Update: 17/06/2024


** 17 days to go - Here’s what you need to know.
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According to Boris Johnson’s biographer Andrew Gimson, the disgraced former PM is once again plotting ([link removed]) a return to UK politics.

Johnson reportedly plans to seize upon the chaos of a monumental Conservative defeat on July 4th. As Nigel Farage is expected to make a power play for the Conservative leadership, Johnson will ostensibly head him off in a battle for the soul of the new opposition. Pick your populist poison.

Either way, the opposition is going to be a circus. But a disillusioned and fractured Conservative party presents ideal conditions for Johnson, long known as an “insurgent” operator that feeds off discontent to win “protest” votes – as he did successfully in 2019.

It’s another indication that voting out the Conservatives, while necessary for democracy and basic functionality of government, is not going to solve our problems overnight. Five years in opposition will present ample time for either Farage, Johnson (or both, should the unholy duo find common ground again as they have in the past ([link removed]) ) to build a new and reformulated right-wing populist movement.

Keep in mind that they could potentially be boosted by the ascendant far-right in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain – as well as Donald Trump in the White House. Starmer’s Labour, should they win as predicted in July, will face unprecedented challenges from that corrupt and lawless coalition, potentially at an international scale. Expect the British press, American social media companies, libertarian think-tanks and the UK’s right-wing dark money networks to be working overtime.

The real fight for democracy may still lie ahead.

In other news…
* Analysis of guests over the last 9 years of BBC Question Time in a recent Cardiff University study ([link removed]) found that right-wing voices are over-represented on Britain’s widely-watched political discussion show.
* Reporters noticed that Labour has removed ([link removed]) the line “The NHS is not for sale” from its Manifesto. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has reportedly received roughly £175,000 in donations from the private health sector since January 2023.
* Farage is once again under fire for endorsing ([link removed]) debunked conspiracy theories about Donald Trump’s 2020 US election loss, citing “ballot harvesting” as the reason for Biden’s victory, and defending Trump’s encouragement of the January 6th insurrection attempt.
* The Reform party is set tounveil ([link removed]) its “contract with the British public” later on today. It’s expected to centre on abolishing TV license fees, and fighting “political correctness”.

All the very best,

The Open Britain Team
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