Politics
Labour Together implicated in another spy story
‘Labour Together’ — the sabotage outfit that brought down Jeremy Corbyn and conned Labour members into choosing Keir Starmer — paid investigators to spy on, and smear two Times journalists. Unsurprisingly, the pair — Harry Yorke and Gabriel Pogrund — have publicised their experience as unique.
@Gabriel_Pogrund and I were the subject of a disgraceful smear campaign — just for doing our jobs
I’m proud that The Sunday Times is calling it out on the front page tomorrow
Labour activists paid for smear campaign against journalists https://t.co/Uw9UjNJtzm
— Harry Yorke (@HarryYorke1) February 14, 2026
Labour Together pursues journalists
The Sunday Times, which covered the story, reported that:
The group that helped to get Sir Keir Starmer elected as Labour leader hired lobbyists to investigate the personal, political and religious background of a Sunday Times journalist behind an article about secret donations that funded its work.
Labour Together paid £36,000 to Apco, a US public affairs firm, to examine the “backgrounds and motivations” of reporters behind a story before the general election.
The aim was to discredit The Sunday Times’s reporting by falsely suggesting its journalists might be part of a Russian conspiracy or had relied on emails hacked by the Kremlin.
Apco produced a 58-page report including almost ten pages of deeply personal and false claims about Gabriel Pogrund, the Sunday Times Whitehall editor. He and Harry Yorke, the newspaper’s deputy political editor, were named as “persons of significant interest”.
Old news
But Pogrund and Yorke only stand out for being the only ‘mainstream’ hacks known to have been targeted by Labour Together. The pressure group was formerly run by disgraced Starmer adviser Morgan McSweeney and other ‘red Tories’ in Starmer’s faction. But these latest revelations and labour Together’S spying activities is not new — not in any real sense. Their not-so-covert operations have been in the public domain for months.
In fact, news of the spying broke on the Canary in September 2025. McSweeney’s outfit set investigators on Paul Holden, the author of The Fraud. This exposes Labour Together’s dark tactics and Starmer’s dishonesty. Furthermore, the book has been serialised by the Canary.
Labour Together did the same to Andrew Feinstein, the author and former Mandela government minister. He stood against Starmer in the 2024 general election and decimated his majority. Moreover, it did the same to journalists John McEvoy, Khadija Sharife and Peter Geoghegan.
Labour Together’s spies targeted Pogrund for being Jewish — ironic given their weaponisation of supposed ‘Labour antisemitism’ against Corbyn and the left. But they did the same to the Jewish Feinstein. They smeared Pogrund and Yorke as being linked to Russia — they’d done the same to Feinstein and Holden.
In fact, not even the ‘news’ about Yorke and Pogrund is new. The Canary reported it last week. No wonder McSweeney and his cadre are scared of the Canary. They have tried and failed to destroy it while Corbyn was still leading Labour.
Featured image via the Canary
This article features advice from Dr Emily Crosby, a child and educational psychologist, as well as experts from Save The Children and NSPCC.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, it’s common for children to feel stressed and anxious.
“What is happening across the Middle East and the wider region is frightening for both children and adults,” said Rebecca Smith, Save The Children’s global head of child protection.
Not only this but children are likely to be exposed to “distressing content or false information” during these tumultuous times, according to the NSPCC.
If your child is worried about the growing conflict, child and educational psychologist Dr Emily Crosby has shared some advice on how is best to discuss this with them.
1) Listen to and validate their concerns
If your child has expressed worry about what’s happening, experts at Save The Children advise reassuring them, while being honest and addressing any misinformation or inaccuracies they’ve come across in an age-appropriate way. You can also remind them that it is okay to feel scared or worried.
Dr Crosby agrees. “Validate any feelings and emotions they may have on the topic,” she advised. “Always listen to what they have to say and be careful about [sharing] your own views, give them space.”
2) Think about the news they’re exposed to
If your child is online, the NSPCC said it’s important to make sure parental controls are in place on their device and you’re having regular conversations about online safety.
“It’s important to be mindful of how much news exposure you provide children,” Dr Crosby said, as this could lead to further distress and misinformation.
Save The Children also recommends explaining the difference between sensationalised posts and verified news.
3) Tackle misinformation head-on
Sometimes children can be exposed to worrying news that isn’t accurate and makes their anxiety worse. As a result, the NSPCC suggests recommending reliable news sources to your child.
And if the disinformation is coming from their friends, “carefully challenge” it, Dr Crosby advised, and explain how this can be affected by other families’ views, too.
Stay calm in this discussion and model the behaviour you want to see, experts at Save The Children added.
4) Consider placing limits on your news consumption
If your child is finding the news especially distressing, Dr Crosby said it could be time to consider providing boundaries around the time given to the topic.
“Whilst you cannot avoid the topic altogether, be careful of how much you allow this into the family home,” she said.
5) Use age-appropriate language and tailor chats to your child
UNICEF said that “children have a right to know what’s going on in the world”, but equally, as adults, “we have a responsibility to keep them safe from distress”.
That does not mean being dishonest, but it can mean using age-appropriate language and working out what your child already knows and how they feel about it.
“Focus on what they can control and what they cannot control,” Dr Crosby said.
Save The Children added that it’s important we are “careful not to over-explain the situation or go into too much detail as this can make children unnecessarily anxious”.
Sometimes, a very base-level description of the situation will suffice.
A panicked Donald Trump has called for an end to the Republican Party’s Texas primary after a left-wing Christian pastor who opposes Israel won a stunning victory in the Democratic primary.
Not in your name
James Talarico, is the honourable pastor and state senator, who beat Israel lobby-backed Jasmine Crockett in the 4 March primary. He believes strongly that Jesus would be tipping over tables in protest against racist Christian nationalism.
The results sent Trump into a tailspin, leading him to demand that Republican candidates drop out of the primary battle so he could nominate his preferred pick to fight the ‘radical left’ opponent. The move has infuriated members of the Republican camp.
Tanking Trump
The demand, as we can surmise, shows that Trump knows how badly he’s tanking in the polls. The Democrats haven’t won in Texas since 1988, but he fears they might now. However, Trump was out of luck. The candidates rejected his demand, and two contenders are still fighting tooth and nail for the top spot.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
Politics Home Article | UK “Stands Ready” To Support Emergency International Energy Reserves
Chancellor Rachel Reeves joined a virtual meeting with G7 finance ministers to discuss the situation in the Middle East (Alamy)
3 min read
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed the UK is ready to back a coordinated release of International Energy Agency oil reserves to help stabilise fuel prices, as the Middle East conflict continues.
Reeves gave a statement to the House of Commons after meeting with G7 finance ministers on Monday afternoon, as part of wider efforts to coordinate an international economic response to the Iran conflict’s impact on global energy security and markets.
The Chancellor said that in the meeting, she emphasised the need for “immediate de-escalation” of the conflict and a return to the diplomatic process.
She sought to reassure the public as the UK braces for further energy price shocks and market volatility. Oil prices have spiked in the Middle East, and oil shipping routes have been disrupted as the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel continues.
“I know that families and businesses will be concerned about the impact of this conflict on them,” Reeves said, before confirming that the UK is ready to support a coordinated release of collective International Energy Agency oil reserves.
Reeves said she has explicitly asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to be vigilant across energy prices, including essentials like road fuel and heating oil, stressing she will “not tolerate any company exploiting the current crisis to make excess benefits at consumers’ expense”.
The move is intended to reassure motorists and households that the government is monitoring supply‑chain pricing and looking to prevent opportunistic price gouging at a time of heightened energy insecurity.
The Chancellor also announced that the Treasury has approved Ministry of Defence (MoD) access to the Treasury’s special reserve to fund additional military capabilities in the Middle East.
She said this would ensure that “no net additional costs of these operations will be funded by the MoD, but instead will be funded by the Treasury”.
Reeves said the UK will also play its part as the global hub of maritime insurance, and is due to meet with the chair of Lloyds of London later on Monday to discuss how to support the continued passage of maritime trade.
Highlighting the importance of boosting domestic energy resilience, Reeves confirmed that the government will publish its response “in the coming days” to the Fingleton review of nuclear regulation, a key step she said will help “build nuclear power more quickly”.
Reeves said inflation was likely to rise in the coming months, but financial markets were continuing to function normally. In response to her statement, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said: “These are very serious and concerning times, and the developments in the Middle East are already having profound consequences for our economy.
“Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel for the first time since the 2022 energy crisis. That alone is enough to have huge knock-on effects for households and businesses.”
He accused the government of making the economy “weaker” and pointed out that inflation remains elevated.
“That is far from ideal, given the threat of a significant further spike in energy prices,” he continued.
“And of course, extraordinarily, the Chancellor has just now reconfirmed that the government will press ahead with a rise in fuel duty later this year, and borrowing is running higher than was forecast when the government took office.”
The number of people in hardship who are having to pay for private dentists has almost doubled in two years, according to new research by Healthwatch England.
A survey commissioned by the independent health watchdog found 27% of people who described themselves as ‘struggling financially’ had used a private dentist in 2025 compared to 14% in 2023.
A lack of dentists offering NHS appointments, particularly in more deprived areas, and there being no guaranteed right to care from an NHS dentist are fueling the rise in people going private.
Rebecca Curtayne, acting head of policy, public affairs and research at Healthwatch England, said:
Our findings are a warning that for some people, there’s only one tier dental care — private. And it’s the most vulnerable people in our society who bear the brunt of the ongoing shortage of NHS dental appointments.
The government won’t end health inequalities until it fixes NHS dentistry. Too many people on low incomes are being forced into private care they struggle to afford, or are going without treatment altogether. The system is failing those who need it most.
Use of private dentists up since 2023
People living in deprived areas who can’t find an NHS dentist, and feel they have no choice but to pay for private dental care, are potentially penalised twice, the report highlights.
They must pay significantly more for the same treatment, up to £75 for a routine examination that costs £27.40 via the NHS, and patients who are exempt from NHS dental charges, such as pregnant people, will lose the benefit of the exemption.
The data is from Healthwatch’s upcoming report, The public’s perspective: The state of health and social care, and based on a poll of nearly 2,600 adults in England last year.
It shows the number of adults who have sought private dentistry increased by 10 percentage points to almost a third (32%).
Between 2023 and 2025, the share of people who consider themselves ‘financially comfortable’ who reported using private dentistry also rose from 30% to 36%.
Financially comfortable households are still more likely to use private care, but the gap between the two groups has narrowed sharply.
Curtayne continued:
It’s positive to see that public’s confidence in NHS dentistry has increased slightly. The government needs to build on this, by improving access to NHS dentistry especially in rural and more deprived areas, and setting out its plans for fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract.
These plans should aim to give everyone the right to a permanent NHS dentist, in the same way people get a local NHS GP care who is there for both new and urgent problems.
Healthwatch England is calling for the government to introduce a legal right for people to register with an NHS dentist for life, similarly to their GP, and to review NHS dental charges amongst other reforms to help improve access to dental care.
Featured image via Pixabay
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Sky News reported that Queen Camilla has met with courageous Gisèle Pelicot and was apparently left “speechless” after reading the memoir penned by the French rape survivor. Pelicot had been touring the UK to promote her book ‘Hymn to Life: Shame Has To Change Sides’ at the time and joined Camilla at Clarence House. Pelicot has received widespread support and respect for her courage in exposing the extensive, sinister abuse she endured at the hands of her husband and his sick pals.
Her case made shockwaves across the world as victims and survivors of sexual abuse drew strength from her bravery. Pelicot waived her anonymity at the time of trial so that the offences and those involved would become public knowledge. Like the title of her book, she intends to ensure that shame is felt by the abusers and not their victims.
Camilla and hypocrisy
However, the hypocrisy at play is difficult to ignore. Camilla has made little effort to centre the victims connected to the so-called Epstein files or to address the role powerful men played in perpetrating such traumatic abuse against young girls and women. Perhaps she will draw inspiration from the courage of Gisèle Pelicot and begin speaking truth to powerful men while prioritising the suffering of their victims.
After all, both cases involve networks of men who believed they had the right to do whatever they wanted to their victims. The case draws clear parallels with the thousands of pages connected to the Epstein network of elites, which included her brother-in-law, the disgraced former prince Andrew.
On the other hand, she will likely just continue prioritising the comfort of those powerful men whilst being careful to maintain public appearances.
NEW: After the years of work Queen Camilla has carried out for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, today she met the brave Madame Gisèle Pelicot.
Her husband is serving 20 years for drugging and raping her with other men.
Camilla has previously written to Gisèle to express… pic.twitter.com/HRpPRCAhx3— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) February 23, 2026
Parallels between Pelicot’s case and the Epstein Files
The optics here are, at best, disingenuous and, at worst, a sucker punch to victims and survivors of the sinister web of sexual abuse and rape linked to Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump and their associates. The extraordinary bravery of Gisèle Pelicot led to 50 men being convicted of rape or sexual offences, exposing a horrifying network in which her husband repeatedly drugged her unconscious and allowed other men to assault her.
The so-called ‘Epstein files’ similarly revealed a web of powerful men exploiting women and girls to satisfy their own fantasies. At the same time, the abuse appears to have served as a double-edged weapon: by creating compromising situations and images involving influential figures, those involved could wield power on a far more lucrative and political scale.
We have written extensively on the revelations borne from the release of the Epstein Files.
Speaking about the Royal Family’s failure to recognise victims of abuse in connection to Epstein and arrogant paedo-prince Andrew, the Canary wrote:
Undoubtedly, the Royal Family feel discomfort around this issue. But that discomfort pales in comparison to the serious trauma experienced by victims of sexual abuse. Shamefully, the monarchy deepens that trauma by showing palpable disinterest in the harm powerful men cause.
Another reminder that they will never be on our side.
Gisele Pelicot, who has been internationally hailed after testifying against her husband and dozens of other men who raped her, has been awarded France’s top civic honour https://t.co/mkE2QdN6YD pic.twitter.com/l44Esx1RFN
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 13, 2025
Stop pretending you care and ACTUALLY do something
Powerful white women have much to answer for in British society. If they prioritised solidarity with victims over solidarity with the powerful, we would make far greater progress in holding those men accountable for the harm they have inflicted.
Sexual fantasies should never take precedence over the victims who must live with that trauma for the rest of their lives. Gisèle Pelicot’s advocacy and determination cannot have been easy; women who have suffered such violations rarely find it easy to expose that depth of pain. Nevertheless, she has spoken out to raise awareness about the disturbing realities of abuse and to show how even those we trust most can commit some of the worst assaults.
Therefore, this should have been an opportunity for Camilla to raise the need for thorough investigations into powerful men in the UK, who sit in positions of trust and responsibility. Instead, she has continued to look away, just like the rest of the royal family, when the call is very much coming from inside the house.
Until the royals actually engage with the implications of the Epstein files for Andrew’s behaviour, it’s hard to take platitudes from them about violence against women remotely seriously.
Featured image via the Canary
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Lisa Nandy shared some trite words on the government’s Covid-19 Day of Reflection. And rightly, disabled people ripped her to fucking shreds.
Covid Day of Reflection: lockdown through rose-tinted specs
According to the government, on March 8:
the nation will reflect and come together to remember those that lost their lives and to honour the tireless work and acts of kindness shown by many during the pandemic.
Of course, what actually happened was a few bullshit words and brushing the fact that COVID-19 still exists under the carpet.
Case in point, Lisa Nandy tweeted:
Today marks the national Covid-19 Day of Reflection.
Every one of us was impacted. My thoughts are with people who experienced loss and still carry the effects of the pandemic.
We also honour the dedication of our NHS staff, key workers and volunteers who helped us through.
Every March now, disabled people experience untold anger at the way “the pandemic years” are portrayed through rose-tinted glasses by politicians, the media, and even a lot of the general public.
They reminisce about banging pots and pans for the NHS instead of the government actually giving healthcare workers extra funding.
They laugh over socially distanced street parties while families couldn’t even hug at funerals. And get misty-eyed over Zoom games nights, talking about being “trapped” indoors.
When disabled people, who were actually abandoned in their homes, are ignored and still to this day derided.
Even though we know just how many of our community died and how many more disabled people Covid-19 is still creating.
Lisa Nandy ripped to shreds
A lot of hatred was rightly heaped onto the Tories for their handling of 2020, but it’s the way Labour is treating disabled people now that should also be in the spotlight.
Which is why Lisa Nandy’s tweet hit a nerve:
Today marks the national Covid-19 Day of Reflection.
Every one of us was impacted. My thoughts are with people who experienced loss and still carry the effects of the pandemic.
We also honour the dedication of our NHS staff, key workers and volunteers who helped us through.
— Lisa Nandy MP (@lisanandy) March 8, 2026
She’s correct in saying every one of us was impacted, but some of us far more than others. Nandy’s vast, wide-ranging hypocrisy was swiftly pointed out in the quote tweets.
Nandy turned off comments. Judging by the amount of anti-vaxxers in the quotes, this almost makes sense. But it also sent a clear message to disabled people that Labour don’t want your outlook either.
Some pointed out that COVID has not gone away, and Labour are doing nothing to stop it
You can catch Covid TODAY and get long term health effects from that infection starting NOW and UK Labour have done nothing to address airborne infection control backsliding in hospitals or run public health campaigns. You’re a joke https://t.co/ofRtYuvw9G
— null space (@null_nullspace) March 9, 2026
People are STILL losing their lives to Covid & others becoming disabled every day, including children. We need prevention; ventilation, filtration in all public buildings. Until then, 😷 @UKLabour have failed us, at least @TheGreenParty have an against covid policy. https://t.co/tPtKO8Lzfw
— Lara – Covid is Airborne (@fillthewhole) March 8, 2026
What are you doing TODAY for people catching covid, dying from it, and having long covid from past or recent infections? Presenting the pandemic is over is not a strategy. https://t.co/03TMGMmFhy
— Biology – 🧬 🔬 (@BiologyAwesome) March 9, 2026
But others, angry at the Labour planned cuts, pointed out just how dangerous Nandy’s party are for disabled people since COVID-19 started
What are you doing TODAY for people catching covid, dying from it, and having long covid from past or recent infections? Presenting the pandemic is over is not a strategy. https://t.co/03TMGMmFhy
— Biology – 🧬 🔬 (@BiologyAwesome) March 9, 2026
Labour want to slash benefits of people struggling with long term COVID. This MP has played lip service to the COVID struggle and blocked replies. Why bother being on here if you can’t take criticism? https://t.co/ZhPo5FBH8O
— McBea (@Mcbeath_on_sea) March 9, 2026
This, from a former NHS key worker, is heartbreaking:
I was one of those key workers.
Since COVID left me Disabled, @UKLabour have made me feel like a burden and a scrounger, even though I lost my health working hard to look after others.
Now you plan to slash benefits for people like me, while letting C19 rip.
Reflect harder. https://t.co/Q9aJZrEltl
— Nico Reznick 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇪🇺🌍 (@NicoReznick) March 8, 2026
This is who the Labour Party really is
For all their platitudes about ‘honouring’ key workers and protecting people, they don’t give a fuck about disabled people. If they did, the DWP wouldn’t be trying to make it harder to claim PIP and slashing Universal Credit for new claimants.
At the end of the day, if successive governments hadn’t spent years demonising disabled people, it wouldn’t have been so easy for people to accept so many disabled deaths by COVID-19.
And that is the uncomfortable truth Labour needs to live with. Enough of the bullshit, politicians caused all these deaths. Now they get to have them on their conscience.
Featured image via the Canary
The G7 will not dip into its stockpiles of oil and gas after a call between its constituent nations’ finance ministers, according to French Finance Minister Roland Lescure. They spoke – including Reeves – in the past hour to discuss the possibility… The International Energy Agency co-ordinates activity of the G7 Strategic Petroleum Reserve. During…
Donald Trump’s war in Iran is set to have a trickle-down effect on prices around the world – meaning we could all end up worse off as a result.
The US president caused international chaos after he decided to work with Israel to launch strikes against Iran more than a week ago.
In retaliation, Tehran released missiles and drones on the neighbouring Gulf countries which are home to various US military bases.
It also effectively closed the Straits of Hormuz – the narrow stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman – by attacking the ships which travel through it.
About 20 million barrels of oil moves through the strait each day. That’s around a fifth of the world’s supply.
With the oil industry under threat, the global energy market is on unsteady ground – meaning everyone’s pockets are about to be hit.
Here’s what you need to know.
Petrol Prices Set To Go Up
The disruption in the Middle East is already sending the cost of Brent crude oil up.
It exceeded $105 (£78) a barrel on Monday, which is its highest price point in almost two years.
Gas has not increased in price this quickly since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, a time when the west tried to rapidly wean itself off Moscow’s cheap oil exports.
Higher wholesale energy prices result in higher prices at the petrol pumps.
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol was at 137.51p on Monday, while diesel cost 150.97p, according to the automotive services RAC – but both prices are expected to rise.
However, motorists have been urged not to panic-buy as this could be short-lived.
RAC’s head of policy Simon Williams told The Times: “We really shouldn’t see a shock jump in prices because wholesale fuel costs have only been rising gradually.
“Even though the price of Brent crude has risen, the impact of this shouldn’t be felt for more than a week.”
Still, he predicted that unleaded would reach an average of 140p in the next week or so while diesel may go up to 160p.
Meanwhile, the Petrol Retailers Association has already written to chancellor Rachel Reeves requesting she drops plans to hike fuel duty later this year.
Trump – who is a multi-billionaire – has tried to downplay the impact of rising oil prices.
He wrote on TruthSocial: “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for USA, and World, Safety and Peace.”
Energy Bills Expected To Rise
Changes in the oil market will hit energy bills too, as so many businesses and households are reliant on fossil fuels.
Wholesale gas prices in the UK have already increased by as much as 50% after Qatar stopped producing liquified natural gas as a result of the conflict.
The UK is more reliant on gas than many of its European allies though it has been moving towards renewable energy since the Ukraine invasion.
It produces less than half of the gas it needs and imports the rest, meaning UK bills will still be impacted.
The good news is these higher wholesale costs will not trickle down to household budgets until July.
Energy regulator Ofgem controls how much companies can charge customers who are on standard variable tariffs for each unit of gas and electricity with a new amount every three months.
The cap has already been confirmed for April to June – £1,641 per year, for homes which use both oil and gas.
However, the investment firm Stifel has warned that European wholesale gas prices could triple if the Strait of Hormuz closes for more than six weeks.
That would take the cap to £2,500 a year.
Interest Rates Expected To Go Up
Approximately 1.2 million borrowers will have their fixed mortgage deals end between now and September, meaning they will be looking to take out a new agreement with the bank.
Mortgage rates were declining and the Bank of England was expected to cut its base rate of interest from 3.75%.
But, the conflict in the Middle East means rates are now likely to go up.
Since Trump first initiated attacks on Iran, swap rates – the rate of interest lenders pay to institutions in return for fixed funding – went up by 0.2 percentage points.
That’s a cost which is likely to be passed onto homeowners.
For savers, a hike in interest rates is normally a positive as it means they get more returns on their savings.
The stock market has stumbled in recent days but investing usually helps to defy the impact of high inflation rates.
Yet, the FTSE 100 – the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index – fell nearly 200 points at one point on Monday, though it has already slightly improved.
Overall Economic Impact
Prominent economist Paul Johnson told Times Radio that the Iran war will likely take “at least half a point off growth” within the economy this year, if the conflict continues.
He said: “That doesn’t sound like much, but that is quite a lot.
“That’s going to create problems for the public finances, and it’s going to make us all worse off.”
He added: “If energy prices are up, the UK and other countries dependent on energy will just be worse off, at least for the period that they’re higher.”
Johnson said the damage could be quite reduced if the war concludes quickly – but if it doesn’t, we could be in for “another couple of slightly miserable years.”
Prime minister Keir Starmer also warned on Monday “that the longer this goes on, the more likely the potential for an impact on our economy, impact into the lives and households of everybody and every business”.
Even before the Iran war, the UK economy was already looking rather sluggish at the end of last year, with GDP going up by 0.1% between October and December.
Labour has been promising to improve the UK’s economic growth and address the rising cost of living for years.
But, the longer the conflict goes on, the worse it looks for the government’s plan to implement real change.
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