Why Russians are fighting against Russia: ‘Putin’s ruined my country’
Working as an agent for Ukraine and attacking Russia’s railways was pretty easy, says Lazzy – a Russian fighting against his own country.
“It’s not that complicated. Anyone in Russia can freely buy gasoline – for now, while some refineries still work – and set the railway on fire,” he explains.
“Of course, you need to prepare the exit routes. To plan the operation, so to speak. You can’t just go for a walk and decide to do it. First, recon, then action. But in fact, anyone can do it.”
The saboteur burned “several” railway-switching and electrical systems in arson attacks in Russia’s Volga region.
The truth, though, is that it was dangerous and ate away at his nervous system. Which is why he walked across Russia’s border and joined Ukraine’s army to fight against Vladimir Putin.
For the last year, he has been a frontline soldier battling in the shattered rubble of what is now known as the “dead zone”, because it’s so thinly populated by soldiers from both sides, all hiding from enemy drones – with occasional sneak attacks in person.
“I think it’s easier for me here. Because in Russia, I constantly felt fear for my life,” he says. “Here in Ukraine, FSB and GRU [secret service] networks are not so strong. In Russia, it’s much more dangerous. Also, [in Russia] there are many people who support the regime. Say the wrong word and they will rat on you.”
Lazzy chose to fight Putin’s regime because of what he saw as cronyism, corruption and the destruction of democracy: “Russia must have a future.”
As he talks, his face is hidden and he’s known only by his military callsign. The Independent met him just a short drive from the front lines where he’s fighting in Ukraine’s south.
“Here, in Ukraine, I can defend myself with weapons. Yes, it’s scary on the positions. They want to kill you. But it’s clear: either you or them.”
He is part of Ukraine’s Freedom of Russia Legion, which operates under the control of Kyiv’s military intelligence services like other foreign volunteer units. The legion claims to field several hundred men. They are all Russians. In Moscow they would be executed as traitors.
In Ukraine, they have fought in Sumy province, lost heavily in the bitter battle for Bakhmut, and say they have been involved in driving back recent Russian assaults on the front line of the southern battlefields.
Ukraine has stepped up its campaign both inside occupied territory and in Russia itself. In its most spectacular strikes, Ukraine managed to disable Russian bombers in the covert Operation Spiderweb, involving multiple targets and agents on the ground.
Russian refineries and power stations are regularly attacked by Ukraine’s new long-range drones.
But the Freedom of Russia Legion has eyes on defending Ukraine locally. And then fighting in Russia to topple Putin altogether. The latter would be welcomed by Kyiv but is not a stated aim.
Ceasar, a veteran Russian fighter in Ukraine’s army, began his opposition against Putin with what he calls “terrorist attacks”. For at least the last three-and-a-half years he has been in Ukraine’s army. He is driven by religious fervour and monarchist dreams of the return of a tsar to Russia.
Originally from Sochi, he says he does not worry about killing fellow Russians.
“I do not feel bad for killing my own citizens, because they’re doing very bad things here and I saw how they killed civilians, how they raped, how they robbed and they want to destroy Ukraine. Putin has ruined not only Ukraine, he’s ruined also my country,” says Ceasar.
He is armed, like Lazzy, with a modern M16-type rifle, originally an American design. It is rapidly replacing the AK-47 in Ukraine’s armoury.
Ceasar describes the reality on the front lines of a war he has chosen to join.
“There’s not a lot of military personnel at the front like it was two or three years ago. We are all dispersed. We are now about two or three men, at most, sitting in a bunker. Because if we will put there, a dozen men, they will be killed,” he says.
“It’s very dangerous to move in and move out. It’s the most dangerous part of the operation.”
Soldiers are forced to spend weeks, sometimes months, in foxholes and bunkers, trying to survive constant artillery and drone attacks.
Referring to Lazzy, he continues: “On the last operation he was about 45 days on the position. I was about three weeks. It’s really hard.
“Every day, every time you dig in, dig in, dig in and again, dig in.”
Over the last few weeks, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has been touring the West seeking long-range missiles and air-defence systems.
Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, focusing on energy and transport systems ahead of the winter freeze.
Russian troops have also advanced in small bounds at huge cost east of Kharkiv, and already committed murder in Pokrovsk against local civilians left behind by Ukrainian withdrawal. But drone warfare has kept the Russians back.
Ukraine’s problem is that drones cannot fly in high winds, rain, fog or when it is snowing. Putin’s forces are likely to exploit bad winter weather and attempt to break through Ukrainian lines when drones are grounded.
That is when Lazzy and Ceasar will face their toughest test.
‘I waited months to reunite with family but missed chance by 13 mins’
When Umer Heyi received news from the Home Office that he had been granted sanctuary in Britain, he was ecstatic.
Caseworkers had agreed that the 28-year-old had a “well-founded fear of persecution” and could not return to his home country of Ethiopia, where he said he had been imprisoned over his support for an opposition party, the Oromo Liberation Front.
The decision meant he had a stable future in the UK, at least for the next five years. But, more importantly for Umer, it also meant the promise of safety for his wife Habiba and two-year-old son Kena, whom he believed would now be allowed to come to Britain under a government scheme to bring families together.
“If I bring them here, I will be able to protect them. If I can save my life, but I can’t protect them, then why should I live?” he says.
Yet, just hours after receiving the good news, Umer’s hope that he would one day reunite with his loved ones was snatched away.
The day he received his grant of refugee status, 4 September, was also the last day that refugees could apply to bring their close family members to the UK, after a dramatic shift in policy by the government.
Eager to start the process of bringing his wife and son to the UK as soon as possible, Umer had obtained the phone number of a lawyer through an Ethiopian friend and rang it at 3.13pm. But what he didn’t know was that the scheme had closed to new applications just 13 minutes earlier, at 3pm.
Then-home secretary Yvette Cooper had announced a pause on new applications in parliament three days before. She claimed that people-smuggling gangs were using family reunion rules to promote illegal crossings to the UK. Charities condemned the decision, saying it would, in fact, push people into the hands of smugglers.
The pause on the family reunion scheme is expected to last until spring 2026, when new requirements for refugees are expected to be announced. In the meantime, those settled in the UK can sponsor immediate family members to come here, but only if they meet the minimum salary threshold of £29,000 per year and if they can pay thousands in application fees.
Umer arrived in the UK on a small boat in May 2025. He graduated from university with a degree in computer science in Ethiopia and speaks fluent English, but has struggled to find work in the sector since getting his refugee status. He is now doing a cybersecurity course in Norwich so that he can have a suitable UK qualification that will help him get a job.
Tragically, Umer has never been able to meet his two-year-old boy in person. “I was arrested and imprisoned by the government one week before my son was born,” he says.
“I was supporting the opposition party and I had participated in a series of protests. The authorities arrested me and put me in prison, without trial, for one year and four months.
“I was able to escape after my family paid a bribe for my release, but I had to immediately leave the country without seeing my wife or son. That was in November 2024, and it took me around six months to get to the UK.”
Umer was able to speak to his wife again for the first time in April this year, when he borrowed a phone while in Italy.
“Since my arrest, she has had to move houses multiple times. She was running from place to place, and militias were harassing our family. I want to do anything I can to take them out of that country and, when I got to the UK, it was explained to me that I could bring them here if I applied for asylum,” he says.
“The officer who interviewed me on my first day in the UK explained that I can apply for them. So the day I received my refugee status, I called the lawyer to apply.
“She explained to me that it [the reunion scheme] had stopped and there was nothing she could do for me.”
He adds that he was “heartbroken”.
“I haven’t even seen my son in person, all we can do is a video call. If I can’t save him, if I can’t protect him, then what have I got?
“We just want the opportunity to save our lives and not stay separated.”
Umer speaks to his wife and son regularly but, for safety reasons, has to wait for them to call him. His son Kena likes to play and listen to music while they are on video calls together.
Umer explains that Kena likes it when he sings Oromo music. “He tells me to sing, and he will dance. He just keeps telling me to sing again, sing again,” he says.
“Then when he is playing with other little boys, he tells my wife to bring the phone and he tells them, ‘This is my father’. Every time he tells me to come, ‘why don’t you come?’”
Nick Beales, from the refugee charity Ramfel, which has supported Umer, says: “Labour’s decision to suspend refugee family reunion is not only cruel but counterproductive.
“Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood cannot, on the one hand, say they want refugees to take safe routes and then, on the other, remove one of the few safe routes that exist. They cannot insist that refugees immediately establish themselves in their new communities whilst at the same time ensuring their partners and children remain stranded overseas.”
A Home Office spokesperson said:“We have recently moved to suspend the refugee family reunion route, acknowledging the pressures it is putting on local authorities and public services.
“We understand the devastating circumstances of some families, which is why there remain other routes which individuals may be eligible to apply for in order to reunite with family.”
Prince Andrew can’t outrun Epstein’s shadow or America’s questions
If I start this column by declaring I want to talk about two different committees – one, the public accounts committee at Westminster, and the other the congressional oversight committee in Washington – you would have every right to roll over in bed and go back to sleep, or indeed embark on those DIY jobs that you’ve been putting off for months.
But if we throw the name Prince Andrew into the mix, and the threat that both could pose to him as he stays holed up in Royal Lodge, then I think it might just get your attention. In Britain this week – with what looked like a coordinated move from the leader of the Liberal Democrats and the prime minister – Sir Keir Starmer, in reply to a carefully crafted question from Sir Ed Davey, seemed to indicate that he was open to a parliamentary select committee examining the lease granted to the prince for his pad in Windsor Great Park – and yes, talking to the tenant himself.
Will it happen? I frankly doubt it. Parliamentary tradition is that you don’t go near the royal family. You can scarcely mention the sovereign without the speaker crying “order”. Look at it this way: the last time a member of the royal family was summoned before parliament, it was Charles I – and that didn’t end well for the king.
This looks more like a way of increasing the pressure on the disgraced prince to leave the sprawling mansion on which he pays a peppercorn rent. The present King Charles can’t impose internal exile (maybe a more humble ghillie’s cottage on the Balmoral estate) but the political class can add a little pressure by suggesting an appearance before a Commons select committee.
But in America, there is no need for such deference. What’s more there isn’t any. This was a country that came into being by getting rid of our royal family. It is also worth underlining that the Jeffrey Epstein saga still rages. There is fury – on right and left – that among all the powerful men who cavorted on Epstein’s island, the only person convicted is a woman, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Has anyone’s death in recent history cast such a long shadow on those who still live as Epstein’s? The first thing to say is that there are two classes of people who continue to feel the repercussions of their associations with Epstein. There are those once young women – maybe girls would be a better description – whose lives have been forever scarred by this evil man. They must be at the forefront of our thoughts. And then there are the others – the kings of the universe – whose once mighty reputations are being shredded as details of their contacts with him emerge into an unsparing sunlight. Luthiers have yet to construct a violin small enough to lament their demise.
When news emerged that Epstein had committed suicide (or at least that’s what the authorities said was the cause of death), I dithered over whether I could write that a lot of powerful men would be breathing a sigh of relief. But it hasn’t turned out that way: Lord Mandelson, humiliatingly fired as our ambassador to Washington when his fawning emails to Epstein emerged (“yum, yum”). The one-time titan of Wall Street and former chief executive of Barclays, Jes Staley, was banned from holding executive positions in Britain’s financial services industry after his less-than-candid declarations.
The dark shadow of Epstein is even reaching into the heart of the White House and questions over Donald Trump’s longstanding relationship with him.
Then there is Prince Andrew. It’s not just that his reputation has been destroyed; it is that he is now a source of shame for the royal family itself. In the terse statement issued the Friday before last, Prince Andrew announced he would no longer be using his title of Duke of York, that he would be giving up the Garter, whatever that means, and that he was doing this because he was an honourable man, whose only interest was what was best for the royal family. It was accompanied by the vigorous denial of all accusations against him.
The statement from the now untitled, but deeply entitled prince was designed to kill the story and extinguish all interest in him. What an epic fail. This brings us to another death and someone who is utterly determined that her passing should cast a shadow. This week saw the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, a searing and heart-rending account of abuse and exploitation. Though she took her own life, her book – and the ghostwriter who helped her write it – makes clear she wants to see justice served on those who abused her and the others who were trafficked as playthings for the wealthy and powerful. The book includes the most vivid allegations against the prince.
She was the recipient of an out-of-court settlement reported to be in the region of £12m from Andrew, which is a lot of money to shell out for someone you claim you cannot remember meeting, as the prince has insisted. The FBI wanted to speak to him in connection with the Epstein inquiry, but according to the New York state attorney at the time, there was “zero cooperation” from him.
You can see the long list of detailed questions congressmen and women would have for Andrew. Why did you cough up millions of pounds if you say you can’t remember meeting her? What about the orgy she details in her book? Why did you tell my co-presenter, Emily Maitlis, in that infamous Newsnight interview, that you broke off all contact with Epstein in December 2010, but were apparently emailing him in February 2011, talking about how “we are in this together”? What did you mean in that email when you wrote “we’ll play some more soon”? How long did contacts carry on? Were you lying in that interview, and if you were, why should we believe anything else you say?
Then there are the questions about Ghislaine Maxwell and his close friendship with her. In the Giuffre book, she describes Maxwell as the “apex predator”. What would he say about that? It would be excruciating; it would be blockbuster. It would be electric.
But what does the prince do if the committee invites him to give evidence? Sure, you can’t compel a foreigner to give testimony as you can a US citizen. But imagine the optics if he declined. A British prince pleading the fifth would not be a good look. He has no good options, and none of this is going away.
Man United at risk of unwanted league record in Brighton match
Manchester United host Brighton in the Premier League seeking to record a third consecutive win under Ruben Amorim – and end an unwanted record against this evening’s opponents.
Brighton have won their last three visits to Old Trafford, with January’s 3-1 win against them leading Amorim to declare his side “the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United”.
But Amorim will now hope his troubled tenure has turned a corner following last weekend’s win over champions Liverpool – their first at Anfield in nine years secured by Harry Maguire’s late header.
It secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time under Amorim and the Portuguese coach will be demanding more as they welcome Fabian Hurzeler’s team, who beat Newcastle last time out.
Follow the latest team news, build-up and updates from Manchester United v Brighton, below
Late drama in the Premier League
We only had two 3pm kick-offs to sink our teeth into this afternoon – and boy did they deliver the drama!
Newcastle nicked it at the death against Fulham, with Bruno Guimaraes firing home in the 90th minute to put the Magpies 2-1 up at St James’s Park.
But that’s been made all but an afterthought by their North East rivals, with Sunderland coming from behind to snatch a last-gasp win over Chelsea at the Bridge!
Chemsdine Talbi was the difference-maker, scoring in the 93rd minute as this year’s surprise package notched a shock 2-1 win!
Manchester United to adapt in games to maintain ‘good spirit’ of winning
Ruben Amorim says that Manchester United will be adaptable in games despite having one primary identity as they hope to build on back-to-back wins.
“We have one identity, one way of playing but we adapt what kind of game we need to play in the moment,” he explained at a press conference on Friday.
“You can sense that the first half against Sunderland was not the same as the second half. We know how to manage that. Then against Liverpool, of course, we scored right away in the first play. Then we managed the game playing in a different style because it was needed in that moment. That is a good thing.
“Then the spirit. Sometimes when you have a good spirit you have that bit of luck that we need to win games.”
Man United players make their arrivals
‘Manchester United in uncharted territory’
Here’s Richard Jolly inside Old Trafford:
“Manchester United have entered what was uncharted territory for them: they have won two straight league games under Ruben Amorim. Now the chance to win three in a row. That said, Brighton have won three in a row: tasting victory on their last three trips to Old Trafford, all under different managers. Amorim had said Harry Maguire and Mason Mount were doutbs, and neither starts, with Leny Yoro and Benjamin Sesko coming in. Brighton’s Danny Welbeck returns to Old Trafford and has a habit of scoring against United.”
Danny Welbeck returns to Old Trafford in flying form
Off the back of his stunning brace against Newcastle last week, former Man United striker Danny Welbeck unsurprisingly keeps his place up top for the Seagulls.
Elsewhere, Diego Gomez comes out of the side, with Ferdi Kadioglu moving further forward and Maxim De Cuyper coming into left-back.
One change for Man United from Anfield triumph
Ruben Amorim makes just the one change from what was the biggest win of his Man United reign thus far.
Casemiro comes out of the side for Manuel Ugarte in midfield, with the Brazilian just two more yellow cards away from suspension before the turn of the year.
CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS!
Man United XI: Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Diallo, Ugarte. Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Mount; Cunha.
Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Kadioglu; Welbeck.
Manchester United v Brighton team news
… Will be revealed in the next few minutes.
Bruno Fernandes reveals details on rumoured mega-money Saudi Arabia move
Bruno Fernandes has opened up about how he turned down a money-spinning summer move to Saudi Arabia in the hope of achieving his dreams with Manchester United.
The 31-year-old has been the best signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era and is set to make his 300th appearance for the Red Devils in Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton.
Bruno Fernandes reveals details on rumoured mega-money Saudi Arabia move
Ruben Amorim has no interest in Arne Slot’s assessment of Man Utd display
Ruben Amorim does not care what Arne Slot has to say about his Manchester United team after the Liverpool boss spoke of low blocks and long balls following last weekend’s Anfield encounter.
It was Liverpool’s fourth straight loss in all competitions and boss Slot said afterwards that “it is always difficult to play against a team that defends in a low block and mainly plays the long ball.”
Amorim had no interest in the Dutchman’s assessment.
“I don’t care what Slot is saying, what people are saying about our team.
“I can evaluate my team and I am really clear that we should play better with the ball. We are going to try to do that in this game.”
Ruben Amorim has no interest in Arne Slot’s assessment of Man Utd display
Lionesses hand debut to goalkeeper ahead of Brazil friendly
England return to action following their triumphant Euro 2025 campaign as the European champions take on Brazil at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
The Lionesses roared to victory, stunning Spain on penalties in the final, to defend their European crown and now take on the champions of South American in the first of two friendlies this week.
Sarina Wiegman’s side are beginning to look towards qualifying for the 2027 World Cup and their friendly against Brazil will be followed by another test against Australia on Tuesday.
England are without captain Leah Williamson, as well as key attackers Lauren James and Lauren Hemp, due to injuries while Millie Bright has retired from international duty after missing the Euros this summer.
And there will be an England debut given to one of Wiegman’s goalkeepers, after No 1 Hannah Hampton was ruled out from the friendly due to injury. Follow live updates from England v Brazil in our live blog below:
Sarina Wiegman on Khiara Keating’s debut: ‘It’s exciting for her’
England boss Sarina Wiegman on selecting Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who makes her debut ahead of the injured Hannah Hampton at the Etihad Stadium.
“She’s a very talented goalkeeper. It’s a homecoming for her too of course. It’s exciting for her. Let’s see what she can do.”
Sarina Wiegman responds to criticism of Maya Le Tissier comments
Despite being without Leah Williamson and Millie Bright retiring, Sarina Wiegman was adamant that she views Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier as a right back, not a centre-back – where she plays for her club.
On the back of the noise that followed those comments, Manchester United responded with a tweet that stated: “Maya Le Tissier has started 104 games for United, 103 of them have been at centre-back.”
“I don’t react on social media,” said Wiegman when asked about the post. “I watch Maya all the time and she does a great job. How our team is built at the moment, with the players we have, she’s most likely to play right-back.
“I also know she can play as a right centre-back and she does a really good job for Manchester United and she does a good job for us too.”
Aggie Beever-Jones wins England top scorer award
Aggie Beever-Jones was presented with England’s top goalscorer award for 2024-25 after scoring six times in 10 appearances for the Lionesses.
The 22-year-old Chelsea forward scored a Wembley hat-trick against Portugal and netted in the 6-1 win over Wales in the final group game of the Euros in July.
“It’s definitely been a year to remember in terms of Chelsea and England,” Beever-Jones said.
“To come away with the top goalscorer is something that didn’t even occur to me or had in my thoughts, so it’s a nice little surprise to end a great year.”
England team news: Keating and Le Tissier start
Khiara Keating makes her England debut after replacing the injured Hannah Hampton.
Maya Le Tissier starts ahead of Lucy Bronze, with Esme Morgan partnering Jess Carter at centre-back in the absence of Leah Williamson, and Alex Greenwood at left back.
The midfield three is familiar: Keira Walsh is captain and Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone start with Jess Park and Grace Clinton both out.
And it’s an all-Arsenal front three with Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly either side of Alessia Russo.
Khiara Keating makes England debut against Brazil
England XI to play Brazil
Keating; Le Tissier, Morgan, Carter, Greenwood; Walsh, Stanway, Toone; Mead, Russo, Kelly
Lucy Bronze named England’s player of the year
Lucy Bronze has won England’s player of the year award for 2025 – voted by the fans – and finished ahead of Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton to claim the prize.
Bronze played in all six of England’s games as the won the Euros final despite an injured leg, and made played a vital part in their quarter-final comeback against Sweden.
The defender was presented with the award by Georgia Stanway at St George’s Park and Wiegman praised her consistency and the impact on the dressing room.
“I think her consistency and the way she expresses herself or conducts herself on the pitch and off the pitch,” Wiegman said.
“She’s tough and has such a huge contribution. She impacts the players’ lives just by helping them, supporting them whenever they need something.
“She has great levels on the pitch and that’s why I pick her but when all these extras come with it, that really helps the team moving forward.”
Keira Walsh to captain England with Leah Williamson unavailable
Sarina Wiegman confirmed Keira Walsh will captain the Lionesses with Leah Williamson unavailable due to injury.
“Keira will be the captain tomorrow. Alex (Greenwood) is also one of the captains – she’s in the captains group – but when Leah is not available, Keira is the captain.”
Sarina Wiegman to hand debut to England goalkeeper after Hampton injury
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton will miss the game with an elbow injury which means a senior debut between the sticks will be given to either Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse or Sophie Baggaley.
Wiegman said: “Hannah Hampton is not available for tomorrow. She has a small elbow injury. She’ll be assessed and we’ll see how that goes on Tuesday. Sophie Baggaley came in.
“I have made the decision, but as always, we have to get through the session and then, of course, I inform the team first.”
Sarina Wiegman relishing different challenge in England’s friendly with Brazil
England boss Sarina Wiegman is looking forward to a different challenge as her side prepare to take on Brazil in a friendly at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The two teams will face off for the first time since their meeting in the Finalissima at Wembley Stadium in 2023 where the hosts came out on top in a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw.
The England squad will take to the field for the first time since winning the Euros this summer and will then face Australia three days later in Derby.
She said: “They’re very physical and athletic. They have a lot of pace up front. They can play football but they also really want to play fast forward – so that will challenge us.
“With the South American mentality, there will be a lot of flair. We’re trying to stay out of the fight a little bit and play football.
“It’s always a test. It’s really good that we have four friendlies over this couple of months. Try out new things, see new players, see different combinations, so that’s a huge opportunity and I think it’s necessary too because we have some injuries and of course, a retired player.”
Sarina Wiegman relishing different challenge in England’s friendly with Brazil
What is the England team news?
Sarina Wiegman will hand a debut to one of her goalkeepers with Hannah Hampton missing the match because of an elbow injury. Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse are both uncapped, despite being part of England’s Euro 2025 winning squad, while Brighton’s Sophie Baggaley is a new call-up.
Leah Williamson, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp were not part of the squad due to injuries. Grace Clinton withdrew from the squad due to injury, while Lotte Wubben-Moy and Jess Park will also miss Saturday’s game.
Aston Villa’s Lucia Kendall, Arsenal’s Taylor Hinds and Liverpool’s Grace Fisk could all make their debuts after being called up to the squad for the first time.
Enriching escapes: find your perfect luxury break
Has Britain become ungovernable (again)?
Governing is hard, and sometimes it is harder than others. This morning, Keir Starmer had to give a short speech welcoming the election of a deputy leader of his party, seven weeks after he had sacked her from his government.
This seemed to be a fitting end to a week in which all candidates to lead the grooming gangs inquiry withdrew; a migrant deported to France came back again on a small boat; Labour was humiliated in a by-election where it had always won in Wales; and a migrant sex offender was set free by mistake.
In fact, Lucy Powell won the deputy leadership by a narrower margin, 54 per cent, than expected, considering how unhappy Labour members are with the direction of the party. But her win will strengthen the argument of those who want the government to spend more and tax more, a month before a Budget in which Rachel Reeves is already in an impossible bind, trying to spend less and tax more without breaking manifesto promises.
In her victory speech, Powell also repeated the plausible but misleading slogan: “We won’t win by trying to out-Reform Reform.” Her election reveals a party unwilling to face up to the harder truth, which is that Labour will lose if it fails to stop the boats, which is one of the causes of Nigel Farage’s lead in the opinion polls.
It is unusual for a government to face two impossible problems at once, but that is the situation that Starmer is in. The public finances are caught between irresistible spending pressures and immovable promises not to raise taxes, while this government seems just as powerless to stop the boats as the last one was.
I bumped into Michael Crick this week, one of my heroes of political journalism. He is working on a short biography of Ted Heath, one of a series on prime ministers published by Swift that includes Harold Wilson, written by Alan Johnson. He said he thought that politics today echoed 1974-75, when it seemed that Britain had become “ungovernable”.
Then, it was the difficulty of reconciling the demands of workers organised by powerful trade unions with the fight against inflation. Today, the economic problems seem just as insoluble, but with the issue of uninvited immigration on top.
Another of my heroes, Janan Ganesh of the Financial Times, the most stylish commentator of our age, puts forward a theory in his latest column. He suggests that governments cannot keep up with the instant gratification offered by capitalism. Giving the example of being able to stream almost any music at zero marginal cost, he writes: “In 1990, the Sultan of Brunei didn’t have his whims indulged as swiftly as a middle-income person does now.”
He suggests that people are angry not just about the outcome of irregular immigration but about the failure itself: “The incomprehensibility of not having a reasonable desire met, at speed”.
There is something in this thesis, which is, as he admits, very Tony Blair, but it is only a sharpening of a frustration that would be justified in any era. People were just as annoyed that “nothing worked” in the bigger public sector in the 1970s, and politicians found it just as hard to respond to the demands made of them.
One way that politics has changed is that it has become more responsive to demands for change, but not necessarily in a productive way. It was notable that the reflex response to defeat in the Caerphilly by-election from mostly anonymous Labour MPs was for a change of prime minister, as well as for a change of policy in the wrong direction, namely “higher spending and ignore the boats”.
Has Labour learned nothing from the turnover of Conservative prime ministers, an average of one every two years from 2016 to 2024? Let alone the turnover in France, which has been even higher?
No one, Labour or Tory, has come up with a credible plan to restrain public spending or to persuade the voters to accept the reality that taxes will have to rise. And no one knows how to stop the boats.
This, of course, is the competence challenge facing Farage, and he knows it. He has just junked his Truss-level unrealistic tax and spending pledges from the last election, knowing that the test for a party that might actually get into government is a little stiffer than it was for him last time.
And he has not come up with a credible plan for stopping the boats either, opening up the alarming possibility of yet another government that will fail. Which raises the possibility that it may not be competence that is the problem, or the comparison between public services and the private sector, but that the voters expect the impossible of their politicians.
If Starmer does go, will the next candidate to preside over inevitable failure please step forward?
Snow expected in UK over weekend with ‘coldest days of season so far’
As the clocks go back this weekend, cold Arctic air will cause temperatures to plummet across the UK, with the wintry conditions expected to bring the first snow of the season.
Showers of snow are set to fall across the Scottish mountains on Saturday, the Met Office said, as a “patchy frost” will cover England and northern Scotland on Sunday morning.
This weekend will also see the “coldest pair of days so far this season” with temperatures diving to single digits. The forecaster added that strong winds on Saturday will make the day feel like December, with a “brisk, blustery feel” making conditions feel several degrees lower.
“The combination of strong breezes and incoming, colder air means it will feel raw in exposed spots through daylight hours,” the Met Office said.
Frequent showers are also expected across Northern Ireland, northern Scotland, Wales and the South West.
An Atlantic low from the North West will give Saturday night a chilly feel, but Sunday morning will have “plenty of sunshine to begin with” across most central and eastern areas.
The Met Office said: “Eastern Scotland and the east of England may hold on to brighter skies into the afternoon.
“Elsewhere, cloud will increase, with a few early showers followed by a band of more persistent rain arriving around lunchtime for Northern Ireland, Scotland and western fringes of England and Wales.”
The cold weekend comes after Storm Benjamin battered the UK this week with heavy downpours and winds over 70mph.
Four yellow weather warnings were issued by the Met Office for Thursday, while over 40 flood alerts were in place in the morning.
UK five-day forecast
Tonight:
Showery rain will move southwards across much of the country through this evening and overnight, reaching south-east England by dawn. A mix of clear spells and scattered showers following from the northwest. Remaining windy and turning chilly where skies clear.
Saturday:
Remaining rather cloudy in the North East with some further rain at times. Scattered showers also moving into western areas, but mostly dry with sunny spells elsewhere. Another cold-feeling day.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
A mainly dry start on Sunday, but rain spreading in from the North West throughout the day. Remaining changeable early next week, especially in the North West, but temperatures gradually recovering.