Politics
Matt Goodwin wants to tell young girls when to have children
As we’ve reported, the Reform candidate in Gorton & Denton is the academic and establishment-insider Matt Goodwin. Goodwin is now attracting controversy because he wants to tell young women when to breed:
Reform by-election candidate calls for ‘young girls’ to be given ‘biological reality’ check
Matt Goodwin argued ‘young girls’ should be explained ‘the biological reality’ that ‘many women in Britain are having children much too late in life’https://t.co/bz0y5apGEA
— Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 (@reformexposed) February 12, 2026
Lets be honest, this is creepy af from Matt Goodwin
Last week, Matt Goodwin stuck his foot in it when he suggested people who don’t have kids should be taxed more. As you can imagine, that went down like a lead balloon with infertile women. As Rachel Charlton-Dailey reported for the Canary:
I can’t imagine the pain that this would cause to those who are struggling with fertility. On top of the emotional and physical toll this puts on you will be financial pressures. For those of us who are infertile, it sends one message. You are not good enough and deserve to be punished for failing as a woman.
I had an elective hysterectomy in 2017 after over a decade of pain. I chose my own health over a condition that was making me want to die, for the sake of one day having a baby. Many would call my decision selfish, but I frankly don’t give a fuck what people who would rather I were in pain think of me.
As much as I loathe a Handmaid’s Tale comparison, this is very apt here. In the novel, working-class women who are infertile are cast out of society. As they have no purpose in a society that values families over all else.
Goodwin was also criticised for the following:
Reform’s by-election candidate suggested people who don’t have children should pay more tax.
He wants the govt to “remove personal income tax for women who have two or more children”.
Do they think women are baby producing machines?
Insane policies.https://t.co/KWmx5xfuXh
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) February 7, 2026
Fertility
Matt Goodwin has looked at the birth rate problem and decided that the solution is to lecture young girls on when to breed.
I myself have chosen not to have kids because of the absolute state of everything. I know for a fact I cannot afford a child, and even if I could, what fucking world would I be bringing them into?
And that’s the issue.
Reform’s policies will do nothing to improve affordability, and without that change, people won’t be able to afford to have children.
Reform also want to reintroduce the two child benefit cap to save people 4p per pint. Nothing screams stimulating breeding in the UK more than a policy that caps state support.
Nigel Farage has done a U-turn. He and reform will vote against the bill to lift the two-child cap.
In May 2025, he was calling for the lifting of the two-child benefit cap. pic.twitter.com/pAVcqmgoBu
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) January 7, 2026
Reform leader Nigel Farage has also voiced creepy opinions on this topic. Back in 2014, when Farage was ranting about how women who take maternity leave are less valuable, he commented:
Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten so many women pregnant over the years that I have a different view.
That gives this new push by Matt Goodwin an even creepier spin.
Support women, get more babies
It’s becoming very clear that Reform have no policies in place to actually stimulate population growth.
Rather than weirdly going into schools and telling young girls to procreate, why don’t they actually give them a reason to? Stop supporting the two child benefit cap – which is keeping so many kids in poverty – sort out public services, and fix the fucking education system.
But no, just creepy platitudes and uninformed comments from another Reform misogynist, Matt Goodwin.
Featured image via StockVault
Politics
Saturday Night Live UK: Jack Whitehall Confirmed As Latest Celebrity Host
Following the success of the first two episodes, fronted by Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan, the stand-up comic will present the fourth instalment of the live comedy variety show next month.
The Brit Awards host will be joined by Jorja Smith as his musical guest, who’ll be performing two songs over the course of the live broadcast.
Before that, though, Bait actor Riz Ahmed will be presenting episode three this coming weekend, with music from Kasabian.
Once Riz and Jack’s episodes are out of the way, SNL UK will be taking a one-week hiatus, after which it will return for the second half of the season, having recently had its runtime boosted from six instalments to eight.
Lorne Michaels, who created SNL in 1975, is also the UK show’s executive producer, working alongside a team of 20 writers and a resident troupe of 11 comedians, including Taskmaster alum Emma Sidi and Ania Magliano, Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun and TikTok fave Jack Shep.
Politics
Trump gets his way as UK gets more entangled with Iran war
Defence secretary John Healey has announced a major increase in troops and anti-aircraft weaponry to Saudi Arabia. The deployment entangles the UK even more deeply into the Donald Trump/US and Israel-led war. And it presents new targets for Iran.
Trump’s war
The US under Trump and 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 main achievement of the war so far has been to cause a global energy crisis after Iran predictably closed the straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel.
Healey was visiting Saudi Arabia on 31 March when the announcement was made:
The deployment follows a successful recce by a UK team, and the equipment and teams will deploy this week including radars, control node, and missile launchers and a Royal Artillery battery and battle space managers to operate the system. The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.
The new uplift includes the Sky Sabre air defence system. The press release also confirmed that:
Rapid Sentry – a ground-based air defence missile system – has arrived in Kuwait and the RAF’s ORCUS system is operating in the country, allowing personnel to detect drones early and take action.
Adding:
The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.
The UK’s multirole missile launcher is already in Bahrain.
UK pushes same dubious denials
Healey said:
Iran’s aggressive attacks continue to threaten our allies and interests in the Middle East. That’s why the UK has been flying defensive missions since day one of this conflict to protect British interests and allies – and today we’re delivering further support by extending our UK jets in Qatar and deploying extra air defence teams and systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.
I am proud of the courage and professionalism our Armed Forces have shown since the start of the war and my message to Gulf partners is: Britain’s best will help you defend your skies. I pay tribute to the heroic efforts of our partners across the Gulf in protecting their nations. We will stand by our long-term partners in the Middle East and continue to push for a swift resolution to this conflict.
The press release repeated the same inaccurate government talking point about the degree of UK involvement which has been pushed since the war began:
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will not be drawn into the wider war.
Contrary to Keir Starmer’s claims that the UK role is only defensive, the government has allowed US bombers to use its airbases at home and on the colonised Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia. The UK, whatever the government claims, is becoming more deeply entangled in this runaway war.
And regardless of what Keir Starmer and John Healey say, Iran will view new British military assets in the Gulf the same way that it views current ones: as legitimate targets in an existential war for survival.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
Trump Says UK Should ‘Just Take’ Oil From Strait Of Hormuz
Donald Trump has called on the UK to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz in a new social media post.
The US president has tried and failed to get western allies including the UK to support him in his offensive against Iran.
After the US-Israeli strikes last month, Iran’s forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which transports a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The subsequent squeeze on fuel has caused a significant economic shock – and Trump has been trying to force Iran to negotiate as the global cost of living rises.
Writing on TruthSocial, he said the UK should either buy jet fuel from the US or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait and just TAKE IT”.
He said: “You’ve have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
The UK government has insisted it is not concerned about oil shortages right now though there are worries about an energy crisis later in the year.
Trump’s attack on Britain comes after Keir Starmer refused US requests to use British military bases for premptive strikes on Iran last month, before allowing American troops to use UK sites for “limited and defensive” strikes.
The president also claimed: “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
Read Trump’s full TruthSocial post below:
All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT
The US president also lashed out at France, claiming it will not allow planes headed to Israel, “loaded with military supplies” fly over French land.
“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran’ who has been successfully eliminated! The USA will REMEMBER!” Trump wrote.
Politics
JP Morgan money strike sees Labour bow down to it
Banking giant JP Morgan has gone on a capital strike (withholding investment). Following this, Labour has been quick to offer an 100% discount on the bank’s business rates, spread out over “a period of years”.
At the same time, doctors have been on a workers’ strike for pay restoration and job security. It appears that, when it comes to workers, Labour suddenly find the will to say no.
The Capital party?
If ‘Labour’ rebranded as ‘Capital’, we probably wouldn’t consider it an April Fool’s Day joke. As well as JP Morgan, pharmaceutical giants have been demanding that the NHS pay them more, or they will withhold investment. Labour agreed to a 25% increase in payments for essential drugs in December 2025.
Meanwhile, resident doctors are asking for real-terms pay restoration to 2008 levels, at 21%. The government is offering a 7.1% increase partly because it disputes the doctors’ use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) to calculate inflation. Apparently, RPI is good enough for calculating increases in student debt, rent and corporate pricing. However, it isn’t sufficient for a doctor’s pay.
Another part of the dispute is specialist doctor posts in the NHS. The government is proposing to increase them from 1,000 to around 4,000. The thing is, the number of specialist applications is projected to exceed 40,000 this year.
Overall, the UK is low on doctors per 1,000 people at 3.2. Some of the highest per capita doctor levels are in Austria (5.48) and Germany (4.53).
48-hour deadline (not for JP Morgan, of course)
Labour has given resident doctors 48 hours to accept the deal. The British Medical Association (BMA) rejected the offer without putting it to a member vote.
The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, Dr Jack Fletcher, has said:
We’ve been willing and have been talking constructively for the last two months and at the very last minute the government has shifted the goalposts of the pay offer. I am very happy and willing to sit down and talk constructively once again.
He further responded to withholding a members vote on the pay and jobs offer:
We discussed this with our committee who are elected to represent our members. Their representatives have considered this offer. We don’t think it goes far enough on pay so we decided not to put this to our members.
While members should decide if they accept the offer, the government goes far too easy on capital like JP Morgan compared to workers. That’s an affront to how the Labour party was founded.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
What Is Gooning? Therapist Explains The New Trend Parents Should Question
Children chat about a lot of pretty odd stuff (remember Ballerina Cappuccina?) – however if you’ve heard them mention ‘gooning’ in conversation with their mates, or during gaming, it’s certainly worth pulling them up on it.
While you might consider ‘gooning’ as messing around or even goofing about (that’s what first came to my mind), per Mashable, it actually means “masturbating for a prolonged period of time, usually hours, without ever climaxing”.
In online spaces, it can also refer to zoning out as a result of intense sexual arousal, which Gabb (a company providing child-safe phones and tech) notes is “most often in the context of pornography”.
The issue is, if tweens and teens are using this terminology, chances are they are coming across pornography or inappropriate content online.
It’s not uncommon – over one-quarter (27%) of kids have come across pornography by age 11, according to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner.
While children shouldn’t be easily coming across porn due to stricter regulation as part of the Online Safety Act, they may still find ways to access it.
When talking about ‘gooning’ is a red flag
If your tween or teen is talking about gooning, even if it’s just joking with friends, it’s definitely worth asking them about it.
If they are getting involved in this activity, Fiona Yassin, a family psychotherapist, told HuffPost UK: “There’s a real neurodevelopmental risk here. During adolescence, the brain is still under construction – very much a work in progress – and when it’s repeatedly flooded with high-intensity sexual content, it drives spikes in dopamine that can create a pathway towards compulsive cycles.
“Over time, young people may need more and more intensity to achieve the same effect, which mirrors the mechanisms we see in other forms of addiction. That’s particularly concerning in a developing brain.”
Yassin, who is the founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, also warned that it can impact social development (zoning out in front of a screen might increase isolation, anxiety and low mood) and attachment, particularly as far as sexual relationships are concerned.
“This can disrupt the development of healthy attachment, increasing impulsivity, risk-taking, and a disregard for personal and relational safety,” she explained.
Teens who are exposed to this kind of content can also begin to develop unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, particularly as far as sex and relationships are concerned.
“It can encourage objectification, a sense of disposability in relationships, and a reduced capacity for genuine intimacy – building, sustaining, and nurturing connection,” said Yassin.
Ultimately, she warned, “it can shift how young people see others, which can lead to the oversexualisation of what would otherwise be non-sexual interactions”.
“That has wide-reaching implications for how they relate, connect, and develop into adulthood.”
Talk to your kids if they mention gooning
Some children might use the word without fully understanding where it comes from and the potential impact on others. So, the key here is to be curious about where they’ve heard the term and what they think it means – which can help steer your conversations going forward.
“Rather than reacting with frustration or alarm, the most effective starting point for parents is to stay calm and curious,” said Yassin.
“Parents may ask: ‘What does this word mean to you?’ or ‘What do you think someone else might hear or feel when that word is used?’. Like many aspects of child and adolescent mental health, this situation offers a valuable teaching and learning opportunity.”
If they do know the full meaning, the therapist urges parents to seize the opportunity for age-appropriate honesty. “Teens, in particular, are more likely to engage when they feel respected, rather than lectured,” she added.
“Parents can gently widen the conversation to the bigger picture, which might include the consequences of the word, how pornography can shape expectations, impact mental health, and, in some cases, lead to more compulsive patterns of behaviour.”
Action for Children has a few helpful pointers for talking to kids about porn, but ultimately it advises parents to reassure kids it’s OK to feel curious about sex, while also explaining that “porn is unrealistic” and it “can be harmful for them to watch it”.
Politics
Walking this way could be an early sign of Dementia
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Politics
Prunes: The Dried Fruit That Can Boost Your Health In Older Life
You probably already know that strength training and calcium can help to keep your bones healthy and strong as you age.
But some factors – like getting enough vitamin D, which helps to absorb calcium, and avoiding smoking, which raises your risk of osteoporosis and is linked to a 30-40% higher risk of broken hips – are less obvious.
And in one study, prunes, which are high in anti-inflammatory polyphenols and calcium-balancing vitamin K, appeared to preserve bone density and strength at weight-bearing parts of the hip for post-menopausal women.
What did the research show?
The researchers followed a group of 235 postmenopausal women, who are at greater risk of bone loss, over a year.
They told one group to eat 50g (about five to six prunes) a day during the trial, and another group to eat 100g a day. A third group didn’t eat any prunes at all.
Though both prune levels were beneficial, the first group (50g) were more likely to stick to the habit, which meant they tended to get better results.
Professor Mary Jane De Souza, the study’s lead author, said: “Consuming five to six prunes a day for 12 months resulted in preservation of bone at the hip, a finding that was observable at six months and persisted through month 12.”
Postmenopausal women who didn’t consume any prunes saw a 1.1% bone loss in the same time period, while for those in the study, it stayed the same.
That benefit could lead to fewer bone breaks.
It could have benefits for bone quality, too
The same group of women were part of another study looking at how prunes seemed to affect the structure and estimated strength of their tibia.
“This is the first randomised controlled trial to look at three-dimensional bone outcomes with respect to bone structure, geometry and estimated strength,” Professor De Souza said.
“In our study, we saw that daily prune consumption impacted factors related to fracture risk. That’s clinically invaluable.”
She added that prunes may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but more research is needed.
Politics
Hegseth: Iran "Regime Change Has Occurred"
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Politics
MP Critical Of Jury Trial Reforms Has Labour Whip Suspended
Labour MP Karl Turner has had the party whip suspended after rebelling against the government over its plans to scrap most jury trials.
It is understood the MP for Kingston upon Hull East was informed by the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds today that he had the whip suspended following his recent conduct.
This decision will be reviewed at a later date, HuffPost UK understands.
However the MP has suggested he was not told of the party’s decision before the media announced it.
Turner wrote on X: “I am being told that I have had the whip suspended but I have not had any notification from the whips about this. It seems journalists have been told but I have not.”
He issued a full statement hours later, saying he was “disappointed” to be suspended without prior verbal communication.
Ministers have been pushing to end jury trials in cases that carry a likely sentence of less than three years, which would instead be heard in front of a lone judge.
The government argues that this is needed to clear the huge backlog of cases within the system, but critics like Turner say jury trials are a fundamental right.
Turner also told HuffPost UK less than a fortnight ago that a “revolt” by the Parliamentary Labour Party is just weeks away unless Starmer turns around the government’s fortunes ahead of the May elections.
He voiced his support for former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner after she warned the government was “running out of time” to deliver the change voters were promised.
The MP said: “It is refreshing to see a senior Labour politician come out and speak clearly to the situation we find ourselves in.”
He claimed there is “a great deal of discontent on the Labour benches”.
Turner said he still supports the prime minister’s leadership but urged him to up his game as Labour trails in the polls.
And he said the elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and English councils on May 7 were D-Day for his premiership.
He said: “The PM needs to listen hard to what his PLP are saying. We cannot be treated with contempt.”
Meanwhile the Guardian reported that Turner’s suspension was related to an interview the MP gave to Jody McIntyre, a campaign who previously stood at the 2024 elections against Labour’s Jess Phillips.
Politics
Hegseth Open To Boots On The Ground
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