𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The spectacle of hundreds of balaclava clad teenagers rampaging through the streets of Clapham last week looting shops and robbing businesses was nothing short of sickening. This is not the UK I was brought up in, nor is it the UK I want to live in. We should bring back Boris’ water cannons, and load them with “Smartwater” rather than old fashioned tap water, so as to leave an indelible trace on each of the thugs in order to locate and prosecute them. Unfortunately – for reasons best known to herself – Theresa May banned the use of water cannons in riot situations in 2015 and Sadiq Khan sold the three that Boris acquired for just £11k at a whopping loss of £309k in 2018 bragging “we finally managed to get rid of them”. What a buffoon that man is.

Other countries don’t seem to have a problem using water cannons to deal with yobs and mobs unlike the UK that has become uniquely obsessed with the human rights of criminals rather than those of the law-abiding majority. Going soft on crime such as treating shoplifting more as an insurance claim rather than a criminal act may have satisfied bleeding heart liberals who would do anything rather than send someone to prison, but all it’s done is send a message to these wrong ‘uns they won’t be prosecuted, which has led to an explosion in shop theft. There were over 530,643 reported offences last year, costing retailers £2.2bn. Criminals are being given a green light to expand their enterprise whilst legitimate businesses have to bear the cost.

Deluded Sadiq Khan – protected from the realities of the city he is presiding over by his security detail and his taxpayer funded armoured range rovers – took to the airwaves last week precisely as criminals rampaged across London to saying it was one of the safest cities in the world. Who on earth does he think he is fooling? The reality is that knife crime is up 72% in a year, shoplifting up 38% on the previous year and theft from a person has tripled since Khan took office.

These youths simply have no respect for authority. They are running rings around an impotent system and there is no consequences for their criminal behaviour.

One of Starmer’s first acts as Prime Minister was to let 1,750 criminals out of prison, and appoint a Prison Minister who thinks only one-third of those in jail should be there. Shockingly, in less than two years this Labour government has let 50,000 criminals out of prison back onto the streets early.

Not satisfied with the extent of that, ‘Soft on crime Starmer’ last month brought in a Sentencing Act which sends even fewer persistent convicted criminals to prison, and is letting out those who end up prison after only serving 40% of their sentences.

No wonder Britain is becoming lawless, and it is the useless double act of Starmer and Sadiq who are to blame.

We pay the price while China laughs at us

What exactly did the UK get from Starmer’s Kowtow trip to China? It is difficult to think of anything.

It certainly isn’t hard to see what Communist China got – a super spy Embassy in Central London, Ed Miliband buying more solar panels and British citizen Jimmy Lai remaining in prison. The latest coup for China appears to be more bus contracts. Last week, half of the £45m zero-emission buses in Scotland went to a Chinese firm. ADL, the British bus builder, announced it was closing its Falkirk factory hours after this decision.

Starmer and his Labour stooges couldn’t negotiate their way out of a paper bag, probably because they have no business experience. We are all paying the price, and enemies like China are laughing at us.

Credit where credit is due

Well, well, Barclays Bank has announced plans to open in-person branches after shutting down 800 since 2018.

Vim Maru, the bank’s new chief executive, says he plans to expand Barclays ‘ on-street presence. I’m delighted, and not before time, with only 206 left open.

Few things anger the public more or unite MPs from across the House than disappearing banks on the high street.

I combined forces with Labour MP Ian Lavery to lead a backbench debate to demand banks return to the high street and provide a proper service for their customers.

Credit where credit is due to Barclays for responding. Let’s hope the others follow suit.

Red Ed must ditch his fanaticism

Even some rebellious backbench Labour MPs are now calling on Ed Miliband to “drill baby drill”.

It comes after a Lord Ashcroft poll found over 50% of the public want the Labour government to get drilling in the North Sea.

Rachel Reeves also wants oil and gas out of the North Sea, so she can tax it.

Red Ed needs to end his ideological left-wing fanaticism and get drilling.

Logic isn’t this mastermind’s strong suit…

It is only a question of when, not if, mastermind David Lammy performs Labour’s next U-turn – abandoning the government’s hugely controversial ban on juries for certain trials.

At the end of last year, court backlogs stood at about 80,000 cases, with Lammy claiming it would soon surpass 100,000 cases to justify destroying 800 years of our justice system.

The Criminal Bar Association claims there has been a significant reduction in the backlog by introducing more sitting days, which the Opposition and many Labour MPs had called for as the most logical way of reducing the backlog.

Logic has never been David Lammy’s strong suit, but even he will have to accept that his attempt to trash our ancient freedoms is a non-starter.

The clue is in the name

I was depressed to read that sassy Sydney Sweeney is the latest star tipped to be the new James Bond.

Whilst I believe she’s a terrific actress, who’d make a marvellous spy, she is no 007.

The clue is in the name: James Bond. He is a man, and he is quintessentially British.

Let’s hope this isn’t the latest great tradition to be ruined by the politically correct brigade.