Sam Merullo retweeted
17 October 2026: The Daily Mail leads on a new poll suggesting Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives have regained second place behind Labour, overtaking Reform UK to become the official opposition once again. #TomorrowsPapersToday
Sam Merullo retweeted
Guess who had a good conference…
YouGov - Sky - Times voting intention
LAB 24%(-3)
CON 23%(+3)
RefUK 21%(-1)
LDEM 12%(+1)
GRN 11%(nc)
Oct 11-12
Pollster note: The changes are within the margin of error, so it's difficult to distinguish signal from noise, but I suspect there is some degree of "conference bounce" there, with the Tories getting a boost from their coverage, and Labour declining again as the temporary impact of their own conference fades.
It may well be a temporary Tory boost, but for the record it means this is the first time that we have had Reform back in third place since 2024 (it’s technically the first time since early 2024 – but we didn’t poll between the election and January 2025 while we were reviewing methods, so we don’t know exactly when Reform overtook the Tories).
Sam Merullo retweeted
I see the Tories won their mini battle with Reform in Holborn and St Pancras. The Lib Dems did not even keep their deposit.
Sam Merullo retweeted
To truly understand the Birmingham Tapestry, I have asked a doctor of Anglo-Saxon History to take us all through it.
Step forward, Conservative Party Deputy Leader, Dr @alexburghart .
Sam Merullo retweeted
has anyone else realised the Wuhan Covid bus driver looks a hell of a lot like John Healey
Andrew Griffith is right – and it's the same point I made in the Telegraph last year: restore VAT-free shopping, scrap the non-dom rule and start signposting that Britain is open for business again. telegraph.co.uk/gift/3f82a49…
Sam Merullo retweeted
Enough is enough.
It's time for John Healey to rule out higher taxes.
In the last two budgets Labour have increased taxes by £66 billion a year - that's almost £2,300 for every household.
More uncertainty is the last thing anyone needs.
Sam Merullo retweeted
Money cannot buy character, standards or competence. Problem after problem after problem. This is what Reform is.
Earlier this year I said Nigel Farage was doing my spring cleaning. He took a large number of very problematic people from the Conservatives. Reform is where they belong.
People are innocent until proven guilty. But just look at the pattern. Reform’s former Welsh leader is in prison for taking Russian bribes. His successor has now resigned after being arrested. Robert Jenrick is under investigation over allegedly impermissible donations. Richard Tice’s company is linked to donations being investigated by police. Reform itself faces a criminal investigation after the Channel 4 expose where we watched them openly brag about dodging the rules. It goes on and on and it will never stop.
The difference between Conservatives and Reform is not just policy. It is character, conduct and standards. We care about these things and they don’t.
Reform UK’s leader in Wales Dan Thomas stands down after he says he was reported to the police bbc.in/4j56HQv
Sam Merullo retweeted
When the Prime Minister meets businesses leaders this afternoon, I hope he bears in mind the important words of his predecessor, Sir Winston Churchill:
“Some regard private enterprise as if it were a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look upon it as a cow that they can milk. Only a handful see it for what it really is, the strong horse that pulls the whole cart."
cityam.com/burnham-to-call-f…
Sam Merullo retweeted
Every single printer I have owned announces that the "printer is out of paper". Not "you're down to the last 15 pages.... you might like to think of restocking the printer."
Suggesting that the people who work for HP and Brother are a bigger bunch of stoners than the people who make Rizzla cigarette papers. – at Sundridge, South East
Sam Merullo retweeted
Vote Conservative today to stop the Labour cuts to Wandsworth - polling stations open! @KemiBadenoch @wandsworth
Sam Merullo retweeted
🚨UNPUBLISHED LABOUR LETTER🚨
This is what @CllrSimonHogg sent to his own government last year, then failed to disclose under an FOI request.
Labour’s local plan, in the scenario that’s actually happened? “Radical service cuts” and “unintended impact” on your tax bill.
Sam Merullo retweeted
Inspiring article from @TheJobsFndn business council member @SamMerullo, on how he helped ex-offenders find work. This wasn’t simply charity, it made commercial sense:
“Employees who had been given a genuine second chance were often more loyal than those who had never needed one. We could not help everyone, and nor should we have tried. But for those prepared to meet us halfway, the calculated risk made commercial sense.”
I’ve written a comment piece for today’s The Times.
10 yrs ago I launched a scheme to employ ex-offenders. It turned my hair grey, but we kept people off the streets, put people on the tax roll and provided purpose to the disenfranchised.
(2) Now, employers need to be encouraged to do the same, and soon!.. thetimes.com/article/80d16aa…
Sam Merullo retweeted
Employing ex-prisoners makes sense all round thetimes.com/comment/columni…
