Rebel News Podcast - May 02, 2025


EZRA LEVANT ｜ Reform UK stuns the country with byelection win


Episode Stats

Length

44 minutes

Words per Minute

168.91547

Word Count

7,503

Sentence Count

677

Misogynist Sentences

9

Hate Speech Sentences

26


Summary

The Conservative Party didn t break through in Canada, but will Nigel Farage's party do the same in the United Kingdom? It's May 2nd, and this is The Ezra LeVant Show. I'm in the north of England, in the riding of Runcorn and Hellsby, and I'm here on Thursday because there's a special by-election that could determine the future of this country's politics.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Tonight, the Conservative Party didn't break through in Canada, but will Nigel Farage break
00:00:05.260 through in the United Kingdom? It's May 2nd, and this is The Ezra LeVant Show.
00:00:13.920 You know, I can't get enough of elections. Canada just had its big election on Monday.
00:00:18.340 I'm here on Thursday in the United Kingdom because there's a special
00:00:22.160 by-election that could determine the future of this country's politics.
00:00:26.440 Look at this beautiful scene behind me. I'm in the riding of Runcorn and Hellsby.
00:00:32.040 That's a British name if ever there was. It's in the north of England. Liverpool's that way.
00:00:37.440 Manchester's that way. And just looking at this gorgeous valley, you can see a story of the United
00:00:43.080 Kingdom. You can see the oil refinery, which has been there for decades. And you can see the new
00:00:50.300 net zero wind turbines, hundreds of millions of dollars worth and not a single one of them
00:00:56.680 turning. You can see down there four giant smokestacks. There used to be eight. That's
00:01:01.720 a coal-fired power plant that they detonated because they're getting off coal. That's why
00:01:07.340 the UK pays some of the highest prices in the world for energy. This is a country with energy
00:01:12.520 poverty. What's interesting is this is a working-class area. In fact, the Labour Party
00:01:18.060 got more than 50% of the vote just last year. But here's the wrinkle. The Labour MP, Iron
00:01:24.160 Mike Amesbury, he got into a spot of bother, as the Brits would say, late one night in front
00:01:30.500 of a pub. He got into an argument with a constituent and he beat the daylights out of him. Trouble
00:01:36.940 is that whole thing was caught on tape. Well, Iron Mike was sentenced to prison, although there
00:01:42.380 are two tiers of justice in the UK. Our friend Tommy Robinson was sentenced to two years in
00:01:47.860 prison for putting up a tweet. Mike Amesbury had two days in prison before the judge let
00:01:53.800 him go. But he was ejected from Parliament and so the by-election comes tonight. And what's
00:01:59.440 so amazing is this district that was overwhelmingly Labour last time, well, it's neck and neck.
00:02:04.440 The Labour Party is tied with the Reform UK. That's Nigel Farage's party. Both candidates
00:02:12.160 are women. In the case of the Labour Party, it's a local councillor, Karen Shore. She's tried
00:02:19.020 to de-laborize herself, saying she actually set up a Facebook page against an asylum hotel,
00:02:27.920 which is quite a trick, given that she was pro-migration until about five minutes ago.
00:02:32.620 She was out door-knocking with one of the local TV stations and I just got to show you this
00:02:38.080 moment of the severely normal homeowner condemning Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and slamming
00:02:44.540 the door. That's not what you want when you're a candidate going out with the press. Take
00:02:47.680 a look.
00:02:48.680 Here with Karen Shore, the Labour candidate in the by-election.
00:02:51.340 On the Reform UK side, they're running a prestigious candidate. It's a real populist grassroots party,
00:03:12.480 but they're running a former magistrate, which is a junior judge, Sarah Pochin. And the latest
00:03:18.480 polls show that the Reform UK and the Labour are tied. It's a dead heat. Nigel Farage himself
00:03:24.300 has come to town to campaign, which says he thinks he can win it. It's a very interesting
00:03:29.780 place. It's a large rural sector too. And Keir Starmer's Labour Party has declared war on
00:03:35.700 farmers. It's really anti-human to declare war on energy and declare war on food. It makes
00:03:43.940 no sense. Prosperous societies have plentiful, affordable energy and plentiful, affordable
00:03:51.460 food. In the UK, they pay some of the highest energy prices in the world because they're
00:03:54.840 net zero madness. And now they're demanding that farmers pay an enormous inheritance tax.
00:04:00.340 I think it's 40%, which would basically end family farms in this country. So there's a lot
00:04:06.560 of discontent in this district. And tonight we'll decide not just the local MP, but if Reform
00:04:15.180 UK manages to punch through, it'll do one other thing. See, in the UK for decades, it's been
00:04:21.260 conservative labor, conservative labor, like in Canada, conservative liberal, conservative
00:04:27.060 liberal. The great Margaret Thatcher was a great conservative. But in the last 15 years,
00:04:33.900 the Conservative Party lost its way. It was in power until last year. It had 14 years and it was
00:04:39.980 behind net zero and it was behind wokeism and it was behind online censorship and it was behind
00:04:47.420 mass immigration. The Conservative Party was. And so it was conservative in name only. And here comes
00:04:53.640 Nigel Farage and his central plank. A decade ago, it was taking the UK out of the European Union,
00:05:01.160 but now it's stopping mass immigration. And that is an idea that has inspired this country.
00:05:08.020 If Nigel Farage's candidate can win in this former bastion of labor, can win the farmers and
00:05:14.560 win the industrial workers and can win people concerned about immigration, not only will that
00:05:20.000 be a defeat to labor in their stronghold, but it will be a defeat for the Conservatives because it will
00:05:26.200 signal to every Brit who is upset with the way things are going, that the alternative to the
00:05:32.840 incumbent is not the Conservative Party centuries old, but rather the populist conservative upstart
00:05:40.100 party of Reform UK. That is just as important as beating labor. The Conservative Party recently chose
00:05:46.840 a new leader named Kemi Badenoch, a black woman who's very strong on issues. But whenever she raises
00:05:52.380 them in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister says, where were you for those 14 years? It's a
00:05:57.040 compelling argument. Tonight, we'll decide who is the MP for this lovely place. It'll decide whether
00:06:04.540 or not labor's grip on the working class North continues. But more importantly, it may determine
00:06:11.480 which party is the alternative, the opposition, because as we've learned in Canada so many times,
00:06:17.240 unless you unite the right, you have no chance in beating the left. If Nigel Farage's candidate wins, that will
00:06:25.860 hasten the coalescing of the right behind his party. It's very exciting. And I thought I would come over for
00:06:34.420 one day to cover that. In the UK, they have a wonderful system on election night, all the parties gather in one room,
00:06:40.800 all the ballots from the entire district are brought to one room. And they're all counted together with so many
00:06:47.020 checks and very, you know, people verifying, it takes hours. Last time I was here a year ago,
00:06:53.200 they counted till 4am, but everyone was there in person. It was the most secure count I've ever seen
00:07:01.040 in my life. Like I said, every ballot was in one room, all the different parties were in one room. In fact, all the
00:07:06.920 candidates at 4am came out to hear the results together. It was a wonderful tradition. There's
00:07:12.800 so many lovely things about the UK. Anyways, it's an unseasonably warm day, as you can see. I'm a
00:07:17.840 little bit hot. I'm going to make my way into town to see if I can do some streeters. I'm in
00:07:23.060 Fraudham, which is near Runcorn, and it's a market town. It's a town that's, you know, it was in the
00:07:29.880 Doomsday book, which as you know, was really one of the earliest books about what towns and cities and
00:07:35.520 villages that were in the UK would be sort of like the first written census of buildings. So it is an
00:07:41.360 ancient market town, and it still has that feeling. So let's go into town and see if we can find any
00:07:47.380 Brits willing to talk to us about the by-election. I'm hoping in that market town area, they're open
00:07:53.300 to chatting with a few Canadians. It's lovely up here, and I just want to pay some attention to the
00:08:00.020 War Memorial to my left. This is the kind of place that mustard soldiers in the Boer War, in the First
00:08:06.820 World War, in the Second World War. It's part of a great tradition of the United Kingdom, and indeed
00:08:11.660 the British Empire before it, fighting for the freedoms of the world. And I should pay my respects
00:08:18.940 to it, and it's one of my favorite things about the United Kingdom. All right, let's go downtown.
00:08:24.020 Who do you think is going to win the by-election today? Have you thought about it?
00:08:27.600 No, not really. Do you live here? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you going to vote?
00:08:32.400 We've already been. We went first this morning. Good for you. You sound motivated.
00:08:37.080 We'll see. I'm optimistic. Can I ask you who you're voting for?
00:08:42.520 I vote for Labour. And so did I. Yeah, I did as well.
00:08:46.400 And you're optimistic. You think that Labour is going to carry the day?
00:08:49.900 I think they're the only ones that have got that capability at the moment. I'm not saying
00:08:53.880 agree with the strategies and where they are. But, yeah, I'm optimistic.
00:08:59.940 What is it that you like about reform?
00:09:02.800 We're not telling you. There's a lot of things, but we're not going to tell you.
00:09:06.620 That's OK.
00:09:08.580 We're not racists.
00:09:10.340 I didn't say you were. I would never say that.
00:09:13.060 I've just been called a Nazi.
00:09:15.540 Because you're for reform?
00:09:16.960 Because of, yeah.
00:09:18.380 I'm an old lady.
00:09:19.080 Why do you think people would say such a harsh thing?
00:09:22.360 I don't know. I couldn't tell you.
00:09:24.340 Do you think it's because maybe they don't have a substantive argument against your position,
00:09:29.200 so they call you a name?
00:09:30.840 Drainwashed by the media.
00:09:33.440 BBC and Sky tell you, if you vote reform, you're a right-wing racist, Doug.
00:09:38.420 What are your thoughts? What's the feeling in the district?
00:09:42.360 There's deep concern about reform getting in.
00:09:47.300 So I think there's a counter-effort by people who are plotting voters and so on to support other parties
00:09:53.880 who may vote anti-reform rather than for their own party.
00:09:57.720 So that makes me... But it's a knife-edge we'll have to see.
00:10:00.940 Reform.
00:10:02.160 And why do you think they're going to win?
00:10:04.600 Because they're more in touch with the general public than any other party.
00:10:09.300 And Labour have let so many people down.
00:10:16.460 And the worm's turned. That's all I can say.
00:10:20.320 They offer more...
00:10:21.780 They offer more of a solution to the migrant crossings.
00:10:27.920 And I think that's the big issue at the moment.
00:10:30.480 Can I ask you who you think you might vote for?
00:10:32.720 Well, traditionally, we've gone for, like, Conservative,
00:10:37.180 because it's been a Conservative town for a long time.
00:10:41.140 But with the Labour getting in and not seemingly fulfilling his promises,
00:10:47.660 I think Farage is saying a lot of things that I'm listening to.
00:10:51.940 So I might go down that alley.
00:10:54.260 Because he speaks what everyone is thinking.
00:10:58.240 On what issues?
00:10:58.980 And most politicians do not want to speak the truth.
00:11:02.700 Well, obviously, there are all sorts of issues.
00:11:04.880 The economy, the green issues, and, of course, immigration.
00:11:10.420 Not to do with racism, all to do with practicalities.
00:11:13.420 All of them.
00:11:14.620 Well, why didn't you vote reform?
00:11:17.240 Immigration.
00:11:19.760 Illegal and, you know, we're being invaded in this country.
00:11:23.940 Absolutely invaded.
00:11:24.900 And, you know, as a pensioner, I've had my winter fuel I was taking off,
00:11:29.360 £200 that's going towards, you know, putting up all these illegals
00:11:34.020 who were invited here in the first place.
00:11:36.900 And it's a never-ending tide of them.
00:11:39.120 Never-ending tide of them.
00:11:40.340 And who did you vote for in the past?
00:11:43.300 I voted a long time ago for the Labour Party.
00:11:47.840 I gave up with them.
00:11:48.840 And then I've been voting for Nigel Farage, but it's various parties since.
00:11:54.960 Labour.
00:11:55.500 Labour.
00:11:56.160 Did you vote Labour or you just think that's how your neighbours are voting?
00:12:00.600 I think before we get in this time, they were second anyway.
00:12:03.680 Did you vote?
00:12:04.960 Are you planning on voting?
00:12:05.880 I vote Labour.
00:12:06.160 Yeah.
00:12:07.400 And is it just out of tradition you vote Labour or is there something about them?
00:12:11.760 Do you like their Prime Minister, Kier Starmer?
00:12:13.720 No, no, no.
00:12:14.680 It's the policies, you know, they do share the wealth of the country more when it gets started.
00:12:24.300 So it's a little more on the socialism side?
00:12:27.240 Yeah.
00:12:27.600 Do you have any view on migration?
00:12:29.080 That's something I've heard a few times, people talking about the boats.
00:12:32.460 We don't have migration.
00:12:33.360 We want people working in the hospitals.
00:12:36.440 People doing the jobs that nobody else in this country seems to want to do.
00:12:40.340 The gentleman I just spoke with said the migrant crossings look bad, but we shouldn't be worried and they need help.
00:12:51.020 And he says we need more migration.
00:12:53.200 That's what he says.
00:12:55.260 And he's voting Labour.
00:12:57.400 Do you think he's wrong on those things?
00:13:00.840 He's wrong on the immigration fund.
00:13:04.200 I have an Indian daughter-in-law who married my son, obviously, interracial relationship.
00:13:13.340 She's an economic migrant who works in this country and she contributes.
00:13:19.680 She has to have to pay so much money in visas over the years to be allowed to stay in this country.
00:13:28.220 And she's worked, and she works really hard.
00:13:32.820 She came legally.
00:13:34.480 Yep.
00:13:35.380 Yep.
00:13:36.220 And the migrants in the boats obviously just came over.
00:13:39.780 Yes.
00:13:40.720 So financially, it's hard for economic migrants to come to this country and thrive.
00:13:48.000 But on the flip side, the migrants are coming on the boats.
00:13:55.880 It's so sad.
00:13:58.840 So I see it from both sides.
00:14:00.860 Who's going to win the by-election tonight?
00:14:03.440 Reform.
00:14:04.040 Oh, you think so, eh?
00:14:04.980 Yeah, yeah.
00:14:05.340 Basically, the way this election campaign has been run, it's been dragged down to the lowest common denominator.
00:14:12.500 We're going to end up like the right wing in America, the way things are being pushed.
00:14:16.140 The lies that reform have told from start to finish, I actually don't have a problem with the party or what they're doing.
00:14:22.180 The lies they've told in the campaign have been absolutely reprehensible from start to finish.
00:14:26.380 Why do you think the reform, at least in the opinion polls, are so far ahead of the Conservatives in this district?
00:14:35.480 I think it's a vote against Labour.
00:14:37.560 Yeah, I do as well.
00:14:38.700 Yeah, that's a good point.
00:14:40.040 And do you think that's why there's a lot of shy reformer voters?
00:14:44.240 That is, they don't tell pollsters they don't say things in public?
00:14:47.080 Yeah, probably.
00:14:48.360 Yeah.
00:14:50.260 Do you think reform has a chance tonight or do you think this is pretty traditional Labour?
00:14:54.560 They'll win round there.
00:14:55.780 I don't think they have a chance of forming the government.
00:14:58.620 Right.
00:14:59.160 But in the special by-election today, in just this district...
00:15:02.080 Yeah, they'll win round there, yeah.
00:15:03.460 Oh, you think so, eh?
00:15:04.160 Yeah.
00:15:04.360 Do you have an opinion on this also?
00:15:05.700 Labour, nothing but traces.
00:15:07.460 They've let the whole country down.
00:15:08.840 Yeah.
00:15:09.340 Get them out.
00:15:10.400 What did they do that feels like a betrayal?
00:15:14.160 They've gone against the pensioners, the farmers, the disabled.
00:15:18.440 They took money off everybody.
00:15:19.700 They should be done for treason.
00:15:21.020 Treason.
00:15:21.640 Yeah.
00:15:22.120 And they're letting all the boats in.
00:15:24.380 Yeah, all the boats.
00:15:25.280 Get them out.
00:15:25.820 They shouldn't be coming over that channel.
00:15:28.100 Like you thought you wouldn't have had this.
00:15:30.980 None of us are Conservative about this, but we all agree on the same thing.
00:15:34.360 Thatcher wouldn't have let this happen.
00:15:37.100 She was stood up for this country.
00:15:39.560 Labour and Conservatives don't.
00:15:41.580 They don't stand for this country at all.
00:15:43.420 They don't stand for our values.
00:15:44.420 They don't want to look after their own people.
00:15:46.080 Simple as that.
00:15:47.160 Can I ask you why people are anti-Nagel Farage?
00:15:51.360 What is it about him that they don't like?
00:15:53.860 Because he's a supporter of Trump.
00:15:56.000 Because he's a liar.
00:15:57.240 Because he's a fascist.
00:15:58.780 I mean, how many reasons do you want?
00:16:00.360 However many you have.
00:16:01.640 It sounds like you're not sympathetic to him.
00:16:03.900 Are you a Labour voter yourself?
00:16:05.580 I am, actually, yes.
00:16:07.300 Last question.
00:16:08.380 What do you think the Conservative vote will do?
00:16:10.500 Because...
00:16:11.500 It will collapse.
00:16:12.760 It will collapse.
00:16:13.780 I mean, the party's badly...
00:16:16.400 The old Conservatives, who I used to admire back in the 70s, before Thatcher,
00:16:21.880 was a middle-of-the-road Conservative party.
00:16:25.260 That has long gone since Thatcher, 50 years of that kind of economics.
00:16:29.100 And so they've gradually gone, moved right and right.
00:16:33.300 You think about Prime Ministers like Macmillan, people like that,
00:16:37.640 in the Conservative party back in the 60s.
00:16:39.960 Decent people.
00:16:40.880 Churchill, decent people.
00:16:42.580 But after Thatcher and onwards, and to Cameron and so on,
00:16:45.520 hopeless, absolutely hopeless.
00:16:47.100 So I think their vote will collapse.
00:16:48.560 Well, to be honest, everybody I speak to,
00:16:51.000 they're not shy anymore.
00:16:52.400 They're coming out.
00:16:53.440 Coming out, you know, and saying,
00:16:55.440 look, we're fed up with it.
00:16:56.900 We're all absolutely fed up.
00:16:59.300 You know, can't get a doctor's appointment down there for weeks.
00:17:03.040 That's a pension.
00:17:03.780 It's terrible.
00:17:04.600 You know, it's a dentist.
00:17:06.080 Forget it.
00:17:06.720 Forget dentists, I'll tell you, honestly.
00:17:08.740 Sometimes there's little boats crossing the English Channel
00:17:12.280 that's full of military-age migrant men.
00:17:15.940 Are they working in hospitals?
00:17:18.480 They're economic migrants.
00:17:20.340 Yeah.
00:17:20.920 Do they work, or are they more on...
00:17:22.540 No, they're not allowed to.
00:17:24.440 Um, how do you feel about those boats?
00:17:30.900 It's...
00:17:31.580 Like, there are hundreds of migrants a day across the Channel, right?
00:17:34.220 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:17:35.500 That's...
00:17:36.300 They're coming illegally, right?
00:17:38.200 Yeah.
00:17:39.320 What do you think of that?
00:17:40.340 It needs to be controlled, but that's how you do it, isn't it?
00:17:43.640 How do you feel about how the Labour's doing, controlling that?
00:17:46.680 Well, they seem to be shooting all the hotels.
00:17:49.580 Are they?
00:17:50.180 I don't know where those migrants are going.
00:17:52.260 Many of the migrants are military-age men who are single.
00:17:58.600 I mean, refugees, in my mind, are the elderly, women, children.
00:18:03.560 These are young men, right?
00:18:05.000 I haven't got a problem with families fleeing persecution,
00:18:10.440 but I do struggle with younger men who are coming from countries with no war.
00:18:19.540 They're not coming from any war-torn country whatsoever.
00:18:23.140 Um, we, we, um, we haven't the room to, to accommodate these people.
00:18:33.140 Um, and that's the problem, is the accommodation.
00:18:38.620 Social housing is, is it, is so precious, and they're getting priority.
00:18:43.520 Um, and, and, and, and so as a flip side of having my daughter-in-law,
00:18:50.740 um, it upsets me that people who want to work,
00:18:58.940 who are genuinely working, contributing to the country,
00:19:02.580 are being classed in the same umbrella as immigrants
00:19:08.620 because of their, their race and their ethnicity and their colour.
00:19:16.000 And, and, and it's not true.
00:19:18.260 There's a lot of people who come to this country who do contribute.
00:19:21.880 Um, and, and they contribute well.
00:19:25.080 For the first time in my life,
00:19:26.940 I'm now voting against something, not voting for something.
00:19:29.560 I've had to vote for Labour.
00:19:30.620 I don't want to vote for Labour.
00:19:31.840 You've just done a £5 million cut on disabled people.
00:19:34.240 I don't want to give them my vote.
00:19:35.860 But I've had to, to stop this odious little toad of Nigel Farage
00:19:38.800 and his gang of liars, ex-Tories.
00:19:41.360 Getting in?
00:19:42.200 Sarah Potion, Tory twice.
00:19:44.060 Not a Tory.
00:19:45.140 She's air-claiming about the, um, illegal immigrants in the hotel.
00:19:48.400 She's a magistrate.
00:19:49.540 She knows that seeking asylum is not illegal.
00:19:51.940 She knows that.
00:19:52.540 But she chose to use that word illegal
00:19:54.620 so she can stoke up for emotive reasons,
00:19:57.260 the fear in people,
00:19:58.280 and push this populist agenda and get in.
00:20:00.500 It's the disingenuity and the lies that bother me.
00:20:02.880 That's the problem.
00:20:03.680 I've heard a number of people today
00:20:05.420 say they're worried about immigration,
00:20:07.760 and in particular the, the boats coming across the channel,
00:20:11.120 uh, of irregular, or many would say illegal immigration.
00:20:15.500 Do you have any thoughts on that?
00:20:16.520 Because that seems to be motivating some of the reform votes.
00:20:19.220 It's very hard because they're fighting for their life, you know,
00:20:24.100 and they want somewhere to...
00:20:25.400 But they're coming from France, some would say.
00:20:27.360 However, however, we're paying France a substantial amount of money.
00:20:32.240 To do what?
00:20:33.080 Yeah, exactly.
00:20:33.940 What do you think about that?
00:20:34.800 Yeah, I'm saying they must be able to stop them.
00:20:36.860 They can, they can find the druggies,
00:20:39.300 but they can't find the people who supply the boats and the engines,
00:20:42.300 so...
00:20:42.860 Why, why, why aren't they stopping it?
00:20:46.460 Exactly.
00:20:47.060 The question is,
00:20:48.300 why are we paying so much money out
00:20:50.480 when we're looking at a deficit ourselves?
00:20:52.760 Well, now you're sounding like Daniel Farage.
00:20:54.400 Yeah.
00:20:54.600 You know, in terms of, um, paying the French to do that.
00:20:59.660 And in the next breath, they're just letting them come over.
00:21:02.300 So, if you're in business,
00:21:03.640 you don't run a business without questioning why
00:21:05.820 the amount of money you're paying is not getting the results you want.
00:21:09.300 Otherwise, you go bankrupt.
00:21:11.140 There you go.
00:21:11.940 That's mine.
00:21:12.720 I have to tell you, and I'm not being cheeky,
00:21:14.700 what you said could be said by a reformed voter.
00:21:18.040 I'm not trying to...
00:21:18.760 It probably could.
00:21:20.460 You know, it probably could,
00:21:21.900 but I think Labour have done some good things while we've been in.
00:21:25.620 I've always voted Conservatory.
00:21:27.320 Oh, really?
00:21:27.860 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, always.
00:21:29.440 When our local Labour MP punched a guy out,
00:21:32.880 we were surrounded by BBC and Sky all asking us questions,
00:21:36.820 and they just tell the same lies all the time.
00:21:40.060 Mainstream media just tell you bullshit.
00:21:43.020 Can I ask you what your source of news is?
00:21:46.400 If you don't trust the BBC, what do you check?
00:21:49.720 I'll check people like you that, on the internet,
00:21:54.620 that I've got free channels that aren't following the government narrative.
00:21:59.660 That's what I follow.
00:22:01.420 The last two people I spoke with were concerned about mass immigration.
00:22:05.680 That was on their mind,
00:22:06.880 and that was why they said they were going to vote reform.
00:22:09.800 What do you think about immigration?
00:22:11.640 Immigration, we need immigration.
00:22:12.960 We have loads of vacancies.
00:22:17.220 We need them in nursing.
00:22:18.760 We need them in care.
00:22:20.400 We need them in all manner of professions.
00:22:23.240 And so this madness about anti-immigration.
00:22:27.280 Everybody comes here.
00:22:28.520 If they don't get a job within a few months, they leave.
00:22:31.360 This is the European free movement.
00:22:33.240 What about the ones who come in the dinghies across the English Channel?
00:22:36.220 I mean, that's horrible to look at, but it is a very small percentage of the ones who come here as refugees.
00:22:42.620 Remember, they are refugees.
00:22:43.700 They're not illegal immigrants until the law says they're illegal.
00:22:47.340 But they're coming from France, which is a safe place, right?
00:22:50.360 Well, it's not France's safe place, but there are agreements between France and the UK,
00:22:54.780 and there's more could be done, more needs to be done.
00:22:58.260 The boat thing is very bad PR, but they're desperate people.
00:23:03.140 Would you cross the Channel in a boat if you weren't desperate?
00:23:05.900 Good either way.
00:23:06.780 Yeah.
00:23:07.860 That's my opinion.
00:23:08.880 Fair deal.
00:23:09.760 And again, I don't want to put you on the spot, but I'm just interested to hear what you admire about Labour.
00:23:16.040 You say they've done some good things.
00:23:17.180 Is there anything in particular that comes to mind?
00:23:20.820 I think some of the things they've done, it's like the Conservative.
00:23:24.920 It's like the Liberal Party.
00:23:26.720 It's like other parties.
00:23:27.980 You know, they all come up with the right words.
00:23:30.640 I'm not interested in that.
00:23:32.000 We need to see things happening and them actually saying Labour.
00:23:35.780 For me, my father was Labour through and through.
00:23:39.060 It's a family tradition.
00:23:40.020 Yeah, yeah.
00:23:41.020 And they were for the people, the working class.
00:23:44.460 Sadly, Stammer's made a bit of a mistake there,
00:23:46.960 because I think he's made it more difficult for people of the working class to struggle
00:23:51.780 with the way that he's putting out his strategy for the future.
00:23:55.480 So maybe you're a reluctant Labour voter.
00:23:57.260 I am.
00:23:57.800 Very reluctant.
00:23:58.520 Yeah.
00:23:59.940 I'm from Canada, so I obviously don't have the expertise or the knowledge,
00:24:03.640 but I read something in one of the newspapers.
00:24:07.720 Can I run it by you?
00:24:08.920 And I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong.
00:24:12.060 I heard that Karen Shore, the Labour candidate,
00:24:15.900 set up a Facebook page to shut down an asylum hotel,
00:24:19.760 but in her earlier political life, she was pro-asylum seekers.
00:24:24.860 Yeah, and do you know what's really interesting?
00:24:26.540 So am I wrong?
00:24:27.380 Correct me if I'm wrong.
00:24:28.200 You're correct.
00:24:28.780 But do you know what else is interesting?
00:24:30.040 The reform people pushing this.
00:24:31.480 If you go on Facebook, you'll also see Sarah Potion doing the exact same thing.
00:24:35.320 It's the disingenuity that gets me.
00:24:37.320 And is it on both sides?
00:24:38.640 Is it, I guess, what I'm...
00:24:39.420 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:24:40.980 Labour don't represent me anymore.
00:24:42.400 They absolutely don't.
00:24:42.780 Who would you vote for then if you don't like Labour and you don't like Farage?
00:24:45.400 This time, I probably would have voted the Green Party,
00:24:47.720 which would be the first time in my life I've even considered going anywhere near the Greens,
00:24:51.880 but for a local MP, probably the Green Party.
00:24:54.460 But I have voted for Labour.
00:24:55.540 I've just voted mainly because it's such a tight race,
00:24:58.020 and I don't want me for them getting it.
00:24:59.820 So after those man-on-the-street interviews,
00:25:01.920 which I thought were very interesting,
00:25:03.740 we had a super quick nap because we were so jet-lagged,
00:25:06.820 and we went for a bite at a local pub, of course.
00:25:09.740 But then we made our way to the Counting Centre,
00:25:11.800 and they do it a little different in the UK.
00:25:13.320 In Canada, any district might have a hundred different polling places,
00:25:19.460 and those are counted, and the results are sent to a central authority.
00:25:23.640 In the UK, all the voting boxes, all the ballots are brought to a central counting place,
00:25:29.860 like a large gymnasium or arena,
00:25:32.600 where in a secure environment,
00:25:35.240 every single ballot in the entire district is counted.
00:25:38.120 And they do it so painstakingly,
00:25:40.160 which takes a very long time,
00:25:41.940 but I've observed this before.
00:25:45.600 I think the trust in the outcome is total.
00:25:48.960 There's no shenanigans.
00:25:50.180 There's no touchscreen counting like the Americans have.
00:25:53.760 And so it often takes to the wee hours.
00:25:57.240 Another British tradition that I really like
00:25:59.700 is all the candidates from all the parties
00:26:02.060 go to this same counting place.
00:26:04.420 They don't have their different election night parties.
00:26:06.720 They may have them also,
00:26:07.900 but they come and they wear these rosettes,
00:26:10.840 they're called, these big ribbons and patches.
00:26:13.920 It's quite a lovely tradition.
00:26:16.660 So we went to the counting area,
00:26:18.900 and I was sort of dreading a very late night,
00:26:21.640 but we found some entertainment
00:26:24.220 in the form of professional protesters
00:26:27.900 who came in from Manchester, the big city,
00:26:31.040 to tell those locals they were racist.
00:26:33.400 Here, I want you to see some of it.
00:26:34.700 We have about, frankly,
00:26:36.360 about 10 minutes of interaction.
00:26:38.280 Normally when I go to meet professional protesters,
00:26:41.020 they say, oh, Ezra, Rebel News,
00:26:43.020 and they clam up and don't talk to us at all.
00:26:45.280 Same thing happens to my friend David Menzies.
00:26:47.760 But here in the United Kingdom,
00:26:49.500 we're not household names.
00:26:50.720 So until they Googled us about 10 minutes into it,
00:26:54.840 they were actually engaging with us,
00:26:56.520 which I enjoy.
00:26:57.680 I enjoy the banter
00:26:59.020 and going back and forth with the protesters.
00:27:01.180 I'm not sure if they're used to answering questions.
00:27:03.820 One of the ladies did fairly well.
00:27:05.460 But here, let me share with you
00:27:06.960 my interaction with the protesters.
00:27:09.040 And I want to emphasize their chief message.
00:27:11.860 In fact, it's their very name,
00:27:13.520 is say no to racism.
00:27:16.180 They basically say,
00:27:17.440 if you disagree with them,
00:27:18.820 you're racist.
00:27:19.740 It's just an argument over.
00:27:22.280 And I don't think it's working anymore.
00:27:24.780 At least I'll tell you why in a moment.
00:27:26.640 Take a look.
00:27:27.140 So, yeah, we're here.
00:27:28.160 I stand up to racism
00:27:29.260 to campaign against the racist that is Reform UK.
00:27:33.340 And just to make it clear tonight
00:27:34.500 that whatever the outcome is,
00:27:36.120 whatever the results are,
00:27:37.220 this campaign will continue
00:27:38.480 because in British societies,
00:27:39.600 there's no room for racists like Farage and his mates.
00:27:42.980 Now, the polls suggest that Nigel Farage
00:27:45.880 and his party are in the running for first place.
00:27:50.500 Does that imply that the voters are racist?
00:27:53.040 I don't believe voters that vote reform are racist.
00:27:55.260 Not at all.
00:27:55.780 I think they're just desperate for change.
00:27:57.420 And because the Labour Party has let us down so badly,
00:28:00.040 they're looking for something.
00:28:01.460 Anything, really, that's just different.
00:28:03.220 But no, I don't...
00:28:04.000 Some of them will be, let's be honest,
00:28:05.620 but not everybody that votes Reform UK is racist.
00:28:08.340 I mean, I listened to all of his launch,
00:28:12.020 his election, you know, conference for the Northwest.
00:28:15.320 And there was three things
00:28:16.700 who he went on and on about.
00:28:19.720 What were they?
00:28:20.740 What were they?
00:28:21.640 Muslims, migrants, refugees.
00:28:25.640 And what's the big leaflet
00:28:28.320 they've given out for their campaign?
00:28:29.780 I don't know.
00:28:30.900 Stop the votes.
00:28:32.720 Right, well...
00:28:33.580 Hasn't Keir Starmer said they just stopped the votes?
00:28:36.820 Lots of people say stop the votes.
00:28:38.180 So how come you're not saying that Keir Starmer's racist?
00:28:40.760 Because Nigel Farage's party
00:28:43.540 is a racist party through and through.
00:28:47.060 Hasn't Keir Starmer...
00:28:47.880 However, in other parties,
00:28:49.960 like the Labour Party,
00:28:51.220 and there's people here from the Labour Party,
00:28:53.020 they're anti-racists.
00:28:54.440 There are no anti-racists in Reform UK, are there?
00:28:57.340 Are you sure?
00:28:57.760 Because Nigel Farage, we know you,
00:29:01.480 you're a racist through and through.
00:29:04.280 Read some of his books,
00:29:05.940 read some of things that he has written and he has said,
00:29:08.900 and he's absolutely a Paulite through and through.
00:29:12.320 Nazi sympathizer.
00:29:13.900 Nazi thing?
00:29:14.460 There are Nazi sympathizers going back,
00:29:17.880 and those are the things...
00:29:19.120 Ooh, that's terrifying to me.
00:29:21.160 Yes, it is.
00:29:21.940 So who's the Nazi sympathizer?
00:29:23.600 This is where it eventually goes.
00:29:24.700 Can you tell me the name of the Nazi sympathizer?
00:29:26.400 You know, what I'm saying to you is
00:29:28.400 that there are far-right people
00:29:31.220 who were attracted by the racist policies of reform.
00:29:35.820 The reason we're here
00:29:38.000 is we're challenging the classic racist tactic
00:29:42.480 that Farage and his party are using.
00:29:45.360 Pick out a minority group
00:29:47.800 and use them as a scapegoat
00:29:50.580 for any problems that exist.
00:29:52.420 Say it, Lana! Say it, Cliff!
00:29:53.640 That's why I'm challenging what I'm saying.
00:29:56.400 Do you think that questioning the migrant boats
00:30:10.300 is inherently racist?
00:30:12.300 Yes, I do.
00:30:13.080 Yeah, I do.
00:30:13.720 Because where's that coming from?
00:30:16.440 Somehow this idea that the country's being overrun,
00:30:18.540 well, no, that's not acceptable.
00:30:19.780 The country's not overrun.
00:30:21.260 There are many countries around the world
00:30:22.840 that are taking far more refugees
00:30:23.960 than the British government does.
00:30:25.580 But some people would say
00:30:26.980 they're coming from France.
00:30:28.480 They're military-aged men.
00:30:30.680 They're hiding their passports.
00:30:32.780 I mean, what would you say to that challenge?
00:30:35.540 For one thing,
00:30:36.500 if they are military-aged men,
00:30:37.700 isn't it great that they have left war-torn countries
00:30:40.020 because they don't want to be involved in the war?
00:30:41.720 They don't want to fight.
00:30:43.340 They don't want to go around killing people.
00:30:44.780 It's the absolute opposite.
00:30:45.960 And actually, the truth of the matter
00:30:47.600 is they're not all just men.
00:30:49.200 And the fact that men do come,
00:30:50.660 they come first before they bring their families
00:30:52.760 because they want to make sure
00:30:53.680 that it's safe for them to get here.
00:30:55.600 But France is safe.
00:30:56.980 Like, France is not a dangerous place.
00:30:58.760 And they're coming from France, right?
00:31:00.980 En route from somewhere else.
00:31:03.000 They're not based in France.
00:31:04.360 They're coming from somewhere else.
00:31:05.420 But why aren't they seeking refugee status
00:31:08.800 in the first country they reach?
00:31:10.700 It's worth knowing that for some naive reason,
00:31:12.680 they believe that Britain is more welcoming.
00:31:14.800 Many of them speak English.
00:31:16.320 Many of them have had a connection with Britain,
00:31:19.540 whether it's they've got family here already
00:31:21.020 or they were here as international students
00:31:22.680 or wherever else.
00:31:23.560 They come because they have this belief
00:31:25.260 that in Britain we are more welcome.
00:31:27.120 And actually, it's worth saying,
00:31:28.380 the people of Britain, I think, are more welcoming.
00:31:30.500 I think it's politicians,
00:31:32.840 people like Farage who have a problem.
00:31:34.780 The rest of us are saying, yeah, we're here.
00:31:36.820 If somebody wants to flee horrific situations
00:31:39.440 and make that horrendous journey,
00:31:41.680 they deserve some respect and some support.
00:31:43.820 But what about applying for refugee status legally
00:31:48.160 as opposed to just showing up?
00:31:49.740 That's a really interesting question.
00:31:50.900 We hear that all the time.
00:31:52.100 Why don't they go the same?
00:31:53.480 There are no safe routes.
00:31:55.060 There are no legal routes for people to apply.
00:31:57.620 But I mean, a legal method.
00:31:58.720 I don't mean like a route.
00:31:59.720 I mean...
00:32:00.020 Think about it.
00:32:00.620 If you're in Syria...
00:32:01.660 But they're in France.
00:32:03.060 No, no.
00:32:03.800 These people have come from places like Syria, Yemen...
00:32:05.820 And then they arrive in Europe
00:32:07.920 and then from Europe, they move on to the UK.
00:32:10.960 They don't move on from Europe.
00:32:13.440 They're coming from wherever it is,
00:32:15.840 the war-torn country.
00:32:18.220 It's when they get to France
00:32:19.820 that they're trying to cross a bit...
00:32:22.480 But why don't they stay in France,
00:32:23.920 is what I'm asking.
00:32:24.480 And I've just explained to you
00:32:25.700 that many of them have connections here in Britain.
00:32:27.820 And in some ways, isn't it great
00:32:29.100 that they think in Britain we're more welcoming,
00:32:31.760 that actually we respect human rights,
00:32:33.440 because that's fundamentally why they think...
00:32:35.100 Don't you think it's about more benefits,
00:32:36.680 like richer benefits?
00:32:38.160 The benefits...
00:32:38.900 What's the tie in France?
00:32:40.320 Sorry to interrupt you.
00:32:41.400 Can you just explain something?
00:32:42.520 This idea of benefits...
00:32:44.360 There are people,
00:32:45.080 working-class people in Britain,
00:32:46.720 that can't live off the benefits
00:32:48.120 that they are given.
00:32:48.940 Yeah, so they're wondering
00:32:49.760 why migrants get the money.
00:32:51.280 They don't get the money.
00:32:53.120 The people that run the hotels
00:32:54.540 where they are being housed
00:32:56.460 are getting the money.
00:32:57.780 But Brits don't get free housing in hotels, right?
00:33:00.180 And these hotels are not five-star hotels.
00:33:02.400 These are hotels that are being emptied
00:33:04.760 because they're not fit for business,
00:33:06.360 who are then being housed.
00:33:08.020 And the people that have...
00:33:08.820 How come Brit homeless can't go there?
00:33:11.140 Well, that's a question
00:33:11.760 we should ask the government, shouldn't we?
00:33:12.940 Because when COVID happened,
00:33:14.520 every homeless person was taken in somewhere
00:33:16.780 and housed.
00:33:18.180 So that's a separate question.
00:33:20.300 It's not a case of,
00:33:21.740 before we had migrants,
00:33:23.820 we had no homelessness in Britain.
00:33:25.400 We've always had homelessness.
00:33:26.300 But hasn't migration driven up
00:33:28.220 the cost of housing, supply and demand?
00:33:30.680 No, no.
00:33:31.640 You know, you can't have it both ways.
00:33:33.600 You can't...
00:33:34.300 You cannot have it both ways.
00:33:36.100 You can't say
00:33:37.140 that they're getting free hotel accommodation
00:33:39.180 and then they've increased the price of housing.
00:33:41.220 Well, it's free to them,
00:33:42.740 but the taxpayers are paying for it.
00:33:44.860 They are not.
00:33:45.180 They are not in housing.
00:33:47.720 The reason we have a housing crisis
00:33:49.860 is because, actually,
00:33:51.500 the government many years ago
00:33:53.080 decided to not invest
00:33:54.420 in building new houses.
00:33:56.600 The social housing they had,
00:33:58.080 they sold off for profit.
00:33:59.760 That's why we have a housing crisis.
00:34:01.520 So who do you support?
00:34:02.660 Which party do you support?
00:34:04.360 Well, actually, right now,
00:34:05.200 anyone but Reform UK.
00:34:06.780 Let's be honest.
00:34:07.260 I'll support anyone that's not racist.
00:34:09.180 It's not about who I support.
00:34:10.460 It's about recognising
00:34:11.440 that we are out campaigning
00:34:12.760 against a racist party.
00:34:13.880 But don't you think
00:34:14.900 that calling people racist,
00:34:16.860 you just sort of name-calling
00:34:19.340 instead of dealing with their issues?
00:34:21.020 Well, no.
00:34:21.620 You can deal with issues of housing.
00:34:23.760 You can deal with the question
00:34:24.820 of refugees and safe passage.
00:34:26.800 You can do all that
00:34:27.680 without being racist.
00:34:28.720 But, actually,
00:34:29.300 if a racist acts like a racist,
00:34:31.100 it sounds like a racist,
00:34:31.900 you call him a racist.
00:34:33.160 And that's what Farage does.
00:34:34.880 You have to be...
00:34:35.520 Let's not forget...
00:34:36.140 I'm not here representing Farage,
00:34:38.160 but can you tell me
00:34:39.620 what he's said that's racist?
00:34:41.720 Well, the kind of comments
00:34:43.040 he made when we had
00:34:43.880 the riots last summer,
00:34:44.960 they were racist riots.
00:34:46.380 What comment did he make?
00:34:47.860 Help me out,
00:34:48.480 because I'm from Canada.
00:34:49.440 Lots of comments about how...
00:34:50.600 Can you mean one of them?
00:34:51.500 How the problem is it's refugees.
00:34:53.120 He actually implied
00:34:54.260 that it was a refugee
00:34:55.480 that did what happened
00:34:57.660 in the murders in Southport.
00:34:59.140 Now, the murders in Southport
00:35:01.000 were horrific.
00:35:02.280 And we have...
00:35:02.700 You know, hearts go out
00:35:03.520 to the families
00:35:04.200 of those young girls.
00:35:05.640 But, actually,
00:35:06.240 he was not a refugee.
00:35:07.360 He was the son of the refugee,
00:35:08.620 and he converted to Islam,
00:35:10.220 didn't he?
00:35:10.860 No, he didn't.
00:35:11.540 And he wasn't...
00:35:12.100 He was not the son of a refugee.
00:35:13.880 He was born in Britain.
00:35:15.240 This is the important thing.
00:35:16.540 He was born in Britain.
00:35:18.160 So, let's not go there.
00:35:19.440 But, actually,
00:35:20.200 that didn't stop him.
00:35:21.900 Can I ask you about...
00:35:23.480 I didn't see this sign before.
00:35:25.660 What do you think about
00:35:26.940 King Charles inviting Donald Trump
00:35:29.060 to another state dinner?
00:35:31.740 Okay.
00:35:33.820 Do you have an opinion on that,
00:35:35.180 or should I talk to someone else about it?
00:35:37.080 Oh, okay.
00:35:38.580 I was going to ask her
00:35:39.620 what she thought about King Charles
00:35:40.860 offering a state dinner
00:35:42.200 to Donald Trump.
00:35:42.940 I'm not going to answer
00:35:43.580 any more questions to you.
00:35:44.560 Is that all right?
00:35:45.320 I think I've spoke a lot
00:35:46.200 about what I wanted to chat about.
00:35:47.160 Okay.
00:35:47.400 I just didn't see
00:35:48.120 the Donald Trump sign before.
00:35:50.300 And I just want...
00:35:51.260 So, that surprised me
00:35:52.320 because Donald Trump's
00:35:53.420 not coming today.
00:35:54.480 Right?
00:35:55.900 So...
00:35:56.420 You didn't answer
00:35:57.280 any of my questions.
00:35:58.560 I think I did.
00:35:59.260 Well, I'm happy to try again
00:36:00.480 if you want.
00:36:03.120 We've answered the questions
00:36:04.100 you initially asked.
00:36:05.600 We're not answering any more.
00:36:06.580 Okay.
00:36:06.820 I just...
00:36:07.180 I didn't understand
00:36:07.820 the Trump thing.
00:36:08.440 I understand the Farage thing.
00:36:09.660 That's fine.
00:36:10.140 Are you sure
00:36:12.020 you don't understand?
00:36:12.740 I'm sure if you read,
00:36:13.640 you will.
00:36:14.220 And I'm sure you read.
00:36:15.320 In your job,
00:36:16.660 you read.
00:36:17.080 Well, how do you feel
00:36:17.780 about Keir Starmer
00:36:18.480 inviting Trump
00:36:19.560 to a second state dinner?
00:36:21.120 Listen,
00:36:21.740 I think you know the answers.
00:36:23.760 I don't know the answers.
00:36:24.860 Why would I ask you
00:36:25.840 if I knew the answer?
00:36:26.640 Because you want some answers
00:36:28.140 that you know already.
00:36:29.480 What happens to the...
00:36:30.320 I don't know.
00:36:31.900 I...
00:36:32.520 I...
00:36:32.680 I literally...
00:36:35.140 I need more questions.
00:36:36.060 So, if you could just step away
00:36:37.020 because there are other press
00:36:37.960 that we're now talking to.
00:36:38.980 So, if you could...
00:36:39.840 Are there?
00:36:40.720 Where are they?
00:36:41.740 I'm asking you to step away.
00:36:43.520 Suddenly, you're aggressive
00:36:44.600 and I don't understand why.
00:36:45.740 I love how as a Muslim
00:36:46.760 when I speak up,
00:36:47.560 I get accused of being aggressive.
00:36:48.960 No, you...
00:36:49.600 Like you were...
00:36:50.340 You were...
00:36:51.120 Well, you're telling me to leave.
00:36:52.520 Yeah, because I just told you
00:36:53.380 I don't want to answer
00:36:53.920 any more of your questions.
00:36:55.860 We're in a residential neighbourhood
00:36:57.420 and they're using a PA system
00:36:59.840 at 10.21 at night.
00:37:02.300 Are you worried
00:37:02.800 they're keeping kids up?
00:37:03.920 Yeah, there is kids
00:37:04.860 along these houses here.
00:37:07.300 And, you know,
00:37:08.080 the police are doing nothing.
00:37:09.360 Yeah.
00:37:09.800 You know, they should be
00:37:10.780 moving them on
00:37:11.800 or telling them
00:37:12.320 to keep quiet at least.
00:37:13.980 But they're going on
00:37:14.620 about refugees.
00:37:16.100 We've got plenty here.
00:37:17.680 We don't need
00:37:18.220 any more refugees.
00:37:20.140 I think these guys
00:37:21.120 are from Manchester.
00:37:22.120 It's a feeling I get.
00:37:24.000 How are you...
00:37:24.820 Are you from
00:37:25.180 the local community here?
00:37:26.220 Is this your house right here?
00:37:27.080 This is my house here, yeah.
00:37:28.540 Yeah.
00:37:28.800 What do you think
00:37:29.120 is going to happen
00:37:29.660 just across...
00:37:31.080 In the by-election tonight?
00:37:32.820 Hopefully reform will
00:37:35.840 take over.
00:37:36.940 Yeah.
00:37:37.420 It needs it.
00:37:38.880 It does really need
00:37:40.640 reform to take over
00:37:42.840 because we're a small island
00:37:46.020 at the end of the day.
00:37:47.220 Yeah.
00:37:47.600 You know,
00:37:48.040 we just can't keep
00:37:48.880 taking more and more people on.
00:37:50.960 Let me ask you this.
00:37:52.040 I think some people
00:37:53.080 are afraid of saying
00:37:53.880 what you've just said to me
00:37:54.900 because they're worried
00:37:55.700 that they'll be called racist
00:37:57.440 or they might even
00:37:58.380 be cancelled at work.
00:37:59.520 What do you think
00:38:00.500 about cancel culture
00:38:01.620 and having it...
00:38:03.280 You're speaking freely.
00:38:04.820 Well, you should speak freely.
00:38:06.860 I mean,
00:38:07.280 you know,
00:38:08.540 like I say,
00:38:09.300 we are only a small island
00:38:10.820 and while the government
00:38:12.880 are keeping giving them
00:38:13.860 handouts,
00:38:15.020 left, right and centre
00:38:15.880 and not looking after our own,
00:38:18.520 it's totally wrong.
00:38:20.320 And I'd tell them
00:38:20.900 to the faces as well.
00:38:22.240 Yeah.
00:38:22.940 But we'd have for them
00:38:23.960 to take refugees in
00:38:25.380 more than likely no.
00:38:26.860 Yeah.
00:38:27.520 You know what I mean?
00:38:28.160 They won't take them
00:38:28.680 into their own homes
00:38:29.500 but they want them
00:38:30.060 on our streets.
00:38:32.240 Yeah.
00:38:33.000 You know,
00:38:33.340 you go round the parks,
00:38:34.480 you see them all
00:38:35.140 walking round.
00:38:36.740 Don't trust them
00:38:37.220 one of them
00:38:37.660 because they're all male.
00:38:40.020 You don't see families,
00:38:41.400 just all male.
00:38:43.320 So, yeah,
00:38:44.620 very disgusted
00:38:47.680 at myself personally.
00:38:49.640 But it is what it is,
00:38:51.400 isn't it?
00:38:52.260 You know,
00:38:52.580 until the government
00:38:53.180 sits up and listen,
00:38:55.460 stop giving handouts,
00:38:57.680 you know,
00:38:57.940 it might get our country back.
00:38:59.500 But at the moment,
00:39:01.340 country's not ours anymore.
00:39:04.020 Well,
00:39:04.160 we didn't stay up all night.
00:39:05.500 We just were pooped.
00:39:06.880 But we got up this morning
00:39:08.060 and the news was incredible.
00:39:11.120 Nigel Farage
00:39:11.660 and the Reform UK
00:39:12.540 won by six votes.
00:39:14.920 Six votes
00:39:15.620 and about
00:39:16.040 30,000 being cast.
00:39:18.740 An unbelievably narrow margin.
00:39:22.040 In fact,
00:39:22.380 they had a recount
00:39:23.120 last night.
00:39:23.820 Again,
00:39:24.460 the British can do
00:39:25.240 their counting quickly.
00:39:28.000 It's hard to overstate
00:39:29.280 the importance of this.
00:39:30.320 First of all,
00:39:30.900 to go from a district
00:39:32.480 where the Labour Party
00:39:33.800 won an outright majority
00:39:35.480 to beating them
00:39:37.060 in one year.
00:39:38.940 It hasn't even been
00:39:39.760 a full year
00:39:40.620 since Keir Starmer's
00:39:42.300 Labour government won
00:39:43.160 in July of 2024
00:39:45.320 is incredible.
00:39:46.580 But even more incredible,
00:39:47.880 and this is a realignment
00:39:49.400 of British politics,
00:39:50.760 is that Reform UK
00:39:52.320 is now the alternative
00:39:54.120 to the Labour Party.
00:39:55.920 The Conservatives,
00:39:56.820 which have historically been,
00:39:58.240 you know,
00:39:58.680 the blue, green, red,
00:40:00.120 blue, red,
00:40:00.620 back and forth,
00:40:01.880 the Conservative Party
00:40:04.180 was very low down.
00:40:06.880 In fact,
00:40:07.300 they were sort of
00:40:07.780 near the Green Party.
00:40:09.480 As Nigel Farage
00:40:10.580 said last night,
00:40:11.800 vote Conservative,
00:40:13.280 get Labour,
00:40:14.480 vote Reform,
00:40:15.380 get Reform.
00:40:15.940 Here's some clips
00:40:16.520 of Nigel Farage
00:40:17.460 last night.
00:40:18.280 We clearly
00:40:19.480 are the main challengers
00:40:21.160 to Labour
00:40:22.000 in the Midlands
00:40:23.060 and the North.
00:40:24.400 If you vote Conservative,
00:40:26.560 you stop our chances
00:40:28.340 of winning.
00:40:29.080 If you vote Conservative,
00:40:30.500 you get Labour.
00:40:32.520 But if you vote Reform
00:40:33.940 in the Midlands
00:40:34.920 and the North,
00:40:36.020 from now up until
00:40:37.240 the general election,
00:40:38.460 if you vote Reform,
00:40:39.620 you get...
00:40:40.560 Reform!
00:40:41.060 And those messages...
00:40:43.680 Those messages
00:40:45.180 are big
00:40:46.920 and strong
00:40:48.060 and clear.
00:40:49.180 And they're my big takeaways
00:40:50.480 from what's happened
00:40:51.720 here
00:40:52.400 over the course
00:40:53.340 of the last 24 hours.
00:40:55.220 Now, of course,
00:40:55.860 by-elections
00:40:56.520 are an opportunity
00:40:57.480 for protest votes.
00:40:58.680 You're not changing
00:40:59.840 the entire direction
00:41:00.920 of the country,
00:41:01.400 but you're sending
00:41:02.460 a rocket
00:41:03.920 at the government
00:41:04.960 in power.
00:41:06.220 But that said,
00:41:07.500 they chose
00:41:08.000 the Reform Party
00:41:08.880 to be that protest vote,
00:41:10.120 not the Conservatives.
00:41:11.360 And there were other votes
00:41:12.240 last night, too.
00:41:13.380 As I mentioned,
00:41:14.480 this was a special
00:41:15.980 by-election
00:41:17.020 because the Labour MP
00:41:18.420 beat someone up
00:41:19.340 and was kicked out
00:41:20.120 of Parliament.
00:41:20.760 But there were
00:41:21.260 other local councils
00:41:22.380 and mayors
00:41:23.040 that were elected, too,
00:41:24.220 and many of them
00:41:24.840 went Reform.
00:41:25.840 So we're on our way
00:41:26.880 back to Canada now,
00:41:27.880 and you'll forgive me
00:41:28.580 this super quick jaunt
00:41:29.760 over here,
00:41:30.780 but there's a reason
00:41:32.300 I came.
00:41:32.780 Obviously,
00:41:33.140 I'm interested in the UK,
00:41:34.140 you know that.
00:41:34.720 I'm interested
00:41:35.760 in the Reform Party,
00:41:36.700 but I'm interested
00:41:37.480 in their campaign material.
00:41:39.120 And I want to show you.
00:41:40.140 This is a little
00:41:40.820 campaign brochure
00:41:41.840 that they used here.
00:41:42.800 It's styled as a newspaper.
00:41:44.560 It's basically
00:41:46.040 a large brochure,
00:41:47.580 but it looks like
00:41:48.460 a newspaper.
00:41:48.980 They call it
00:41:49.540 Runcorn and Helsby's Voice.
00:41:51.560 It looks a little bit
00:41:52.520 like a newspaper.
00:41:55.080 I want to show you
00:41:56.040 a little bit of it.
00:42:00.620 I'll hand it, too,
00:42:01.480 if you want to scan it later.
00:42:04.720 Look at this campaign language
00:42:06.980 and think,
00:42:07.820 could this work in Canada?
00:42:09.920 Over the last decade,
00:42:11.760 7.2 million people
00:42:13.320 born outside the UK
00:42:14.600 have registered with GPs,
00:42:16.620 general practitioners.
00:42:18.260 Labor and the Tories
00:42:19.460 have broken our NHS.
00:42:20.860 That's their Medicare system.
00:42:22.480 How do you think
00:42:23.140 it would work in Canada
00:42:24.260 if there was
00:42:24.900 a Conservative Party
00:42:25.980 that said
00:42:26.560 Justin Trudeau
00:42:29.800 and Mark Carney
00:42:30.540 or the Liberal Party
00:42:31.600 has broken
00:42:32.260 our health care system
00:42:33.300 over the last decade?
00:42:34.800 5 million people
00:42:35.660 born outside Canada
00:42:36.960 have registered
00:42:37.560 with doctors.
00:42:39.420 I think it would resonate
00:42:40.800 because I think
00:42:41.580 that's a real problem
00:42:42.380 in Canada, too.
00:42:43.860 Reform will fix our NHS.
00:42:45.420 That's the health system.
00:42:47.540 But there's another
00:42:48.520 promise they make.
00:42:49.660 Here's our four bullet points.
00:43:00.040 Freeze immigration
00:43:01.020 and stop the boats.
00:43:03.500 Why doesn't
00:43:04.120 the Conservative Party
00:43:05.480 say freeze immigration?
00:43:07.280 I think that's
00:43:07.940 a winning phrase.
00:43:09.700 Then they have other issues.
00:43:11.320 Reverse labors,
00:43:12.120 winter fuel cuts.
00:43:13.600 Scrap net zero
00:43:14.620 to cut your energy bills.
00:43:17.360 Reward work
00:43:18.000 and cut your taxes.
00:43:19.660 I don't know
00:43:19.900 what I learned here
00:43:20.760 in the UK
00:43:21.360 is if I have to
00:43:22.260 sum it up in one sentence
00:43:23.440 is that after a while
00:43:25.320 calling people racist
00:43:26.540 doesn't really work anymore.
00:43:28.740 At most,
00:43:29.580 it makes people
00:43:30.360 have their political views
00:43:31.900 quietly,
00:43:32.600 but it doesn't
00:43:33.340 deter their views.
00:43:34.920 And if you actually
00:43:35.720 stand firmly,
00:43:37.700 you might just win.
00:43:40.040 From Runcorn and Hellsby,
00:43:42.160 I'm Ezra Levant.
00:43:48.000 You're listening to it.
00:43:50.860 I'm horns.
00:43:51.480 You're listening to it.
00:43:51.740 In the UK
00:43:55.140 Thank you.