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THE SUN SAYS
Budget was already a huge moment for Rishi, now it’s massive… he must give the country a vision of a better future
Sir Keir is still a long way from sealing the deal
Protest vote
FOR all that Keir Starmer trumpeted his success in Thursday’s two by-elections, the public remains unenthused — and in many cases despairing of the choice on offer.
In Wellingborough, Labour polled a mere 107 extra votes compared with 2019.
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In Kingswood, Labour got over 5,000 FEWER votes than when they lost the seat in 2019.
Voters aren’t flocking to them from the Conservatives.
Rather, they are angry with the Government, and tired of the struggle to make ends meet.
Sir Keir is still a long way from sealing the deal.
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And, if he only manages to limp into No10 by virtue of Labour not being the Tories, he could easily end up as the PM of a Government in crisis within 18 months.
No amount of spin can hide a shocking collapse in the Tory vote, however.
It was down a dizzying 38 points, albeit on a low turnout.
The Lib Dems — their leader dogged by his botched handling of the Post Office scandal — were an irrelevance on Thursday.
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What Rishi must do more than anything is give the country a vision of a better future
But what will really keep PM Rishi Sunak awake at night is the fact Reform scored at least 10 per cent of the vote in both contests.
Some Tory MPs want him to meet the Reform threat by being more robust on immigration.
It’s vital that he does do more to bring down net migration and get a grip on our borders.
Rishi Sunak pledges crackdown on 'disruptive' behaviour in new UK protest countermeasures
What would be madness, though, is for another bout of infighting and leadership plotting to break out.
That’s a sure-fire way to alienate even more of the electorate.
What Rishi must do more than anything is give the country a vision of a better future.
He must slash taxes so people have more money to spend and the economy can begin to grow again.
Reward hard work and aspiration. End wasteful public spending. Build some houses.
Next month’s Budget was already a huge moment for Rishi. Now it’s massive.
Give us some hope, PM.
True valour
ALEXEI Navalny was for years relentlessly persecuted, poisoned and imprisoned by Vladimir Putin.
It seems the vile dictator has finally got what he wanted.
Russia may deny state murder.
But as the Cold War saying goes: this is no coincidence, comrade.
Navalny could have stayed safe in exile in Europe.
Instead he showed extraordinary courage by returning to Russia knowing its tyrant leader wanted him dead.
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Let his legacy be our continued unswerving support for invaded Ukraine.
Navalny’s death reminds us again what a monster Putin is — and how he cannot be appeased.
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