NewsBeat
GMB union facing institutional sexism and bullying complaint | Politics News
Former staffers and members of the GMB union have launched an official complaint to the equalities watchdog this week over allegations of institutional sexism and bullying, Sky News understands.
In the complaint, which Sky News has seen, the women allege that there is a “pattern of victimisation and harassment against women who speak out” about wrongdoing inside the Labour–backed union. They argue it could be a breach of GMB’s duties under the Equality Act.
GMB has struggled with these issues before. Four years ago, a damning report written by Karon Monaghan KC branded the union ‘institutionally sexist’ and, according to a number of women complaining to the EHRC this week, they insist the union hasn’t changed.
In Ms Monaghan’s initial report she described “bullying, misogyny, cronyism and sexual harassment” being rife inside the union and described the culture in GMB as “heavy drinking and late-night socialising, salacious gossip and a lack of professionalism”.
Last year, members in the Yorkshire and Humber region balloted to strike over complaints of bullying and harassment which have been staved off following the union’s concession to invite Ms Monaghan back inside the union to investigate.
But now, a group of around a dozen former and current GMB staff have written to the equalities watchdog to demand an external investigation.
One of those women, Cath Pinder, a former regional president in the GMB North East, said: “They cannot be allowed to police themselves. It’s really difficult to put your head above the parapet but when multiple people do it it shows an institutional problem.”
Regional GMB officer Cath says GMB should not be allowed to police themselves.
GMB represents about 630,000 workers in the UK and is one of the Labour party’s major funders which makes the union’s general secretary, Gary Smith, politically significant.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer gave the keynote speech at the GMB conference a year before the last general election and numerous cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, are members.
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GMB – which donates more than £1m to Labour every year – categorically denies claims of a culture of bullying or sexism within the union, and say Ms Pinder’s suspension was justified.
They say the union responded to the Karon Monaghan report and now have clear, comprehensive and transparent procedures to fully investigate and effectively deal with any allegation of bullying, sexism or harassment.
A GMB spokesperson said: “Such behaviour has no place in GMB and is not tolerated under any circumstances. We do not use non-disclosure agreements and staff leaving the organisation are asked to sign standard settlement agreements, similar to those used by virtually every organisation across the public and private sectors.”
For a union that prides itself on representing staff bullied or harassed in their own workplace, these women say they hope for that for GMB too – but they will have to take on their own union now to do it.
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Rachel Reeves plans for a “family farm tax” have suffered a major blow after the supermarket giant Tesco called on her to halt the policy.
In a highly unusual move, the retailer backed farmers in their fight against the inheritance tax raid, with its chief commercial officer warning the “UK’s future food security is at stake”.
In a double blow to the chancellor as she seeks to woo business investment to the UK at the World Economic Forum in Davos another huge supermarket, Lidl, also called on her to pause the policy.
Their calls mean Tesco, British agriculture’s biggest customer, and Lidl have now joined other major supermarket chains Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons in backing farmers.
Tesco’s chief commercial officer Ashwin Prasad said that ensuring farms remained economically sustainable was “essential” not just to food security but so customers “can continue to get the great quality food they want, at a price they can afford”.
The calls will increase pressure on Ms Reeves to U-turn on her controversial tax raid. The chancellor has faced a furious backlash to her Budget decision to extend inheritance tax to family farms, which critics warn could sound the death knell for family farms in England.
The changes mean that farms valued at £1m or more would be liable for 20 per cent inheritance tax.
The Treasury says that, with tax allowances, in reality only farms worth £3m would be affected, just 28 per cent of family farms. But official Defra figures appear to suggest as many as 66 per cent could be hit.
Thousands of farmers brought Westminster to a standstill in November when they descended on the capital to voice their opposition to the change.
Mr Prasad said: “One message is loud and clear: farmers desperately need more certainty. After years of policy change, it has been harder than ever for them to plan ahead or to invest in their farms.
“One current area of uncertainty is the proposed change to inheritance tax relief. With many smaller farms relying on APR (agricultural property relief) and BPR (business property relief) we fully understand their concerns.
“It’s why we’ll be supporting the NFU’s calls for a pause in the implementation of the policy, while a full consultation is carried out.”
Lidl said in a statement: “Providing security and long-term investment for British agriculture is key to helping ensure that farmers can continue to produce affordable and increasingly sustainable food for generations to come.
“We are concerned that the recent changes to the inheritance tax regime will impact farmer and grower confidence and hold back the investment needed to build a resilient, productive and sustainable British food system.
“We, therefore, support the call by the farming community to pause the implementation of those changes and to consult with industry to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. We will be raising our concerns with Government at any opportunity we get.”
On Friday, Asda also offered their public support for farmers by backing the NFU’s demand for a “pause” in implementing the changes. And earlier this month, Morrisons told farmers “we’re with you” in the fight.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed recently offered an apology for having “shocked” farmers with the Budget measures.
But he, and other cabinet minister, blame the tax raid on a £22billion ‘black hole’ in the public finances left by the previous Tory government.
Separately, a new report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) casts doubt on how much money the raid will raise. The expected revenue, £500m a year by 2029, has been given a ‘high’ uncertainty rating by the spending watchdog. Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins MP said ministers “still can’t tell us how many businesses will be affected.
“They have chosen to destroy British family farming for little return. The OBR is clear that it will be near impossible for older farmers to restructure their affairs quickly in response to this vindictive tax.
“Farmers up and down the country are worried sick about their families’ futures and Labour’s tax bills.”
Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said the report “confirms that the government’s misguided family farm tax is mired in problems and will penalise British farmers for practically no benefit.
“It is deeply concerning that older farmers will be hit hardest from this tax, with the rug pulled from under them before they can change their plans. And with tax revenue expected to be highly uncertain and unstable for two decades, the Chancellor’s excuses simply don’t stack up. The government must do the right thing and scrap the family farm tax before it’s too late.”
BBC News
BBC Turkish
A day of mourning is under way in Turkey for the 76 victims of a fire that engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in the country’s north-west.
The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there. It took 12 hours to put out.
An investigation has been launched into the incident and there have been conflicting reports about whether the hotel was up to safety standards.
Nine people have been arrested, including the hotel’s owner.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Bolu on Wednesday, said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire “will be held accountable”.
Flags are flying at half-mast across Turkey in memory of the victims of the fire, while the first funerals are being held.
Search and rescue teams are making their final efforts to find any remaining bodies.
The authorities said that they were assessing all risks, including the possibility of collapse, for the building.
Alongside the fatalities, 51 people were injured in the fire, according to health minister Kemal Memisoglu. One was receiving treatment in intensive care, and 17 people have been discharged. Relatives have been gathering outside the hospitals where they are being treated.
A person the BBC met in front of the morgue said that he had received news that seven of his relatives had died and that he had visited hospitals looking for their bodies. He later learned that the morgue was empty.
Footage circulating showed linen hanging from windows which was used by those trying to escape the burning building. On Wednesday, these could still be seen swaying in the wind.
The cause of the fire has not yet been found, but Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports suggested it had broken out in the restaurant section of the hotel’s fourth floor and spread to the floors above.
Aydin said the hotel’s remote location and freezing conditions meant it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive.
The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns regarding the hotel’s fire safety prior to Tuesday’s disaster.
However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that, according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguisher system was needed, and it appeared from photos of the hotel that one had not been installed.
It added that it was unclear if other regulations had been complied with, but based on the statements of survivors, “it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and the escape routes could not be determined”.
Some survivors reported that they had not heard any fire alarms.
The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and Turkey’s capital Ankara, which is roughly 170km (105 miles) away, and the hotel was operating at high occupancy at the start of the two-week school holidays.
Who are the victims?
InstagramInformation about those who died in the fire is continuing to emerge, although some of the bodies are still to be identified. At least two people were killed after they tried to jump to safety.
Many children and young people are among the dead and, in many cases, several members of the same family have been killed.
Turkish Airlines confirmed that Zehra Sena Gültekin died along with her husband, businessman Bilal Gültekin, and three children. Boğaziçi Executives Foundation said two of Bilal’s siblings were also killed.
These included Dr Enes Gültekin, who the Medical Union said had died, along with Izmir dentist Dr Kübra Tonguç Altın and his daughter Alya.
More than 10 members of the Gültekin family are thought to have died in total. President Erdogan and his wife attended the family’s funeral on Wednesday.
Dentist Dr Burak Hasar announced that his colleague of 15-years, Dr Yasemen Boncuk Tüzgiray, her husband Dr Erhan Tüzgiray, and their children Defne and Demir had all died.
The Turkish Wind Energy Association announced that two executives from one of its members, Inovat Energy Storage Solutions, were killed. They are the company’s CEO Can Tokcan, his brother Atıl Enis Tokcan, and their children Kemal and Atlas Kaan.
Tarsus American College announced the death of its graduates Mert Doğan, his wife Duygu, and their children Mavi and Doğa, as well as another graduate’s grandson Ömür Kotan.
The İELEV Schools association announced the death of students Pelin Güngör, her mother Burcu, father Kıvanç and brother Kerem.
Staff at the hotel were also killed, including chef Eslem Uyanik. Turkish media quoted Süleyman Nazik, who said his daughter, Esra Nazik, had died and had just started working there.
Özyeğin ÜniversitesiProf Dr Atakan Yalçın, who worked at the Özyeğin University Faculty of Business, and his daughter Elif Derin, both died.
Nedim Turkmen, a writer for Sozcu newspaper, his wife Ayse Neva, and their two children, 18-year-old Ala Dora and 22-year-old Yüce Ata, were all killed.
TED Istanbul College announced the death of students Alican Boduroğlu, his sister Elif Nas, as well as their mother Ebru.
Meanwhile, TED Ankara College shared the news of the death of Eren Bağcı on its social media accounts.
Dilara Ermanoglu, 24, was also among the victims, and her father who had gone to Bolu to look for her was treated by health workers for a heart attack.
Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer with Fenerbahce Sports Club in Istanbul, also died, along with her mother Ferda.
Club management also said that Ceren Yaman Doğan, the wife of the vice president of its Bolu association, and their 17-year-old daughter Lalin, were killed. Ceren was also the daughter of a well-known local businessman.
Mehmet Cem Doğan, the Bolu factory director for OYAK cement, died, as did his wife Ayşemin Elif and daughter Ayşe Maya.
The Turkish Neurology Association said its member, Dr Ahmet Çetiz, was killed alongside his family.
Başkent University published a condolence message regarding the death of its graduate Müge Suyolcu and her daughter Pera.
The death of intern doctor Yiğit Gençbay, a senior student at the university’s medicine department, was also announced.
The mother and grandfather of the British boy who went missing for six years will not face any criminal charges, police have said, after the family withdrew support for a prosecution.
Alex Batty was 11 when he disappeared in 2017 after travelling to Spain with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty, for a holiday.
They did not return, and Alex was reported missing a week later by his grandmother, Susan Caruana, who was his legal guardian while he was under the age of 18.
It began a police investigation that would span six years.
Alex was found when a medical student offered him a lift in the early hours of Wednesday after seeing him walking alone in heavy rain near southern France, about an hour from Toulouse.
Alex initially gave a fake name, saying he was called Zac, but quickly started opening up and told him he had been kidnapped by his mother when he was 11. The teenager revealed he had been hiking in the mountains for four days in an attempt to return home to England.
Alex Batty’s grandmother, Susan Caruana, pictured in 2017
He now lives in Greater Manchester, “surrounded by those who love him”, the police have said.
A criminal investigation was launched into his disappearance, but this has now been closed after Alex’s family withdrew support. After consulting various partners, Greater Manchester Police also concluded there would be no realistic chance of a prosecution.
He was 11 when he disappeared. Pic: GMP
What have the police said?
Detective Superintendent Matt Walker, who led the investigation said this was the outcome the family had wished for.
“Alex and his safety has been at the forefront of our minds and actions since he was found in Toulouse, France in 2023,” he said in a statement.
“In our commitment to protecting children, we felt it was important that the circumstances of Alex’s disappearance be properly and thoroughly investigated. I led a dedicated team to do exactly that when Alex was first found, and this has continued since.
Mother Melanie Batty did not have parental guardianship of Alex
“We have consulted with various partners, such as a complex case CPS lawyer and the National Crime Agency throughout, and concluded there would be no realistic chance of criminal prosecution.
“Given this, the right thing to do is bring closure to this chapter of Alex and his family’s lives, particularly as this is the outcome they wished for.
“Alex is now an adult, safe, and reintegrated with life back in Greater Manchester surrounded by those who love him, which ultimately is the priority.”
David Batty was previously wanted in connection with Alex’s abduction
Where did Alex Batty go for six years?
Alex told the man who found him he had lived in a luxury house in Spain with a group of 10 people as part of a “spiritual community” before moving to France in 2021.
Read more: What happened to Alex Batty?
The student said Alex did not seem angry – he said he had not been chained up – but wasn’t sure if he was allowed to leave at any time.
Views of the road in Toulouse where Alex Batty was found.
“He didn’t have regrets [about leaving the community]… he just wanted to live a normal life, to see his grandmother again and to have a normal future, that’s the word that he used,” the student, Fabien Accidini said.
Mr Accidini agreed to let Alex borrow his phone – which he used to send a Facebook message to his grandmother in the UK, saying “I love you, I want to come home”
GB News presenter Ellie Costello grilled Tory MP Matt Vickers over the Southport stabbings, highlighting multiple missed opportunities to prevent the tragedy.
“There were a number of failings, failings under your watch which you must be able to accept responsibility for”, Ellie fumed during the heated exchange.
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A Russian spy ship is being tracked by the Royal Navy after sailing through the English Channel, John Healey revealed on Wednesday, issuing a stark warning to Vladimir Putin that the government is watching Russian activity in UK waters.
“We see you”, the defence secretary warned, promising robust action to protect Britain.
The ship, Yantar, is currently in the North Sea having passed through British waters. Mr Healey said this is the second time the Russian spy vessel had entered UK waters in recent months, noting the ship was also closely watched in November.
“Let me be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”, the defence secretary warned.
In November, the government authorised a Royal Navy submarine to surface close to Yantar to “make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move”, Mr Healey said.
Addressing the House of Commons on Wednesday, he said: “Yantar entered the UK exclusive economic zone about 45 miles off the British coast on Monday. For the last two days the Royal Navy has deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to monitor the vessel every minute through our waters.
“I changed the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement so that our warships can get closer and better track the Yantar. So far, the ship has complied with international rules of navigation.”
Referring to the incident in November, Mr Healey said: “It was detected loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure. To deter any potential threat, I took measured steps then as part of a clear direct response to the Russian vessel.
“RAF maritime patrol aircraft alongside HMS Cattistock, HMS Tyne and RFA Proteus were deployed to shadow Yantar’s every movement.
“Today, I also wanted to confirm to the House that I authorised a Royal Navy submarine, strictly as a deterrent measure, to surface close to Yantar to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move. The ship then left UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean.”
He added: “I also wanted President Putin to hear this message: we see you, we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”
Mr Healey told the Commons that Russia is the biggest external threat to Britain, warning that aggression from Putin “will not be tolerated at home or in Ukraine”.
The defence secretary said Russia was “dangerous but fundamentally weak”, as he referenced the casualties the country had suffered during the war in Ukraine and its decision to draft in troops from North Korea.
“Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat to Britain, and I want to assure the House and the British people that any threat will be met with strength and resolve.”
Mr Healey said P8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint aircraft would join the Nato operation to protect undersea cabling in the Baltic Sea. RFA Proteus has also been deployed to monitor “offshore infrastructure”.
He added: “Russian aggression will not be tolerated at home or in Ukraine. It’s why one of the first acts of this Government was for the Prime Minister to launch the strategic defence review. It’s why the government has increased defence spending next year by almost £3bn and why we will set a path to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP in the spring.
“This new era of the threat demands a new era for defence. Change is essential, not optional, and the government is determined to meet the challenge, determined to deliver for defence.
“We will protect the homeland and our critical national infrastructure, and we will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
His remarks come a week after Sir Keir Starmer declared Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a “monumental strategic failure”, as he travelled to Kyiv to sign a new long-term partnership deal with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The prime minister visited Ukraine for the first time since entering No 10 just days before Donald Trump returned to the White House, potentially signalling a shift in US support for Ukraine’s war effort in favour of a push for a peace deal.
The UK and Ukraine signed a 100-year partnership, which includes defence and scientific collaboration but will also forge new community links between the UK and Ukraine.Sir Keir said the agreement, which will bolster military collaboration on maritime security and will bring together experts in areas including drone technology, showed Putin’s attempts to pull Ukraine away from the West had backfired.
Responding to the defence secretary’s statement, his opposite number James Cartlidge said the Conservative party stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Labour over their approach, welcoming the government’s openness over how it was tackling the Russian naval threat.
“We welcome that transparency because it is critical for our war readiness … that as far as we are able, and without compromising our national security and operational security, we tell the British public the truth about the serious nature of the Russian threat and what that will inevitably mean for public expenditure on defence”, he said.
Political reporter
Defence correspondent
Ministry of DefenceThe Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy ship after it entered British waters earlier this week, the defence secretary has told MPs.
John Healey said the vessel, Yantar, was used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.
He said the incident was “another example of growing Russian aggression”.
Healey added: “I also wanted President Putin to hear this message: we see you, we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”
Russia describes Yantar as an oceanic research vessel and it is operated by the country’s Ministry of Defence.
Western nations have often tracked the ship operating in European waters and they suspect part of its mission has been to map undersea cables.
They also believe Russia has been stepping up this activity since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As well as surveillance equipment the ship can operate submersible drones capable of reaching the ocean floor.
Undersea infrastructure is crucial for energy supply through power cables and pipelines, while more than 95% of internet traffic is also secured via undersea cables.
Healey said Yantar was currently in the North Sea, after passing through UK waters and being detected 45 miles off the British coast in the English Channel on Monday.
“For the last two days the Royal Navy has deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to monitor the vessel every minute through our waters,” he said.
“I changed the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement so that our warships can get closer and better track the Yantar. So far, the ship has complied with international rules of navigation.”
The defence secretary said it was the second time the vessel had entered British waters in recent months, with Yantar also detected “loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure” in November.
He said a Royal Navy submarine had been authorised to surface close to Yantar “strictly as a deterrent measure” and “to make clear that we have been covertly monitoring its every move”.
“The ship then left UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean,” he added.
Healey said the government was strengthening its response to Russian naval activity with its Nato allies.
He said the Royal Air Force would provide surveillance aircraft to join a Nato deployment to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
It comes after an undersea cable between Estonia and Finland was damaged in December, with Finnish police investigating whether a Russian ship was involved.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the Conservative Party stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the government’s approach and its “transparency” over the Russian naval threat.
He also welcomed the change to the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement, adding: “This sends a powerful signal to Putin that we will not be intimidated and that if his aim is to keep pushing the boundaries of malign activity in our waters, and those proximate to us, we will respond.”
Cartlidge said the Russian activity showed why defence spending needed to be increased as soon as possible.
NewsBeat
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana researched car bombs, detonators and nitric acid amid fixation with violence
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Southport killer Axel Rudakubana is understood to have researched car bombs, detonators and nitric acid as his fascination with violence flourished unchecked online.
Searches of his devices have revealed an obsession with massacres, torture and a wide range of brutal conflicts, including the genocide in Rwanda, where his parents are from.
Written material discovered by police after his knife rampage, which saw three girls murdered, also reportedly included documents on Nazi Germany, clan cleansing in Somalia, an uprising in Kenya and a treatise on combat in Chechnya.
The 18-year-old is also believed to have had a cache of weapons stashed at his home, including a machete, scabbard, arrows, castor beans and a 20cm kitchen knife identical to one used in the rampage.
Before he left in a taxi to launch his attack on unsuspecting children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Merseyside on 29 July last year, it is understood he searched social media for the Mar Mari Emmanuel stabbing, when a bishop and five others were attacked in a Sydney church in April 2024.
Officers also discovered a Tupperware container under his bed containing an unknown substance, which was later found to be homemade biological toxin ricin.
One PDF file entitled “Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual” resulted in him being charged with a terror offence.
Although the documents show a clear fascination with extreme violence, the attack has not been classed as terrorism because police can find no evidence he subscribed to any particular ideology or religion.
Details of his fixation emerged after the prime minister, who has announced a public inquiry into the atrocity, warned Britain is facing a new threat from “young men in their bedrooms” accessing radical materials online.
Laying the groundwork for an overhaul of terrorism laws to guard against the new threat of “loners and misfits” driven to acts of extreme violence, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Terrorism has changed. In the past, the predominant threat was highly organised groups with clear political intent. Groups like al-Qaeda.
“That threat of course remains. But now, alongside that we also see acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom, accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety.”
However security experts have warned against expanding terror laws to encompass atrocities carried out by lone attackers.
Neil Basu, a former national head of counter-terrorism, told LBC it would be a “mistake” to label something as “terrorism if it is not terrorism”, as this could lead some to seek out a “day of infamy”.
He added: “I would be wary of expanding terrorism law to cover lone actors… that isn’t what terrorism law is about, but it would be for politicians to debate whether the law needs to be expanded.”
Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and senior Home Office official, meanwhile told The Times newspaper that people “who are mobilised by hatred and contempt for others into committing lone wolf attacks” have been “with us for years”.
The government has also promised to crack down on online retailers after it emerged the then 17-year-old Rudakubana purchased his weapon on Amazon.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs it is a “total disgrace” that Rudakubana, who had admitted to carrying a knife ten times, was able to buy a weapon online and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.
Writing in The Sun, Sir Keir said: “It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives. The lessons of this case could not be clearer.
“Time and again, as a child, the Southport murderer carried knives. Time and again, he showed clear intent to use them.
“And yet, tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off of the internet without any checks or barriers. A two-click killer. This cannot continue.”
Rudakubana pleaded guilty on Monday to 16 offences, including three counts of murder, ten of attempted murder, producing the deadly poison ricin and possession of a document which contained al-Qaeda training material.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; died following the attack at the dance class in The Hart Space.
He is due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.
Politics
Daughter of Sir David Amess hits out at Prevent scheme following Rudakubana revelations: ‘They failed me!’
The daughter of late MP Sir David Amess has revealed that she “begged and pleaded” for an inquiry into her father’s murder, as she highlighted the “failures” of the Home Office and the Prevent programme.
The Labour Government has announced an inquiry into the Southport attack of July 2024, after it was revealed that killer Axel Rudakubana, 18, was referred to the Government’s anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times, but no intervention was made.
Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up to $5,000 (£4,040) to popular creators in the United States who join Facebook and Instagram.
It says those joining from “third-party social apps” will get cash based on “an evaluation of your social presence”.
Though it does not mention TikTok by name, the timing would suggest Meta is attempting to capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding its rival, as questions swirl about whether President Trump can find a way of preserving it for US users.
TikTok says it has 170 million users in the US – with many of them relying on it for their livelihoods – meaning lots of people would be seeking an alternative place to post if the platform disappeared.
Meta says on its website that those accepted into the so-called “Breakthrough bonus programme” will be paid the money during their first 90 days on the app, so long as they post regularly.
Users must post at least 20 reels on Facebook and 10 reels on Instagram – Meta’s version of vertical TikTok videos – during each 30-day period.
It also dictates that these must be original videos, rather than those previously shared on other platforms.
But not everyone can join – the cash will only be available to those people who are completely new to either Facebook or Instagram.
And the firm will seemingly decide who to accept on a case-by-case basis, as people must apply to be accepted onto the programme.
It is also offering other perks, such as a free subscription to its blue check verification system.
This is not the first move by Meta to go after ByteDance’s users.
On Sunday, the firm announced Edits, an app strikingly similar to ByteDance’s CapCut – a video editing app which went offline when the ByteDance ban took effect that same day.
And two days earlier, Meta posted a video in which two creators discussed Facebook’s “new affiliate link experience for your shoppable content” – in other words Meta’s attempt to build its own version of the highly successful TikTok Shop.
In the new system, Meta users will be able to add prominent affiliate links directly on their videos – rather than in the comments – exactly how it works on TikTok.
But that’s not all the changes Meta has made – and perhaps the most visually significant is a direct change to how Instagram looks.
Rather than posts and videos being square on user profiles, they are now rectangular – again, clearly taking inspiration from TikTok.
This has led to some backlash from creators frustrated that their profiles now look different, and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said he was aware of the criticisms.
“One of the mistakes I made was not giving people enough of a heads up,” he said in a post on Threads – a platform which was itself launched by Meta in attempt to capitalise on the turbulence at Twitter, now X.
NewsBeat
Victims let down 'time and time again', domestic abuse commissioner warns after damning report
Victims of domestic abuse are being failed by a criminal justice system that is not up to the job, a damning report by the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales has said.
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