“No end of sacrificial lambs would be enough to keep Reform’s Birmingham bash on the rails. They gamely tried to carry on, but it was all anyone was talking about – and the mood among delegates has been suitably glum”
Nigel Farage’s motley crew of Reform UK characters aren’t often lost for words. But they all quickly clammed up when the Mirror asked them about the party’s latest donor drama.
The party dismissed Channel 4’s sting as a hoax and a distraction – but less than 12 hours later it was serious enough for them to launch an investigation and for two very senior figures in Farage’s orbit to step down.
So desperate was Farage to avoid his flashy conference being derailed, he threw one of his longest-serving and closest aides, Dan Jukes, under the bus – dismissing him as a “contractor”.
But no end of sacrificial lambs would be enough to keep Reform’s Birmingham bash on the rails. They gamely tried to carry on, but it was all anyone was talking about – and the mood among delegates has been suitably glum.
And all that was before the repeated interruptions of Farage’s droning speech by climate protesters. An automatic banner poking fun at Farage’s £5m gift unfurled itself at the back of the stage during deputy leader Richard Tice’s speech too – presumably intended for the leader’s address, but thwarted by the programme running spectacularly late.
As party conference disasters go, it was right up there with Theresa May’s lost voice, disintegrating backdrop and being handed a P45 by a comedian.
And there’s still one more day of chaos to go on Saturday. Whatever next?
Trump backs chainsaw-weilding madman over Britain in Falklands row
Donald Trump is on the verge of torpedoing America’s Special Relationship with Britain and rowing in behind a chainsaw-wielding madman.
The increasingly petty US President has signalled he could stand back and let Argentina try and take back the Falkland Islands.
The madman in question is Javier Milei, Argentina’s flamboyant President. Aside from his fondness for waving around a chainsaw, Milei is best known for launching vile attacks on Pope Benedict.
And why is Trump siding with Milei over America’s greatest ally? Because Keir Starmer refused to follow him into his Iran war folly.
The Falklands are significantly better defended now than they were in 1982. Should Argentina make a move for them, it will probably be brief and fruitless.
Timeless Dolly back in the charts
How wonderful to see Dolly Parton continue to make history even in death. A week on from her passing, her singles 9 to 5, Jolene and Islands in the Stream have rocketed back into the charts – the first time she’s ever had three of the top 10. Her timeless songs will no doubt keep finding new fans for decades to come.