Politics
Sarah Ingham: Is the Iran campaign of 2026, Kosovo 1999 v2.0?
Dr Sarah Ingham is the author of The Military Covenant: its impact on civil-military relations in Britain.
A war of choice, fought from the air, of contested legality but undoubted legitimacy. A successful military mission, highlighting the utility of force. A United States-led conflict, avoiding boots on the ground, intending to effect political change from 30,000 feet.
Is Iran 2026, Kosovo 1999 2.0?
The bloody century’s brief, last war underlines the fluidity of international law. Many of the 1.6million people living in Kosovo today are grateful that Britain and NATO intervened decisively on their behalf, as lawyers quibbled from the sidelines.
The Kosovo war had its roots in the post-Cold War break-up of Yugoslavia, which had resulted in four years of ethnic conflict, primarily between rival factions in Bosnia. The impotence of the United Nations-led peacekeeping effort was underscored by ethnic cleansing on Western Europe’s doorstep, the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica. It came a year after the genocide in Rwanda, in which 800,000 died.
This week the current can’t do Labour Prime Minister has consigned Britain and the Armed Forces to being bystanders. What a sorry contrast to another Labour PM who believed in Britain taking a global lead.
Tony Blair was clear that Britain’s Armed Forces should be deployed on humanitarian grounds; “saving strangers”, as one commentator described it. From 1997, British foreign policy, along with the national interest, would also include an ethical dimension. Blair stated traditional foreign policy was “flawed and out of date”.
In a speech on the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the Defence Secretary George Robertson confirmed Britain’s military would not only be more mobile, better manned, better supported and equipped, but “better able to act as a force for good in the world.” This would be tested months later in Kosovo.
In 1998, tensions grew between Serbia and Kosovo, its semi-autonomous enclave with a majority ethnic Albanian population. Violence escalated between Serb militias and the Kosovo Liberation Front, reflecting by the January 1999 Račak massacre in which 45 civilians were executed. Fearing ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands of Kosovars fled their homes.
Blair demanded a military intervention to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and “set about trying to build a consensus for action”. He argued that the Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic would continue to act with impunity because of the previous failure of will by the West to intervene in Bosnia.
Unable to build a coalition to commit ground troops, Blair persuaded the Clinton administration and many European leaders to back an air campaign.
NATO’s Operation Allied Force began on 29 March 1999. By then, an estimated 350,000 Kosovars were displaced. It ended on 10 June. More than 38,000 sorties were flown, almost 10,500 of them strike sorties against Serbian targets.
The campaign achieved its objectives: Serbia’s forces withdrew from Kosovo, Kosovar refugees returned, Belgrade surrendered control over the enclave and KFOR, an international security presence, moved in. It was a triumph of strategic air-power. Contrary to PM Starmer’s assertion at Wednesday’s PMQs, Kosovo highlighted that major political change can be brought about from the skies.
Have American military decision-makers studied Kosovo before Epic Fury? If so, they will be aware of the negatives. Allied Force was expected to last three days. Collateral damage included 87 civilians killed in a refugee camp and a strike on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. With Serb civilians wearing bulls-eye targets gathering in the capital, Serbia did not lose the battle for public opinion across Europe.
As the conflict continued, Blair proposed the “Doctrine of the International Community”. It suggested five guidelines before military intervention. Similarly in 2001, the UN’s Responsibility to Protect doctrine set out the duties of individual states and of the international community to prevent four mass atrocity crimes.
Today, Tony Blair might suggest that Operation Allied Force could be judged illegal but legitimate. It averted a humanitarian catastrophe. Alas, another war – Iraq – still mired in the quagmire of contested international law and just war assessments, casts too large a shadow for either his views or his record to be assessed objectively.
Since 1979, the theocratic regime in Iran has brought global instability and internal tyranny. In 2022 during the Women, Life, Freedom protests, women’s eyes were specifically targeted, a horror repeated in January’s protests in which an estimated 30,000 were killed. On Monday, President Trump described Epic Fury in moral terms: a “righteous mission”.
In the 1990s, against a background of a new world order, globalisation and the “CNN effect” giving new insight into human suffering, international law in relation to military intervention was questioned, notably by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Which should prevail: state sovereignty or the interests of international peace and security?
If, as is said, war is too important to be left to the generals, it should never be left to the lawyers.
On 5 March, last night, the London Metropolitan Police last night aided a Quaker meeting house, during a non-violence training session.
Violent raid on Quaker meeting
Fifteen people were arrested, one so traumatised that police had to call an ambulance.
🚨 BREAKING: 15 TAKE BACK POWER SUPPORTERS ARRESTED AT WESTMINSTER QUAKER MEETING HOUSE
They were arrested during a nonviolence training this evening for “conspiracy to commit theft”.
One of those arrested had a panic attack, and an ambulance had to be called. Two others were… pic.twitter.com/BRa2A7tBzK
— Take back POWER (@takeback_power) March 5, 2026
Targeting sites of worship
It’s not the first time that the state’s enforcers have violently raided a house of worship. In March 2025, Met police officers armed with tasers smashed down the door of another Quaker meeting room. In that incident, their aim was to arrest six women planning a peaceful protest. The Met had made no attempt to enter peacefully by, say, ringing the bell before battering down the door.
Quakers are committed to justice and to non-violence. Their meeting houses are frequently booked by groups engaged in non-violent activism and protests, and regularly host discussions about state oppression and exploitation.
At that point, it was the first time in living memory that police had raided a Quaker house.
Now it seems like it’s become a habit.
Featured image via the Canary
Over the course of their relationship, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have become known as one of Hollywood’s most private couples, only ever making a handful of public appearances together and largely keeping their marriage out of the spotlight.
However, they made a rare exception on Thursday night, when the Oscar nominee surprised his wife with a very special birthday treat.
During an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Ryan pointed out that it was Eva’s birthday, and asked the studio audience if they’d mind “singing happy birthday” to the 2 Fast 2 Furious star, who happened to be backstage in the green room.
After sharing a special message to the teachers in the audience, a marching band then led the rendition of Happy Birthday To You, as the entire studio – including the host and her husband – joined in.
Watch the very sweet moment for yourself below:
Ryan and Eva began dating in 2011, after meeting on the set of their film The Place Beyond The Pines.
At some point, the couple tied the knot, but kept it private from the media, with Eva joking during an Australian radio interview: “I like to keep it all mysterious. I’m a very mysterious woman.”
She later alluded to her marriage to Ryan when she showed off a “de Gosling” tattoo on her wrist, and later referred to her former co-star as her “husband” during an interview in 2022.
The couple share two daughters, 11-year-old Esmeralda Amada and nine-year-old Amada Lee.
More recently, the couple have been a lot more open about their relationship, particularly during the promotion of Barbie in 2023.
Ryan was spotted wearing a sweet tribute to his wife at the film’s premiere, with Eva loudly voicing her support when he was nominated for an Oscar for his work as Ken.
Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For more information on his work, visit lordashcroft.com
The Middle East is on fire again.
The United States has launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, identifying Tehran’s programme as an imminent threat to its security. Since then, the missiles and drones have been flying in all directions – from Israel’s and American assets into Iran, and in retaliation from Iran towards Israel and US-aligned Gulf states. In just seven days, the war has claimed thousands of lives in Iran and across the region. Lebanon too has suffered casualties, after Israel retaliated against Hezbollah – the Iran-backed militia group – following the group’s attack on the country on Sunday.
At the same time, Lebanon’s leadership has moved swiftly to curb Hezbollah’s independent military and security operations, accusing the group of dragging the country into a conflict it cannot afford. Hezbollah’s political arm, however, remains an active and influential part of Lebanon’s governing system.
The situation in Lebanon is turbulent and violent, and yet there is still a genuine hope for change. That hope came evident when I was in Beirut two weeks ago on a mission as Honorary Chairman of the International Democracy Union, visiting one of our member parties – the Kataeb Party – and meeting leading figures in Lebanese politics and society.
Hope surfaced in many conversations, most palpably around economy. Lebanon has been emerging from an unprecedented financial collapse that began in 2019, culminating in a sovereign default and the near-total breakdown of its banking sector. Since then, the Lebanese pound has lost most of its value, and banks have effectively ceased normal operations, squeezing liquidity and trapping depositors’ savings for more than six years. There is cautious optimism that reform is now inevitable. The government advanced a draft ‘financial gap law’ that aims to distribute losses fairly and provide mechanisms for depositors to reclaim their savings over time. But this process will be painful – many Lebanese have already seen their life savings evaporate. Meaningful International Monetary Fund engagement will also require a structural reform, including down-sizing public sector and enhancing financial transparency.
I saw hope with many Lebanese expats returning to their homeland to serve in rebuilding their country anew. I met with at least three accomplished individuals – leaders in business, academia and public service – who have sacrificed comfort abroad to contribute to Lebanon’s renewal. Their belief in the country’s future was humbling.
There was also hope that with Hezbollah’s recent decapitation and significant weakening by the Israeli forces, there could be a chance to minimise their influence on the political system. Much of this hope relied on the United States intervening in Iran, as it has done so in the last several days.
Lebanon’s sectarian political system is as intricate as is its society. Having been at the crossroads of civilisations, Lebanon has developed into a beautiful tapestry of intertwining cultures, religions and influences. Accurate demographic data is hard to come by, as Lebanon has not conducted an official census since 1932. Today, estimates suggest roughly 32–34 per cent Christian, 31–32 per cent Sunni, 31–32 per cent Shia, with Druze and other minorities making up the remainder.
Yet, this diversity also creates an equal challenge of finding consensus. For the longest time, the design of its political system was responding to the necessity of equal representation. Being a parliamentary republic – when the legislative branch decides on the Prime Minister, the government and the President, the powers were thought to be split equally. The Presidential post was allocated to Christians, the Speaker of the Parliament was to be a Shia Muslim, the Prime Minister – a Sunni. The political factions themselves also have their own representation, currently having six Christian and four Muslim parties holding mandates in the parliament. A classic in Western understanding majority in the Parliament does not exist – the voting – as many things in Lebanon – is situational and negotiable. Like, the election of the new President last year – the former chief of the army General Joseph Aoun was voted in with the support of both Christians and Muslims, including the Hezbollah faction.
The question of Hezbollah’s future looms large.
The group’s routes lie in the marginalisation of parts of the Shia community during the civil war era, yet many Lebanese now see it less as a protector and more as a liability. Those I spoke to genuinely believe that competitive elections could diminish Hezbollah’s parliamentary influence. At the same time, we must understand that radical political movements are merely a representation of the deep socio-economic problems that exist within the society. Simply getting rid of symptoms will not cure an illness. Lebanon has to work with marginalised communities and address the underlying inequities to minimise the risk of their further radicalisation and creation of a new ‘Hezbollah’ over time. At the same time, some of the political leaders were very forthright with me: unless Tehran’s influence and by extension Iran’s support for Hezbollah is substantially curtailed – including through an external intervention -the group could rearm within two to three years. In this case, deradicalizing Lebanon must be both internal and external effort.
The newly elected leadership – after years of vacuum – faces a monumental task. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have moved quickly to form a government and articulate a reform agenda, but building state capacity will require more than rhetoric. The Lebanese Armed Forces, underpaid and under-equipped, need revitalisation. Improving soldiers’ remuneration and restoring professionalism are prerequisites to restoring a monopoly on legitimate force.
Disarming Hezbollah will take a strong and competent army. Lebanon has relied heavily on international peacekeeping in the south. With the UN mission winding down, political leaders deliberate alternatives for security cooperation. Historically, France has been a close partner. Yet many Lebanese lament that French support often falls short of its declarations. Today, there is a greater expectation placed on Germany, Italy and the United States, while the United Kingdom’s presence feels diminished and almost irrelevant.
Security and prosperity will also hinge on Lebanon’s relationship with Israel. Formal recognition of Israel remains deeply contested in Lebanon’s fractured society, yet many see reducing Iran-backed influence as the first prerequisite to any meaningful rapprochement.
Beyond geopolitics, Lebanon needs robust internal reforms – the ones that will worsen conditions before they improve. Parliamentary elections planned for Spring may now be delayed, but they are essential. A government with a renewed democratic mandate will need to confront hard truths about economic collapse and institutional failure.
The last time I visited Lebanon was in 2005 – just as the explosion that killed former Prime Minister Farik Hariri rocked the Bay of St. George. Since then, Lebanon has weathered years of upheaval – economic collapse, political stalemate and intermittent conflicts. Today, the turbulence continues with fresh conflict erupting anew.
And yet, despite the destruction and the uncertainty of war, in Beirut hope still prevails. Hope that the beautiful jewel of the Middle East – with its unique mosaic of cultures, religions and ambitions – can rise again, harnessing innovation and the best of its people to secure a future of stability and prosperity.
Genocidal thug Benjamin Netanyahu is once again misusing Jewish scripture to justify the deaths of Arabs. This follows aggressors US and Israel starting an illegal war on Iran. Spain has since condemned this “war”, refusing to participate and denying the US and Israel the use of its bases to support ongoing war crimes. The UK has yet to locate its spine so it can stand up to Trump and Netanyahu.
Israel’s co-conspirator, US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly claimed that the West is freeing Iran. No one has ever been freed by having their home bombed to pieces. However, Netanyahu’s own rhetoric is entirely at odds with Trump’s assertion.
Netanyahu diverges from Trump
Speaking in Hebrew to a domestic audience, Netanyahu described Iranian civilians as “Amalek” and stated that Israel should “kill them all, including women and children”. As the Canary’s James Wright has reported:
This is a genocidal dog-whistle established on Israel’s far right. The Old Testament reads: “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys”.
This demolishes the claim often repeated in Western mainstream media that these military actions seek to liberate Iranian people, when the reality is evidently far more sinister.
Netanyahu in English: “We want to free Iranians.”
Netanyahu in Hebrew: “They’re Amalek — kill them all, including women and children.”
This is the real Netanyahu — one message for the West, another for his base.
— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) March 5, 2026
Scripture mixed with politics: ‘Playing with fire’
And, Israel’s recent mass displacement orders in Lebanon make this concern impossible to ignore. Families in Lebanon were seen scrambling to find safety amidst threats of bombs across vast swathes of territory. As in Palestine, Israeli leaders often state their intentions openly – yet Western leaders appear unwilling to hear them.
Whilst bombing Iran, Israel is simultaneously waging another war on Lebanon. The IDF have been dropping thousands of evacuation orders on the neighbouring territory sparking terror amongst Lebanese civilians. Up to 500,000 people have reportedly been ordered to leave their homes, raising alarm that the conditions for ethnic cleansing in Lebanon are now being set.
Mass evacuation ordered in Beirut
Urgent | #Israel Army: Residents of the southern suburbs, specifically Bourj el-Barajneh, Al-Hadath, Haret Hreik, and Chiyah, evacuate their homes.
A similar blanket evacuation order was issued yesterday for South #Lebanon up to Litani River.… pic.twitter.com/T3f5NBsNW0
— Firas Maksad (@FirasMaksad) March 5, 2026
The rhetoric describing Iranians as “Amalek” makes the agenda behind this war difficult to ignore. In the Hebrew Bible, Amalek refers to an enemy people who Israelites were commanded to destroy completely, including civilians. When Israeli leaders invoke this language while discussing Iran, it signals a dangerous ideological agenda that we have already seen in Gaza. An agenda which seeks to normalise mass violence and displacement in places such as Iran and Lebanon.
Western governments, by continuing to support Israel militarily and politically, risk becoming increasingly complicit in the devastating consequences of these campaigns.
Ethnic cleansing in process
Below is an IDF evacuation notice which shows the size of Lebanese territory being cleared by Israel. Consequently, civilians are seen running for their lives in terror:
UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Phillippe Lazzarini has condemned Israel’s actions displacing thousands of Lebanese civilians:
Yet again, spiraling violence across the region is forcing thousands to flee their homes in Southern Lebanon.
Today’s evacuation orders of 4 neighborhoods in Southern Beirut are creating panic & greater forced & mass displacement.
As part of broader Lebanese authorities &… pic.twitter.com/xcNTFPBdmX
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 5, 2026
Lazzarini’s statement in full:
Yet again, spiraling violence across the region is forcing thousands to flee their homes in Southern Lebanon.
Today’s evacuation orders of 4 neighborhoods in Southern Beirut are creating panic & greater forced & mass displacement.
As part of broader Lebanese authorities & civil society efforts,
@UNRWA
has opened emergency shelters for displaced people — Palestine Refugees, Lebanese & Syrians alike.Lebanon needs peace not more destruction, displacement & death.
CNN reporter Sana Noor Haq drew attention to the psychological re-traumatisation caused by Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Many critics describe this repeated overreach in Lebanon and Iran as acts of terrorism against civilians:
Lebanese people trying to survive renewed Israeli military attacks are being psychologically retraumatized by the sound of strikes, scenes of mass displacement and increased bloodshed as shelter becomes scarce, relief staffers say.
Several aid workers told CNN that Lebanese…
— Sana Noor Haq • سناء نور حق (@sananoorhaq) March 5, 2026
“Even small triggers, like a door slamming, cause people to jump in fear”
Who did the strikes on the schools and killed all these poor people?? Who did a double tap and committed intentionally this massacre? Say the name of the terrorists, do you dare? Say this bloodshed is the work of israel and the USA!
— Paul.A (@Pr0_fit_abl3) March 5, 2026
Nevertheless, it appears Israel may be getting more than it bargained for with counter attacks from Iran and Lebanon:
Hezbollah and Iran are simultaneously firing missiles and drones at Israel.
The Israelis are surprised by Hezbollah’s readiness and fighting capabilities at the borders, confronting the advance of the occupation forces fiercely.
Hezbollah stated its conditions to stop: Withdraw…
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) March 5, 2026
Some public figures in the UK are holding firm to their principle and insisting that we do not sink to the same levels of depravity as the US and Israel. Pointing out the craziness and schoolboy rhetoric of US officials, Sayeeda Warsi confronted Netanyahu’s blatant ‘expansionist agenda’:
The language of hyped teenagers playing call of duty mixed with crusader end of times craziness and underpinned by Israelism where nations interests and sanity is being sacrificed at the alter of Netanyahu’s expansionist Israeli agenda.
The UK must resist becoming infected by… https://t.co/oQiOOeFIlY— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 5, 2026
No to war
Israel and the US will use whatever virtue-signaling nonsense to trigger white saviour attitudes across the West. It is a lie eagerly swallowed by Westerners that our governments are bombing and invading countries to ‘liberate’ them. Liberate them from what? Who has ever had freedom delivered to them by an expansionist and neo-colonial empire?
Persecuted and terrified Iranians and Lebanese people deserve far better. It is essential that all those who believe in equality, freedom, rule of law and basic humanity fight for it. Before it is taken away from us all by Israel and the US.
Ultimately, once imperialists get what they want, they move on to the next target.
This will only leave a world order of absolute catastrophe for those without power, wealth, or privilege.
Featured image via the Canary
It didn’t take long for Democrats’ hopes of flipping Texas to dim.
Enthusiasm remains high for the party’s Senate nominee, James Talarico, but national Democrats aren’t sure how far they should go to support him — particularly if Sen. John Cornyn emerges from the GOP runoff in May. Interviews with nearly a dozen high-dollar donor advisers and strategists poured cold water on the likelihood that the party would fully commit to the staggering price tag it’d take to finally flip Texas.
“No one’s taking Texas seriously,” said a Democratic bundler who, like most others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about intra-party dynamics.
Among their concerns is that Cornyn did better than expected in the GOP primary against Attorney General Ken Paxton, and with President Donald Trump’s potential endorsement would be able to ease his runoff victory. Democrats planning for Talarico to compete against Paxton, a scandal-ridden MAGA darling, are instead facing the prospect of trying to oust a 24-year moderate incumbent in a state that hasn’t voted for a Senate Democrat in nearly four decades.
There are also competing priorities for national spending — just Wednesday evening, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) dropped his re-election bid in a state Senate Democrats held as recently as 2018 — potentially elevating it as a target for spending.
Underlying it all, Democrats said, is the reality that contesting Texas would require a massive injection of cash — while there are other, cheaper options on the Senate landscape.
“We have to be practical about how we use our resources,” said Alex Hoffman, a Democratic donor adviser. “You need a perfect storm to kill a white whale, and if it’s going to be Cornyn [in the general election], then it’s not a perfect storm.”
Democrats have long dreamed of turning Texas blue. But the idea of flipping the state — much less retaking the Senate overall — appeared laughable last year, when the party hit new lows in its public polling and sustained sweeping losses in 2024. But a string of overperformances in off-year and special election races, combined with Trump’s own stubbornly low approval rating, have Democrats increasingly bullish about their chances.
“If I’m being super honest, Texas would not be within the reach of our boat here, as fishermen of the white whale, but for the wave moment we’re in,” said Tory Gavito, a Democratic donor who leads the progressive donor network Way To Win.
Tuesday’s results gave them another boost when Talarico, a social media star and prolific grassroots fundraiser, easily dispatched Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). He now has a head start on Republicans, who after already dropping $70 million to lift Cornyn, must continue battling it out for another two and a half months through a runoff — which some are predicting could cost upwards of $100 million.
Texas Democrats see this as the moment to strike. Gavito said Democrats have built to this moment, cycle after cycle. Back in 2014, when President Barack Obama won with a young, multi-racial coalition, Democrats believed it was just a matter of time before they’d eventually flip Texas, a youthful, diverse state.
But Trump, both in 2016 and 2024, whittled down Democrats’ advantages with young, diverse voters, suggesting Texas was further out of reach than they thought. Then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), boosted by more than $80 million, came the closest in 2018, losing to Sen. Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points. When former-Rep. Colin Allred tried to oust Cruz in 2024, he lost by 8.5 points.
Gavito said it would be “important” for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority PAC, Democrats’ top Senate super PAC, to invest in Texas to actually flip it because even though “Talarico has proven he can raise a bunch of non-corporate money … leadership, like Schumer, should see that their job is to be bullish.”
She also argued against Democrats having to pick between investing in Texas or other states — “you can do both things,” she said.
That’s a tall ask in a cycle when Democrats are already struggling mightily in the money race.
House and Senate Republicans entered 2026 with more than double the cash equivalent of their Democratic counterparts. The Republican National Committee has a more than $100 million cash advantage over the Democratic National Committee. Should the Supreme Court lift coordination limits, a looming decision cited by several donor advisers, then they believe Republicans will have an even more lopsided advantage.
“If the goal is to win the House and Senate, then there are other, cheaper, more competitive places,” said a Democratic consultant who works on Senate races. “Do you want to try to get another $150 million for Texas or another $50 million to put Iowa or Montana or Nebraska in play? That’s the Schumer calculation.”
Before Tuesday’s primary, Schumer hadn’t placed Texas in the DSCC’s top tier of battleground races. Instead, North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska ranked highest in his list of offensive targets. That could change, however, should Paxton ultimately emerge from the runoff.
“If Paxton wins the runoff, the race is on the battleground list,” a person familiar with the DSCC’s thinking said, granted anonymity to describe private conversations. “If Cornyn makes it out, I wouldn’t count it out [either].”
When asked about Texas on Wednesday, Schumer said “Tuesday’s results in Texas are a step forward in our quest to win the Senate,” and called Talarico “a great candidate, and we can win.”
SMP spokesperson Lauren French reiterated that “the majority runs through Ohio, Maine, Iowa, Alaska, and North Carolina … but it can also run through Texas.”
Republicans, for their part, continue to scoff at the idea Texas is competitive. In a statement, NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said: “James Talarico thinks ‘God is nonbinary,’ wants to lay a welcome mat on our southern border, and would prioritize the rights of our ‘trans community’, all things Texans will never vote for in November.”
Even if Democrats can’t ultimately flip Texas in November, they believe Talarico’s campaign — and a potentially weakened Cornyn — will force the GOP to spend cash to defend it, turning it into “a money sinkhole for Republicans,” said Cooper Teboe, a Democratic donor adviser and strategist.
“Do we win Ohio by one [percentage point] because of this?” Teboe added.
Some Republican strategists are warning of the possibility.
“In every race, from this point until November, there’s going to be the Texas undertones: You spent $70 million there to protect an incumbent,” a GOP strategist said, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. “I think there is some frustration amongst the consulting class of like, all right, can we focus on Georgia and Michigan, some of these other places a little bit more?”
Erin Doherty contributed to this report.
NEW YORK — Morris Katz, a top adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, quietly traveled to the United Kingdom last month to meet with local progressive politicians hoping to learn tools of the trade from the young strategist.
Katz’s trip coincided with the rise of a new left-wing challenge to the embattled Labour government from the Green Party, which snatched away a Manchester-area parliamentary seat in a February special election.
One of the architects of Mamdani’s stunning election last year, Katz confirmed to POLITICO that he had ventured into British politics and described it as part of a global political struggle. He said he was there to offer members of the U.K.’s Labour and Green parties advice on mounting effective campaigns for elected office.
“The fight against the aligned interests of the oligarchy and the far right is an international one, and I’ll try to be helpful wherever I can,” the 26-year-old progressive political strategist said this week when asked about his February trip.
Among the players Katz met with: Rosie Wrighting and Gordon McKee, two Labour members of Parliament, and Rowenna Davis, a Labour politician running for mayor of Croydon, a town in South London. Katz confirmed Labour and Green operatives initiated contact and asked him to come over for the meetings.
Mamdani has emerged as something of a political beacon for progressive parties in other countries, including the U.K. and Canada.
The British left’s overture to Katz highlights how progressive movements around the world are looking at the Mamdani campaign’s populist playbook as ripe for replication. And it speaks to how elements of the American left increasingly see themselves as part of a global project.
Katz said he has continued to hold virtual meetings with members of both parties since returning stateside and plans to speak with Green leadership in the coming weeks.
The in-person sit-downs in the U.K., Katz said, revolved around his strategy and messaging techniques, with the U.K. politicians seeking to glean more insight into his overall approach. The Mamdani aide has become known for producing made-to-go-viral social media content highlighting progressive policy prescriptions for bread-and-butter issues like childcare costs.
Katz said his engagements in the U.K. were unpaid and that he’s not looking to start running campaigns across the pond this year, in part because he’s busy with the U.S. congressional midterms. But he expressed openness to working with progressives there on a paid basis in the future, opening the door to a key Mamdani adviser becoming an international political fixer.
Katz wouldn’t be the first U.S. progressive to help like-minded British politicians. Advisers to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) helped former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s unsuccessful 2017 campaign for prime minister.
Drawing connections across different countries’ politics can be complicated, and while Mamdani’s high-octane style of campaigning can generate excitement in places other than New York, it’s not clear that everyone he met with on his travels overseas buys into his ideological project. Wrighting and McKee are prolific on social media platforms like TikTok, much like the New York City executive, but are mainstream Labour backbenchers.
Spokespeople for the Green and Labour parties did not return requests for comment about the meetings with Katz.
The Labour Party lost a key parliamentary election last week after the Greens, a much smaller party, ran a 34-year-old candidate who focused her campaign on tackling a spiraling cost-of-living crisis. The candidate, 34-year-old former plumber Hannah Spencer, has argued since her victory that it’s a winning message for the Green Party to continue emphasizing.
“We ran a hopeful campaign backed by thousands of volunteers and activists. We defeated the parties of billionaire donors,” Spencer wrote in an op-ed in The Guardian last week.
Sound familiar?
Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo, New York’s former governor, in last summer’s mayoral primary after aggressively centering his campaign around proposals aimed at making the city more affordable for working class New Yorkers.
The U.K.’s left-leaning parties, especially Labour following last month’s election setback, likely see Mamdani’s messaging model as something they can harness in future campaigns. That’s where Katz comes in.
Katz, who calls himself a populist politics “believer,” has been credited with spearheading the Mamdani campaign’s laser focus on promising to fight for a more affordable city by raising taxes on the rich to expand social safety nets, including making public transit and child care programs free. Though he hasn’t joined Mamdani’s administration, Katz is seen as very close with the mayor and continues to advise him on both governmental and political matters, joining him, for instance, for both of his high-profile meetings with President Donald Trump.
“The Brits can use some excitement in their politics,” Doug Muzzio, a longtime political scientist in New York who is not affiliated with Mamdani or his team, said when asked to opine on Katz’s U.K. moves. “So if Mamdani’s engaging style is something that can be replicated over there that would probably be very welcome.”
It isn’t unusual for campaign consultants to embark on a traveling road show abroad after successful domestic stints. Political advice is among the most American of exports: Chris LaCivita, Trump’s co-campaign manager, advised Sali Berisha of Albania’s opposition party after his 2024 White House run. Bob Shrum, the former Democratic presidential candidate adviser and speechwriter, advised Ehud Barak in Israel’s 1999 election for prime minister and the British Labour Party under former Prime Minister Tony Blair. And James Carville, the veteran political strategist, also advised Blair, along with having done work in more than 20 countries.
“A guy gets elected and they like you, and somebody calls: ‘Hey, somebody from such and such called us,’ and they’ll recommend people. I mean, it’s a kind of networking thing,” Carville said. “The perception is our political consultants are better than they actually are.”
But Katz’s adventures abroad likely say more about his principal than the consultant. Of Mamdani, Carville says: “He’s an object of curiosity.” In the same way that former President Bill Clinton’s popularity abroad juiced Carville’s prospects, Mamdani and his retinue are drawing longing glances from international compatriots.
“A lot of people hired me just to say we got Clinton’s guy,” Carville said.
And now more than ever, an appetite for progressive insights is sweeping Europe: Just last month, organizers of the Munich Security Conference hosted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who in her remarks connected income inequality to the global rise of authoritarianism.
“Voters in democracies in Europe and elsewhere are responding to a lot of the same things that American voters are,” said Matt Duss, who advised Ocasio-Cortez on her Munich trip and is executive vice president at the progressive think tank Center for International Policy. “That’s a system of government that has not delivered for them, that they see as captured by special interests that are not responsive to their needs.”
Duss, who also previously served as foreign policy adviser to Bernie Sanders, said there is a global appetite for that brand of progressivism.
“I do think Bernie obviously has inspired a lot of colleagues in other democracies. Mamdani is a name that we hear a lot from our colleagues in Europe on the left,” Duss said. “People are watching and learning from each other. American progressives have things to learn as our colleagues in Europe innovate and vice versa.”
Going international is not without risks.
Witness, for example, Ocasio-Cortez’s reception in Munich, on-camera and widely clipped miscues on everything from mislabeling the Trans-Atlantic partnership the Trans-Pacific Partnership to suggesting Venezuela was below not above the Equator. (On the ground, leaders’ embrace of her was warmer than the social media maw.)
Were Katz to get officially involved in the U.S., he may not go at it alone. He is the co-founder of Fight Agency, a consulting firm made up of a number of veterans of the American progressive movement who could also get roped into working with him overseas. Among them: Rebecca Katz, an alum of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration who has managed a number of successful congressional campaigns in recent years.
Rebecca Katz, who is not related to Morris Katz, did not comment for this story.
Domestically, Morris Katz’s travels abroad posed some obstacles for a candidate in his stable.
“It was very hard to communicate with him and his team during the January, February timeframe, because he was over there,” said Nathan Sage, the former Iowa Senate candidate and Katz client who dropped out of the race in mid-February. “I have no idea what he’s doing. I have no idea what that is, but I do know that it was difficult.”
Despite that, Sage said he would recommend Katz’s firm to others.
John Johnston contributed to this report.
David Lammy has mistakenly claimed Cyprus is a member of the Nato defence alliance, even though it’s not.
The country has been in the spotlight ever since Iranian forces sent two drones to the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus last Sunday.
There were no casualties and the strike caused limited damage.
But the government is still sending additional staff to deal with air defences to the region, including over the island, in case Iran strikes again.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday, the deputy prime minister was explaining why it was so important that the UK defends the base when he misspoke.
He said: “We will do everything we can to protect our airbase, to protect our staff and people, but also to support – alongside our allies, I should say, because Cyprus is part of Nato – the French, the Germans and others have also sent frigates to the base.”
There are 32 countries in the defence alliance, including many European states near Cyprus like Greece.
But Cyprus is one of the four EU countries which are not in the Nato.
Still, Lammy repeated the remark later, saying: “The safety of that base is also essential. It’s not just a base that serves the United Kingdom, it serves the region, and of course we work very much with our allies because Cyprus is a Nato country.”
Iran’s drone activity did not prompt formal consultations within Nato or the European Union over collective defence measures.
It’s thought the UK’s military base was the target as the attack came shortly after prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed he would allow the US to use British bases to launch limited and defensive strikes against Iran.
The UK is part of Nato, and member states can trigger Article 4 to request consultations among all allies if they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk.
Lammy’s slip-up comes amid wider fears that Trump’s war in the Middle East will soon engulf other countries.
Nato chief Mark Rutte stressed on Tuesday that the military alliance was not “itself involved” in the ongoing events in the Middle East, but reiterated that it would “defend every inch of Nato territory” if necessary.
Some research suggests that mixing up your workouts, or having a healthy combination of both strength and cardio days, increases your longevity more than either exercise type alone.
But only one in 20 UK adults is believed to strength train their muscles enough.
So, whether you’re considering adding the step to your routine or already do so, we thought we’d share some of the (many) benefits of strength training, especially as you age:
1) It can help you live longer
Strength training has been linked to up to four years of extra life.
2) It could reverse some signs of ageing
The Mayo Clinic stated that strength training could “slow and, in many cases, reverse the changes in muscle fibres associated with ageing”. And a 2023 paper said it might even make your skin look younger.
3) It may reduce your risk of dementia
The size of participants’ temporalis muscle (found in the jaw) was linked to dementia risk in one study. This muscle is often used as a marker of people’s overall strength, suggesting that sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, which can be mitigated with strength training, could be a dementia risk factor.
Another paper found resistance training has “preventive potential [for dementia], alone or in combination with other types of exercise”.
4) It’s one of the best things you can do for your bones
Not only can it help to slow down bone loss, but it could even build bone. That’s important as we age, because it reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
5) It can help your heart
Strength training has been linked to better-controlled blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as a reduced risk of heart attack.
6) It can “speed up” your metabolism
Because muscles use more energy, even at rest, than fat, the more muscle you build, the more calories you’ll burn through.
7) It can decrease your risk of falls
One study found that strength training your legs in particular is linked to a decreased risk of falls.
8) It could help to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
Not only can it help people who already have the condition to regulate their blood sugar, but strength training seems to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes overall by 30%.
9) It may protect against some cancers
Weight lifting has been associated with a reduced risk of both colon and, possibly, kidney cancers.
10) It can help to keep you flexible and mobile
Some research found that strength training is as good as stretching for improving your range of motion, which helps to keep you flexible and mobile.
11) It could improve your mental health
A review of studies stated that both people with and without conditions like depression and anxiety saw improvements to their mental health after strength training.
12) It can lower your risk of injury
A paper said that strength training reduced the risk of sports injuries by 33% and overuse injuries by half.
And because strength training decreases your risk of sarcopenia, it also cuts your likelihood of falls, fractures, and general injury.
David Lammy has refused to say he supports Donald Trump’s claim that the US should have a say in who leads Iran next.
Days after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, the US president insisted that he should be involved in choosing the Ayatollah’s successor.
He told POLITICO the US is going to “work with them to help them make the proper choice” because he wants to avoid appointing a new head of Iran “that’s going to lead to having to do this again in another 10 years.”
But the deputy prime minister did not endorse this thinking when speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme.
Asked if he thought Trump should have a say in Iran’s future, Lammy – who is now the justice secretary – said: “The concerns that I expressed as foreign secretary was what might come after Ali Khamenei was no longer there.”
He continued. “This might ultimately be a matter for the Iranian people.
“As we have discussed, it is now for the US and Israel to set out their war aims as they set out this action principally.”
BBC presenter Anna Foster said: “You mean that’s not a choice Donald Trump should be involved in?”
The cabinet minister replied: “Clearly, regime change – I don’t think – has been succeeded from the air anywhere in the world.”
When asked yet again to answer the question, Lammy said: “I’m answering the question as best I can.”
“It’s a yes or no question though, isn’t it?” Foster insisted.
Lammy said the UK believes “diplomacy was taking its course”.
He added: “If you believe in democracy, and we and the US are democratic countries, and we believe it is for the Iranian people to choose who leads the country.”
Asked if that means not allowing Trump to decide, he paused before adding: “I think I’ve answered your question.”
Lammy was also asked when the war might end, but he just said: “It is for the United States and the Israelis to set out their own assessments and aims.
“My assessment is of course that we expect we are still days away from this war coming to an end at the moment.
“There is still quite a lot of capability in Iran at the moment.”
Asked if he was concerned there was not a clear goal by the US, Lammy said: “In a sense it’s right that you direct those questions at the United States and Israel.”
He pointed out that Starmer had told MPs on Monday that he was concerned about the legal basis of the war.
“It’s on that basis we have not been involved in the original offensive action, but we have been involved in defensive action,” the deputy prime minister said.
Asked if Starmer has told Trump he is concerned there is not a clear goal, Lammy said: “It would not be right and I think you know it would not be right for me to give you a detailed breakdown of the conversations that take place between the prime minister and the president.
“Or indeed the conversations between me and the vice president, that would not be right.”
When asked directly if he knew the answer, Lammy said: “You know that I know the answer because I am part of the National Security Council! But I’m not going to share that answer with you.”
Forster said again it was a pertinent question to ask because Trump has attacked Starmer in recent days, saying the prime minister is “not Winston Churchill”.
Lammy replied insisting that the UK and the US have the closest of intelligence relationships, and pointed out that there have been splits between the two countries amid wider wars in the past.
It isn’t. In other news Lammy is soon to be part of geopolitics club at his local school for some extra learning…
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