The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Jeremy Corbyn

  • Several other tower blocks have combustible cladding-British PM

    Several other tower blocks have combustible cladding-British PM

    British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday that initial tests on other high-rise buildings after the London fire tragedy have shown that the cladding was combustible.

    May, made this known while citing the results of tests conducted after a fire killed at least 79 people in London.

    Flames spread rapidly up the 24-storey residential tower block on June 17, trapping people inside, in what was Britain’s worst blaze since World War Two.

    Exterior cladding added during a refurbishment may have played a part, residents have said.

    The disaster heaped pressure on Prime Minister May, already fighting for her political survival after a snap election saw her party lose its parliamentary majority.

    It has acted as a focal point for anger at government cuts to local authority funding and drawn accusations of criminal negligence.

    “We should, of course, be careful on speculating what caused this fire, but as a precaution, the government has arranged to test cladding on all relevant tower blocks,” May told parliament.

    “Shortly before I came to the chamber, I was informed that a number of these tests have come back as combustible.”

    She said local authorities and fire services had been informed and were taking steps to make affected buildings safe and to inform residents.

    May has launched a public inquiry into the fire and police have announced a criminal investigation.

    May said tests on the cladding of Grenfell Tower where the fire blazed would be made public in the next 48 hours.

    “This has been a wake-up call for the whole country,” said Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party.

    “Residents of tower blocks all over the country are concerned, worried and frightened for their own safety. What we need is a step change in our attitude toward housing in this country.”

    After apologising for a slow state response to the fire, May said it was right that the head of the local council had resigned.

    Nicholas Holgate, chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea council, said he was forced out by the government.

  • Millennial’s voting preferences, lessons for future elections

    A Post-UK election analysis by the Financial Times suggests that better-educated people tend to vote for left-wing or centrist causes, while those who never went to university are more likely to vote for right-wing or populist parties. It concludes that Tories made heavy forays into working class territories previously considered the exclusive domain of the Labour Party, even though, overall, the Conservatives’ showing at last week’s poll was poorer.

    An analysis of the trends in the recent elections in France reveals similar results. Emmanuel Macron, for instance, won his highest votes in Paris, home to France’ most literate population. He garnered 34.8% in the first round and scooped a whopping 89.7% of the Parisian vote in the second round.

    Polling from Lord Ashcroft’s also suggests that the Conservatives beat Labour to the middle-class votes by just three percent in the 2017 election. For context, in the 1974 elections, the Tories took 56% of the middle-class vote while Labour managed 19%. As a consequence, Labour seems to have narrowed the difference in a manner that convinces some analysts that if an election was called today, the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn will lead the Brexit negotiations in the coming days.

    The Brits were faced with two choices – a ‘Strong and Stable’ incumbent and a wobbly Labour leader, whose affinity towards the IRA was played up in the weeks before Polling Day. In what some analysts described as an ‘unnecessary election,’ British Prime Minister Theresa May insisted she needed her proverbial hand strengthened by a strong majority to face her counterpart leaders in Brussels for the Brexit negotiations.

    It turned out that the slim majority that made her the Prime Minister, following the referendum that blew her predecessor David Cameron apart, will be eroded. The foregoing has exposed Mrs May to varied attacks both home and abroad.

    The day after the elections, following her declaration to form a government with the ‘support’ of the Democratic Unionist Party, a Northern Ireland caucus, political commentator Robin Oakley called her damaged goods with diminished authority. He believed that the Prime Minister had lost the confidence of Britons to lead the country out of the EU.

    Mrs May, however, said the U.K. now more than ever needed certainty that she was now poised to offer. One imagines this certainty has to do greatly with the impending Brexit negotiations with the EU leadership. This was despite many EU leaders taunting her after the results of the poll became public. The already wounded Prime Minister had become a laughing stock. Though her party lost seats in the elections, the Conservatives won the majority of seats as well as the highest number of votes.

    The percentage of votes accrued to the Tories under Theresa May in this ‘post-Brexit’ election, was more than what sent both Tony Blair (40.7% & 35.2% in 2001 & 2005 respectively) and David Cameron’s (36.1% & 36.9% in 2010 & 2015) to Downing Street. But can you blame anyone for chastising Theresa May, who made the election a personal contest with Jeremy Corbyn? He was a punching bag but the ‘Strong and Stable’ leader shied away from all debates.

    A Town Hall engagement that followed with an interview with Jeremy Paxman had to feature the two leaders on separate platforms. This arrangement and the subsequent decision not to take part in a debate with other candidates in the election spelt her doom. Many could no longer defend her ‘Strong and Stable’ mantra. Her U-turn over proposals in her Party’s manifesto was also perceived as an utter disregard for the voting populace and a resolve not to subject her party’s policies to scrutiny.

    The London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack days before the election probably drove the last nail into her coffin. It brought to the fore how decisions of her Party, with her as Home Secretary earlier and now Premier have contributed to reduced spending on the police and its concomitant decrease in police numbers on London’s streets.

    In all of this, Millennials were probably keen observers. They were only interested in policies that furthered their interests and aspirations. Many believe the outturn of the elections was also to ensure that Britain’s leaders ‘talked’ to each other in this bid to sever ties with the European Union. I differ on that one.

    It is nearly impossible for voters in an election to agree in their political choices to bring leaders from diametrically opposed sides to do business. The hung Parliament, the outcome of last week’s election, is better explained by voters aged 18-24 years, whose shift to Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign shored up his votes 51 points more than the national average.

    Many analysts believe that if the youth feel rewarded by their massive turnout and voting for their preferred candidate, their engagement could be sustained, further shifting the voting patterns in the UK towards Labour.

    Given the expected renewed commitment of Millennials in voting on their everyday realities, politicians seeking to attract them can’t be fixated on their ideals and history. Corbyn asked voters to judge him on his politics today as well as the policies his party offered and we saw the verdict. Can we conclude that the verdict for the Conservative Party under the watch of Theresa May was a verdict of her politics and policies both as Home Secretary and Prime Minister?

    The dynamics of the Brexit votes and Trump’s emergence in the White House and last week’s UK election must tell politicians that the largest pool of voters don’t just care about who leads parties but they also care about how the leader remains committed to following through his or her policies, the strength of his or her engagement and how those policies touch their daily realities.

    I rest my case.

    Kobby Mensah is a Freelance Journalist with interest in politics and business reporting.

He last worked as head of politics and lead producer for EIB Network's Starr FM and

GHOne TV, where he led teams to implement Town Hall events in the run up to Ghana's

2016 elections. He also benefited from US 2016 election reporting under the State

Department and Foreign Press Office's Youth in Politics Initiative.
  • British PM May faces mounting criticism over London tower block blaze

    British PM May faces mounting criticism over London tower block blaze

    British Prime Minister Theresa May faced mounting criticism on Friday for not meeting the survivors of a deadly London tower block blaze.

    May promised to hold a public inquiry into a fire that killed 17 people when it engulfed a 24-storey social housing block in West London, expressing her sorrow in a televised statement after meeting with the emergency services.

    Unlike opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was confronted by a young boy asking “How many children died?”, May did not meet with residents, prompting criticism from locals, media and within her Conservative party.

    “She wanted an entirely controlled situation in which she didn’t use her humanity,” former cabinet minister Michael Portillo told the BBC.

    “She should have been there with the residents. You have to be prepared to receive people’s emotions, and not be so frightened about people,” he said.

    When asked on Thursday about why she did not meet residents or visit a local community center, May said she wanted to visit the scene of the incident to be briefed by the emergency services.

    The Sun newspaper said 65 people are now feared dead or missing in the fire.

    London police expect the death toll to rise further but said it could take months to search the burned-out building and identify the victims.

    On Friday, British newspapers heightened their criticism of the government, saying there were a series of unanswered issues including as to whether the cladding used on the building helped the blaze spread.

    “Three lethal questions,” headlined the right-wing Daily Mail newspaper, which backed May’s Conservatives in last week’s national election, saying ministers faced disturbing questions over the disaster.

    Local government minister Sajid Javid, responsible for housing policy, defended May for not meeting with those affected by the disaster:

    “What she wanted to do was to speak to the people working on the ground on the recovery operation, the rescue operation to make sure that they’ve got everything they want and see how she could help,” he told Sky news.

    After May failed to win an outright majority in a snap election on June 8, she is battling to strike a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to support her government.

  • Theresa May to seek Queen’s permission to form government

    Theresa May to seek Queen’s permission to form government

    British Prime Minister, Theresa May, is to ask Queen Elizabeth for permission to form a government at 11:30 GMT on Friday.

    A spokesman from May’s said, after she failed to win an outright majority at a national election.

    British voters dealt May a devastating blow in a snap election she had called to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks, wiping out her parliamentary majority and throwing the country into political turmoil.

    With no clear winner emerging from Thursday’s election, a wounded May signaled on Friday that she would fight on.

    Her Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn, once written off by his opponents as a no-hoper, said May should step down and he wanted to form a minority government.

    In the aftermath of one of the most sensational nights in British electoral history, politicians and commentators called May’s decision to hold the election a colossal mistake and derided her performance on the campaign trail. She appeared determined to tough it out, however.

    “Theresa May has no intention of announcing her resignation later today,” BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg told BBC radio.

    With 649 of 650 seats declared, the Conservatives had won 318 seats.

    Though the biggest single winner, they failed to reach the 326-mark they would need to command a parliamentary majority. Labour had won 261 seats.

    With complex talks on Britain’s divorce from the European Union due to start in 10 days, it was unclear who would form the next government and what the direction of Brexit would be.

    From the EU’s perspective, the upset meant a possible delay in the start of Brexit talks and an increased risk that negotiations would fail.

    “We need a government that can act.

    “With a weak negotiating partner, there’s a danger that the negotiations will turn out badly for both sides EU Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.

    The EU’s chief negotiator said the bloc’s stance on Brexit and the timetable for the talks were clear, but the divorce negotiations should only start when Britain is ready.

    “Let’s put our minds together on striking a deal,” Michel Barnier said.

  • Women make historic gains in British election

    Women make historic gains in British election

    Women have entered Britain’s parliament in record numbers after Thursday’s election, winning at least 200 seats in the 650-seat parliament.

    The last parliament had 196 female lawmakers, voted in at the election in 2015 and subsequent by-elections.

    NAN reports that Preet Gill, the first Sikh woman to be elected to the British parliament’s House of Commons, is from the opposition Labour party.

    Britain’s election ended in a hung parliament early Friday, with Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives losing their majority.

    With results in 637 constituencies counted, no party was in a position to gain the 326 seats required to gain an absolute majority in the 650-seat parliament.

    The Conservatives had won 311, the opposition Labour party were on 258 and the Scottish National Party were in third position with 34.

    The result is a humiliation for May, who had called the snap election in the hope of boosting her mandate to carry out the country’s Brexit negotiations.

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on her to step down, saying she should “go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country.”

    But May indicated she would seek to remain in office.

    “At this time more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability,” she said after being re-elected in her Maidenhead constituency.

    “And if, as the indications have shown and if this is correct that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure we have that period of stability, and that is exactly what we will do.”

  • British PM resumes campaigning three days before national election

    British PM resumes campaigning three days before national election

    British Prime Minister Theresa May resumes campaigning on Monday after a deadly militant attack on London Bridge.

    May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after three knife-wielding assailants rammed a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed others nearby, killing seven people and injuring 48.

    After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday’s election would go ahead but said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism.

    “Violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process,” May, who served as interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said outside her Downing Street office.

    Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a U.S.-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, according to the group’s media agency Amaq.

    Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years.

    In an early morning raids in east London, British counter-terrorism police detained more people on Monday.

    Police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London following the attack, though one was later released.

    Police have not released the names of the attackers and British newspapers refrained from identifying the men.

    It was not immediately clear how the attack would impact the election, though the issue of security has been thrust to the forefront of the campaign after the London Bridge and Manchester attacks.

    The campaign was suspended for several days last month when a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert by Ariana Grande in Manchester.

    Grande gave an emotional performance on Sunday at a benefit gig in the city for the victims of the attack, singing with a choir of local schoolchildren, including some who had been at her show.

    Before the London Bridge attack, May’s gamble on a June 8 snap election had been thrust into doubt after polls showed her Conservative Party’s lead had collapsed in recent weeks.

    While British pollsters all predict May will win the most seats in Thursday’s election, they have given an array of different numbers for how big her win will be, ranging from a landslide victory to a much more slender win without a majority.

    Some polls indicate the election could be close, possibly throwing Britain into political deadlock just days before formal Brexit talks with the European Union are due to begin on June 19.

    May called the snap election in a bid to strengthen her hand in negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union, to win more time to deal with the impact of the divorce and to strengthen her grip on the Conservative Party.

    If she fails to beat handsomely the 12-seat majority her predecessor David Cameron won in 2015, her electoral gamble will have failed and her authority will be undermined both inside the Conservative Party and at talks with 27 other EU leaders.

    May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution, but were inspired by what she called a “single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism” that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth.

    As a former interior minister, May’s record on security is also under scrutiny, she reduced police numbers and oversaw the domestic intelligence agency, MI5.

    Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised May, who was interior minister from 2010 to 2016, for cutting police numbers during her tenure in charge of the interior ministry.

    “The mass murderers who brought terror to our streets in London and Manchester want our election to be halted. They want democracy halted,” Corbyn said in Carlisle, northern England.

    “They want their violence to overwhelm our right to vote in a fair and peaceful election and to go about our lives freely.”

    “That is why it would be completely wrong to postpone Thursday’s vote, or to suspend our campaigning any longer.”