NewsBeat
Israel has changed since Donald Trump’s last term – has he?
BBCDonald Trump has made an impact on the Middle East even before he sits down in the Oval Office to start his second term as president. He cut through the delaying tactics that Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in alliance with his ultranationalist coalition partners, had used to avoid accepting the ceasefire deal that Joe Biden put on the negotiating table last May.
American pressure on Hamas and other Palestinian groups is a given. Under Biden, pressure on Israel was the lever that was never pulled. Trump starts his second term claiming credit, with reasonable justification, for getting the ceasefire deal in Gaza over the line. He can bask in some glory.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, is dealing with a coalition crisis. The entire principle of doing a deal with Hamas is repugnant to the ultra nationalist politicians who have supported his government. One of them, the national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says his party, Jewish Power will only support the government if it resumes the war, cuts off all aid to Gaza and destroys Hamas. If that does not happen he will resign.
That will be of no importance to Donald Trump. The push for a Gaza ceasefire demonstrated that Trump would put the interests of his presidency before the political requirements of Israel’s prime minister.
Getty ImagesJoe Biden, on the other hand, was prepared to risk votes in swing states in the presidential election because of his determination to support Israel, despite his own misgivings about the way that Israel was killing civilians in Gaza and depriving them of food, medical care, shelter and clean water.
Israel’s nationalist right was delighted when Trump won his landslide victory in November. They assumed that Trump would give them even more licence than Biden had. The reality might be more complicated than that.
Just as Israel is not the same country that Trump left behind when he left office in 2021, Trump may not be the president that they encountered the first time around.
The split-screen moment
The first signs of how Trump would approach the Middle East as president – and the conclusion to draw from it – came on a hot early summer day during Trump’s second year as president.
If you live outside Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, you can be forgiven if you don’t remember the events of that day – 14 May 2018. After all the terrible bloodshed since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, specific days that led up to the war in Gaza can be easily forgotten. But in a world where most people get their news online, it was also declared to be the ultimate split-screen moment.
On one side of the news feeds was the Trump administration’s most photogenic couple, the first daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner who was also the president’s senior advisor. They were opening the new American embassy in Jerusalem.
Getty ImagesMoving it from Tel Aviv and recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was one of Trump’s campaign promises, aimed mostly at evangelical Christians who made up a big share of his electoral base.
For the delighted audience of Israeli politicians and wealthy American donors to Donald Trump and Israel, Ivanka and Jared’s presence was the icing on a long overdue cake.
On the other side of the screen Israeli soldiers were shooting into Gaza to kill and wound Palestinians who were trying to break through the border fence.
Between 50 and 60 Palestinians were killed that day. Many more suffered gruesome bullet wounds.
Getty ImagesIt was the culmination of an event that Hamas, Gaza’s rulers, had called the ‘Great March of Return’. Thousands were taking part. Small groups, mostly young men, were advancing on the wire. About a kilometre back were thousands of peaceful demonstrators. Families were picnicking on the sand. They screamed and fled when Israeli drones bombed them with tear gas.
Hamas commanders must have concluded it would take more than mass protest to break into Israel. On 7 October 2023, in a much bigger and better planned assault that took Israel by surprise, Hamas breached the border. Its men killed around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and took 251 others into Gaza as hostages.
Getty ImagesIn the war that followed, Israel has exacted a terrible revenge, leaving most of Gaza in ruins and killing almost 50,000 according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel insists that those figures are exaggerated. But a new study in the British medical journal, The Lancet, suggests that the Palestinian ministry of health has ‘under-reported mortality by 41%’.
All American presidents support Israel. But the lesson Israel’s nationalist right took from their side of the split screen was that Donald Trump would be unusually accommodating.
Trump the disruptor
The embassy move showed Trump was prepared to break with conventional wisdom that he believed was an obstacle to US interests. He abandoned the long-standing policy of Israel’s western allies, and most other countries, to keep their embassies in Tel Aviv until a peace deal with the Palestinians decided Jerusalem’s permanent status.
The embassy opening celebration came the week after he pulled the US out of the nuclear deal with Iran, which he called ‘one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.’
He also had the satisfaction of derailing his predecessor Barack Obama’s biggest foreign policy achievement.
Getty ImagesTrump’s ditching of the Iran agreement was the triumphant end to a long campaign for Netanyahu.
In March 2019 Donald Trump went further by accepting Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Syrian territory which Israel had occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Recognising Israel’s annexation of the Golan broke with a western consensus since the aftermath of the Second World War that states should not acquire territory through military action.
The new Abraham Accords
In 2020 the Trump administration gave Israel another prize. Jared Kushner brokered the Abraham Accords between Israel on one side and the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Sudan and Bahrain. The US gave all four countries sweeteners in return for their cooperation. They were persuaded to abandon the long-standing Arab peace initiative, that promised Israel full recognition in return for allowing Palestinians to establish their own state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. For Israel it amounted to a free gift.
Biden, like Trump in his first term, wanted to extend the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia. Recognition of Israel by the Saudis, the keeper of Islam’s two holiest shrines, the leader of the Sunni Muslim world and the richest and most powerful Arab state would be hugely significant.
In return the Saudis would get a comprehensive security pact with the US, which would of course include more arms deals. It was about more than lucrative business opportunities for all concerned, though they existed and were attractive.
Getty ImagesThe argument was that it would stabilise the turbulent Middle East. The US-Saudi security deal would also be a good way for Washington to outflank the Chinese, whose rise to global power includes a strong interest in the Gulf, its oil, money and strategic position.
But that left the Palestinians. The Saudis wrote and tabled the Arab peace initiative back at the turn of the century. They insist that they were not prepared to trade Palestinian rights to get a deal with Israel and the US before 7 October. But Hamas, and other Palestinians, believed that was happening.
It was the latest sign, they believed that the Palestinian cause had, as the Hamas leader and chief ceasefire negotiator Khalil al Hayya told me in Doha in October last year, “been forgotten and removed from the table”.
He said they attacked Israel 12 months earlier because “Palestinian rights aren’t being considered by anyone. It was necessary to raise an alarm in the world to tell them that here’s a people who have a cause and have demands that must be met. This was a blow to Israel, the Zionist enemy.”
Getty ImagesThe Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s effective ruler, has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Even so, the Saudis have made clear they are still interested in a US-brokered deal to normalise relations with Israel. Prince Mohammed’s stipulation, expressed publicly, is that his price is irrevocable progress towards Palestinian independence.
Donald Trump’s incoming national security advisor, Mike Waltz, has said already that a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is a “huge priority” for the president.
In December he told a conservative commentator in the US that it was necessary to “eliminate these terrorist organisations,” release the hostages and move towards a deal with Riyadh.
He indicated that had Trump not lost the 2020 election to Biden, they would have made the deal by forming a common front against Iran, Saudi Arabia’s rival on the other side of the Gulf, rather than “putting the Palestinian issue right in the centre.”
Remaking the Middle East
The trouble with that approach is that Saudi Arabia has, very publicly, linked its cooperation with Palestinian rights. The Biden Administration agreed that the key to a grand bargain that could change the Middle East was not just Arab acceptance of Israel, but Israel’s acceptance of Palestinian rights.
On 14 January as he prepared to leave office, Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken made that clear in a speech to the Atlantic Council in Washington. Blinken, a staunch supporter of Israel whose speech was interrupted by hecklers accusing him of genocide in Gaza, also had hard words for Israel.
“Israelis must decide what relationship they want with the Palestinians. That cannot be the illusion that Palestinians will accept being a non-people without national rights. Seven million Israeli Jews and some five million Palestinians are rooted in the same land. Neither is going anywhere.”
He added: “Israelis must abandon the myth that they can carry out de-facto annexation without cost and consequence to Israel’s democracy, to its standing, to its security.”
Getty ImagesThose de facto, cost-free annexations were exactly what many Israeli hard right wingers were hoping Trump would allow. Perhaps he will. He is no friend of the Palestinians.
But his western allies are already hoping that transactional Trump may be more flexible than Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, would ever be, especially if he wants the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords.
Peace in the Middle East is perhaps the greatest prize in global diplomacy, because it is so elusive and at the moment so distant.
What price is Donald Trump prepared to accept for a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel? Prince Mohammed bin Salman has named his – a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the Palestinians will never get an independent state.
Donald Trump is unlikely to be able to bully Mohammed bin Salman into changing his position. The Saudi Arabia of MBS is too assertive for that, and an invitation to Riyadh for the president of China would make the Americans nervous.
It is a time of hard choices. President Trump will have a lot to think about when he re-enters the White House after his inauguration.
Top picture credit: Getty Images
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Culture reporter
Sony Pictures/Everett/ShutterstockActor and director Justin Baldoni has released out-takes from a romantic scene in his film It Ends With Us, which he says is evidence that his co-star Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment are unfounded.
However, she has responded by saying the footage of the pair filming a slow dance is “damning” and corroborates her claims.
The two stars played a couple in the hit film, which came out last year, but have since become embroiled in an increasingly bitter legal battle.
Lively, 37, sued Baldoni, 40, in December, accusing him of engaging in “inappropriate and unwelcome behaviour” and a smear campaign to “destroy” her reputation. He countersued last week, claiming she had made a “duplicitous attempt to destroy” him.
On Tuesday, Baldoni’s team released almost 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage to outlets including the Daily Mail and Variety.
It includes three takes from a scene set in a bar, and starts with a caption saying they “clearly refute” Lively’s allegations of inappropriate behaviour, and show both actors “clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism”.
Lively’s lawyers said it showed him “repeatedly leaning in toward Ms Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character”.
Every moment “was improvised by Mr Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy co-ordinator present”, they said.
“Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognise Ms Lively’s discomfort.
“They will recognise her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”
Releasing the video was “another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public”, they claimed.
Baldoni’s lawyer told the Hollywood Reporter his client was exercising “his right to publicly defend himself by putting forth actual facts and evidence”.
“Ms Lively wants very different standards to apply to her but fortunately, truth and authenticity apply to everyone and can never be wrong,” he said.
What did she say about the scene?
Lively’s lawsuit cited the scene as an example of how Baldoni “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately”.
Her legal documents said he wasn’t speaking in character and that no sound was recorded.
“At one point, he leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good.’
“None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script, and nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound – Mr Baldoni was caressing Ms Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles.
“When Ms Lively later objected to this behaviour, Mr Baldoni’s response was, ‘I’m not even attracted to you.’”
What did he say about the scene?
His legal documents said Lively was “consistently unable to take direction” and that she “insisted” she wanted the characters to constantly talk, which he disagreed about.
When he tried to “encourage her to take his direction, Baldoni offered up that he and his wife often just look into each other’s eyes silently, to which she responded, ‘Like sociopaths,’ and laughed.”
Lively “continued arguing” and “continued to break character”, which was “extremely confusing for Baldoni”.
He said Lively apologised for the smell of her spray tan and body make-up. “Baldoni responded, ‘It smells good,’ and continued acting, slow dancing as he believed his character would with his partner, which requires some amount of physical touching.”
Lively joked about Baldoni’s nose, and that he should get plastic surgery, he said.
“Any suggestion that this scene was filmed in any manner other than pure professionalism by Baldoni is unequivocally countered with actual evidence,” his documents added.
“Her allegation of sexual harassment is a documented and knowingly fabricated lie.”
What does the video show?
Lively and Baldoni, who was also the film’s director, are slow dancing in a bar and their audio was recorded. After an initial exchange in which she questions whether they are in the correct position, they dance and smile silently.
He kisses her forehead then goes to kiss her on the lips before she apparently hesitates and they continue dancing. She then seems to turn her head with their faces close together and he kisses her cheek.
She tells him: “I think we should be talking. I think it’s more romantic if we’re like… dancing and talking.” He agrees and says “the whole montage is us talking”.
She continues: “Cause it’s like the moment they kiss, then you give them the thing that they want to see.”
He replies: “That’s why almost kissing is also good.” She responds: “Yeah. But we’re still talking.”
They continue dancing affectionately, laughing and discussing the scene. He nuzzles her neck. She tells him talking is “more romantic”. He says he “just got lost” and there’s “no issue with talking most of the time” because viewers will “never know [what’s being said] in slow motion”.
He tells her “I know you and Ryan [Reynolds, her husband] talk all the time”, but he and his wife Emily like to stare at each other, joking that “you would find it terrifying”. She laughs and jokes that “I’d be like, ‘Oh no I found a sociopath’”.
He asks the camera operator to film their lips “super close”, to which she agrees but adds that they should “start talking” and “don’t give it [the kiss] to them”. He agrees they should “keep restraint”.
They keep dancing with their foreheads and noses touching, upon which she starts laughing because she feels “so nosey”. He jokes that “my nose is so big” and she laughs that the film would have to “shut down” and “deal with that”, adding: “Just kidding.”
In the next take, he appears to kiss her neck then says “Am I getting beard on you today?” She laughs and responds: “I’m probably getting spray tan on you.” He nuzzles the other side of her neck and says: “It smells good”. She adds: “Well, it’s not that, it’s my body make-up”. They continue dancing and he shouts cut.
A third take shows their feet and bodies as they dance. The opening caption says “these are all three takes filmed of the sequence”.
Environmental bodies will be stripped of their powers to delay major infrastructure projects in a bid to “get Britain building” again.
In changes aimed at speeding up 150 road, rail and energy schemes, regulators will no longer be able to demand that developers mitigate environmental harm before construction can begin.
Instead they will be asked to contribute to a new Nature Restoration Fund, which will pool the money to fund larger strategic interventions to protect habitats and wildlife, rather than on a site-by-site basis.
Politics Live: Badenoch brands Starmer’s school reforms an ‘act of vandalism’
The new law is also aimed at unblocking housebuilding in areas affected by controversial nutrient neutrality rules.
The water pollution restrictions have been blamed on preventing tens of thousands of new homes being built, with critics arguing houses have a minimal impact on nutrient levels in rivers compared with water companies and agriculture.
Former housing secretary Michael Gove sought to scrap the EU-derived rules in 2023, but this was prevented by a Labour-led rebellion in the House of Lords.
However, it is understood Labour ministers are not worried about a repeat of this scenario because they believe the impact will be offset by the Nature Restoration Fund, which could be used to clean up rivers.
A source close to the plans said the government consulted with nature groups to find “a practical solution that works as a win-win” for the environment and building.
Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside link, stopped short of criticising the announcement but called on Labour to honour its manifesto commitment to “restore the natural world”.
He told Sky News: “Under no circumstances should the government’s proposals open the door to unsustainable developments in return for vague promises of future gains.
“But done well, there’s a real opportunity here to improve the way developers fulfil environmental rules while multiplying investment and protection for nature recovery.”
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What are Labour’s housing plans?
The government is under pressure as it seeks to deliver on its manifesto pledge for 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament, and 150 decisions on infrastructure projects, to help achieve its mission of economic growth.
Pro-building campaigners have expressed concern over the feasibility of the plans, given problems with the UK’s clogged-up planning system.
At present, infrastructure projects have to secure mitigation for environmental harm to protected sites and species before being granted permission to build, adding costs and delays to the process.
£100m for HS2 bat shed
The issue was highlighted by the recent news that the beleaguered HS2 project had to spend £100m on at bat shed on a section of the line.
Artist’s impression of the HS2 bat protection structure
Sir John Thompson, the company’s chairman, said there was “no evidence that high-speed trains interfere with bats” and the cover was being built to appease the Whitehall advisory body, Natural England.
He called it a “genuine problem” with completing major infrastructure projects in the UK, with HS2 required to obtain over 8,000 planning consents from public bodies after legislation was passed to approve the project by central government in 2017.
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Reforms to speed up projects
The HS2 bat protection structure has cost £100m
Ministers said the reforms announced on Wednesday will help to speed up 150 projects, including new wind farms, railways and roads, gigafactories and data centres across the country.
The current rules mean developers are required to identify and meet environmental obligations on a project-by-project basis, which misses opportunities to find strategic solutions, the government said.
The new approach removes the need for individual site-level assessments and mitigation, with development able to proceed after a single payment to the Nature Restoration Fund in most cases.
The fund is expected to be managed by Natural England, which will look at overall actions needed to protect sites and species in the country. This could include using the money to reduce water pollution or securing nesting habitats to increase the population of a certain species, for example.
It is hoped the fund will help developers to meet their environmental obligations faster and at greater scale by pooling contributions for larger interventions.
The changes will be included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is expected to be introduced early this year.
Campaign group Britain Remade welcomed the announcement, saying that for “far too long” environmental agencies “have been able to hold up and delay the growth boosting infrastructure projects our economy desperately needs”.
Chief executive Sam Richards said: “From bat tunnels to fish discos these measures add huge delays to projects, cost hundreds of millions of pounds and do little to protect or enhance nature.”
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Nature and development have been unnecessarily pitted against each other for too long. This has blocked economic growth but done nothing for nature’s recovery.
“These reforms will unblock infrastructure projects while protecting the natural environment we all depend on.”
Politics
Southport attack: Labour MP blasts ‘damning failures’ of social services to stop Axel Rudakubana
Labour MP James Frith has issued a scathing critique of Britain’s social services, describing their failure to prevent the Southport attack as a “damning” indictment of the system.
Speaking during PMQs Live on GB News, Frith highlighted what he called “a failure of a joined up social services system that has repeatedly been warned and failed to act”.
The attack, carried out by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last summer, resulted in the deaths of three young girls.
Frith emphasised that while individual judgments should be measured, the systemic failures were clear.
James Frith has hit out at social services failings in the case of Axel Rudakubana
GB News / CPS
“Whether it’s an under-investment or a lack of scrutiny and oversight, a number of the social services have systemically failed to pick up this issue, and the worst has happened for these three girls and their families,” he said.
The Labour MP stressed that while knife access was a crucial issue, the broader failures of social services demanded urgent attention.
“It’s not complicit in the act, but is certainly unintentionally given permission for such acts to happen,” Frith added in what he termed a “damning statement on our social services”.
The Southport attacker had purchased the murder weapon from Amazon without significant barriers, when he was 17-years-old.
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to all 16 charges he faced in court on Monday CPS
Frith warned that the Southport attack highlighted broader concerns about evolving terrorism risks in Britain.
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“There’s a changing face of the risks of terrorism in this country, and the online hate, the radicalisation that is also being accessed by some of these loners and monsters,” he said during the GB News discussion.
The Labour MP called for a comprehensive review of existing protective measures.
He acknowledged the complexity of predicting such attacks, stating: “We shouldn’t cast too much judgment, given that you can never know for sure as somebody that is reported will go on and do such an appalling act.”
However, Frith insisted that both knife access restrictions and social service reforms needed urgent attention.
Frith told GB News there is a ‘changing face of the risks of terrorism in this country’
GB News
In response to the attack, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced stricter measures for online knife purchases, requiring two forms of identification.
The new requirements will mandate that buyers provide documents such as a passport or driving licence, along with a live video verification of their age.
Amazon has responded to the incident by launching an urgent investigation, stating they take their responsibility around age-restricted items “extremely seriously.”
The online retailer confirmed they use ID verification services to check personal details and require age verification upon delivery.
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An Uber driver who was left traumatised after a gun blast to his front window missed him by centimetres has warned of the dangers of driving in London and called for more support for cabbies on the capital’s roads.
Safdar Khan was making a drop off in Hendon, north west London when his passenger was ambushed by a gang with two gun shoots fired at his front and passenger side window.
Cornered in a dead end, Mr Khan managed to duck and speed off into the night despite glass shattering directly into his eyes in the surprise attack.
The 49-year-old told The Independent: “These guys were hiding in wait and popped out. It felt wrong my passenger told me to step on it. I had to try and turn on my car while they were getting closer.
“It was so scary. All of a sudden it was ‘bang, bang’ they were just five feet away.
“It could only have been from a shotgun. There were lots of pellets sprayed. The glass shattered all over me.”
Mr Khan’s customer, claiming to be from Birmingham, who had been talking to a friend through the window before the attack “stayed calm” and urged him not to call police.
When Mr Khan insisted the customer apologised for the shooting in the early hours of 13 November and thanked him for getting them away without being killed.
The Uber driver, who also moonlights as a security guard, called for more support from Uber who turned down his insurance claim for speaking therapy after a doctor diagnosed him with anxiety and depression following the attack.
He was back driving for the £115billion dollar company in just days.
The driver, who has worked for Uber since 2018, paid £300 out of his own pocket to fix the windscreen.
He added: “It is not safe to drive in London. My kids don’t go to sleep knowing that I’m out there working in the night- but I have to. I was completely shaken afterwards.
“I only got one call from Uber to say they are sorry and a specialist team would be in contact. They rang me and said they were sorry for whatever happened and all they said they would make sure in future this customer couldn’t pair up with me – but I can do that myself!”
He said his wife has given him no-go zones in London after the shooting forcing him to stay in central London but he is now struggling to make ends meet.
“We never know how many people are going to get in or what they look like”, he added.
“If they try to do some harm the only thing we can do is jump out and run away.
“If you are in the city or outside they can do whatever they want. You have to go out to make money so I have no choice. I have no confidence the areas are safe.”
After being contacted by The Independent an Uber spokesperson said they had been in touch with the driver and offered him a gesture of goodwill.
The spokesperson said:“Everyone at Uber was deeply shocked and concerned by this appalling incident. The safety of drivers is a top priority and we are continuing to investigate the matter, as are the police.
“We are in ongoing communication with Mr Khan via our Urgent Safety Response Team, and Uber has agreed to provide financial support to assist his recovery and wellbeing.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed the shooting in Stratford Road car park on Wednesday, 13 November.
He said: “Two men, aged 18 and 20, alleged they were shot at by two suspects while speaking to another man in a parked vehicle. The suspects then fled the scene.
“Officers attended and provided care to the driver of the vehicle, a 49-year-old man, who was taken to hospital a short time later.
“His injuries were assessed as neither life-changing nor life-threatening.
“The vehicle was also damaged.
“The two men aged 18 and 20 were not injured.
“No arrests have been made at this stage of the investigation. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Warning: This story contains strong and offensive language.
Pressure is growing on police to investigate a far-right group exposed in an undercover BBC investigation.
Leading political and legal figures have said the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have a “duty” to look at evidence gathered by the BBC Wales Investigates team into Patriotic Alternative (PA).
An undercover reporter spent a year investigating PA and its members in Wales who were filmed saying the group should mimic political tactics used by the Nazis and migrants should be shot.
Now a former government adviser on terrorism law, an ex-police and crime commissioner and a leading politician are all urging police action.
Former North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick K.C, said it was “essential” police and the CPS follow up on the report.
“They have a duty to look at the evidence,” he said
“Some individuals say they are going to get arms and guns. That’s going to incite others to do the same and through inciting they themselves are committing a crime.”
PA leader Mark Collett said they were not extremist, do not promote violence and peacefully campaign for the rights of what he calls “indigenous British people”.
The group, considered to be the UK’s largest far-right group with about 500 members and thousands of followers online, says it exists to “raise awareness” of immigration and promote “family values”.
Lord Carlile, who acted as the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation from 2001 to 2011, said the undercover report was “extremely concerning”.
“It seems that organisation should be the subject of a police enquiry and possibly a charging decision by the director of public prosecutions,” he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
“If the BBC reports are correct, there is at least the beginnings of evidence of incitement to commit crime, including violent crime against immigrants, and that is not acceptable in our society.”
PA has regional branches around the UK and encourage members – including former teachers and nurses – to hold protests, highlight immigration issues, film their activities and share clips online.
The BBC Wales Investigates reporter infiltrated the group in Wales, posing as a new recruit and filming its activities.
One PA member said he believed a race war was inevitable and the organisation should use a similar tactic to the Nazi party to gain power.
Former counter-extremism commissioner Dame Sara Khan believes the UK government should urgently change the law to ban such groups.
Lord Carlile, who also served as MP for Montgomeryshire for 14 years until 1997, added: “People are entitled to form political parties and express strong views.
“But they are not allowed to incite crime and the reports suggest Patriotic Alternative may have crossed the line.”
Sioned Williams, who sits on the Senedd’s equality and social justice committee, backed calls to ban the group.
“The law needs to be looked at to designate extreme right-wing groups like these as terrorist groups,” she said.
“They represent a threat to society and to a number of people from specific groups within our society.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested after a woman died in Luton on Monday.
Bedfordshire Police said the man from Luton was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
He currently remains in police custody where he is being questioned by officers.
Detectives from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime units are continuing to investigate.
In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said a 46-year-old woman was injured at a property in Turners Road North at around 11.45am. She was taken to hospital, where she later died.
A second woman in her 20s suffered serious injuries, which police say are not life-threatening.
Politics
Kim Leadbeater accused of ‘stitching-up’ Assisted Dying Bill committee over selection of expert witnesses in secret
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has been accused of “stitching-up” a House of Commons committee after attempting to select an expert witnesses in secret.
Leadbeater’s last-minute amendment was supported by committee members yesterday, meaning much of the session took place in private as it met for the first time.
The Spen Valley MP tabled the motion on Monday night to ensure that the committee sits in private.
Tory MP Danny Kruger, who opposes the bill, argued that there was “clear public interest” in decisions being made openly.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has claimed that most Britons want to allow assisted dying.PAHe said: “And if there are concerns about the witnesses, they should be aired publicly.”
Kruger added: “Of the getting on for 60 names that have been put to us, 38 of them are in favour of this Bill and in favour of the principle of assisted dying.”
However, Leadbeater argued that it would be “inappropriate to discuss named individuals” and their suitability as witnesses, and that, while transparency is important, “so is respecting individuals’ privacy”.
Tory MPs piled pressure on Leadbetter over the lack of transparency.
Protesters gather to support assisted dyingPAFormer Home Secretary James Cleverly said: ‘This is not reassuring me that getting good legislation is the priority for the proponents of the Bill.
“I’ve seen this before. People become so focused on getting the win, they lose sight of the importance of getting a balance of views.”
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell added: “I believed Kim Leadbetter when she assured us that sunlight would win the day and there was to be full public scrutiny of the Bill. I now know that wasn’t true.”
Leadbeater’s bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live legally allowed to end their lives.
Campaigners near Parliament Square against the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying,GETTYTwo doctors and a High Court judge must approve the request before.
The controversial session held yesterday sets out dates over the course of the next few months.
The committee will hear oral evidence from medical and legal professionals and line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill will begin in February.
MPs backed the second reading of Leadbeater’s proposal by 330 to 275 in November.
NewsBeat
Man who died after falling down London Waterloo escalator ‘may have been pushed’ as police hunt for witnesses
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Police are looking for witnesses after a man who died after falling down an escalator at Waterloo Station may have been pushed.
Ian Airlie, 48, was found dead at his home in Greenwich on Thursday, 10 October. He fell down the escalator at the tube station’s Jubilee Line at 17.05pm on Sunday, 15 September.
After Mr Airlie’s death his family told the Metropolitan Police he was reportedly been pushed. It is understood that Mr Airlie spoke to a number of people after the fall.
The force are now appealing for any witnesses or people who spoke to Mr Airlie to come forward.
Mr Airlie is believed to have spoken to security at the station after his fall and told them he had fallen into a woman described as of South Asian appearance, who also stumbled on the escalator.
He also spoke to a woman on the bus from North Greenwich underground station, who handed him a tissue as he was bleeding from above his left eye.
At the time, Mr Airlie was wearing a black t-shirt and light grey jogging bottoms. He wore a turquoise and grey Mountain Warehouse rucksack on his back and carried a medium, black suitcase.
A post-morning examination on Tuesday, 29 October was inconclusive and police await the result of further tests.
Detective Inspector Chris Rogers said: “Mr Airlie’s death is tragic, and his family continue to mourn the loss of a loving son, partner, brother and uncle.
“We are determined to piece together the events, and give Mr Airlie’s family the answers they are searching for. You can assist us by coming forward with any information. However small it may seem to you, this could be the key we need to unlock the investigation.”
The force asked that anyone with further information contact them via 101, or anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 1111, quoting 01/942310/24.
A cat has made three flights between New Zealand and Australia in just 24 hours after being forgotten on a plane.
Mittens, an eight-year-old Maine Coon, was booked to travel from Christchurch to Melbourne on 12 January – but her cage was left in the Air New Zealand aircraft’s cargo hold.
After waiting for three hours for Mittens at Melbourne airport, owner Margo Neas was told by ground staff the plane had already returned to New Zealand with her pet.
During that flight the heating was turned on to keep the cat comfortable, Ms Neas said. The pet – who had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed – was later flown again to Melbourne to reunite with her owner.
Speaking to NBC on Wednesday, Ms Neas said she and her son had been informed about the mishap by airport ground staff in Melbourne.
“They said: ‘Look, we have located your cat – but it’s actually on the return flight to Christchurch…’
“And I said: ‘When did you discover that the cat wasn’t taken off the plane?’ And they said: ‘We’ve only just discovered now.’ And I said: ‘How can this happen?’”
Ms Neas said she was told that the pilot had already been alerted to turn the heating on in the cargo hall where the temperature could be as low as 7C.
The incident is still being investigated, but reports say a stowed wheelchair may have obscured a baggage handler’s view of Mittens’s cage.
Air New Zealand has apologised for the distress caused, promising to reimburse all travel costs.
The company does not accept direct animal bookings from the public for international flights, so passengers must book via approved pet carrier firms.
Ms Neas said she had been relieved to be finally reunited with Mitten.
“She basically just ran into my arms and just snuggled up in here and just did the biggest cuddles of all time,” she was quoted as saying by the AP news agency on Wednesday. “It was just such a relief.”
Ms Neas, who had earlier decided to relocate to Australia, added: “It was not a great start to our new life in Melbourne because we didn’t have the family, we weren’t complete.”
The one-way flight time between Christchurch and Melbourne usually takes less than four hours.
NewsBeat
Rachel Reeves risks economic ‘doom loop’ if spending cuts continue, ex-Bank of England chief economist warns | Politics News
Rachel Reeves risks entering an economic “doom loop” if she continues to cut spending, a former Bank of England chief economist has warned.
Andy Haldane, who was with the Bank for 32 years until 2021, said the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast in March could lead to less investment and spending.
He told Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge: “It would be deeply counterproductive to both growth and to the fiscal position if that led to a cutting back on investment and indeed in spending more generally.
“Then I think you really are into a doomed loop between debt and growth. And that’s a situation to avoid at all costs.”
The OBR will publish an economic and fiscal forecast on 26 March, five months after its last forecast, which said the October budget was unlikely to increase economic growth over the next five years.
Mr Haldane, who became well-known for his speeches during COVID, said his concern depends on how much government spending is cut by the chancellor this spring.
“For me, I think some of the gloom and doom about both the economy and in bond markets is slightly overdone,” he added.
“I think once we get to the second half of the year, the underlying fiscal picture may look somewhat better as might be the underlying growth picture.
“So anything precipitating now, I think, is best avoided.”
The OBR gave a dismal outlook when Rachel Reeves announced her autumn budget. Pic: Reuters
The economist, who is now chief executive of the Royal Society for Arts think tank, added the chancellor should not panic because of market reaction to the budget deficit by cutting spending further.
“Definitely not panic,” he said.
“I think the journey we’ve been on, when the government first came in, if anything expectations were a bit too high.
“And I think we saw those expectations punctured pretty quickly.”
Read more:
Treasury Committee questions new Office for Value for Money
PM says Treasury will be ‘ruthless’ in cutting spending
He said he could see pessimism within business and financial markets based on the October budget “being walked back in the remainder of the year as some of the announcements the government has made start to come on stream and be felt, including the fiscal measures in the budget”.
Those fiscal measures are providing “a big boost to growth” this year, exemplified by the International Monetary Fund last week forecasting the UK performing relatively well on the European stage, he said.
The October budget saw taxes rise to the tune of £40bn. Pic: Reuters
Mr Haldane added he thought “there were mistakes in execution” of the autumn budget in October, “but even larger mistakes in the communication around that budget”.
He said: “Personally, I would not have loaded so much onto business at the budget but more importantly still, I would have found a way of communicating that budget in terms that could help businesses see that if not now, then tomorrow, this was a pro-business budget and that wasn’t done and that led to the further breakdown in business confidence.”
In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Haldane also said he thinks Donald Trump “taking an axe to regulation” and thinking “very differently” about how government functions means there is “a chance of real growth and supply side upside from which we will all learn better”.
You can watch the full interview at 7pm on Wednesday on Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge on Sky News.
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