Rachel Reeves had 'altercation' before entering Commons as Downing Street responds to teary appearance at PMQs: Live updates
Tears streamed down Reeves' face during the session as Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to guarantee her position following shambolic last-minute changes to the Government's planned welfare reform to stave off a rebellion by Labour backbenchers.
Speculation over her future has increased after her emotional appearance in Parliament with a minister claiming she had an 'altercation' with Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
LGBT artists decry Supreme Court ruling as tens of thousands turn out for rainy London Pride parade
As tens of thousands gathered in London for the capital's annual Pride parade, LGBT artists decried the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman and expressed fears trans people are being 'villainised more than ever.' At a rainy Pride in London parade, the mayor of London Sadiq Khan shouted 'happy pride' and thousands of people walked through central London, alongside staff at The Independent, the official news partner for the event. Months after the UK Supreme Court ruled on the definition of a woman, those at the London event, including Olly Alexander, writer Shon Faye and the lead actor in the BBC drama What It Feels Like For A Girl, Ellis Howard, criticised the judgment. Meanwhile, youth demand protesters blocked the parade route wearing Palestine flags. There were shouts for 'trans rights now' as the engines roared and rain started to fall on Saturday afternoon. American pop singer Chaka Khan is headlining the event that saw around 500 organisations file from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, and on to Whitehall Place. Former Years And Years singer Alexander said: 'Trans people right now, they need our support and love more than ever, they're being villainised, demonised in the press, by a lot of the media, and trans people they're just like us… they're you, they're me. 'They deserve the same respect, the same rights, the same privileges, same opportunities, and that's why pride is so important this year.' The solo artist and Eurovision 2024 contestant added: 'There's been a real backlash against DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies and that's been going on for years, and I think we're in a bit of a swing, that's going against where we were maybe five years ago. 'We've had the Supreme Court ruling and I feel like a lot of trans people are scared, rightfully scared, they don't understand… what their lives are going to look like.' In April the Supreme Court ruled that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Before the march began Shon Faye, author of Love in Exile and The Transgender Issue, said 'we've just seen an unprecedented attack on queer rights and trans rights across the world'. She said: 'For the trans community in particular here in the UK, we've seen an onslaught of misinformation, attacks in the media, and unfortunately, the roll back of human rights in the courts. 'I think (pride) is more important than ever – I think a lot of trans people have been made to feel afraid in public space and pride this year is about taking back public space, and showing what we're not going to be silenced, and we're not going to be intimidated.' Asked what she hoped would change, Faye said: 'I feel like it's not a one year change deal… movements move in generations, I think what we have to do now is accept the reality of the situation we're in and we have to work together with other groups, within the LGBT community and outside it, to really start forming strong coalitions in order to fight this stuff. 'I think where we're going in the UK, unfortunately, this rightward turn is going to continue for some time. The people together are powerful.' She added: 'I think the reality is what some of these attacks are designed to do is exhaust us… we become very focused and frightened and then sometimes it's easier to retreat in and the reality is we need to do the opposite of that – we need to be willing to work with people who aren't necessarily like us'. Howard played Paris Lees in the BBC dramatisation of her memoir and, like Alexander and Faye, was supporting trans rights charity Not A Phase at the parade. He said that 'we're in an incredibly precarious political time' and said pride this year is 'more important than ever'. The actor added: 'I think it's so, so important that we show up as queers, as allies, and we celebrate. Joy is an act of resistance. 'I hope it shows queers of all ages that we stand with you, we are for you, and we love you'. He added: 'The recent Supreme Court ruling concerns me, the lack of proper tangible support from our Government concerns me, the lack of funding to amazing organisations like Not A Phase really, really concerns me. 'But honestly, I look around, I see stuff like this, I see what grassroots activism can do, and the power that that can have'. A YouGov poll released ahead of the event found 67 per cent of people in the UK believe the country is inclusive to LGBTQ+ people, and 60 per cent would not welcome a shift towards more negative attitudes. Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall, which commissioned the survey, said despite the findings 'we know many LGBTQ+ people do not feel this in their neighbourhoods and workplaces'. He added: 'In policy terms, the reality is different too. The UK has dropped sharply down the global leaderboard for LGBTQ+ rights.' This year, the UK fell to its lowest-ever ranking for LGBTI human rights, an annual report found. This was because of the Supreme Court ruling and subsequent UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance, said the ILGA-Europe's Rainbow Map, which has run since 2009.
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK police arrest over 20 supporters of now banned Palestine Action group
LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - British police arrested over 20 people on suspicion of terrorism offences after they showed support for the newly banned Palestine Action group in London, officials said on Saturday, hours after the proscription came into effect. The government moved to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws last month after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group said was Britain's support for Israel. Late on Friday, the campaign lost an urgent appeal against the parliamentary decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation, with the ban coming into force from midnight. Under UK laws, offences include inviting support, expressing approval, or displaying symbols of a banned group and are punishable by up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine. Britain has proscribed 81 groups under anti-terrorism laws, including Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS. On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster, some holding placards that said "I OPPOSE GENOCIDE. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION." Sky News footage showed some being led away in handcuffs from a statue of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in the square, as they shouted their support. United Nations experts have accused Israel of carrying out "genocidal acts" against Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has repeatedly dismissed such accusations. Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain in its protests, with interior minister Yvette Cooper saying that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that the group's activities justify proscription. Critics of the decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism. At another protest on Saturday, the police arrested five pro-Palestine protesters from the Youth Demand group who threw red paint over a truck involved in London's Pride parade and glued themselves to the vehicle. The parade has since resumed.
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
More than 20 arrests at protest in support of Palestine Action after UK ban comes into effect
More than 20 people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of terrorism offenses after protesters gathered in central London in support of Palestine Action. The protest in Parliament Square came hours after the pro-Palestinian activist group was banned in Britain under anti-terrorism laws. The group lost a last-minute court battle late Friday seeking to block the British government's ban, which came into effect at midnight. Activists and their supporters have said the group is non-violent and advocates civil disobedience, and condemned the government decision as authoritarian. A small group of protesters stood beneath a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and held placards reading, 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Police surrounded them and several people were taken away. One woman seen lying on the ground in handcuffs was carried by officers to a police van. 'Palestine Action is a proscribed group and officers will act where criminal offences are committed,' the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The designation as a proscribed group under the Terrorism Act 2000 means that membership of the group and support of its actions a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Some 81 organizations are already proscribed under the UK act, including Hamas and al-Qaida. The government moved to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, on June 20, damaging two planes using red paint and crowbars in protest at the British government's ongoing military support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Police said that the incident caused around 7 million pounds' ($9.4 million) worth of damage. Four people between 22 and 35 years old were charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the U.K. No pleas were entered at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London and the four are scheduled to appear on July 18 at the Central Criminal Court.
