Downing Street experts have told Andy Burnham to stop being “blokeish” as they advised him to become more like his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Burnham has produced a series of videos referencing his love for football, pub snacks and beer in a marked departure from Sir Keir.
However, experts in a unit set up by Sir Keir said the Prime Minister should limit the number of references to football and the pub in an attempt to appeal to a broader audience.
A source told The Times: “No10 have a very good team that specialise in social media data and analytics.
“They’re producing daily reports for the PM’s team and have cautioned against some of the content, advising to tone down some of the blokiness, such as the bar snacks stunt. He is a strong communicator but it’s about balance.”
However, polling experts warned Mr Burnham’s approach proved more popular among the general public
Director of More in Common UK Luke Tryl said: “One of things the public like about [Mr Burnham] is he’s seen to be normal/himself, comfortable in his skin.
“In Makerfield people liked they’d seen him at football games, he clearly enjoyed a drink like everyone else. He’s got a +20 national approval in an anti politics age.”
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Reform UK meets Trump administration in preparation for ‘sooner than expected’ General Election
Reform UK has held talks with the Trump administration in Washington DC.
Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick was despatched to the US capital for a series of meetings on Thursday, including with Vice President JD Vance, to lay the groundwork for the potential future of the “special relationship, should Reform win the next election
Speaking exclusively to GB News during the visit, Mr Jenrick said Reform wanted to be ready for the next election, which he claimed come “much sooner” than an expected 2029 date.
He said it was “very important” that UK-US relations were strong, given America remains Britain’s “primary defence, security and trading partnership”.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Conservative plans to ban all migrants from council houses are ‘divisive’, warns charity
Kemi Badenoch’s plans to ban all migrants from council housing have been slammed as “divisive”.
Under the proposals revealed on Friday, the Tories said around 230,000 homes would become available if they removed the right of foreign nationals to live in social housing.
Foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status or specific humanitarian protections currently qualify for social housing.
Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing, unless in exceptional circumstances such as domestic abuse cases.
But the plans were condemned by the housing charity Shelter.
Chief executive, Sarah Elliott, said: “These divisive plans would brutally kick people out of their homes, including thousands of families and pensioners who have lived in them for decades.
“Let’s not forget that social tenants pay rent, which goes back to the public purse and into society. It is completely senseless to ruin people’s lives, drive up homelessness and put extreme pressure on councils.
“This policy does nothing to deliver new social homes, which is what we desperately need.”
Primary schools will be required to identify potential Neets’
Primary schools will be required to identify pupils they believe could face being jobless after leaving school at 16, according to the former minister leading a review into the issue.
Former health secretary Alan Milburn, who is leading the review into young people not in education, employment or training (Neet), said somebody should be “responsible” for supporting children at risk with the first signs available “from pre-school”.
Mr Milburn told The Guardian: “The warning signs are there from a very early, early age. Definitely primary schools should be identifying children who are at risk of being Neet.
“Secondary schools and other services should be intercepting, intervening, supporting and helping those young people to get on a different path.
“We know what the correlated factors are, whether that is poverty, mental health or being in care. What we don’t do is take that knowledge and turn it into action.”
Kemi Badenoch to ban all migrants from council houses and end ‘cash machine UK’
Kemi Badenoch has vowed to remove foreign nationals from council houses in order to stop Britain being a “cash machine for the world”.
The Conservative plan would take nearly 230,000 non-EU foreign national households out of council homes to open them up for British families.
Migrants from any country, including EU member states, would also be barred from taking on new social housing tenancies.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
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