Piddington protest and the donation dispute

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RAjUcNkPlokThis week on Planet Normal, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson, strap into the rocket of right thinking to tackle growing unrest over border policies and fragile public finances.Allison breaks down local outrage in Braintree, Essex, over the housing of asylum seekers in RAF Wethersfield and highlights the broader national backlash against housing illegal migrants on former military bases, pointing to Piddington's 90% vote for independence. Meanwhile, Liam takes aim at Labour's attacks on Reform UK's £36 million tech donations, while analysing Angela Rayner’s lukewarm TUC address and sounding the alarm over soaring oil prices and bond market turmoil. Stowing away on the rocket this week is Russell Quirk, deputy leader of Essex County Council, who exposes conditions inside RAF Wethersfield and explains why private security guards have been deployed in some areas in Essex.HighlightsPlanet Normal: Piddington protest and the party donations disputeBacklash grows against housing illegal migrants on military bases. Labour's hypocritical attack on Reform UK's private funding.Soaring oil prices and Britain's worsening sovereign debt crisisSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Allison ‘These OAPs want to save their town from a flood of migrants – the Left calls them ‘far-Right’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/15/pensioners-battle-stop-male-migrants-braintree/ |Read Allison ‘Spare us the righteousness, Ed Miliband. You’re a disgrace‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/13/ed-miliband-israel-sanctions-disgrace/ |Read Liam ‘Burnham is not the tough-minded leader Britain needs‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/09/13/burnham-is-not-the-tough-minded-leader-britain-needs/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.