Politics
Prison ombudsman names youth who died in Feltham child jail
The 16-year-old boy who died in custody in London’s Feltham young offenders’ institute on 20 April has been named. A Prison and Probation Ombudsman’s (PPO) comms officer told the Canary on 27 April:
I can confirm we are investigating the death of Eder Duarte on 20 April 2026 at HMP Feltham. I’m afraid we cannot comment on the details of Mr Duarte’s death as the investigation is live.
As the Canary reported in the aftermath of the death:
His [Duarte’s] girlfriend described to reporters that he was “covered in bruises” after identifying his body. Yet much of the corporate media has since pulled her comments. Feltham is widely described as the most violent jail in the UK’s woefully dysfunctional prison system.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) scrambled to tell the Canary that they did not agree with that assessment of Duarte’s condition.
Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, released a further statement on 27 April:
My office is conducting an independent investigation into the death of Eder Duarte on 20 April 2026 at HMP Feltham. I offer my condolences to Mr Duarte’s family and friends. I will make my final investigation report public after the conclusion of the inquest.
The Canary previously spoke to the NGO Inquest which lobbies for those who’ve lost loves ones in deaths related to the British state. Director Deborah Coles said on 23 April:
No child should be dying in the care of the state, let alone a prison. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
Away from their families and support systems, locked in their cells for most of the day, with high rates of violence and self-harm, and prison guards now allowed to use PAVA spray, it is clear that imprisoning children will always be harmful and never be safe. This death is a urgent reminder of this.
Adding:
The government must divest money away from punishment and prisons and into community based support services to prevent further death and harm.
High levels of violence at Feltham
Prisons magazine The Justice Gap reported in 2025 that Feltham has major problems with violence:
Conditions at Feltham prison remain ‘insufficiently improved’ after an inspection by the prisons watchdog found high levels of violence against staff and one of the highest levels of drug use in any category C prison.
The Howard League for Penal Reform has also condemned the authorities over conditions at the jail. The facility has both a youth and adult jail. Chief Executive Frances Crook slammed both in 2025:
These are two of the worst in a long line of terrible prison inspection reports. It is all the more disturbing that they concern children and young people.
These children are suffering abuse and neglect by the state. Feltham has failed to care for children and help them turn their lives around for decades. It is time to put an end to this abusive failing system and properly help children live law-abiding lives.
In August 2025 the prisons inspectorate found:
levels of violence were still the highest of any prison in the country.
The inspectorate said things had been improved by a policy of:
‘keep-apart’ lists that prevented children from mixing, allowing for a better regime.
Authorities are yet to publicise a cause of death for Eder Duarte. Feltham is just one especially egregious example of a broken UK jail system. In 2019, Inquest said:
Deaths, self-harm, violence, impoverished regimes and conditions are the daily reality of the prison system.
And, as various charities and civil society organisations regularly point out, a system which puts minors in jail needs deeper examination and serious reform.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
The night I met my husband, we slunk into a faux denim sleeper sofa, a hand-me-down that resided in my parents’ basement for years, after too many PBRs and tequila shots. I insisted he watch several episodes of Scrubs, clumsily bringing my body closer to his on the squishy cushions, my limbs made limp by alcohol.
Only a few months later, after one half-hearted attempt of moving that metal more-machine-than-couch, we gave up and I accepted the loss of my deposit as I moved out of my favourite urban apartment with antique chevron pine floors and into his tiny suburban house with a red door, three minutes from my childhood home, shrinking back into a town I’d longed to grow out of.
In that house, a large overstuffed sofa covered in a nubby hunter green and white wide stripe greeted you just beyond the front door. It is where I sat, stoic, unable to look at the small white stick resting on the side of the bathroom sink, a blue plus sign quickly emerging — only four months after we met.
With the impending pregnancy, we had a garage sale and bought a house three streets north of where my parents live and where I had grown up. We sold that couch for $40 and bought another for $1,000. It was an overstuffed five-seater covered in a large golden-tan weave, perfect for hosting all-night nursing sessions, I anticipated.
We sat there now, on that couch, now 10 years old, the frame broken from nightly 3-year-old twin acrobatics. There were four kids now, and that night, we’d had plans for a date night, so my mom had taken them for a sleepover. We had mutually decided to abandon our plans in favour of staying home and enjoying the quiet house. He guzzled Budweiser, and I sipped some shitty red wine out of a stemless Ikea glass.
Our marriage, at that point, had moments of promise but consisted mostly of obligation, errands, chores and Lego battles. Our passion plagued by duty, our chemistry consumed by functionality.
For months after he left our family home, I’d reread our texts from the previous year.
“When will you be home?”
“You’re picking up the big kids, right?”
“Beckett’s basketball practice is canceled.”
“Are there bagels here?”
“Will you get bagels before you come home?”
“I need cumin. Can you stop?”
“Did you pay the phone bill?”
“Don’t eat the little bagels. They’re for lunches.”
Looking back, it’s impossible to un-see the unraveling. Little pieces of our former union crumbling, the mortar drying out with age and duty, inching toward a slow and dusty collapse.
Feeling the cabernet warmth in my cheeks, I set my glass on the antique NCR crate-turned-side-table as I tried to steady my inhales. I felt a truth brewing in my chest, one I’d wanted to tell him for eight years. I don’t know why I felt like I could say it right then; most likely it was just my low-level kids-free buzz.
We’d been having one of maybe three honest conversations we’d had in our entire relationship, the ones that were always induced by alcohol. I’d rehearsed this conversation in my mind countless times but, like letting someone say your name wrong for years because it felt like it was too late to correct them, I could never bring myself to mention it. If there was an opportunity, it was in the first few months we were dating. But not well into our 10th year of marriage.
“So, I have something to tell you. It’s kind of funny, actually,” I started, in an attempt to keep it light.
“Oh, uh, OK, um, it’s really weird. And don’t feel bad because I know it’s not your fault. It’s definitely my fault. Not your fault. I’m definitely the weird one, something is wrong with me. So, don’t feel bad. But, um, I’ve never orgasmed. With you. Or, maybe with anyone.”
I’d said it. And the relief was instant. Like releasing the need to perform to conceal the truth, night after night. And year after year.
His eyes widened at first and then he smirked a bit.
“What? Of course you have. I’ve seen it happen. That’s sort of ridiculous,” he said. He looked hurt, and I knew he’d already become defensive. Hardening the spots that were temporarily soft.
“No, well, I’m not saying I’m bored or I don’t like what you do.” I was and I didn’t. “I just don’t actually orgasm.” There, I’d said it again. No take-backs.
“That’s funny. Like, you always end up liking it. Even if you’re not in the mood at first. I’ve heard you, of course you do. Like, every time. Every single time. What are you even talking about?” He was scrambling. His pride had taken a hit.
I didn’t think I’d have to convince him of something I knew. At this point, I was merely looking for acknowledgement and maybe a vague plan of how to move forward. I had already concluded that maybe I was the faulty one. I wasn’t asking for a different performance or willing him to try harder. Honestly, “Oh, that sucks” would have felt pretty good.
I lost my virginity when I was a sophomore in high school to an impossibly kind redhead who liked me much more than I liked him. After months of having the kind of mediocre sex where pleasure wasn’t really involved, especially for the female, I had asked him an embarrassing question.
“What’s an orgasm for a girl? I mean, I know what it is for a guy because you can see it. It’s obvious. But, how do I know if I’m having an orgasm?” I asked as I played with the button of my lilac sweater set.
He pulled me on top of him into the safest embrace and gave me the most damaging explanation of an orgasm a girl has ever heard.
“You know when it feels good?” he said. I nodded. “It’s just when it feels the best of when it’s feeling good. You get it?”
OK, I thought in my 16-year-old brain, which would become my 25-, 35- and now 38-year-old brain. Then only after we’d completed an act of intimacy, I thought, could I locate where my orgasm had happened. Because that’s the thing about “bests” ― you don’t know the best is happening until it’s over. You don’t know you’re on the highest part of the roller coaster until you start coming down. But, what if you never get to the top? Then, you’re left thinking this anticlimactic mid-part of the incline must have been the best. I guess that was my orgasm, I’d think, as I tiptoed to the bathroom for a post-sex pee.
I had used this logic for most of my adult life, even while every sexual partner had bored me. I’d spent over two decades letting my moans grow to screams, seizing my stomach muscles, biting my lip and yelling “Oh my god” anyway. My partner didn’t deserve a subpar experience due to a broken partner. I was not theirs to fix. This Midwestern, people-pleasing girl would give an unforgettable performance while slowly growing ever more resentful of the entire act.
I pictured my Mom announcing “I would never let this go to waste” as she choked down last night’s leftover, soggy salad, a slurry of dressing and condensation pooling in the bottom of the Tupperware container, sacrificing her own pleasure for the good of the team. It was, after all, our way to prioritize everyone else’s experience long before we considered our own.
I looked at my husband. Discomfort and sadness had left his face and all that was left was a slightly slurred condescending arrogance.
“I knew this would be a tough conversation. I’m sorry. I think it’s me,” I said again.
“I mean, a hilarious conversation. Remember when you put scratches on my back? Or when you do that thing like you can’t handle any more contact and your body shivers?” he asked.
I didn’t know if I was supposed to answer. It seemed deeply hurtful to explain that that was all part of a performance that I’d been rehearsing for decades. My gravely growls and arched back all part of the show and he, my unknowing co-star, running lines nightly. I was embarrassed to answer, for him and for me. So, I didn’t.
And maybe I should have. Maybe I should have repeated that I didn’t know if I was capable of orgasming. That it hadn’t happened with anyone, not even myself before I got discouraged and stopped trying. That I sometimes worried that there was something medically wrong with me. That I was too ashamed to talk about it, even with my very closest friends. That I’d secretly googled “How To Orgasm,” wanting to find a numbered guide with a no-fail guarantee. That I craved intimacy. But real intimacy required honesty, a complete opening of which neither one of us were capable. I probably should have asked, “Will you help me?”
But I didn’t. I decided instead to break off another small piece of me and let it get lost in the overstuffed cushions of our broken sofa. What’s one more? I let go of his calloused fingers, pushed myself off the fractured couch, took my glass and gently set it in the sink and walked up the stairs to bed.
“Good night,” I said as I passed the living room. “I love you.”
And we never talked about it again.
Two years, one inevitable divorce, and a handful of fruitless partners later, I experienced my first orgasm. I was 40 years old. It came at the hands (or um, battery) of a small pink vibrator called the Pebble that, as promised, delivered clit-sucking technology and required not a single shred of showmanship.
I was born nimble, bending to accommodate others’ comfort. If we bend beyond the point of reasonable compromise, over time we unknowingly create an alternative reality. One based predominantly on the comfort and desires of another. One that is no longer our own. By nature, living someone else’s truth is living your own lie. And lies create distrust and distance within a relationship, even within the one we have with ourselves.
The couch in my living room is still broken, the frame held up by an old 2×4, but I am fixing myself; resisting the urge to bend beyond breakage. I hope to tell you that I find an orgasm in the future, one from a real live human. But, at the very least, I promise that I will move through life in a more honest way, cultivating a truth that is genuinely mine — even if it is 20 years too late.
The author is writing under a pseudonym.
This piece was previously published on HuffPost and is being shared again as part of HuffPost Personal’s “Best Of” series.
Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.
I don’t know whether it’s this sunshine, but I’ve been looking at the UK’s bank holiday schedule a lot recently.
We’ve already worked through three of the ones planned this year (New Year’s Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday).
Here’s what’s next in England and Wales, as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland.
When’s the next UK bank holiday?
In England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, the next bank holiday as of the time of writing (April 27) is May 4.
What are the remaining 2026 bank holidays in England and Wales?
- 4 May (Monday) – Early May bank holiday
- 25 May (Monday) – Spring bank holiday
- 31 August (Monday) – Summer bank holiday
- 25 December (Friday) – Christmas Day
- 28 December (Monday) – Boxing Day (substitute day, i.e., because the day itself didn’t fall on a workday, they’re giving us one in lieu).
What are the remaining 2026 bank holidays in Scotland?
- 4 May (Monday) – Early May bank holiday
- 25 May (Monday) – Spring bank holiday
- 15 June (Monday) – World Cup bank holiday
- 3 August (Monday) – Summer bank holiday
- 30 November (Monday) – St Andrew’s Day
- 25 December (Friday) – Christmas Day
- 28 December (Monday) – Boxing Day (substitute day).
What are the remaining 2026 bank holidays in Northern Ireland?
- 4 May (Monday) – Early May bank holiday
- 25 May (Monday) – Spring bank holiday
- 13 July (Monday) – Battle of the Boyne (substitute day)
- 31 August (Monday) – Summer bank holiday
- 25 December (Friday) – Christmas Day
- 28 December (Monday) – Boxing Day (substitute day).
Why are they called bank holidays to begin with?
They were actually called St Lubbock’s Days originally, after the banker (Sir John Lubbock) who helped to bring bank holidays about.
In case you’re wondering what a random day in August has to do with the financial industry, though, I’m afraid you might be barking up the wrong tree.
Some say Lubbock planned the holidays around his local village’s cricket schedule.
According to the Trade Union Congress, if I’d been writing this list in Victorian times, I’d have had a much more laborious task.
“Prior to 1834, the Bank of England observed about thirty-three saints’ days and religious festivals as holidays, but in 1834, this was drastically reduced to just four: Good Friday, 1st May, 1st November, and Christmas Day,” they said.
The ’70s was the last time the TUC successfully campaigned for an extra bank holiday.
Rich Drake, CEO of Anduril, boasted to the British military’s in-house media about his firm’s role in enhancing troop lethality. Anduril, also used by the US, has ties with Israeli arms maker Rafael.
Drake told Forces New — the UK military’s own propaganda channel — that his products would streamline ‘kill chains.’ A kill chain is process by which targets are identified, prioritised, and hit, which you can read all about here.
In a brazen puff piece for the military firm, Forces News said:
The British Army wants to double its lethality by 2027 and triple it by 2030 – and one way it’s hoping to achieve this is by using something called Lattice.
This system joins up and integrates all the sensors and effectors the Army currently uses.
In other words, all the assets available to it, whether that be loitering munitions, attack drones or F-35s providing close air support, can all be monitored and tasked from one screen.
Drake told the outlet, which announced a new 10yr deal with the UK military on 24 April, that:
In the past, maybe two different companies had two different systems and you would have to transfer data from one to the other by writing it down, swivelling your chair across and typing it into another system.
And the beauty of software like Lattice means we can integrate those natively and speeding up decision cycles in what we call kill chains, again, to help the Army become more lethal.
Never have the words “beauty” and “lethality” sat so uncomfortably in a single sentence.
Fully autonomous options
Drake continued:
If we think of how Lattice is used, an operator may be looking for a Russian air defence system and have assets in the air, sensors in the air, such as radars or cameras to find it.
When those cameras find the air defence system, what Lattice can do is make the connection between the sensor to the effector, which may be a fighter in the air or a one-way drone ready to make that attack.
Lattice then makes that connection and creates a kill chain – and creates that kill chain at machine speed – computer machine speed rather than at human speed.
Truly “beautiful”…
Drakes stressed that while the killing could be carried out “fully autonomously”:
Right now, there is a rule of law around warfare and we completely support that at Anduril.
We support any rule of law or any way the military wish to use it… the human will always be involved.
Forces News said training on the systems would take place at a re-purposed RAF base in Wales.
Anduril’s dark reality
In 2024, Anduril partnered with Israel arms firm Rafael and AI firm Oracle to:
pair various command and control, sensor-to-shooter, intelligence operations, and expeditionary C4 platforms with the company’s cloud infrastructure.
And the US military signed a $20bn deal with Anduril in March 2026. The US has used Anduril technology in its illegal, unprovoked war with Iran. Anduril US chief Matthew Steckman confirmed this on 24 March 2026:
We’re heavy participants in the current conflict in the Middle East, mainly on the defensive side.
Adding:
So if you’ve read about the Shahed drone, as an example, we’re one of the principal systems to defend against that threat in the Middle East.
The British military finds itself in dubious company once again. Relying on Anduril’s technology ties the UK deeper into the US-Israeli colonial security framework. The firm claims it isn’t using fully autonomous killing systems yet, but has made clear that capacity exists. These rapid developments are outstripping international law’s ability to catch up — with dangerous implications for everyone.
Featured image via Anduril Industries/X/Twitter
By Joe Glenton
Demonstrating he has the thinnest skin of any politician, Donald Trump once again lost it at a journalist, while citing excerpts from the White House dinner shooter’s manifesto:
TRUMP LOST IT ON CBS REPORTER AFTER SHE READ SHOOTER MANIFESTO
"I am NOT a pedophile. You read that crap from some SICK person."
"Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones who were involved with Epstein." "You shouldn't be reading that on 60 Minutes. You are a… pic.twitter.com/M2dtKSCLGQ
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) April 26, 2026
Attempt #3
As we reported, an alleged gunman charged through security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Trump initially used the event to promote his plans for a White House ballroom:
If I was a conspiracy theorist I would be certain that Trump staged all of this just to get people on board for him to build his illegal White House Ballroom, and save his floundering, all-time-low approval ratings. pic.twitter.com/b1oYCMcG4V
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 26, 2026
Trump actually spoke about the ballroom in the immediate aftermath of the shooting:
Donald Trump is trying to make the case for his ballroom after the incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
You've got to be kidding me. pic.twitter.com/O7Kofd9yq7
— Art Candee
(@ArtCandee) April 26, 2026
Trump’s Department of Justice is now using the shooting to try to ensure there are no more legal delays preventing the ballroom from being built:
DOJ sends letter urging dismissal of lawsuit against Trump’s White House ballroom, citing last night’s events. pic.twitter.com/3iyfH1As8j
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) April 26, 2026
“I’m not a paedophile”
In the clip at the top, the interviewer notes that the gunman’s:
so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President. He appears to reference a motive in it. He writes… ‘administration officials, they are targets’. And he also wrote this: ‘I’m no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes’. What’s your reaction?
Trump responded:
Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would, because you’re horrible people, horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.
The interviewer then said:
Oh, you think he was referring to you?
We think she was protesting a little too much here; clearly the alleged gunman meant Trump (if the manifesto is genuine).
Trump continued:
I’m not a paedophile. You read that crap from some sick person. I got associated with stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, Epstein or other things. But I said to myself, you know, I’ll do this interview and they’ll probably… I read the manifesto. You know, he’s a sick person. But… You should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things.
Contrary to Trump’s complaints, the Epstein Files did reveal what one congressperson described as “credible FBI receipts”:
CRAZY: "AG Pam Bondi lied under oath about this." pic.twitter.com/eZ4XEI3QeM
— Coinvo (@Coinvo) March 28, 2026
Congressman Goldman showed 'credible FBI receipts' that Trump "unzipped his pants, forced a 13-year-old’s head down, and when she bit his p*nis, he punched her and called her a b*tch!"
Inexplicability
It’s since come out that the White House may have been unusually lax with its security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
Surprise! https://t.co/aGFe6FQfL2
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 26, 2026
This is feeding into the conspiracy theory that the authorities knew about the alleged gunman, and that they opted to make things as easy as possible for him.
It would obviously be bizarre if Trump allowed all this to happen for the sake of a ballroom. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz is currently blocked because Trump saw some mysterious benefit to attacking Iran, so who knows with this guy?
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore
On 27 April, Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton announced that an end is now in sight for the city’s 15-month-long bin strike saga. Meanwhile, Unite—the union representing the strikers—has claimed the councillor’s statement as vindication of the workers’ long struggle.
The strike itself began back in January 2025. Birmingham Council had indicated that it planned to abolish roles within its waste service, ostensibly to bring the department in line with other comparable local authorities. Quite unacceptably, the move could have resulted in some workers being up to £8,000 a year worse off.
‘A challenging and complex process’
Today, however, Labour council leader John Cotton announced that:
After months of frustration and delay, for the first time in over 12 months, a negotiated settlement to end the bin strike is now within sight.
This has been a challenging and complex process, but after months of hard work on the principles and parameters of a deal, I believe a new, improved offer can be made and terms can be put in place that addresses the ballpark issues discussed at Acas [dispute resolution service], that Unite members can agree in order to end the strike once and for all.
A deal that would be good for the workforce, represent good value for money and would not repeat the mistakes of the past and risk creating new structural equal pay liabilities.
I want our workforce to be able to return to work and help us deliver the quality refuse and recycling services the people of this city deserve. That’s why, throughout this dispute, I have resisted those who would dismiss the striking workers instead of negotiating.
I have instructed officers to move forward with negotiations so that we can bring this matter to a close.
Because of rules restricting political announcements in the run-up to the local elections, we won’t know the exact details of the deal until after May 7. Likewise, council members will have to finalise the details of the proposals, which will then be put to the workers themselves for their approval.
The rough outline
Unite lead officer Onay Kasab indicated that the proposed terms include a one-off compensatory payment of up to £16,000 for the wronged workers. Significantly, this deal now includes compensation for the drivers, which wasn’t previously the case.
Unite also gave a rough outline of further details:
- The deal mirrors that proposed by conciliation service Acas. This means that workers will receive a minimum of two years’ cushion from the impacts of the job evaluation process. This is four times the previous 6-month proposal.
- Striking agency workers who’ve been under contact for over a year will have a path to permanent employment.
- Issues of gross misconduct will be reviewed, and other disciplinary issues quashed.
- The dispute will be treated as an authorised absence for the purposes of the workers’ pensions.
- Both sides will end their respective legal actions.
In its 27 April press release, Unite struck a triumphant tone — and highlighted the meddling of unelected commissioners dragging out the process:
This move shows the power of workers and how that can be realised when they are backed by their union.
It is an absolute abhorrence that this deal has been blocked not just once but twice by unelected unaccountable commissioners and officers at Birmingham City Council, who enjoy eye watering pay packets and no consequence for their actions. […]
The reason the offer has not yet been completed and gone to our members is because at the eleventh hour the government backed commissioners attempted to stop it, which has led to today’s statement of intent by the leader of the council.
The union also thanked West Midlands mayor Richard Parker and trade-unionist-turned-life-peer Brenan Barber. Both individuals reportedly helped bring the negotiations to a close by recognising the reasonable nature of the proposed deal.
‘The workers come first’
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said:
As I have said on many occasions, the workers come first and we will always do everything in our power to ensure that our members are treated with dignity and respect.
The move made today by the leader of the council is a vindication of the bin workers’ struggle for a decent deal.
Over the last few months, there have been intense negotiations to get the blocked “ballpark” deal back on the table, so that our members could vote on it.
Of course, even among the happy news, the union leader was clear on the guilty parties in this whole sorry mess:
The reason why we are not yet at that stage is purely down to the vindictive interference of the government backed commissioners who have attempted to block the deal again and clearly overstepped their remit.
Their lack of both experience and industrial relations competence has been a major factor in this dispute, and their malevolent game playing has been an absolute disgrace.
The commissioner model is a licence for a few unelected individuals to print money and play games.
They have let the workers down, the people of Birmingham down and the council down.
Salute to the workers
Graham signed off with one last salute to the workers, the negotiators, and the people of Birmingham:
I salute the fortitude of my members who have needlessly been forced to endure months of attacks and hardship to get us to this point.
I thank mayor Richard Parker and Lord Brendan Barber for the important roles both have played in getting us to this point.
And I thank the people of Birmingham for their continued patience and support.
Here, at the Canary, we’re thrilled to hear of an end in sight. Here’s to a swift resolution, and news of a win for the workers and their union!
Featured image via Unsplash/the Canary
Zack Polanski sat through several interviews on Monday to promote the Green Party’s local election campaign. The problem is that UK journalists don’t seem to understand what the ‘local’ in ‘local elections’ stands for.
.@ZackPolanski is asked, is it official green party policy to abolish the monarchy?
Sensible answer. pic.twitter.com/QWKMK9y8wy
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) April 27, 2026
Yeah, abolishing the monarchy is what you would call a ‘national issue’.
Think monarchy, ask locally
Just so it’s clear to any BBC presenters reading, the ‘monarchy’ is another word for the ‘Royal Family’. The head of the family serves as the UK’s head of state, either as a king or queen. This is very much a national thing in that we only have one monarch, and said monarch is the head of state for every British citizen.
The monarchy, then, isn’t relevant to the local elections. We don’t have local kings for councillors to abolish. Instead, councillors are tasked with abolishing things like potholes (we should be so lucky!).
Green Party policy
In the clip at the top, the BBC asked Polanski:
Abolishing the monarchy, is that a Green Party official policy?
Polanski responded:
Well, there’s a difference between what our members vote on and what a policy that is updated and reviewed. But just to answer the direct question, I don’t have any support for the monarchy. And I feel sorry for King Charles today that the prime minister sent him to be paraded for Donald Trump.
We don’t feel sorry for Charles, honestly. After all, our king gave his wretched, nonce brother Andrew over a million quid to silence his accuser, the late Virginia Giuffre.
Polanski continued:
But I don’t think that’s the number one issue at this local election. I think people are worried about their bills.
That’s correct, Zack.
This is a local election for local people; we’ll have no talk of your monarchy here. Or will we?
Cost of living
The BBC seemed pretty determined to keep it off topic, asking next:
So what you’re saying is that the Green Party would look again because it’s had quite an anti-monarchy stance in the past, but maybe relaxing that a bit?
It’s easy to see why the BBC would care so much about the Royal Family. After all, both institutions have a history of covering up for perverts. At the same time, this has absolutely nothing to do with the local elections.
Polanski answered:
Well, it wasn’t actually in the manifesto. So the party is definitely an anti-monarchy party. We don’t support the monarchy.
But also what goes in our manifesto, particularly at local elections, is what people are voting on in 10 days time. And really, that’s looking at reducing their rents, reducing the cost of living.
The monarchy isn’t part of that conversation.
As a wider question, though, no, we don’t support the monarchy.
The Westminster Broadcasting Corporation
The BBC is supposed to be a corporation that broadcasts on behalf of Britain. Too often, however, the station gets locked into issues which are primarily of concern to the Westminster bubble.
Don’t get us wrong, we understand there are citizens who will vote in the local elections based on which party is or isn’t pro-Royal. We just also understand it’s the BBC‘s job to explain to these voters why that’s a boneheaded thing to do.
Featured image via X/ Saul Staniforth
By Willem Moore
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When I say I’m terrible at my new hobby (chess), I don’t mean I’m unfamiliar with classic openings or sometimes make a basic error.
I mean that I’ve done stuff even the most incompetent minds have never dreamed of. In a move I call the “Bechdel blunder,” I have mistakenly tried to checkmate my opponent’s queen instead of their king multiple times (the crowns confuse me!).
I have other hobbies: knitting, crochet, baking, drawing, reading, and sewing, to name a few. But I have never been this catastrophically bad at anything I’ve tried to pick up before, and I’ve never felt more stupid.
So why do I find the hobby uniquely relaxing? And why do I feel more confident, fulfilled, and engaged after being beaten at chess than I am after hobbies I’m way better at?
I spoke to BACP-approved therapists Nicola Vanlint and Janey Morrissey about why being truly terrible at a new hobby might be great for our brains.
Being a beginner may help your psychological flexibility
Vanlint told us that for a lot of adults, being a true beginner at something can leave you feeling vulnerable.
But “engaging in low-stakes, novel activities may foster psychological flexibility… and build resilience through repeated exposure to manageable discomfort,” she explained.
“When we allow ourselves to be imperfect in low-stakes environments, we teach the brain that mistakes are tolerable, discomfort is survivable, and self-worth does not need to depend on performance.”
Psychological flexibility was described in a 2010 paper as being a “fundamental aspect of health”, helping to improve our “potential to better tolerate and effectively use emotions, thoughts, and behaviour to extract the best possible outcomes in varying situations”.
For her part, Morrissey added, “Hobbies, leisure activities and learning new skills can act as a recovery from the stress of other areas of life.
“Doing something purely for joy and not for results can activate the parasympathetic system, which helps us to put the brain in a mode of play and rest, rather than obligation. This can really soothe the nervous system and support mental health.”
It could help to reduce perfectionism, too
2024 research linked perfectionism to worse mental well-being, while cognitive rigidity (not being psychologically flexible) appeared to be associated with an increased risk of mental distress.
So, while “For many adults, particularly high achievers, occupying the role of a beginner can evoke vulnerability due to perfectionistic standards and fear of evaluation,” Vanlint said, overcoming that discomfort can be really good for us.
Learning to cope with it can “reduce perfectionistic thinking” and “help individuals tolerate ‘good enough’ rather than striving for immediate mastery”.
Ultimately, she ended, “Being bad at something can be good for your mental health because it teaches you that enjoyment and self-worth do not have to be earned through achievement.
“When adults engage in activities purely for enjoyment rather than performance, it can reduce the psychological habit of tying self-worth to success and reinforce a more stable, compassionate sense of self.”
Foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Monday that the fuel, food and fertiliser fallout from the Strait of Hormuz closure will compound for months following the disruption.
Events in the Strait of Hormuz remind us that we’re in a new era of geoeconomics, where economic security must be at the top of our foreign policy agenda.
My words in @TheEconomist
https://t.co/mJtTk1n2uq
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) April 27, 2026
Yvette Cooper excludes key points in her column
In her op-ed, the Labour Together-endorsed candidate blamed Iran for the closure, erasing the US and Israel’s role in starting the illegal war on Iran. She also failed to mention the UK’s role in assisting Trump’s deranged war.
Her comments follow reports in the Mail on Sunday that food and pharmaceutical shortages could hit UK households within weeks due to the Strait of Hormuz disruption, and that the government was busy with the Starmer-Mandelson scandal.
Crippling fuel and medicine shortages could hit UK households within weeks ‘because No 10 is too distracted by Starmer’s leadership crisis to deal properly with Iran fallout’ https://t.co/3WFDSqQ28a
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) April 25, 2026
One government source involved in emergency contingency planning told the Mail on Sunday that airlines can only maintain their current level of consumption for another three weeks as their stockpiles dwindle.
Brits are already feeling the consequences
Data shows that the UK is already feeling the hit. Retail sales have collapsed at their steepest pace since records began in 1983, a devastating Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey revealed this week. The CBI’s monthly retail sales volume measure plunged to -68 in April, down from -52 in March, with 77% of firms reporting that sales were lower than a year ago.
UK retail sales tumble by most in over 40 years, CBI survey shows https://t.co/0ronseduN2 https://t.co/0ronseduN2 pic.twitter.com/XZH4S8aOT9
— Reuters UK (@ReutersUK) April 27, 2026
Meanwhile, civil society is mobilising. More than 50 organisations, including the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, Greenpeace and trade unions, have signed the Make Green Fair open letter, demanding the government guarantee every UK household a fair share of renewable energy benefits.
With energy prices surging again due to the war on Iran, campaigners warn that fuel poverty will deepen unless Ed Miliband acts now.
Miliband announced an “era of clean energy security” last week, promising to “significantly expand the pipeline of renewables”.
The Government’s measures to deal with the coming energy shocks are baby steps says Ruth of Fuel Poverty Action @FuelPovAction
@financialeyes pic.twitter.com/FxIHMJkJuk
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) April 27, 2026
Miliband’s promise is welcome as fossil fuel companies like BP are expected to enjoy “exceptional” profits from trading this quarter, while the rising prices are passed on to consumers.
Missing from both Cooper and Miliband’s framing, however, is the money flowing into the war itself — the very war that has led to this economic crisis and now threatens to trigger a severe economic fallout in the UK.
Early on Monday, data showed that European NATO countries’ military spending had rapidly increased in 2025. Without tackling the US-led aggression on West Asia, South America and elsewhere, how can these politicians expect us to believe they want to shield us from the fallout of the very instability they are encouraging?
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Politics
Trump ‘Honoured’ By Assassination Attempts After White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting
President Donald Trump quipped he was “honoured” by assassination attempts against him following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
During a press conference at the White House shortly after the shooting, Fox News’ senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy brought up a New York Post report that said that the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, assembled a “long” weapon at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
“Why do you think this keeps happening to you?” Doocy directly asked the president about the shooting.
“Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at the people — Abraham Lincoln — I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got ’em. But the people that do the most [and] the people that make the biggest impact are the ones that they go after,” Trump replied.
The president has faced at least five major security breaches and assassination attempts since 2024, according to LiveNOW from FOX.
“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way,” Trump continued. “And when you look at the people – whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, they were very impactful people. Just take a look at the names here. The big names, and I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but I’ve done a lot.”
Trump went on to say that there are many people who are “not happy” that his administration has “changed this country.”
“We’ve done a lot. We have taken this country and we were a laughingstock for years and now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he added. “We’ve changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer, Peter.”
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C, said the suspect was being charged with two counts: use of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
Pirro said that Allen would be arraigned on Monday in federal court at 1 pm local time.
Watch Trump’s response below. Skip to the 14:10 mark to hear the president’s remarks.
#money stability#financial#life
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