Latest news with #JacobCollier
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Holy arbitration, Fatman! Starmer's superhero alter-ego is revealed
Super-injunction sounds like Keir Starmer's alias were he a Marvel hero. 'By day, he's a lawyer. By night… he's also a lawyer.' A woman falls from a tall building: Keir squeezes his belly into a leotard, flies to the scene, and arrives after she's hit the ground but in time to ask witnesses to sign a non-disclosure agreement. 'Holy arbitration, Fatman!' The caped headmaster was up for his last PMQs of the summer term, putting on his 'be sensible' scowl, handing out prizes for the best crawl or suck-up. Jacob Collier, resembling one of those cherubic middle-aged men who lie their way back into school, said Keir was handsome and clever, and 'I welcome Labour's warm home discount'. Indeed, replied the Holborn Porker, 'I met his constituent Nicola in her kitchen who told me how hard she's working to support her family.' She also asked: 'How did you get into my kitchen?' and 'Could you please leave?' The public is so anti-politics now that the only way to conduct a focus group is to secrete a minister into a voter's house and surprise them when they come down to breakfast. 'Before you call the police: how would you rate the economy, out of 10?' The polls don't bode well. One puts Labour neck-and-neck with a Corbyn-led party that hasn't been named or formed and we're not sure Corbyn actually wants to lead. This is the equivalent of drawing even with 'TBC' – although the Tories do little better and the Lib Dems are an asterisk. In a display of their utter lack of definition, Ed Davey first asked about anti-Semitism, then accused Israel of war crimes. He wants to have his babka and libel it. Kemi Badenoch offered Labour an end-of-term 'scorecard': higher taxes, rising unemployment, growing inflation. The PM dug deep into his repository of wit: '14 years... £22bn black 'ole... she comes here every week and she just talks the country down.' Kemi slapped back, 'I'm talking him down!' and demanded to know if taxes would rise. Starmer wouldn't say yes or no, which means yes. Sitting to one side, Angela Rayner thought: 'I want your job.' To the other, Rachel Reeves thought: 'Would someone please take my job?' Tory Graham Stuart described the Labour manifesto as 'beautifully written, deeply moving, and, like that other great blockbuster... The Salt Path, a total pack of lies.' Can the PM recommend 'a summer recess read?' Keir, who seems to have skimmed Animal Farm and assumed it was a utopia, pointed a finger at the vacant Tory benches and said the Opposition was 'already on its summer recess!' One suspects they are busy consulting their lawyers. Given the scale of the Afghanistan mess, it's staggering that only Davey asked about it, Starmer limiting himself to a brief swipe at 'Conservative management of this policy' that lacked feeling. Why is the Commons so complacent? Because the Tories don't want to fuss about an error they oversaw, and because politicians of all stripes love war and love immigration. This scandal ticks both boxes. No wonder Reform is the only option polling well, the anti-everything, smash-the-system vote, the party of clicks and giggles. Gregg Wallace for equalities minister? Only a matter of time.
South China Morning Post
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How South Korea's music festival scene is getting bigger, louder and more diverse
It was an early summer day and, without a cloud in the sky, the temperature in Seoul Olympic Park hit 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit). But the rising heat did not deter Elena Joo from attending this year's Seoul Jazz Festival, with international headliners such as Thundercat, Jacob Collier and Lany, as well as chart-topping home favourites like Crush, Epik High and Jannabi. 'This is my first time going to the Seoul Jazz Festival after putting it off for the past few years,' said the 35-year-old Seoul native, clinging on to a picnic mat and other outdoor necessities like water bottles and a packed lunchbox. 'I knew that the festival happened every year in my neighbourhood. But it was when everyone started to talk about it like this big, one-of-a-kind annual event that I actually wanted to go.' There have been quite a number of large-scale music events in South Korea this year. EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) Korea unofficially kicked off the festival season at the end of April with South Korean DJ Peggy Gou making a much-anticipated headliner appearance at Incheon's newly built Inspire Entertainment Resort. The audience braves the summer heat to watch the Yussef Dayes Experience on the main stage at the 2025 Seoul Jazz Festival. Photo: Seoul Jazz Festival The 17th edition of the Seoul Jazz Festival, held between May 30 and June 1, brought in a total of 46,000 attendees who shuttled between the main stage in 88 Lawn Field – the number in reference to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games – the KSPO Dome and SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, which are some of the biggest indoor concert venues in the country.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Tougher sentences for criminals who abuse LGBT people ‘vital step forward'
Tougher sentences for violent offenders who hurt people based on their sexuality would mark a 'vital step forward', a Labour MP has said. Jacob Collier called for new aggravated offences as part of the Government's Crime and Policing Bill, as he warned many LGBT+ people 'don't feel safe in reporting hate'. More than 100 cross-party MPs backed the proposed amendment, originally put forward by Rachel Taylor, which would create the new offences if violent crimes are motivated by hostility towards a person's sexuality, transgender identity or disability. Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson has vowed to broaden the framework for aggravated offences. Mr Collier said: 'I know what it means to think twice how you walk down the street, to pause before holding somebody's hand, to wonder whether that shout from across the road is something you can ignore or something you can't afford to. 'And I know that I'm not alone in that. 'I've spoken to my constituents and people from far beyond who tell me that they don't feel safe in reporting hate when it happens. They don't believe that they'll be taken seriously and there's a profound failure of trust, and one that we in this House have a duty to repair.' The Burton and Uttoxeter MP also told the Commons: 'I think it's also fitting that we are introducing this amendment in Pride Month, and in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling which has caused so much anguish amongst the trans community.' He said the move 'represents a vital step forward in the protection of some of the most marginalised people within our society' and added: 'Too many victims still believe that the system is not on their side and this new clause gives us the opportunity to change that. It gives police and prosecutors a clear route to charge and convict offenders in a way that truly reflects the nature of these crimes.' Mr Collier said the proposed change was 'about dignity, about recognising that whether you're a trans teenager being punched in the park, a gay couple being spat on on the Tube, or a disabled man being harassed on his way to work, all people deserve the full protection of the law'. Aggravated offences would also offer 'vital protection for disabled people, who often remain far too invisible in the public conversation around hate crime', he added. The law already provides for aggravated offences, if they are motivated by hostility towards a victim's race or religious group membership. 'That discrepancy cannot be right. We cannot as a society say that some forms of hatred are more evil than others,' Ms Taylor told the Commons. The Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth added she was 'at university when section 28 was introduced', part of the Local Government Act 1988 which banned town halls from promoting or teaching 'the acceptability of' homosexuality in schools. 'I remember it vividly, it was more than the law, it was an attack on the right of people like me to live openly,' she said. 'It stigmatised lesbians, gays and bisexual people, it pushed us out of public life. 'I got into politics to fight that cruel law and everything it represented.' Ms Taylor said her amendment would be 'an important step forward for equal rights'. Marie Tidball, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge who also backed the amendment, said the proposal 'would foster respect and equality for all by ensuring justice for disabled victims of hate crime'. Responding to the debate, Dame Diana branded these crimes 'disgraceful', and said the increase in hate crime towards transgender people 'cannot be tolerated'. On the proposed new clause, Dame Diana said: 'The Government supports this change, as set out in our manifesto last year. 'And I can confirm to the House that we will bring forward a suitable Government amendment to give effect to this commitment in the Lords at committee stage.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tougher sentences for criminals who abuse LGBT people ‘vital step forward'
Tougher sentences for violent offenders who hurt people based on their sexuality would mark a 'vital step forward', a Labour MP has said. Jacob Collier called for new aggravated offences as part of the Government's Crime and Policing Bill, as he warned many LGBT+ people 'don't feel safe in reporting hate'. More than 100 cross-party MPs backed the proposed amendment, originally put forward by Rachel Taylor, which would create the new offences if violent crimes are motivated by hostility towards a person's sexuality, transgender identity or disability. Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson has vowed to broaden the framework for aggravated offences. Mr Collier said: 'I know what it means to think twice how you walk down the street, to pause before holding somebody's hand, to wonder whether that shout from across the road is something you can ignore or something you can't afford to. 'And I know that I'm not alone in that. 'I've spoken to my constituents and people from far beyond who tell me that they don't feel safe in reporting hate when it happens. They don't believe that they'll be taken seriously and there's a profound failure of trust, and one that we in this House have a duty to repair.' The Burton and Uttoxeter MP also told the Commons: 'I think it's also fitting that we are introducing this amendment in Pride Month, and in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling which has caused so much anguish amongst the trans community.' He said the move 'represents a vital step forward in the protection of some of the most marginalised people within our society' and added: 'Too many victims still believe that the system is not on their side and this new clause gives us the opportunity to change that. It gives police and prosecutors a clear route to charge and convict offenders in a way that truly reflects the nature of these crimes.' Mr Collier said the proposed change was 'about dignity, about recognising that whether you're a trans teenager being punched in the park, a gay couple being spat on on the Tube, or a disabled man being harassed on his way to work, all people deserve the full protection of the law'. Aggravated offences would also offer 'vital protection for disabled people, who often remain far too invisible in the public conversation around hate crime', he added. The law already provides for aggravated offences, if they are motivated by hostility towards a victim's race or religious group membership. 'That discrepancy cannot be right. We cannot as a society say that some forms of hatred are more evil than others,' Ms Taylor told the Commons. The Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth added she was 'at university when section 28 was introduced', part of the Local Government Act 1988 which banned town halls from promoting or teaching 'the acceptability of' homosexuality in schools. 'I remember it vividly, it was more than the law, it was an attack on the right of people like me to live openly,' she said. 'It stigmatised lesbians, gays and bisexual people, it pushed us out of public life. 'I got into politics to fight that cruel law and everything it represented.' Ms Taylor said her amendment would be 'an important step forward for equal rights'. Marie Tidball, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge who also backed the amendment, said the proposal 'would foster respect and equality for all by ensuring justice for disabled victims of hate crime'. Responding to the debate, Dame Diana branded these crimes 'disgraceful', and said the increase in hate crime towards transgender people 'cannot be tolerated'. On the proposed new clause, Dame Diana said: 'The Government supports this change, as set out in our manifesto last year. 'And I can confirm to the House that we will bring forward a suitable Government amendment to give effect to this commitment in the Lords at committee stage.'
South Wales Guardian
18-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Tougher sentences for criminals who abuse LGBT people ‘vital step forward'
Jacob Collier called for new aggravated offences as part of the Government's Crime and Policing Bill, as he warned many LGBT+ people 'don't feel safe in reporting hate'. More than 100 cross-party MPs backed the proposed amendment, originally put forward by Rachel Taylor, which would create the new offences if violent crimes are motivated by hostility toward's a person's sexuality, transgender identity or disability. Mr Collier said: 'I know what it means to think twice how you walk down the street, to pause before holding somebody's hand, to wonder whether that shout from across the road is something you can ignore or something you can't afford to. 'And I know that I'm not alone in that. 'I've spoken to my constituents and people from far beyond who tell me that they don't feel safe in reporting hate when it happens. They don't believe that they'll be taken seriously and there's a profound failure of trust, and one that we in this House have a duty to repair.' The Burton and Uttoxeter MP also told the Commons: 'I think it's also fitting that we are introducing this amendment in Pride Month, and in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling which has caused so much anguish amongst the trans community.' He said the move 'represents a vital step forward in the protection of some of the most marginalised people within our society' and added: 'Too many victims still believe that the system is not on their side and this new clause gives us the opportunity to change that. It gives police and prosecutors a clear route to charge and convict offenders in a way that truly reflects the nature of these crimes.' Mr Collier said the proposed change was 'about dignity, about recognising that whether you're a trans teenager being punched in the park, a gay couple being spat on on the Tube, or a disabled man being harassed on his way to work, all people deserve the full protection of the law'. Aggravated offences would also offer 'vital protection for disabled people, who often remain far too invisible in the public conversation around hate crime', he added. The law already provides for aggravated offences, if they are motivated by hostility towards a victim's race or religious group membership. 'That discrepancy cannot be right. We cannot as a society say that some forms of hatred are more evil than others,' Ms Taylor told the Commons. The Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth added she was 'at university when section 28 was introduced', part of the Local Government Act 1988 which banned town halls from promoting or teaching 'the acceptability of' homosexuality in schools. 'I remember it vividly, it was more than the law, it was an attack on the right of people like me to live openly,' she said. 'It stigmatised lesbians, gays and bisexual people, it pushed us out of public life. 'I got into politics to fight that cruel law and everything it represented.' Ms Taylor said her amendment would be 'an important step forward for equal rights'. Marie Tidball, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge who also backed the amendment, said the proposal 'would foster respect and equality for all by ensuring justice for disabled victims of hate crime'.
