- “Reform U.K. overtakes Labour in national poll for first time” – A stunning new poll suggests that Reform U.K. would outperform Labour if a general election were held tomorrow, reports the Express.
- “Reeves’s Budget is ‘an egregious act of self-harm’” – Sir James Dyson has accused the Chancellor of inflicting “an egregious act of self-harm” on the economy by targeting family-owned businesses in the Budget, says the Sun.
- “Starmer lays out ‘milestones’ in Labour ‘reset’ speech” – Keir Starmer has tried to “reset” his floundering Government by launching six bold new targets for Labour to hit by 2029, according to the Mail.
- “Starmer drops manifesto pledges as economy stumbles” – Keir Starmer has watered down two of his key election pledges amid signs of economic struggle following his tax-raising Budget, reports Ben Riley-Smith in the Telegraph.
- “If Starmer is too weak to rule, the administrative state will rule for him” – In the absence of political leadership, senior civil servants now find themselves in the driving seat, writes Robert Jenrick in the Telegraph.
- “Why Starmer’s lack of charisma could be his downfall” – Charisma is the most coveted, and ineffable, quality in politics – and the Prime Minister’s rivals have far more of it than him, says Guy Kelly in the Telegraph.
- “Britain’s state pension Ponzi scheme faces a catastrophic collapse” – In the Telegraph, Christopher Mellor warns that Britain’s state pension system is a ticking time bomb, unsustainable and on the verge of collapse.
- “Rotherham rapist to be released from prison after serving only nine years of 19-year sentence” – A member of a Rotherham grooming gang who raped and tortured his victims is set to be released from prison after serving only nine years of a 19-year sentence, reports the Telegraph.
- “A minority of Muslims are demanding special treatment for Islam. This should be refused” – In the Telegraph, Suella Braverman warns that the rise of shadow blasphemy laws, driven by political correctness and cowardice, threatens free speech and the fabric of British society.
- “Free speech now more limited, say self-censoring academics” – A survey of university staff in 28 Western countries reveals that 77% believe free speech on campus has shrunk in the past decade, leaving just 12% who disagree and 11% uncertain, according to the Times.
- “Police should tackle crime, not ‘someone expressing an opinion’, says Michael Gove” – Michael Gove says that the police should be focusing on pursuing burglars, shoplifters, domestic abusers and fraudsters, “not someone expressing an opinion”, according to the Telegraph.
- “Whisper it, are more Tories going to join Reform?” – With Reform U.K. gaining ground, Kemi Badenoch must act swiftly to prevent the Right from splintering beyond repair, says David Frost in the Telegraph.
- “Sadiq Khan to be knighted in New Year honours list” – London Mayor Sadiq Khan is reportedly set to receive a knighthood in the New Year Honours list, according to the Express.
- “Wales could be on the brink of a tourism nightmare” – With levies on second homeowners and anti-tourist sentiment already deterring visitors, fears are growing over plans for a new holiday tax in Wales, reports the Express.
- “Electric car brands offer £11,000 discounts in sales scramble” – Car companies are resorting to “heavy discounting” to meet EV sales targets that have proven “overly optimistic”, says the Telegraph.
- “Meta to use mini reactors to power its AI” – Meta has announced that it’s seeking proposals from nuclear power developers to help meet its AI and environment needs, reports the Mail.
- “Almost all councils allowing staff to work from home” – Councils are allowing staff to work from home despite cutting public services, a survey by the Telegraph has found.
- “NHS warns of ‘quad-demic’ as flu cases surge” – NHS chiefs are warning of a “quad-demic” of viruses this winter driven by a four-fold surge in flu, according to Sky News.
- “Scientists under fire for publishing flu recipe for next pandemic in top journal” – Scientists have been criticised for publishing a blueprint to create a mutated bovine-bird flu virus that could cause another pandemic, reports the Telegraph.
- “Wuhan wager: the $400 ‘bio bet’ that predicted the pandemic” – In the Spectator, Matt Ridley dives into the high-stakes bet between two scientific heavyweights, Lord Rees and Steven Pinker, over the origins of COVID-19.
- “The column you don’t want to read” – In the Spectator, Lionel Shriver explores the collective amnesia surrounding Covid policies.
- “Revisiting the pictures of doom” – On the TTE Substack, Dr. Tom Jefferson and Prof. Carl Heneghan peel back the layers of manipulated images and questionable reporting during the early days of the pandemic in Bergamo, Italy.
- “Australian excess deaths are highly correlated with the number of booster vaccinations” – Booster shots correlated strongly with excess deaths. Changing the number of unvaccinated people didn’t change the excess deaths. Who would have guessed? says Steve Kirsch on Substack.
- “Israel lashes out at ‘fanatical’ Amnesty after genocide report says Gazans treated as subhuman” – Israel has lashed out at Amnesty International after the rights group accused the nation of committing genocide against Palestinians, reports the Telegraph.
- “France’s political crisis is becoming a crisis of regime. The Fifth Republic could fall” – In the Telegraph, John Keiger warns that France’s political turmoil isn’t just a crisis – it’s a potential death knell for the Fifth Republic.
- “Ignoring voters comes at a high price – that’s what France’s centrists just learnt” – Marine Le Pen toyed with Barnier, then finished him. Will Macron be next, and with him, the Fifth Republic? wonders Fraser Nelson in the Telegraph.
- “How the U.S. State Department spends millions of dollars to coordinate Western media and direct investigative journalism against its geopolitical rivals and enemies” – On Substack, Eugyppius uncovers how Drew Sullivan’s Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project channels U.S. government funds to direct global investigative journalism against America’s geopolitical rivals.
- “A very bad idea” – On the Point Substack, Thomas Buckley warns that Pete Hegseth’s vow to quit drinking if confirmed as Secretary of Defense could undermine his nomination and damage his leadership credibility.
- “The theories behind assassination of U.S. health insurance executive” – In the Telegraph, Susie Coen delves into the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, exploring potential motives linked to the cutthroat world of health insurance.
- “MasterChef meltdown” – In the New Conservative, Dr.Roger Watson takes a measured look at the Gregg Wallace saga.
- “The BBC vs Gregg Wallace” – The truth is that working-class behaviour is no longer tolerated in this country, says Rod Liddle in the Spectator.
- “Gender-critical student suspended from university radio after posting interview with detransitioner” – Connie Shaw, an undergraduate at the University of Leeds, has been suspended from hosting a student radio show for expressing gender-critical views, reports the Telegraph.
- “Golf bans male-born players from women’s events after transgender controversy” – The major powers in female professional golf have changed their transgender policies to ban male-born players from their competitions, reports National Club Golfer.
- “Inclusivity is excluding fans – and now it feels like language of a cult” – Many who love football are bristling at the pressure to be compliant with the latest causes, says Oliver Brown in the Telegraph.
- “Carol Vorderman – activist extraordinaire” – On Substack, Charlotte Gill takes a deep dive into Carol Vorderman’s “later-life renaissance”.
- “YMCA isn’t gay and my wife will sue if you claim it is, says songwriter” – The songwriter behind the smash hit pop song YMCA says his wife will sue anyone who refers to the song as a gay anthem, according to NBC News.
- “Could this really happen?” – An AI-generated video on X shows Keir Starmer outside No.10 being photobombed by Donald Trump, who holds a sign spelling out exactly what he thinks of him.
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