Stephen

A wander in London yesterday. Stood in the third world looking towards the developed world. I took my brother, his wife and their two teenage sons on a lovely tour of London. They live in a beautiful house, in a beautiful village in the countryside in England. I thought it would be interesting to take them for a walk along the whole length of Whitechapel Road. They were shocked. Sure, they knew it wouldn’t be an English location, but they were shocked that it is only Muslim. Most women wore full burqas. There are almost zero white people and zero people who aren’t Muslim and very committed Muslims at that. There is zero diversity. There is full diversity in the way the Labour Party mean it though: the eradication of white people. Whitechapel has always been a melting pot of different cultures, but now it is only Muslim. No other culture exists there. I took my brother and his family to many beautiful places across London, but I did think it was necessary to take them here. I think everyone from England should walk this street and realise what is coming to their towns and villages very soon as the Muslim Home Secretary works as hard and fast as possible to import millions more Muslims who hate us and our way of life. Anyway, it was a lovely sunny day and we saw lots of wonderful places that white British people created.

🚨Poundland is a scandal. Here’s why: People have attacked me for taking up this fight, saying ‘businesses go under all the time, that’s just the free market’. Sure, but this is *crony capitalism* and the 12,000 workers deserve better. This is what’s really happening: Poundland’s owners, an American outfit called Gordon Brothers are trying to put the business into administration. They bought it for £1 and have a £30m loan out to it, which they want back. It’s a tough sector, suffering from fierce competition, battered by Labour’s tax increases and customers feeling the pinch. However, the business is solvent, sales grew 6.7% in the last year and 8.4% in the first three weeks of October. It’s about to see the best trading weeks of the year approaching Christmas. This is not a business that has to shut its doors. What’s more, if Gordon Brothers want to walk away, there are others keen to take it on, as a going concern. I’ve spoken to two, highly credible parties today, who have attempted to buy the business. Both tell me they have the money. One, a hugely successful British retail entrepreneur, didn’t even get a response from Gordon Brothers. They would keep the stores intact and keep the positive momentum going. I’ve been inundated with messages from staff and suppliers, all saying how hard they’ve worked in the past year to turn the business around. Instead, Gordon Brothers are risking 12,000 jobs just before Christmas (and retail isn’t an easy industry to get another job in right now) and potentially another 10,000 amongst the suppliers. Poundland has a number of suppliers that only or largely supply them, and who will face an uncertain future without them. Then there’s the loss to the landlords, the rates owed to local councils, tax due to HMRC and the lost footfall on our high streets if 600 stores shut. The wage bill of Poundland is close to £500m, so you can imagine the cost to the taxpayer in benefits if 12,000 people lose their jobs. Could it be that Gordon Brothers, far from being a real ‘turnaround specialist’ is just trying to look after themselves and make a profit at the expense of literally everyone else? Might they be using the administration process to protect their loan? And the advisors who handle administration will also pockets millions in fees. Naturally. Could we see a decent business run down, shelves slowly emptied and then folded, with everyone losing out bar them? Thats what happened with another, similar business, Poundworld. It’s not for nothing that loyal staff emailing me are calling them ‘Greedy Brothers’. Should politicians be interested in this scandal? Too right they should. Frankly I’m shocked more aren’t. It shows how little Westminster cares about working people. You can be pro business, but anti crony capitalism. Reform UK is. The Business Secretary needs to ask searching questions of Gordon Brothers and this administration process, before a 35 year old mainstay of our high streets and 12,000 jobs are destroyed by them.

Initiative aims to boost region's economy by £1bn bbc.in/3WrmyPX

.@CanalRiverTrust CEO @campbell_robb has written to all boaters today about the challenge of keeping the canals open in a drought. Here’s an idea. Why not suspend 14 day movement requirements immediately? For a month? Reduce lock and water use right now. Today. @NABO_Official