McCarthy’s biggest victory yet comes with political price

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2023

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) may have proven his bipartisan negotiating chops by steering a debt ceiling increase through a severely divided Congress, but it came with a price.

Members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus and their allies are lashing out at the deal, saying it does not include steep enough spending cuts and that McCarthy should not have accepted suspending the debt ceiling beyond the 2024 presidential election, a key demand of President Biden.

The frustrations boiled over after the bill passed the House with more votes from Democrats (165) than Republicans (149).

McCarthy did win support from two-thirds of the House GOP conference — a real coup for the Speaker — but conservatives were up in arms that more Democrats backed the legislation, and that the minority party’s votes were required to pass the House rule that brought the final package to the floor.

“My constituents are furious,” fumed Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who says his office has been inundated with calls in opposition to both the deal and McCarthy.

“They are not only [saying], ‘Vote against this bill,’ but they are [saying], ‘Take McCarthy out.’ That’s what the calls are coming in.”

Buck stopped short of saying he will file a motion to vacate — the formal term for launching the process of removing a Speaker — but indicated that conservatives no longer trust McCarthy to negotiate through the appropriations process, which will reach a head in September, and that they will begin immediate talks about stripping his gavel.

“The discussion about the motion to vacate is going to happen in the next week or two,” Buck said Wednesday night. “The people in our [districts], outside the Beltway right now, are saying, ‘$4 trillion is too much, you’ve got to get a new Speaker.’”

Buck is not alone.

Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) was the first conservative to promote the idea of toppling McCarthy after the debt ceiling deal was announced. And Chip Roy (R-Texas), another Freedom Caucus member, said the Speaker has some work to do to mend fences with his right flank.

“There’s going to need to be a bit of a reckoning and a kind of review of how we’re organizing ourselves in order to get things done,” Roy said on Guy Benson’s Fox News radio program Thursday.

“They basically just cut the deal and then told us. And we had to react, because now we’re being asked to respond and vote on a deal that was cut, not with our approval. And I was happy to give him a lot of rope. You know, go out there, do what you can. But you got to kind of come back,” Roy said.

Roy said he has already spoken with McCarthy directly and plans to sit down with him again next week to talk further.

The open rebellion by the Freedom Caucus has been deeply disappointing to Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), a lead GOP negotiator of the debt limit bill who has helped McCarthy manage the House GOP caucus’s “five families” – a reference to “The Godfather” – since the Speaker’s election. Graves was particularly bothered by the criticism from Roy, whom he said had come to respect.

“We have some relationship repair that needs to happen,” Graves said. “We’re going to need to sit down and talk and probably over several bottles of something initially.”

Hard-line Republicans have always been wary of McCarthy’s conservative bona fides.

They had helped to block McCarthy’s rise to the top of the GOP in 2015, when then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was forced to swoop in reluctantly to rescue the party from leadership chaos. And in January, they led the charge in opposition to McCarthy’s Speakership, agreeing to support the embattled leader only after he promised them a number of concessions, including a vow to hold the conservative line in budget negotiations with Biden.

The bipartisan deal that hit the floor last week, however, was a far cry from the GOP debt ceiling bill that passed through the House last month, which featured a much smaller debt limit increase, much steeper spending cuts and a host of conservative policy provisions excluded in the final agreement with Biden.

“I’m trying to figure out exactly what conservatives should be happy about,” said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), another Freedom Caucus member who voted against the package.

Still, Donalds is among those conservatives who are not calling for McCarthy’s scalp — at least not yet.

“We’ve not really had a discussion on that as a House Freedom Caucus,” he said. “He’s the Speaker of the House, so that’s the guy that we’re with. We’re going to roll with him. That’s my opinion.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), another sharp critic of the deal, echoed that message, saying she still has confidence in McCarthy.

“I disagree with him vehemently on this thing. … But we can agree to disagree on a lot of things,” she said.

Amid the debate, McCarthy has found some allies on the right, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a Freedom Caucus founder who had opposed McCarthy’s leadership aspirations in 2015, and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a conservative firebrand who had been a sharp McCarthy critic in the last Congress.

Both lawmakers supported the debt ceiling deal, and both have emerged in recent days to blast their fellow conservatives for contemplating a bid to oust McCarthy.

“It’d be a really dumb move,” Greene told reporters after the House vote. “I live in reality, not conservative fantasyland.”

McCarthy, for his part, has acknowledged the agreement’s shortcomings from a conservative perspective and has sought to quell an internal uprising with vows to be more transparent in bipartisan negotiations to come.

“Every day, I could wake up and improve. There’s so many times I stumble as we go,” McCarthy said after the vote. “It’s difficult in a time of negotiations to keep your full conference abreast, because as we do, you all leak it, and you can’t negotiate once you leak. So something blows something else up.”

Aaron Cutler, a partner at Hogan Lovells and former aide to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), said McCarthy will have to give the unhappy members of his conference some time and ensure the priorities they care about are getting attention, such as oversight agendas.

“Allowing members to kind of bring their priorities to the floor in the coming months before the August recess, end of the year — I think that’ll be where the speaker can continue to build relationships with all sorts of members in the Republican conference,” Cutler said. Federal court to hear challenge over Prince Harry’s US visa following drug use admission House GOP to turn up heat on feds over gas stoves

McCarthy signaled he will turn more attention to the kind of oversight priorities that animate his critics now that the debt limit has been addressed, such as Republicans threatening to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress over a document subpoena dispute.

The Speaker also emphasized the political realities of governing in a divided Washington, which requires compromises that virtually ensure opposition from the ideological fringes of both parties.

“We were never going to get everybody,” he said.

US

‘Fordow is gone’: US warplanes strike three nuclear sites as Iran warns of ‘everlasting’ consequences

Published

18 mins ago

June 22, 2025

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'Fordow is gone': US warplanes strike three nuclear sites in Iran

The US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three nuclear sites on Iran, President Donald Trump has said, as Iran warned of “everlasting” consequences.

The strikes, which the US leader announced on social media, included a hit on the heavily protected Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried deep under a mountain.

The other sites hit were at Natanz and Isfahan. It brings the US into direct involvement in the war between Israel and Iran.

Follow latest: US bombers strike three Iranian nuclear sites

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US strikes “will have everlasting consequences”, adding that his country “reserves all options” to retaliate.

“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” Mr Araghchi wrote on X. “Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.

“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to “maintain international peace and condemn the US strikes”, according to state media.

According to the Israeli state broadcaster KAN, ten places in Israel have been hit by Iranian missiles in response.

Several explosions have been heard over Tel Aviv, according to witnesses, with Israeli media saying missiles have hit northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “bold decision” by Mr Trump, saying it would “change history”.

Iran has repeatedly denied that it is seeking a nuclear weapon and the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said in June that it has no proof of a “systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon”.

Addressing the nation in the hours after the strikes, Mr Trump said that Iran must now make peace or “we will
go after” other targets in Iran.

Commenting on the operation, he said that the three Iranian sites had been “obliterated”.

“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight
days,” he said.

In a posting on Truth Social earlier, Mr Trump said, “All planes are safely on their way home” and he congratulated “our great American Warriors”. He added: “Fordow is gone.”

He also threatened further strikes on Iran unless it doesn’t “stop immediately”, adding: “Now is the time for peace.”

Sky News understands there was no UK involvement in the strikes.

Among the sites hit was Fordow, a secretive nuclear facility buried around 80 metres below a mountain and one of two key uranium enrichment plants in Iran.

“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Mr Trump said. “Fordow is gone.”

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There had been a lot of discussion in recent days about possible American involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, and much centred around the US possibly being best placed to destroy Fordow.

Meanwhile, Natanz and Isfahan were the other two sites hit in the US attack.

Natanz is the other major uranium enrichment plant in Iran and was believed to have possibly already suffered extensive damage in Israel’s strikes earlier this week.

Isfahan features a large nuclear technology centre and enriched uranium is also stored there, diplomats say.

US media reported that six ‘bunker buster’ bombs were used to strike Fordow.

Mr Trump said no further strikes were planned and that he hoped diplomacy would now take over.

It’s not yet known what Iran’s response will be – particularly as the government was already struggling to repel Israel.

However a commentator on Iranian state TV said every US citizen or military in the region was now a legitimate target.

UK

Latest polling says if an election was held tomorrow Reform UK would win a majority

Published

18 mins ago

June 22, 2025

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Latest polling says if an election was held tomorrow Reform UK would win a majority

Since the local elections Reform UK has had no shortage of good polls.

But a new one suggests Nigel Farage‘s party has a chance not only of winning the next election, but of claiming a decent Commons majority, too.

In February, Reform topped a Sky News/YouGov poll for the first time, with Nigel Farage’s party edging in front on 25%, Labour pushed into second on 24%, with the Tories on 21%.

But a fresh one from Ipsos puts Reform on 34%, nine points ahead of Labour on 25%, with the Conservatives a distant third on 15%.

While the other parties are flatlining, Reform appears to be pushing boundaries.

Were these figures to be replicated across the country at a general election, with every constituency behaving the same way, then Reform could win as many as 340 seats, giving it a majority of 30, Sky News analysis suggests.

Labour could be reduced to 176 seats, down 236 on last year’s election, while the Tories would hit a record low of 12 seats.

But polling should always be taken with a pinch of salt and with the firm acknowledgement that there is not an election coming any time soon.

Conservative backbenchers might also tell you publicly that opinion polls are notoriously difficult to translate into seat numbers because voting percentages in individual constituencies can vary hugely from the overall average.

But the truth is that the symbolism of Reform UK topping another poll is likely to be noticed by MPs from all parties, especially backbench Conservatives who have actively been hoping their leader, Kemi Badenoch, can help them climb the polls and bring the party back into public favour.

Politics is a brutal game and when it comes to toppling underwhelming party leaders, the Tories are more ruthless than most. One wonders how many of these polls Mrs Badenoch’s party will allow her to endure.

This poll is also a warning to Labour.

As the party approaches a year since its major victory, it will not have much to celebrate if these numbers are anything to go by.

According to this survey, only 19% are satisfied with the job Sir Keir Starmer is doing as prime minister, with 73% dissatisfied.

And the figure of 25% of voters intending to vote Labour is a level not seen since October 2019.

While abstract to much of the public, polling can often shape not only the chatter inside Westminster but how and when plots by MPs begin.

For Reform UK, this is a much-needed morale boost after a surprise resignation by their former Chairman Zia Yusuf, and then an almost immediate U-turn back into the party.

And Kemi Badenoch – who said during her leadership campaign that the Conservatives needed to go back to first principles and that this would take time – will be wondering, seven-and-a-half months after winning the leadership, how much time she really has left.

Ipsos interviewed a representative probability sample of 1,180 British adults aged 18+, via the Ipsos UK KnowledgePanel. Data was collected between 30 May-4 June 2025.

UK

Palestine Action: The ‘enemy within’ or non-violent protesters?

Published

18 mins ago

June 22, 2025

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Palestine Action: The 'enemy within' or non-violent protesters?

The impending ban on protest group Palestine Action has divided opinion – described as both “outrageous” and “long overdue”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to take the step after the group broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on e-scooters and sprayed two Voyager planes with red paint.

The prime minister described the attack as “outrageous” and a rapid review of security at MoD bases is under way.

It was the latest protest in a five-year campaign from Palestine Action (PA) that has targeted arms manufacturers, financial institutions, political figures and government buildings.

Red spray paint has become its signature.

On its website, PA says it is a “direct action movement” committed to ending “global participation” in what it calls Israel’s “genocidal and apartheid regime”.

It adds that it uses “disruptive tactics” to target “corporate enablers of the Israeli military-industrial complex”.

Banning the group would make membership of it illegal. It would be treated as a terrorist organisation.

Saeed Taji Farouky, a spokesman for PA, told Sky News that potential proscription was “unfair”, adding that it was “ludicrous” that a “civil society direct action group” could end up on the same list as ISIS.

He added: “It’s not logical, it’s not even consistent with the British legal definition of terrorism, it’s a reaction that’s been taken overnight, with almost no discussion or debate.

“The whole thing is incredibly worrying, mostly for what it means about British law in general, about undermining the very basis of British democracy and the rule of law.”

There are “no circumstances” under which the two people who breached Brize Norton would be handed over to the police, he said.

Singer-songwriter Paloma Faith, who spoke at a pro-Palestine rally in Whitehall in central London on Saturday, told Sky News she was “devastated” by the move.

“I have met some of the people who have friends in that group. They are young students and they are basically trying to do something because they feel that our government is failing them.”

She added that “everyone” wants to end what she described as a “massacre” in Gaza.

Israel says its military campaign in Gaza is a way of defending itself against Hamas, which killed more than a thousand people in its 7 October attacks and took about 240 people hostage. Hamas-run health authorities claim Israeli attacks have since killed almost 56,000 people in Gaza.

Faith continued: “When you scribble on something, or paint on it, it’s a non-violent protest and it shouldn’t be made at the same level as a violent protest – it is unjust.”

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, backed Palestine Action’s use of non-violent protest.

He told Sky News: “There has been a place for that in all political movements in history.

“In the struggle for the rights of black people in the US, in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, in the struggle for women to have the vote, people took forms of non-violent direct action.

“Imagine if we had the current [situation] back in those days – we would have been proscribing the suffragettes, treating them as terrorists.”

Others have welcomed the move. Lord Walney, who served as the government’s independent adviser on political violence, told Sky News the decision was “long overdue”.

“Palestine Action have acted as the enemy within which is why it’s right, now, to crack down on them,” he said.

“They have terrorised working people for a number of years and there’s a number of serious violent charges that are going through the court system at the moment.”

The UK government is expected to announce its decision early next week.