Josh Babarinde, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. Photo: Josh Babarinde
Josh Babarinde, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. Photo: Josh Babarinde
Josh Babarinde, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. Photo: Josh Babarinde
Josh Babarinde, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. Photo: Josh Babarinde

Lib Dems' manifesto puts candidates in position to tear down Tory blue wall


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Largely unseen amid the battles between Labour and Conservative is the rising third force in British politics of the Liberal Democrats, who could well have a major impact on the general election.

While they have a modest international profile, the Lib Dems have a powerful election machine, beating the Conservatives to second place in last month’s local elections and overturning Tory majorities of more than 20,000 in several by-elections.

Indeed, their potential to capture seats across southern England, in what is called the Conservative “blue wall”, could lead to a political earthquake where the Lib Dems overtake the Tories in parliamentary seats.

Leading that charge in Conservative-held Eastbourne is Josh Babarinde, a 30-year-old candidate whose likely victory next month could herald the first breach in the blue wall, leading to its collapse.

In a manifesto launch on Monday, the Lib Dems promised higher taxes, focusing on the wealthy, flights, banks, energy companies and tech giants. The extra funds were music to the ears of Baberinde, who is promising better local services on the doorsteps of the south coast town.

In an increasingly upbeat campaign, the Lib Dems are eyeing their best result since taking 65 seats in 2010 under the leadership of Nick Clegg, who became deputy prime minister and is now vice president of Meta.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey falls from a paddle board in Lake Windermere as he highlights Britain's water treatment issues. Reuters
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey falls from a paddle board in Lake Windermere as he highlights Britain's water treatment issues. Reuters

Blue Wall down

If the dominant Lib Dem signs in Eastbourne, which outnumber the Conservatives in the Victoria Road area by about five to one, are anything to judge by, then Mr Babarinde is on course to become MP for the town’s 104,000 residents.

“It would be a catastrophe for the Conservatives if they lose Eastbourne, a real sign that the blue wall is coming down and that they’re on course to get under 100 seats,” he told The National as we walked Eastbourne’s streets.

“I've been knocking on doors, since I was 16 years old and I've never experienced such discontent with a Conservative Party,” said the Eastbourne-born candidate.

Walking alongside him brings mini-celebrity moments as cars horns honk in support and people stop to chat.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Josh Babarinde campaigning in Eastbourne. Thomas Harding / The National
Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Josh Babarinde campaigning in Eastbourne. Thomas Harding / The National

Teacher v pupil

It is perhaps unsurprising that his support is high, as we are just a short distance from Cavendish School, where he was head boy in 2009, popular among both staff and pupils.

That explained why the potential MP respectfully addressed a woman as “Miss” when she opened her door.

“Josh was one of those pupils that you never forgot, absolutely a born leader,” said his former teacher, who did not want to be named.

The current MP, Caroline Ansell, also taught Mr Babarinde, who is now likely to put her out of a job in a constituency where the Conservatives have a majority of 3,205.

If Eastbourne goes Lib Dem it could mean a domino effect across southern England that sees them emerge as the second biggest party in Westminster.

The Electoral Calculus polling company currently puts the Conservatives on a mere 75 predicted seats with the Lib Dems' “high” tally at 73 MPs.

Ebbing blue vote

The Lib Dem charge to seize a swathe of Tory seats was given a boost by its manifesto release on Monday that led on National Health Service funding.

It is neglected local issues that most infuriate voters, especially Eastbourne’s long-promised maternity hospital – a pledge made by Boris Johnson – that has yet to materialise.

Instead, women in labour have to endure the 45-minute car journey over the South Downs hills to the nearest ward in Hastings.

“People see the state of our NHS, the state of our beaches and our rivers and our poverty locally and it's no wonder that many of them tell me ‘I can’t do it this time, I can’t vote Conservative,'” Mr Babarinde said.

“With Nigel Farage’s Reform taking votes, the Conservatives are really struggling to hold on to core support as they've let a lot of people down.”

Save the NHS

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has also caught the public’s imagination with his high-profile publicity stunts to highlight England's sewage problem, such as tumbling into lakes.

But he has also seen support across the political divide following an emotional party political broadcast in which he spoke of his own experiences as a carer for his severely disabled son, John.

The party's key manifesto promise is to “save the NHS” which has a £165 billion budget, with a pledge to recruit 8,000 more GPs funded by a tax raid on the super-rich and banks.

That, said Mr Babarinde, was “getting a lot of cut-through” on the doorsteps, something witnessed by The National, where “there is not a lot of love here for Conservatives”, as one resident put it.

Ms Ansell was contacted for comment but did not respond.

TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg

Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Company Profile

Company name: NutriCal

Started: 2019

Founder: Soniya Ashar

Based: Dubai

Industry: Food Technology

Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount

Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia

Total Clients: Over 50

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

The Lowdown

Us

Director: Jordan Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss

Rating: 4/5

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

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The Breadwinner

Director: Nora Twomey

Starring: Saara Chaudry,  Soma Chhaya,  Laara Sadiq 

Three stars

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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

THE%20HOLDOVERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alex%20Garland%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kirsten%20Dunst%2C%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Wagner%20Moura%2C%20Nick%20Offerman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

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Updated: June 11, 2024, 7:50 AM