KEMI Badenoch backed an annual migration cap tonight and made a Thatcherite pitch for true-blue voters.
The Tory hopeful swung behind the idea of a fixed ceiling on net arrivals after previously stopping short of the pledge.
And in a bid to win over the party faithful after a bruising first day at conference, she also hinted at tearing up the 2050 net zero emissions target.
Brushing off a row over her remarks on “excessive” maternity pay, she said she was being attacked like Margaret Thatcher after her notorious “there’s no such thing as society” comments.
Ms Badenoch is currently trailing immigration hardliner Robert Jenrick in the MP voting rounds – and the bitter rivals locked horns on boats and borders.
Capping net migration has long been the flagship promise of frontrunner Mr Jenrick – as well as quitting the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ms Badenoch has also opened the door to leaving the Strasbourg court but said that alone was “not a strategy” to stopping the boats.
As immigration became the central issue, the shadow communities secretary said: “I think there will need to be a cap, but we also need to design a system that means the cap cannot be manipulated.”
She added that migration stats “shouldn’t just be about the numbers. It should be about who is coming in, who is leaving, why that is happening”.
A rival camp said: “In three days Kemi’s gone from no cap to an unspecified cap. Who knows by the end of the week she might have the actual policy.”
Earlier Mr Jenrick – who pledged to “get migration done” had taken a pop at Ms Badenoch for seemingly minimising the importance of reducing the levels of net migration.
The former immigration minister – who has pledged to wrestle net annual arrivals below 100,000 – said: “I’ve said repeatedly that culture matters for integration.
“But where I do disagree with others is that numbers also matter. Because it’s ultimately the numbers coming into our country that places immense pressure on housing, public services and community cohesion.
He vowed to quit the ECHR without a referendum – saying Winston Churchill would be “turning in his grave” if he saw how the 1959 treaty was being used to block nation state decisions.
Meanwhile, Ms Badenoch also suggested she could review Britain’s legally-binding Net Zero target if ever in power.
She said: “We are Conservatives, of course we want a better environment.
“But we also need to make sure that we do so in a way that doesn’t bankrupt our country. We might review it.”
OCTOBER is packed with new games coming up, and a much-loved series is getting a new entry that gamers can now play for free ahead of its release.
The option is available across most platforms on which the game will launch, and it’s not tied to any subscriptions or purchase.
The Smurfs: Dreams is the next video game based on the iconic franchise, and it will be a 3D puzzle platformer.
It offers a brand-new adventure to save Smurf Village from the evil Gargamel and his latest plot to catch the smurfs.
Dreams releases on October 24, 2024, on pretty much every platform, with versions for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Players who are curious about the upcoming game can now try a free demo, which is already available for download.
To grab the demo, all you need to do is to search for the game on your platform’s respective storefront, and grab it for free from there.
No subscription or payment is required to download the demo, but it won’t be available on previous-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
The Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam, all have The Smurfs: Dreams demo up for grabs, so you can already pick it up from your preferred store.
The full game promises both solo and co-op play for two, and a dozen main levels plus 16 mini-levels to complete.
It’s a 3D platformer with puzzles and challenges and a colourful artstyle inspired by different dreams the smurfs have.
The demo came with a new trailer for game and it looks quite promising and fun.
For more freebies, check out the Infinity Nikki open beta test, which launches very soon.
Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers.
For Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section.
SIR Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure to boost paternity leave as dozens of his own MPs rally for a new deal for dads.
A day after Kemi Badenoch sparked a Tory row over maternity pay at the party conference, Labour backbenchers are now piling pressure on the PM to deliver on his pledge to review parental leave.
They branded the UK’s current offer for fathers as “cruelly short” and the worst in Europe, with dads eligible for just two weeks off at £184.03 a week or 90 per cent of their earnings—whichever is lower.
Leading the charge, Makerfield MP Josh Simons told The Sun: “We can achieve equality in hiring, business, and childcare only with reform.
“To give our kids the best start in life, women equality in the workplace, and to value the Dads we want young boys to grow up to be, we must act.
“The Government’s parental leave review should be just the beginning in valuing family and parenthood as we should.”
Telford MP Shaun Davies echoed the sentiment, insisting it’s time to treat having kids as “a benefit, not a burden”.
Meanwhile, Dunfermline and Dollar MP Graeme Downie warned Britain is facing a population crisis, adding fixing paternity leave could be key to boosting birth rates and “building stronger, flexible families for the future“.
Sarah Smith, who represents Hyndburn, shared how extended paternity leave enabled her husband to support her after childbirth and helped her transition into her new role as an MP.
She went on: “This demonstrates that it’s not just the morally right thing to do, it’s also right for economic growth because it gives both parents greater ability to manage work and family.”
George Gabriel, co-founder of the Dad Shift, a campaign for better paternity rights, said he was amazing to see “dozens” of Labour MPs signing up in support.
He added: “It’s clear that there’s been a shift, with 90 per cent of dads saying fathers these days want to be more involved with their kids.
“Keir Starmer showed no fear when defending his efforts to protect time with his kids, we are excited that in this review of parental leave he has the opportunity to stand up for other parents too.”
The Government has committed to completing a review of parental leave, including shared parental leave, within its first year in office.
A row over comments by leadership candidate Ms Badenoch suggesting maternity pay had “gone too far” dominated the first day of the Tory Party conference.
AN EIGHT-year-old boy who was fatally shot in the head and face has been named by Police.
Jay Cartmel died after sustaining serious head injuries after the horror unfolded on a hillside close to Wheatsheaf Farm, near Warcop, in Cumbria.
Officers are continuing to investigate Jay’s death and have issued a plea for witnesses to come forward.
Police arrested a man in his 60s nearby on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter – who was later bailed.
DEAR DEIDRE: MY vile in-laws are driving me to think about suicide because of something I did years ago. They won’t let me forget it.
I’ve been married 23 years. I’m 46 and my husband is 44. We married because I was pregnant but we were too young really.
We had such a rocky start and when the baby came along, things got worse.
My husband was working long hours and I had one friend – a male neighbour. He was 41 then, unemployed and he manipulated me.
He told me I was beautiful and pressured me into having sex with him. We ended up in bed together and my husband found out. I was 24.
My husband left and ran to his parents’ home and told them everything. We worked through things and my husband forgave me but his parents never did.
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at:
deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
It happened once but they still make horrid remarks such as I’m “an embarrassment” and my mother-in-law even called me a “whore” recently at a family barbecue.
They are constantly on my mind. I think I’d rather not be here any longer if I’m such a bad human being.
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: Cheating wasn’t right but your husband gave you a second chance, which was his choice. His parents don’t get a vote, nor should they behave abusively towards you.
It would have been good for your husband to stop their comments but if they’ve always been abusive, it may have taken him right back to his childhood where he felt afraid.
Now you have a choice – whether you allow them to be part of your future, or not.
Not having you along at get-togethers may take some adjustment for your family but if they are not pleasurable experiences, why subject yourself to it?
My support pack called Standing Up For Yourself will help you to talk to your husband.
Also you’ll find emotional support from CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (calmzone.net, 0800 58 58 58).
After backlash from members
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