Hard-right turn
Kemi Badenoch , Issue 1659

TORY leader Kemi Badenoch tried to grab some US far-right energy last week by publicly meeting with Turning Point UK (TPUK) to mourn assassinated US activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump.

TPUK is the British wing of Kirk's group, Turning Point USA, which claims to be the "largest Conservative student movement" in the US with groups at more than 3,500 universities and high schools. TPUK's efforts to build a similar movement among university students over here failed miserably, and instead it now arranges foul-mouthed street protests with groups of "patriots". Badenoch's new TPUK pals are a LONG way to the right of the Tories.

Earlier this year, TPUK's chief operating officer Nick Tenconi announced his policy of "mass deportations" of any "unintegrated migrant communities", migrants on welfare and those "masquerading as social justice warriors" alongside "illegal immigrants".

Red flags
Badenoch directed her supporters to TPUK's X/Twitter account, where recent posts include "Southampton patriots crash communist protest for Palestine" on 18 September, with a video of flag-waving "patriots" haranguing a small protest outside an arms factory for being "absolute fucking wetty" and "lefty scum".

TPUK also posted a video titled "patriot patrol in Southampton catches far-left activists who tore down their flags" from 1 September, showing men trying to yank open a van door, accusing occupants of taking their "fucking flags" and being a "fucking cunt". No evidence is offered that those in the van had taken flags these "patriots" tied to railings and lampposts.

Scare tactics
Another video, titled "Protestors in Portsmouth crash Jeremy Corbyn's ‘Your Party' launch event" on 10 September, showed a crowd of louts using a portable PA system to chant "Corbyn's a wanker" through a community hall window.

Corbyn wasn't in Portsmouth, but police told the loudmouths they were frightening disabled kids who were having a dance meeting upstairs in a community centre.

Other recent TPUK X posts include a placard at the recent Tommy Robinson rally reading "Starmer Likes Rent Boys" and a video titled "Thousands of patriots in Waterlooville chant ‘Keir Starmer's a wanker' at an anti-migrant flats protest".

TPUK was delighted by Badenoch's support last week, thanking her for being "the only MP and elected party leader who reached out to us" and saying "it means a lot".

More top stories in the latest issue:

WAR NERVE
Responses in the Commons suggest ministers are nervous at the prospect of Israeli arms firm Elbit winning a £2bn contract to train the British Army.

CORE VALUES
US energy company Holtec is among those to build a small modular reactor in Nottinghamshire, despite never having built or operated one before.

POWER COMPLEX
The energy secretary sees "transformative potential" in a partnership between British Gas owner Centrica and US firm X-Energy for small modular reactors.

ULSTER'S LUSTRE
The sacking of Peter Mandelson is a setback to plans by American-owned Dalradian Gold to develop Europe's largest goldmine in Northern Ireland.

FAVOUR TOGETHER
Labour Together's showing at conference serves as a reminder that it doesn't only rely on rich private donors – it's also funded by banks and businesses.

HUB CHAPS
Lobbying firm Anacta evidently considers Labour so open to influence that it opened a temporary office in the middle of conference to represent its clients.

COP SHOP CHOP
Wise words opposing London mayor Sadiq Khan's plan to cut Metropolitan Police station front counters by almost half come from one, er, Sadiq Khan.