Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Politics

Low pay and ‘political climate’ contributing to safety fears for London nightlife performers

Published

on

Low pay and 'political climate' contributing to safety fears for London nightlife performers

London nightlife performers earn an average of £12,411 a year from their performing work after expenses. And almost a third say an increase in transphobia, misogyny, homophobia, racism or far-right sentiment has led to them feeling less safe due to audience aggression and when travelling to and from gigs.

An overwhelming 98% say that their pay has not kept up with the cost of living.

These findings come from a survey which Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, conducted. The survey covered gigging nightlife performers who work in London. Respondents work in professions including:

  • Cabaret
  • Burlesque
  • Fire performance
  • Circus
  • Aerial
  • Drag
  • Club and pub singing
  • Comedy
  • DJing
  • Pole
  • Tribute acts

They work at private events, clubs, pubs, bars, festivals, and venue residencies, alongside other places.

The London Nightlife Network

Equity published the survey results ahead of the launch of its new London Nightlife Network. The Network will bring together Equity members who work in this sector so they can organise to improve their pay and conditions.

Advertisement

This includes lobbying the independent Nightlife Commission recently announced by London’s Mayor and campaigning on wider issues. Equity is engaging with the Greater London Authority regarding the lack of workforce representation on its recent Nightlife Taskforce. Almost all the participants were industry bosses. The union said this lack of worker voice showed in gaps in the report findings, which came out on 21 January, particularly around workforce safety, pay, and precarity.

Commenting on the results of Equity’s survey of London nightlife performers, the union’s variety organiser Nick Keegan said:

London’s nightlife culture is world-famous, but it’s being built on the backs of performers who are earning a fraction of a living wage. It is a disgrace that 98% of performers responding to our workforce survey say their pay is stagnating, while they worry about their safety.

Which is why Equity members are launching the London Nightlife Network, because performers care deeply about London’s nightlife and know that by coming together they can raise the standards of the industry for all.

Safety

Of the survey respondents, 33% said they feel less safe than previous years when travelling to and from a gig.

Advertisement

A similar number, 29%, feel less safe working with audiences than in previous years.

And 28% of respondents attributed safety fears to an increase in transphobia, misogyny, homophobia, racism and far-right sentiment. Incidents included experiencing regular instances of violence, aggression and inappropriate touching.

Comments on safety include:

  • There has been more racism and sexist heckling.

  • Some venues will make a point prior to the show regarding not touching performers / consent but some don’t.

  • The world we live in is more homophobic, transphobic and misogynistic, travelling on public transport in full drag makeup is terrifying.

  • The rise of the far right and my own personal experiences with events being protested.

  • Post-Covid drinking culture at gigs has changed an incredible amount… People are often drinking before the gig as they can’t afford the prices at the venue, venue security has decreased on the whole, and venues are dependent on bar sales to run the show – so drinking is more encouraged.

Pay

Only 2% of respondents said that the rates they’ve been receiving have risen in line with the cost of living, with an overwhelming 98% saying their rates have not.

Advertisement

The most common response to the question “On average how much do you earn for a gig in London?” was the range “£100-£199”.

The average number of gigs worked a week was 2.11.

The average amount spent on travel per month was £200. Meanwhile, the average amount spent on hair, make up and costume for an act per month was £162.

If we calculate the average pay for London nightlife performers by using £150 (which is the halfway point of the modal pay range £100-£199), and subtract average expenses for travel and hair, make up and costume, this suggests performers earn an average of £1,371.50 a month or £12,411 a year after expenses from their work in the industry.

Advertisement

This is well below the national median salary of £39,039, and even less than the London median salary of £49,692.

90% of respondents agree it would be helpful to them if Equity published a rate card of suggested minimum rates for nightlife performers in different working contexts.

Featured image via the Canary

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Politics

Saturday Night Live UK: Jack Whitehall Confirmed As Latest Celebrity Host

Published

on

Saturday Night Live UK: Jack Whitehall Confirmed As Latest Celebrity Host

Following the success of the first two episodes, fronted by Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan, the stand-up comic will present the fourth instalment of the live comedy variety show next month.

The Brit Awards host will be joined by Jorja Smith as his musical guest, who’ll be performing two songs over the course of the live broadcast.

Before that, though, Bait actor Riz Ahmed will be presenting episode three this coming weekend, with music from Kasabian.

Once Riz and Jack’s episodes are out of the way, SNL UK will be taking a one-week hiatus, after which it will return for the second half of the season, having recently had its runtime boosted from six instalments to eight.

Advertisement

Lorne Michaels, who created SNL in 1975, is also the UK show’s executive producer, working alongside a team of 20 writers and a resident troupe of 11 comedians, including Taskmaster alum Emma Sidi and Ania Magliano, Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun and TikTok fave Jack Shep.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Trump gets his way as UK gets more entangled with Iran war

Published

on

Trump gets his way as UK gets more entangled with Iran war

Defence secretary John Healey has announced a major increase in troops and anti-aircraft weaponry to Saudi Arabia. The deployment entangles the UK even more deeply into the Donald Trump/US and Israel-led war. And it presents new targets for Iran.

Trump’s war

The US under Trump and Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The main achievement of the war so far has been to cause a global energy crisis after Iran predictably closed the straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel.

Healey was visiting Saudi Arabia on 31 March when the announcement was made:

Advertisement

The deployment follows a successful recce by a UK team, and the equipment and teams will deploy this week including radars, control node, and missile launchers and a Royal Artillery battery and battle space managers to operate the system. The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.

The new uplift includes the Sky Sabre air defence system. The press release also confirmed that:

Rapid Sentry – a ground-based air defence missile system – has arrived in Kuwait and the RAF’s ORCUS system is operating in the country, allowing personnel to detect drones early and take action.

Adding:

The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.

The UK’s multirole missile launcher is already in Bahrain.

UK pushes same dubious denials

Healey said:

Advertisement

Iran’s aggressive attacks continue to threaten our allies and interests in the Middle East. That’s why the UK has been flying defensive missions since day one of this conflict to protect British interests and allies – and today we’re delivering further support by extending our UK jets in Qatar and deploying extra air defence teams and systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

I am proud of the courage and professionalism our Armed Forces have shown since the start of the war and my message to Gulf partners is: Britain’s best will help you defend your skies. I pay tribute to the heroic efforts of our partners across the Gulf in protecting their nations. We will stand by our long-term partners in the Middle East and continue to push for a swift resolution to this conflict.

The press release repeated the same inaccurate government talking point about the degree of UK involvement which has been pushed since the war began:

The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will not be drawn into the wider war.

Contrary to Keir Starmer’s claims that the UK role is only defensive, the government has allowed US bombers to use its airbases at home and on the colonised Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia. The UK, whatever the government claims, is becoming more deeply entangled in this runaway war.

And regardless of what Keir Starmer and John Healey say, Iran will view new British military assets in the Gulf the same way that it views current ones: as legitimate targets in an existential war for survival.

Advertisement

Featured image via the Canary

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Trump Says UK Should ‘Just Take’ Oil From Strait Of Hormuz

Published

on

Trump Says UK Should 'Just Take' Oil From Strait Of Hormuz

Donald Trump has called on the UK to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz in a new social media post.

The US president has tried and failed to get western allies including the UK to support him in his offensive against Iran.

After the US-Israeli strikes last month, Iran’s forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which transports a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The subsequent squeeze on fuel has caused a significant economic shock – and Trump has been trying to force Iran to negotiate as the global cost of living rises.

Advertisement

Writing on TruthSocial, he said the UK should either buy jet fuel from the US or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait and just TAKE IT”.

He said: “You’ve have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”

The UK government has insisted it is not concerned about oil shortages right now though there are worries about an energy crisis later in the year.

Trump’s attack on Britain comes after Keir Starmer refused US requests to use British military bases for premptive strikes on Iran last month, before allowing American troops to use UK sites for “limited and defensive” strikes.

Advertisement

The president also claimed: “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”

Read Trump’s full TruthSocial post below:

All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT

The US president also lashed out at France, claiming it will not allow planes headed to Israel, “loaded with military supplies” fly over French land.

“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran’ who has been successfully eliminated! The USA will REMEMBER!” Trump wrote.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

JP Morgan money strike sees Labour bow down to it

Published

on

JP Morgan money strike sees Labour bow down to it

Banking giant JP Morgan has gone on a capital strike (withholding investment). Following this, Labour has been quick to offer an 100% discount on the bank’s business rates, spread out over “a period of years”.

At the same time, doctors have been on a workers’ strike for pay restoration and job security. It appears that, when it comes to workers, Labour suddenly find the will to say no.

The Capital party?

If ‘Labour’ rebranded as ‘Capital’, we probably wouldn’t consider it an April Fool’s Day joke. As well as JP Morgan, pharmaceutical giants have been demanding that the NHS pay them more, or they will withhold investment. Labour agreed to a 25% increase in payments for essential drugs in December 2025.

Meanwhile, resident doctors are asking for real-terms pay restoration to 2008 levels, at 21%. The government is offering a 7.1% increase partly because it disputes the doctors’ use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) to calculate inflation. Apparently, RPI is good enough for calculating increases in student debt, rent and corporate pricing. However, it isn’t sufficient for a doctor’s pay.

Advertisement

Another part of the dispute is specialist doctor posts in the NHS. The government is proposing to increase them from 1,000 to around 4,000. The thing is, the number of specialist applications is projected to exceed 40,000 this year.

Overall, the UK is low on doctors per 1,000 people at 3.2. Some of the highest per capita doctor levels are in Austria (5.48) and Germany (4.53).

48-hour deadline (not for JP Morgan, of course)

Labour has given resident doctors 48 hours to accept the deal. The British Medical Association (BMA) rejected the offer without putting it to a member vote.

The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, Dr Jack Fletcher, has said:

Advertisement

We’ve been willing and have been talking constructively for the last two months and at the very last minute the government has shifted the goalposts of the pay offer. I am very happy and willing to sit down and talk constructively once again.

He further responded to withholding a members vote on the pay and jobs offer:

We discussed this with our committee who are elected to represent our members. Their representatives have considered this offer. We don’t think it goes far enough on pay so we decided not to put this to our members.​

While members should decide if they accept the offer, the government goes far too easy on capital like JP Morgan compared to workers. That’s an affront to how the Labour party was founded.

Featured image via the Canary

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

What Is Gooning? Therapist Explains The New Trend Parents Should Question

Published

on

What Is Gooning? Therapist Explains The New Trend Parents Should Question

Children chat about a lot of pretty odd stuff (remember Ballerina Cappuccina?) – however if you’ve heard them mention ‘gooning’ in conversation with their mates, or during gaming, it’s certainly worth pulling them up on it.

While you might consider ‘gooning’ as messing around or even goofing about (that’s what first came to my mind), per Mashable, it actually means “masturbating for a prolonged period of time, usually hours, without ever climaxing”.

In online spaces, it can also refer to zoning out as a result of intense sexual arousal, which Gabb (a company providing child-safe phones and tech) notes is “most often in the context of pornography”.

The issue is, if tweens and teens are using this terminology, chances are they are coming across pornography or inappropriate content online.

Advertisement

It’s not uncommon – over one-quarter (27%) of kids have come across pornography by age 11, according to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner.

While children shouldn’t be easily coming across porn due to stricter regulation as part of the Online Safety Act, they may still find ways to access it.

When talking about ‘gooning’ is a red flag

If your tween or teen is talking about gooning, even if it’s just joking with friends, it’s definitely worth asking them about it.

Advertisement

If they are getting involved in this activity, Fiona Yassin, a family psychotherapist, told HuffPost UK: “There’s a real neurodevelopmental risk here. During adolescence, the brain is still under construction – very much a work in progress – and when it’s repeatedly flooded with high-intensity sexual content, it drives spikes in dopamine that can create a pathway towards compulsive cycles.

“Over time, young people may need more and more intensity to achieve the same effect, which mirrors the mechanisms we see in other forms of addiction. That’s particularly concerning in a developing brain.”

Yassin, who is the founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, also warned that it can impact social development (zoning out in front of a screen might increase isolation, anxiety and low mood) and attachment, particularly as far as sexual relationships are concerned.

“This can disrupt the development of healthy attachment, increasing impulsivity, risk-taking, and a disregard for personal and relational safety,” she explained.

Advertisement

Teens who are exposed to this kind of content can also begin to develop unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, particularly as far as sex and relationships are concerned.

“It can encourage objectification, a sense of disposability in relationships, and a reduced capacity for genuine intimacy – building, sustaining, and nurturing connection,” said Yassin.

Ultimately, she warned, “it can shift how young people see others, which can lead to the oversexualisation of what would otherwise be non-sexual interactions”.

“That has wide-reaching implications for how they relate, connect, and develop into adulthood.”

Advertisement

Talk to your kids if they mention gooning

Some children might use the word without fully understanding where it comes from and the potential impact on others. So, the key here is to be curious about where they’ve heard the term and what they think it means – which can help steer your conversations going forward.

“Rather than reacting with frustration or alarm, the most effective starting point for parents is to stay calm and curious,” said Yassin.

“Parents may ask: ‘What does this word mean to you?’ or ‘What do you think someone else might hear or feel when that word is used?’. Like many aspects of child and adolescent mental health, this situation offers a valuable teaching and learning opportunity.”

Advertisement

If they do know the full meaning, the therapist urges parents to seize the opportunity for age-appropriate honesty. “Teens, in particular, are more likely to engage when they feel respected, rather than lectured,” she added.

“Parents can gently widen the conversation to the bigger picture, which might include the consequences of the word, how pornography can shape expectations, impact mental health, and, in some cases, lead to more compulsive patterns of behaviour.”

Action for Children has a few helpful pointers for talking to kids about porn, but ultimately it advises parents to reassure kids it’s OK to feel curious about sex, while also explaining that “porn is unrealistic” and it “can be harmful for them to watch it”.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Walking this way could be an early sign of Dementia

Published

on

Walking this way could be an early sign of Dementia

!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’);t.display=’none’,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’);c.src=”//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js”,c.setAttribute(‘async’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src=”https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({“playerId”:”19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″,”mediaId”:”d0c0715d-b6f4-4c5b-a7be-52b728918d0f”}).render(“69cbbadce4b010178ee70322”);});

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Prunes: The Dried Fruit That Can Boost Your Health In Older Life

Published

on

Prunes: The Dried Fruit That Can Boost Your Health In Older Life

You probably already know that strength training and calcium can help to keep your bones healthy and strong as you age.

But some factors – like getting enough vitamin D, which helps to absorb calcium, and avoiding smoking, which raises your risk of osteoporosis and is linked to a 30-40% higher risk of broken hips – are less obvious.

And in one study, prunes, which are high in anti-inflammatory polyphenols and calcium-balancing vitamin K, appeared to preserve bone density and strength at weight-bearing parts of the hip for post-menopausal women.

What did the research show?

Advertisement

The researchers followed a group of 235 postmenopausal women, who are at greater risk of bone loss, over a year.

They told one group to eat 50g (about five to six prunes) a day during the trial, and another group to eat 100g a day. A third group didn’t eat any prunes at all.

Though both prune levels were beneficial, the first group (50g) were more likely to stick to the habit, which meant they tended to get better results.

Professor Mary Jane De Souza, the study’s lead author, said: “Consuming five to six prunes a day for 12 months resulted in preservation of bone at the hip, a finding that was observable at six months and persisted through month 12.”

Advertisement

Postmenopausal women who didn’t consume any prunes saw a 1.1% bone loss in the same time period, while for those in the study, it stayed the same.

That benefit could lead to fewer bone breaks.

It could have benefits for bone quality, too

The same group of women were part of another study looking at how prunes seemed to affect the structure and estimated strength of their tibia.

Advertisement

“This is the first randomised controlled trial to look at three-dimensional bone outcomes with respect to bone structure, geometry and estimated strength,” Professor De Souza said.

“In our study, we saw that daily prune consumption impacted factors related to fracture risk. That’s clinically invaluable.”

She added that prunes may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but more research is needed.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Hegseth: Iran "Regime Change Has Occurred"

Published

on

Hegseth: Iran "Regime Change Has Occurred"

!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’);t.display=’none’,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’);c.src=”//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js”,c.setAttribute(‘async’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src=”https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({“playerId”:”19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″,”mediaId”:”52ca7643-7998-446c-a20e-9db25b6fd9b7″}).render(“69cbd726e4b039d10fc6df5a”);});

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

MP Critical Of Jury Trial Reforms Has Labour Whip Suspended

Published

on

MP Critical Of Jury Trial Reforms Has Labour Whip Suspended

Labour MP Karl Turner has had the party whip suspended after rebelling against the government over its plans to scrap most jury trials.

It is understood the MP for Kingston upon Hull East was informed by the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds today that he had the whip suspended following his recent conduct.

This decision will be reviewed at a later date, HuffPost UK understands.

However the MP has suggested he was not told of the party’s decision before the media announced it.

Advertisement

Turner wrote on X: “I am being told that I have had the whip suspended but I have not had any notification from the whips about this. It seems journalists have been told but I have not.”

He issued a full statement hours later, saying he was “disappointed” to be suspended without prior verbal communication.

I’ve been a loyal Labour MP for 16 years and have only broken the whip on jury trials. I’m disappointed to be suspended without prior discussion. I’ll always stand up for justice, my principles, and East Hull. See my statement below. pic.twitter.com/axRHqCNSRh

— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) March 31, 2026

Ministers have been pushing to end jury trials in cases that carry a likely sentence of less than three years, which would instead be heard in front of a lone judge.

Advertisement

The government argues that this is needed to clear the huge backlog of cases within the system, but critics like Turner say jury trials are a fundamental right.

Turner also told HuffPost UK less than a fortnight ago that a “revolt” by the Parliamentary Labour Party is just weeks away unless Starmer turns around the government’s fortunes ahead of the May elections.

He voiced his support for former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner after she warned the government was “running out of time” to deliver the change voters were promised.

The MP said: “It is refreshing to see a senior Labour politician come out and speak clearly to the situation we find ourselves in.”

Advertisement

He claimed there is “a great deal of discontent on the Labour benches”.

Turner said he still supports the prime minister’s leadership but urged him to up his game as Labour trails in the polls.

And he said the elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and English councils on May 7 were D-Day for his premiership.

He said: “The PM needs to listen hard to what his PLP are saying. We cannot be treated with contempt.”

Advertisement

Meanwhile the Guardian reported that Turner’s suspension was related to an interview the MP gave to Jody McIntyre, a campaign who previously stood at the 2024 elections against Labour’s Jess Phillips.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

Hegseth Open To Boots On The Ground

Published

on

Hegseth Open To Boots On The Ground

!function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’);t.display=’none’,t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’);c.src=”//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js”,c.setAttribute(‘async’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document);(new Image()).src=”https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″;cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({“playerId”:”19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4″,”mediaId”:”2d686915-cc19-4a2a-8708-d3aeb1a20580″}).render(“69cbd725e4b0bb388b875d05”);});

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025