Rory Stewart
@RoryStewartUK
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Brady-Johnson Professor Grand Strategy, Jackson/Yale. Author PoliticsOnTheEdge + Places in Between. @Restispolitics podcast w Alastair Campbell.
Joined April 2010
Was it for this that the US spent 80 years building power and alliances? Not to be a force for good. But instead to impoverish neighbours, threaten those it protected, rob minerals from war-torn countries, and break its promises to 100s of millions of the poorest in the world? 🧵.
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Nobody invited you. Nobody will welcome you. Just stop.
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An honour to have my IQ questioned by you Mr VP. But your attempts to speak for Christ are false and dangerous. Nowhere does Jesus suggest that love is to be prioritized in concentric circles. His love is universal. 🧵.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: the problem with Rory and people like him is that he has an IQ of 110 and thinks he has an IQ of 130. This false arrogance drives so much elite failure over the last 40 years.
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The key point is not that Boris Johnson received a penalty notice. The key point is that the fine proves he has repeatedly lied to parliament about his actions during COVID. Democracy requires - for voting for accountability - leaders who tell the truth. He must go.
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In the end he has to go because he will lose ministers faster than he can replace them and Nadine Dorries cannot do all the jobs in government.
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Remove the “payroll” vote - and look at the free vote from backbenchers. Almost 75% of all Tory MPs not dependent on his patronage voted against him. This is the end for Boris Johnson. The only question is how long the agony is prolonged. @RestIsPolitics.
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And again Liz Truss keeps saying Levelling up and recession is personal to her because she experienced the pain or the 1980s and 90s in Paisley and Leeds. But somehow she doesn’t seem to be mentioning that was a period of conservative government.
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Putin in six days has fostered unity and common values among democratic states that has been lacking for twenty years. His fabled propaganda machine has been exposed as tawdry, and his political judgement as lamentable. Ukraine will be his legacy - but not in the way he intends.
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I am so moved & inspired by the support I have received over the last few weeks - it has given me a new faith in politics, a new belief in our country. I didn’t get enough MPs to believe today - but they will 🙂 I remain deeply committed to you and to this country. #RoryWalksOn.
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For the record - I was completely wrong about Kamala Harris. It is heartbreaking that Trump is now the President.
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Strange that a decision has been made to remove the whip from so many colleagues who were ministers so recently. Particularly when we voted repeatedly for a Brexit deal. I can’t think of a historical precedent. But I am not stepping down as an MP.
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Every day that Boris Johnson remains tarnishes his party and the office of the Prime-Minister. Removing him is not only the ethical thing for Conservative MPs to do. It is also profoundly in their long-term interest.
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Finally doing the right thing. It is amazing though that after everything is will be Pincher who brings Boris Johnson down - not all the constitutional outrages or breaches of the ministerial code - somehow bizarrely a fitting end.
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It is an honour to have been asked by the PM to serve as Director of Communications for No10 Downing Street. I am looking forward to working with the PM, Ministers and Members of Parliament on the issues that matter most to our country.
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It’s unbelievable that an international coalition which could find 130BN dollars a year for Afghanistan when fighting there, cannot find 5 per cent of that amount to prevent millions of Afghans from starving. @SkyNews.
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The sheer tawdry Trumpian shabbiness of the whole thing - it is difficult to see how much more of this the party or our political system can survive.
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Someone who is in financial trouble to the tune of 800,000 pounds with no viable income is too vulnerable to pressure and conflicts of interest. Vetting would argue against them becoming a junior civil servant. They should certainly not be PM. @RestIsPolitics.
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Very pleased that the UK government has now agreed to take the Afghan Chevening scholars who were promised places earlier this year. Thank you to everyone who campaigned on this.
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@elonmusk @Keir_Starmer Seriously? Since when have you claimed to understand British communities or British politics? Exactly how many days have you spent with these communities? Does it ever occur to you that this might perhaps be the wrong time to sound off about a subject you know nothing about?.
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Acutely intelligent, sensitive to Russia as much as to Ukraine, clear about the horror of war - quietly immensely courageous - @zelenskyyUa is an extraordinary man. This is one of the most remarkable speeches ever made - in dignified contrast to Putin’s hysterical megalomania.
.@ZelenskyyUa's tv address to the Russian (!) people might be the most moving speech that I've ever seen in my entire life. The whole world needs to see, understand and share this crucial Ukrainian message. #StandWithUkraine #Ukraine #Україна #Russia #Россия
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The fact that it has had to be said repeatedly over so many incidents over so much time - does not change the fundamental truth: .Boris Johnson is manifestly unsuitable to be Prime- minister. Every day he remains further damages the country. Speaking now on @GMB @RestIsPolitics.
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This is unbelievable.
NEW: PM's spokesman on Jimmy Savile row: "The prime minister stands by what he said in the House.".
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Those - who were arguing recently that no-deal Brexit would “give back control” to British courts and a British parliament - have u-turned and are now suddenly against our courts, parliament, parliamentary sovereignty and constitution. 🤔.
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1/ Trump has been conned by Putin. Russia isn’t a global superpower—its GDP (~$2 trillion) is smaller than Italy’s and about 1/15 the size of the US. 🧵.
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It is not and it will never be appropriate for a British Prime-Minister to second-guess the decision of the Supreme Court. He says the Supreme Court decision was wrong. But he is wrong - wrong about the law, the constitution and the appropriate response of a PM to the Rule of Law.
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The British people vote for local MPs, not a President. MPs have the power + responsibility to remove their leaders. 4 out of the 5 last Conservative Prime-Ministers were replaced within parliamentary terms. We're long past the point when Boris Johnson should have been the 6th.
Trying to remove an elected PM with a huge personal mandate, mid term, is anti democratic. Those who seek to do so are subverting democracy. If you respect democracy, Mr Major, Mrs May, Mr Heseltine et al, do it through the ballot box, not by abusing your power and influence.
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Under almost any administration - normal or otherwise - it would be a resigning matter….
The Home Secretary said yesterday that a visa centre had already been set up in Calais. This was untrue and under any normal administration that would be a resigning matter.
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It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years, so it is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be standing down at the next election, and that I have also resigned from the Conservative Party.
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Trump claims the USA has spent 3 x more than Europe on Ukraine. FALSE.Europe has spent $20bn MORE than the US on Ukraine.Trump claims Zelensky has net popularity rating of 4% .FALSE.Z’s popularity is 50% .But the most dangerous lie is Trump’s claim that Putin can be trusted.🇺🇦.
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Boris Johnson is a symptom of a much broader problem in British politics - which can only be fixed with new policies, and - almost certainly - new parties and a new electoral system
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It was all worth it for Tom’s expression at the end of the clip…👇.
Rory Stewart on Boris Johnson: “He lurches sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left but always in the direction of his self interest”. #bbcqt
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There was once another tradition in the Conservative party - that talked of prudence, dignity and restraint. Boris Johnson shames the party, and our country. He cannot govern. Let him go.
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The world must now take the extreme measure of full sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports. That is the one thing which will truly hurt Putin and his allies. We must be ready for the cost this will impose on Germany, Italy and the global economy. But that cost is less than war.
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Deeply honoured that the Downing Street attack line is now to blame @campbellclaret for the fall of Boris Johnson - there was I thinking BJ was the architect of his own crumbling catastrophe when all along the problem was @campbellclaret's analysis on @RestIsPolitics.
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Such good news - and another reason why we should be significantly increasing our investment in the BBC World Service.
New figures show people in Russia are turning to BBC News in their millions for factual independent information about the war in Ukraine.
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I have just lost my wedding ring - in Buxton Derbyshire - just after giving a talk this afternoon - dropped I think on St John’s rd - if anyone finds it I would be so grateful - it is an old gold ring with a cross on the face. V embarrassed + grateful for RTs.
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Is this what the White House thinks is okay now?.
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This idea that “London is in the grip of Islamists” is deluded and it’s awful - an obsession that thrives among a bizarre and dangerous coalition. No conservative MP should ever be spouting this stuff.
Conservative MP Lee Anderson tells GB News that he thinks Sadiq Khan has "given our capital city away" to Islamists, who are "his mates". "Islamists have got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London," he says.
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The nature of our joint-response to Russia’s obscene aggression in Ukraine will have an immense influence on whether - and when - China attempts to annex Taiwan.
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Deeply disappointing to hear - on top of everything - that Afghans who received Scholarships from the UK government to study in the UK this year have now been told they will not be granted visas due to "administration issues". Surely someone can sort this out?
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A great decision by Joe Biden. He has many things he should be justly proud of - particularly in his economic record. All eyes now on the Democrats to find a great future President. An incredibly important decision and the correct one. 🙏.
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It is beyond imagining that the West is now compounding the humiliation and betrayal of the Afghan surge and reckless withdrawal by allowing millions of Afghans to starve. Where on earth is our sense of humanity, purpose, or responsibility?.
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Boris Johnson’s idea of producing another scandal or outrage every week, refusing to ever resign + thus exhausting and bewildering your critics - was central to Donald Trump’s approach. And to the populist style worldwide. But it is vital to call it out + reject it. #disgusting.
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We should commemorate the Queen’s service and commitment to Britain internationally in a way that changes lives. Let’s create a Queen’s Development Agency charged with spending at least 0.7 % of British GDP in the most practical + flexible support for the world’s very poorest.
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A bizarre take on John 15:12-13 - less Christian and more pagan tribal. We should start worrying when politicians become theologians, assume to speak for Jesus, and tell us in which order to love….
JD VANCE: There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that
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Dear Trump supporters - what is your justification for this?.
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The recent EU “negotiation” has been a sham. And no-deal is an fairy-story - rejected repeatedly by parliament and by the majority of voters. Prorogation and purges are undermining our democracy in pursuit of a an ill-judged, poorly executed, and deeply damaging fantasy.
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Kamala Harris will win comfortably, because: .• Biden’s admin has been solid.• Trump’s lost ground since 2016.• The young Black male votes which Trump needs didn’t turn out in 16, 18, 20, or 22.• Young women like Kamala + vote.✴️Ignore polls—they’re herding, after past misses.
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“We must uphold the very highest standards of propriety .The precious principles of public life – integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty + leadership in the public interest – must be honoured at all times” .Boris Johnson forward to the Ministerial Code 2019
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What does “by the end of the year all EU red-tape will be consigned to history”? Which regulations?.
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I sometimes think this conference is simply designed to drive the last moderate Tories out. The Conservative Party was the traditional defender of small family farms and rural traditions. How is this globalised hormone-pumped rhetoric conservative?.
Jacob Rees Mogg: "I want cheaper food. I want hormone injected beef from Australia. I've eaten beef in Australia, it's delicious. There's nothing wrong with it.".
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Would you sack your four most senior staff with no successors in place? And if you claimed you had, would people not reasonably assume that you had lied, and that they had in fact resigned?.
The PM promised changes to the No10 operation at the 1922 on Monday, and it’s good to see action is now swiftly being taken.
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What IS he doing? Not literally. Literally I get he is throwing a hand-grenade. Which I get is on brand. But more fundamentally What Does He Think He Is Doing?.
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Good to see the Telegraph and Spectator taking JD Vance’s side in our debate. Who knew the election of Trump would make our right wing media embrace the fringe idea that Christian love is about putting yourself and your own people first?
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I haven’t changed my mind on Kamala Harris winning comfortably. And I’m looking forward to the elaborate explanations from the polling companies on why they failed to predict the result.
“If I had to bet, I think Kamala Harris will win comfortably.”. @RoryStewartUK tells @jhansonradio that polling companies are no longer working, and they’re scared to predict Trump will lose after miscalculating the 2016 election. #TimesRadio
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Boris Johnson shd mark the final end of the old British system. He demonstrated ruthlessly how much damage can be done by someone refusing to respect unwritten rules. We need a written constitution. A new electoral system. And far better leaders @RestIsPolitics.
SPECIAL PODCAST: BORIS JOHNSON RESIGNS 🚨. Join @RoryStewartUK + @campbellclaret as they discuss whether Johnson will stay on as caretaker PM, the likely candidates to replace him, and what on earth happens next…. Listen👇.
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By the way - can someone advise me from this wonderful thread. Is this supposed to be the moment for me to challenge the VP in an IQ test? And if so will he participate? And when do we do it?.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: the problem with Rory and people like him is that he has an IQ of 110 and thinks he has an IQ of 130. This false arrogance drives so much elite failure over the last 40 years.
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A great appointment - and a really promising sign of the approach of the new government - congratulations @JamesTCobbler and @Keir_Starmer.
James Timpson OBE @JamesTCobbler has been appointed Minister of State (Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation) in the Ministry of Justice @MoJGovUK.
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This is a most peculiar and misleading point - we have only so far entered a transition period - we are still in all EU regulation, trade, services, tariff and quota schemes until the end of the year - none of this - as presumably you know - would be affected.
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I am running as an Independent candidate for Mayor of London, and here’s why. Please join me in my campaign: #Rory4London
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Chief of staff to the leader of a major country is a definitional 7 day a week job. It is simply not compatible with constituency service or duties and votes in parliament. To do it properly and seriously he would have to resign as an MP. What is Boris Johnson thinking?.
BREAKING: Steve Barclay has been appointed the new Downing Street chief of staff. He will remain a minister and create a new Office of the Prime Minister across No 10 and the Cabinet Office, where he is now based. Sunday Times big read coming soon!.
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I am horrified that when I asked the Attorney-General to confirm the principle of the sovereignty of parliament that he appears to have replied - over the shouts of the house - that “this parliament is a disgrace.” Our democracy can only be and must remain founded in parliament.
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You apologise if you spill ice-cream. If you mislead parliament you resign.
'It is not enough to apologise.'. Former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart gives Tonight with Andrew Marr his take after Boris Johnson's partygate apology in the Commons today. @AndrewMarr9 | @RoryStewartUK
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The PM is tiptoeing onto a dangerous path - pitting Remain against Brexit, the people against Parliament. We need to speak w/ moderation, w/ truth, w/ respect for our constitution, for our opponents, and w/ dignity if we're to win back the trust of every citizen of this gt nation
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Trump is quite different from almost all previous leaders since the early Middle Ages. He does not even pretend - with Greenland or Gaza or international aid - to be acting for just reasons. The impact of this naked abuse of power will be staggering.
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Really? We’re doing this now? The language of the ERG right is beginning to take on a hypnotic paranoid intensity - unconsciously echoing dead regimes. I voted to stop a disastrous no-deal - in this country’s interests - and to push for compromise against this kind of language.
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It is just extraordinary- from the very start of this clip - that every element of solemnity around him - the dark clothes, the medals and the rest - will require him to take the limelight and stage a scene from Mr.Bean.
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Conservative leaders who back Trump should be ashamed. They are abandoning the very values which were once the core of conservatism - betraying the very idea of constitutional government, prudence in policy, and simple decency. And they are also backing a loser. .
The Notebook || The embrace of Trump by senior Tory figures shows just how removed the party is from the British electorate, writes @jameschappers in today's Notebook 📓.
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People underestimate how restful Conservative Party conference speeches can be…
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Push the UK government to.• Form an international coalition to provide routes, funding + safe-haven for millions of refugees, with homes for them in Britain and across the West .• And dramatically increase UK aid and development spend for Afghans trapped in the country.
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What would he have called me if I had proposed suspending parliament? @Peston.
.@DominicRaab compares @RoryStewartUK to “tinpot dictator” Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela for proposing citizens assembly to solve Brexit. #LobbyHustings.
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About to speak on @GMB to explain why this result is either the end for Boris Johnson - or if he tries to cling on - the end for the Conservative Party.
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To see how far British politics has fallen - look at Wilson 👇, his automatic respect for constitutional precedence - the lack of slogans, his fairness towards his opponent, the mature style of the whole conversation. It makes me ashamed of what we’ve become.
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I will be speaking on @GMB at 735 this morning on why a habit of lying is a problem in a Prime-Minister - a problem for decision-making, and leadership, and the moral character of government. But what is staggering is that this even needs to be said.
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At last I understand why he’s cut almost all the tanks from the British Army.
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Something else I failed to predict last year! Thank you all 🙏🏻
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I admire Keir Starmer but if he is fined over breaking COVID regulations and found to have misled parliament then he must resign. The strongest card that Labour has over Boris Johnson is that they are standing for a moral integrity. They cannot afford to throw that card away.
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Is there ANYTHING that Trump has done in the last 40 days - inside the US, or with Canada + Germany to Ukraine - that is not EXACTLY what Putin wanted?.Could the Russian intelligence services have ever dreamt of a more perfect candidate and policies to serve Russia’s interests?.
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We can empathise with voters + accept the result but Trump’s victory does not make his program or vision better. We were wrong to believe Kamala Harris would win. We were not wrong to believe that she should have won. Or that the values + vision that she represents can win again.
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The clearest and most constructive option for a new Labour growth plan is to rejoin the EU Customs Union. That is NOT the same as rejoining the EU. But it would make immense sense economically and strategically. Please do it!
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I 100% disagree with both the language and the sentiment of the last sentence of this tweet. Can all candidates please confirm the same.
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What is so beautifully observed here is the delivery of the new MP - the apparent reasonableness - the “it’s complicated” - the “I know what you are thinking….” All leading up to the mad solution….
MP says people should get a better job such as “a banker” to protect themselves from cost of living surge
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We are going to see a lot more of these apparently bold and dramatic announcements over the next few days. And almost all of them will then fade away into nothing. Because long-term policy is becoming impossible in the daily struggle for the PM’s survival
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About to speak to @mrjamesob @lbc on the crumbling catastrophe in the Downing Street bunker. He has to go. For his own sanity and ours.
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Signing off twitter for 3 weeks - and going walking - see you all later in August 🦏.
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Here is Britain’s . new right - climate sceptical, immigration obsessed, anti human right, attacking elites. In US + Europe this has already become anti-LGBTQ and sympathetic to authoritarian states. When will conservatives finally say “not in my name”?!. .
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What is the source for this claim that the US has given 350 Billion to Ukraine please @JDVance ? According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the US has allocated $119 billion.
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We are going to leave the EU on October 31st and make this country the best in the world to live in 🇬🇧
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Amidst the buffoonery, carnival and pantomime Boris Johnson is distracting us from just how serious the next five years will be for Britain: recession, fuel prices, inflation, and a more dangerous world than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. No more clowns.
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Too many commentators are blaming the Afghan government/people. This is on us. We did not need to leave so recklessly and suddenly. US and NATO air support was vital, relatively low risk, and sustainable. We could and should have continued support. We are betraying Afghanistan.
"We've pulled the rug out from the Afghan people and it's a terrible tragedy.". Ex-international development secretary @RoryStewartUK tells #Newsnight the growing conflict in Afghanistan has been caused by President Biden's "reckless decision" to withdraw US troops "so suddenly"
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It is tragic that the West continues to pay Putin billions for oil and gas - propping up his regime and invasion. We must now stop importing oil and gas from Russia - it is the single most concrete and effective measure we could take. (Speaking on @bbc5live in two minutes).
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“75 per cent of the public believe that Johnson lied about breaking the law, a finding that future historians may regard as a landmark moment. Only 12 per cent think he is telling the truth, roughly the same number who think aliens walk among us.”
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