Cllr Nadim Muslim

Slavery was an evil in which people from every continent and region participated. We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain's leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade. If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade? On demands for reparations, whether through cash or debt relief, we have been down this track before. Twenty-five years ago, Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History argued that cancelling the debts of poorer countries would give them a fresh start. More than $100 billion of debt was eventually written off, but many of those countries have since built up even bigger debts. Labour are already spending too much on Britain's welfare state, now is not the time for Andy Burnham to be providing global welfare. There is no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born. And I have even less patience for political elites in commonwealth countries who don’t know how to make their own citizens prosperous now looking for another opportunity to blame Britain. As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain’s greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven't done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology. Tony Blair already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly twenty years ago. There is no need to do so again. This is all another navel-gazing distraction. The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards. That means economic partnerships to make us all richer and deeper military and security cooperation against common threats. If every Commonwealth summit becomes an exercise in presenting Britain with demands for cash then we need to start asking if it is worth the effort.

Is that it? The budget was a Rachel Reeves tribute act.

Cliveden House burnt down in 1849. The architect behind Parliament rebuilt it in two years. Now, Parliament has spent over a decade just planning its own repairs. What happened to the country that built things? 👇

I’m building a new Conservative Party, with new policies and new people.

Brilliant to be here in Birmingham for Conservative Party Conference. Looking forward to showing the whole country that this is a new party with a new team ready to deliver. #CPC26 🇬🇧

Andy Burnham has bottled it. He is running scared of the Greens, and putting votes in Holborn and St Pancras ahead of North Sea jobs and Britain’s energy security.

Labour won't cut welfare to fund defence.

Yusuf's performative outrage is fooling no one. Nigel Farage himself called these protesters ‘disgusting’. The truth is he’s arguing with his own leader, using me as cover as he tries to outflank Farage. This is a Reform power struggle, not a serious argument about Britain’s borders. While Reform are mired in scandal and turning on each other, the Conservatives are putting Andy Burnham under pressure over what he's doing on the economy, the cost of living, welfare and national security. We’re also setting out how we will fund defence properly, cut taxes, take back our streets, stop the boats and restore control. Reform can spend its time fighting over who gets to lead Reform. I’m only interested in Getting Britain Working again.