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Rishi Sunak must stop boats or lose as Tory civil war erupts | Politics | News
John Curtice says by-election losses ‘bad news’ for Tories
Symbolically, it could not have been much worse.
As voters prepared to go to the polls in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in two crucial by-elections, Downing Street leaked that the Prime Minister had surrendered to the woke, quasi-socialist wing of the Conservative Party.
It emerged that Rishi Sunak now intends to put a ban on conversion therapy of gay people into the King’s speech because he was afraid of some ministerial resignations – this will ban things like electric shock treatment which are already illegal but also ban praying or family or medical professionals offering advice.
In the great scheme of things, banning conversion therapy may not be the biggest issue and certainly ranks far below the cost of living crisis, but as a signal to Conservative voters who think the party has lost its way and is no longer conservative, it could not have been worse.
Not for the first time, in what is becoming a bitter civil war, Sunak had sided with the socially liberal woke leftists in his party, probably because they were the ones who installed him as leader and were behind the coups to remove Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Sure enough, Tory voters stayed at home in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire – and Sunak was humiliated.
New Tamwoth Labour MP Sarah Edwards delivers her victory speech (Image: Sky News)
Let us put aside the laughable claims that these terrible defeats had anything to do with Nadine Dorries or Chris Pincher – the straws senior Tory MPs were desperately clutching at last night.
A telling briefing note shared by one angry Conservative backbencher, and supported by many others, showed exactly what is wrong with Sunak’s strategy and how the by-election defeats illustrate that it is conservative not woke policies which will save him and his party.
Statistically, the MP shared a party summary which made three points:
1. Turnout was so low that nearly two-thirds of voters didn’t come out to vote at all – meaning lots of undecideds/disgruntled Conservatives to win back and motivate to vote still;
2. Labour only added 800 votes onto their vote share that they secured in 2019 in Tamworth, and went backwards on their 2019 vote share in Mid Bedfordshire;
3. In Tamworth, nine percent of the votes went between Reform, Ukip, and For Britain, with Reform responsible for nearly six percent of that alone.
The briefing noted that this “shows migration and in particular stopping the boats is vital in old and current Red Wall seats like Tamworth and failure to deliver means people voting Reform will get Labour”.
Jill Mortimer told the PM that “enough is enough” on illegal migrants (Image: PARLIAMENT)
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But the MP, who is on the right of the party, added: “I think what we can see we as Conservatives need to do is as follows:
“First, stop the boats is massive, but also clamping down on legal migration numbers – Reform vote share did the damage in both by-election seats – particularly in Tamworth.
“Second, ditch rumoured policies like conversion therapy ban that will cause public splits in the party and instead do stuff to help small and medium-sized businesses grow with targeted tax cuts and reduce the tax burden on families and their households which doesn’t have to mean just doing income tax cuts (see New Conservatives Tax Plan launched at Party Conference).”
As Rishi Sunak prepares to mark a year since he was installed after the coup to remove Truss, those sentences from the MP more than anything go to the nub of the civil war engulfing the parliamentary party.
But they also underline why, as revealed again this week in the Techne UK tracker poll, more than half of the 2019 Tory vote have abandoned the party with most staying at home.
If there is any hope of victory next year – and let’s be frank, optimism is in very short supply – then Sunak needs to stop wasting time on woke policies, stop the boats and cut taxes.
It is not a difficult formula, but the left of his party is preventing him from doing this.
Sunak has been told he must stop the small boats or lose the next election (Image: Getty)
The right of the party, which supports things like free speech and religious freedom, are, of course, up in arms about conversion therapy.
But they were already raging about another issue which almost certainly did affect the abysmal outcomes in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire – the small boats.
We saw a warning shot in PMQs this week that patience has run out on this issue when Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer got up and told the Prime Minister “enough is enough” demanding he removed so-called asylum seekers from her town.
The cheers she received from fellow MPs was telling.
The problem is that in the fight to decide the soul and future direction of the party, the same woke liberal wing is preventing the Prime Minister from doing what needs to be done to stop the boats.
One minister on the liberal wing told me the right are “stupid” another woke Tory MP suggested they are “racist and homophobic”.
Of course, both were Remainers and probably had the same view of the majority of actual Conservative voters.
The only solution to the small boats crisis is, as Home Secretary Suella Braverman has stated, to leave the outdated and politicised Refugee Convention and European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
The right knows this is true but the liberal wing of Tory MPs is resisting even putting that in the next manifesto.
Then we have the whole business of tax cuts.
Apparently, Sunak wants them but somehow cannot persuade his Chancellor Jeremy Hunt from pursuing an obsessively high tax regime, again with the support of the same wing which wants conversion therapy.
As one former cabinet minister recently said: “We cannot hope to defeat the socialists in Labour until we stop pushing forward socialist-light policies.”
The figure in Tamworth was particularly interesting – a seat where the migrant crisis is playing large.
Labour’s vote went up just 800 but almost 20,000 Tory voters from the 2019 election stayed at home – the reduction in turnout was almost exactly the same as the reduction in the Conservative vote.
The reality is that Conservative voters do not see any reason to vote for the Conservative Party, enough will go to Richard Tice’s Reform UK to split the vote in many seats, but the vast majority are effectively politically homeless and on strike.
Until Sunak starts listening to the right of his party they won’t be coming back any time soon.
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SRH vs RR, IPL 2025 Highlights: SRH Start Off With A Bang, Beat RR By 44 Runs After Kishan Ton
SRH vs RR Cricket Updates, IPL 2025© BCCI
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2025 Highlights: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) got off to a winning start in IPL 2025, as they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 44 runs in their opening game. Ishan Kishan smashed a phenomenal century on SRH debut, and was helped by contributions from Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy and Abhishek Sharma, as they piled up a mammoth 286/6; one run short of the IPL-record total. In reply, RR lost the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana inside the powerplay. Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel cracked fifties, but it wasn’t enough for victory. (SCORECARD) (CSK vs MI Live Updates)
IPL 2025 Highlights – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Straight from the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad:
19:42 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Time for ‘El Clasico’!
Thank you for tuning in to the LIVE coverage of the SRH-RR game on NDTV Sports. The perfect start for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Rajasthan Royals will have positives to take too.
The ‘El Clasico’ of the IPL is underway! Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians. Hop on there, to catch the action – CSK vs MI Live UpdatesThank you, see you there!
19:36 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Favourites off the mark
Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the favourites to go the distance in IPL 2025, and they’ve shown today exactly why. New buy Ishan Kishan led the way with 106*, and SRH will hope his injury isn’t too bad. Excellent contributions by Head, Abhishek, Klaasen and Reddy too. The power-packed batting did its job today.
19:31 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: VICTORY FOR SRH
GAME OVER. Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs. A stunning display of power-hitting with the bat laid the foundation. RR gave it a go, thanks largely to Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel, but never looked like they could really win.
RR 242/6 (20)
19:27 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Harshal gets another wicket!
Harshal Patel took the wicket of Sanju Samson earlier, and now adds Shimron Hetmyer to that tally. He has bowled well in the death overs, at a decent economy as well, in a very high-scoring encounter.
RR 241/6 (19.5)
19:25 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: SRH win?
Rajasthan Royals slam 15 runs off the 19th over, but SRH have mathematically won this game if they bowl legal deliveries in all the remaining balls. RR have given it a good go after losing many early wickets, but they’ll fall short comfortably in the end.
RR 232/5 (19)
19:18 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Ishan Kishan looks in pain
Ishan Kishan looks to be in a lot of pain. He is receiving treatment off the field, on the edge of the boundary. He slammed an incredible century earlier today. An injury to him would be dreadful news for the Sunrisers.
19:16 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Hetmyer to the party
Another expensive over! Adam Zampa goes for 22 in the over. Six and a four each for Hetmeyer and Dubey. Ishan Kishan is hurt! Oh no. The century star is hobbling and goes off the field. This could be a big worry for SRH.
RR 217/5 (18)
19:14 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Wow, Shubham Dubey!
Shubham Dubey is on fire! The left-hander is playing an incredible cameo, and has slammed Pat Cummins for two sixes in a row. Poor spell by the Australian, who has given away 45 runs in 3 overs. Three sixes in total in that over.
Even if they don’t win, these hits will do RR a world of good.
RR 195/5 (17)
19:08 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Great over by Harshal
Harshal Patel bowls an excellent over. Concedes just 4 runs in the 16th. RR need a massive 114 runs in four overs. Seems like they’re on the verge of giving up.
RR 173/5 (16)
19:02 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Next to impossible now
Rajasthan Royals need a massive 118 runs in 30 balls. Required run-rate nearly 24. 5-down, Shimron Hetmyer and Shubham Dubey are the only two recognized batters remaining for the men in pink. Sunrisers Hyderabad are motoring towards victory in their first game of IPL 2025.
RR 169/5 (15)
18:59 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: JUREL OUT!
That could be game over! Dhruv Jurel has to go for the big hits, but doesn’t get the perfect connection this time. Finds Ishan Kishan at deep mid-wicket. That’s the end of a fine knock by Jurel, but Rajasthan Royals might be done now. First wicket for Adam Zampa.
RR 161/5 (14.2)
18:57 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: SAMSON DEPARTS!
Huge wicket. Huge wicket for SRH, and could that be the death knell for Rajasthan Royals. Right after hitting a six, Samson tries to go for another biggie. Mistimes it on this occasion, top edge, Heinrich Klaasen takes the catch.
Samson departs for 66 off 37. RR now need 21 runs per over.
RR 161/4 (14)
18:50 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: 4 SIXES IN THE OVER
Another SIX off Dhruv Jurel’s blade. Classy, this one. Impeccable timing, impeccable power. In the slot, Jurel hits it clean over long-on. Two balls later, Samson hits another six. 26 runs off Simarjeet Singh’s over. Much-needed for RR. 100-run partnership, and 150 up.
RR 151/3 (13)
18:47 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: 50 for Jurel!
50 for Dhruv Jurel, and with a magnificent shot. Freebie by Simarjeet, Jurel once again hits it handsomely over the extra cover region. Next ball, goes for another 6! RR slightly fighting back, they need a lot more of this.
RR 139/3 (12.3)
18:45 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Another poor over for RR
Another weak over for Rajasthan Royals. Just 3 runs off the 12th over. 7 runs in the last 12 balls. Required run-rate is above 20 now for RR. Jurel has still not reached his half-century. He was 44 off 17, but has scored only five runs in his next 10 balls.
RR 125/3 (12)
18:43 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Shami drops a sitter!
Sanju Samson did not time it well, flicked it towards short fine leg, but Shami has put it down. Wasn’t a particularly difficult catch, but caught Shami by surprise. He’s hurt his fingers here, seems to have some bleeding. Let’s hope it isn’t a big injury. He has left the field for some treatment.
RR 125/3 (11.5)
18:40 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Top stuff from Zampa
Just 4 runs off the 11th over. After being hammered for 14 in his first over, Zampa comes back strong. RR cannot afford such low-scoring overs. The required run rate keeps climbing, nearly 19 per over now.
RR 122/3 (11)
18:34 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: 50 for Samson
50 for Sanju Samson! Pressure game, big task, the captain steps up from the front. Not at his fittest, but he’s come on as an Impact Player and made his presence felt. 26-ball half-century for him. He’s set the foundation.
RR 118/3 (10)
18:32 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Jurel playing a gem!
Yet more runs for Dhruv Jurel. Abhishek pitches it down the leg side, Jurel sweeps over the fielder at short fine leg, picks up another 4. 12 off the over, but RR’s required rate is now nearly 17 per over. Many big hits needed still.
RR 108/3 (9)
18:29 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: 100 up for RR
100 up for Rajasthan Royals! Comes with a huge six of Dhruv Jurel, as he clears the ropes over extra cover. Abhishek Sharma is back in for a second over, and Jurel greets him with a powerful shot. A lot of responsibility on Jurel, who was retained for a big sum of Rs 14 crore by RR.
RR 103/3 (8.3)
18:26 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: SIX MORE!
Zampa tosses one up, Sanju Samson hits it sweet and into the stands. Into the 40s now. The RR captain needs to play the innings of his life here, to take his team to victory today. 43 off 20 is a good start for him.
RR 91/3 (7.4)
18:24 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: The equation
205 runs needed off 78 balls, as things stand. Required run rate: 15.77. Many, many big hits needed if RR are to pull off an unlikely chase. SRH bring on an impact sub, as Adam Zampa comes on for Travis Head.
RR 82/3 (7)
18:21 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Great over by Abhishek
Abhishek Sharma introduced into the attack for the first over after the powerplay, and bowls a really neat one. Only 5 runs off it, with one boundary. Rajasthan Royals are in the hunt as long as Samson and Jurel are at the crease.
RR 82/3 (7)
18:16 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: 77 in the powerplay
Good powerplay for Rajasthan, in terms of runs scored! 20 runs off Cummins’ first over. Not quite the 94 that SRH managed, but RR have begun with a good run-rate. Their big worry is that they’ve lost 3 wickets. A huge partnership is necessary.
RR 77/3 (6)
18:13 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Massive SIX
6, 4, 4! Dhruv Jurel welcomes Pat Cummins with a huge hit. In the slot, and Jurel hits it incredibly over long on. Next ball, Jurel flicks it away for 4! Third one, down the ground for another boundary.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Reddy is off the field and is being attended by physios. Slight injury scare for SRH.
RR 71/3 (5.3)
18:06 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: OUT!
Another batter departs! Mohammed Shami strikes now. First wicket in orange for the experienced India pacer. Rana tries to go big, horribly mistimes it, sends it straight up. It goes high, and it’s an easy catch for Pat Cummins.
RR 50/3 (4.1)
18:05 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Samson on the charge
As long as Sanju Samson is there, RR will have hope! He’s made a wonderful start here. 28 off 10 balls! 4, 6, 4 off Simarjeet Singh. Rajasthan Royals pick up 15 off the over, 50 up in 4 overs. They need to build on this momentum.
RR 50/2 (4)
17:58 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: 4, Rana!
Good inswinger by Shami, Nitish Rana tries to block, gets a thick outside edge and it runs away for 4 through third man. Finds exactly the gap between first slip and the short-third fielder. RR need plenty more runs, and a big partnership.
RR 33/2 (2.4)
17:54 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Parag GONE, Simarjeet again!
ONE MORE! Rajasthan Royals are falling apart, Simarjeet Singh has taken two wickets in one over. Utterly incredible scenes here. Riyan Parag slammed a boundary in his first ball, and then completely mistimes the next one. Going for a big one, top edge and an easy catch for Pat Cummins.
RR 24/2 (1.5)
17:51 (IST)
IPL 2025 LIVE: Jaiswal GONE!
SIMARJEET STRIKES! Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to walk back for just 1. Tries to cut hard, Abhinav Manohar takes a superb jumping catch at backward point. RR suffer a huge blow, and it is the dangerous Jaiswal who departs.
RR 20/1 (1.3)
17:50 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Samson goes BANG
6, 4, 4! Sanju Samson is off the mark in style. Breaks loose against Mohammed Shami, RR have piled up 16 in the first over. This is the perfect star, but they need a lot, lot more of this. Simarjeet Singh will bowl the next over.
RR 16/0 (1)
17:47 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Here comes Samson!
As expected, Sanju Samson has opened the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal. RR’s original captain enters as the Impact Player. Great start, smashes a 6 off Mohammed Shami in the first over. Pitched short, hooked away for a maximum.
RR 8/0 (0.4)
17:41 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Samson expected to enter
Sanju Samson is set to bat in the second innings. His captaincy was missed out on the pitch by RR, but can he ease the pain with a fiery knock with the bat? Him and Jaiswal will need to make a bulk of the runs.
17:38 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Stunning batting
Ishan Kishan was expected to strengthen an already incredible batting lineup, and he’s made his mark straight away. Ignored by India, dropped from central contract, could this be his season to make his way back into national selection? Wow, what a knock.
17:33 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Highest IPL totals
Highest totals in IPL history:
SRH – 287/3 vs RCB (2024)
SRH – 286/6 vs RR (2025) – new entry
SRH – 277/3 vs MI (2024)
KKR – 272/7 vs DC (2024)
SRH – 266/7 vs DC (2024)
17:28 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: SRH pile up 286
Ohhhh, SRH have missed out on the IPL record total by just 2 runs! Ishan Kishan ends unbeaten, on a stunning 106 off just 47 balls. 13 runs off the final over. What an incredible display of power-hitting. The men in orange have delivered, and in style.
SRH 286/6 (20)
17:25 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Deshpande on a hattrick!
Sunrisers Hyderabad are only 9 runs away from the IPL record total, but things have gone a little bit awry here. Two wickets in two balls for Tushar Deshpande in the final over. Aniket Verma and Abhinav Manohar depart in consecutive balls.
SRH 279/6 (19.3)
17:24 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: CENTURY ISHAN KISHAN
ISHAN KISHAN, you beauty! What a stunning century on his debut for SRH. 6, 6, 2 to get to the landmark. A ton in just 45 balls for the stylish left-hander. A knock of high, high class. Rs 11.25 crore, worth its weight in gold.
SRH 273/4 (19)
17:20 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: OUT!
Heinrich Klaasen is gone. Sandeep Sharma strikes in his last over. The South African marauder has done his job, and taken SRH towards that 300-run mark. 34 off 14 balls, job well done. Ishan Kishan now needs his century.
SRH 258/4 (18.2)
17:17 (IST)
SRH vs RR LIVE: Huge unwanted record for Archer
4-0-76-0! Jofra Archer has conceded the most runs ever by a bowler in a single spell in IPL history. Bought for a whopping Rs 12.50 crore by RR, and it has been a disastrous start for the English pacer.
SRH 256/3 (18)
Topics mentioned in this article
The offerings were made over 30 days
Bengaluru:
A total of Rs 3,48,69,621 in cash, 32 grams of gold and 1.24 kg of silver have been donated at a temple in Karnataka’s Raichur.
A video has gone viral showing over a hundred priests counting the donations at the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt.
The offerings were made over 30 days as lakhs of devotees visited the temple to celebrate the birth anniversary of Raghavendra Swamy, a revered 16th-century saint.
Last year, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Akshata Murty, also visited the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Bengaluru.
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murthy accompanied their daughter and son-in-law at the mutt.
The family was seen performing the aarti at the temple.
Justice Yashwant Varma faces allegations that a huge pile of cash was found at his house
New Delhi:
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member committee comprising high court judges to conduct an inquiry into allegations against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma over alleged recovery of a cash stash on the premises of his official residence.
The Supreme Court on its website also uploaded documents into the matter including a report by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, videos and photos, and Justice Varma’s response to the allegation.
See the full report below:
The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi, Devendra Upadhyaya, has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma for the time being.
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