The Left has fallen right into Jenrick's trap on fare-dodging
Robert Jenrick knows how to grab headlines. More importantly, he knows exactly how to lead his critics down a blind alley from which they cannot escape. Yesterday the shadow justice secretary released a video of himself in the London Underground confronting those who had avoided paying their fare.
The political point was hardly subtle: why should the rest of us pay for those who can't be bothered paying their way? Just as he must have hoped would happen, his vigilantism sparked a massive debate on social media, with users dividing along the traditional Right and Left lines: Jenrick was either a hero who was unafraid to tackle lawlessness on behalf of the majority, or a cynical villain who was at least in part responsible, while a government minister, for the reduction in police and Underground staff who might otherwise have been available to tackle the fare-dodgers themselves.
It all fell so neatly into place for Jenrick. The Left really cannot help itself, and he must have known this before he embarked on his publicity stunt. Channel 4 News spoke for much of progressive Britain who felt offended by his initiative: having watched the footage, they decided that the main news story was not that a worrying level of passengers were skipping ticket checks (nearly one in every 25 passengers, according to Jenrick) but that the Tory MP didn't have Transport for London's permission to film there at all.
Twitter users with more time on their hands than I have since pointed out that TfL rules seem only to apply to commercial filming, which obviously didn't include Jenrick's exercise. But his point was made: confronted with systematic and expensive fare-dodging, the Left would rather ignore the problem if it's identified by someone whose politics they disagree with.
Let us be clear: Jenrick was offering no actual solutions to the problem. This was an exercise in populism that Nigel Farage himself might have envied, and it is straight out of the Reform playbook to provoke voters' anger without explaining how they would fix the issue other than a few superficial slogans.
Nevertheless, it was a PR triumph for Jenrick. The tidal wave of indignation that followed the posting of his video could hardly have suited his purposes better. Here he was, standing up for hard-pressed, law-abiding Londoners while eight 'officers' (it was not clear if this was a reference to British Transport Police officers or Underground staff) stood nearby.
'It's also just annoying,' says Jenrick to the camera, 'watching so many people break the law and get away with it…It's the same with bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops. It's all chipping away at society. The state needs to reassert itself and go after law-breakers.'
The reference to 'weird Turkish barber shops' was also ingenious: most people share Jenrick's suspicion about the motivation behind their recent proliferation in high streets across the country, but it is exactly the kind of accusation that makes the red mist descend in the eyes and brains of many on the Left who would rather not bring foreigners into it.
At root, there is a fundamental and more complex policy issue which a minute-long video on Twitter can hardly be expected to analyse – the differing approaches to crime and its causes by the Right and the Left. Judging from many of the responses to Jenrick's original Tweet, there are very few Labour supporters who took to heart Tony Blair's view that the party should be 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime', preferring to emphasise the latter and completely ignore the former.
Fare-dodging is caused, it seems, either by poverty or by the state not devoting enough resources to prevent the rest of us from behaving badly. Meanwhile, the Right, as represented by Jenrick, believes it's all about personal responsibility and personal choices. It is not difficult to see whose side most voters will take in that debate.
Labour and the Left in general should never have fallen into Jenrick's trap. Just as Blair and Jack Straw caused outrage for a few on the Left in the 1990s by criticising 'aggressive' beggars and squeegee merchants, yet won the support of a majority of voters who were fed up with the practice and who felt, until then, unable to complain about it, so Jenrick is empowering others to object to a pretty straightforward injustice that is pushing up prices for the law-abiding majority. Cynical? Undoubtedly. Opportunistic? Without question. Effective? Certainly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
22 minutes ago
- Times
Prince William celebrates 43rd birthday with puppies in new picture
A photograph of the Prince of Wales with some new arrivals to the royal family has been issued to mark his 43rd birthday. William is shown holding one of four puppies born to Orla, the family's black cocker spaniel, in the picture taken by the Princess of Wales at Windsor earlier this month. The message was signed by Catherine, the couple's three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, and a pawprint emoji. 'Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!', it read.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'You money grabbing little dog' - 'Jealous' drug dealer's messages to his ex-girlfriend are heard in court as he is accused of brutal murder of 'love rival' who was 'tortured to death' in his own home
A 'jealous' drug dealer accused of masterminding the brutal torture and killing of his alleged love rival branded his ex-girlfriend a 'money-grabbing little dog', a court heard today. John Belfield, 31, allegedly plotted the murder of Thomas Campbell out of 'hostility' because the victim had begun dating his ex-partner, as well as to steal from him. The 38-year-old's bloodied body was found bound in extra-strength duct tape and dressed in only a pair of socks in his own home in July 2022. In the run-up to the killing, Belfield was given crucial details about the intended victim's movements by Campbell's ex-wife Coleen, a jury has heard. She was later found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. Today Manchester Crown Court heard of threatening messages that Belfield sent to his ex-girlfriend Demi-Lee Driver, who had begun a relationship with Campbell. In one he wrote: 'You and that helmet will get domed. 'Shut your mouth you dog.' Another read: 'There's not a thing you or him will do so. I think you should get my draws out your house Monday.' Belfield added: 'And I'm going to shag his baby mum now for the point of it, you money grabbing little dog.' Ms Driver refused to give police access to her mobile phone but shared screenshots of the Instagram messages, jurors were told. Giving evidence in his defence today, Belfield admitted being a drug dealer but claimed he had been at his sister's home on the night of the killing. His barrister Richard Wright KC asked him: 'Do you understand that the prosecution allege that, together with his ex-wife Coleen Campbell, you had personal motivation to attack Thomas Campbell because he was in a relationship with your ex partner Demi-Lee Driver? 'You were annoyed or jealous of that relationship?' Belfield replied: 'I understand that.' Mr Wright asked: 'Did you conspire with Coleen Campbell and others to target Mr Campbell as a victim for robbery in his own home?' The 38-year-old, pictured with Coleen on holiday, was discovered by shocked neighbours 'No,' Belfield replied. Mr Wright asked: 'Were you motivated by jealousy or anger to attack Mr Campbell because he was in a relationship with Demi-Lee Driver?' Belfield anwered: 'No.' Belfield admitted that he had planned to to target Mr Campbell at some point in order to steal his drugs and admitted that he himself was a drug dealer. He denied being part of the team which placed a tracking device on Mr Campbell's VW van five days before the murder and said he did not know it had been put there. Belfield admitted he had taken part in alleged 'recces' of Mr Campbell's home in Mossley, Greater Manchester. But he denied that he had been one of the men who bought items used in the torture of Mr Campbell from a B&Q store in Oldham four days before the killing. Mr Wright asked him if he was with Reece Steven - who has been convicted of Mr Campbell's murder - when he was attacked and killed. He replied: 'No. I was at my sister's house with my niece and nephew.' Belfield admitted that he had taken part in efforts to disguise the van used in the attack but said he had done so 'to help my friends'. He also agreed that he had fled the country after the murder, travelling to the former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. But he said: 'I was scared his friend were going to attack me and kill me because of the rumours they had heard.' The court has heard the 'horrific' killing was the result of 'very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals' who used a tracking device placed on Mr Campbell's car and carried out reconnaissance on his home in the days before the assault. Jurors have been told that at a 2023 trial Reece Steven was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob. Stephen Cleworth, from Heywood, who acted as a driver, was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. He was responsible for planting the tracker on Mr Campbell's vehicle and assisting with surveillance although he was not present during the murder. Belfield - alleged to have been the 'driving force' behind the killing - is now standing trial for the murder after being extradited back from South America. The prosecution case is that Steven, Belfield and a third unknown man were all present when Mr Campbell was tortured to death. Belfield, of no fixed address, denies murder and conspiracy to rob. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Girl, three, has arm ripped open by cockapoo as her father is forced to 'hold her skin together' after attack outside primary school
A girl, three, has had her arm ripped open by a cockapoo, with her father forced to 'hold her skin together' after the attack outside a primary school. Bunnie was walking home with her father Rowen Skinley and two siblings in Rainham, Kent, on Tuesday when the designer dog attacked outside Miers Court Primary School. She had to be rushed to hospital in London for emergency plastic surgery after the Cocker Spaniel and Poodle crossbreed brutally mauled her unprovoked. The owner of the small, sandy-coloured pooch 'just disappeared', leaving no details, after pulling the dog off the toddler and tearing her skin in doing so, Mr Skinley said. The father explained: 'I was so shocked. All I had to stop the bleeding was my hands. I had to basically hold her skin together.' Thankfully, he continued: 'She's doing well now. She's just a bit shaken and keeps talking about how scared she is of the dog... 'It's really upsetting that the woman didn't stop because it makes you fear for the safety of other kids.' A Kent Police spokesperson confirmed an investigation is ongoing. Cockapoos have often been touted as family-friendly bundles of cuteness - playful, warm, curly-haired teddy bears, who are easy to manage and train. But Mr Skinley had a rather different experience with the popular breed: 'It happened parallel to the school on the main road. I was just walking home after the school run. 'The path is quite narrow and a woman was walking her dog on the actual road itself. 'Then, out of nowhere, the dog just lunged for my daughter and pulled her to the floor.' Bystanders rushed over to help: 'People who saw what happened came over and said that my daughter hadn't even put her hand out to the dog.' Bunnie was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital in nearby Gillingham before being transferred to St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, London, the next morning. There, she had several X-rays to ensure the puncture had not hit her bone, before undergoing the reconstructive surgery. Mr Skinley explained: 'She also has a lung condition and really bad asthma so she had to be marked down as a high-risk category for sedation.' The girl will have to return to hospital within a week for a check-up, to assess if she needs even more surgery. Anyone with information that could assist officers' inquiries, including CCTV or doorbell footage, should contact police on 01634 792209, quoting 46/102876/25. It comes after MailOnline revealed at the end of last year that at least 16 dangerous dogs are seized every day in the UK. Just under 6,000 dangerous dogs were seized by 27 forces from November 2023 until the same month the following year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request found - meaning 114 dogs are taken every week. Of the forces which responded to the FOI, Greater Manchester had the highest figures, with 19 dogs seized a week. It took 1,000 in a year and put 337 of the animals to sleep. Second highest is the West Midlands force with 17 dogs, followed by Northumbria with nine. West Yorkshire seized eight a week, while Leicestershire said it seized six. Experts have now warned that banning dangerous dogs in order to keep the public safe has 'critical flaws' and the focus should be on making owners more responsible instead. A spokesperson at which obtained the data, said: 'The Dangerous Dogs Act has been in effect for over three decades and yet, hospital admissions due to dog bites continue to rise.' They added that instead of focusing on breed, the emphasis should be on 'addressing the root causes of dog aggression' instead.
