Latest news with #RedWall
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Euro 2025: Behind the scenes with Nina Blissett
We are more than half way through Euro 2025 - can England defend their title and become European Champions again?It's currently the quarter-finals, with eight teams playing each other to try get through to the next stage. On Thursday night England will face Sweden, and I'll be watching the game from Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich. I've been out in Switzerland for more than two weeks now, sharing all the action from the tournament with you, the Newsround audience. But when I'm not on your TV screens, I've been taking the chance to soak it all in. The atmosphere I have never been to a football tournament before and didn't know what to expect from Euro 2025. So far I have loved it, especially match days. The atmosphere is electric, with loads of people passionately cheering on their countries. There are faces painted in team colours, flags and bucket hats galore. But it's the noise that really builds the excitement, there are usually people with drums, sometimes even trumpets, to keep the chants going throughout the game. Fans, fans, fans During the competition I have spent time with England, Wales and Netherlands fans and all of them are super supportive of their teams. In particular it was my first time experiencing the Red Wall, as the loyal fans of Wales football teams are known. As it was the women's first time at an international tournament, people wanted to travel to Switzerland to be a part of that history. Although they were knocked out at the group stages, the fans I spoke to were very proud of their team and say they will have inspired the next generation. I also was lucky to meet loads of you guys. Lots of Newsround fans have been out enjoying the games, and I got to chat to you about what you enjoy about Newsround, which has been brilliant too. Switzerland - the host country Switzerland is quite a small country, found squished between France, Germany, Austria and Italy. It known for its wonderful scenery, cheese and chocolate - all of which I have been enjoying whilst out here. One super cool thing here is that there are free water fountains everywhere, which are for the public to drink from. So whenever you're thirsty from the summer sun, you can easily re-fill your water bottle.
New Statesman
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Letter of the week: Anti-social housing policy
Photo by Bettmann / Getty Images Harry Lambert (Cover Story) and Anoosh Chakelian (Bursting the Bubble, both 11 July) have written excellent pieces that have an unexpected link. Jenrick cites Charles de Gaulle and Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew as key influences. Both these iconic right-wingers (especially Lee) believed in and built high-quality, state-funded social housing. Indeed, 80 per cent of Singapore's residents still live in this public housing. Selling off more than a million of those flats and houses at a 40-60 per cent discount, and then forbidding local authorities to use the receipts to replace them, would have struck Lee as absurd. Yet that is what Right to Buy has done in the UK and, in the process, it has created much of today's housing and rental crisis. If Labour won't close this Right to Buy black hole and build public housing to help Britain's left-behind and Red Wall communities, perhaps Jenrick's reinvented right will? Robert Dear, London N14 Obstinate Bob Harry Lambert reports Robert Jenrick was 'furious' to not be made home secretary in November 2023, as 'he was the one who knew the department' (Cover Story, 11 July). A month earlier, he was forced to scrap a plan to take over a four-star hotel in Llanelli, Wales. He ploughed on despite opposition from the council; he wouldn't even meet the local MP to discuss residents' concerns. On police advice, the plan was reversed, but Jenrick's tin ear caused social division. Far from encouraging integration, his record is tough talk and divisive incompetence. Lee Waters, Member of the Senedd for Llanelli Frost bite I like the feisty new spirit of the magazine (Editor's Note, 11 July). The Labour go-to of watered-down Reform policy clearly isn't working, and the journalism has been brave. Upsetting Lord Frost and the Daily Mail should be worn as badges of honour. Rob Grew, Birmingham Behind the rebellion I have time a lot of time for Rachael Maskell (Diary, 11 July) so was very pleased to read the story behind the back-bench rebellion over the welfare reform bill. It was chaos, and she is correct to state that the notion of making life-changing decisions for sick and disabled people before the results of the Timms Review was unfathomable. You really couldn't make it up – but it appears the government was, until the last-minute concession. The bill has been passed, but the retribution will continue. You bypass back-bench Labour MPs at your peril. Judith A Daniels, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Overcoming boundaries I was once fortunate enough to live on Britain's first social housing scheme, London's Boundary Estate (Bursting the Bubble, 11 July). The flat looked over the Arnold Circus bandstand, built on Arts and Crafts principles, incorporating craftsmanship in community spaces. The area's rich cultural diversity is evident in the nearby Georgian chapel on Brick Lane. Built in 1744 as French Huguenot place of worship, it became a Methodist chapel in 1819, a synagogue in 1897 and, in 1976, a mosque serving the Bangladeshi community. Small wonder the members of far-right groups are in a lather about such social cohesion. Tower Hamlets still retains ownership of two-thirds of the Boundary Estate. And yes, Brick Lane's Jamme Masjid is still a mosque. What's not to like? Austen Lynch, Garstang, Lancashire No rowing back Finn McRedmond's account of her recent experience of Henley Royal Regatta (Vanity Fair, 11 July) was amusing. However, her description sounds more like the bad old days of the late-20th century, when the Regatta was wholly male and the event largely social in nature. The Regatta has achieved an equal balance between men's and women's events, including at junior level, from local club crews to Olympians. The event is now livestreamed, free of charge, so the races can be watched from the comfort of one's own home without the tedium of following a dress code or packing a picnic. Rowing still has quite a way to go in terms of social and ethnic diversity, but over the past 20 years the Regatta has changed for the better, not only in sporting excellence but also in encouraging greater access. Alison Salvesen, Oxford Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Doctor at large It's great to see that Phil Whitaker is already established in British Columbia and offering valuable advice to Wes Streeting from there (Health Matters, 11 July). People with their eyes open always have something to offer wherever they are in the world. Marina Marangos, Brisbane Write to letters@ We reserve the right to edit letters [See also: A question of intent] Related
New Statesman
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Why Labour has embraced class politics
Photo by. When a Vanity Fair interviewer asked Tony Blair about his faith, Alastair Campbell memorably interjected: 'We don't do God.' In some respects, New Labour didn't do class either. Blair treated the subject as redolent of a failed past and as increasingly irrelevant in modern Britain. John Prescott may never have said that 'we're all middle-class now' (he described himself as a 'working-class man' living a 'middle-class style of life') but Blair did declare that 'the class war is over' in his 1999 Labour conference speech. Keir Starmer and his cabinet, by contrast, have embraced the politics of class. At last Friday's Chequers away day, the Prime Minister reminded his team that they were the most working-class cabinet in history. While Blair used the language of peace, Starmer deployed the language of struggle. 'You all have your own stories about the battle you had to get here,' he told the cabinet. 'This is a time for fighters. You are here to remove the barriers for working people to get to where they want to.' It's a theme that Wes Streeting reprised in his extended (17-minute) speech at last night's New Statesman summer party. '[Starmer] has assembled the most working-class cabinet in history and that really matters, not for tokenism but because of the experience we bring to bear,' he said. 'If you don't have a diversity of perspective and experience, you end up through unconscious, if not conscious, bias making decisions in the interests of the privileged few.' (Blair, Streeting told me last year, was 'too quick to declare a classless society'.) It isn't only Starmer and Streeting who speak the language of class. Their cabinet colleagues routinely connect their policy decisions to their backgrounds. When Bridget Phillipson – last night's other guest speaker – announced the expansion of free school meals to all households receiving Universal Child she recalled the hunger she endured in her youth. At last month's Spending Review, the comprehensive-educated Rachel Reeves declared that she would 'always prioritise' the 93 per cent of children who attend state schools as she defended the imposition of VAT on private school fees (a decision of which Blair is said to disapprove). What else lies behind this turn towards class? In part it reflects a grim policy reality: though New Labour lifted half a million children out of poverty and dramatically improved public services, class differences endured and in some areas even hardened (not least housing). Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe It also reflects a transformed electoral landscape: Blair's project was shaped by winning over middle-class voters in the south of England; Starmer has had to be far more attentive to the working-class voters who abandoned Labour in the 'Red Wall' and Scotland (and who, as Morgan McSweeney understands, began to drift away during Blair's third term). Can class help Labour tell the story that so many feel this government still lacks? It can – and should – correct the perception that this cabinet merely represents 'more of the same'. As I note in my column in this week's magazine, the relationship between the government and the trade unions, to take one example, has been transformed (when he became Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds found that his department lacked even the phone numbers of some general secretaries). Confronted by Nigel Farage – a Dulwich College-educated stockbroker – plenty in Labour draw heart from the return of class politics. But while the government needs a compelling story, its fate may ultimately hinge on delivery. If voters don't feel better off by the next election, then Labour's invocations of class will fall just as flat as its 'toff' attacks on David Cameron and Boris Johnson did. This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here [See also: Britain's billionaire tax problem] Related
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why England were right to show no mercy in ruthless destruction of Wales
For a Wales team who have brought so much passion, colour and pride to Euro 2025, this was no way to go home. As one, Wales stood in front of their Red Wall in St Gallen, and there is certainly no disgrace in losing to England, France and the Netherlands in what was their major tournament debut. But England had to be ruthless, and a 6-1 win to finish the group stage sends a message. 'Sweden should be scared,' said Ella Toone, and this performance showed why as Sarina Wiegman's side returned to their destructive best with the biggest win of Euro 2025 so far. In the days following the opening defeat to France, the holders spoke of returning to 'proper England' and remembering why they are at the Euros. That journey began four years ago and with a series of hugely one-sided victories. England didn't hold back when beating teams like Latvia 20-0 and, while it has been a positive step forward for the game that such mismatches no longer take place during qualifying for major tournaments, it was no coincidence that the very same England team thrashed Norway in a record 8-0 win during the Euro 2022 group stage. Playing with that hunger and intensity, no matter the scoreline, is a hallmark of what made Wiegman's team so successful. It has been an absence of those characteristics that has led to spells of inconsistency over the last 18 months. When Wiegman's team spoke of a 'proper England' performance and the fight returned against the Netherlands, it was important to then use that by building momentum: England have only won back-to-back games once in the last year and while the Lionesses needed to win anyway to reach the quarter-finals, this was about keeping the foot on the pedal. 'We're just happy that we continued the standards that we'd set against the Netherlands,' said Georgia Stanway. 'It was super important that we continued where we'd left off and we could build momentum.' 'I think it's credit to us for breaking them down,' Mead said. 'Creating different chances, [six] different goal scorers, and being able to score a lot of different type of goals. That's something Sarina's always tried to instill in us. She's told us we need to be more ruthless. Scoring six goals is pretty ruthless.' England led 4-0 at half-time, playing with the fire and energy that was so clearly missing in the France game. 'It probably was the best thing that could have happened to us as a team,' Mead admitted. 'I think it motivated us. We had conversations, we figured things out that we maybe needed to. You don't win or lose a tournament in the first game, and we're now in a position where we're building quite nicely.' Of course, Wales, the lowest-ranked team at Euro 2025, were always going to be huge underdogs, but Wiegman had underlined of the importance of moving the ball quickly and bringing intensity into a match where they were always expected to dominate. The Lionesses have learned the hard way since winning the Euros that there has been a target on their backs and opponents have no shortage of motivation to bring them down. For Wales, who spoke of how wanting to beat England is in their 'blood and DNA', the Lionesses knew they had to be sharp. Following their impressive 4-0 win over the Netherlands, England also named their first unchanged starting line-up since the 2023 World Cup two years ago, which was another sign of how desperately Wiegman wanted to seize the chance to build some momentum ahead of the quarter-finals. From the moment England took the lead in the 13th minute, through Stanway's controversial penalty, and from there England's victory was never really in doubt, the holders played as if they had a golden opportunity to build up their aura, to restore and then maintain the feeling that they had gathering throughout the group stages three years ago. There were important moments here. Lauren James was so effortlessly comfortable on the right wing. Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp scored their first goals of the tournament. Russo should have come away with more, but getting off the mark, in order to add to her overall contribution while leading the line, can always help with confidence. Ella Toone is in red-hot form, having now scored in both of her starts at this tournament. Keira Walsh and Stanway controlled and were connected again in midfield, determined to regain the loose balls that had evaded them in the opener. A reconfigured defence also grew more familiar, with Alex Greenwood even coming inside and Lucy Bronze pushing higher and wide on the right to allow England to change their shape when in possession. The only gap Wales were able to find came from Hannah Cain's consolation. England's formation, in itself, was a confident move from Wiegman, who always planned for England to come into the tournament with more of an ability to adapt and be versatile. England have played three group games in three different ways, and with only one change between their starting line-ups. This one allowed James to take up central positions as Bronze pushed wide, while maintaining balance with Stanway, Walsh and Toone in the team. James, again, was a class above. Then, when England were cruising towards the quarter-finals, Wiegman used her options on the bench. All of Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park, Chloe Kelly and Mead came on hungry to prove a point and the manner of Mead's finish after cutting back inside suggested how vicious that competition is. That Mead and Beever-Jones also celebrated their second-half goals with the rest of the substitutes bench showed that competition remains healthy. 'I think we underestimate how hard it can be for the bench sometimes and players that don't get on the pitch as much and before the game started, we were all snapping as a little bit of our motivation,' Mead explained. 'We actually said if anyone came on and scored we'd celebrate with each other and show appreciation. So I did that.' The England bench may need to stick together a little longer. After all, Wiegman's starting line-up for the rest of the Euros looks set ahead of the quarter-final against Sweden back in Zurich on Thursday. And based on their first-half performance and the lack of mercy they showed in pointing Wales on their way home, England are back in a ruthless mood as well.
The Independent
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why England were right to show no mercy in ruthless destruction of Wales at Euro 2025
For a Wales team who have brought so much passion, colour and pride to Euro 2025, this was no way to go home. As one, Wales stood in front of their Red Wall in St Gallen, and there is certainly no disgrace in losing to England, France and the Netherlands in what was their major tournament debut. But England had to be ruthless, and a 6-1 win to finish the group stage sends a message. "Sweden should be scared,' said Ella Toone, and this performance showed why as Sarina Wiegman's side returned to their destructive best. In the days following the opening defeat to France, the holders spoke of returning to 'proper England' and remembering why they are at the Euros. That journey began four years ago and with a series of hugely one-sided victories. England didn't hold back when beating Latvia 20-0 and, while it has been a positive step forward for the game that such mismatches no longer take place during qualifying for major tournaments, it was no coincidence that the very same England team thrashed Norway in a record 8-0 win during the Euro 2022 group stage. Playing with that hunger and intensity, no matter the scoreline, is a hallmark of what made Wiegman's team so successful. It has been an absence of those characteristics that has led to spells of inconsistency over the last 18 months. When Wiegman's team spoke of a 'proper England' performance and the fight returned against the Netherlands, it was important to then use that by building momentum: England have only won back-to-back games once in the last year and while the Lionesses needed to win anyway to reach the quarter-finals, this was about keeping the foot on the pedal. Against Wales, England led 4-0 at half-time, playing with the fire and energy that was so clearly missing in the France game. Of course, Wales, the lowest-ranked team at Euro 2025, were always going to be huge underdogs, but Wiegman had spoken of the importance of moving the ball quickly and bringing intensity into a match where they were always expected to dominate. The Lionesses have learned the hard way since winning the Euros that there has been a target on their backs and opponents have no shortage of motivation to bring them down. For Wales, who spoke of how wanting to beat England is in their 'blood and DNA', the Lionesses knew they had to be sharp. England also named their first unchanged starting line-up since the 2023 World Cup two years ago, which was another sign of how desperately Wiegman wanted to seize the chance to build some momentum ahead of the quarter-finals. From the moment England took the lead in the 13th minute, through Georgia Stanway 's controversial penalty, and from there England's victory was never really in doubt, the holders played as if they had a golden opportunity to build up their aura, to restore and then maintain the feeling that they had gathering throughout the group stages three years ago. There were important moments here. Lauren James was so effortlessly comfortable on the right wing. Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp scored their first goals of the tournament. Russo should have come away with more, but getting off the mark, in order to add to her overall contribution while leading the line, can always help with confidence. Ella Toone is in red-hot form, having now scored in both of her starts at this tournament. Keira Walsh and Stanway controlled and were connected again in midfield, determined to regain the loose balls that had evaded them in the opener. A reconfigured defence also grew more familiar, with Alex Greenwood even coming inside and Lucy Bronze pushing higher and wide on the right to allow England to change their shape when in possession. The only gap Wales were able to find came from Hannah Cain's consolation. England's formation, in itself, was a confident move from Wiegman, who always planned for England to come into the tournament with more of an ability to adapt and be versatile. England have played three group games in three different ways, and with only one change between their starting line-ups. This one allowed James to take up central positions as Bronze pushed wide, while maintaining balance with Stanway, Walsh and Toone in the team. James, again, was a class above. Then, when England were cruising towards the quarter-finals, Wiegman used her options on the bench. All of Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park, Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead came on hungry to prove a point and the manner of Mead's finish after cutting back inside suggested how vicious that competition is. That Mead and Beever-Jones also celebrated their second-half goals with the rest of the substitutes bench showed that competition remains healthy, but perhaps a few of the players who came on will go away wishing they had done a little more. After all, Wiegman's starting line-up for the rest of the Euros looks set ahead of the quarter-final against Sweden back in Zurich on Thursday. And based on their first-half performance and the lack of mercy they showed in pointing Wales on their way home, England are back in a ruthless mood as well.
