“We’re not going back”: US Vice President Kamala Harris celebrates receiving the Democratic nomination for President at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago alongside (L-R) her husband Doug Emhoff, her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his wife Gwen. © Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
The Prime Minister was hosted in Northern Ireland and Wales. He met with police leaders in Northern Ireland and condemned far-right rioting in Belfast and Londonderry/Derry, while in Wales he met with newly inaugurated First Minister Eluned Morgan, where they visited a wind farm to trumpet Great British Energy.
The Tory leadership hopefuls were also out and about, with Tom Tugendhat undertaking a four-nations tour, Robert Jenrick visiting 15 local Conservative associations and Kemi Badenoch…going on holiday. It was a slow week in the campaign, with the highlight being conflicting polls variously showing Badenoch, Jenrick, Tugendhat, Patel and Cleverly in the lead. How conclusive.
The Government faced heat on various fronts, with ongoing rows relating to the appointment of Labour campaigners to senior Civil Service positions (which the Conservative Party branded “hypocritical”) and the Chancellor’s rhetoric on the “black hole” in the nation’s finances, which has come under further scrutiny in the context of her chopping the winter fuel payment for many pensioners despite energy prices looking set to increase.
Soon-to-be-former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross accused some of his MSPs of briefing against him. It follows reports that Ross implied he had a chosen favourite successor in Russell Findlay, with the other contestants subsequently questioning the "transparency and fairness" of the race. Ross hit back spicily, calling some Conservative MSPs “calculating b*stards”. Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher have now received the required nominations to continue, with another three competitors knocked out of the race.
Doug Beattie resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), citing “irreconcilable differences” between himself and party officers. A new leader will be elected by 14 September.
Temporary measures to manage the pressures on prisons in the north of England were reactivated following the recent riots. Operation Early Dawn will see offenders held in police station jails ahead of their court appearance until it is confirmed a prison place is available, as prisons have been operating at critical levels for several years.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted the Democratic nomination. Many football references were made (in honour of Walz’s experience as a high school football coach) as the pair took to the stage to tell the guests at the Democratic National Convention that the US is “not going back” and called voters to “turn the page” on Donald Trump. A star-studded list of senior politicians and celebrities also took to the stage, including President Joe Biden, the Obamas, the Clintons, Oprah Winfrey, and former two-time Celebrity Apprentice contestant Lil Jon (see below).
286,382 – The number of work visas granted in the year to June 2024, 11% down on the previous year.
290 – The number of beds added across Immigration Removal Centres at Campsfield and Haslar.
370,450 – The number of Labour Party members last year, a fall of 37,000 on the previous year (the Conservative Party does not publish equivalent figures).
67.6% – This year’s GCSE pass rate, falling for the third year in a row.
£3.60 – The new price of a standard Tesco meal deal for Clubcard members, an increase from £3.40. (£4 without a Clubcard)
8 – The number of shows Taylor Swift performed at Wembley for her Eras Tour, the most of any solo singer. The record was previously held by Michael Jackson with his Bad Tour in 1988.
£149 – The increase in the typical household’s annual energy bill in October.
85% of Britons think the country is divided, with concern about extremism rising according to a new poll by Ipsos. Around half of Brits now think that the differences between people’s political views is dangerous for society, up from a third last month. On the recent riots specifically, 59% of people think the police have done a good job, whilst the approval rate of the Prime Minister’s response to the events stands at 39%.
YouGov also focused on the riots in its latest poll, finding that whilst support for Elon Musk has remained the same, trust in X has fallen. Four times as many Brits (64%) have a negative view of the social media owner compared to a positive view (17%), though this figure remains unchanged from last year. Polling for X has dropped to its lowest ever though, with 4 in 10 of daily X users having a negative view of the platform, and around half of the public thinking there is too much freedom to post offensive and harmful content on the site.
The UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending has gone to regions with a GDP figure equal to or in excess of that reported in large parts in the UK over the last 5 years, says the IEA’s most recent report, with areas in Mexico, Malaysia and China receiving support. The report found that the richest area receiving ODA support was Ordos in China, where the GDP per capita was £27,500, higher than 69 areas in the UK. It proposes an amendment to the International Development Act 2002 which would require ODA spenders to target regions with a regional GDP per capita below the UN Development Assistance Committee’s cut off point.
With just weeks to go to the party conference season, UK politics got schooled by the Democratic National Convention this week on how it’s done. Forget cups of lukewarm tea, tiny spinach quiches, and fringe events twice the length anyone ever needed them to be… the DNC filled the largest basketball arena in the country to the brim with cheering, flag waving, hopeful Democrats, to nominate Kamala Harris as their candidate for November’s election. And if that wasn’t enough – watch the clip below to see how the Democratic Party of Georgia cast their votes… with the help of rapper Lil Jon.
…Until the day Stormzy glides down the side staircase of the ACC Liverpool, to announce Croydon West’s nomination for the next general election candidate whilst signing Vossi Bop… the US will always do it better than us.
