All Episodes
Previous Next
Plain Text
Aug. 17, 2022 - Uncensored - Piers Morgan
45:37
20220817_piers-morgan-uncensored-cyclists-fines-british-pol
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
|

Time Text
Cyclists Gaining Upper Hand 00:13:55
Tonight on Piers Morgan Uncensored with me Jeremy Kyle, cyclists facing fines and speed limits in a road law revolution.
Yippee!
Hi!
Hi!
Idiot!
But will it simply drive an increase in traffic?
More criminals, fewer investigations.
Is British policing facing a real emergency?
And as inflation rockets past 10% and surging supermarket prices give us the chills at the teals, how are we to survive the food cost crunch?
We know children with a cost of living who they evidently come to school having not been fed.
Good evening, my friends, and a big, big welcome to Piers Morgan Uncensored.
I'm still Jeremy Carl and first tonight a road riddle.
How do you get to use the highways with no license, no insurance without paying any tax and with absolutely no speed limit?
The answer is of course as easy as riding a bike.
That's my bell.
I promise you one thing, this is the only time ever you'll see me doing this.
I get irrationally angry about cyclists.
I mean it.
We wrote this.
Don't come near me.
I'm a psychopath.
But seriously, nice.
What's not to loathe?
There's the toy hoys.
They dress up like the Tour de France from 15 minute pedal to work.
You've got the chain gangs, usually four of them, riding side by side like some massive Peloton whilst us tax-paying motorists queue behind, getting later and later and more irate.
You've got the Sigourney Weavers through the mist swerving like a shopping trolley with a dodgy wheel.
And your Jeremy Vines, whoever he is, with more cameras than Kodak picking fights and running red lights.
It's good news though.
It turns out I'm not the only one that thinks these two tire tyrants have run out of road.
Today the government announced, thank God, it might just force cyclists to buy insurance, follow speed limits, pay fines for ignoring the laws of our road.
So at last, says me with one hand off the wheel, a common sense reform bringing cycling into the 21st century.
Oh no, say the cyclists.
Reckless regulation will end up with more people in their cars.
We're going to debate that in a minute.
But first, my friends, as I run out of breath, look at why cyclists think I've got this wrong.
I'm getting off now, you see.
I've got car pull tunnel syndrome.
Watch this.
Hey!
What the f ⁇ are you doing, man?
Too busy doing that, mate.
Six points.
I said 1.5 blue that's overtaken.
See you in cool.
Bye-bye now.
Brilliant.
Right, Nick Freeman, the transport lawyer, so good he's known as Mr. Loophole, joins me now.
Plus Britain's most militant cyclist, Dave Sherry.
Let's start with you, Nick.
You have been urging the government to do this for absolute ages.
It is chaos out there.
I know cyclists won't like what I'm going to say, right?
But really, isn't it time there was a degree of responsibility served on the cycling community, Nick Freeman.
You're absolutely right, Jeremy.
They've avoided it for a long time, although it's the small minority who are actually really against it, but they're very vociferous.
There are many cyclists who approached me and said, Nick, we actually agree with what you say because it's going to make our roads safer.
And, you know, their priority is to cycle safely.
But there are what are called the lycrolouts who are really against it.
In any case, I think the day has now come, it's not far away, when the government are going to listen and they're going to actually impose the same legislation that exists for cars and for e-scooters, motorbikes, motorcycles for cyclists.
And it needs to happen.
It's a sensible thing and I think we'll all benefit from it.
And I think it will actually help remove the friction that exists between the two sets of the main groups, the motorists and the cyclists.
It's an unpleasant experience.
And on the continent, there's a much more friendly atmosphere.
Here, it doesn't work very well.
And I think this is a step to making us all realize we share limited road space.
We need to be collaborative.
We work together and try and be safe for everybody.
So cyclists have got a new highway code, which they're welcome.
It gives them a massive priority, but also they're going to have to comply with some legislation.
They're going to have to be identifiable.
And I think if they're identifiable, they'll cycle sensibly and they'll be more responsible because they're going to be accountable, aren't they?
Well, I've got to say one thing.
You'll absolutely know in the next 10 minutes why I won't make a lawyer.
I welcome to the studio Dave Sherry.
You're described as Britain's most hated and militant cyclist and you're sat there in a stab-proof vest and you've got a camera on your helmet.
Davey, let's just start as we mean to go on, right?
You've got 10 minutes to convince me that I'm wrong and you are right.
As a cyclist, you tell my team, you have a duty of care under the law as everyone is using the roads together, yeah?
Yeah.
If you're using the same roads as motorists, then why don't you have to pay for it like motorists have to then?
Because we don't omit an omission.
So that's the only reason you should pay road tax.
What about the tax to make sure the roads are safe and well kept?
Why shouldn't cyclists pay for that as well as motorists?
Right, road tax was abolished, was brought in as a visual vehicle excise duty, yeah?
Basically, it's based on CO2 emissions.
Cycles do not do that.
Cycles, I don't think, damage too much tar, mate.
So basically...
You use the roads and you want potholes fixed, so motorists are supposed to pay for that as well, right?
Yeah, but so do all riders, mobility scooters.
Oh, come on, man.
Listen, listen.
Right, cyclists.
Let's get straight to it, right?
The laws for cyclists were brought in in 1861 for horses and carts.
Here's what I want to say to you.
And tell me I'm wrong, right?
So there I am in my car, and nine times out of ten, and I'm not saying it's all of them in their lycra with their beards, they go up inside you onto the pavement through a red light.
There must be an acknowledgement in the cycling fraternity that there are a number of cyclists, thousands of them, out to make motorists' lives difficult.
You must accept that.
Why have you got a camera on your helmet?
Why are you wearing a stab-proof vest, man?
Because I don't like the pre-Madonna drivers, the ones who like to use handheld devices, the ones who get a bit too close to vulnerable road users.
And I understand what you're saying about the law.
The Road Traffic Act is there for motorised vehicles.
Cyclists are not motorised vehicles.
Okay, but if you kill someone, a cyclist goes down for a maximum of two years under the 1861 law.
I'm not condoning anything like that.
If it's a motorist, he goes to prison for life.
You can take your CO2 emissions.
I want to ask you something.
Why are a majority, maybe majority is the wrong word, why just so many cyclists in my life, why are they out to cause trouble?
Why have you got a camera?
It seems that it's gone the other way.
I'm all for cyclists, right?
If it's fair and proper, but it's not like that anymore.
Motorists in this country, whether you like this or not, are hacked off with cyclists because they feel like we're second-class citizens.
Why aren't you insured?
Because we're not on a motorized vehicle.
It's just ridiculous.
I'm sorry, but you need insurance for a motorized vehicle.
What about you injure someone?
What about insurance for them?
And it comes down to a civil claim, civil loss.
You've got all the answers, haven't you?
I don't understand why.
All right, give me another one, right?
So if I'm out on a Sunday, packs of them, right, and I have to move out five feet.
Why are they allowed to cycle in pairs?
Why not in a straight line?
Cyclists are road users and entitled to use as much of the lane as they deem fit.
So you can use as much of the road as you want because you're road users, but you don't pay for the upkeep of that because you don't have CO2 emissions.
Is that right?
I think that's fair.
Where does it say we have to pay for it or contribute to it?
What I'm saying is in terms of if you look at it, cyclists seem to be gaining the upper hand.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Bad thing.
For whom?
What?
For who?
For the rest of the world.
Pedestrians are not upset about it, I don't believe.
Horse riders?
No.
531 incidents, I believe, off the top of my head last year with cyclists hitting or bashing into pedestrians.
And how many vehicles?
Is that your answer?
I'm asking.
Do you not think that cyclists should have a series of rules to give them responsibility, be that tax or you do?
It's called the highway code for cyclists.
Do you not think you should get points if you cause problems on a cycle?
Do you not think that's a good thing?
Under the Road Traffic Act, cyclists are not accountable.
Is that it?
The Road Traffic Act.
Can I bring in Nick?
Nick, come on.
These laws in 1861 for horses and carts.
Come on, man, give me a bit here.
It's outdated rubbish, isn't it?
Well, you know, Dave's known for being a vigilant cyclist and he goes around with this camera, and that's obviously his privilege, to trap motorists who are actually breaking the law.
Many motorists have dash cam footage.
Yeah.
And what they have is a picture of a cyclist going on the pavement, knocking someone down, going through red lights.
They have nothing more than that because they're not able to identify the cyclist.
So, you know, Dave wants it all his way.
He wants to be able to identify the motorist but not be identified himself.
So that's the first thing that's wrong.
The second thing is he talks about insurance and says, well, there's a civil claim.
Many cyclists don't have money.
So if they seriously injure, and you've said 531 were seriously injured last year, it was actually a lot more than that.
This is the tip of the iceberg.
Many aren't actually reported because the cyclist leaves.
How is the injured party going to be recompensed by somebody who doesn't have insurance?
Answer that, Dave.
Hold on a second, Nick.
Answer that.
The person who's injured with a...
Answer that.
Let's let Nick finish.
No, answer the question.
Under everyone's car motoring policy, you've got a thing called uninsured losses.
And this is for other formalities that transpire on the road.
Would that be agreeable, Nick?
No, it wouldn't, Dave, because I'm talking now about when a cyclist hits and injures a pedestrian.
And this is a serious case that's happening more and more frequently.
And cyclists are uninsured, so there's no remedy for the cyclist.
That's for the pedestrian.
And that's, of course, dependent upon the cyclist being apprehended, stopping at the scene.
Many of them don't.
Do you think the law is biased and cyclists?
At the end of the day, at the end of the day, the pedestrian's, you know, he's injured, he's lying, they might have a broken leg, whatever, loses his job, etc., etc.
No recompense because we haven't got a responsible cyclist who can hold his hands up, he's got money in his pocket, and he has no insurance.
So there's a huge disadvantage, and that's why, of course, motorists have to be insured.
So it is going to happen.
Cyclists are going to have to be insured along with e-scooter riders and of course electric bike riders, which is something that's going to come out.
It needs to happen.
As far as contribution to roads are concerned, of course, there are no emissions.
But there is a cost to the taxpayer, to the public, of having cycle lanes for allowing them to do what they do.
And there's no such thing as a free cycle.
There must be some level of contribution.
And it's blind to simply say, you know, we don't cause any damage to the road surface.
We don't harm the environment.
So why should we contribute?
Well, the answer is the motorist is having his space surrendered to the cyclist.
And that's something that he's contributed to financially.
And there must be a price for the cyclist to pay for that.
Completely agree.
We're sharing limited space.
It doesn't come free.
Thanks, Nick.
What's your answer to that, Dave Sherry?
Well, I agree with Nick on that in principle.
But my argument in return would be, are the horse riders...
You should be a politician.
Are the horse riders paying to use?
It's not about horse riders.
It's about...
But look, here's what I'm going to say.
You go out with your camera and your stab vest.
You're looking for trouble.
You're a vigilante.
You love all this stuff.
I'm simply saying to you, we motorists feel like it's all stacked in your favour.
We pay all the bills.
We take all the rubbish.
We've got all the fines.
And it's about time cyclists who seem to increasingly dominate our damn roads took a bit of responsibility.
What's wrong with that man?
Car drivers over the years have had that same mentality.
The shoes on the other foot because too many cyclists were being killed due to negligent driving.
And basically the highway code changed.
Changed the mentality.
Why is this so important to you?
Why are you so pro-cycling?
Did you fail your driving test as I mean?
No, I'm a professional driver.
You're a professional driver.
And you've taken this.
So do you literally feel like you have to wear a stab-proof vest?
So bad are my fellow motorists.
Is that right?
Sometimes motorists misbehave.
So do cyclists.
No one's perfect.
But it's...
Again, you should be in the Conservative government, man.
You haven't answered a question.
Do you think that cyclists should take more responsibility?
Final question for road upkeep for insurance.
Do you think they should be regulated?
Yes or no?
You do?
Yes, yes.
If it makes the roads a safer, better place, every road user.
So you agree with me?
To a degree, if it makes things improve, yes.
Excellent.
It would be better you go forward.
And just get rid of that camera.
Thank you very much indeed, Dave Sherry.
Thank you.
And Cheshire, Nick Freeman, Mr. Looppole.
Police Losing Public Confidence 00:12:19
Next on Uncensored, and this is a story that affected everybody and will continue to do so.
87-year-old Thomas O'Halloran was minding his own business yesterday on his mobility scooter when he was stabbed and left to die in broad daylight.
He is the latest victim in what feels like an increasingly lawless Britain.
The big question is, what are we going to do about this?
It's getting so, so difficult out there.
We're talking to former Scotland Yard Detective Peter Blexley next and a wonderful guest, a victim of anti-social behaviour, Roy Muller, who says, and I quote, Jez, I've given up on the police.
They can't help me.
We're coming back next.
Welcome back to Uncensored, my friends.
Now, if it feels less safe in the UK right now, that's probably because it is.
More crimes are being committed.
Fewer crimes are being investigated.
And London has seen six murders alone in the last four days.
Thomas O'Halloran was out on his mobility scooter just around the corner from this studio yesterday when he was stabbed in broad daylight.
The 87-year-old was able to travel 75 yards on his scooter to ask for help, but died later in hospital.
The grandfather was described as a much-loved member of the local community.
The police, the Met Police, have released this image of a man who ran away from the scene with a knife.
But this senseless violence that happened in Greenford follows a disturbing recent pattern.
Down the road in Brent, a triple shooting has left a 21-year-old man with life-changing industries.
Injuries rather in Preston, a murder investigation has been launched after a man was attacked by two men following a disturbance on a night out.
In Guy'sborough, a 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of 62-year-old Alan Garbert early this month.
And in Birmingham, a grandfather of nine Roy Muller was assaulted outside his own home by a gang of youths while facing years of torment.
Now, in a moment, I'm going to speak to Roy and really, really looking forward to that.
But first, I want you to look at this door cam footage of the attack.
And I just want to say, it's tough viewing.
Have a look.
Roy joins me now, and I'm also joined by former Scotland Lard detective Peter Blexley.
Peter, in a sec, but I want to start with you, Roy, if I can.
I wanted to do this story more than any other since I started uncensored because it drives me to distraction what's going on.
You have suffered 10 months of abuse from yobs outside your Birmingham home.
Just put in your own words what that's done to you psychologically, emotionally, just in terms of your entire life.
It's actually put my whole life on hold for a while.
I sit wait at the window, waiting for any more attacks and that.
And anytime I hear noises out there, I'm rushing over to see, is this it again happening?
If I'm in the garden and I hear people outside, I have to rush through to the house and just see what's going on.
And it's just all the time I'm waiting for another incident.
Tell me the worst moments.
We see the footage there, which is just appalling.
Are you scared?
Are you resilient?
What goes through your head on a daily basis, right?
Well, I'm quite a resilient person, which is why I challenge them.
But since that footage that you've got, there was another incident a couple of days after that.
And the guy came here, remember me?
Remember, not particular to take your mask off, and I'll tell you.
And he said, we're coming back for you.
And anyhow, they tried to surround me, but I was having none of that.
And anyhow, they did disappear shortly afterwards after throwing a load of abuse at me.
But yeah, it's not pleasant.
It's just not pleasant.
I'll bring the neighbours don't want to get involved.
Of course not.
I'll bring Peter in in a minute.
But I thought the most shocking thing about your story, Roy, was when you said I've written directly to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Dave Thompson, asking for help.
And shame on you, Dave Thompson, because you haven't written back.
This is a statement from the police.
If we could just put this up on the screen, we're investigating after receiving reports of a man in his 70s being the victim of assault and harassment in Great Bar.
We fully understand how distressing this is and are looking to safeguard the man whilst progressing inquiries to establish those responsible.
Peter Blexley, a former Scotland Yard detective, a 76-year-old man.
This really gets me, so forgive me, who spent his entire life working for a living, paying tax, would expect more from the British police.
Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of the West Midlands, I repeat, disgraceful.
What the hell is going on, Peter?
I'm sure you remember the expression, an Englishman's home is his castle.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, to be attacked, to be threatened in or outside your own home must be utterly ghastly.
I'd be very interested to know when these matters were first reported to the police.
But this is not a lone case, sadly.
We are hearing time and time again about people who are becoming victims of crime and they are not receiving the resources and the investigation from the police that they deserve and that we should all expect.
People write stories in newspapers, go on television programmes like this and say that out there it's like the Wild West and people say to me it isn't.
It is.
And what people want to know, you're a former couple.
What they want to know is where are the police?
I mean we see newspaper reports about they're in training for diversity or they're having, I don't know, a weekend away to discuss a brainstorming.
Why are they not protecting Roy Muller who's done nothing wrong and is an upstanding citizen?
Why have we got to a point where we cannot expect our police force to be there when we damn well need them Pete?
I'll tell you where, unfortunately, so many of our frontline courageous men and women in uniform are.
They're dealing with mental health crises.
They're going from call to call to call to call and then they're invariably going to hospital because they have to be with this person who's going through some form of crisis.
They are kind of pseudo-social slash mental health workers.
That's where they are.
There are police officers who go through an entire shift day after day not dealing with crime.
The other services need to step up.
They need to break out of their nine-to-five working mentality.
They need to organise themselves, get the funding they need so that mental health services can deal with mental health issues.
And then hopefully our police will get back to doing what are their core principles, keeping the streets safe.
Do you think we've got to a point where the priorities have changed because of pressure?
What I've told you before on the radio, I did a programme several years ago and spent several nights out with the police.
And there was one particular story that stayed with me, a bit like Roy's, but we went to the same place five times and patently the guy had mental health issues, but they were having to do that.
Do you excuse the police?
I don't excuse the chief constable, by the way, not writing back to him, do you?
I don't excuse any chief constable who has not stood up and been vocal and been there for his staff saying, we're dealing with mental health, we're not dealing with crime and policing matters.
They should be banging on the door of 10 Downing Street and the home office.
There was nobody there.
Taking it off its hinges and saying, get mental health workers to deal with mental health so we can tackle crime, criminals and protect the public because it's not happening.
Roy, my team tell me that you have had so much of this abuse that you are considering moving away from your home in Birmingham.
What does that say about society, sir?
Well, it's sad, isn't it, that I've lived in that house 43 years, brought my children up there, and now I'm being forced out of it by these thugs.
It's not good.
It's not a good sign for society.
Pete, what really does my head in is, and you will agree with me, I know, that if Roy decided to, I'm going to say take the law in his hands, but lamp one of them, right?
Absolutely am saying it, right?
The police will be around and he'll be in court quicker than you can say anything.
But they're nowhere near where these youths are doing it in their masks, terrorising this aged man.
That's just not right.
I mean, mental health or not.
And I'm going to keep saying that I'm going to do it every night until we get a response.
Where is Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police?
Ridiculous.
At least spend some time with that.
You're not in it anymore, but what advice would you give to Roy Muller?
What should he do?
What are his options?
Roy needs to go back to his home.
He needs to be a beacon for all the people that are suffering from crime at the moment.
So West Midlands Police need to facilitate that.
They need to investigate it.
They need to put in place whatever infrastructure to ensure that Roy can live safely in his own home.
I get that, and I am not in any way.
Let me just say this, I'm not advocating anybody taking Laurent ever.
What I said was, here's a guy that if he did, you know, think nobody's helping me, the police would be there.
So, you know, and he will say, I mean, Roy, you've told us you have tried and tried and tried again with the police.
Pete, you ask him, he's getting nothing back.
You say, go back to your house, be a beacon.
Nobody's coming to you, are they, Roy?
Nobody's giving you any help.
Well, when they have turned up, it's been half an hour after the event.
It takes you five or six minutes to get through on a 999 call.
And they have to come, I don't know how far they travel, but from a place called Blocks, which is miles away, they've closed down all the local police stations.
And a 999 response is not what it should be.
Peter?
My heart sinks.
We know that policing is in crisis in so many regards.
With regards to Mr. O'Hallagh, who was murdered, I hope they catch that suspect very, very quickly.
Broad daylight, yes, they round the corner from here just in his mobility scooter.
And that, you know, I mean, how long will that take?
How much will that care?
And then probably the person who did it will come up with some excuse and get away with it.
I don't know what's going on.
We're having a new broom come in to the Metropolitan Police very soon and a new deputy.
Yes, of course, standards matter like appearance, shoes and haircuts.
But you know what?
Shoes and haircuts aren't going to fix the fundamental flaws that exist within the Met and other forces.
Policing must get a grip.
What I've always said is I understand that the policemen and women don't like any of this because they want to be there for the Roy Mullers.
But would you understand briefly how people like Roy Muller are losing confidence and belief in the very service that's supposed to protect us and keep us safe?
Absolutely.
I joined the police to catch crooks and lock them up.
If I had to spend day after day dealing with people in a mental health crisis, which I'm not qualified for and is fundamentally not my job, I'd be out of policing in a flash.
Credit to those who are sticking with it.
And what needs to happen for those good men and women is that these chiefs have got to stand up, take responsibility and force change through.
Get police officers back to doing policing and not mental health and social work.
Completely agree, Peter Blexi.
Thank you very much indeed.
Roy, I'm so grateful for you sharing your story.
I hope you don't have to leave your home and I hope that doing this story tonight spreads the word and I repeat and will continue to do so.
Dave Thompson, I'm not coming for you, but I'm going to keep saying it.
Have the decency, sir, to respond to somebody who pays your wages and needs your help.
Supermarkets Face Cost Crisis 00:10:13
Right, next on Uncensored.
Inflation hits 10%.
This for the first time in 40 years and food prices are surging.
The big question, how are we going to beat punishing prices at the tills?
We're coming right back.
Don't go anywhere.
Welcome back to Uncensored, my friends.
So apparently, sad news, it's the beginning of the end.
Removal vans are at 10 Downing Street.
Boris is getting the exit done.
He's taking back control of Carrie's Golden Wallpaper.
And fittingly, in a financial emergency, today's report suggests that the PM will serve the remainder of his premiership at the Checkers Mansion in Buckingham Share.
A source says he wants to keep calm and carry on, doing absolutely nothing.
Of course, that's all speculation.
The removal vans may well simply be packing for his next holiday, or perhaps they've just been to the cash machine in Mayfair before doing the weekly shop.
Because based on today's inflation figures, that's where we're heading, my friends.
Rocketing food prices have pushed inflation above 10% for the first time since 1982.
Prices, I have to be honest, are now higher than Keith Richards on New Year's Eve.
And this is what it means for shoppers.
Chills at the tills.
Consoling in the aisles, it's murder on the Tesco's Express.
Now we've done a survey of the UK's biggest supermarkets and found that a year ago, look at this.
This is a medium white loaf of bread.
This is very good.
It comes from the Kyle supermarket, which by the way, is actually quite slow because we can't afford the electricity anyway.
It was £1.05.
Oh, it's there.
Now it's £1.20, which is an increase of 15%.
And it goes on, hopefully a bit quicker.
A tin of beans, right?
A fixture in everybody's cupboard was 85p.
Very cool.
It's not here yet, see?
Come on.
Wind it up.
There it is.
See?
Now, £1.21, that's a massive 42% increase.
They'll have gone up another 10% by the time these graphics are finished, I should imagine.
Six eggs, different colours, probably one smashed.
They used to be £172.
Moving quickly.
Here they are, unfertilised, but now they've gone up 15%, nearly two quid at £197.
Maybe Mac.
Pack of bacon.
It's going well, isn't it?
£2 and threepence.
That's what my old girl used to say.
And over here, in about a minute...
Come on, then.
Why?
Oh, there's the bacon.
We see it's now £2.68.
That is up 32%.
These, by the way, of course, are some of the ingredients for the once humble full English breakfast, an ordinary morning staple for thousands of working people.
But at this rate, they'll probably only be serving you at the Dorchester and Checkers.
In a moment, our experts will have their say on what the hell we're going to do about it.
But first, and this is important, we got out on the streets because we wanted to know what you thought.
Have a look at this.
We know children with a cost of living who they don't, they evidently come to school having not been fed, but they don't want to say it, they don't want to mention it at all.
The cost of living has gone up.
Inflation, oh God.
Inflation is like, can I swear?
I can't swear right.
Okay, cool.
Because they're going to go so high, so quickly.
At the moment, it's mostly like travel and stuff is like really bad.
But also, I'm just about to move into a house, so I'm like really concerned about what my bill's going to kind of start out as.
Joining me now is our financial expert, Gemma Godfrey, the former founder and managing director of the 99p store, Hussein Lilani.
Gemma, welcome.
Hussein, welcome.
We've been talking about this for two weeks.
Now inflation, the highest for 40 years at 10%.
And just an attempt by us to explain how staple food, staple food, is almost, for many people, impossible.
And I know we say it every night, but we have to say it every night.
What are people supposed to do, Gem?
And also, well, the biggest problem with this is that when we talk about staple food, staple food is a bigger percentage of people's weekly budget and when they're the worst off.
So it means that for the worst off, they're actually not seeing 10% inflation, but it could be about double.
So people are really struggling and they're spending more on credit cards.
But in terms of what they could do, obviously it's a very, very tough time.
And honestly, many families are really struggling.
But there's, for example, there's, you know, help for households.
So there's Feed Your Family for a Fiverr at Sainsbury's, £1 Children's Meal at Asda.
There's, you can get free children's meals in the cafe of Morrison.
So a lot of the supermarkets are trying to do what they can.
But one of the most, I think, savvy things people can do is also change the time in which they shop.
So yes, because, you know, yellow sticker items, you know, a lot of the supermarkets start to discount their food and they do it at certain times of the day.
But that's good because there's so much food that's wasted, right?
Absolutely.
And not only that, but there was a family, it was again reported across the press, that they got £85 worth of food for £14 a few years ago.
And so it means that, again, the three times to watch out for are either they'll put those yellow sticker items for ones approaching best before dates overnight, so go first thing in the morning, or it'll happen just after the lunchtime rush or an hour just before closing.
And the key thing there is to try and pick freezable food because it is approaching its best before date, but if you can freeze it, it'll last for longer.
Amazing, Ozerva Hussain.
The 99p store was a business you set up.
sold it to Poundland in 2015.
I wouldn't, I think, be unfair to say that seven or eight years ago people would go Poundland, many people, right?
The reality is that these stores now are now providing staple things for people because of what's going on.
How bad is it out there?
It's bad and we saw this, we saw inflation creeping up when we sold our stores.
But what's happened in the last six months is unprecedented.
You know, Poundland stopped selling products for a pound five or six years ago after they acquired us.
It's really pound plus.
You only find a handful of products for a pound in a pound store.
And, you know, in food inflation is one key problem, but you can't ignore energy costs going up.
Well, I've actually got some breaking news, which is really interesting, and it caused you to look at me weirdly.
Off-gem director Christine Farnish has quit tonight over the energy price cap.
What does that mean?
Because she can't handle...
Well, the biggest pushback people have had is what's an energy price cap when it's not capping anything?
And also, they don't.
It's a target, it's not a cap.
Exactly.
And also, the problem is that they used to adjust it, if it was going to be adjusted at all, once every six months.
And they recently came out and said they're going to be adjusting it every three months.
Obviously, to allow it to fall, but really it's to allow it to rise much more quickly as well.
So she's not, the big criticism was that the off-gem didn't do enough to protect consumers.
And during that time, obviously, energy companies have benefited.
Unbelievable.
Hussain, how do we get out of this?
For people watching who watch and go, yes, but we know about that.
Inflation up, food prices through the roof.
Petrol, diesel, electricity, gas.
So what we've got to do is we've got to focus on the most vulnerable in society.
Quite right.
The average household income is about £30,000.
And they will weather the storm.
They'll have to cut back.
The middle class will maybe not go out for the fancy meal, not get a new sofa or a new TV.
But the most vulnerable in society, the poorest in society, those are on benefits, those on universal credit.
Because as you so rightly said, food and energy makes up a bigger proportion of the small amount of money they get.
And that's what we've got to focus on.
So one great idea I've heard recently is to have social pricing for energy for those most vulnerable in our society.
That's a good idea.
Having a special tariff just...
Can I do something that I do all the time and I do it without apologising?
I absolutely know what you're saying about people on benefits and people on universal credit, but I talk about jams every single night in the show.
They're just about managing because people who are not on benefits and do not get universal credit and both the couple's partners work and they pay all their bills and they have jack left.
And those people could do with help as well because they are right on the line.
But you're right.
Why can't they?
We're right on the line and the danger is that they will fall over the line.
They fall over the line.
And all of a sudden they won't be able to keep up with their mortgage payments.
And then, you know, we've got issues of homelessness, more people losing their homes.
Interest rates are going up.
That's another factor that's now affecting every household budget.
And, you know, the scary thing is this is a cascade because the families stopped going out for meals.
So the restaurant now suffers.
The workers in the restaurants get laid off.
More unemployment.
And, you know, people stop going out shopping to buy luxury items, buying a new suit or a pair of trousers.
Again, retailers suffer.
The employees suffer.
The whole logistics chain.
Did nobody, you're a businessman, I'm not, right?
But both of you.
Cascade's a great word.
It's like the dam has been broken and everything is falling about our feet.
Did nobody see this coming?
I mean, and people will go, oh, Boris.
But I mean, I've heard about Ukraine.
I've heard about the pandemic.
I've heard it.
But the monumental scale of how people's lives are going to be impacted has, I think, shocked everybody.
The government as well or not?
Well, the thing is, is that as soon as you had the Russia-Ukraine conflict, that was inevitably on day one, that was going to affect the oil price.
If that's going to affect the oil price, it's going to affect energy bills and it's going to affect everything.
What's really interesting is there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the wholesale price of flour, of wheat, and also of oil has actually come down recently.
But it'll take about six months for that to filter through to supermarkets.
And in those six months, if we're having such a damaging effect on consumers, they're not going out and buying as much, businesses then suffer, more jobs are lost.
And by the time that actually filters through, the economy's already been damaged.
And then we're talking about winter as well.
And yeah, we're exacerbating every problem.
It's terrifying for so many families.
You know, I used to be on the board of Age UK.
And we look after the elders in our society.
They're terrified.
They can barely afford electricity and heat anyway.
And they've got winter approaching.
And right now, there's no help.
What is £100 energy credit going to do for them?
The advice they're getting now is get some more blankets.
That's why I got so upset about that story with Roy Muller, who's worked all of his life and paid his taxes in his house in Birmingham, being, you know, just dealing with Yobs, threatening him each and every day and wants to leave a house he's been in for 44 years.
Can we, both of you, is there anything you can say to give people hope?
Because I don't want to sit here and say, you know, sugar-coated.
It's not great.
Labour Minister Insulted 00:09:08
But you've been really constructive over the last two weeks.
What can you say, Jem?
Well, I think one of the big stark stats I saw recently is the fact that people are now using their credit cards to buy essential goods.
It's not for luxury items anymore.
It's for essential goods, which means that people are more likely to be falling into debt.
And obviously that gets more and more expensive.
So things like becoming a little bit more savvy about where you shop, be aware of convenience stores, try to go to larger stores and look at loyalty programmes, but also try and compare them.
You know, all these little small things.
Look, it's tiny things.
But at times like this, it really is about surviving, not thriving.
It's about trying to survive this period to be able to get through the winter.
Hussein, just sum it up for me, what would you say to people watching this tonight?
I would say watch your pennies.
You know, when I had my stores, you know, it was a 99 piece store and we said, watch that, you know, we give you a penny change.
But today, more than ever, that penny change really does count.
And you're right.
You know, trade down, go to different stores, shop around, buy frozen products because they last longer, less likely to spoil.
And, you know, just tighten your belts.
And, you know, let's just hold tight and try to weather the storm.
But it won't last forever.
And that's the message.
And it won't last forever.
Eventually, we will get out of this war with Ukraine.
You know, Russia will withdraw from Ukraine and that will get the balance right.
Really good.
Thank you.
Love it.
Gemma Godfrey, Hussain Lalani, Thorndyke of the 99p Store.
Thank you for joining us right next and uncensored.
Tonight's Jezzus Journos, former Labour Minister Stephen Pam and Talk TV presenter David Bull.
We're coming back in three.
Don't go anywhere.
Welcome back, my friends, to Uncensored.
It's time for Jezus Journos and joining me this evening is ex-Labour Minister Stephen Poundland and talk TV legend Dr. David Bull.
How are we?
Very well.
We made it here.
We did all this way.
You're still alive.
And I just walked from around the corner.
There you go.
Fantastic.
Gentlemen, so much to talk about.
Gentlemen, it's out.
Yes.
Let's start with Liz Truss, the leader, the leading candidate to be the next Prime Minister.
She says, and I quote, well, look at this.
Britons are lazy.
Watch this for a minute.
There's a fundamental issue of British working culture.
And the referendum is like, who say it's all Europe that's causing this most problem?
It's my groups that are causing problems, actually.
What needs to happen is to get more graft.
But it's not a popular message.
That's not a good look, Stephen Pound.
No, it isn't.
I mean, she's supposed to be on a charm offence.
I think she's forgotten the charm bit.
I mean, she's insulted Nicola Sturgeon.
This morning she insulted Michelle O'Neill.
And now she's insulted the entire British working class.
I mean, it's a lot better.
I think she may be making the fatal mistake that the Labour Party made in choosing a leader who appeals very much to the core membership but is not mildly popular on the doorstep.
I think she could well win, but I think to actually say that we're a bunch of work-shy Skyvers is appalling because we actually work the longest hours in Europe.
Our productivity may not be great.
But the key thing here is productivity is usually measured in widgets and cars and things.
What we do in this country, and what we make in this country, is sort of the modern digital economy, the different world.
We make films here, we make computer games, and you can't actually calculate them in the same way that you can widgets and washing.
You can tell a politician, they just go on.
Oh, no, they're very well done.
At my age, it's not bad.
No, I've heard that.
Liz Truss will win, I think.
I mean, good luck to Rishi Sunak.
I've said it many times.
I think if whoever did what he did to Boris Johnson, the 180,000 people who decided our next Prime Minister doesn't sell it.
I think it's 150.
Is this going to make any difference?
No, I don't think it is.
I think you're right.
She is talking to, obviously, the Conservative members, 150,000.
I think we think that 80% of the votes have now been cast.
I think it's pretty clear that Rishi Sunak cannot catch up at this point.
I may be wrong on that.
But just in terms of what she said, I think it's such a gross generalization, isn't it?
I think it's about people being instilled with values by their parents.
I know loads of working class people who've done fantastically well because, of course, they actually tried really hard and worked hard.
I guess they should be celebrating.
But that whole soundbite thing is being aimed at 100,000, I don't know, 50, 60, 70, or 80,000.
But who leaked it?
That's the point.
That's it.
Well, probably seen it, but I don't know.
But do you think that, very briefly, do you think that the membership would go, yeah, good on you, Liz?
Because to me, it's a bit soundbitey.
I'm just I don't think the membership will actually appreciate that particularly.
I think they'll be very split on that.
But the point is that actually we should celebrate British people working hard.
Everybody will think, as long as it applies to somebody else, they agree.
But the minute you actually look at yourself and it's back at you, then I have to say.
I've got to throw this in.
Minneapolis Public Schools defending its upcoming contract, promoting laying off white teachers over teachers of colour, part of a new agreement starting in the spring of 2023.
Can I just nail this?
It's racist, isn't it?
Well, it's bloody depressing.
I'll tell you that.
Look, we've seen this thing today about the Air Force when they're saying that they would actually recruit people from colour and women.
You did it yesterday, mate.
You're 24 hours behind.
But this insults all those people of colour, all those women, all those people who fought for the RAF.
Absolutely.
What an absolute bloody insult.
And Minneapolis, they haven't got a particularly brilliant record, have they?
When it comes to race relations.
But also, you don't find racism with racism.
And this is positive discrimination.
I think it's totally wrong.
We actually broke that news, if you remember yesterday about the RAF.
Absolutely.
And it's all wrong.
I just don't understand why we've got to this stage.
The point is, we should get the best, the brightest people into the world.
But that's the point in any job, isn't it?
Diversity is important, but if it comes at the expense of who's the best person for the job, where are we headed?
This is an interesting one.
Young Brits are less likely to pick fish and chips as their favourite takeaway with just one in 14 under 20 for.
Uh-oh, oh.
Who's there?
Oh, God, honestly.
This is what I...
It's Handy Andy.
Yes, Handy.
Oh, look, Morgan's Meals.
They didn't change the name.
I'd have Kyle.
Ow, got my finger caught in your zip.
Kyle's Cafe.
What is this?
God, look at it.
You're going to be so.
Oh, yum.
My dad works in a fish and chip shop in the middle of the day.
He's very proud of me right now.
Yeah, well, just you built your part up.
Get off.
There you go.
So would you like some of my fish?
That's very kind of you.
Thank you very much indeed.
Would you like to?
I'm between a cod and a hard place, yeah.
A pound land joke from Stephen Pounder.
199p at best.
Honestly, those are as cold as anything.
But your bag's not a warming bag.
The world's changed.
Yes, but they're too woke, aren't they?
We started this very quickly about the food prices and inflation and how staple food is now becoming too expensive.
And I'll finish by asking you both.
Not a lot of time.
This cost of living crisis.
This is appalling, Stephen, for so many people.
Well, of course it is.
I think the idea of actually bringing in a proper energy cap instead of having it, you know, letting it roar up to £4,000, which will kill people in this world.
And it won't just kill people in the domestic environment.
It'll actually mean that they have no money to spend.
They'll be, therefore, business will slow down.
Nothing will be done in the high street.
This, I think, you know, without being alarmist, we're looking down the barrel of a gun here.
We've got to do something bloody serious now.
And actually, David, tonight, I've gone director Christine Farnish's quiz over there.
So I think I think the whole thing is disgraceful.
What on earth have they been doing?
One job.
How well have they done it?
Very poorly.
It's our capitalism.
But I spoke to you yesterday about this.
People are struggling now.
How can you afford £350,000, £400 a month on top of you can't?
So you go into debt, and that doesn't help the situation.
And I keep saying it, I said it earlier.
We should be making it a, we should look at the people that need it.
I really believe that.
I said earlier about jams, people on the edge of benefits and universal credit who pay all their bills and do their best are really, really struggling.
It's difficult not to paint a bad picture.
Can we just finish with strikes?
Train strike tomorrow.
Mick Lynch on this show, very quickly as a Labour MP.
He's a disgrace, Mick Lynch, isn't he?
I wouldn't say it's a disgrace.
I think he's a very good operator, but I think he's totally wrong.
He's not a very good train operator.
It's totally wrong in this particular case.
What you don't.
Would you be on a picket line, Pound?
No.
Because I'm not a member of that union.
Right.
And I think the idea that the Labour Party has to automatically do a bit of virtue signalling by rocking up to every single picket line everywhere in the world.
Not if you want to be on the front bench under Starmie, you can't say no.
I was on the front bench under Jeremy Corbyn, and I never went on.
Good lord, that's something to be unproud of.
Also, let's be clear here.
This is an industry that was paid a lot of money by government to keep it afloat.
This is an industry where they had furlough.
Let's look at the one million small businesses that got nothing.
And let's explain to a carer on 14 grams and ASLEF train drivers on 59,000.
A lot of train drivers will then go into the higher tax bracket because of fiscal drugs.
They get this pay rise.
Fill your face full of my chips.
You've been amazed.
Very greasy.
Dr. David Bullham, the legend that is Stephen Poundland, as ever brilliant on Jesus.
Yes, thank you, sir.
No, no, no, Peter Pennyback.
That's it for me.
By the way, if I don't do this, I'll be in big trouble.
Good luck to all the students expecting their A-level results tomorrow morning, 8am.
I'm a nervous man because my daughter Alice is waiting.
Good luck, Al.
I will be discussing out the show tomorrow.
Yeah, good luck, Alice.
Just remember, whatever you're doing tonight, Piers makes me say it every single damn night.
Keep it, make it, make sure it's uncensored.
Have a great Wednesday.
We'll see you soon.
Export Selection