GRAHAM GRANT: Swinney should forget about Indyref2...what Scotland really needs is vote on scrapping its 'pretendy' parliament
With an election on the horizon, he has to provide some red meat for his acolytes - so yesterday he outlined another of his cunning plans.
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Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of Gary Neville's money
As a footballer Gary Neville was not known for his versatility. He was a one-club man who trundled up and down the right flank like a plough-horse. So it is heartening to see him switching things up politically. This week he became the latest Labour supporter to turn on them over tax. 'I honestly don't believe […] companies and small businesses should be deterred from employing people,' said Neville, who owns several businesses alongside his punditry gigs. 'So, I think the National Insurance rise was one that I feel probably could have been held back.' Leaving to one side the fact that Sky viewers might not mind living without his rabid commentary, there is a delicious schadenfreude in watching Neville, a noisy Labour fan, change tack. Last June, he even proved his commitment by taking Keir Starmer up the Langdale Pikes for a campaign interview, in what must have been the most tedious man-marking job of his life. Until recently Rachel Reeves has been blessed in her enemies. When she and Starmer broke a manifesto promise to whack farmers with inheritance tax, they couldn't have hoped for a better opponent than Jeremy Clarkson. Here was not some sympathetic turnip-tender on the breadline but a celeb who was on the record as saying dodging IHT was a reason he bought a farm. Number 10 must have rejoiced again in March when Alexander Armstrong, arguably the pre-eminent primetime posho, complained about VAT on private school fees. His quip that he was feeling 'extremely poor' did not land well with those who were actually feeling extremely poor. Now, even Labour's fans are rethinking. Neville was not the first. In February, the Iceland boss Richard Walker, who had supported Reeves' Budget, warned that, while it was right to look at 'levelling the playing field on tax', the Government had 'parked its tractor in the wrong place going after hard-working British farmers'. The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money. Even Gary Neville's. Lower the voting age? Here's a better solution Full credit to Jeremy Corbyn for waiting until Labour had said they would lower the voting age before announcing his new party. The Government thought letting 16 and 17-year-olds have a go at the ballot box might give them the edge in a few marginals. Instead, they might hand a sizeable bloc to Corbo and his band of plucky dreamers, not to mention the Greens and even Reform. Luckily for Keir Starmer I have a solution. Rather than lowering the voting age, he should introduce a cut-off. Many problems in the UK are, we're told, down to our limitless brigades of pensioners. As they don't have day jobs or Xboxes to occupy them, voting provides a welcome distraction. With gilded pensions and houses they bought for a shilling and sixpence, they vote to preserve their interests. But you have to reapply for your driving licence at 70, so why not your voting licence? A short quiz could determine eligibility: should we keep the triple lock? Should the winter fuel allowance be extended to summer? Is the PM too young? Are the policemen too young? Is the Pope too young? I can foresee objections, so how about a compromise: you have 50 eligible voting years in your life and you can choose when to use them. If you wanted to torch them on idealism at 16, you would be free to, but you wouldn't be able to defend your pension later. Either way, surely this would be the kind of bold move Starmer had in mind when he promised 'action, not words'. At least, that's what he told Gary Neville, on a hillside in Cumbria.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Muslim Iraqi drug dealer granted asylum after ‘converting to atheism'
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is proposing to rewrite laws to make it harder for foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers to use human rights laws to avoid deportation. The unnamed Iraqi arrived in the UK in 2001, before having a daughter in 2014 with his Hungarian partner. In September 2015, he was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to supply and sentenced to more than five years in prison. The Home Office issued him with a deportation notice in February 2018. The Iraqi has made a series of appeals as part of his bid to stay in Britain, and most have been unsuccessful. As part of his latest bid, an upper tribunal was told that 'during the last 24 years that he has spent in the UK, he has fundamentally changed his views and beliefs about a range of core values that underpin life in Iraq'. 'Cultural freedoms in the UK' A tribunal judgement said: '[The Iraqi] describes in his statement how he has enjoyed the cultural freedoms in the UK since he first arrived in January 2001, during which time he has felt able to express his thoughts and opinions freely in a way he was unable to previously in Iraq. 'He states that he grew up in a Sunni family, but for as long as he could remember has questioned religion, particularly Islam, and the existence of God. 'He describes how his thoughts have become more developed and how he actively has conversations with people about Islam and his views on Islam, which he states typically end with him or the other person 'having to walk away'. He confronts Muslims with what he has learned from reading scientific books about how the world began. 'He states that he knows people call him a 'Koufer' (aka Kafir) behind his back. A literal translation of Koufer/Kafir is an 'infidel truth-denier'. [The Iraqi] states that he does not pray, attend mosque or participate in any religious holidays. He does not follow any religion with his partner and daughter. 'He believes that religion is brainwashing people and refers to it as a 'control mechanism' used by people to gain money and power. In respect of Islam, he states that he does not support Islam and what it teaches children. He does not support the way Islam does not accept those who do not believe in their religion and tries to convert non-believers.' 'He fears he would become a target' He said if he were deported to Iraq, he would not be forced to attend mosques and suggested he would continue to drink alcohol and eat pork. 'He fears that he would become a target if he returned to Iraq and that he would be killed,' the tribunal heard. 'He attributes this to the 'mentality of the Muslim people, they believe that if they kill non-believers they will go to heaven'.' Upper tribunal judge Sarah Grey ruled that as a 'Westernised' atheist, the Iraqi would face danger if he were deported. Judge Grey said: 'Although [he] has not used the term 'atheist'... his expressed views indicate that he is, and would be perceived to be an atheist. 'Further, I find that as a man born and raised a Muslim and having rejected Islam, he would be perceived to be an apostate. I am satisfied that if [he] returned to Iraq and continued living as he has, that he would encounter problems, potentially quite quickly.' Judge Grey said the risks around his lack of religion would be 'compounded by the suspicion he is likely to attract from the general perception of his westernisation'. His appeal was allowed on asylum grounds under the Refugee Convention.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How the Left compared Manchester Airport brothers to George Floyd
A peer who is advising the Government on its definition of Islamophobia compared the police response to the Manchester Airport attack to the murder of George Floyd. Baroness Shaista Gohir, the chief executive of the Muslim Women's Network UK, condemned the action taken by officers last summer as 'police brutality' with 'remnants of the George Floyd murder'. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was convicted on Wednesday of punching Pc Lydia Ward in the face, causing a broken nose, and also of assaulting Pc Ellie Cook. The assault happened on July 23 last year, when Amaaz and his brother, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, went to the airport to collect their mother. A fellow passenger who had been on the same flight reported being headbutted in the face by Amaaz during an altercation in a branch of Starbucks in the airport's Terminal 2. When three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers approached Amaaz to arrest him in connection with the incident, he lashed out before his brother allegedly intervened. A video of the altercation between the brothers and the police, which went viral on social media, appeared to show Pc Zachary Marsden kicking and stamping on Amaaz during his arrest. He and another officer, who are under investigation over the way Amaaz was detained, face possible gross misconduct charges over the use of force and could be sacked if found guilty. Politicians were immediately divided over how to respond to footage of the airport attack, which gained growing attention online from last July. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has been accused of initially siding with the brothers over the officers involved in the alternation. Her initial statement at the time said that she '[shared] the deep concern surrounding the video and understands the widespread distress it will have caused'. She said it was 'essential the police have the trust of the communities and the public rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe'. After the verdict, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accused Ms Cooper of appearing 'more interested in criticising the police and siding with the attackers than standing up for brave officers who got injured in the line of duty'. He pointed to the written statement from the Home Secretary on July 25, which made no mention of the injured officers. However, she is not the only Left-leaning figure to have voiced their concerns over the treatment of the brothers at the time. Two days after the assault, Lady Gohir issued a statement saying: 'This incident has remnants of the George Floyd murder, and is a stark reminder that minority communities are more likely to face police brutality. 'What is further concerning is that on social media many have praised the police response, including Richard Tice MP of the Reform Party, who described it as 'reassuring'. When police brutality is applauded by influential public figures, it is likely to fuel further racism and Islamophobia.' Floyd was murdered in 2020, when Derek Chauvin, a US police officer, knelt on his neck for over nine minutes on a Minneapolis street despite the dying man's pleas. Police were called after Floyd was believed to have used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes, and subsequently refused to return the cigarettes to the shop or pay again. Onlookers filmed the officers restraining him, and his death sparked global anti-racism protests and was the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Lady Gohir now sits on the working group that will provide a definition of Islamophobia for the Government. Ministers have faced criticism over the process of drawing up the definition, which has sparked concerns that the current proposals could have a 'chilling effect' on free speech. Claire Coutinho, the shadow equalities minister, claimed that the way in which it was being drawn up was insufficiently open and those working on it were 'activists with extreme views on how to define Islamophobia'. The communities department, headed by Angela Rayner, has insisted that the group is independent and will provide 'evidence-based advice' to ministers. Other Labour MPs at the time of the incident were quick to issue statements addressing the video, saying it was right that the police were referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. Paul Waugh, the brothers' local MP, met the family in the aftermath, telling the BBC: 'It's clear from talking to them that they are traumatised. Lots of people saw that video clip and they are distressed by it. 'The police themselves said it was a distressing clip but just imagine if that was your brother or your son in that clip; you can imagine how distraught they are. ' Mr Waugh added that the one of the two 'priorities' for the family was 'justice, and the need for justice not just to be done but to be seen to be done'. However, following the conviction on Wednesday, Mr Waugh appeared to change his tune, with a statement saying: 'This case shows how the police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all, and have to react in real time to fast-moving incidents.' Meanwhile Lucy Powell, the Leader of the Commons and the MP for Manchester Central, said a day after the video went viral that the police were right to have reported its officers to the watchdog, saying she had been 'extremely disturbed' by the footage. She told the Commons on 25 July: 'I also want to address the truly shocking footage we have seen of an incident at Manchester Airport. It was right of the Greater Manchester police force to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, given the widespread concern about the incident.' Meanwhile, Afzal Khan, the Labour MP for Rusholme, said: 'I'm aware of an incident at Manchester Airport where officers appear to use excessive force against an unarmed civilian.' Amaaz was also found guilty of headbutting passenger Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil during an altercation at the airport last July. But the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge that he and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, assaulted armed police officer Pc Marsden. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will seek a retrial against both men on the outstanding charge. Following the verdicts, Mike Peake, the chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: 'Police officers in Manchester work in a difficult, dangerous and dynamic world where there is no such thing as a routine incident. They deserve support in that work from the public and politicians. 'The distressing scenes we have seen during this trial show some of the worst side of police work that our officers are faced with. Thirty-five officers are assaulted in Greater Manchester Police every week. We are bloodied and we are bruised. 'We have been supporting the officers concerned in the incident at Manchester Airport last summer since it occurred. And as a Federation we will continue to do so.'
