Dear John,



Coming to you with my first ever Weekend Wire. And what a busy week it's been.



A Rubbish Remake - 1 Star







This week's news agenda was dominated by the Tory Party Conference; an event which can only be described as a bit of a car-crash. We're talking half-empty <[link removed]> auditoriums, a barely veiled leadership contest <[link removed]>, frenzied in-fighting over tax-cuts <[link removed]> and - as seems to be the norm these days - alot of rather shameless lying <[link removed]>. 



But of course, the biggest news to come out of conference was Sunak's decision to axe the second leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester. There goes the UK’s most important <[link removed]> economic and social regeneration project in decades. 



After allowing it to overshadow the entirety of the conference, Rishi finally put a stop to the painful will-they, won't they and made the announcement in his big speech <[link removed]> on Wednesday. 



In a classic case of "jam tomorrow", the Prime Minister justified cancelling the second leg of the rail-line by making a bundle <[link removed].> of un-costed promises safe in the knowledge that none can be achieved before the next general election. 



I don't know about you, but it sounds less like a "long-term decision for a better future" and more like short-term political opportunism.  



Aside from scrapping the second leg of HS2, the other two key announcements to note are Sunak's proposed ban on smoking and post-16 educational reforms. 



Together, the three policies are part of his broader plan to set himself up as an agent of change. It's almost as if he's forgotten who was in charge for the past 13 years. Well we certainly haven't. 



Our CEO Naomi Smith reflected on the Tory Conference, and its implications for the upcoming general election,  in a piece for the Metro <[link removed]> this week. 



More Fibs about Freedoms



An equally ridiculous, but less reported upon, part of Rishi Sunak's speech was his claim that "post Brexit freedoms have enabled the government to cut red tape saving British businesses £1 billion per year". Unsurprisingly, this has led to backlash <[link removed]> from a number of business leaders. 



Indeed, just three days prior to Sunak’s speech,  it was reported <[link removed]> that new Brexit border controls on animal and plant products imported from the EU will cost businesses an estimated £330mn a year alone in additional red tape charges.



And that comes alongside another article reporting <[link removed]> that UK exporters face hundreds of millions of pounds in EU carbon border taxes within the next decade.



Something’s not quite adding up here…



On The Fringes







Whilst the main conference events might have lacked support, there was some unexpected, and unwanted, energy buzzing around the fringes. Nigel Farage received a hero's welcome <[link removed]>, and hundreds queued <[link removed]> to listen to Liz Truss dish out her top tips on economic growth.



And if that wasn't a worrying enough indication that the Conservative party are moving increasingly to the right, then give Priti Patel's speech <[link removed]> a listen. Not only does she pick on <[link removed]>the “Tory hating Brexit-bashers, free speech deniers at the BBC,” but she then goes on to praise GB news as "defenders of free speech" and thanks their staff for "absolutely everything” they do. Did she miss the part where Ofcom launched a formal investigation <[link removed]> into the conduct of GB News? 



For a deeper dive into the party's increasing alignment with the far right, then read Naomi Smith’s thought-provoking  piece in the Guardian <[link removed]>.



An Urgent Plea For Action



The British Red Cross has released a report <[link removed]>, warning that thousands of refugees are in danger of becoming homeless.



In August, the Government changed its 28 day ‘move-on’ policy -  the time given to refugees to move from asylum support to mainstream benefits or employment – leaving some people with as little as seven days to move out of their asylum accommodation. 



The Red Cross has concluded that the impact of the change in policy, coupled with the Government’s current drive <[link removed].> to  clear the legacy backlog, means that more than 50,000 people could be left homeless by the end of 2023



Scotland’s “Seismic” Swing







On Thursday, the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West came out to vote in the first of three by-elections due to take place this month. 



As anticipated, Labour won. But what was less anticipated, was the "seismic" <[link removed]> margin by which they won. Indeed, Scottish Labour candidate Michael Shanks received 58.5% of the vote, beating his closest rival, the SNP's Katy Loudon, by a margin of more than 20%. That's double what Labour had hoped for. 



And perfect timing too, with their Party Conference <[link removed]> just around the corner. It's safe to say that Starmer and his team will be in good spirits. 



If You're Not Too Conferenced Out…







And speaking of Conference, if you happen to find yourself in Liverpool between the 8th and 11th October, then make sure to pop by and say hello. We have not one, but two, exhibition stands at this year's Labour Party Conference. And if that's not enough to convince you to come, then maybe the chance to meet the Best for Britain team will. 



At exhibition stand 111 a member of our team will run you through the latest MRP polling from your area, as well as our predictions for the upcoming general election. 



Or alternatively visit exhibition stand 135 to experience Best for Britain's ‘Can’t Wait’ campaign up close. Launched in 2022, the campaign shares the powerful stories of those falling victim to our broken voting system, that has and continues to keep governments in power with a minority of votes.



That's all from me. Enjoy the sun this weekend and watch out for next week's instalment of Weekend Wire from our brilliant Content Executive Elsie. 



Until next time.



Martha Harrison 

Press Manager (print/online)

Best for Britain 



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