accuse Farage of stoking tensions by inaccurately suggesting police were withholding information about a stabbing rampage at a dance class that left three children dead in July False claims that the attacker was an asylum seeker sparked days of rioting across England He has also espoused strong anti-immigration stances stating that many migrants come to the UK from cultures "alien to ours." Reform has been dogged by some of the infighting associated with the previous parties Farage led it has since sought to become a slicker and more professional organisation Farage's status as Trump's most prominent UK supporter could also impact his position in the polls given that they suggest the US president is broadly unpopular in Britain Farage has sought to distance himself from some of Trump's policies including trade tariffs and talks of the US making Canada its 51st state Respected former Test referee Nigel Owens has slammed the fact that Mack Hansen did not serve out the full six weeks for his comments on officiating The Ireland wing was banned for criticising those in charge of Connacht’s United Rugby Championship clash with Leinster in Dublin Hansen’s side succumbed 20-12 at the Aviva Stadium in December and the 26-year-old was unhappy with what he felt was some inconsistent decisions He was subsequently punished for what was said in the post-match press conference, but Owens was unimpressed that mitigation was applied by the disciplinary panel “One thing that really frustrates me about the whole situation is that Hansen was banned for six weeks, with three weeks suspended if he apologised to the referee and undertook an appropriate course related to match officiating,” he wrote in his WalesOnline column “I’m not commenting on how long a ban should have been given in the first place but I am getting fed up with seeing so many suspensions halved or at least reduced due to a player saying sorry If it’s an offence worthy of a six week suspension “I’m not saying this is the case with Hansen at all but it’s true that players can just say sorry and not mean it Those involved really need to look at the judiciary process and the consistency in citing as well as the consistencies of these sorts of bans.” URC ref at centre of Mack Hansen storm still ‘available for selection’ as officiating chief claims they have ‘a thicker skin than an elephant’ Owens also gave his view on the comments themselves, believing that the Ireland star was wrong in expressing himself the way he did Although the wing got lots of support for his honesty the former referee insists that it does not help anyone and will not help improve the standard of officiating “There is already a system in place where the coaches can feed back to the referee manager and referee and say they are not happy with the performance or question why they were penalised for a certain matter But for players to come out with comments like that after the match is not acceptable,” the Welshman added “I refereed games where I got things wrong and if people criticised me It’s nice to take the plaudits when you’re doing well but you’re always going to get comments when you have a bad game That’s just the way refereeing is and that’s not going to change “I didn’t watch the game in question but I know for a player like Hansen to come out after the full time whistle and criticise the referee in that kind of fashion is not doing anybody any good if a referee’s performance is not up to standard There is a review and selection process in place which will deal with below par performances which will affect your future appointments But the open abuse of referees in press conferences after games is not the way to go about it.” READ MORE: Warren Gatland issues major warning ahead of Six Nations as ‘written off’ Wales tap into ‘siege mentality’ they were mere decoration on Farage’s victory lap Nigel Farage is one of this century’s survivors A man who walked away from not just a plane crash but any number of iterations of parties carved in his image Rising from near-death experiences time and again The last cockroach standing after a nuclear holocaust Nige has found his most successful reinvention yet Then Farage is there to verbalise it and sell it back to you Always on hand to spot division and feed on it The politics of the far right may be his preferred habitat – he’s never yet come across an asylum seeker he didn’t want to deport – but he’s nothing if not the consummate opportunist Sensing he might have maxed out his fanbase among the right, he’s happily dipped his toes into the politics of the left, championing the nationalisation cause Read moreThe danger for Farage is that with success comes obligations A problem Nige has never encountered before Trash-talking the governing parties while offering no real solutions himself Someone you wouldn’t trust with his own debit card let alone to run the finances of the entire country His only real tangible achievement in the past 25 years was to front one half of the campaign to reduce the UK’s GDP by 4% by leaving the EU And then to disown his part in it by claiming Brexit hadn’t been done in the way he had imagined Shape-shifting avoidance of responsibility But all this could wait for another day. Friday was Nige’s personal triumph. His new MP, Sarah Pochin may have been the winners on the night but everyone knew they were only there out of an act of kindness granted by Farage This is the faultline that runs through Nige’s entire career His team are primarily followers – devotees – rather than MPs or mayors Anyone showing any sign of independence of thought is crushed A little man with grandiose narcissistic ambition Dicky Tice and Lee Anderson are only tolerated because they understand the rules Their ambition is to collect the crumbs that Nige drops So no surprise that for Reform’s victory lap in Durham You might have thought that with the hint of power would come some kind of leadership A willingness to reach out to those who hadn’t voted for him Behind it there is an anger born of the fragility of a man who believes he has been hard done by He is the establishment man who feels he has been ignored by the establishment The millionaire masquerading as the little people You might have thought Nige would want to thank his proxies As an unheartfelt courtesy if nothing else Time for middle-aged white men like him to be given a chance He’d make sure there were no asylum seekers in any council Reform controlled Not just in tents like Andrea had promised Starmer was out and about at a drone factory in Luton For him the biggest story of the day was defence manufacturing but eventually a journalist got a word in edgeways But the message Keir wanted to take away was that what the country really wanted was for him to keep doing exactly what he had been doing That might spell bad news for pensioners and farmers, but Starmer was adamant he knew what he was doing. His victorious mayor, Ros Jones, and several MPs from the left of the Labour party saw it differently They reckoned their traditional voters were sick of a party that was Reform lite Why would anyone vote for that when they could have the real thing If it was a bad day for Labour No wonder then that most of their MPs took a vow of silence Nigel Huddleston popped up on the radio to say that the message he was hearing from voters was that people really liked Badenoch You dread to think how badly the Tories would have done if they hated her The only people who visibly loved Kemi were the Reform candidates she contented herself with a brief note on social media “I will be the next prime minister,” he said A country that no longer believes in itself LONDON — Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK surged into the lead in local elections across England and grabbed one of Labour’s safest parliamentary seats in a contest that upended the country’s traditional two-party politics Amid a slate of local votes that saw Reform eat into both Labour and Tory areas Farage’s candidate Sarah Pochin beat Labour in the Runcorn and Helsby House of Commons by-election The result put Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing center-left party on notice less than a year after it was elected.  It was the most dramatic result of the night, overturning a massive Labour majority in the district and heralding a story of wider successes for Farage’s insurgent political force.  Reform had won 577 council seats across England having previously held none of the 1,600 being contested in Thursday’s elections.  The results saw Reform take control of a string of local government authorities in England and win two contests for regional mayor The centrist Liberal Democrats also had a good night “We are now the opposition party in the U.K and the Tories are a waste of space,” Farage declared As the veteran Reform leader celebrated, Starmer faced questions over whether Labour’s governing strategy was already doomed after just 10 months in office.  The results also provoked deep soul-searching for the main Conservative opposition which showed no sign of recovering under new leader Kemi Badenoch after the party was brutally ousted from power last year.  It was the victory in Runcorn that set the tone Winning by just six votes after a recount of ballots Reform’s Pochin overturned a 14,696 Labour majority secured at the general election last July and granted a fresh boost to Farage’s right-wing populists After the early-morning recount at the DCBL stadium hailing a “huge night for Reform.” Reform won by 12,645 votes to Labour’s 12,639 Labour swept to national power in a landslide in July but is now trailing Reform in some polls Starmer told reporters on Friday that he “gets” the message from voters in Runcorn “We were elected in last year to bring about change,” he said adding: “I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see.” Labour Party chairman Ellie Reeves was meanwhile in a fighting mood take a closer look at some of their policies,” she told Sky News The results of the by-election — held after the previous Labour MP was convicted of assaulting a constituent — came amid a crop of local elections in England which have begun to reveal the scale of the Eurosceptic anti-immigration Reform party’s challenge to both Labour and the Tories There were some limited scraps of relief for nervous Labour strategists panicked by the rise of Reform UK in the polls Labour won key mayoral races in North Tyneside the West of England and Doncaster — though Reform came second in all three The closely-watched Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election saw Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns — a former Tory MP — comfortably see off her Conservative and Labour opponents Jenkyns won the newly-created position with 104,133 votes with the Conservatives trailing on 64,585 votes and Labour a distant third she took aim at the “negativity and soul-destroying” campaigning tactics of her opponents — and blasted asylum policies in what she called Labour’s “soft touch Britain.” “I say ‘No’ to putting people in hotels,” Jenkyns said they should be good enough for here in Britain.” There were ominous signs for both main parties by Friday afternoon Reform seized full control of Durham county council as Labour shed councillors on the local authority And Staffordshire saw Reform leapfrog the Conservatives to take control in national government just last year before suffering a kicking in the general election were most vulnerable in this set of local elections They have already lost hundreds of councillors across the country the Tories have shed the majority of their county council seats to Reform in what the ousted Conservative leader of the authority called an “apocalyptic” night The seats in play this week were last fought in 2021 at the height of the then-Tory government’s bounce in popularity over a successful Covid vaccine program A Labour spokesperson said of the Runcorn result Friday morning: “By-elections are always difficult for the party in government and the events which led to this one being called made it even harder “Voters are still rightly furious with the state of the country after 14 years of failure and clearly expect the government to move faster.” The Conservatives shot back in their own statement: “This result is a damning verdict on Keir Starmer’s leadership which has led to Labour losing a safe seat.”  Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her latest fiscal plan — and dug the ax in deeper on social security British police investigate electrical substation fire that brought Europe’s busiest airport to a standstill Criminal inquiry into former Scottish first minister has now concluded prime minister hopes for a “positive outcome” of U.S.-Ukraine talks — and is readying a Saturday meeting of allies willing to police a cease-fire deal The Reform UK leader has somehow dodged responsibility for the economic damage of Brexit and is winning over disaffected Labour voters There was a time when any election campaign featuring the name Nigel Farage would have featured the word “Brexit” just as prominently And yet, almost a decade after Farage orchestrated Britain’s great EU schism, and with the Reform leader emerging as a bigger political threat than ever, at this week’s local elections Brexit was not a word on the lips of voters This is all the more surprising given many votes took place in working-class settings where voters are feeling the adverse effects of a limping economy which, some say is hampered by the UK’s trading status outside the EU But if Farage doesn’t carry the damaging effects of Brexit as an electoral millstone around his neck, it may be because, according to one poll, Labour voters who have defected to Reform don’t appear to blame him for it. In fact, they’re more likely to blame his political opponents. Read moreFindings by the Good Growth Foundation a thinktank with links to the Labour leadership Its polling suggests that among a key group of swing voters Farage has managed to shift the responsibility for what is indisputably his lifetime achievement The findings are based on a poll of 2,200 voters carried out by JL Partners in mid-March including 222 voters who backed Labour in the general election but now say they support Reform 39% said they believed Brexit had made the country worse – but by and large they did not blame Farage for it 30% blamed the Conservative party and 29% blamed Boris Johnson Farage’s net favourability was 46% among Labour-Reform switchers significantly higher than his national net approval rate approval of -2% Admirers said they thought he defended British values “tells it like it is” and speaks for ordinary people One woman in Rochdale who switched her support from Labour to Reform this year said: “Some of what he says is resonating with people MPs and stuff [are] very pasty about things.” The local election results suggest Farage is successfully tapping into the public’s appetite for change, which less than a year ago helped Keir Starmer win his landslide Labour strategists now see Reform as their primary threat. Jonathan Ashworth, the former Labour frontbencher, said the results suggested the country was heading towards a two-party system between Labour and Reform Keir Starmer has said this weekend that he ‘“gets it” suggesting he is willing to take accountability for the policy decisions that some of his MPs believe have lost the party support in northern towns and cities a man who has spent the majority of his career influencing policy from the sidelines accountability for his one greatest political achievement appears to be slow in coming Runcorn win was much bigger than polls implied suggesting overall effectiveness of ground campaign For the last few months, Nigel Farage has been promising to professionalise his Reform UK party saying its general election result of five seats had been hampered by the party’s “amateurism” Friday’s narrow victory in the Runcorn and Helsby byelection suggests his strategy is starting to bear fruit. Not only did the party win a seat in which it came a distant third less than a year ago, but it did so with a much bigger swing than implied by the national polls – demonstrating the effectiveness of the party’s ground campaign. “Think about the swing,” Farage told Sky News in an interview minutes after the results were declared. Read more“Think about the change – this is heartland Labour party. Their vote has collapsed, and much of it’s come to us. That does away with the sort of media narrative that somehow it’s just us versus the Conservatives This is a whole different politics,” he said Reform won Runcorn by just six votes: the narrowest byelection victory since 1945, and a result that will leave Labour officials wondering whether the prime minister should have visited the constituency during the campaign the party had to overturn a majority of more than 14,000 with a swing of 17 percentage points from Labour imply a swing of just 10 percentage points which would not have been enough to win the seat The Reform candidate Andrea Jenkyns also became the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, winning with a majority of nearly 40,000 despite a campaign marked by questions about how committed the Yorkshire-born former Tory MP was to her new county Reform endured more disappointing results in other mayoral elections North Tyneside and the West of England to Labour But in each one voters swung heavily to Farage’s party Reform lost by just 444 votes after a 26-point swing away from Labour the executive director of the political research organisation More in Common said: “The question then is could Reform turn out those who don’t normally vote The results from both the early council elections and Runcorn suggest they have managed just that “In Runcorn the party went up against Labour’s formidable get-out-the-vote machine and still managed to eke out the narrowest of wins one is very clearly the traditional main parties can no longer rely on Reform’s lack of infrastructure as a defence against Farage’s party’s advance.” Free newsletterGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning Labour was determined to put a brave face on the results, highlighting the unusual events that triggered the Runcorn byelection, which was called after the incumbent Labour MP Mike Amesbury was convicted of punching a constituent The party also pointed to stronger-than-expected showings in the three mayoral contests where it won each of which it had been predicted to lose – suggesting that strong local candidates can still outperform the party’s national poll rating “It is very much a protest vote,” said the Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika “But I think when we look across the results it is very impressive that Labour’s managed to hold on to three of those mayoral seats.” where Labour accused the Tories of giving up on the seat to allow Reform to win which was fiercely contested by each of the five main parties Tory officials tried to frame the elections as an early referendum on the Labour government But the reality is both main parties are being hurt by the Reform surge The biggest question facing Farage is whether the drive to professionalise his party will be enough to keep the momentum building for the next four years Rassie Erasmus has criticised the fixation with ball-in-play time after praising the Six Nations encounter between England and France Steve Borthwick’s side claimed a much-needed victory over Les Bleus following a last-minute triumph at Allianz Stadium on Saturday Elliot Daly touched down and Fin Smith kicked the conversion as the Red Rose snatched a 26-25 success to end the visitors’ Grand Slam hopes While there were plenty of errors, particularly from the French, which led to a number of scrums, it proved to be a thrilling Six Nations encounter World Rugby have looked at ways of speeding up the game over recent years with reducing the number of set-pieces and increasing ball-in-play time seen as key in enticing more fans and we’re not promoting teams to attack,” Brett Robinson said after succeeding Sir Bill Beaumont as the governing body’s chairman such as taking away the scrum option from a free-kick and bringing in shot clocks at the set-piece which Robinson insisted has paid dividends “We have increased ball and play time by over three minutes by introducing some of those changes,” he added “There’s still some things that are frustrating us Eddie Jones: England overcome ‘mental and physical’ struggles of ‘bench impact’ to win ‘fascinating match’ However, Erasmus disagrees that they are necessary to improve the sport after watching the England v France clash on Saturday 15 scrums and only 36min BIP yet it was one of the more exciting games the 6 nations had in a while,” he wrote on X “I don’t think the shape of the game can be judged always on stats “If you did not watch the game most will say those numbers(stats) won’t create excitement Rugby is in a great shape at the moment in my opinion It was a view which former Test official Nigel Owens very much agreed with The Welshman looked to reward the attacking team when he was refereeing which often allowed for a free-flowing contest and he feels World Rugby are doing more harm than good by “tinkering” with the game I’ve always said that high BIP time does not make a rugby game better as you have rightly pointed out,” Owens wrote in response to Erasmus’ social media post “Too much tinkering with the laws and an obsession to let the game flow at all costs will take away from the game not enhance it READ MORE: England v France: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick takes ‘refreshing’ approach with ‘pressure’ switching to Fabien Galthie Sam Whitelock will assist the Robbie Deans coached Baa Baas against the Springboks Pieter-Steph du Toit has returned to training but won't be taking the pitch for Toyota Verblitz Former Test referee Nigel Owens has given his version of events of the Bloodgate scandal which rocked rugby union 16 years ago The Welshman was the official in charge of the Heineken Cup contest which saw Leinster edge to a 6-5 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop in the quarter-finals It proved to be a hugely controversial contest as Quins used a capsule of fake blood to get former All Black Nick Evans back onto the field after earlier going off injured it did not end in a victory for the hosts with the Irish province moving into the next round the physio and director of rugby Dean Richards With Leinster taking on the Londoners in another knockout Champions Cup encounter, Owens looked back on that terrible day for the sport “If I’m honest, I had no inclination whatsoever that there was something untoward going on,” he wrote in his WalesOnline column there was a bit of a kerfuffle on the side of the pitch that I obviously became aware of but I only went over to check if Nick had been marked down as being substituted for a tactical reason rather than an injury “If he had been replaced and not substituted then under no circumstances at all could he return “I was under no impression at all that there might be something dodgy going on I saw a bit of the blood as he was walking off but I didn’t think for one minute that it wouldn’t be genuine This had never happened before and there was no reason to suspect it might all be fake 👉 Northampton v Clermont: Five takeaways as ‘lethal’ Tommy Freeman makes Lions statement as Saints’ eggs stay in European basket 👉 Champions Cup teams: Lions prospects face off at Croke Park while Saracens rest England stars against stacked Toulon I was not aware of anything until I came off the field after the game which Leinster held on to win after Nick’s late drop goal attempt went wide they all wanted to know what was going to happen “I was thinking ‘What the hell is going on here?’ It was only then that I was updated on what had actually happened and I just had to say that the match commissioner and governing body would sort it out I could only give my report of what I had seen happen.” Despite the shame it brought on Harlequins Owens insisted that he bore no grudge towards those involved it was a hideous mess that brought the game into disrepute I don’t think I could have done anything differently on the day however – it was something that caught all of us off guard “I refereed Harlequins the following season and Tom apologised to me then but I said to him that there was no need for the apology he signed the referee jersey I was wearing during the Bloodgate match and it’s now displayed in my local rugby club we’d probably still have lawyers arguing over it to this day and it would have all been very complicated with not much time between that game and the semi-final.” 👀 READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus pitches ‘specialised referee’ idea to fix the area where the ‘most guessing’ is done The quintessential English actor answers your questions about being posh and asking parked motorists to turn off their engines the definitive guide to the 90s underground rave scene from a man who lived through it.” Raves are where people go mad I don’t think I’ve been to a rave in my life Michael Caine and Nigel Havers in The Whistle Blower. Photograph: Moviestore/ShutterstockDid you enjoy working with Michael Caine when you played his son in the 1986 movie, The Whistle Blower? SpluttererHe was absolutely brilliant He took me out to lunch the week before we started shooting and said: “Nigel are you gonna talk like me or shall I posh up?” I said: “I think you should posh up.” He said: “No worries.” On the first day they went: “Action” and he went [does Michael Caine impression]: “Hello Empire of the Sun was one of the first western-made films to shoot in China. What was that like? MarkFilmgoerWe weren’t there very long The suburbs of Shanghai were actually Ascot and the concentration prison camp was in Jerez in Spain How did you feel filming the wonderful beach scene in Chariots? DeborahGellerIt was a long David Puttnam said there was a problem developing the film – there was a scratch – so we had to do it again But the weather and the waves were much better second time ‘Each take was a mile’ … Chariots of Fire. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/AlamyDo you hum the theme music to Chariots of Fire to yourself? strcilovoI hum it all day, every day. I would’ve killed him and I’d be in prison now ‘In the morning he was so hungover’ … with Nick Nolte in Farewell to the King. Photograph: Orion/AllstarHow was making Farewell to the King? It looked pretty gruelling! writeronthestormJohn Milius is an incredible writer/director he’d have his makeup done lying down on a mattress in the jungle but they’d go: “Action,” and he’d go “[mumbles low I don’t understand a fucking word you’re saying.” How much fun was it playing keyboardist Tony Pebble in A Life of Rock With Brian Pern? Aubrey26Great fun Actors do harbour a secret desire to be rock stars My brother and I were in a band called January and released a record in 1968 Watching you in Don’t Wait Up was one of my formative experiences growing up in the 1980s. No other man in my life has ever lived up to Dr Tom Latimer. Please tell me you enjoyed making it as much as I enjoyed watching it? AtheneBergenI have to say it was one of the happiest times I think the BBC think it’s too posh to repeat Who would you want to play you in a biopic? ThankYouJohnTheo James, because he’s so good-looking. I can play the villain.Has Nigel Farage ruined being called Nigel for all other Nigels? PickleManNo No one has been christened Nigel for 20 years More people have been christened Lucifer than Nigel But someone once wrote to me and said every year they have a Nigel get-together Nigel Havers Talking Bollocks is at Royal Hall The Reform UK party’s firebrand leader is celebrating one of his most famous victories after ousting Labour in a stronghold seat that Keir Starmer’s center-left government should never have lost.  Farage has been seen as a bigger threat to the Conservatives than the left.  But after winning the special by-election for parliament in Runcorn and Helsby north-west England — and taking hundreds of local council seats too — he is making good on his vow to go after Labour.  If there is one thing Thursday’s set elections in England shows it’s that the Reform UK surge which has taken the party into first place in opinion polls in recent months is real.  That in turn means it is no longer fantasy politics to ask whether sooner or later Farage himself could end up as Britain’s prime minister.  First of all it’s worth appreciating the scale of the party’s achievement in Runcorn Excluding the seat held by the Commons Speaker Runcorn was Labour’s 49th safest constituency with a majority of almost 15,000 votes — 34.8 per cent — at the last election he might well think there’s no place he can’t succeed.  the Runcorn result would put more than 350 of the 411 seats Labour won at the 2024 election now firmly in the danger zone That’s more than enough to win a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons and a nightmarish prospect for Starmer’s government just 10 months after its landslide victory.  Reform won by a tiny margin in Runcorn on Thursday — just six votes And conventional wisdom holds that one by-election and one set of local council victories are poor guides to what will happen at a general election when the government of the country is at stake.  But recent history in British politics and elsewhere suggests conventional wisdom may be the worst guide of all.  Few of the conventionally wise predicted Brexit in 2016 or the rise (and return) of Donald Trump populist rightwing parties are consistently chipping away at the centrist mainstream.  The populist right is surging in France and Germany and has been in power in Italy since 2022 These are all Western European G7 economies with a lot in common with the U.K Why should Starmer’s Labour Party be immune to the threat?  Even though Reform UK is highly unlikely to replicate Runcorn by wiping out Labour at the next general election it could still do enough damage to rob the government of its majority Reform is currently in second place behind Labour in 89 seats Some 60 of these are in the north of England and 13 in Wales areas conventionally seen as Labour heartlands.  Labour’s lead over Reform is fewer than 8,000 votes These encompass the seats held by numerous ministers including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.  The small majority can be a misleading thing It was a feature of Labour’s dramatic landslide last year that the party won many more of its seats by small margins — quite deliberately It was a result of a dazzlingly successful effort to spread its campaign resources in the target seats where they were most needed rather than building up piles of votes in seats they already had in the bag.  Under the U.K.’s “first past the post” electoral system that delivered the most disproportionate election result in history with Labour winning 63 per cent of the seats in the Commons with just 34 per cent of the votes cast in the country Farage’s Reform UK suffered the reverse effect due to a highly inefficient campaign They amassed 14 per cent of votes — 4.1 million nationally — but only won five seats in the Commons last year (one of those elected has left the party since) That was a result of having no real campaign infrastructure no organization of ground troops to knock on doors and very little planning Farage only entered the election contest himself two weeks into the campaign having previously ruled out standing.  Some Labour strategists take comfort from the fact that Thursday’s results could have been worse and are patting themselves on the back for still having a good ground operation that can deliver when it counts They still have time to turn the polls around before the general election expected in 2029 After winning hundreds of seats in local councils this week it will have a chance to build an election infrastructure and an army of activists who can deliver leaflets and organize campaigns around the country far more effectively If Farage’s election strategists can mobilize these greater resources more efficiently there is no reason why he won’t have an army of MPs to command after the next election.  Reform has already started professionalizing its approach and focusing ruthlessly on its election machinery including boosting its membership to what it now claims to be 227,000 — larger than the Tories and closing in on Labour’s total.  “We’ve certainly taken these council elections so much more seriously than we’ve ever done before,” said Alex Wilson These elections are crucial for “getting that sort of information and data locally on the ground that will then feed into targeting for future campaigns,” Wilson said “Having a base of people elected in local government then gives you people that will be leading the campaigning on the ground as well because your best foot soldiers are those who’ve got skin in the game.”  Last year, Starmer’s strategists took the conscious decision not to fight Farage (and were delighted when he entered the election) because they knew he would do more damage to the Conservatives they were right and Labour stormed to its landslide Many Tories are deeply worried about their dire results this week and calls for some kind of merger or pact with Reform are likely to grow.  Starmer and his top aides also now see the risks. Labour’s strategy is to try to be tough on Farage and tough on the causes of Farage, to adapt Tony Blair’s famous phrase. They’re working to show off their successes at tackling illegal immigration and to revive ailing public services Labour strategists plan to keep hammering Farage over his past comments expressing admiration for Vladimir Putin as well as his suggestion that the NHS needs a fundamental rethink of its funding model.  Voters opted for “change” last year — it was Labour’s one-word election slogan It’s not clear that they will be willing to wait with cynicism apparently on the rise.  As the British Election Study found, Labour’s 2024 landslide came amid high levels of political alienation with one in three voters saying they have “no trust” in politicians That kind of attitude makes a fragmented electoral landscape even more volatile British voters veered wildly from giving a huge majority of 80 seats to Boris Johnson’s Tories to ejecting them from office with their worst ever result and handing a massive landslide of 174 seats to Labour According to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls voters have no clear favorite for the next election yet but clearly don’t like either of the two traditional main parties Reform UK is currently in the lead on 26 per cent with Labour has fallen to 24 per cent and the Conservatives to 21 per cent Could Farage convert this position into a realistic bid for Downing Street in 2029 is skeptical of Reform’s chances but not totally dismissive there’s still a ceiling to their support given how poorly Farage is regarded by most Brits given the likelihood that some of the people currently winning all these seats for them will end up embarrassing him and given they might not be able to match Labour’s (and the Lib Dems’) ground game,” Bale said I wouldn’t completely rule it out — what sort of results ‘first past the post’ might throw up if both Labour and the Tories remain phenomenally unpopular and we have and the Tories are a waste of space,” Farage said — as he racked up hundreds of council wins tells POLITICO the West must create a “strike fund” to support civil resistance and paralyze the government Elon Musk and JD Vance don’t know enough to judge the country’s election crisis says Bucharest Mayor and presidential candidate Nicușor Dan British forces already took part in strikes against Houthis so don’t call us “freeloaders,” former defense secretary says and Ruth Davidson assemble for an elections debrief Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The Sunday TimesIn his book The Expanding Circle the philosopher Peter Singer argues that the moral evolution of mankind has been akin to an ever-widening sphere of regard First we looked after our families; then we looked outwards to the clan Then we broke down racial barriers and realised that we were all one humanity we will take seriously our moral obligations to non-human animals — and attain the zenith of what we might call moral universalism one that few right-minded people would wish to deny as a historical analysis or a philosophical argument infiltrated the great liberal institutions Nigel Owens has urged World Rugby to make changes to their disciplinary process over the fact that mitigation is often applied in acts of foul play Any red card or citing will be reviewed by an independent panel and they will decide the punishment – if any – that will be handed down in line with the current World Rugby laws that are in place mid-range or top-end sanction which will go a long way to determining the initial suspension mitigation will almost always be applied for admission of guilt good conduct and a clean disciplinary record There is also a World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme for certain offences which That means a six-week suspension can become two, something which Owens believes needs to be looked at going forward “If someone makes an illegal, dangerous or reckless tackle in a game and they later admit guilt, they have a week or two knocked off their ban. If they then agree to attend tackle school, that’s another week off. It’s nonsense,” he wrote in his WalesOnline column “If you know that the offence is worth a six week or 12 week suspension but that’s exactly what the player in question should be getting “If they want to change player behaviour then do that – because knocking off weeks as they currently do doesn’t help the game one bit.” Nigel Owens weighs in on Mack Hansen controversy as former Test referee hits out at ‘joke’ ban Owens used the Mack Hansen ban as a recent example Although the case of the Ireland star was very different given it referred to his comments about the officiating in Connacht’s defeat to Leinster last month the Welshman could not understand why three of the six weeks was suspended his ban finishes just before the start of the Six Nations and the former Test referee insists that a 10-week ban then it should be exactly that A player can be back on the field in no time and there will be a few at the Six Nations who received initial suspensions that would have ruled them out of at least one game at the tournament before they were reduced,” Owens added “Playing in the Six Nations is one of the greatest honours a player can have at Test level but if they commit an offence that carries a lengthy ban just before the tournament and I hope we see a firmer stance being taken soon READ MORE: URC ref at centre of Mack Hansen storm still ‘available for selection’ as officiating chief claims they have ‘a thicker skin than an elephant’ The new deal is part of World Rugby's 'Impact Beyond 2025' scheme.