Rebel News Podcast - EZRA LEVANT ｜ Reform UK stuns the country with byelection win

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. 0.74

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 0.86

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 0.97

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. 0.90

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. 1.00

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 1.00

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. 0.56

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. 0.98

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. 1.00

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. 1.00

00:15:56.000 Because he's a liar. 1.00

00:15:57.240 Because he's a fascist. 1.00

00:15:58.780 I mean, how many reasons do you want? 0.82

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, 1.00

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 0.99

00:19:38.800 and his gang of liars, ex-Tories. 0.99

00:19:41.360 Getting in? 0.98

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 1.00

00:19:54.620 so she can stoke up for emotive reasons, 1.00

00:19:57.260 the fear in people,

00:19:58.280 and push this populist agenda and get in. 0.61

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. 0.65

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. 1.00

00:21:40.060 Mainstream media just tell you bullshit. 1.00

00:21:43.020 Can I ask you what your source of news is? 1.00

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. 1.00

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? 1.00

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? 1.00

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. 0.99

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. 0.57

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. 0.92

00:27:19.740 It's just an argument over. 0.92

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 0.74

00:28:43.540 is a racist party through and through. 0.83

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, 0.99

00:29:01.480 you're a racist through and through. 0.97

00:29:04.280 Read some of his books, 0.98

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 1.00

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 0.93

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. 1.00

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... 0.90

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 0.95

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, 0.99

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, 1.00

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. 0.98

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, 0.97

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. 0.89

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. 1.00

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. 0.94

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 0.80

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 1.00

00:43:01.020 and stop the boats. 1.00

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 0.52

00:43:55.140 Thank you.

Rebel News Podcast - May 02, 2025

EZRA LEVANT ｜ Reform UK stuns the country with byelection win

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