Officially, Andy Burnham is running to be the MP for Makerfield. Unofficially, he’s running to replace Keir Starmer as the prime minister.

The problem is we don’t have a good idea of how Burnham will govern in office; the other problem is the signs are pointing towards him being Starmer 2.0.

As a result of this, some of Labour’s left-leaning MPs are talking up the idea of a challenge. As we’ll get into, however, Burnham probably doesn’t have much to worry about.

Vanishing Manchesterism

The Times‘ assistant political editor Geri Scott has reported:

Left-wing MPs are considering standing a candidate against Andy Burnham in a future Labour leadership contest because of concerns the Greater Manchester mayor could abandon progressive positions to broaden his appeal.

We’ll be honest, it’s a bit late to be saying “could abandon” at this point. As we’ve reported:

• Burnham ‘to support’ Mahmood’s racist immigration changes;
• Burnham is silent on wealth taxes – not a promising sign from potential PM;
• Andy Burnham’s role with Iain Duncan Smith’s think tank just shows he’s more of the same;
• Burnham WON’T back proportional representation this parliament;
• Shapeshifting Burnham ditches trans rights to panic-grab Reform votes.

Scott added:

The Times has been told they do not want Burnham to be treated as the automatic standard-bearer for the left of the party.

Some MPs on the hard left have complained that Burnham has fallen in behind immigration reforms proposed by Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, and backed government guidance on single-sex spaces.

‘Hard left’ is full-on Communism, and there aren’t any Communists in the Labour Party. That aside, here’s what one of these anonymous politicians said:

A lot of us are increasingly frustrated that he’s being portrayed as the saviour of the left when he’s nothing of the sort. There have been discussions about whether we put up a candidate to try to force him into more progressive positions.

Another noted:

It will be difficult for the supposed supporters of Andy to back him for leader if he keeps offering something on a Monday then changing his mind on Tuesday. His immigration stance and the possible inclusion of Wes [Streeting] as his chancellor will be a problem.

These points are fair enough, but the Labour left does have a reputation for backing down. If they weren’t willing to compromise their beliefs, they wouldn’t be in the Labour Party.

There’s also this to consider:

Find this odd really. If the candidate is from the SCG wing of the party they simply wouldn’t have the numbers…?

No one from the soft left would stand against him so I don’t know why it’s being floated or why it’s being given air time? https://t.co/vVliPTpgW5

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— Matthew (@MatthewTorbitt) May 25, 2026

I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago (before Burnham had got a seat) for @NewStatesman. From my conversations the SCG was always planning to run a candidate – as they did in dep leadership – in order to push the main contenders from the left. But think there’s a clear… https://t.co/x93lIO19cr

— megan kenyon (@meganekenyon) May 25, 2026

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Mainstream

The Times reported that “mooted” candidates include:

Richard Burgon, the MP for Leeds East and a former Corbynite frontbencher. Other names include Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Olivia Blake and Clive Lewis.

As the outlet notes, however, none of these people have expressed any intention of standing. Another source said Labour MPs will actively repel any of the above, noting that the issue is:

not that someone like Burgon wins, it’s that the whole debate shifts on to his territory. If Andy is forced to spend six weeks talking about Gaza, then he comes out of it weaker and the party looks like it has learnt nothing.

Labour would only look like it’s learned nothing if it does in fact learn nothing. The solution to this is to learn from Keir Starmer’s mistakes, and to support a free and independent Palestine.

The Times also reported that:

members of Mainstream, the group seen as an incubator for Burnham’s Westminster ambitions, have become irritated with Tribune, the soft-left group whose members are part of Burnham’s campaign team. Some allies of Burnham have accused Tribune figures of “taking over” his campaign.

Clive Lewis is a member of Mainstream, and he’s previously served as one of Burnham’s biggest cheerleaders. Speaking in September 2025, Lewis said:

In this hollowing-out of govt, we face the danger of a politics so cowed by vested interests that it cannot stand up to them. And when that happens, it is the authoritarian right who reap the rewards.

People aren’t fooled. They can feel the country is being run for “them” not “us.” And unless Labour changes course – embracing pluralism, democracy and genuine debate – it will deliver power straight into Farage and Trump’s waiting hands.

Perhaps we’re in need of a bit of ‘Manchesterism’ – a different way of doing govt and one not afraid of giving control of public services to the very people that use and run them; Us!

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On 23 May, however, he reposted the following:

This is a very small sample but it's a very scary level of support for the far right and much closer than I was expecting. I would say this, obviously, but I really don't think Burnham's 'Oh, no, I didn't mean nationalisation – why would you think THAT?' is helping anything. https://t.co/6BZZCunPOx

— Jeremy Gilbert (@jemgilbert) May 23, 2026

If Lewis is making his thoughts clear online, it seems likely that Burnham isn’t listening to him offline.

Little opposition

According to Scott, another anonymous Labour insider said:

A candidate like that wouldn’t reach the threshold for nominations. Quite a lot of their colleagues have been out on the campaign trail over the weekend and seem very excited about the prospect of Andy.

If there is going to be serious opposition to Burnham’s flip-flopping, it’s not going to come from the Labour Party. We’re also not seeing much from the Greens. Let’s hope that changes with the announcement of their new candidate:

NEW: Sarah Wakefield is the Green Party candidate in the Makerfield by-election

She is a charity director and a Manchester City Councillor pic.twitter.com/PAEJGniwoM

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 26, 2026

Featured image via Ian Forsyth (Getty Images) / Leon Neal (Getty Images) / Peter Summers (Getty Images)

By Willem Moore

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Teaching assistants, residential workers, and other support staff at Ash Field Academy, a Leicester SEND school, completed their third day of strike action on Thursday 14 May. They’re demanding that Discovery Schools Academy Trust (DSAT), which runs the school, reinstates their trade union rep, Tom Barker.

DSAT suspended Barker from Ash Field on 30 October 2025. This was just four working days after the closure of a ballot in which UNISON members voted for strike action over staffing cuts. DSAT linked the suspension to unspecified conduct concerns.

Almost seven months on, DSAT has still produced no evidence to support any allegations against Barker. He remains suspended. Barker had led a successful campaign against DSAT’s attempt to cut around 10% of support staff.

Having completed three strike days, UNISON members have now decided to escalate their industrial action campaign. The union has given notice of further strike dates on (all dates inclusive):

• 3-5 June.
• 15-19 June.
• 6-9 July.

The reinstatement campaign, led by UNISON Leicester City, has received widespread support, including from Zarah Sultana MP and Andrea Egan, UNISON’s general secretary. Campaigners have initiated a TUC petition to demand Tom’s reinstatement.

On 30 April, the first day of strike action, Leicester South MP Shockat Adam attended the picket line. Adam said:

Workers’ rights don’t exist without action to defend them. I stand with those on strike against union busting and was proud to join the picket line in solidarity.

Louise Lewis, a teacher and a member of the national executive of the National Education Union, visited the picket line on Thursday 14 May. Speaking in a personal capacity, Lewis said:

Underfunding and privatisation – including the academy model for schools – have been extremely destructive for school staff, as well as our students, families, and our communities.

Strong trade unions are the most effective defence against attacks on public services. The picket lines I visited at Ash Field were extremely strong. I was proud to have attended.

UNISON members are rightly going to escalate the fight to stand against attacks on their right to organise. Some workers might be afraid of standing up to union-busting employers. This is understandable, but I want to send a message to these workers: you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by joining the pickets.

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Like Tom, while serving as a rep in my previous school, I was suspended after standing up for members and challenging management.

What I remember most is the solidarity. NEU members stood together, took strike action in my defence, and closed the school in support. That collective action forced governors to reinstate me, and although I was later dismissed, members continued to stand with me throughout a successful tribunal case.

Only by standing together against injustice can we challenge union-busting employers.

Liz Robinson, UNISON East Midlands regional organiser, said:

Based on the information we have available to us, and the discussions regional officers have had with the trust, we are increasingly certain that this investigation, and Tom’s suspension is related to his Trade Union role.

We understand that the school denies this. If they were to admit that this was motivated by Tom’s Trade Union activities they would be admitting to breaching employment law.

Andrea Egan, UNISON’s general secretary, said:

I stand in full support of Tom Barker who was wrongly suspended by Ash Field Academy in October 2025 following a successful industrial action ballot in opposition to cuts, which Tom played an instrumental role in securing.

If Tom is not reinstated we will have no hesitation in escalating this dispute.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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Global Sumud Flotilla activists are returning home. Many suffered IOF torture, beatings and sexual violence. The Canary spoke with British flotilla activist, Alice Chapman, who was abducted by Zionist Navy forces.

I joined the flotilla in Sicily, in Augusta, and from there we were sailing for about four days before we were intercepted — I think on night five. We were still in international waters, fairly close to Greek waters.

We’d had a warning that day. At that same geographic point, the previous flotilla in September had encountered boats carrying explosives.

From Barcelona to Italy, there’d been a lot of surveillance drones — presumably Israeli, though you can’t really tell. When we reached that position, a message came through:

Watch out — from here on, drones are unlikely to be surveillance drones anymore.

Everyone needed to be really alert on night watches. Then it was far worse than we’d anticipated.

Messages weren’t coming in about drones dropping explosives — they were coming in from people saying the IOF were boarding boats. We had Signal, radio, and livestream cameras on our vessels.

The livestreams went first, then the radios. After that, Signal was all we had.

Flotilla volunteers victim to Israel’s illegal interception

Our boat received warnings for about an hour and a half before we were intercepted. It was around midnight when they came aboard. They told us they would shoot if we didn’t comply. It wasn’t quite guns to heads but actions to that effect.

We were ordered to the front of the boat and to kneel with our hands up. Then we were brought back to the cockpit one by one, where we sat in two rows of three facing each other. They pulled the sail down between us so we couldn’t see one another, then took a knife and began slashing through it.

At that point, honestly, my mind went to the worst places. I thought I was going to be killed or that something horrific was happening to my crew on the other side of that sail. Thankfully, it didn’t.

We were then ordered — shoved, really, hands forced behind our backs — on to a speedboat. From the speedboat we were transferred to a massive warship.

Captive on an IOF warship

On the warship we were made to kneel with our hands behind our backs for around 20 minutes, then ordered to remove our extra layers until we were in t-shirts.

What followed was a series of random processes — dragged from one position to another, made to kneel, moved again. We were body searched. It became aggressive. Some people were beaten.

Then we were placed, one by one, into a kind of makeshift prison constructed from shipping containers on the deck.

We stayed there for two days with no food or water. They would pour water on us while we were trying to sleep — which, in some ways, felt more disturbing than outright violence. It was so deliberate, so psychological.

They conducted head counts where we were all made to kneel while they fired rounds — rubber bullets, but rubber bullets can kill. Stun grenades were thrown constantly.

I was woken on the second day to soldiers simply walking in and throwing grenades around the space. They also took people out individually to beat them inside the containers. We couldn’t see it, but we could hear everything. Then those people simply didn’t come back.

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Calling at ‘complicit’ Crete

On day two they told us we were arriving at Crete and would be getting off. We refused until we had proof of life for individuals who had been taken into solitary confinement — six in total, including Saif and Thiago.

The soldiers said they were already on land, and fine. We said we didn’t believe them, and we weren’t leaving until we saw them. Eventually, we held a group discussion among the 180 of us: anyone who wanted to leave could go, anyone who wanted to stay in solidarity with Saif and Thiago could stay. About half left.

Then soldiers told us: “This is your last chance. If you don’t leave now, you come with us to Israel”. We said, fine. That seemed to confuse them, and then the violence began again.

We sat peacefully — we weren’t being violent in any way — [but] they dragged people out one by one, beating them in the containers as they went.

I was the last person, or second to last, remaining. I was too frightened to lift my head to check if anyone was behind me. I thought, if there’s no one left in this room, these soldiers can do absolutely anything and there is no one to bear witness.

They came at me and told me to get up or they’d use force. I didn’t move. They said they would be very violent. I didn’t move. One said he would break my wrist. I still didn’t move. He picked me up and dragged me out, and in the container he punched me a few times. I was okay.

Aftermath of Zionist violence

We were then taken out and made to lie on the floor again. Many people were being beaten. I saw several whose trousers had been pulled down.

Then we were transferred to a Greek coast guard vessel and taken to Crete — dumped on a scrubland on the coast with no idea where we were. When we arrived, we realised Saïf and Thiago weren’t there.

Everyone just went to pieces. It was like a zombie apocalypse. People were covered in blood, starving, severely dehydrated, standing on this strange scrubland with no infrastructure. No phones, no money, no food, no water, and barely any clothes. What clothes we had were soaking wet.

Three buses eventually arrived: one medical, the others for us. We waited four or five hours before any left — even the medical bus, despite the fact that people had broken ribs, broken necks, and fractured skulls.

The Greek [authorities] spent all their time on bureaucracy, rather than treating it as the emergency it was. It became clear they were entirely complicit [and] following Israeli orders. Collecting us without question.

We spent about a week in Crete after that. It was a strange week — a lot of trauma, a lot to process. The local Palestine solidarity community was incredible. We were all staying in a squat in Heraklion and I felt such a sense of belonging. People came together and were so kind. It was exactly where I needed to be.

Focus on Palestinians’ suffering

At the end of the day, this is about the Palestinian people. What’s happened in the last couple of weeks has really highlighted the West’s double standards.

The way they respond when Palestinian people are abused, as opposed to when people from their own countries are abused. Not that there has been a massive response from Western governments — they’ve done next to nothing — but people are finally paying attention because Western people have been subject to Israeli torture.

This is what Palestinians have been going through for decades, but they do not have another country to go to. They do not have families to go back to. They do not have a passport to get them out of those situations. They do not have another government to, supposedly, hold to account.

They are stuck there for their whole lives, with absolutely nothing to fall back on. That is what needs to be changed. That is what needs support. The world needs to wake up to the fact that this is happening every single day to thousands of people no different from you or I.

Featured image via Global Sumud Flotilla

By Cameron Baillie

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Jack Osbourne has jumped to the defence of a new project recreating his later father Ozzy’s likeness using AI.

Last week, Jack and the rest of the Osbourne family announced plans to create a digital avatar based on the Black Sabbath frontman’s image in collaboration with tech companies Hyperreal and Proto Hologram.

Appearing at the advertising industry event Licensing Expo alongside his mum Sharon and sister Kelly, he enthused: “It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate. He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers.”

Jack continued: “Technology has come such a long way to where it’s almost drag and drop. You could shoot a template for a commercial [and] literally prompt what you want Digital Ozzy to do in that commercial and you just drop it in. It’s that simple now.”

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Sharon also noted that the family plan to take the digital avatar “all around the world”, allowing fans to have the opportunity to “talk to him and he will talk back”.

Meanwhile, Hyperreal also told Billboard last week these avatars would be popping up on interactive, life-size touchscreen devices at venues across both sides of the Atlantic.

However, with AI being such a contentious issue across creative industries, these announcements were met with criticism from some, which Jack addressed in a YouTube live-stream.

“It’s going to be so tasteful what we’re doing,” the former I’m A Celebrity campmate insisted (as reported by The Guardian). “It’s not gonna be fucking lame.”

He added: “This isn’t just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we’re gonna be working with, and it’s gonna feel very real, and it’s kind of wild how it will be utilised.”

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This isn’t the first time that digital recreations of Ozzy’s likeness have ruffled feathers, though.

Shortly after Ozzy’s death last year, Sir Rod Stewart raised eyebrows when he made use of an AI video in one of his live shows, depicting the rocker in heaven meeting Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, Freddie Mercury and Tina Turner, among others.

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Is there anything worse than a pan whose non-stick fails you after a few short years? Or buying a brand new pan and realising it’s not compatible with your hob?

As someone who’s experienced both, let me tell you: it’s not a situation you want to find yourself in.

As a kitchen essential, a great frying pan can make the difference between food that you want to feast on with your eyes as much as your mouth, and an undercooked, soggy mess.

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Too many times have I spent upwards of £100 on a new frying pan only for it to get scratched by the whisper of a utensil.

And I’m sick of it! If you’re anything like me, you’ll want a pan that is not only efficient to cook with, but enhances the flavour of your food, and is easy to wipe clean or chuck in the dishwasher.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your culinary prowess, or simply want a new pan to add to your collection, I’ve found the best frying pans available on the market right now.

What to consider when buying a frying pan

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• Hob: Not all pans are compatible with induction hobs, so you’ll need to check before buying
• Material: Different materials cook, well, differently. Stainless steel pans heat up more evenly than ceramic or non-stick, and can reach higher temperatures, making them more suitable for searing. But, similar to cast iron pans, require treating to make sure they’re non-stick.
  Ceramic pans are non-stick, which makes them great for cooking eggs.
• Size: You might want to buy a mixture of sizes for every purpose.
• Dishwasher-friendly: Some pans can be cleaned in the dishwasher, but most must be cleaned by hand. Make sure you check this before you buy a pan if you have a preference, and also before you chuck it in the machine.

Difference between non-stick, ceramic, stainless steel, and cast iron pans

Traditional non-stick

• Very easy to use, releases food
• Versatile
• Often cheaper than ceramic, stainless steel or cast iron pans

• Some brands use toxic chemicals in the coating, which when damaged can seep into your food. Research each brand before buying to avoid
• Scratched with metal utensils.

Ceramic

• Easy to clean
• Fewer chemicals than traditional non-stick
• Can use on high heats, heats up quickly
• Versatile
• Eco-friendly

• Hand wash only
• Might not be as durable as stainless steel pans.

Stainless steel

• Don’t contain chemicals like traditional non-stick
• Heats up quickly and evenly
• Durable, they often last for life
• Can be non-stick (but require treating)
• Lighter than cast iron
• Dishwasher-safe

• Takes work to figure out how much heat and fat is needed to make it non-stick.

Cast iron

• Retains heat well
• Non-stick when seasoned

• Heavy
• Needs to be seasoned to prevent rust and make it non-stick

How I chose the best frying pans

As someone who cooks every day, I’m always thinking about how well my frying pan is performing. I tested several of the frying pans on this list, thinking about what they were best for cooking, how much maintenance they required, how non-stick they were compared with what they claimed to be, their size, whether they were dishwasher friendly and whether they were induction hub friendly.

Those I didn’t test myself, I crowdsourced from friends, family, and colleagues. I also read through thousands of reviews to see which were the best rated against the above criteria.

The best frying pans to buy in 2026

Best ceramic coated stainless steel pan

For the best of both worlds, Hexclad pans blend stainless steel with ceramic coating for pans that can be used on a high heat and don’t require treating. Designed in collab with Gordon Ramsay himself, this frying pan can just as easily sear as it can be wiped down. As if by magic, its handle won’t heat up, while the body can withstand up to 480 degrees in the oven. Even better, it can be popped in the dishwasher when you’re done, and you won’t even need to treat it!

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Type: Stainless steel pan with ceramic coating
Size: 30cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: Yes

Best for every day use

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be suspicious of anything that comes across your Instagram feed. And I’ll admit, this all singing, all dancing pan does sound too good to be true, but after two years of using it I can confirm it’s my go-to for everyday cooking. Thanks to the ceramic coating, it’s supremely non-stick. After a couple of years there’s a slight decrease in it’s non-stickiness, but nothing that means I can’t cook eggs. As well as coming in a range of gorgeous colours, it has a ton of practical accessories like a lid, a spatula that slots onto that little nub on the handle, and a steaming basket for everything from pasta to making a set custard.

Type: Aluminium pan with non-stick ceramic coating
Size: 26.7cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: No

Best budget non-stick

My grandma swears by Tefal for cooking on the hob, and every time I’ve ever wanted a pan she’s bought me this one. It comes in at just £10, and is as non-stick as they come. While it scratches more easily than my Our Place one, the fact it’s such a budget option means I’ll always come back to it when I need a replacement.

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Type: Teflon non-stick
Size: 24.8cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: No

Best enamel-coated cast iron

If you’ve ever held a Le Creuset pot, you’ll have an idea of how study this pan is. Designed for sautéing, the cast iron base doesn’t require much heat to get things going, and it’ll sear everything from a hunk of protein to delicate greens perfectly. Although it has an enamel coating, it still needs to be seasoned, but eventually it will build up a non-stick resistance. That wooden handle will also make your life much easier by not burning your hands while you toss away.

Type: Enamel-coated cast iron
Size: 28cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: No

With over 1,000 five-star reviews, it’s clear why this pan is such a fan favourite. It’s forged, which means the base is intended to be extremely scratch-resistant, and will last longer than other pans. You’ll even get a 25-year guarantee to prove it. It can go in oven up to 260 degrees, making it ideal for broiling or grilling, but is also induction hob and dishwasher-friendly. Check all our boxes, why don’t you?

Type: Non-stick
Size: 22cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: Yes

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Best titanium pan

By some miracle, Our Place has found a way to make a titanium pan non-stick without toxic chemicals. Its NoCo nonstick interior is free from lead, PFAS, PFTE, and PFOA, and its titanium surface is 300 times more durable than stainless steel. Not only is it suitable for every kind of hob, but it can hold its own in up to 535 degree heat. To prove its excellence, Our Place is offering a lifetime guarantee on this pan. Yep, even after you put it in the dishwasher.

Type: Non-stick
Size: 31.6cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: Yes

Best small non-stick pan

When you’re cooking for one, it seems pointless to dirty a whole pan. When it’s dishwasher-safe, though, it’s another matter entirely. Perfectly sized for eggs or meals for one, this pan promises to be flake-free and five times more durable than regular non-stick pans. Thanks to the forged aluminium base, it heats up quickly and evenly, and it’s so non-stick you don’t need much oil or butter to start a meal off. Even more impressive is the fact it comes with a lifetime warranty, especially when it costs just £30 to begin with.

Type: Non-stick
Size: 20cm
Induction friendly: Yes
Dishwasher friendly: Yes

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Iran has slammed a new wave of US strikes in the besieged nation’s south. Meanwhile Donald Trump has demanded various countries normalise relations with Israel as a condition of ending his failed war. Yet several expert voices have said that the US has already lost the war, with Trump in no position to make demands.

Middle East Eye reported:

Iran’s foreign ministry accused the US of violating ceasefire agreement after Washington carried out strikes south of the country.

The ministry said:

Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any act of mischief unanswered and will not hesitate in defending the country’s integrity.

Drop Site News reported that Iranian sailors and fishermen were killed:

NEW: Iranian sailors and fishermen were killed today after U.S. forces struck vessels near Bandar Abbas, according to reports and images circulating on social media.

IRGC-linked Fars News reported explosions in Bandar Abbas and similar sounds near Sirik and Jask a few hours… https://t.co/gUl45sMQrh pic.twitter.com/b8yMO4IDEF

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) May 26, 2026

US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked – creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.

It is widely felt that Trump is groping for an off-ramp from his own war. Drop Site‘s Murtaza Hussein posted on X:

If Trump continues the war he will have to deal with an escalating global economic crisis with no clear victory or exit strategy. If he ends it however he will have to deal with backlash from the ruthless Israel Lobby that will continue inflicting political harm on him for the…

— Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) May 26, 2026

Iran holds the cards amid Trump’s desperation

Meanwhile, Middle East Eye editor David Hearst wrote that Iran “holds all the cards”:

however tortuous the path, and even if this deal fails and Trump decides to attack Iran for a third time, it is brutally clear that the US has just lost another war in the Middle East – its sixth in 25 years.

Iran has all the cards, chiefly the Strait of Hormuz, but also the deterrence its drones and missiles have achieved over its Gulf neighbours – and other cards still it has yet to play, like the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. Trump has none.

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Yet Trump has continued to make improbable demands more suited to a man who is winning. For example, he has insisted that a number of Middle East states sign the Abraham Accords. The Accords bind signatories into normalising relations with Israel.

Trump said:

After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.

Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!).

Pakistan, which is acting as peace broker between the US and Iran, has rejected the idea entirely. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, referring to Israel:

How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted.

We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us.

Trump seems to be oscillating between desperation and brazen posturing. The self-proclaimed ‘master of the deal’ seems to be completely incapable of finding such a thing. That is one thing on a reality TV boardroom. It is quite another when it is the lives of Iranian civilians are reduced to bargaining chips in Trump’s failed imperial adventure.

Featured image via Getty/Andrew Harnik

By Joe Glenton

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Nigel Farage’s desperate claim that a Russian hacker leaked his financial records to the Guardian is “without any merit”, according to Ciaran Martin, the founding chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Over the weekend of 23 May, Farage told the Mail that Reform-employed ‘counter-espionage experts’ found “sophisticated hallmarks” of “hostile state actors” behind the alleged data-security breach.

Farage is begging us not to look at the donation

The ‘Russian hack’ gambit was the Reform leader’s latest attempt at a distraction from his undeclared £5m ‘gift’ from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage originally claimed the gift was for ‘security’ before changing his tune, calling the money a ‘reward’ for his hard work campaigning for Brexit.

Whatever the purpose, Farage purchased, in cash, a £1.4m house mere months after Harborne’s kind gesture. In the same month he also put in applications to redevelop another Kent property. Likewise, later that year, Farage’s partner Laure Ferrari splashed £885,000 up front on a Clacton property.

Apparently, this was too much corruption even for the UK political establishment. The parliamentary standards commissioner has confirmed that they’re investigating Farage for a potential breach of the members’ code of conduct. Fingers crossed, this could even end up triggering a by-election in Clacton-on-Sea.

Understandably, given the potentially massive ramifications, Reform’s usually limelight-loving leader has been ducking interviews left, right, and centre. And then, of course, there’s his claim that he only started talking about the dodgy £5m because of a Russian hack.

‘The sophisticated hallmarks of a nation state actor’

On 23 May, Farage stated that counter-espionage experts in the employ of his party had uncovered signs that Moscow-linked hackers used spear phishing techniques to access his bank accounts, phone, and email. In the Mail, a Reform source claimed the alleged incident:

bore all the sophisticated hallmarks of a nation state actor using destabilisation techniques in the run-up to this month’s local elections.

You heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, folks. The Russians are using every tool at their disposal to stop Reform from taking control of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. If only Putin had known that he could just wait for the far-right party to take itself out.

According to Farage, just four people were even aware of the £5m gift. However, as the Canary’s Willem Moore reported, no one actually cares how the financial records leaked. Instead, people are very concerned with the fact that the far-right stooge has failed to provide any evidence for this alleged hack.

‘He’s not produced a shred of evidence’

Now, ex-NCSC chief Ciaran Martin has come forward to state that Farage’s wild claims would have massive repercussions for the UK’s policies regarding Russia. If, that is, any of the story were actually true. Martin explained that:

An aspiring prime minister has essentially claimed that Russia has launched an unprecedentedly aggressive intervention – a malicious intervention – in British politics, and he’s not produced a shred of evidence to support that claim.

He’s made a serious foreign policy and national security allegation which if true would have massive implications for British policy towards Russia.

It is a very, very serious thing to allege. It would be a national security issue. If it is true, the government should be in emergency session in COBR [Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms] right now considering their response to the most serious Russian intervention in internal British affairs for years.

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On the contrary, the Guardian reported its understanding that Farage hasn’t even bothered to ask for the NCSC’s help with his scary (and definitely 100% real) Russian hacker yet.

Russians ‘don’t leave a little flag’

Martin was also quick to call out the outlandish nature of Reform’s claim to have employed ‘counter-espionage experts’. Likewise, he also questioned how exactly they arrived at the conclusion that ‘Moscow did it’. Martin explained that the Russians “don’t leave a little flag on a device”:

To take one phone and say my phone, email and bank account has been hacked, and it’s got the imprint of the Russian state, that’s a hell of a technical leap to do that on the basis of a single device analysis. […]

You need detailed technical evidence, some of which is sometimes not even available to the private sector. That is why for an accusation of this magnitude the only right port of call is the British security services, and in this case, specifically the National Cyber Security Centre in GCHQ [Government Communications Headquarters].

Martin didn’t want to rule out the possibility of a hack completely. That’s probably fair, given that (like the rest of the country) he hasn’t seen any of Reform’s evidence yet. However, he was unequivocal on the point that Farage – if he is telling the truth – is making a pig’s ear of the incident:

What he has described would not just be hacking by Russia, but what we call a hack-and-leak operation, which is a different thing.

It is way more serious because it violates international norms, and it’s a direct intervention aimed at destabilising our democracy and our politics in a way that spying isn’t. […]

An aspiring prime minister should treat it with the utmost seriousness and cooperate fully with the National Cyber Security Centre and any other relevant authority; otherwise you should not make these accusations, because they’re way too serious to just be bandied around.

Lying, incompetent, or both?

So, let’s run through things, just to sum it up. Farage claimed that Russian agents hacked his accounts to leak his financial details to the Guardian. His party’s supposed counter-espionage experts, if they exist, are apparently working at a level beyond the private sector’s actual capabilities.

In spite of public pressure, the Reform leader has provided no evidence to back up his story. It’s a massive allegation against Russia, which could have lasting effects on UK foreign policy towards the Putin administration.

However, Farage is utterly failing to treat the incident with the magnitude it deserves – he hasn’t even gone to the government agency specifically set up to handle matters of national cyber-security.

That leaves us with a simple question: is Farage lying, incompetent, or both? Personally, the Canary’s money is on ‘both’. And this is the tosser who wants to be the next prime minister? You’re having a laugh.

Featured image via Getty/Toby Melville

By Alex/Rose Cocker

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