King’s Speech: Sir Keir Starmer attacks ‘divisive brand’ of Suella Braverman – warning PM of her ‘ambitions’

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2023

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Sir Keir Starmer has launched a scathing attack on Suella Braverman over her recent controversial remarks on homelessness – warning Rishi Sunak that “without a serious home secretary… he cannot be a serious prime minister”.

Speaking during a debate on Tuesday’s King’s Speech, the Labour leader slammed her claims that living on the street was a “lifestyle choice”, instead calling it a “political choice” resulting from the scrapping of government housing targets and not enough new homes being built.

Politics live: Tories joke about Johnson and Truss as MPs debate King’s Speech

Sir Keir also appeared to reference other contentious comments by Ms Braverman, including her description of pro-Palestine protests at “hate marches”, saying using security issues as “a platform for her own ambitions” was making the job of the police even harder.

The prime minister failed to defend his home secretary during his response, even after being pressed further by Labour shadow minister Sir Chris Bryant, who asked whether he agreed with Ms Braverman on homelessness or whether she should be sacked.

Instead, Mr Sunak claimed the “actions” of the Conservative government had seen rough sleeping fall by a third and the Homelessness Reduction Act had helped “relieve or prevent” over 640,000 people from being homeless.

During the debate, Sir Keir criticised the King’s Speech as “a missed opportunity”, calling Mr Sunak’s pitch as the change candidate for the next election “ridiculous posturing”.

The Labour leader dubbed the government plans revealed by the King today as “more of the same sticking plaster politics”, adding: “Today we reach something of a new low because they’re not even pretending to govern anymore.

“They’ve given up on any sense of service. They see our country’s problems as something to be exploited, not solved.”

But the Labour leader saved his real ire for Ms Braverman and issued a warning to the prime minister over her recent controversies.

“We needed a King’s Speech that would draw a line under 13 years of Tory decline, a King’s Speech for national renewal and a serious plan for growth,” he said.

“But instead, we have a party so devoid of leadership, it is happy to follow a home secretary who describes homelessness as a lifestyle choice and believes that the job of protecting us all from extremists – the most basic job of government – is legitimate terrain for her divisive brand of politics.”

Sir Keir added: “As director of public prosecutions, I worked closely with the police and counter-terrorism forces. Their job is hard enough already without the home secretary using it as a platform for her own ambitions.

“And so I say to the prime minister, think very carefully about what she is committing your government to do and think very carefully about the consequences of putting greater demands on public servants at the coalface of keeping us safe.

“Because without a serious home secretary, there can be no serious government and he cannot be a serious prime minister.”

Is Starmer preparing for Braverman as Tory leader?

Jon Craig

Chief political correspondent

@joncraig

Did we just witness a taste of the fierce Commons battles to come after the next general election?

The most blistering attack of Sir Keir Starmer’s speech in the debate on the King’s Speech was not directed at Rishi Sunak, but at Suella Braverman.

Plenty of MPs believe the home secretary’s controversial attacks on “hate marches” and rough sleepers making a “lifestyle choice” are all about playing to the Tory gallery ahead of a leadership campaign.

Some MPs even claim Ms Braverman is goading Mr Sunak into sacking her so she can launch a leadership bid before the general election.

So it’s highly significant the Labour leader launched such a harsh attack on the home secretary. Does he anticipate facing her across the despatch box if he wins the election?

Throughout Sir Keir’s attacks, Mr Sunak’s body language is highly revealing. He makes no eye contact with her and makes no attempt to shake his head during the onslaught.

And then, when the Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant joins the attack on Ms Braverman and challenges the PM to sack her if he disagrees with her “lifestyle choice” slur, he doesn’t even mention her and praises the veterans’ minister Johnnie Mercer instead.

So is she on borrowed time in the Cabinet ahead of launching a leadership bid? As soon as Mr Sunak finished his speech, she hurried out of the chamber.

Will she have relished Sir Keir’s attack on her? Almost certainly. And what about the lack of support for her from the PM? Good or bad news for her?

Probably bad news in the short-term, but probably not in the long-term, namely after the next election – when she no doubt hopes to be doing battle with Sir Keir across the despatch box.

While Mr Sunak did not have a response on the home secretary, who sat next to him throughout Sir Keir’s speech, he had lots to say about Labour’s plans for if they get into government.

He said the policies would lead to “higher inflation, more strikes, more immigration and higher borrowing”, and he said they would “give into inflation busting demands from their union paymasters”, calling such a move “dangerous”.

The prime minister also claimed Sir Keir “stands for the same old ideas”, while the government was “focused on the long-term decisions that will provide a better and brighter future for everyone”.

Mr Sunak also trumpeted a number of his government policies announced in today’s speech, including:

• New licenses for gas and oil fields

• A new bill to phase out smoking

• Introducing whole-life orders for the most horrific murders

• A new legal framework to enable self-driving cars to be used on Britain’s roads.

“This King’s Speech builds on the strong foundation of economy well on its way to recovery,” added the prime minister. “It rejects big government and instead backs people and businesses to thrive.

“It strengthens society with historic measures to support the nation, health and education. It secures our streets and borders with tougher sentences for criminals and powers for police.

“And above all this, King’s Speech delivers change. Change in our economy. Change in our society. Change in our communities. It takes long-term decisions for a brighter future.”

Politics

Democrats aim at Trump’s crypto profits with a 3-prong pincer move

Published

1 hour ago

May 7, 2025

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Democrats aim at Trump’s crypto profits with a 3-prong pincer move

US Democrat lawmakers have launched a multi-angle attack on President Donald Trump’s crypto ventures with two bills and a subcommittee inquiry aimed at cutting his ability to profit from the initiatives.

The Modern Emoluments and Malfeasance Enforcement Act, or the MEME Act, aims to prevent federal officials from using their position to profit from memecoins, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said in a May 6 statement.

If passed, the MEME Act prohibits the president, vice president, members of Congress, senior executive branch officials, their spouses and children from issuing, sponsoring, or promoting a security, future, commodity, or digital asset, according to the bill’s description.

Today I’m introducing a bill – the MEME Act – to ban a President or Member of Congress from issuing a meme coin.

The Trump Coin is the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the White House. @RepLiccardo and I are determined to put an end to this corruption – for good. pic.twitter.com/nQL9ZfIYYV

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 6, 2025

Violators could face civil penalties of up to $250,000 and be required to fork over any profits to the US Treasury. Criminal penalties could also apply, including fines and up to five years behind bars.

US Representative Sam Liccardo, another Democrat, introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. However, Trump’s party, the Republicans, controls both chambers, and the legislation will need Republican support.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), said in a May 6 statement that the committee is opening a preliminary inquiry into the Official Trump (TRUMP) token, Trump-backed platform World Liberty Financial (WLFI), and other associated business ventures.

As part of the inquiry, the PSI sent letters to the company behind the Trump coin, Fight Fight Fight, and WLFI, asking for records and communications between the companies and the Trump organization.

With his cryptocurrency schemes, Trump is putting a for sale sign in front of the White House. That’s why, as Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I’m launching an inquiry into this brazen corruption whose scope & scale is staggering. pic.twitter.com/3SiaCrthN8

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) May 6, 2025

At the same time, Blumenthal says the subcommittee is asking for answers about what steps the firms have taken to address possible conflicts of interest.

Main points of interest flagged by the PSI include fees the president is making on the TRUMP token and the nearly 50% spike in value from $9.40 to $13.65 after the TRUMP coin website announced on April 23 that the top 220 holders of the token would be invited to a gala dinner at the White House.

Soon after launch on Jan. 18, the Trump coin hit its all-time high of $73.43, according to CoinGecko. However, it has since lost 85% of its value and is trading for $11.13.

More than half of TRUMP holders in profit

Roughly two million wallets have bought TRUMP, with an extra 54,000 adding the token to their stash after the dinner announcement, according to data shared with Cointelegraph from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.

Around 764,000 of these, most with small holdings, lost money on the coin, while the 58 investors in the token have made profits of over $10 million each, totaling an estimated $1.1 billion.

At the same time, Chainalysis says the memecoin creator has made $320 million so far, with an extra $1.3 million coming in since the White House dinner announcement.

Meanwhile, a trucking logistics firm announced plans on April 30 to build a TRUMP coin treasury through a $20 million convertible note issuance.

Javier Selgas, CEO of Freight Technologies, said the tokens are an “excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the US.”

The firm also acquired $5.2 million of the Fetch.ai network’s utility token FET on April 1.

Magazine: Mystery celeb memecoin scam factory, HK firm dumps Bitcoin: Asia Express

Politics

South Korea presidential front-runner pledges to approve Bitcoin ETFs

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2025

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South Korea presidential front-runner pledges to approve Bitcoin ETFs

South Korea’s Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has reportedly become the latest presidential candidate to promise the approval of spot crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other crypto-friendly measures, should he be elected.

Lee announced his crypto promises on May 6 as part of a broader initiative to provide more investment opportunities for Korea’s youth, one of the main target demographics for the fast-approaching June 3 election.

“I will create a safe investment environment so that young people can [build] assets and plan for the future,” The Korea Economic Daily (KED) quoted Lee as saying in Korean.

He also promised the legalization of spot crypto ETFs, lower transaction fees, and more consumer protection measures.

Lee’s Democratic Party of Korea is the favorite to win the presidential election with 42% support, according to a survey conducted by Korea’s National Barometer Survey between April 24 and 30. Korea’s acting president, Han Duck-soo, came in second at 13%.

This is the first time Lee has mentioned crypto as part of his presidential campaign, KED noted.

The Democratic Party made similar promises in its 2024 general election campaign, including passing spot crypto ETF legalization. However, progress stalled, KED said.

South Korea’s People Power Party makes similar promises

South Korea’s ruling party, the People Power Party, also reportedly made crypto policy promises in late April, which included allowing spot crypto ETFs, dismantling Korea’s controversial one-exchange-one-bank rule, and establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins.

The one-exchange-one-bank rule in South Korea is a regulation that limits each crypto exchange to working with only one local bank. It is intended to prevent money laundering and strengthen transparency by ensuring that the identities of crypto investors can be verified when trading crypto.

South Korean industry officials estimate that 16 million or 31% of the country’s 51.7 million people have access to a crypto account.

Kim Moon-soo is running as the People Power Party’s candidate — a party previously led by Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached after he declared martial law in December.

The controversial measure triggered a considerable fall in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and other cryptocurrencies. However, most coins recovered when the martial law was lifted around six hours later.

Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon in a unanimous 8–0 decision decision on April 4, effectively removing him from office.

Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight

Politics

US regulator moves to drop appeal against Kalshi

Published

7 hours ago

May 7, 2025

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US regulator moves to drop appeal against Kalshi

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is seeking permission from the court to drop an appeal against prediction market Kalshi. The move could allow the platform to offer political event contracts to users without contest.

In a May 5 filing in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, lawyers for the CFTC filed an unopposed motion for voluntary dismissal, suggesting an agreement with Kalshi. The motion, subject to approval by the court, could end the CFTC’s appeal against a federal court ruling that the financial regulator could not bar Kalshi from listing political event contracts, i.e., bets on elections.

Law, Betting, CFTC, Court — *Motion to dismiss appeal filed by the CFTC on May 5. Source:* *Courtlistener*

Kalshi stipulated in a joint filing that the company would “bear its own costs, court fees and attorney fees incurred” if the court granted the CFTC’s motion to dismiss. The platform said that “election markets are here to stay” in a May 6 X post following the filing.

The betting platform initially filed a lawsuit against the CFTC in 2023 in response to the regulator ordering Kalshi to stop offering political event contracts. The company won in the lower court, prompting the appeal by the CFTC in September 2024.

Motion to drop the appeal after the change in administration?

The case was handled mainly before the US election and the appointment of acting CFTC chair Caroline Pham under President Donald Trump. CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger, nominated by former President Joe Biden, reportedly echoed Kalshi’s sentiment in February, claiming that election prediction markets were “here to stay.”

Launched in 2021, Kalshi became popular among many crypto users in part due to bets related to the 2024 US election. Though the CFTC argued in its appeal that betting on the elections could result in “spectacular manipulation” of markets and harm to the public interest, the regulator under Pham and Trump appeared to have reversed its position with the motion to dismiss.

Magazine: Pokémon on Sui rumors, Polymarket bets on Filipino Pope: Asia Express