Starmer is by far the worst PM of my lifetime. But having Angela Rayner installed in No 10 would be a new order of catastrophe: STEPHEN GLOVER
Might we come to see his ill-starred stint in No 10 as shipwrecked sailors recall a nasty squall before the deadly hurricane that destroyed their ship, and left them utterly stranded?
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ban on Palestine Action clears Parliament but faces legal challenge
A ban on Palestine Action as a terror group is poised to become law after peers backed the Government move at Westminster but faces a legal bid to block it. The House of Lords backed proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 without a vote. A short time before, a so-called regret motion proposed by a Green Party peer criticising the measure was rejected by 144 votes to 16, majority 128. The ministerial order, which has already been approved by MPs, will make it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it. However, it is unclear when the ban, which needs final sign-off by the Home Secretary, will come into force as the group is mounting a court challenge to try to temporarily block the move with a hearing scheduled on Friday, pending further proceedings. The Government crackdown comes after two planes were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton on June 20 causing £7 million worth of damage, in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Four people have been charged by counter-terrorism police in connection with the incident and were remanded in custody following a court appearance. Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said: 'I will always defend the right of British people to engage in legitimate and peaceful protest and to stand up for the causes in which they believe. 'But essential as these rights are, they do not provide a blank cheque for this particular group to seriously damage property or subject members of the public to fear and violence.' He added: 'We would not tolerate this activity from organisations if they were motivated by Islamist or extreme right-wing ideology, and therefore I cannot tolerate it from Palestine Action. 'By implementing this measure, we will remove Palestine Action's veil of legitimacy, tackle its financial support, degrade its efforts to recruit and radicalise people into committing terrorist activity in its name.' But ministers have faced criticism over the decision to outlaw Palestine Action, with opponents branding the move as 'draconian overreach' and comparing the group to the Suffragettes. The United Nations has also warned against the ban, with experts concerned at the 'unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as 'terrorist''. In the Lords, Green Party peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb opposed the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Her regret motion argued the ban undermined civil liberties, constituted a misuse of anti-terror legislation, suppressed dissent against the UK's policy on Israel, and criminalised support for a protest group, causing 'a chilling effect on freedom of expression'. The legislation approved by the Lords also bans two white supremacist groups, Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperial Movement, including its paramilitary arm Russian Imperial Legion. The Home Office describes the Maniacs Murder Cult as a neo-Nazi transnational and online organisation which has claimed a number of violent attacks around the world. The Russian Imperial Movement is an ethno-nationalist group which aims to create a new Russian imperial state. Its paramilitary unit fought alongside Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine to advance its ideological cause. It also runs a paramilitary training programme to support attendees to carry out terror attacks, the Home Office added.
Telegraph
8 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Streeting's NHS plans are baby steps in the right direction
Some 28 years after Tony Blair told British voters there were just '24 hours to save the NHS', Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is telling the public that it's now ' reform or die ' for the health service. Blair was evidently wrong. Sir Keir, on the other hand, may well prove to be right. A post-Covid productivity slump, combined with a spiralling funding bill, an ageing population, and a mountainous backlog of cases awaiting care, have combined with the existing flaws in the structure of the health service to produce a serious threat to its continued viability. These trends are not new. The Conservative Party, over its 14 years in office, largely elected not to deal with them, kicking the can down the road rather than face the opprobrium that would come with reform of an institution so riddled with vested interests and political controversy. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, then, deserves credit for being willing to come out swinging when so many before him have meekly elected to decline the double-edged opportunity of reforming the NHS. The Government's new 10 year health plan recognises that there is no route forward for the status quo, and in its attempt to reckon with this has come up with some promising ideas. Ending the 8am rush for GP appointments by training more doctors, focusing on the prevention of illness as well as its treatment, making use of new technology to improve productivity, and publishing league tables that show which parts of the service are failing are all steps that would be welcome if implemented successfully. That, however, is the catch: 'if'. The idea, for instance, that the NHS should have a Single Patient Record to 'bring an end to the frustration of repeating your medical history to different doctors' is a good one. It was a good one, too, when the National Programme for IT in the NHS was launched in 2002, spent vast sums attempting to implement it, and then failed amid bitter recriminations. Similar things could be said of other ideas. The history of the NHS, to borrow from Adam Smith, has too often been a 'conspiracy against the public' on behalf of those providing health services. Sir Jim Mackey's comment last week that the NHS sees patients as an 'inconvenience' aptly summarised the attitudes and culture that must be shattered. Having spent the last year pulling together its plan, the hard work for the Government begins now.
Channel 4
15 minutes ago
- Channel 4
View from Calais: why so many are risking small boats for the UK
In Calais we speak to some of the thousands of migrants hoping to cross from northern France, on small boats, into the UK – risking their lives in the process. More than 20,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year – and the Government has promised to tackle the smuggling gangs behind the dangerous journeys. France and the UK are jointly funding police operations along the French coast – and both countries are considering a 'one in, one out' deal, allowing French officers to venture further from the shoreline to stop boats from leaving. That may be revealed when President Macron visits London next week.
