It’s been quite a week in the world of politics, starting with some questionable international visits. LA mayor Karen Bass decided to jet off to the inauguration of Ghana’s new president—a risky move considering all that’s happening back home. Not far behind, Rachel Reeves proceeded with her diplomatic trip to China amid market chaos, climbing UK borrowing costs, and inevitable food price hikes. But maybe there’s hope. Word has it that the chancellor has told her cabinet to stop with the “anti-growth” tactics and instead, dream up concrete ideas to spark economic activity. You can just imagine the scene: she’s pulling suggestions from a hat. “Alright, 20 votes for ‘invent a time machine’ and one that simply says ‘Pass’. Not quite the answers we were looking for, right?”
On a different note, it’s worth keeping tabs on anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq. The painful reality lately in UK politics is that no matter how bleak things appear, what follows can somehow make the past seem almost rosy. Remember David Cameron? His time doesn’t look so rash anymore compared to the rocky leadership of Theresa May. And May’s chaos seems tame once you consider Boris Johnson’s term. And before we wax nostalgic over Boris, let’s discuss Siddiq. Sure, Chris Grayling’s odd decision to award a ferry contract to a ferry-less company seems wild. But it becomes even more surreal when the anti-corruption minister herself might have properties tied to her under scrutiny by the National Crime Agency. Although she’s distanced herself from her aunt’s regime in Bangladesh, there still seem to be property connections she can’t entirely shake off. Yet, Keir Starmer assures us he has full faith in her.
For those pondering what I’ll have to talk about when Labour finally holds power—it’s this. We’re still living in a political narrative you might find hard to turn away from, as chaotic as it is. And if you still believe the grownups are in charge, well, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Speaking of upheaval, remember how just two months ago, Reeves was pitching her budget to a skeptical CBI? She promised the business community that they won’t see a budget like that ever again and pledged to only present one budget per year—moving on from the past government’s chaotic ways. So, make a note for March! What’s a spring budget that isn’t quite a budget? Perhaps a “Fyre budget”? “Mini-budget” seems overused.
Oh, and in the latest saga, Liz Truss is threatening legal action against Starmer for claiming she “crashed the economy”. Yes, really. Liz argues that the economic picture isn’t that dire as unemployment hasn’t spiked, nor has economic output plummeted. It sure would be entertaining to watch the courtroom drama unfold, debating the definition of the word “crash”.
What’s been unfolding lately feels like watching politics unravel at triple speed. Disturbingly, we’ve seen billionaire influencers making headlines with their uninformed opinions affecting the markets, however unexpectedly. And Kemi Badenoch, who seemed promising, is stumbling over procedural antics, missing the mark on major legislative debates. It’s all feeding into the growing talk about this so-called “uniparty” phenomenon.
Meanwhile, out on the political fringes, the Reform Party appears to be picking up steam. One poll amusingly placed them neck and neck with Labour at 25%, and another had them just four points shy of both major parties who are tied at 26%.
Some are beginning to think there’s a new kind of physics at play here. Elon Musk joked about donating a fortune to Nigel Farage, which seems to go over well with dissatisfied younger voters Musk needs. Then again, dismissing Farage also resonates with disaffected Tory supporters. Like it or not, Farage is carving out his own gravitational pull, much like Trump, where all publicity—even the negative—seems to work in his favor. And the government? Well, it seems they’re hurtling the other way.
