The debate over Prime Minister Andy Burnham's ambitions for closer European cooperation raises a fundamental question: is pursuing a policy supported by much of today's electorate a fantasy, or a legitimate democratic objective?

2. BADENOCH'S OWN £36 BILLION "FANTASY"?

Kemi Badenoch has attacked the Prime Minister's European ambitions as fantasy. Yet her own Conservatives have announced 'plans' to cut annual welfare expenditure by £36.1 billion.

3/. WHEN A BOMBSHELL BECOMES A WATER PISTOL

The Daily Express called the announcement a “bombshell” plan to tackle a welfare bill “crushing our economy”. But £36.1 billion represents proposed future savings, not money already saved.

Plucking figures out from the air is not a plan - and we can see how Conservative 'plans' worked out the last time below?

1/. Badenoch has also criticised Labour's three-year extension of frozen income-tax thresholds, citing £19 billion in additional taxation.

2/. In November 2023, while Conservatives governed, the Office for Budget Responsibility projected £59 billion in additional tax receipts by 2027–28, reflecting inflation and frozen thresholds.

3. THE CONSERVATIVE RECORD: 2010–2024

History offers substantial evidence that government plans do not always become reality.

A/. HS2: Originally intended to connect London, Birmingham and northern England, the railway experienced major cost increases and delays. Its Manchester extension was cancelled in 2023.

In 2011 the Conservatives said the Original full-network estimate was £37.5 billion

In 2023 – Northern extension cancelled Estimates exceeding £100 billion

B/. 40 NEW HOSPITALS: The Conservative government promised 40 new hospitals by 2030.

By 2023, eight schemes had been pushed beyond that deadline.

October 2020 for 40 new hospitals by 2030 - cost estimate, 2025 Approximately £56 billion

Completed schemes at January 2025 reset - 5 costing approximately £700 million

C/. UNIVERSAL CREDIT: A reform promising administrative and economic benefits suffered years of delays and substantial increases in implementation costs.

UNIVERSAL CREDIT – £2 BILLION BECOMES £2.9 BILLION, WITH SIX YEARS OF ADDED DELAYS

SO WHERE IS BADENOCH'S £36 BILLION 'FANTASY' PLAN NOW?

4. BREXIT: WHAT ABOUT TODAY'S VOTERS?

The 2016 referendum delivered a majority for leaving the EU. Britain subsequently left. But it does NOT establish or commit what voters might want ten years later - and neither do politicians decide that either?

YouGov polling in September 2026 found:

73% supported closer UK–EU relations without rejoining.

64% of former Leave voters supported closer relations.

59% supported rejoining the EU itself.

IF A REFERENDUM TOOK PLACE NOW THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CLEAR 'STAY'

*Approximately six million people who were too young to vote in 2016 have since reached voting age*

*Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those who voted Leave in 2016 now support closer ties with the EU*

June 2026 polling by More in Common found that among 18–28-year-olds, 60% would vote to rejoin, against just 9% who would vote to remain outside.

THE GB2GB QUESTION

The media should distinguish facts from forecasts, political rhetoric from evidence, and historical election results from today's public opinion.

The 2016 electorate made its decision. The electorate of 2026 also demands to be heard now.

IF YOU DON'T WANT KEMI BADENOCH AS THE NEXT PM JUST SAY 'NO TO BADENOCH' : Click Here