
Welcome home to your democracy in decline
Let's zip out for a quick trip to some of our fellow liberal democracies. There's Britain, where James Heale of that country's Spectator magazine reports that Nigel Farage's Reform Party 'stormed to victory' in English council elections, which could signal an upending in the near future of the decades-long Labour-Tory 'stranglehold.' Farage's campaign, Heale explains, was very, very Trumpy.

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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israel not listening to UK, say MPs, as they urge recognition of Palestine
Israel is not listening to the UK and ministers should 'immediately' recognise the state of Palestine, a cross-party committee of MPs has said. The UK's actions over the ongoing conflict and 'in the years preceding, have often been too little, too late,' the Foreign Affairs Committee has said, as they called for further sanctions 'against settlers'. The Prime Minister is facing increasing pressure to fulfil Labour's promise to recognise Palestine as the conflict continues. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the move. A 'majority' of MPs on the committee have also backed it, according to the chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry. 'The UK's actions in this conflict, and in the years preceding, have often been too little too late,' the committee said. In their report the MPs said that 'some of Israel's recent actions in Gaza are difficult to justify given the death toll among civilians' and pressure should be put on Tel Aviv 'for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released'. 'It seems that the Israeli government is not listening to the UK. And while it listens to the US government, it only does so sporadically,' they said. 'If Israel does not listen to its friends and allies, and only sporadically to the US, then pressure must be exerted for this conflict to end and hostages to be released.' Chairwoman of the committee Dame Emily Thornberry has said that the Government 'must not shrug our shoulders in despair and say that there is nothing we can do'. She called on minsters to 'immediately extend sanctions against settlers' and said that the UK 'must also play our part in evidence collection, which will be vital to the inevitable legal reckoning when this conflict finally comes to an end'. She said that the UK 'must be realistic about our role' and 'our greatest power is in our alliances'. 'Whether that is persuading the US to have an influence on Israel to come to a ceasefire, or with nations in the region whose support will be vital to a long-term two-state solution.' She added: 'It is the view of the majority of the committee that the UK Government should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, signalling the UK's desire to work urgently towards a two-state solution alongside our allies.' It comes as there are increasing warnings of starvation in Gaza. On Thursday the BBC joined other news organisations in saying that they are 'deeply alarmed' that journalists are facing 'the threat of starvation'. Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of an emergency call about Gaza with French and German leaders on Friday that while the situation there has been 'grave' for some time, it has 'reached new depths'. But he stuck to his previous stance that a ceasefire should come before the UK recognises statehood. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis,' he said. French president Emmanuel Macron pressed for recognition of Palestinian statehood in a recent address to the UK's Parliament, saying it was the 'only path to peace'. On Thursday, Mr Macron said France would recognise Palestine in a move he plans to formalise at the UN General Assembly in September. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said earlier that such a move would have to be meaningful and come as part of a 'genuine move towards a two-state solution and a long-term peace settlement' with Israel. Mr Reynolds told LBC Radio: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, which was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.

Wall Street Journal
3 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Britain Cruises Toward a Tax Iceberg
British lawmakers this month rebuffed even modest reforms to the welfare state. Now they'll have to figure out how to pay for all the spending they want and, well, hang onto your wallets. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in early July caved to the biggest rebellion he's faced to date from lawmakers in his own Labour Party. They resisted small tweaks to eligibility for disability benefits, which since Covid have covered a growing number of people who aren't disabled in any traditional sense. Scrapping the welfare reform, as Mr. Starmer did, will cost some £3 billion a year. This followed a string of spending handouts Mr. Starmer made to Labour interest groups such as generous pay increases for public-employee unions. Mr. Starmer is facing a £20 billion budget hole, but there's been no backbench rebellion in Parliament about that. If no one wants to trim the British state, someone will have to pay for it. Investors seem skeptical about chipping in, to judge from elevated yields on U.K. government bonds. Mr. Starmer's cantankerous backbenchers think 'the rich' can be taxed more heavily, preferably via a wealth tax. One idea popular on the left is a 2% tax on assets above £10 million.


Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Manitoba's governing NDP announces candidate for Spruce Woods byelection
BRANDON - Manitoba's governing New Democrats have nominated a candidate for an upcoming byelection in the Spruce Woods constituency. Ray Berthelette, a real estate agent and former assistant to cabinet minister Glen Simard, is to carry the NDP banner in the race. The seat in western Manitoba is a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold, and the Tories captured more than 60 per cent of the vote there in the 2023 provincial election. The Tories have chosen Colleen Robbins, a longtime party volunteer, while the Liberals have selected teacher Stephen Reid. The byelection is being held to replace Grant Jackson, a Tory who resigned in March to run for federal office. A date for the byelection has not been set, but under provincial law it must be held by Sept. 16. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .