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Ex-Tory Home Secretary Braverman defects to Reform UK
(www.bbc.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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Reform UK Re-use the worst Tories and Recycle Putin's policies
I'll bite. I'm excited for your response.
Which Reform policy is a Putin policy?
So many to choose from! How about building more gas turbine power stations (thereby increasing demand for gas, pushing the global price up and benefitting Gazprom even if they don't buy directly from them), cutting stamp duty on the biggest properties (including most of those bought by Russian oligarchs) and pulling out of the European Defence Fund? All straight from the last Reform manifesto and I'd bet Putin would be in favour of those, wouldn't you?
If you don't like those, there's stuff like cancelling our human rights, repealing the Equalities Act and "scrapping" the BBC.
I suspect Reform would also open the floodgates to more Russian government funding, Nathan Gill style and otherwise, but they're not daft enough to put that in their manifesto.
Maybe you could say which Reform policies would Putin oppose? There's some he probably wouldn't care about either way, but oppose?
Proceeds to list zero policies 😀
We're using gas for the next 50 years whether it's Reform or the Greens. That curries more favour with the US or Qatar than it does Russia. You're reaching for that to be a "Putin policy"
Scrapping the licence fee.. that 1/2 of the population who should pay, don't.
Thanks for responding at least.
What would Putin oppose? Let's see.. the top three from Reform's site:
I listed three. You might like to pretend they're not policies or something, but Reform put them in their manifesto.
Really? Are you seriously claiming that Putin doesn't want the UK buying gas for longer? As that's the difference between Reform and the others: Reform would build more new gas power stations, prolonging the dependency mistake, while most of the other parties will phase it out more or less quickly.
Not only, but also scrapping the BBC because they believe on-demand TV has replaced it. That's what they wrote.
And I notice you don't disagree that Putin would want the UK out of the European Defence Fund.
Don't make me laugh! Why would Putin oppose those? Putin would love all of them, along with anything else that makes the UK more isolated and causes squabbles with its neighbours or diverts funds from NATO-level defence to petty little border patrols. That's why he's paid Reform politicians like Nathan Gill so much.
Which three? Which three are Putin policies? I'm not addressing the rest of your response until you name which three Reform policies are Putin policies which got us to where we are.
You're just showboating because we've had nine Putin-friendly Reform UK policies so far:
Is this in their manifesto? Can you link to it please?
I don't think oligarcs are too concerned about a few extra thousand pounds to pay! Btw.. Is this in their manifesto? Can you link to it please?
Is this in their manifesto? Can you link to it please?
Is this in their manifesto? Can you link to it please?
Is this in their manifesto? Can you link to it please?
As I already said, it's the licence fee, not the BBC. The licence fee is unfit for 2026 and it should be scrapped.
How is that a "putin policy"? Russia are the ones behind it - look at Baltic/Russian borders for illegal crossings facilitated by Russia and Belarus. Not a Russia friendly policy at all. You're wrong.
Listen to yourself. Which country in the world doesn't defend their borders? Wrong
How tiresome. Is that Russia friendly? No. Wrong again!
I'll save you replying to my requests for linkage. You were likely referencing their 2024 manifesto. I still disagree that those are "Puitin policies", we clearly have different viewpoints and won't persuade one another.
Russia was the biggest gas exporter until the 2022 sanctions. It is still heavily dependent on black and grey market exports.
At the time of this comment, gas makes up 22% of tonight’s supply to the National Grid, with wind at 52% and Biomass/Nuclear at 17%. Gas will not last another 50 years at all.
Telling that Reform wish to turn the clock back and fetter Britain to gas when other options are far more favourable to energy sovereignty. It’s like they’re shilling for someone else isn’t it.
Read what I said again: we'll be using gas in 50 years.
Your cherry picked statistics for a windy day at 22:30 are a poor example. Check again at 17:00.
Maybe have a think about the majority of homes central heating.
While you're at it: go learn about how fertiliser is made using natural gas (we import all our fertiliser now anyway, thanks Ed!)
Oh and we have never been a major importer of Russian gas.
We'll have to wait 50 years to know, but even if we are, it'll be much much less under any sane government, but it would be more if left to Reform.
It's absurd to accuse someone of cherry-picking and then cherry-pick a time when the National Energy System Operator has invited bids for the Demand Flexibility Service because the price of gas-generated electricity is too high.
A majority, but not a supermajority. Only about 60% of UK homes burn gas for heating despite all the encouragement and inducement since the 1970s in a scandal that makes promotion of diesel cars look like playschool stuff, and a farcical and pathetic target-missing attempt to encourage heat pumps in the last 10 years (target: 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028, latest number I've seen: 91,000 per year and no, that's not missing a digit).
So? Buying gas and thereby driving the market price up is enough to benefit Russia. When you hear a gas boiler roar, it's helping fund Putin.
No, it's a certainty. You and the other user are fixated on CCGT generation. My reply was to the other user, not you. They said "Gas will not last another 50 years at all." and I am saying it has more uses than CCGT.
No it's not. They looked at a dashboard at 22:30 and tried to portray the UK as if it is representative of a peak usage time. Let's see how those stats are today.. oh, 50% is generated by CCGT (gas) at 7pm, cool. That was my point.
Wrong. It's closer to 85%. Where did you get the 60% figure from? I'm not replying to your irrelevant addon about heat pumps (go back up this chain to remind yourself of what we're talking about)
They sell it for far less.
Agree....
Farage and pals are totally hanging out of Putin's arse and a lot of what they do and say will no doubt make him happy, especially when it comes to support for Ukraine.
Not sure which of their policies are the same as Putins though
Their leader is a Putin man.
https://www.facebook.com/ledbydonkeys/videos/we-need-to-talk-about-nigel-farage-and-russialocation-kyiv/887348060902269/
(Sorry this Led By Dockers video seams to only be on Facebook and Instagram)
I know.
OP said Putin policies, which is false. There's enough disinformation floating about without adding to it.
For the record, Farage is a cunt.
Reform is a pro-Russia party with members jailed for Russian corruption. Farage is just good at it and not been caught.
Reform would give MAGA the UK. Traitors. Reform is full of Brexit people when Brexit massively damanaged the country. Traitors. Reform would privative the NHS screwing over all the but the rich. Traitors.
Magnet to the worse of the Tories.
Let alone the blatant racism and intolerance of any diversity. I refuse to tolerant their intolerance. It must be challenged or we'll end sinking into a hell hole like the US has (and is still descending further).