Sharri | 6 June

Live Sharry.

Good evening.

Well, first tonight we start with that extraordinary video of nine chairmen and former Treasurer Peter Costello knocking a journalist to the ground. The Australians reporter Leah Mendes, a first class journalist, approached mister Costello at Camera Airport this afternoon with questions about how nine was dealing with the ongoing crisis following the departure a former newsboss Darren Wick.

Here is that confrontation.

Have a look, mister Cassello, my name is Lea Mendez from The Australian. Do you support mister sneedsby as CEO and his handling of the Darren Wick saga? Were you aware of the allegations against mister Wick before he left Nine?

Thank you?

Were you aware of those allegations? Mister Costilla? Why wonn't you support mister sneezebe publicly?

Good?

Well, you've got to answer the questions. Mister Still, you've just assaulted You've just assaulted me.

It was very mud. That was quite a violent behavior, mister. Do you have the full support of your board?

Journalists who work for nine approach people in this manner every day and you attacked me dercent.

This is simply shocking.

The chairman of a major ASX listed company knocking a reporter to the ground and I can reveal his camera broken in the process. These were perfectly legitimate questions to ask mister Costello on how he, as chairman and the nine board have handled the numerous allegations of the mistreatment of women during the time Wick was directed of News. Nine has brought in an external company to investigate its workplace culture, including allegations of harassment, of bullying, of poor

It's a terrible look.

Yet, in a case of not accepting any responsibility for his actions tonight, Costello claimed it was all an accident and Mendy's had simply tripped over backward.

When I came through camera airport, there was a reporter walking backwards with his phone filming. As I walked past him, he walked back into an advertising placard and he fell over. I did not strike him. If he's upset about that, I'm sorry, but I did not strike him.

Have you spoken to Liamendez. No, I have not known you look very angry when you were approaching him. Were you angry?

No, I wasn't angry. Just like you blokes here, if you're backing back and there's a placard behind here, you can walk into it. I've seen it happen a million times. I've seen it here Parliament House a million times. People reporters back into the bollards and fall over. And that's what happened.

He's a kicking you of assault. That's not the case.

It's no assault, so I said, before he was backing backwards, he hit an advertising placard. I did not lay a finger or a fist or anything else off it.

The people who saw this have seen this footage and have seen it and thought that actually looks like an aggressive action on your part.

You, I don't think so, I don't think.

Can I just stop at the eye. I think they would think if they watched the whole.

Of it and remember it.

So they did a transcript it was a pretty aggressive journalist.

That's what I think they would bear. Do you do you think, mister Kener was a.

Public place which I was entitled to through and as I said, to you. I mean he hit the advertising melody fell over. I'm sorry about that. I wish that hadn't have happened. But you know this is I've seen it happened a million times.

There's already speculation that this could put your chairmanship at risk. What is your response to.

Rubbish the generalist sake, you assaulted me and you've laughed and walked away.

Well, Peter Costello is in camera for the launch of Channel nine's new super Bureau. But that version of events there is quite extraordinary. Costello even accusing Mendis of being an aggressive journalist. Well, actually he was very polite, even after he was not to the ground. He was firm, but polite And unfortunately for Peter Costello, there's video capturing the incident from two different angles. You can have a

Well, you've got to answer the questions mister straight thank you.

You've just assaulted me, can't don't You've just sulted me.

In my opinion, it's pretty clear that Costello comes at leam Mendy's with a shoulder barge and knocks him to the ground. And if there was any doubt about that confrontation, take a listen to some of the witnesses who saw the whole thing unfold.

He saw that.

I'm just feeling because I'm trying to So you saw you saw that?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he like hitting about here.

I don't know what's your fall over there.

Let's just say that I'm gonna spoke.

On the Okay, Yeah, I just thought we've been shacking up.

What was that about? So obviously said something that I'm just asking questions about the Mike Sneezeby thing.

So I'm on from the Australian and yeah, I thought like he's trying to he was trying to say that I walked into there.

Yeah so I saw that. Yeah, we saw it.

How impressive is that for leam Mendes. He's just been knocked to the ground, he says he's been assaulted, and he goes to find witnesses who have seen it all unfold. Very impressive, but again, this is extraordinary stuff and under pressure. Peter Costello, the chair of Nine, the former Federal Treasurer knocking to the ground the journalist who was just doing his job. Leam Mendes has covered the war in Ukraine. He's won the News Corp Young Journalist of the Year award,

And you can.

See how he gets back up after being knocked to the ground and continues to ask Costello pressing questions both about why he pushed him over and about the nine share price.

Have a look, well, you've got to answer the questions, mister Castillo.

Don't you've just assaulted You've just assaulted me. You've just pushed me. It's all on camera, mister Cassello. Why won't you support mister Sneves be probably mister Cassella, you can't.

You can't do that.

That's all captured on camera.

Is your share prior to concern? He's very wide. That was quite a violent behavior, mister Cassella. Turn part of your board.

Journalists who work for nine approach people in this manner every day, and you attacked me decent.

And that's right.

As Leah Mendes points out, journalists at the company Costello chairs do approach public figures for comment every day of the week, and none of those journalists would expect to be.

Assaulted while doing their job. Now.

I've also spoken to Liam today and there's no doubt in his mind that he was.

Deliberately knocked over. He is shaken.

In fact, for a journalist who's covered a war zone, this is the most shaken.

I've ever heard him.

Given the witness testimony that you heard and the strength of the video captured from two angles, I doubt that Costello's statement tonight will be the end of this matter. The Australians media writer Sophie Ellsworth now joins me to discuss this. Sophie, thank you very much for your time. Now, Leah Mendes was very shaken after this incident. You would have spoken to him today, Sophie, because you wrote the story. It clearly has rattled him being pushed to the ground like that.

Yes, Chari, I have spoken to Liam this afternoon, and I don't want to speak on his behalf, but I think the viewers.

At home can make their own minds up.

Sharf of what they saw unfold at Canberra Airport. And I've spoken to numerous witnesses who saw what unfolded at the airport this afternoon when Liam Mendez, an excellent reporter, was simply going about his job. He's an excellent journalist who was asking mister Costello the questions many of us have been trying to ask him for weeks but receiving no response. And mister Costello has been in political and media circles for decades. He knows how to handle media.

So as you said, this is not the end of this, Shari. Look.

He has been under pressure the Chair of nine in any case, over his handling of the departure of Darren Wick after allegations of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. Do you expect that the events this afternoon will put even more pressure on Peter Costello's role as Chair of nine.

We'll, Sharry, whatever you make of this footage this afternoon, it is not a good look for a chairman of any company, let alone an ASX listed media company to behave in this manner.

And as we've seen, it's all captured on footage.

There's vision audio there. This appear it is.

To be someone under.

A lot of pressure who has not conducted themselves in the best fashion.

Charry.

Now, just before I came on air, I received a statement from nine about this alleged incident and a spokesman said to me, after arriving at Canberra Airport, the chairman was confronted by a journalist from The Australian and in the course of filming the chairman, while walking backwards, the journalists collided with an advertising placard and fell. At no point did the chairman strike the journalists. Now, this is

Look, I thought it was interesting to see that the nine papers covering it. The City Morning Herald has covered this. It's on their homepage. As well. So you know this is being taken seriously by the media industry right across the board and at some points Peter Costello had been trying to portray the investigation into sexual harassment allegations as coming from News cop But the City Morning Herald has been reporting on this as well.

They've had numerous stories on it too.

They have Shari The Australian and Sky News has led the way on this story. But it was something that Nine could not ignore. It's too biggest story. It's too biggest scandal that's gripping the network. This is a media company in serious trouble Shary. Their share price has plunged, particularly in recent years. It's been at its lowest point around the dollar forty mark, you know, well down on

Sharry.

This is not good and also for the employees of nine. They must look up to their management and their board who should set and lead the example within the company and this is not a way any chairman or managerial role in a company should conduct themselves in public. But this will continue to play out Shari.

Yeah, absolutely well, Sophie Elswath, thank you very much for your time, and of course you're reporting now. We're going to come back to that topic throughout the night with my panel. But now let's go to another big story today and I have exclusive comments now fromer Prime Minister John Howard, and he's criticized Anthony Albinezi for claiming that his government is successful on the grounds he hasn't reshard

I think the stability of the team has been a real strength. I can't recall any new government having this same ministry in place two years after they were appointed. There's been no trips to Yara Lumla, and that's quite remarkable compared with John Howard had lost six or seven ministers. I think by this stage there'd been changes in the

And that was Anthony Alberanzi speaking in a podcast interview on the twenty fifth of Mate to Mark Kenny, and as you heard, he was boasting that he hadn't sacked any ministers during his first two years in office, while John Howard had lost seven within a year. Well, I spoke to John Howard today and he strongly defended his

Accepted that ministers had to go.

By contrast, Albanezi has refused to act on Andrew Giles despite mounting scandals that have seen violent criminals set free only to re offend, putting community safety at peril. The situation is now farcical yet our but Easy claims there's nothing to see here. He's leading a great government. Have a look at him today.

There's a lot of speculation around as a possible federal industry.

Is that you're playing the first government in a long while that's been stable, that's been orderly that has done what we said we would do.

We said we'd look.

After people and we've done it. My government has been stable. That compares with the shambles that we replaced.

The Prime Minister is using the pretense of stability to disguise extreme incompetence. He thinks he can delude voters into thinking his government is successful because he hasn't sacked anyone for policy failures. Well, for a limited time, it is a legitimate political strategy to dig in and refuse to terminate a minister. Doesn't want to give the impression of instability. But the limited time where this was a serious and

That's the point.

Albinizi has lowered the bar to such an extent that grandmothers are blue and bruised in the face from being bashed by detainees thanks to Andrew Giles's failure.

Yet that's not enough to sack him.

Albinizi has lowered the bar to such an extent that he won't investigate allegations of bullying when they arose with the mean Girls. These were serious allegations by labor women and labor MPs, and Albinizi has lowered the bar to such an extent that when Katie Gallagher is caught out misleading the Senate about what she knew about the Higgins matter prior to broadcast, well, he just looks the other way. The fact Albineze won't sack a minister in his first term speaks volumes about.

His character and his leadership.

It speaks to the lack of disrespect he has for voters. How he's happy to prioritize what's politically advantageous to him, even if it's at the expense of community safety. All right, let's bring in tonight's panel, Liberal Senator James McGrath and Sky News commentator Jason Morrison.

Welcome to you both.

We're going to come back to the big story of Peter Costello in a moment, but let's start with what I was just speaking about.

Then.

James, the Prime Minister, says his government is stable and that he has looked after people. There's increasing speculation that he will have a reshuffle. There were reports by Sam Maiden just today that what could spark that reshuffle is Bill Shorten taking on an ambassadorship, perhaps in Paris. Well, I've spoken to very good sources close to Shorton who say that he's not interested in an ambassadorship. He has no intention of going anywhere. So you know, at this point,

The issue here is not just incompetence of Andrew Giles, it's the weakness of alban Easy. It's the weakness of a prime minister who is letting Australia slide into economic mediocrity and allowing Australians to not feel safe because of an immigration minister, quite frankly, who we would not trust to operate a toaster or a kettle. He should have been sacked weeks ago. Australia is not safe because of that man, and the buck stops with the prime minister. He is a weak prime minister, Jason, what.

Do you think I mean?

Clearly Albinizi is presenting this as some sort of stability in his government, the fact that he refuses to move on an incompetent minister.

He compares himself to John Howard. Well, what do you make of that comparison.

I'm still getting over the toaster and the kettle analogy. You know, it's interesting what a barometer for success. I'm doing well as a prime minister and my government's pretty good because I haven't sacked a couple of imbeciles. That's the barometer for success according to the Prime Minister today, it's not watching with people I think you know to suggest that you know people don't want diplomatic posts is also laughable. I'm not met a politician that doesn't want a diplomatic post.

Perhaps a senator.

You might want to tell me if you wouldn't mind one, two, if it was tucked your way. It's a joke. It is a joke of a thief. All right, there, you're off the hook. But the joke of this is to say that the only thing that is the indicator of how well or not a government is going is by how many ministers.

You've had to clean out.

History will reflect that the most successful government in terms of being re elected, probably since the kind of deep dark sixties, was the Howard government.

And yeah, a lot.

Of ministers got chopped, a lot got turned and burned. That happens. That doesn't mean a government's no good. It means the like in charge has got good judgment and can get rid.

Of the drop kicks. Yeah.

Well, John Howard responded to those allegations of those criticisms from Anthony ABERNIZI today, as you just heard. Now, let's go to this big story, major breaking news this afternoon that the former treasurer at Peter Costello, the chair of nine, knocked journalist Liam Mendes to the ground. James McGraw, You know, what do you think of that? You would have seen the vision by now? Do you think that conduct is befitting the chair of an ASX listed company.

Look, look, Peter was perhaps the greatest treasurer that this country has seen, and I think he would be the first to admit when he if he does look at that footage, that that footage shows, he's probably let himself down and he's let the company down because he's someone who's experienced the highs and lows of politics. He's done some serious, important things for this country. But it wasn't a good look for Peter and hopefully he will address it more in the coming days.

Do you think he should step down? James McGrath.

No, I don't think he should step down. He's clearly under under a lot of pressure that he is chairman of a media company with programs like a Current Affair, as Liam pointed out when he was chasing after mister Costello, which on a regular basis will do such things. And I didn't think Liam's questions were that difficult, all that hard. He was doing his job and good on him. In

Company, and actually Peter Costello's own son is a journalist at a current affair and also frequently chases people down the street as well.

Jason, what do you think.

I don't see how can behave in that way, especially at the time when they've got external investigators in place to investigate allegations of threatening and bullying and blokey behavior at the network.

Yeah, the Senator is right, he's under a lot of pressure and that would have just added to it. But let's say what Peter Costello has said tonight in response to what happened with Liam is right that the fellow fell down because he was walking backwards. Okay, if he fell down and he was walking backwards, then you're a pretty average bloke for not giving him a hand up,

He did nothing.

He said nothing, should he go oh look, I mean, I think a bigger issue for him, And this will be an interesting test for the MEA, which I often find quite.

An impotent union. At Fairfax nine.

It's a very unionized newspaper environment, and I'd be really interested to know how the House committee there feels about the chairman of a company that has appeared to have been involved in an incident with a journalist and has shown some sort of recklessness or carelessness. The public doesn't like the media.

This is the interesting thing.

I think a lot of people watching tonight I'll probably think he has been badget unnecessarily. If you think that, just remember for a second. This is a public company, right. This is a public company that has had some real serious accusations made against it, and its chairman is nowhere. He's not commenting, he's not saying an The company's kind of gone to ground apart from internal dealings, and it

I think it's pretty.

Poor formed that he didn't even engage with a reporter, let alone not offering him a hand to get up off the ground if indeed what he says is right. But the best thing about it for him is in the act where the worst police force in Australia have to reside.

Good luck, I reckon.

I reckon that they'll struggle to put tunes two together on this one and find anything.

Well, we'll see.

We haven't heard whether or not there is a police investigation. But as Sophie Elsworth pointed out, you know, there's at least two cameras that Liam Mendes had running. He had a camera which is now broken, got broken in the process of him being knocked to the ground.

He also had a go pro.

But there'll be a lot of other vision CCTV vision at Camera Airport as well where that happened. And now, just before we go, Question Time opened with commemorations for the eightieth anniversary of the Invasion of Normandy Today, otherwise known as D Day, the major Sea Bond invasion happened, as we know because of Hitler's hatred of Jews. I think that this is very pertinent seeing as we are living through another alarming surge of anti Semitism. James McGrath,

How quickly we forget, how quickly we forget that eighty years ago the Allied forces were landing in Normandy to get rid of fascism and Nazis, and Nazis because the Nazis were exterminating Jewish people, Gypsies, gays, Democrats, people from a Slavic background at an industrial scale. They were trying to fight for freedom, freedom that too many people today here in Australia take for granted. And yet here in Australia, I don't like the word anti semitism because it disguises

Brilliant, that's brilliant.

James McGrath, Jason Morrison, thank you both very much for joining me. Now we're going to get more reaction tonight to the breaking news on Peter Costello. Also coming up Labour's anti semitism unity ticket that lasted less than twenty four hours. Liberal MP Julian Lisa will join me next about how Labor shut down his bill that would have investigated anti semitism on university campuses. Stay tuned, welcome back. Well,

So even if that is on offer.

From Anthony Albanesi, and I understand that Shorton has been offered multiple ambassadorships, I have confirmed from an impeccable source Bill Shoton is not seeking the ambassadorship for France. Now, in unsurprising news, Labour's so called support for Israel has

Have a look given the failure of the Commission President to call out antisemitism and condemn him us given the race discrimination commissioner could not condemn from the River to the Sea, given the systemic racism in its staff and contractors.

Does the attorney.

Believe the Commission is really the appropriate body to undertake an inquiry into antisemitism on campus or does he agree with the opposition the non Green Cross benches and almost every Jewish organization in the country that only a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on campus can deal with this matter properly.

Who wouldn't support that well, Labor as it turns out, and Julian Lisa, fresh off the plane from Canberra, joins me in studio.

Now, Julian, thank you very much for your time.

What was your bill proposing and how disappointed are you that Labour, which claims now to want to find antisemitism, didn't get behind an inquiry into antisemitism on university campuses.

I'm deeply disappointed, Shari, and I'm particularly disappointed for the Jewish staff and Jewish students on our university camp When Anthony Albanezi came in on a Unity ticket yesterday with Peter Dutton. Now, Peter has been very strong in terms of moral clarity, in terms of calling out anti semitism, particularly on our university campuses. The Prime Minister said all

So I was incredibly disappointed.

They didn't vote against the bill, they just shut down the debate, which was a great chain. We should have a debate about this because the government's alternative to an independent judicial inquiry is to have the terrible Human Rights Commission that I think has systemic bias against Jews run an inquiry into antisemitism on campus.

Well, you gave a brilliant speech this week, You've done terrific work. The entire week, Jillian Lisa, but you gave a brilliant speech outlining the Human Rights Commission and how it has had internal problems with anti semitism, and so it shouldn't be responsible therefore for conducting inquiry into that very issue. Can you tell us about some of its internal problems.

So when it goes to antisemitism, the Human Rights Commission

To fail to do so.

It does seem like racism against Jews isn't called out as strongly as racism against any other group would be.

The university issue is extreme because we are seeing.

Young you know, barely out of their child years, you know, people in their teenage having to come face to face with aggression and hatred every single day.

What needs to be done to clean this up.

Sure, it's not just the Jewish students, it's the standards that are being set on university campuses which will affect the Australia of tomorrow. It will basically say to non Jewish students, all this anti Semitism is okay, you know, don't worry about it. Jews don't count.

That is a terrible.

Message that we are sending to the next generation of young leaders. University should be a place where people go to better themselves, to take advantage of opportunities. But we're

There is an issue with the chancellors or vice chancellors asking labor lobbying labor not to have this inquiry.

Do you suspect that's going on behind the scenes.

I suspect there's a bit of pushback in relation to this because the vice chancellors and the chancellors don't want to get on the stand. You can be sure of that they like a nice, hush hush inquiry from the Human Rights Commission that will take two years where they know the Commission's not going to take these issues seriously and they can just carry on as they are. We know these judicial inquiries change the culture and institutions. We've

Well, Julian, Lisa, thank you for putting this on the table, Thank you for fighting it and for your strong speeches this.

Week, and I'll keep fighting Shari, good on you.

Thank you so much, Julian.

Now still to come, we'll have more reaction to that extraordinary footage emerging this afternoon of nine chare Peter Costello in an ugly confrontation with a reporter from The Australian and another major broadcasting network hit with harassment claims.

How has the ABC responded all of that?

Coming up, Welcome back with for more breaking coverage of the Peter Costello saga. I'm joined now by The Australians New South Wales political reporter Alexi Dimitriadi and The Australians Associate editor Jenna Clark. Alexi, Jenna, welcome to you both.

For viewers who are just.

Tuning in now, the chair of nine and the former Federal treasure Peter Costello has knocked to the ground a journalist Leah Mendes this afternoon at Canberra Airport.

Let's have a look at how that.

Unfolded mister Cassello, my name is Leam Mendez from the Australian. Do you support mister sneezeb as CEO and his handling of the Darren Wick saga? Were you aware of the allegations against mister Wick before he left nine?

Thank you?

Were you aware of those allegations? Mister Costillo? Why won't you support mister sneezebe publicly good? Well, you've got to answer the questions, mister Castillo.

Don't you've just assaulted Don't you've just assaulted me?

It's very bid. That was quite a violent behavior, mister. Do you have the full support of your board?

Journalists who worked for nine approach people in this manner every day? Can you attacked me?

Just son?

Jenna.

Look, I've spoken to Liam today. He is very shaken by this. Peter Costello denies he deliberately pushed Liam mendes over. Liam's in no doubt about what happened and he is supported. He does appear to be supported by the video footage. What do you think of Costello's claim that it was Liam who was the aggressive journalist.

I think that's ridiculous coming from Peter Costello, who has been in the rough and tumble of politics for many years and now is basically at the helm of a media company. And I think his behavior, like we have seen from the number of his charges there from Darren Wick all the way up to the top, is absolutely revolting and he has some serious questions to answer.

Indeed he does.

Alexi, you are a colleague of Liam Bendy's at The Australian. You have reported on stories with him, you know him well. It is surprising, Like I said, he's covered the war in Ukraine. It is surprising for him to be so shaken like this. But you can see in the footage how he is not to the ground and it does look to be a shoulder badge.

Yes, it's the footage that The Australian broke earlier. It's very resting footage of the incident. It shows him, appears to show mister Costello allegedly moving forward into Liam, and of course Liam ends up on the ground and it's you know, not just covered by the Australian our paper, but you can see it across Twitter. That footage is now going around and yeah, anyone that works or knows Liam absolutely fantastic journalist and as the video shows he's

And that's one of the most impress of things about the moment he gets knocked to the ground, he gets up, he keeps asking polite but firm questions of the former federal Treasurer Jenna. But then he goes back and finds witnesses who saw the whole thing unfold.

What a journalist, Yeah, Liam, Liam is an exemplary journalist. And I think it just goes to show. You know, mister Costello, if you do not like to be harassed, as you say in this manner, pick up your phone mate. I know colleagues have been trying to call you for weeks. Make a comment already.

Indeed, we have all been putting numerous questions, myself included to Peter Costello, questions he hasn't been particularly happy to answer. Now, the ABC has been rocked by a wave of harassment claims, with almost one hundred staff saying on a survey that they'd experienced sexual harassment while at work, and a further

Yeah.

Absolutely, and it's not just in the media but in every workspace. Everyone deserves to be saved, deserves to go around doing their jobs, you know, free from harassment, free from bullying, particularly from sexual sexual harassment, and is very concerned to see that, you know, in any company, and of course in the National Broadcaster, going through my colleague

Over to US politics journal, The Wall Street Journal reports that Joe Biden may be suffering a dementia, withinsiders fearing that his mind is slipping. The article claims that eighty one year old performs poorly in meetings, mixes up key details of his own policies, and speaks so softly that aids.

Struggle to hear him. What do you make of these revelations?

It is interesting, Sharon, and I know that you know we have been covering this on Sky News and The Australian for many, many almost years now, about the decline of.

The leader of the free world.

But this coming from the Wall Street Journal is incredibly alarmed considering the sources that were cited in this piece, and also with the heft of the mast head behind this story, and it just has you begging the question? November twenty twenty four is not that far away, and I know we're going to potentially see Donald Trump being

It's been an absolute pleasure of being with you and.

Your viewers, so I can't wait for you to experience the absolute joy and love of motherhood. Nothing beats it. Jennah Clarke, good luck to you and your family. Alexi, thank you also for your time. Now after the break, we'll cross live to London for the latest on the UK's snap election. Stay tuned, welcome back. Well, the race is on to the UK election, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing off against his main rival Kirstama in their first TV debate earlier this week.

If I'm your prime minister, the planes will go to Rwanda. We will have a deterrent. So this simple question for Kirstenriz what will you do with people who come here illegally? Tell what will you do with them? Well, very simply, what would you do with them? That's what I'm going to do? Will have a deterrent. What are you going to do?

We need to smash the gangs that are running this file trade, making a huge amount of money, putting some of the most vulnerable people in votes across the channel.

Let's bring you now, Spiked Online editor Tom Slater, thank you for your time. Look, Nigel Farage threw his hat.

In the ring.

This is sown somewhat of a spanner in the works. Do you think his Reform Party is going to cause an upset in any way?

It certainly seems that that could be the case.

I mean, as you say, Nigel Faraj had previously said that he was going to more or less sit out this election. He actually took a lot of flak on social media for saying he was going to concentrate on helping his friend Donald Trump in the US, but he was under a lot of pressure to step up.

He has stepped up.

He's back as the actual leader of the Reform Party and he's standing in Clacton, which is a seat on the coast of Essex, very strongly Antieu previously, where UKIP, a predecessor to the Reform Party, had an elected MP. And as a consequence of that, he's really lit up the debate as well. And there was a pole out last night which actually found that the Reform Party are climbing and are now within two percentage points of the Conservatives. So it's something which I think really has shaken things

The polls overall do show and we are expecting this to be a strong Labor win.

Absolutely. I mean in that poll from last night they're on about forty percent. Some of the kind of seat projections that have been made so far, you're looking at a staggering.

Majority, you know, nor for four hundred seats. This is something.

Which it would be absolutely incredible if they Labor Party didn't win, and win quite handling. I think it's worth pointing out that this is not necessarily because people are very infused about Keir Starmer. People generally are quite negative about him to the extent they have a view on.

Him at all.

But this election is very much the story of the electorate wants to punish the Conservatives, not just because of fourteen years in rule and all of the mistakes they've made over that period, but I think particularly the past few years where after Brexit it felt like they had the wind at their back, they had this new coalition

Beating as it were, and a lot of chaos, a period of instability, multiple leaders.

Oh, it's been ridiculous Mehan.

Everyone's been able to have a go at leading the Conservative Party, it feels like over the course.

Of the past few years. And I think that was one of the big problems was.

The fact that when the Conservatives were returned in twenty nineteen via Boris Johnson, there was a lot of voters wanted to take a chance of something different, and we've ended up with a Conservative Party with Rishi soon At that feels very much like what it did.

Indeed, yea, all right, Tom Sayer, thank you very much for joining us with that analysis.

I'll see you mandate eight o'clock. And right now he's Paul Mary