Labour looks set to take massive losses across London in the 2026 local elections, with the Greens in particular set to benefit from the demise. However, predicted results are currently too close to call across a remarkable number of boroughs.

That’s according to YouGov’s first-ever multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) model for the London locals. The news follows hot on the heels of the pollster’s latest predictions for the Welsh Senedd elections, which likewise show historic Labour losses.

It’s really not looking good for Starmer here, is it, folks? Our hearts bleed, they truly do.

Vote-share upsets in London

Let’s start with the vote-share projections for London as a whole. Compared to the last council elections in 2022, Labour, of course show the biggest predicted drop – down 16 points to just 26%. The Tories, meanwhile, look set to take a nine-point dive to 17% total.

Next to those massive losses, the Greens and Reform look set to make the biggest gains. YouGov predicts that the Greens could land 22% of the vote share across the city. For their part, Reform could see a 14-point increase, netting it… 14%.

However, the number of votes each party receives is only half the story. Where exactly those votes come from is, of course, just as crucial.

You’ve only got to take a glance at YouGov’s vote share projection chart to see how close the race may be. It’s got more stripes than a seaside rock shop:

YouGov's London council election MRP forecasts breakthrough for the Greens and Reform UK in the capital, but with close races in many boroughs

# of boroughs where party has highest vote share, central projection
Lab: 15 (-6 from 2022)
Con: 5 (-1)
Grn: 4 (+4)
LD: 4 (+1)
Ref: 3… pic.twitter.com/3ofLUWp3LR

— YouGov (@YouGov) April 22, 2026

Too close to call

The data were drawn from over 4,500 London adults between 27 March and 21 April. YouGov stated that many of the boroughs look so close that it’s unwilling to project wins and losses for specific seats. Instead, it is:

focussing on support for the parties. Owing to the first past the post voting system, this does not guarantee a party will win outright control of a borough, or even the most seats, as happened in Bexley at the 2002 elections and Havering in 2022.

London has 32 boroughs up for grabs. According to the central vote share projections, the second-placed party is less than 2% behind the leader in 10 of those boroughs. Allowing for a 5% difference, 16 boroughs are too close to call, rising to 25 boroughs at 10%.

More to the point, 12 of the boroughs with a 5% difference between first and second place are split between the Greens and Labour. As such, many of Labour’s historic heartlands could ditch Starmer’s party for the left-wing alternative. 

Even Labour’s London mayor, Sadiq Khan, warned the PM as much. As Khan put it, Labour was “in danger of being stonked” in the capital on May 7. He also called out Starmer’s apparent obsession with aping the far right:

I’m slightly nervous with this ‘hero voter’ strategy, this understandable obsession to chase the Reform voter. This could lead to progressive voters feeling, wrongly, the Labour Party isn’t for them.

We’d contest the ‘wrongly’ bit, what with all the recent highly public immigrant-bashing. 

Best case/worst case

Unfortunately, it’s a bit early to call the exact magnitude of Labour’s London losses just yet. The close-run nature of this election means that there are massive margins for error in YouGov’s model.

For instance, Labour could feasibly lead in just 7 boroughs in its worst-case scenario. Conversely, that number could hit 19 at the upper-bounds of the projection. Meanwhile, the upper-end estimate could see the Greens win 8 boroughs, and Reform take as many as 5.

Even the smaller local independents could lead in 3 different councils, with YouGov explaining that:

Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire party is forecast to, once again, come first in Tower Hamlets, having become the first party other than the Conservatives, Labour or Lib Dems to win a London borough outright at the 2022 elections. We also expect the Havering Residents Association to again do well in their patch, but to come under a strong challenge from Reform UK.

Of course, from a Canary perspective, we strongly dislike the amount of Reform teal we’re seeing on the London projections. Our friends in the capital, for all their faults, deserve better than a bunch of racist, lying, racist, incompetent, racist, lazy racists to represent them.

Yes, that was too many ‘racists’. Given that we needed the extra space to add receipts, we put it to you that this is a Reform problem, rather than a Canary problem.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alex/Rose Cocker

Source link

A peaceful protester was stabbed outside Downing Street during a demonstration against the US and Israel’s illegal war against Iran, attended by Iranian activists on opposing sides.

Two men, who were taking part in an anti-Iranian counter demonstration, stabbed Mohammed Reza, a British-Iranian and father of two.

Paramedics took Reza to the hospital for treatment, but the extent of his injuries is unclear. Images circulating on social media show very visible stab wounds to Reza’s stomach. Police have since arrested the attackers.

Only recently, a video went viral on social media showing similar pro-monarchy protestors swearing at Reza, whilst he walked to the station with his children.

The stabbing occurred after counter-protestors threatened the main protest with physical violence in full view of the police.

According to Hands Off Iran Coalition:

Eye-witnesses report that the police seem to have paid little attention to keeping the counter-protestors away from the main demonstration, organised by the

This is despite the fact that police are aware that pro-monarchist anti-Iran protestors have a history of trouble and violence.

In recent weeks, they have also targeted mosques, centres and individuals that have shown support for Iran. This includes throwing Molotov cocktails at the Islamic Centre of England in London.

One rule for them

Over the last couple of years, the British Government has imposed increasingly harsher restrictions on anti-genocide protesters in the UK. From the proscription of Palestine Action and the Home Secretary banning the annual Al Quds Day march in London, to the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill — it has become clear that the Israel lobby has more influence than ever on British politics and policing.

But now, a pro-Israel, pro-Iranian monarchist has stabbed a peaceful protester in broad daylight. Importantly, this only highlights how extra restrictions and curtailed protest rights are completely one-sided.

The Government claimed the changes would ‘protect the public’, yet it was well aware of the violent history of the counter-protesters, and did nothing. Meanwhile, the police continuously arrest and harass anti-genocide protesters, who have no violent history, simply for opposing mass murder and ethnic cleansing.

Two-tier policing is well and truly alive.

Feature image via the Canary

By HG

Source link

A newly uncovered text from Keir Starmer congratulating Peter Mandelson on his now-defunct ambassadorial title, indicates to onlookers just how close the men were — if anyone was still in doubt:

NEW: Keir Starmer messaged Peter Mandelson the night before he announced him as US Ambassador

“You’ll be brilliant in challenging circumstances. And after many years of our discussions, we get to work together side by side. I really look forward to that”

[@ShippersUnbound]

Advertisement

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) April 23, 2026

Lest we forget, Mandelson maintained a friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He also resigned in disgrace from government twice. As such, any relationship with the man should be seen as unacceptable for a serious politician.

“Brilliant in challenging circumstances”

The revealed text shows that Mandelson wasn’t simply an associate of Starmer — he was a close confidant of “many years.”

Ed Balls: "Mandelson wants you to believe he's advising the party. Whether he actually is I'm not so sure"pic.twitter.com/2OOhSD5AUk

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) April 23, 2026

Tim Shipman revealed the text in the Spectator. The piece shows Starmer is far from the only bigwig accused of harbouring an unhealthy fondness for Mandelson:

Those familiar with the cache of documents being prepared fear the most embarrassing will never see the light of day, like the one in which Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Prime Minister, sent Mandelson what is described as a ‘warm’ missive on the day he was sacked.

Here’s a video of Darren Jones defending the vetting failures of his government:

So we're being asked to believe that Starmer announced the appointment of Mandelson before the security vetting had been completed and didn't then enquire about the vetting at any point subsequently, and according to Darren Jones this means due process was followed at all times pic.twitter.com/WckCGE8rbC

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) April 17, 2026

Regarding those failures, Starmer has been trying to pass the buck on to civil servant Olly Robbins, who he sacked.

This is all going incredibly poorly, with many arguing that Starmer misled Parliament on 22 April in his attempts to blame Robbins:

Struggling to see how Starmer’s claim today at Prime Minister’s Questions that “no pressure existed whatsoever” in relation to the Mandelson vetting is compatible with Sir Olly Robbins’ evidence to Parliament. pic.twitter.com/R2wqeoHqxv

— Matthew Stadlen (@MatthewStadlen) April 22, 2026

Advertisement

Starmer has sacked others too, or forced them to resign, such as:

• Peter Mandelson himself
• Chief of staff Morgan McSweeney
• Comms chief Tim Allan

This is what Starmer said in the 2020 leadership election, when he wanted to appeal to left-wing Labour members (emphasis added):

I had 8,000 staff for five years as the director of public prosecutions.

I acted, I hope, in the right way with them. When they had victories, I celebrated on their behalf. I picked up awards on their behalves. When they made mistakes, I carried the can.

I never turned on my staff. You should never turn on your staff!

Advertisement

As the Spectator note, PM Starmer hasn’t exactly “turned” on his staff; it’s more like he’s fed them into the woodchipper:

In 22 months, the PM is now on his third chief of staff, third cabinet secretary and fifth director of communications. ‘The body count outstrips anyone since Thatcher,’ a former official notes. ‘Boris talked a lot about firing people but he was all mouth and no trousers.’ Even Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s former chief of staff, who carried the can for the appointment, told a friend recently: ‘I always knew Keir would throw me overboard in the end.’

Starmer’s boringness fooled many into thinking he’s a rational and sensible man. At this point, though, there is no degree of tedium that can obscure the chaos he’s overseen in government.

Dysfunction

The Spectator piece noted that Starmer has completely torched his government’s relationship with the civil service:

A former official says: ‘Senior leaders who have been there under several prime ministers say it is worse than it was, even under the worst of Boris. People are furious at how the Prime Minister has treated Olly.’

Another Westminster veteran says: ‘I hope this will finally kill the absurd “Keir Starmer is a decent man” narrative. He’s a shitweasel whose sole political talent is blaming others for his own failings.’

Advertisement

This level of government dysfunction isn’t sustainable — not when the country has problems to deal with beyond those caused by Keir Starmer.

Featured image via the Canary

By Willem Moore

Source link

Workers’ Memorial Day takes place around the world on 28 April. The event remembers those who’ve died either directly or indirectly because of their work. And it’s an opportunity to call for better working conditions and practices. The movement’s slogan is:

Remember the dead – and fight like hell for the living!

Trade unionists and supporters in Waltham Forest will gather to mark Workers’ Memorial Day with a rally. It’s at 12pm on Tuesday 28 April in Fellowship Square outside Walthamstow Town Hall / Assembly Rooms, Forest Rd, E17.

Speakers will include:

• Kevin Parslow, secretary of Waltham Forest Trades Council.
• Annabelle Stanford, Unison Waltham Forest.
• Katie Hinds, NEU.
• Invited speaker, Unite bus workers.
• Rada Daniell, Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
• Sam Mason, climate activist.
• Mick Holder, NUJ and Hazards Campaign.

Parslow said:

Behind the official statistics it is calculated that in reality in the UK 182 people die every day because of their work. That is more than seven every hour. The greater proportion of these people die from diseases and ill health caused by their work.

The International Trade Union Confederation says globally work kills more people than war. It is acknowledged that the greater majority of this is predictable and preventable if employers took greater steps to manage their work safely. It is also acknowledged that where there are trade union health and safety reps looking out for their fellow workers the likelihood of injury or ill-health is greatly reduced.

Advertisement

We will gather on Workers’ Memorial Day to remember those killed working in Waltham Forest and to hear of the issues faced by workers daily, then, following a respectful minute’s silence, we will again re-commit to remembering the dead and fighting for the living!

Events will happen around the country and around the world.

This year the Waltham Forest rally will focus on trade union disputes in east London which have worker health and safety at their core. Teachers at some local schools have been striking over workloads, hours of work and heavy handed management style. And bus workers have been striking over driver fatigue and work patterns.

Attendees will remember those killed working in Waltham Forest, such as Ekarmanjeet Singh (25), a construction worker killed when a roof collapsed at a house being renovated in Pevensey Rd, Leytonstone in December 2023.

They will remember Jorge Ortega, the RMT member who was murdered whilst working at Ilford Station in December 2024.

Workers’ Memorial Day also calls for action

The rally will also remember the many thousands killed by asbestos and call for a plan to remove all asbestos from our public buildings and elsewhere to ensure an end to the horrific diseases and deaths from this killer dust in the future.

It will call for the damage done by previous governments to the agencies which are meant to protect workers and the environment – the Health & Safety Executive and the Environment Agency – to be stopped and reversed so as to ensure everyone at work is safe and healthy.

Trade unionists will again call for stronger and quicker action against the causes and effects of climate change.

And they will mark the effect of the destruction done by war, notably the asbestos risk from bombed buildings and the chemicals from those bombs, and its effect on those living now and long into the future.

The rally will call for protections that will ensure the safety of future technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

It will speak about the global nature of all of these issues and how Workers’ Memorial Day is a global event. And it will reflect the ITUC theme for this year’s even – the psychosocial risks of work.

And the rally will recognise the role trade unions and trade union health and safety representatives play in preventing damage to the health and safety of their fellow workers – saying safety reps save lives!

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

Source link

Lord Robertson, a Labour peer, is lobbying for bigger defence spending for the second week running. The Guardian reported Robertson’s comments at a thinktank event, but did not disclose his decades-long links to the war lobby.

Robertson’s speech at Chatham House

Robertson spoke at a Chatham House event on 22 April. Chatham House is one of the UK’s top establishment thinktanks. The event meant to examine:

the future of UK–US relations in the era of Trump 2.0.

Robertson is an ex-NATO chief, Blair-era defence minister and co-author of the last Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The SDR sets the direction of British foreign policy. On 17 April, the Canary reported on Robertson and the other SDR co-authors attacking UK PM Keir Starmer over a lack of military spending. In particular, we focused on those critics known links to defence firms and consultancies.

The Guardian said of the Chatham House event:

Robertson emphasised that [President] Trump did not represent the full spectrum of American opinion, but he said the UK needed to accept that the president’s behaviour was also reflective of longer-term changes in US foreign policy and act accordingly.

The paper quoted Robertson as saying:

“It’s clear that our high level of military dependence on the US is no longer tenable” … and it was a “naive belief” that the White House would always be on hand to help the UK out in times of conflict. Such an approach had led to the “diminishment of our own capability” militarily, he added.

But you have to wait until paragraph eleven (!) to see what Robertson is actually angling for:

He said the UK “must rapidly pivot to becoming a more autonomous military actor”, working closely with European allies against Russia, and demonstrate progress to lifting defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 in line with a NATO target, while recognising that the US was becoming more transactional. [Emphasis added.]

At no point in the article are Robertson’s publicly available links to the war industry mentioned. Guess we’ll just do the Guardian‘s job for them then…

Hidden links to the arms trade

The Cohen Group defence consultancy website describes Robertson’s role with them as a senior counsellor. What’s more:

He joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor in April 2004, advising and assisting our clients globally.

For the benefit of legacy media journalists, April 2004 is 8,028 days ago. That’s well over 20 years working for a heavyweight defence consultancy firm. That seems like a relevant detail here.

The Cohen Group even brag on their website about brokering big deals between a US war firm and an unnamed European country:

A leading US-based global aerospace and defense firm approached The Cohen Group (TCG) for assistance in competing for a multi-billion contract in Europe.

It is not clear if Robertson was involved in that deal – though clearly an ex-NATO chief would have been be useful to have around.

But there’s more…

Remunerated advisor for various private interests

Robertson’s registered interests as a peer indicate he has had “remunerated employment” with (been paid by) various other firms. This includes his role as a:

Senior Adviser on geo-political and geo-strategic issues to 5654 & Company (consultancy founded to help companies act to earn reputation) (suspended 16 July 2024).

The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists says 5654 & Co worked with arms firms Raytheon and Melrose PLC between January and March 2023.

The register also says Robertson has “shareholdings” with Weir Group PLC – an engineering firm with major global mining interests in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Robertson is also reportedly an advisor to British Petroleum (BP).

And credit where it is due to Labour Right Watch for their spot. Turns out the Financial Times also omitted some important details:

Lord Robertson is also a paid adviser to UK lobby firm 5654 & Co who just last year represented arms firm Melrose, and in 2022-23 represented Raytheon.https://t.co/hRO903efUb pic.twitter.com/Ggz1BGPdkf

— Labour Right Watch (@LabourRightWtch) April 15, 2026

Correcting legacy media

Far too much of our work is correcting the legacy media for their misreporting and/or omissions.

Robertson has repeatedly been framed as an experienced voice raising expert concerns about Britain’s security. Perhaps concern is what drives him… But the fact he has been entangled with defence interests for decades has to be reported too.

Any journalist worth their salt owes their readers that, at the very least, so those readers can make informed judgements about where their vote goes, what they protest and what they endorse.

Featured image via Chatham House

By Joe Glenton

Source link

Fertilizer prices globally are rising since the war on Iran and “are poised to surge even higher,” potentially taking “months and months” to normalize even after the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

One third of global fertilizer trade – along with 35 per cent of crude oil and a fifth of liquified natural gas – passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Many countries affected

India, the world’s top urea importer, is now paying $935 to $959 per ton, up nearly 90% from the $490 pre-war price, India’s Economic Times reported.

The UN said that planting season would end in May for most countries in Africa, making the loss of fertilizer at this time “significant and severe.” The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz could push 45 million more people into hunger and starvation, according to the UN’s World Food Program:

The planting season has already started, and in most countries in Africa it will end in May. So, if we don’t get some solution immediately, the crisis will be very significant and severe, particularly for the poorest countries and for the poorest citizens.

The UN said some of the most fertilizer-dependent countries were already highly vulnerable due to previous shocks, including Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Sri Lanka.

Advice to UK farmers

It is not just Asia and Africa. Even in the UK, advice is being given out to use fertilizer more efficiently. Farmers Guide reported that:

the most profitable strategy is usually about using nitrogen more efficiently, rather than applying more of it.

In the USA too, Responsible Statecraft noted that “Trump risks war backlash from the heartland: American farmers,” with fertilizer costs up.

The FT has reported similar findings, saying:

Across the US, farmers are reeling from a huge surge in the price of crop nutrients triggered by the Iran war — at a time when the economics of farming were already under pressure

This was an ill-thought-out war by Trump and his allies in Israel and the UK. The severe and dire consequences will hit their own voters, too.

By The Canary

Source link

Keir Starmer’s grotesque, Reform-pandering, allegedly Labour government has plumbed fresh depths with its latest scheme to deter refugees. The Channel policing plan will see the UK hand over £662m to France in return for it beefing up border security.

The BBC‘s reporting actually tones down the language of the government’s own press release. The briefing, from the Border Security and Asylum section of the Communications Directorate uses language popularised during the US occupation of Iraq. It talks of a “surge of boots on the ground”. And it quotes Starmer saying:

This historic agreement means we can go further: ramping up intelligence, surveillance and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders.

The release boasts:

The 40% increase in boots on the ground will be deployed alongside state-of-the-art technology and a new riot police squad to bare down on small boat numbers.

We assume it meant to say “bear down”.

It also repeatedly uses the phrasing “illegal migrants”, despite there being no legal way of entering the country to claim asylum. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, who goes about her job as if she’s trying to win a bet with Suella Braverman, manages to get the phrase in twice in three sentences:

Our work with the French has stopped tens of thousands of illegal migrants boarding boats headed to Britain.

But we must do more. This landmark deal will stop illegal migrants making the perilous journey and put people smugglers behind bars.

This horrific rhetoric has prompted support organisation Freedom from Torture to respond. Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at the group, said:

This is a deeply alarming escalation in the UK’s approach to border enforcement. Now, we will be paying for police boots and batons to be wielded indiscriminately against men, women and children on the beaches of northern France for the crime of seeking safety.

This UK-funded brutality will be unleashed on survivors of the most unimaginable horrors of torture and war, fleeing notorious conflict and persecution in Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan and Somalia.

Advertisement

Many of the people who will be harmed by these heavy-handed tactics have already endured state violence during their flight from persecution. Survivors of torture have described to us how they were beaten, detained, denied food and water, and subjected to sexual abuse and enslavement during their journey to the UK.

Now they will face the full ferocity of the French riot police – a security body that has been criticised by the United Nations Committee Against Torture for excessive use of force, leading in some cases to serious injury and death.

99.5% of people who arrived in the UK by small boat last year claimed asylum and over 60% were recognised by the UK government as needing protection.

And yet this announcement says nothing about identifying vulnerability, providing routes to safety for those in need or ensuring that any aid, assistance or funding by the UK does not contribute to violations of international human rights law by the French state.

Advertisement

Shutting down refugee family reunion and returning survivors of torture and trafficking to France without even considering their claim for protection only increases the demand for small boat crossings.

If the government is serious about preventing dangerous journeys, it must expand safe routes to seek asylum in the UK and collaborate with the French to enhance maritime safety for those who continue to cross the Channel in search of protection.

Freedom from Torture’s considered words on the Channel policing announcement throw Labour’s rhetoric into sharp relief. It’s a reminder of just how severely Reform’s bigotry has poisoned the well of UK politics.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

Source link

In a new interview, Green leader Zack Polanski has shown why a remake of past antisemitism smears won’t stop his party’s surge in popularity.

Polanski has been an outspoken Jewish voice against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He has highlighted the recent increase in Jewish support for his party, which now has the backing of around a fifth of the Jewish population. In particular, he said many Jewish people thanked him for representing their views in the media realm.

Perhaps the most important point he made, though, was that there is no single ‘Jewish community’. In reality, there are many communities with differing viewpoints. And no single figure, he said, can rightfully claim to speak for all of them.

"I think it's important that I make sure that my Jewish identity isn't weaponized by other people in the community who claim that all Jewish people support the Israeli government or the genocide because it's absolutely not true.":

Green Party leader Zack Polanski rejects the… pic.twitter.com/JbOUN6eiaa

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) April 22, 2026

Polanski stressed in the interview with Haaretz that:

at no point have I ever claimed to speak for the entire Jewish community, because it would be impossible for anyone to speak for the entire Jewish community

He also directed criticism at groups and people who have cynically tried to take on that role, explaining that:

before I was leader of a political party and a more public Jewish figure, there were organisations like the Board of Deputies who were claiming to speak for the entire Jewish community, or indeed the Chief Rabbi…

And he hopes his leadership will help to open:

a more broad conversation about people claiming to speak for a community when we know there isn’t a single Jewish community – there are Jewish communities, who believe different things and have different views and different nuances.

The importance of ending weaponisation of identity on Israel’s behalf

The right-wing Board of Deputies has been one prominent organisation that has long sought to smear critics of Israeli crimes as antisemitic. But Polanski has resisted that as Green leader, correctly insisting that:

Conflating Antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government is dangerous.

A key danger is that conflating ordinary Jewish people and Israeli war criminals can contribute to or even increase antisemitic views in society. And this is doubly dangerous at a time when the far right – which is often very supportive of Israel – is on the march. Reform UK, for example, has already had numerous antisemitism scandals.

This is why Polanski told Haaretz that:

as a Jewish politician, I do think it’s important that I both make sure that my Jewish identity is not weaponised by other people in the community who claim that all Jewish people support the Israeli government or… the genocide, because that absolutely, categorically is not true.

His strong position of principle — along with the fact that he and his party are increasingly popular — has made him a key target for attacks from the right-wing media, pro-Israel lobbyists, and the far right.

But he has learned from the smears against longstanding anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn. And his stance appears uncompromising. As a prominent Jewish figure, Polanski’s position against cynical antisemitism smears matters.

I’s a cause for real hope that, this time, the smears won’t work.

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

Source link

The post The terrorist who claimed asylum appeared first on spiked.

Source link

PoliticsHome revealed that Travelodge had been handed almost £70m by councils since 2022 (Alamy)

4 min read8 min

The government could bring in stipulations for companies that receive public money to house vulnerable people, like Travelodge, PoliticsHome understands.

Advertisement

It is one measure being considered by ministers as they look at how hotel security can be improved after a woman was sexually assaulted in one of the hotel chain’s rooms in 2022, with a government source telling PoliticsHome that “nothing is off the table”.

It comes after PoliticsHome revealed at the start of this month that Travelodge had been given almost £70m of taxpayers’ money via local authorities since a woman was sexually assaulted in one of its rooms in 2022.

In February, Kyran Smith was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting a woman in a Travelodge in Berkshire in December 2022. Smith had attended the same party as the woman and had later acquired a key card to her room after falsely claiming to hotel staff that he was the victim’s boyfriend.

Advertisement

The case, which has led to intense scrutiny of Travelodge and calls for its CEO to be more accountable to MPs, has triggered a debate about whether the company should continue to receive taxpayers’ money, especially to temporarily house vulnerable people.

Public money is often given to hotel chains to house homeless or vulnerable people, to support councils facing a lack of social housing or council-owned housing.

PoliticsHome understands that a cross-department roundtable in the coming months will discuss what measures are needed to make sure vulnerable people in these settings are protected. A government source said “nothing’s off the table” and that “we just need to make sure the right safeguarding practices are being followed to keep vulnerable people safe”.

Advertisement

One possible step that ministers are expected to explore is new stipulations or guidelines for any company using public funding, to provide reassurance that the vulnerable are going to be looked after.

This could include regulation or policy guidance, for example, looking at procurement guidelines, in the same way that there are guidelines around modern slavery.

In March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell for not attending a meeting with MPs to discuss issues of room security.

Last month, PoliticsHome reported that Labour MP Matt Bishop was working on a new law to improve hotel security following the Travelodge assault.

Advertisement

The proposals, set to be introduced as a Ten Minute Rule Bill, would introduce industry standards to ensure the safety of individuals staying in hotels, and it was understood that the government is willing to work with the backbench MP on the plans.

Travelodge has previously apologised to the victim and said that the chain had done an internal review of its security policies, making “immediate changes to ensure that an additional or replacement room key is only issued with explicit permission from the person, or people, staying in the room”.

Boydell said: “The safety and security of guests is extremely important to me and our whole team. Our colleagues care deeply about safety, and we want everyone to be safe and feel safe in a Travelodge hotel.”

She added: “We have offered that all MPs interested in this important issue can feed into the independent review in writing so their contributions can be fully taken into account. My focus now, as the CEO, is ensuring that this important work progresses thoroughly and at pace, and that we learn from the independent review and further strengthen our processes.

Advertisement

“We also welcome the opportunity to work with Matt Bishop and MPs, and UK Hospitality, the body for the hotel sector, on his proposed ten-minute rule bill to help strengthen hotel security for Travelodge and also the wider sector. We have written to Matt to confirm that we want to work with him and MPs on his ten-minute rule bill.

“We have a long-standing relationship with a number of local authorities who choose to use Travelodge hotels, and we want to ensure that everyone feels safe when staying with us.”

 

Source link