PETER HITCHENS: Britain has become France's Rwanda as we usher ashore the migrants they don't want
It is odd how displays of magnificence and majesty can so often weaken those who make them, just as attempts to be popular often end in mockery. As I watched the red and gold grandeur of Tuesday's Windsor Castle dinner, I just thought it was tempting fate. How do they pick these guests? Is this the famous 'soft power' which we now claim to have? Are we saying, 'Do not worry if our Army is a rump and our submarine nuclear deterrent is a barnacled antique whose missiles fall into the sea if launched. Fear not. We still have another type of superpower: Mick Jagger.'
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Why is UK preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood?
Keir Starmer is preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood as soon as September unless Israel meets key conditions, including reaching a ceasefire and committing to a long-term peace process. The prime minister's announcement on Tuesday marked a significant shift in the UK's longstanding position that it would recognise Palestine as part of a peace process at the point of maximum impact. Downing Street said Starmer would decide the extent to which Israel and Hamas had met his conditions before he made a decision beforethe UN general assembly in September. This is the first time the government has set concrete conditions and a timeline for recognition of a Palestinian state. Recognition is a symbolic step but one that would infuriate the Israeli government, which argues that it would encourage Hamas and reward terrorism. It is in effect a formal, political acknowledgment of Palestinian self-determination – without the need to engage in thorny practicalities such as the location of its borders or capital city. It also allows the establishment of full diplomatic relations that would result in a Palestinian ambassador (rather than a head of mission) being stationed in London and a British ambassador in Palestine. Advocates say it is a way of kickstarting a political process towards an eventual two-state solution. Out of the 193 UN member states, about 140 already recognise Palestine as a state. These include China, India and Russia, as well as a majority of European countries such as Cyprus, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Sweden. But until Thursday, when France announced it intended to recognise Palestine, no G7 country had committed to it. Two major international factors and heavy domestic pressure have played a role in the timing of Starmer's announcement. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, set the ball rolling last week when he announced that France would recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly in September. Starmer has now set himself the same deadline, though unlike Macron he has set conditions for Israel and Hamas. The other international factor was the tacit green light that Donald Trump gave to Starmer on Monday. Asked whether the prime minister should bow to pressure from MPs to recognise Palestine, the US president told reporters: 'I'm not going to take a position, I don't mind him taking a position. I'm looking for getting people fed right now.' Trump's reaction to France's announcement was similarly low-key – he said Macron's position on a Palestinian state 'doesn't matter' or 'carry any weight'. Starmer, who has himself expressed horror at the images of starvation in Gaza, has also come under heavy domestic pressure to act. Several of his most senior cabinet ministers – including Angela Rayner and Yvette Cooper – support immediate recognition. Some influential ministers, such as Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, have raised the issue in cabinet meetings. More than 250 cross-party MPs have signed a letter calling for immediate recognition, including more than a third of Labour MPs. Polling suggests that the public also backs action. In a poll commissioned by Ecotricity, the company founded by Labour donor Dale Vince, and carried out by Survation, 49% of people said the UK should recognise Palestine as a state compared with 13% who said it should not. An official government statement issued on Tuesday night said the UK would recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, makes it clear it will not annex the West Bank, and 'takes substantive steps' to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza including by allowing the UN to supply aid. This effectively requires Israel to revive the prospect of a two-state solution, an idea that Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected. The UK government's statement also reiterates its demands for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, sign up to an immediate ceasefire with Israel, commit to disarmament and accept it will play no part in the government of Gaza. Starmer will assess the extent to which the two parties – Israel and Hamas – have met his conditions in September. The government said that beyond recognition, it was working on a 'credible peace plan' with allies to establish transitional governance and security arrangements in Gaza and ensure the delivery of UN aid. It said this plan must involve the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the removal of Hamas leadership from Gaza as steps towards a negotiated two-state solution. The government's statement paves the way for the UK and France to jointly recognise Palestine in September. Several other countries are taking part in UN talks on this subject brokered by France and Saudi Arabia in New York. France expects several Arab countries to condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament for the first time in an effort to encourage more European countries to join in recognising Palestine. European countries that do not already recognise Palestine could reassess their positions in the coming weeks – the Belgian government has said it will determine its policy in September. Some countries, including Germany and the US, say they will recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The lawless London tourist hotspot in the shadow of Parliament: How Westminster Bridge has become a magnet for violent street scammers, illegal traders and pickpocket gangs
Sickening footage of scammers spitting at a man when he filmed them fleecing tourists on Westminster Bridge is the latest proof of the crime-wave gripping one of London's most iconic landmarks. Swindlers tricking visitors into betting on impossible-to-win 'cup and ball' games have become a common sight on the bridge, which sits in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament. Keen to expose the predators, a social media user filmed them - only to be shoved, abused and spat on. Westminster Bridge has become notorious as a hotbed for lawbreakers of all forms, from pickpockets, bag thieves and unlicensed pedicab riders to illegal traders hawking hot nuts, ice cream and hotdogs. Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, told MailOnline: 'This is happening right under the nose of New Scotland Yard - which overlooks the bridge. You must ask yourself why the hell this is allowed to carry on.' One recent victim of the bridge's growing lawlessness was volunteer policeman Ned Donavan - a grandson of Roald Dahl - who was punched, kicked and choked by a mob when he tried to stop one of their accomplices pickpocketing a female tourist. Britain's 'revolving door' borders are one factor hindering police, with Romanian career criminal Ionut Stoica arrested on the bridge last year for illegal gambling and deported from the UK - only to be caught at almost the same spot just weeks later. The scammers themselves are highly organised, with spotters recruited to look out for police and council inspectors. This prompted a pair of enterprising officers to snare two of them by dressing up as Batman and Robin. The TikTok video, entitled 'five minutes of unedited scammers', was shared online earlier this month. Cup and ball games involve betting on where a ball is concealed under one of three cups. Tourists are lured in by accomplices who loudly celebrate to make it seem like they have just won money. But in reality, the game is impossible to win. The scam is a Europe-wide problem, with groups of criminals travelling between different cities to carry out the con. Members of the public who confront the gangs are often met with violence, as shown by the experience of TikToker @londonscammers. As he films several groups of scammers, the criminals - some of whom are dressed in designer gear - shout abuse and demand he delete the footage, before spitting at him when he bravely refuses. Susan Hall, who previously stood as Tory candidate for London Mayor, worries about the damage such scenes cause to the capital's reputation. 'The people who are getting scammed are tourists, so that doesn't send a good signal about London,' she said. 'I was recently driving a black cab along the bridge and watching it going on. These people are putting two fingers up to the police and saying ''we can do what we want'', which it seems they can.' Spotters employed by the scammers wait by the side of the bridge and send a text if they see inspectors approaching. To get around this problem, two Met Police officers recently went undercover dressed as Batman and Robin before grabbing two men they caught scamming tourists. Following the operation, Costica Barbu was remanded by police and fined £925. Eugen Stoica fled the country and was convicted at Croydon Magistrates Court in his absence. Ms Hall described the operation as 'fantastic' but questioned why they could not happen more regularly. London has a well documented problem with street thefts, with numerous incidents reported on Westminster Bridge. Ned Donovan, who volunteers as a special constable, intervened to try and stop a pick pocketer last August, only to be attacked by other members of his gang. 'Walking across Westminster Bridge, I saw a man in the act of pickpocketing a female tourist,' he previously said. 'I grabbed him and stopped him before he could disappear. 'Unfortunately, several of his accomplices appeared and began to punch me, kick me and choke me to get me to release their friend, which I wasn't going to let happen.' The Met Police appealed for witnesses at the time. Illegal street traders are another major issue on Westminster Bridge, alongside ice cream vans who block traffic to serve customers - despite the road being a red route. Westminster Council recently handed out £20,000 in fines to illegal traders and pedicabs following a much needed crackdown. The street traders had been selling peanuts, balloons and hot dogs on the bridge without having a licence or paying any tax on their earnings. One of the vendors was convicted for the second time in two months for previously selling hotdogs. Nine pedicabs operators - several of them repeat offenders - were handed fines totalling £9,075 following concerns rogue operators are ripping off tourists and operating unsafe vehicles. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection Cllr Aicha Less said: 'This is Westminster, not the Wild West. These fines send a clear message: if you break the rules in our city you will end up out of pocket and out of excuses.' 'Whilst we work with TfL to finalise a structured the licencing scheme is being finalised, our City Inspectors continue to prosecute pedicab drivers and partner with our neighbours in Lambeth and in the Metropolitan Police to ensure unsuspecting tourists are not ripped off.' Westminster Council recently fined illegal traders flogging goods such as peanuts, balloons and hot dogs A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Our officers conduct regular patrols on Westminster Bridge as part of our work to tackle criminal behaviour and protect Londoners and tourists. 'This is seeing results, with two repeat offenders convicted in April for illegal gambling. 'We are going further this summer, with an enhanced police and local authority presence in London's town centres and high streets to tackle anti-social behaviour, theft and street crime.'
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Why is UK preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood?
Keir Starmer is preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood as soon as September unless Israel meets key conditions, including reaching a ceasefire and committing to a long-term peace process. The prime minister's announcement on Tuesday marked a significant shift in the UK's longstanding position that it would recognise Palestine as part of a peace process at the point of maximum impact. Downing Street said Starmer would decide the extent to which Israel and Hamas had met his conditions before he made a decision beforethe UN general assembly in September. This is the first time the government has set concrete conditions and a timeline for recognition of a Palestinian state. Recognition is a symbolic step but one that would infuriate the Israeli government, which argues that it would encourage Hamas and reward terrorism. It is in effect a formal, political acknowledgment of Palestinian self-determination – without the need to engage in thorny practicalities such as the location of its borders or capital city. It also allows the establishment of full diplomatic relations that would result in a Palestinian ambassador (rather than a head of mission) being stationed in London and a British ambassador in Palestine. Advocates say it is a way of kickstarting a political process towards an eventual two-state solution. Out of the 193 UN member states, about 140 already recognise Palestine as a state. These include Russia, China and India, as well as a majority of European countries such as Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Sweden and Norway. But until Thursday, when France announced it intended to recognise Palestine, no G7 country had committed to it. Two major international factors and heavy domestic pressure have played a role in the timing of Starmer's announcement. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, set the ball rolling last week when he announced that France would recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly in September. Starmer has now set himself the same deadline, though unlike Macron he has set conditions for Israel and Hamas. The other international factor was the tacit green light that Donald Trump gave to Starmer on Wednesday. Asked whether the prime minister should bow to pressure from MPs to recognise Palestine, the US president told reporters: 'I'm not going to take a position, I don't mind him taking a position. I'm looking for getting people fed right now.' Trump's reaction to France's announcement was similarly low-key – he said Macron's position on a Palestinian state 'doesn't matter' or 'carry any weight'. Starmer, who has himself expressed horror at the images of starvation in Gaza, has also come under heavy domestic pressure to act. Several of his most senior cabinet ministers – including Angela Rayner and Yvette Cooper – support immediate recognition. Some influential ministers, such as Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, have raised the issue in cabinet meetings. More than 250 cross-party MPs have signed a letter calling for immediate recognition, including more than a third of Labour MPs. Polling suggests that the public also backs action. In a poll commissioned by Ecotricity, the company founded by Labour donor Dale Vince, and carried out by Survation, 49% of people said the UK should recognise Palestine as a state compared with 13% who said it should not. An official government statement issued on Tuesday night said the UK would recognise Palestine at the UN general assembly unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, makes it clear it will not annex the West Bank, and 'takes substantive steps' to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza including by allowing the UN to supply aid. This effectively requires Israel to revive the prospect of a two state-solution, an idea that Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected. The UK government's statement also reiterates its demands on Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, sign up to an immediate ceasefire with Israel, commit to disarmament and accept it will play no part in the government of Gaza. Starmer will assess the extent to which the two parties – Israel and Hamas – have met his conditions in September. The government said that beyond recognition, it was working on a 'credible peace plan' with allies to establish transitional governance and security arrangements in Gaza and ensure the delivery of UN aid. It said this plan must involve the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the removal of Hamas leadership from Gaza as steps towards a negotiated two-state solution. The government's statement paves the way for the UK and France to jointly recognise Palestine in September. Several other countries are taking part in UN talks on this subject brokered by France and Saudi Arabia in New York. France expects several Arab countries to condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament for the first time in an effort to encourage more European countries to join in recognising Palestine. European countries that do not already recognise Palestine could reassess their positions in the coming weeks – the Belgian government has said it will determine its policy in September. Some countries, including Germany and the United States, say they will recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
