Archiv: Labour Party


11.02.2025 - 19:28 [ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ]

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: STATE/ENTITY – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

04 Dec 2024
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
JAL
GBR 15/2024
– terrorism
– freedom of opinion and expression
– freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
– privacy
Information received concerning the potentially inappropriate use of provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006, and the Anti-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. These provisions appear to have been employed to investigate, detain, collect data, and prosecute political activists and journalists, raising concerns about potential infringements of their fundamental
rights.

Alleged victims: 6

(…)

According to the information received:
Powers under counter-terrorism legislation have been used on multiple occasions to examine, detain, and arrest journalists and activists, particularly at the UK border. It is alleged that journalists and activists who are critical of Western foreign policy in the context of the conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war are especially affected by the reported misuse of these powers. In particular, schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, have been used to examine and obtain data from journalists and activists, including Johanna Ross (Ganyukova), John Laughland, Kit Klarenberg, Craig Murray and Richard Medhurst in circumstances where they appear to have no credible connection to “terrorist” or “hostile” activity. Furthermore, section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 has been used to charge journalists and activists, including Richard Barnard and Richard Medhurst, for allegedly expressing support for a “proscribed organisation” in the course of activism and media reporting.

Without having knowledge of the material that may have substantiated the investigations or charges, we raise concern about an alleged pattern of overuse, or other misuse, of counter-terrorism legislation to target legitimate freedom of expression and opinion, including public interest media reporting, and related freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and political
dissent or activism.

(…)

Ben Saul
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

Irene Khan
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression

Gina Romero
Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

Ana Brian Nougrères
Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy

11.02.2025 - 19:24 [ Craig Murray ]

United Nations Censures UK Over Abuse of Terrorism Act Against Journalists and Activists

(February 6, 2025)

Four UN Special Rapporteurs have written jointly to the UK government demanding explanation of its inappropriate persecution of journalists and political activists under the Terrorism Act. They state that those persecuted:

appear to have no credible connection to “terrorist” or “hostile” activity

The cases taken up by the United Nations are those of Johanna Ross (Ganyukova), John Laughland, Kit Klarenberg, Craig Murray (yes, me), Richard Barnard and Richard Medhurst.

09.02.2025 - 17:35 [ Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) ]

CCIA Responds to Reports of UK Demand for Worldwide Apple iCloud Access

The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Matt Schruers:

“As the recent Salt Typhoon breach makes clear, end-to-end encryption may be the only safeguard standing between Americans’ sensitive personal and business data and foreign adversaries.

“Reports that Apple has been secretly ordered by the UK Government to weaken its encryption, including in the United States, are a troubling development, if accurate. Decisions about Americans’ privacy and security should be made in America, in an open and transparent fashion, not through secret orders from abroad requiring keys be left under doormats.”

09.02.2025 - 17:30 [ Forbes ]

Apple’s ‘Dangerous’ iPhone Update Is Much Worse Than You Think

So, why is this worse than you think. In my view — and no one can officially comment, so “views” will be all we can share — any such government action would not stop with Apple. Not to over-simplify matters, but a bad actor would simply run Google’s helpful switch to Android software. If the U.K is going after Apple, it’s also going after Google and Meta and others. Why would they not? But Soviet-style, none of these other parties can comment or answer questions or confirm or deny.

08.02.2025 - 17:46 [ Washington Post ]

U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts

(February 7, 2025)

The law, known by critics as the Snoopers’ Charter, makes it a criminal offense to reveal that the government has even made such a demand. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple can appeal the U.K. capability notice to a secret technical panel, which would consider arguments about the expense of the requirement, and to a judge who would weigh whether the request was in proportion to the government’s needs. But the law does not permit Apple to delay complying during an appeal.

08.02.2025 - 17:26 [ theVerge.com ]

Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying

Apple’s iCloud backups aren’t encrypted by default, but the Advanced Data Protection option was added in 2022, and must be enabled manually. It uses end-to-end encryption so that not even Apple can access encrypted files. In response to the order, Apple is expected to simply stop offering Advanced Data Protection in the UK. This wouldn’t meet the UK’s demand for access to files shared by global users, however.

08.02.2025 - 17:21 [ TKP.at ]

UK verlangt Zugriff auf verschlüsselte Daten aller Apple-Nutzer weltweit

(today)

Hintertüren, wie die von den Briten geforderte, sind von Natur aus gefährlich. Beim Hack der US-Kommunikationssysteme im Jahr 2024, der angeblich von chinesischen Akteuren durchgeführt wurde, wurde eine Hintertür verwendet, die die USA und andere Regierungen gefordert hatten:

„Dies ist nicht das erste Mal, dass Hacker die von CALEA vorgeschriebenen Abhör-Backdoors ausnutzen. Wie der Computersicherheitsexperte Nicholas Weaver 2015 gegenüber Lawfare betonte, „muss jede in den USA verkaufte Telefonanlage die Möglichkeit bieten, eine große Anzahl von Anrufen effizient abzuhören. Und da die USA einen so großen Markt darstellen, bedeutet dies, dass praktisch jede weltweit verkaufte Telefonanlage die Funktion ‚Lawful Intercept‘ enthält.“

Vor zwei Jahrzehnten wurde diese obligatorische Abhörfunktion von Hackern, die es auf Vodafone Griechenland abgesehen hatten, unterwandert. Sie fingen Telefongespräche des Premierministers des Landes und hochrangiger politischer, polizeilicher und militärischer Beamter ab.“

08.02.2025 - 17:15 [ Techdirt ]

Snooper‘s Charter May Not ‚Increase‘ Surveillance… But Tries To Legalize Over A Decade Of Secret, Illegal Mass Surveillance

(November 6, 2015)

Earlier this week, we wrote about the UK’s release of its new Snooper’s Charter bill, where we noted that the government spin on it was fairly dizzying. I noted at the time that while the government kept insisting that it wasn’t adding a requirement to backdoor encryption, that was misleading because the text of the bill indicated the government believed such a mandate already existed. And that’s only the least of it. The bill and the discussion around it simply confirmed that the UK government engaged in mass surveillance for many, many years, and until now only a “tiny handful” of government ministers even knew about it.

That’s kind of astounding.

And, amazingly, the government is using this fact to argue that the new bill is a good thing because it actually “limits and restricts” activity that it secretly engaged in for years and years.

08.02.2025 - 17:13 [ Techdirt ]

UK Government Goes Full Orwell: Snooper‘s Charter, Encryption Backdoors, Free Speech Suppression

(May 28, 2015)

The old joke goes “George Orwell’s 1984 was a warning, not a ‘how to’ manual.” But that joke is increasingly less funny as the UK really seems to be doing everything it can to put in place Orwell’s fictitious vision — just a few decades later.

(…)

That first sentence is about the extremism orders, but the second part may be even more troubling. It’s the Queen making it clear that the Snooper’s Charter is returning — but even worse than before.

09.01.2025 - 02:51 [ Middle East Eye ]

Jeremy Corbyn demands answers from UK government on arms exports to Israe1

Corbyn also demanded answers on whether or not the UK would suspend the licences of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

„I remain astounded by your government‘s admission that it is making an exception to the UK‘s legal obligations. The Foreign Secretary has accepted the fact that F-35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law. By justifying the continued licencing of F-35 jet parts, your government is admitting its complicity in war crimes,“ the letter said.

22.12.2024 - 07:24 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad and Prepared Other Rebel Group To Join

(December 19, 2024)

“They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”

In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000. All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month.

22.12.2024 - 05:36 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’

(December 18, 2024)

RCA fighters who captured the Russian-controlled Syrian air base on the outskirts of the town last week said they had been told to prepare for Assad’s possible fall in early November, nearly three weeks before the offensive began.

Until one month earlier, Capt Mashadani had been second-in-command of the Abu Khatab brigade. This small unit of 150 men was created by US Special Forces and trained by their British counterparts in Jordan until 2016, to hunt down Isis fighters near Deir ez-Zor, a city in eastern Syria.

17.12.2024 - 22:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany joins US, UK in making diplomatic contact with Syria‘s HTS

Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria‘s Bashar al-Assad.

16.12.2024 - 12:17 [ Middle East Eye ]

Lammy: UK had ‚diplomatic contact‘ with HTS

„Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.“

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.

15.11.2024 - 14:05 [ Palestine Chronicle ]

‘Unacceptable’ – British PM, Foreign Secretary Claim Israel Not Committing Genocide

Lammy recently alleged that the term genocide referred to “when millions of people lost their lives in crises like Rwanda, the Second World War in the Holocaust” and that using it to describe Gaza “now undermines (its) seriousness”.

(…)

“Will the Prime Minister share (Lammy’s) definition of genocide with this House?” the lawmaker asked Starmer.

The prime minister answered by saying that “it would be wise to start a question like that by reference to what happened in October of last year”.

“I’m well aware of the definition of genocide, and that is why I’ve never described this as and referred to it as genocide,” he added.

15.11.2024 - 13:32 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK urged to share Gaza spy planes footage with ICC war crimes probe

(October 30, 2024)

The defence ministry told Middle East Eye: “As a matter of principle, we only provide intelligence to our allies where we are satisfied that it will be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, and in this instance, only information relating to hostage rescue is passed to the Israeli authorities.”
(…)
Brendan O’Hara, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for the Middle East, told MEE it was “inconceivable”, given the scale of the destruction and death in Gaza, that the flights “do not contain footage which would be of significant interest to the investigators from the International Criminal Court”.
(…)
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told MEE: “It is crucial that any intelligence of breaches of international law are shared with the courts so they can assess the evidence and secure justice.”

“I trust that the UK government is working with the international courts to aid them in their work.”

19.10.2024 - 07:06 [ Labour Muslim Network ]

Muslim Labour Councillors Letter to the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP,

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned, are writing to you as Muslim Labour Councillors representing communities all across Britain to call for an immediate and complete suspension of arms sales to Israel.

The tragic human toll we have seen over the past year has been unimaginable.

19.10.2024 - 07:02 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK: More than 100 Muslim Labour councillors demand complete arms embargo on Israel

The letter by the Muslim councillors adds to pressure mounting on the British government from within the Labour Party to take stronger action against Israel.

Last week, 51 British MPs from seven political parties backed a parliamentary motion calling for the Labour government to take measures against Israel.

11.10.2024 - 04:42 [ MAP.org.uk ]

Palestinians in Gaza are facing an imminent existential threat, warn 15 organisations

The UK is failing to stand up for international law, as Israeli forces are forcibly transferring civilians from northern Gaza to the south and relentlessly bombarding the area, making it uninhabitable and stripping away the essential conditions that sustain life. The Government must demand that Israel end its heinous attacks, and take action to oppose any annexation or shrinking of Gaza. Its current silence is tantamount to complicity.

(…)

Signatories:

– Action For Humanity
– Amos Trust
– Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
– Welfare Association
– Caabu
– Sabeel-Kairos UK
– Amnesty International UK
– Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)
– Islamic Relief UK
– Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR)
– Trócaire
– War on Want
– Action Aid UK
– Global Justice Now
– Oxfam GB

04.10.2024 - 18:52 [ The Free Press Journal / Youtube ]

LIVE: US, UK & Israel Conduct 14 Airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeidah Airport in Yemen | Houthi

Started streaming 78 minutes ago #israel #houthi #middleeast
LIVE: US, UK & Israel Conduct 14 Airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeidah Airport in Yemen | Houthi Middle East | Free Press Journal | International News

04.10.2024 - 18:33 [ Corriere Della Sera ]

Attacco aereo in Yemen: colpito un aeroporto e la capitale

Le forze armate di Stati Uniti e Regno Unito avrebbero attaccato le aree delle città di Sana‘a, Hodeidah e Dhamar, controllate dal movimento filo-iraniano Houthi in Yemen. Lo ha riferito l’emittente yemenita di proprietà degli Houthi «Al Masirah», con sede a Beirut, spiegando che gli attacchi aerei statunitensi e britannici hanno preso di mira l‘aeroporto di Hodeidah, una zona di Sana‘a e il sud della città di Dhamar.

04.10.2024 - 18:01 [ Middle East Eye ]

US and UK strike Houthis in Yemen: Report

The US and UK have launched strikes across Yemen, including in the capital city of Sanaa, Dhamar city and Hodeidah airport, according to Houthi-controlled, Al Masirah TV.

14.09.2024 - 20:14 [ Zarah Sultana MP, Labour MP for Coventry South / X.com ]

Described as “the most lethal fighter jet in the world”, every Israeli F-35 is made in part here in the UK. I, alongside 36 MPs, have written to the government raising concerns about complicity in violations of international law by not suspending export licences for F-35 parts:

28.08.2024 - 12:40 [ Anadolu ]

UK’s Online Safety Bill to be fully enforced next year

(20.08.2024)

The UK‘s new Online Safety Bill, which is set to take effect next year and aims to curb speculative news and online hate speech, has gained renewed attention after far-right groups used social media to incite violence.

28.08.2024 - 12:17 [ Yahoo Singapore News ]

Starmer in Germany for first bilateral trip as UK PM

Starmer‘s Labour party had said it would seek a security and defence treaty with Germany if it won the July 4 general election, which it did by a landslide — propelling him to the premiership.

10.04.2024 - 09:12 [ David Hearst / Middle East Eye ]

For the defenders of Israel‘s war on Gaza, the game is up

Staunch allies calling themselves friends of Israel are beginning to realise they are also friends of the murderers of western aid workers, friends of genocide and friends of fascism

01.03.2024 - 22:03 [ Mediaite.com ]

‘Little Rishi Sunak’: George Galloway Fires Back After Prime Minister Calls Win ‘Alarming’

Galloway turned the question around: “We had this conversation last night. Why are you reheating it?”

Coates repeated: “Because in the light of the Prime Minister’s…”

“Don’t keep telling me about the Prime Minister as if he was Moses!” the MP interrupted.

“Do you not respect the Prime Minister?” Coates asked.

“Do I respect the Prime Minister? I despise the Prime Minister,” Galloway said.

01.03.2024 - 21:24 [ Yahoo.com ]

Rishi Sunak calls George Galloway win ‚very alarming‘ in Downing Street statement

“What started as protests on our streets have descended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence.

“Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveals their identity. Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with.

“Now our democracy itself is a target. Council meetings and local events have been stormed. MPs do not feel safe in their homes. Long-standing parliamentary conventions have been upended because of safety concerns.

“And it’s beyond alarming that last night, the Rochdale by-election …

01.03.2024 - 21:15 [ New York Times ]

‘This Is for Gaza’: George Galloway, Leftist Firebrand, Wins U.K. Seat

As he celebrated victory early Friday after winning a parliamentary election, George Galloway, a veteran left-wing firebrand, directed his attack squarely at the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party.

“Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza,” Mr. Galloway said, wearing the fedora hat that has become his trademark. “You have paid, and you will pay, a high price for the role you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on.”

01.03.2024 - 21:00 [ Associated Press ]

Veteran British left-wing disruptor George Galloway wins a special election dominated by war in Gaza

George Galloway’s victory was described as “beyond alarming” by Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who used a Friday evening address to the nation to warn that British democracy was being targeted by extremists.

Galloway, 69, swept to victory in Thursday’s contest, winning almost 40% of the vote in the parliamentary seat of Rochdale.

01.03.2024 - 20:46 [ Consortium News ]

Galloway Back in Parliament, Declaring Duopoly Defeated

“We crushed Labour by ten thousand votes,” he told supporters back at headquarters. “The second place candidate was not the Conservatives,” but an independent. “This is the first time in British political history that in a by-election both of the major parties were completely crushed,” he said.

“We changed politics in Britain for good,” James Giles, Galloway’s campaign manager, told supporters back at campaign headquarters. “Maybe we have changed politics in the world for good.

22.02.2024 - 05:34 [ The Times and The Sunday Times / Youtube ]

LIVE: UK parliament debate and vote on Israel-Gaza ceasefire

Sir Keir Starmer faces the prospect of a second rebellion among his MPs over a ceasefire in Gaza, with a government intervention threatening to expose Labour divisions.

The Labour leader had attempted to see off a revolt by tabling a Commons amendment, which for the first time backed an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

However, parliamentary procedure means it may not be debated, potentially forcing his MPs to back a motion put down by the Scottish National Party (SNP).

22.02.2024 - 05:25 [ Associated Press ]

An attempt by UK lawmakers to vote on a cease-fire in Gaza descended into chaos

The mayhem broke out during debate on a motion from the opposition Scottish National Party, or SNP, urging an immediate cease-fire, the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and “an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

The main opposition Labour Party, which is divided over how strongly to criticize Israel, submitted a tweaked version of the motion calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” without the mention of collective punishment.

The governing Conservatives put forward their own amendment, which backed an “immediate humanitarian pause,” followed by “moves towards a permanent sustainable” cease-fire.

21.02.2024 - 16:03 [ Andy_S_64 / Mastodon.online ]

#Gaza ceasefire debate – live updates: Labour Speaker sparks fury with amendments decision.

The Commons is set to vote on an #SNP??????? motion for a ceasefire in Gaza, but the Labour Speaker has sparked fury by going against convention and selecting both the Conservative government and Labour amendments.

It‘s relief for Sir Keir Starmer, who could have been facing a sizeable rebellion from his MPs.

#StitchUp #FreePalestine #DefundIsrael #BoycottIsrael #EmbargoIsrael

09.02.2024 - 20:49 [ Middle East Eye ]

Biden and Starmer will pay a heavy price for supporting Israel‘s war in Gaza

We can be sure of one thing. History is going to be a much harsher judge of those political leaders who justified and tolerated the ethnic cleansing now going on in Gaza.

Biden and Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire and their refusal to back the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel should take steps to comply with the Genocide Convention, will produce an indelible stain on their careers.

Neither man sees the danger they are in over Gaza. But then neither did Bush or Blair when they invaded Iraq.

20.01.2024 - 05:11 [ Zarah Sultana MP, Proud to be the Labour MP for Coventry South / Twitter ]

NEW: The government hid from Parliament the Foreign Office‘s „serious concerns“ about Israel‘s compliance with International Humanitarian Law in Gaza, according to newly-released court papers. This should be national news – and it should end arms sales to Israel.

The papers show that at the start of the war the Foreign Office set up an internal International Humanitarian Law assessment process.

On 10 November it judged: “the volume of strikes, total death toll, as well as proportion of those who are children raise serious concerns”. 2/12

It also said: „the government’s current inability to come to a clear assessment on Israel’s record of compliance with International Humanitarian Law poses significant policy risks”.

But look at what Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said to me just 4 days later… 3/12

In Parliament on 14 November, I asked Mitchell if British-made weapons had been used in violation of international law in Gaza.

He replied reassuring me of Israel‘s commitment to international law, even though just 4 days earlier his department registered serious concerns. 4/12

Mitchell said: „The member will know that the President of Israel has made it clear that his country will abide by International Humanitarian Law“.

These court papers reveal that his own department, the UK Foreign Office, doubted the Israeli President‘s words.

31.12.2023 - 16:55 [ Claudia Webbe MP, Member of Parliament for Leicester East| / Twitter ]

As a UK Member of Parliament, I fully support South Africa invoking the Genocide Convention today, against Israel, at the International Court of Justice. The UK government, Prime Minister and Labour Party leader should now consider their complicity and position. Ceasefire Now

(29.12.2023)

11.12.2023 - 15:17 [ Apsana Begum MP, Labour MP for Poplar & Limehouse / Twitter ]

How many innocent Palestinian civilians have been killed by UK arms?

31.08.2023 - 14:29 [ OpenDemocracy.net ]

Labour conference set to host weapons manufacturers and spy-tech firm

(23 August 2023)

“It is disgusting and disappointing to hear that arms companies will be sponsoring talks at the Labour Party conference,” Emily Apple, media coordinator at Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), told openDemocracy. “These companies should not be given this legitimacy or the opportunity to lobby policy makers in order to continue making profits for their shareholders from a deadly trade that causes destruction and misery around the world.”

She added: “Accepting sponsorship from these companies sends a bleak message to anyone thinking a future Labour government will adopt any kind of ethical stance towards the arms trade.”

31.08.2023 - 14:21 [ Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament ]

Arms companies to descend on Labour party conference

Open Democracy reported that Boeing, Babcock International, and Palantir, will join fossil fuels firms, private healthcare companies, and banks as sponsors at the conference, which takes place in Liverpool this October. Many of the fringe events will be hosted by The New Statesman Media Group.

Boeing, one of the largest US arms companies, manufactures the land-based Minutemen Intercontinental Ballistic Missile for the US Air Force. The UK-based Babcock, which operates the Devonport dockyard in Plymouth, has been involved in designing components for and maintaining Britain’s nuclear-armed fleet for over 50 years.

21.07.2023 - 15:09 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

This must be the end of Rishi Sunak’s green obsession

It was Sadiq Khan’s extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to outer London that won it for the Tories. This diabolical scheme to penalise drivers of older cars and van-owning tradesmen in the outer suburbs has aroused a level of rage which must now be a lesson to all serious contenders in the general election. The ramifications go far beyond this single, apparently anomalous, success for the Conservatives.

21.07.2023 - 14:48 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

By-election results live: Scrap 2030 petrol car ban, Tories urge Sunak

Rishi Sunak has been urged to scrap the ban on new petrol and diesel cars scheduled for 2030 after a surprise Tory by-election win was driven by a green scheme revolt.

While the Tories fell to substantial defeats in the Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and Frome polls, their victory in Boris Johnson’s former constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip came after a campaign centred on opposing the expansion of Sadiq Khan’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez).

21.07.2023 - 14:35 [ Independent.co.uk ]

By election results live: Sunak warned Tories set to lose ‘hell of a lot of seats’

Rishi Sunak has held on to Boris Johnson’s former seat in Uxbridge – a win widely seen as a result of Ulez – despite suffering two painful by-election blows.

21.07.2023 - 14:26 [ Hillingdon.gov.uk ]

What is the Ultra Low Emission Zone?

If your vehicle doesn‘t meet the ULEZ emission standards and isn‘t exempt, you will be required to pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive inside the zone. This charge can amount to over £4,500 a year, per vehicle.

21.07.2023 - 14:20 [ iNews.co.uk ]

When does Ulez expand? How Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the zone helped to decide the Uxbridge by-election

Sadiq Khan’s controversial Ulez scheme has been described as the deciding factor in the Conservatives holding onto Boris Johnson’s old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

The cleaner-air levy has faced opposition since it was introduced 2019, with the intention of purifying London’s air. Drivers of more-polluting vehicles are subject to a £12.50 tax in the ultra low emission zone, in a move similar to the congestion charge.

21.07.2023 - 13:54 [ LabourList.org ]

Selby and Ainsty by-election results: Keir Mather’s historic Labour win unpacked

The Labour Party candidate Keir Mather has won a record victory over the Conservatives in the Selby and Ainsty by-election, in the highest majority the party has ever overturned in by-election history.

It marks the first time Labour has ever won the seat, with a majority of 4,161 on a 41.9% turnout. One party source said that if Labour won seats requiring a similar swing at a general election, it would win more seats than in 1997.

In Mather’s victory speech, he said he had seen so much “hardship” in the constituency during his campaign, with voters highlighting the cost-of-living squeeze, and pledged to ensure change.

15.07.2023 - 08:08 [ Wired.com ]

Millionaires Are Begging Governments to Tax Them More

(Jun 23, 2023)

On both sides of the Atlantic, the Patriotic Millionaires are notable for being unusually public and unusually frank—US chair Morris Pearl, a former MD at investment firm BlackRock, has described how the Covid-19 pandemic made him personally wealthier, and how he doesn’t check his bank balance because he doesn’t need to. (…)

The richest 1 percent of Brits hold more wealth than the poorest 70 percent combined. “I see it as a problem if you’ve got so much money that you no longer need a functioning society,” she says.

21.06.2023 - 05:13 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Rishi Sunak declares Boris Johnson Partygate furore ‚closed‘ and ex-PM calls ceasefire in bitter Tory feuding – with ministers pleading for unity amid polls showing Labour lead hitting 20 POINTS ahead of crucial by-elections

Mr Sunak joined many Conservatives in swerving the debate, instead attending a Jewish Care event.

07.02.2023 - 06:33 [ Jeremy Corbyn / Nitter ]

Today is the biggest day of strike action in the history of the NHS. My question to those in positions of leadership: what side of history do you want to be on?

(06.02.2023)

07.02.2023 - 05:16 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Don’t cut the army, says Labour as it positions itself as the party of security

The government needs to rearm the British military to keep Ukraine supplied and to ensure the country is the lead European state in Nato, Labour’s defence spokesman will say in a keynote speech.

Positioning Labour as the party of security for Britain, John Healey will call for a halt to cuts in the Army and a strategic pact with European partners to face challenges in an increasingly dangerous world.

21.10.2022 - 19:30 [ CraigMurray.org.uk ]

The Party is Over

It is fascinating that both the Tory and Labour parties have now adopted exactly the same mechanism to prevent the membership electing a leader again with views outside the narrow Establishment consensus – in both parties that mechanism being an increase in the number of MPs who have to nominate, before a candidate can get their name before the party membership.

The professionals are to radically limit the options of the members.

21.10.2022 - 19:10 [ Jeremy Corbyn / Twitter ]

Thanks to everyone who has written in support of my @guardian piece urging radical change. I must make one correction: it’s not about Corbynism. It’s about socialism. The fight for a kinder society is a collective struggle: we owe it to each other to win.

21.10.2022 - 19:01 [ Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party / Twitter ]

After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos. We need a general election, now. My full statement:

17.10.2022 - 16:11 [ James Withers / Nitter ]

Good grief. The latest poll of polls from @ElectCalculus would have the SNP as the official Opposition at Westminster. The Tories would be the 3rd largest party.

17.10.2022 - 15:54 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Liz Truss to dodge MPs’ questions, sending Penny Mordaunt instead

Borrowing one of Margaret Thatcher’s favourite put-downs, a Labour source described the prime minister as “frit” – meaning “frightened”.

The urgent question was tabled in a bid to force Ms Truss to answer MPs’ questions after she resisted Labour demands for a statement to the Commons today to explain the reversal of the bulk of her mini-Budget in a series of massive U-turns.

17.10.2022 - 15:31 [ Adam Bienkov, Political Editor and Correspondent @BylineTimes / Nitter ]

Liz Truss refusing to come to the House of Commons to answer Labour‘s Urgent Question on the economic crisis, this afternoon. She will send Penny Mordaunt instead.

15.10.2022 - 19:24 [ Jeremy Corbyn / Nitter ]

In 2019, we wanted to borrow money to fund public, regional, green investment that would pay for itself. Truss and Kwarteng want to borrow money to pay for uncapped bankers‘ bonuses. This government have crashed the economy. We would have transformed it.

(12.10.2022)

15.10.2022 - 19:04 [ Keir Starmer / Nitter ]

The Tories no longer have a mandate from the British people. After 12 years of stagnation, excuses are all they have left. The change this country needs is a Labour government.

14.10.2022 - 14:13 [ Damian from Brighton / Nitter ]

If Jeremy Corbyn was still Labour leader and ahead in the polls the media would not be attacking the Tories, they would be attacking Corbyn. We know that is true because that is exactly what they did. They feel safe to attack the Tories now Starmer The Stooge is leader

13.10.2022 - 09:44 [ Welt.de ]

Der Fall „Curveball“: Wie ein BND-Informant den Irak-Krieg auslöste

(28.8.2011)

Diese bis heute verbreitete Darstellung ist unangenehm für die Bundesrepublik. Deutschland steht da als ein Land, das ein Doppelspiel betrieben hat: nach außen den Pazifisten geben – und hintenherum über seinen Geheimdienst einen entscheidenden Grund für die militärische Intervention liefern. Der Bundesnachrichtendienst nahm die Vorwürfe schweigend hin.

26.06.2022 - 09:51 [ Consortium News ]

Corbyn on the Establishment’s Campaign Against Him

– UK MILITARY: ‘They sent me a warning’
– MI5 and MI6: ‘Deliberately undermined me’
– MIKE POMPEO’S THREAT: ‘A quite deliberate message’
– THE GUARDIAN: ‘A tool of the British establishment’
– UK PRESS: ‘We have a supine media in this country’
– KEIR STARMER: ‘I should have been more aware of his past’
– ARMS TO SAUDI ARABIA: ‘Extraordinary levels of lobbying from Labour MPs’

18.06.2022 - 20:19 [ Zarah Sultana MP / Nitter,net ]

Today I was proud to march alongside trade unionists from across the country to send a message to the Tory government: Squeeze the profits of the super-rich, not the livelihoods of the people #DemandBetter

20.04.2022 - 20:57 [ Zarah Sultana MP / Twitter ]

Julian Assange exposed US crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. That‘s why the US wants to punish him and send a message to all journalists: Expose the truth and you‘ll be made to regret it. Priti Patel must stand-up for freedom of speech and refuse his extradition.

20.01.2022 - 06:19 [ Mark Wallace / Twitter ]

The Wakeford defection is a really interesting one in its conflicting effects. Obviously very bad for the PM overall. Counterintuitively useful to him in the extremely short term, in that it threatens to taint wider rebellion against him with suggestions of Labourism and betrayal

19.12.2021 - 15:40 [ Glenn Greenwald ]

Led by Jeremy Corbyn, the British Left Opposes Vaccine Mandates as Anti-Worker and Repressive

Unfortunately for the liberal-left which has constructed this manipulative and coercive framework, this now requires that the term “anti-vax” be applied to one of the international left‘s most beloved political figures: former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. They must also now apply this term of shame to the most admired left-wing members of the British Parliament along with leading trade unions in the UK. That is because the British Left — not just Corbyn and leftist MPs but also leading labor unions — have united to emphatically oppose vaccine mandates and vaccines passports on the ground that 1) it is immoral and profoundly anti-worker to fire health care front-line workers and other workers for refusing a vaccine they have not been convinced is safe and effective, and 2) persuasion is a far more effective and ethical means of administering public health policy than coercion, dictate and punishment.

14.12.2021 - 22:47 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Boris is hit with HUGE revolt and warned a leadership challenge is ‚on the cards‘ as 99 Tory MPs – nearly half his backbenchers – vote against Covid passes slating his ‚hysterical‘ Omicron projections and leaving him relying on Labour support

– Boris Johnson hit with biggest revolt as PM, with 99 Tories opposing Plan B move to bring in Covid passes
– PM only managed to get his key restrictions through with Labour support despite pleas over Omicron threat
– Some MPs condemned the proposals as ‚Nazi-style‘ while others feared ‚softening up‘ for more curbs to come
– Claims that bars could see numbers limited or even shut for New Year to halt the spread of the Covid variant
– Whitehall officials have drawn up proposals to limit numbers in pubs and restaurants or close them down

14.12.2021 - 22:40 [ ORF.at ]

Britisches Parlament stimmt unter Protest Verschärfungen zu

Die größte Oppositionspartei Labour hatte bereits im Voraus ihre Zustimmung zu den Maßnahmen angekündigt, weshalb die Mehrheit als sicher galt

14.12.2021 - 22:34 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Boris Johnson suffers huge rebellion as 99 Tory MPs vote against Covid passports

The new measures passed the Commons thanks to the support of Labour, but the PM‘s attempts to quell a rebellion on his own backbenches failed as a large number of his MPs defied the whip to vote against him on the issue of the passes.