The BBC is facing a backlash after a message in support of Palestine during one of this year’s Baftas acceptance speeches was removed from broadcast.

On Sunday night, brothers Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr. picked up the Bafta in the Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer prize for their work on the film My Father’s Shadow.

After celebrating their fellow nominees and thanking their collaborators on their film, Akinola gave a shout-out to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children”, “the economic migrant”, “the conflict migrant”, “those under occupation, dictatorship [and] persecution” and “those experiencing genocide”.

“Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home,” he said. “Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever.”

Akinola concluded: “For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine.”

However, the BBC – who airs the Baftas ceremony on a two-hour time delay – chose not to include this last section of Akinola’s speech, which has since been uploaded to Bafta’s YouTube page in full.

The decision for the BBC not to feature the political parts of Akinola’s speech has been met with a widespread backlash, particularly as a racist slur uttered by Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson as part of a tic during a speech by Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo aired uncensored.

A BBC spokesperson told Deadline: “The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time.”

HuffPost UK has contacted the BBC for additional comment on the backlash over its editorial decision.

Take a look at our full list of winners from the 2026 Baftas here.

Martin Lewis clashed with Kemi Badenoch on live TV over her plan to help graduates struggling to pay back their student loans.

The Tory leader has said her party would freeze the interest rates currently being charged in an attempt to bring down repayments.

But appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Badenoch was challenged by Lewis, the programme’s resident financial expert.

As presenters Ed Balls and Susanna Reid looked on, Lewis walked onto the set to confront the Tory chief directly.

He told her: “If you want to help the middle-earning students, the most important thing is the repayment threshold should have been increased.”

That was a reference to chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial decision in last year’s Budget to freeze the threshold, thereby dragging more graduates into the punishing repayment scheme.

Badenoch hit back: “Martin, this is exactly why young people are suffering.

“We’ve got lots of people who have finished university, where they didn’t have to pay fees, didn’t have to take out loans, and now you’re all saying nothing can be done.

“I’m the first person who’s even tried to solve this problem.”

Lewis interrupted her to say: “Shall we have a chat about it because I think you’ve got the right idea, but this is not a solution that will help middle and lower earning students.”

As Ed Balls then asked whether a middle earning graduate would benefit from the Tory plan, Badenoch said: “You’re both talking over me – excuse me. Let me explain what my policy is.

“I want to make sure that those young people who are paying and paying and their debt is not going down get a relief. If you think there’s a better offer, let’s look at it.

“But what’s made the difference now is that in her Budget, Rachel Reeves increased the number of people getting in because the threshold has been frozen. I don’t think this is fair.

“The whole student loan system is not working properly, someone has to do something. And the thing that shocks me is the minute I say ‘let’s do something’, everyone says ‘oh no no no, this in not right’. We are going round in circles.”

But Lewis told her: “If you have a billion pounds to help students, the most direct thing that would help all students would be not freezing the repayment threshold, it would be increasing the repayment threshold.”

Later in the interview, the Tory leader said: “What is the problem now is that any time someone says ‘well let’s look at this, there’s always someone – sometimes it’s Martin – who says ‘oh that’s a terrible idea’ and then nothing happens.

“Nothing is happening. No one is helping these people and I’m coming out with some ideas and with some solutions.”

FBI Director Kash Patel is facing a backlash for reportedly using an FBI jet to head to Italy where he spent the final days of the Winter Olympics watching hockey and, later, celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win over Canada on Sunday.

Patel, a hockey fan since his childhood, was spotted at the US men’s semifinal game against Slovakia, and later at the final, where he was seen celebrating with Team USA centre Dylan Larkin in the locker room after America’s overtime win.

“Congratulations Team USA,” Patel appeared to say while making a shaka sign with his hand during Larkin’s post-game Instagram Live feed, per a clip shared by MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian.

On Sunday, he took to social media to remark on Team USA’s golden accomplishment. The conspiracy-pushing FBI director also shared snaps from the post-game celebration, including one that shows him cracking a smile alongside coach Mike Sullivan.

Social media users swiftly slammed Patel over the trip, with a number particularly pointing to the Justice Department’s controversial, slow drip release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

“Are the Epstein files there?” X user Gerald Celente questioned.

Another user, Hannah Cox, reacted to Patel’s Instagram Live selfie with Larkin, simply writing, “Meanwhile, solving no sex crimes mind you.”

“Why is Kash Patel in the locker room?” asked @AmanitaFugax on X. “They don’t even try to hide their corruption and self enrichment anymore. This guy is a podcasting grifter. He should not be anywhere near public service.”

On Thursday, Patel headed to the Milan Cortina Games on the FBI’s Gulfstream jet, sources told MS NOW’s Dilanian and Carol Leonnig. The report estimated that Patel’s trip to Milan cost taxpayers as much as $75,000.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson confirmed the trip but argued it was “personal” in nature, claiming it was planned months in advance, and Patel was there to meet with Italian officials for meetings and briefings related to government duties.

Williamson went on to defend the trip by claiming that the FBI plays a “major role” in security for the Games as well as the World Cup, which is set to go down this summer in the States.

“So we have a U.S. consulate briefing on Olympic security and current FBI posture, as well as thanking FBI personnel on the ground,” he wrote.

Patel has previously come under fire for using an FBI jet to go see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania last year.

He later defended the move, arguing that he’s not allowed to fly commercial and declaring that his partner is “a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes.”

Patel is the first known active FBI director to make an Olympic-related trip since Robert Mueller did so in 2003, although that trip occurred several months prior to the start of the 2004 Athens Games, MSNBC noted.

Boris Johnson has been accused of “attention seeking” after calling for British troops to go to Ukraine immediately.

Speaking shortly before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the former prime minister said the west was only giving Ukraine enough to stop them from losing, not enough to help them win.

“I think we need to show we’re willing to give the Ukrainians the military support,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg – and that means deploying non-combat troops now.

“If we can have a plan for boots on the ground for after the war, after Putin has condescended to have a ceasefire, why not do it now?” Johnson said, alluding to Keir Starmer’s promise to deploy British peace-keeping soldiers in the event of a ceasefire.

“Just make this point that it is up to the Ukrainians. These people wouldn’t be there in a war-fighting capacity,” the ex-PM added.

But his comments fell flat with the show’s panellists, as the Independent’s editor Geordie Greig said: “I think his comments are reckless and irresponsible.

“It’s typical of the attention-seeking stance which he’s become known for.

“To have unarmed British troops in Ukraine… they would be sitting ducks.

“Putin has shown he can attack almost anywhere in Ukraine. The idea that Johnson can flip a switch in Putin’s mind is laughable.”

He said the former Conservative PM should try to speak to Donald Trump instead, and encourage the US president to support Ukraine instead of falsely blaming the country for the lack of progress in peace talks.

Johnson also used his BBC interview to claim that the west “should have done more” to stand up to Putin and deter his invasion back in 2022.

Johnson, who was the prime minister at the time, said: “The real problem is with Ukraine is that Putin does not believe, or he has not yet been convinced, that the west regards it as an overwhelming strategic objective for Ukraine to be a free and independent European country.”

He also took aim at the White House saying there is a “delusion” in the US if they believe Putin wants peace – and claimed he had shared that sentiment with Trump.

“We won’t end this war by asking the Ukrainians to make further concessions,” he said, alluding to the US’s insistence that Ukraine must give up more land to achieve a ceasefire.

The drag world is in mourning following the death of the Australian performer Maxi Shield.

Internationally, Maxi – the drag alter-ego of Kristopher Elliot – will be best known to RuPaul’s Drag Race fans for her appearance on the inaugural season of the reality show’s Down Under iteration, where she finished in sixth place.

Last year, she shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer, with her death at the age of 51 being announced on Sunday evening.

A post on the company of the Australian company Wigs By Vanity read: “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our dearest sister, Maxine, has passed away.

“We are all mourning the loss of an incredible icon, friend, and our beloved sister. Thank you for the laughs, the cackles, and the magic you brought into our lives.”

Season one winner Kita Mean was among those paying tribute, remembering Maxi as “the kindest queen that has ever been” and celebrating her “love for drag”, “wicked sense of humour” and “giving spirit”.

“There will forever be a void in my heavy heart where your fabulousness hit me like a tonne of bricks,” Kita said. “Your strength over the last few months has been incomprehensible and I will go forward with such pride in my heart knowing I was friends with the best sister in the business.

“I love you so much… may your spirit rest in peace.”

Fellow competitor Anita Wigl’it also wrote: “I am very saddened to hear that our beloved Maxi Shield has passed on. You have been an absolute delight of a friend and sister.

“I’ll remember you for so many things; cackling about our friends, plotting the wonderful things that we are going to do in our careers, your support, constantly laughing, your wonderful stories, talking about men, the time you dressed as Penguin, the love you have for everyone. I love you my friend.”

Maxi was a prolific figure on the Australian drag scene, and was notably among the performers at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

She was also a regular fixture at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations each year, and played a lead role in the 2023 comedy The Winner Takes It All.

California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of flailing after he admonished the US Supreme Court for striking down his sweeping tariffs last week.

On Friday, the court ruled Trump didn’t have the emergency power to impose the sweeping tariffs, prompting him to sign an executive order on Friday night stating he could bypass Congress and impose a 10% tax on global imports.

Then on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was raising the global tariff to 15%.

“Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday, after MANY months of contemplation, by the United States Supreme Court, please let this statement serve to represent that I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been “ripping” the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Trump wrote.

“The whole thing is a farce,” Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview that aired Sunday. “I talk about petulance. It was 10% two days ago, maybe 20% tomorrow. I mean, this is madness.”

Newsom also said Trump was flailing.

“He’s a punch-drunk boxer,” Newsom said. “He’s just trying to hit anything, a shadow, and he’s a shadow of himself. He’s lost a step or two.”

Newsom said Trump’s tariffs were ”always an illegal act,” and that he needs to return the money.

“He needs to refund that money with interest,” Newsom said. “He could do that in a nanosecond. They could do that electronically.”

Newsom then likened Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to the 1994 screwball comedy “Dumb & Dumber,” and said the pair had “wrecked this economy.”

“[Trump’s] entire economic paradigm is mass deportations, tax cuts for billionaires and tariffs. And he’s been exposed. He’s a fraud. And by the way, the tariff? This is a self-dealing operation. This is about his personal portfolio,” Newsome added.

Watch a clip from Newsom’s “State of the Union” interview below.