Lee Zeldin on rising gas prices, energy dominance and AI data centers

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ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, England — Voters in perhaps the most consequential special election ever held in Britain are angry, and they really want someone to feel their pain.

That’s the clear verdict from a special focus group by Public First for POLITICO of voters in Makerfield, the former mining area in northwest England whose June 18 vote could determine the next prime minister.

Some in the group said Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate who is hot favorite to succeed party leader Keir Starmer as PM if he can get himself back into Parliament, might make a difference. But the overwhelming mood during the 90-minute conversation in the Golden Lion pub was one of deep cynicism and bitterness: Life in 2026 is unfair, miserably expensive, and only getting worse, they said.

The goal of Wednesday’s focus group was to get a deep understanding of life in Makerfield — and how voters there are thinking about next week’s by-election. The voters had a mix of political histories and leanings, with longtime Labour voters sitting with supporters of right-wing parties and people who were undecided. But all expressed remarkably similar concerns about the cost of living, immigration, public safety and frustration about an increasingly unequal society.

“These were not a group of people that were thrilled about anything that was going on in Westminster,” said Seb Wride, head of polling at Public First, who moderated the discussion.

Can Burnham overcome that deep disillusionment with the political system? Or will Nigel Farage’s hard right Reform UK party tap into the anger at “two tier” Britain and eject center-left Labour from a seat it has held for decades?

Here are the key takeaways from POLITICO’s Makerfield focus group:

Starmer’s Labour Party has let them down

There was no love for Starmer — and some even felt there was no real difference between his two-year old government and the center-right Conservatives who held power for the previous 14 years. Not one of the nine people in the group said they thought he’d done a good job as prime minister.

And Labour’s party brand has been damaged as a result.

Tom, a father who is planning to vote Reform, said Labour had always claimed to stand for working-class people — but with the cost of daily essentials now punishingly high for everyone in the room and no relief in sight, “How are they for the working class anymore?”

Daily life is too expensive

The participants easily rattled off the exact prices they‘ve watched increase: The cost of living — from a fast-food meal to rent, to a family trip to the cinema — has risen rapidly and become unsustainable for many people in Makerfield, they said. Family holidays they could afford in the past, even for people working full time, are “just a dream” now, one person added.

Jenny, who is retired, said the cost of living has become “terrible.”

Paul, a father who works three jobs, often from 7:30 a.m. until 4 a.m. the next morning, is struggling, and feels let down. “No one should work 60 hours a week and not be able to have a nice life,” he said. “It’s a joke.”

They’re gloomy about politics

Few in the group could point to a political leader of the last 10 years who they felt had made a positive impact on their lives.

Peter, who usually votes Conservative, praised David Cameron’s decision to call a referendum on Brexit 10 years ago. A couple of participants went further back — almost 20 years — to name Tony Blair, who ushered in a Labour government in 1997 after almost two decades of Conservative control, as the last PM who delivered for them.

But most had little confidence that any of today’s politicians would make a difference.

“No government is going to change it,” said Paul. “They’re all crooks, mate. Biggest gangsters in the world.”

Bob, who is in his 90s, added: “I’ve not met a bloody good one yet to be honest.”

They’re very upset about immigration

Farage’s Reform UK is surging ahead in national polls and local elections across the country and is in with a chance of taking Makerfield from Labour. Tackling immigration is his signature policy, and it is clearly a huge concern to participants in the POLITICO group.

The three-letter acronym they kept coming back to was “HMOs.” It stands for Houses in Multiple Occupation — and that means by migrants, in the perception of the focus group.

The concern, the Makerfield voters said, is that landlords and developers are turning homes into residences not for existing local families to live in but for newly arrived immigrants — who are not related to each other — to share. They fear that pushes up rent prices for people who have been living in the area for many years and changes the nature of their community, which is 95 percent made up of people from a “White British” background.

Participants also said they believed many illegal migrants were overwhelming the local health service, making it harder for taxpaying residents to get medical care.

Farage is winning converts who want change

With their anger at the status quo — and demand for a change in their lives and the country’s direction — several focus group participants said they’re increasingly looking to Reform UK.

“I’ve always voted Labour. This is the first time I’m not voting Labour, I’m voting Reform,” said Tom, who is married with two children and works full-time. “They are pushing big on immigration, which is one of our biggest factors.” Reform is not perfect, he said, “it’s more how bad the country’s got over the years with Labour in charge. There needs to be change.”

Dan, another local father who works but struggles to make his money last, said he’d also be switching from Labour to Reform: “I think the country just needs a bit of a shakeup, even if it’s just for one term.”

Crime is a big worry

Crime and disorder seems to be rising up their agenda. A knife attack in the street in Belfast this week, which sparked protests and violent disorder, was at the top of many participants’ minds. They raised fears about crime locally, too, including “feral kids” who harass people in the streets and lead some residents to feel unsafe while out with their families.

There are now fewer police on the streets and they don’t tend to care much about incidents in the constituency’s biggest town, Ashton-in-Makerfield, participants said.

Life isn’t fair in “two-tier” Britain

For the right in British politics, it is now an article of faith that the country is suffering from a “two tier” system in which ordinary Brits miss out, often thanks to politically correct decisions that police and others take to satisfy equality laws.

Farage and Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch have both seized on high-profile cases in recent days to make this point, and in POLITICO’s focus group, it had clearly landed — even among some who are going to vote Labour.

“We need to come up with a better system that makes it fair for everybody. It is a two-tier system here,” said Peter, the local butcher, who is switching this time from the Conservatives to vote for Labour’s Burnham.

Many in the group agreed that the problem was not just policing, but also a wider sense of unfairness — that places like London and even Manchester get all the money and attention, leaving towns like Ashton to struggle.

“A lot of the politics, like Andy has said, has been Londonised. We need somebody from up north,” Peter said.

Traffic jams and warehouses

Alongside immigration from overseas, the changing nature of the area and its “close-knit” local community was a worry for many in the group. In particular, they raised concerns that plans to build hundreds of new homes and five “super unit” warehouses would lead to a huge increase in traffic that the already clogged road network would be unable to handle.

The green landscape around Ashton is highly prized, and several people in the group said they did not want fields to be built on, turning their area into another endless suburb like Liverpool or Manchester.

‘Andy cares’

Burnham’s record as Mayor of Greater Manchester, the broader area, was seen as a big plus, even by people who were not likely to vote for him.

Participants in the group readily named his achievements at improving local transport infrastructure and hiring more police. Two even said they had in the past gone directly to Burnham with problems they or their families were facing and he had fixed them.

Most of all, there was a sense that Burnham, who grew up nearby and previously represented people in the area in parliament, understands their lives. Bob, Peter, Emma and Mandy all said they were planning to vote for Burnham next week.

“He just comes over as if he cares and as if he wants to sort the country out,” said Mandy, who works part-time as a cleaner and merchandizer. “I just think he seems to be a more down-to-earth person who is looking out for people. He seems more genuine.”

Having someone from the North as prime minister would also help their area, several participants said. “We need better leadership,” added Peter. “We need somebody who cares and I do feel like Andy cares.”

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US president Donald Trump said he had cancelled planned strikes on Iran. The desperate president, who is flailing and failing to find an off-ramp from the war he started, took to social media to announce the move.

Trump said:

Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.

Adding:

Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.

It is not clear if Trump has simply concocted the whole notion of ‘Iran coming to him with new terms’.

President Donald J. Trump on cancelled scheduled strikes against Iran. pic.twitter.com/iIijh6j5m2

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 11, 2026

Trump’s failing war keeps getting worse

The US killed three Indian seafarers on 10 June in yet another PR disaster for Trump’s failing war. The US also managed to hit two Iranian reservoirs, leaving 20,000 civilians without drinking water. The strikes were in response to the shooting down of a US Apache helicopter.

So much for the ‘hearts and minds’ approach to winning wars in the region…

Meanwhile unverified footage emerged which claimed to show Iranian munitions hitting US jets at a Jordanian airfield:

US-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 US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked – creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.

Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images

By Joe Glenton

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Human rights NGO Amnesty International says Israel is erasing everything Palestinian from the West Bank. The group warned that it is the Israeli state leading the ethnic cleansing — not rogue settlers. Israeli violence in the West Bank has accelerated alongside the Gaza genocide.

Amnesty’s report is titled ‘Erasing anything Palestinian: Israel’s ethnic cleansing of West Bank Bedouin and herding communities‘. It can be read in full here.

Among the major findings was that:

Ethnic cleansing campaign is Israeli state-led, and state-sponsored, not driven by rogue settlers or so-called extremist ministers.

And that there has been an:

Exponential rise in state-backed settler violence terrorising and expelling thousands of Palestinians to annex land.

The report calls for states to:

Ban trade and investment. Impose targeted sanctions. End the impunity. Governments enabling Israel’s occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing must act now.

And it is very clear that increased violence in the West Bank is due to international inaction on Gaza:

Tacit or explicit international support for Israeli crimes, including genocide and apartheid and the failure to act resolutely to stop them has emboldened the Israeli authorities to escalate a brutal campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians and expand its control over land in the West Bank.

Amnesty detailed how Israeli authorities:

are accelerating annexation through a state-driven campaign of ethnic cleansing targeting Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities in Area C of the occupied West Bank, while committing the crime against humanity of forcible transfer.

Amnesty — Explicit Israeli policy of violence

The NGO said it was now an “explicit policy objective” for the Israeli government to annex the area. The Israeli state has:

accelerated settlement expansion and land grabs, increased financial and logistical support to settlements, and it has armed settlers, thereby enabling a brutal state-sanctioned campaign of settler violence and of forced displacement of Palestinians from Area C.

Area C makes up “60% of the occupied West Bank”:

Palestinians are being forcibly erased from their ancestral lands, cut off from their livelihoods, and terrorised into fleeing their homes amidst an unprecedented surge in settler attacks.

Amnesty called on the international community to intervene against Israel’s brazen ethnic cleansing, but recognised their consistent failure to act. Researchers interviewed Palestinians, activists, lawyers and journalists and assessed hundreds of videos of the violent land-grabs.

The Israeli government said in response to the report:

its forces respond to incidents of settler violence, arresting suspects, when necessary, and investigating cases where forces may have failed to comply with orders or failed to intervene to stop settler violence.

However:

Evidence documented by Amnesty presents a different reality.

Under the current Netanyahu government, settler violence has “surged dramatically”:

leading to record levels of killings and injuries, displacement, property destruction and unlawful land appropriation.

Amnesty chief Agnès Callamard rejected the idea this was about rogue actors or a few Zionist ministers:

What we are witnessing is deliberate, state-led annexation, in complete violation of international law unfolding before the eyes of the entire world.

Callamard urged states to sanction Israeli ministers and comply with:

the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine, as well as open their own investigations into crimes under international law committed in the OPT.

On 9 June, the UK and others said they would sanction ‘networks’ involved in settling the West Bank. Six entities will face:

asset freezes, as well as travel bans and director disqualifications where appropriate.

This does not seem to include the Israeli state which, as Amnesty has shown, is the driving force behind the new violence and displacement. With the UK already complicit in genocide in Gaza, it seems the Starmer government will do nothing to aid Palestinians in the West Bank either. Another mark of shame, without question.

Featured image via Erik Marmor/Getty Images

By Joe Glenton

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Protesters say they have shut down London’s Waterloo station in a protest against the Starmer regime’s plan to sentence anti-genocide protesters as terrorists:

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Starmer regime — Rigged system

The jury at the first trial refused to convict any of the six defendants on any of the state’s charges relating to damage to an Israeli-owned weapons factory. This was after police and security guards’ claims didn’t match CCTV evidence. At the retrial, security service-linked judge Jeremy Johnson banned any mention of the fact that the activists carried out their action to prevent the slaughter of Palestinian civilians. He banned lawyers from telling jurors of their legal right to acquit. Johnson even banned the media from reporting that the defendants might be sentenced under terror legislation — despite no terror charges being brought against them.

Despite the attempts to stack the trial in the state’s favour, two of the activists were acquitted on all charges. None were convicted of any violent intent. Yet the government is pressing for terror-related sentencing despite no terror charges ever being brought. This would mean much longer prison time and draconian conditions imposed on the young activists for decades even after release. These could include having to register their phones with the authorities, report on any relationships and obtain permission to travel.

Legal experts have condemned the plan as unconstitutional and a breach of the justice system. Thousands of members of the public have signed a complaint to the government about it. The Starmer regime must not be permitted to destroy UK rights and justice for the sake of Israel.

Featured image via ES

By Skwawkbox

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VERY SUPERSTITIOUS: For the first three quarters, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were going to cream the Knicks in last night’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

But in an epic comeback, the Knicks overcame the Spurs’ 29-point lead — a new record in an NBA Finals game — and beat San Antonio 107-106, putting the hometown team just one win away from claiming its first championship in over five decades.

In New York political circles, there was an almost singular explanation for the unbelievable come-from-behind victory: The Trump curse had been lifted.

“THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO BLESSED MSG TODAY TO GET THE STANK VIBES OUT,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X just before midnight. “YOUR SERVICE IS APPRECIATED.”

The progressive lawmaker’s all-caps missive was a reference to superstitious Knicks fans burning sage outside Madison Square Garden to cleanse it of what they saw as the bad juju President Donald Trump cast over the team by attending Monday’s Game 3 (which the Spurs won 115-111).

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards suggested Staten Island’s own Wu-Tang Clan — which performed last night’s halftime show at MSG — had a hand in rooting out the bad vibes. “Wu-Tang is for the children!!!” Richards wrote on X in response to a video of the rap group’s performance captioned: “Wu-Tang Clan have broken Donald Trump’s curse on the Knicks.”

No matter what brand of superstition is at play, it’s unmistakable that the Knicks’ playoff prowess has led New Yorkers to search for otherworldly explanations — and it seems to be the only thing local politicians can talk about.

In an Instagram video posted late last night, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested there was a more cerebral catalyst for the Knicks’ latest win.

“Wemby tried to taunt the Knicks when they were up by about 29, suggesting that he was in our heads,” Jeffries said in a video, referring to Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. “No. Actually Wemby, we were in your head.”

For his part, Mayor Zohran Mamdani turned to God for guidance about the Knicks.

“Knicks in five — inshallah, baby, let’s go,” he practically shouted on Hot 97 radio this morning, using the Arabic term for “God willing.”

Game 5 of the Finals is Saturday in San Antonio. If the Knicks win, they will claim the championship trophy for the first time since 1973.

Not everything has been peaches and cream in the Big Apple when it comes to the Knickerbockers, though.

An NYPD spokesperson said 56 Knicks fans were taken into custody last night after massive and destructive crowds converged near The Garden to “celebrate” the victory.

According to the spokesperson, 10 officers were injured in the rampage, including one who got hit in the head with a glass bottle as the crowds jumped on top of moving vehicles, tried to flip over a parked cab and set off fireworks.

“This demonstrates exactly why the NYPD has increased our presence in and around Madison Square Garden,” the police spokesperson said.

The chaos unfolded after Knicks owner James Dolan canceled last night’s ticketed watch party outside MSG because he was angry with Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch for blocking unauthorized pedestrian traffic in a large swath of Midtown around the arena due to security concerns. — Chris Sommerfeldt

From the Capitol

MESSAGE RECEIVED: Gov. Kathy Hochul responded today to White House border czar Tom Homan’s threat of an ICE surge into the Empire State.

“It’s not how we do things in New York,” Hochul said at an event in Queens. “Maybe Washington is a different breed there, and they think that intimidation and creating fear is a way to govern, and we’re just rejecting that here in the state of New York. That’s not who we are, never has been, never will be.”

Homan’s threats come after Hochul and state lawmakers sealed a deal on a package of measures meant to protect undocumented immigrants, following ICE’s deportation operation in Minneapolis. The bills would limit civil deportation warrants from being executed in sensitive locations and prevent law enforcement, including ICE agents, from wearing masks.

Homan blamed Hochul for the threatened surge after she signed legislation ending so-called 287(g) agreements that enable local law enforcement to share resources with federal authorities.

Hochul said such a surge would be “contrary” to what Trump previously told her. The governor also mentioned that Homan’s reasoning does not apply since only nine counties in New York previously participated in the 287(g) program — and none of those include any of New York City’s five counties.

“New York City, where we’re predicting he’ll send the agents to, has never had a 287(g) agreement. They’ve never been allowed to use the jails. Never been allowed to use local police enforcement,” the governor said. “It is irrational. It shows that they do not comprehend what is happening in the state of New York.” — Leah Clark

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS: A federal judge found former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander not guilty of misdemeanor obstruction Thursday for blocking an elevator while protesting last year outside an immigrant holding area.

Lander was hit with the obstruction charge in September while demonstrating in support of detained immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. He was offered a deal to drop the charge but opted instead for a trial to draw attention to the federal government’s immigration policies.

Lander said he was there with state legislators to view the facility’s conditions, not to purposefully block an elevator — and that he would have moved if asked. In reading his findings, Judge Henry Ricardo described Lander’s testimony as consistent with video evidence, noting that his movements didn’t suggest he was purposefully trying to block the elevator and that Lander appeared “tired and a bit resigned.”

“No offense to Mr. Lander,” the judge said.

Lander — who entered the courtroom in good spirits and holding a Knicks hat — told reporters after the verdict: “I didn’t feel tired.”

“I felt an urgency to show up that day and try to fight what ICE is doing,” he said.

After a month’s delay, Lander finally had his first day in court Wednesday — less than two weeks before the primary election — bringing immigration even more to the forefront in the waning days of his campaign against Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman.

Goldman, who often highlights his oversight visits at immigrant detention centers and his “triage center” to support detainees near 26 Federal Plaza, has repeatedly criticized Lander for his approach to immigration. On Wednesday, he referred to Lander’s case as “performative” and “self-promoting.” At a debate last week, Goldman chided him for the rhetorical refrain that he puts his “body on the line” for immigrants and for fundraising off of it.

“While Brad never did get the information he sought from ICE, I have all of that information from my weekly oversight visits and would be happy to brief him,” Goldman said in a statement.

Read more from Madison Fernandez in POLITICO. 

POLL POSITION: The race between Rep. Adriano Espaillat and primary challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier is close in the final stretch of the campaign, according to a pro-Avila Chevalier poll.

The survey, conducted by Data for Progress for Justice Democrats, the progressive group that recruited the challenger, found Avila Chevalier with 39 percent of support compared to Espaillat’s 35 percent. Twenty-two percent of respondents were undecided.

The poll was conducted among 319 likely Democratic primary voters from June 3 to 9, after Mamdani endorsed Avila Chevalier — and as pro-Espaillat entities bombarded the airwaves with negative attacks against her. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 5 percentage points.

The survey also shows that 86 percent of respondents in the district either have a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of the mayor. Avila Chevalier is leaning heavily into Mamdani’s endorsement.

There’s no public polling in the race, though it’s evident Espaillat’s allies are anticipating a tight battle, considering the millions of dollars being poured into the race on his behalf in the homestretch. — Madison Fernandez

FROM CITY HALL

2029 VISION: Most political players in New York are focused on this month’s primary elections — but Mamdani is already looking well beyond them.

In a text message blast this afternoon, the mayor asked supporters to donate “any amount” they can to his 2029 reelection campaign, telling them he needs to start fundraising now because the opposition will “be better funded, better organized and ready to spend earlier than before.”

“Their fundraising is constant and prolific,” he wrote in the text obtained by Playbook. “In closed-door meetings, wealthy donors and insider operatives consider how to influence our politics year-round. That’s how our opponents secured the resources to spend $83 million against our movement last year … That’s why we’re making investments in our movement starting right now.”

Mamdani’s missive did not identify the individuals behind the opposition he described.

But a group called NYC Common Sense, spearheaded by former independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden and political consultant Phil Singer, launched last month with a stated goal of fighting his agenda with ads, policy papers and lawsuits. The group, whose formation was first reported by The New York Times, has already raised $1 million from as-of-yet unidentified donors.

Mamdani’s pivot to 2029 fundraising indicates he’s taking the nascent opposition to his democratic socialist project seriously. Trip Yang, a longtime Democratic strategist, acknowledged it’s relatively early to fundraise for 2029. Still, he said it’s a smart move.

“A strong early fundraising number is important to show the reelection is well-positioned,” Yang said.

Read more from Chris Sommerfeldt in POLITICO.

STILL LOADING: City Council Speaker Julie Menin exuded confidence today over the newly introduced protest buffer zone bill around education facilities, which has the backing of 35 council members, a veto-proof super majority.

“I did speak with the mayor about the bill. We had a brief conversation about it,” Menin said at a press conference. “I think the new bill really addresses some concerns that we had heard.”

Menin said the revised measure would still achieve the original proposal’s goals but more narrowly defines which types of locations are included. Universities, which were flash points for some of the country’s most heated demonstrations, have been excluded from the new bill.

The original measure was vetoed by Mamdani in April after he raised concerns about its broad definition of educational facilities and the potential impacts on protests tied to ICE, fossil fuel divestment and Palestinian rights.

He allowed a similar bill to become law in April while voicing opposition to both buffer-zone bills’ framing of “all protest as a security concern.”

A spokesperson for the mayor said the administration is still “reviewing the new version of the legislation.”  — Gelila Negesse

IN OTHER NEWS

— BAIT AND SWITCH: A year after New York City banned broker fees, renters say the charges never really left. (Gothamist)

— COURT-ORDERED VISITS: New York will begin to require judges to make recurring visits to prisons after years of a long-neglected oversight rule not being met. (The City Reporter)

— STRAPPED FOR CASH: The Mamdani administration is considering invoking a fiscal exception to delay required payments to nonprofits, citing cash constraints. (NBC New York)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and its European counterpart (EPATH) have issued a joint statement expressing their “deep concern” regarding NHS plans to suspend hormone prescriptions for trans under-18s in England.

On 9 March, NHS England published a draft clinical policy outlining its plan for public consultation. In essence, it proposed that:

MAF (masculinising and feminising) Hormones are not recommended to be available as a routine commissioning option through the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service.

This represents a sharp break from the current clinical policy, which was itself updated in 2024 in a knee-jerk response to the Cass Review. It permits the restricted use of MAF hormones for individuals aged 16 or 17 years old.

That consultation ended on 7 June. In response, WPATH-EPATH joint statement made clear the expert bodies’ assessment that:

prohibiting hormones is not an ethically neutral position and may have harmful effects in those transgender adolescents for whom it would be indicated.

NHS — Disregard for evidence

The statement went on to highlight that the current evidence base:

while still developing, includes a growing body of observational and longitudinal studies, alongside extensive clinical experience across specialized services. Limitations in the evidence are acknowledged; however, EPATH and WPATH are not aware of new evidence that would support a universal prohibition of these interventions.

Of course, the NHS has already shown its utter disregard for evidence supporting the efficacy of MAF hormones for trans youth. The Cass Review accepted just two studies on puberty blockers and hormones as ‘high-quality’ evidence.

For most of the 101 remaining studies that Cass discarded, she cited a lack of ‘blinding’ or a control group in her reasoning. This would involve not telling the participants what medication they were taking, and withholding medication from some.

Not only would this be hugely unethical, the visible effects of MAF hormones would render it impossible. Unsurprisingly, Cass lacked any experience working with trans youth whatsoever.

‘Robust and transparent methodologies’

Given that clear disregard for the scientific method, the joint statement understandably saw the need to:

underscore the importance of ensuring that evidence reviews informing policy are appraised using robust and transparent methodologies, and that their interpretation reflects the totality and context of available data.

In order to conclude that there was ‘no evidence’ or ‘weak evidence’ for the use of MAF hormones in under-18s, NHS England used a methodology that was anything but robust. Following Cass’ playbook, the NHS review used extraordinarily strict exclusion criteria to toss out 97% of all evidential studies.

Rather, the NHS chose to fragment its study into ten separate reviews. It searched only for reports focusing on estrogen monotherapy, testosterone monotherapy, GnRH analogues and estrogen, GnRH analogues and testosterone, GnRH analogue monotherapy.

It then divided each of these five criteria according to their focus on binary and non-binary participants. This is a level of specificity which very few existing studies are designed to accommodate.

This insistence on hyper-specificity is a data-fudging technique known as ‘salami slicing’. It’s known to encourage malpractice and is warned against specifically in the Cochrane Handbook — the ‘gold standard’ guide for systematic reviews.

Do No Harm

The joint statement added that:

Engagement from clinicians, researchers, methodological experts and including the values and preferences of the transgender population is essential in this process. Meanwhile, not providing hormones may also be harmful for those transgender youth who need it.

That harm is not a hypothetical. Back in February, the Good Law Project (GLP) published a freedom-of-information study which showed that suicides among trans youth spiked massively in 2021. That was immediately after the government issued a near-total ban on hormones and puberty blockers for young trans people.

This was particularly shocking given that, in 2024, the government put out an ‘independent’ review acknowledging just five suicides. As such, it callously dismissed the deaths as ‘statistically insignificant’.

However, thanks to the GLP, we now know of at least 22 deaths. At the time, the Canary wrote that:

22 young people took their own lives because their healthcare was suddenly ripped away by a bigoted, ideologically driven government.

NHS — Politics and ideology

In spite of those tragic deaths, the NHS is apparently hellbent on expanding its threat. And, as the WPATH joint statement concluded:

At a time of evolving evidence and clinical practice, EPATH and WPATH emphasize that policy decisions should be guided by scientific evaluation, clinical expertise, and a commitment to equitable access to appropriate care for trans and gender-diverse young people. Masculinizing and feminizing hormones have been part of the international transgender care treatment guidelines. They have been scientifically evaluated in transgender adults for over 5 decades, and in adolescents for over 3 decades.

Our national healthcare provider is flying directly in the face of decades of established international practice. It is no longer guided by reason or best-practice, but politics and transphobic ideology.

The NHS has chosen to centre a clear and overwhelming belief that a child growing into a trans adult is an unsatisfactory outcome — even at the cost of that child’s wellbeing; even at the cost of their life.

Featured image via Marbury / Getty

By Alex/Rose Cocker

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Islamophobia — On Good Morning Britain (GMB), journalist Kevin Maguire confronted the fact that violence committed by white males never seems to see the same discriminatory attacks against them as a group.

In contrast, when any attack is perpetrated by a Black or Brown man, condemnation is made against entire communities. As a result, we have seen a growing number of racist white riots, whether that be in Southampton after the trial of Nowak’s killer or the thugs terrorising local residents in Belfast right now.

With Farage stating Southampton was “just the beginning”, supporting far-right efforts to bring more violence to UK streets under the guise of ‘protest’, a hierarchy of racism is on full view in our domestic politics which could have devastating consequences.

Given the fact that Met police chief Rowley couldn’t seem to stomach even saying the word ‘Islamophobia’ on Sky News this morning, this contrast in how little condemnation there is for white supremacist male violence is increasingly sickening.

Once again, Black and Brown people are facing potentially life-threatening violence with political leaders doing precious little to protect them.

Kevin Maguire: "After the attack on the Liverpool football parade & it was a white guy, middle class, former royal marine, no-one went after other white, middle class former marines & set this person represents that entire group" pic.twitter.com/3rleEKRGVL

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) June 10, 2026

When will we talk about our white male violence problem in the UK?

On GMB, Maguire points out how public outrage and media coverage don’t seem to correlate with offence — some cases blow up everywhere, while others barely get a mention. As a result, he helped to underscore the real deciding factor which contributes to any ensuing moral panic in the colour of the perpetrators skin.

However, this palpable refusal to confront the issue of white male violence, underscored by Maguire, inevitably raises concern that violent riots like this could inspire copycat attacks elsewhere in the UK, especially given how quickly far-right extremist ideas can spread and escalate online. This concern becomes intensified when we have a white supremacist billionaire tech giant like Elon Musk using his influence to incite hate and increase divisions.

Whereas white men are responsible for an increasing number of violent crimes in the UK which equally destroy lives. Thus, calling a spade a spade and confronting their radicalised behaviour could go a long way to improving safety in the UK for all its citizens.

For instance, when Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, we did not see white men come out on the streets angry about male violence and femicide. It is worth noting, though, that peaceful vigils largely attended by women were treated as if they were criminal in themselves.

No, our patriarchal system will never allow a moral panic to ensue about white violence and abuse — even when it would undoubtedly serve to protect much of the country’s female population. 

Deplorably, racist Nigel Farage at the time called for people to be calm and for it not to lead to hate, which is a pretty stark contrast with his inciteful rhetoric after Black or Brown crimes occur:

When Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped and murdered Sarah Everard, Nigel Farage released a five-minute video urging people not to attack men or the police.

Today, in response to the murder of Henry Nowak, he called for "pure cold rage." pic.twitter.com/I1UdVbul9I

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— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) June 2, 2026

Sickening hypocrisy on full display

Similarly, we did not see any of this chaos and ‘concern’ following the sentencing of Chas Corrigan on 4th June. Corrigan is a 22-year-old white man from Cambridge who stabbed and murdered a 20-year-old male Saudi student. Mohammed Algasim was slashed in the neck whilst with friends outside his student accommodation and died from the attack.

However, you’d be forgiven for knowing little about this as comparatively, it has received nowhere near the same amount of coverage. It follows then to ask why, which isn’t a hard question to answer. Evidently, many British white men are racist, and until politicians, institutions, and community leaders confront that reality head-on, those views will continue to spread and harden.

But by failing to condemn racism clearly and consistently, the establishment only works to embolden it.

On the other hand, many politicians and commentators have rightfully called out the violence seen in Belfast as a racist pogrom and have condemned the perpetrators. Nevertheless, many public officials are still skirting around the real issue that is destabilising the UK and wreaking chaos, misery and fear on our streets — and that issue is white supremacism.

Just this morning, Sir Mark Rowley of the Met Police rightfully labelled the pogroms as “horrific” yet notably he couldn’t even say ‘Brown people’ or label the hate they have continually had to live alongside — Islamophobia. Instead, he once again brought the conversation back to antisemitism, whilst speaking of targeted homes and communities under attack in Belfast.

It is called Islamophobia — Say it.

Yet even after this anti-Muslim hatred leaves 18 homes destroyed and 70 people evacuated to temporary accommodation, he failed to show even a shadow of the same concern. This highlights the fact that UK officials consistently devote far more attention to some forms of racism than others, while treating violence against Brown communities as a mere afterthought.

Rather than address this rapidly growing threat of anti-Muslim hatred, white officials instead redirect public concern elsewhere, downplaying the dangers of Islamophobia while disproportionately amplifying antisemitism.

Meanwhile, white men — young and old — continue to escalate their behaviour, convincing themselves that intimidation, harassment, and violence amount to ‘legitimate’ acts of protest when they are obviously nothing of the sort.

Needless to say, you cannot tackle a problem you refuse to name. Yet UK and Western governments continue to meet anti-Muslim hatred with silence and indifference. Government officials and police chiefs must confront this now. If they choose not to, they will share responsibility for the violence that follows.

Every failure to challenge this fascist, supremacist hatred emboldens it — and brings us closer to tragedy.

Featured image via ITVX

By Maddison Wheeldon

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Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has resigned over the government’s plans on defence spending. (Alamy)

3 min read39 min

Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has resigned over the government’s plans on defence spending and its Northern Ireland Legacy Bill, claiming “the deal this country makes with the people who serve it” is “broken”.

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In a letter to the Prime Minister, the former marine said the proposed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) was not good enough, stating it “is neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded”, adding that “a serious country funds its defence to meet the threat it actually faces, not the threat it wishes it faced”. 

“I have sat in the rooms, seen the assessments, and spoken to the commanders who will be asked to do more with less, and I cannot in good conscience stand at the dispatch box and defend a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task,” wrote Carns.

Carns was also critical of the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill, describing it as “unfit for purpose” and that it currently “risks failing the very veterans it claims to protect”. 

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“I set out the changes I believed were necessary, and the lines which I could not in good conscience go beyond,” he wrote. 

“Those lines have not been accepted. I have run out of room to argue this case honourably from inside government. A serving minister cannot ask fellow veterans to trust a process he no longer trusts himself.”

He also said “the machinery of government itself has been left to decay” and that “decisions that should take days, take months”. 

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In his resignation letter Carns, who is reportedly prepared to run in a Labour leadership contest should one be triggered, gave a broader critique of the government, too. 

“Too many working people in this country feel insecure even when they are doing everything right,” he wrote

“They work hard, contribute, pay their taxes, and still feel one setback away from trouble. Public confidence in our institutions is weakening, and politics increasingly look performative while everyday life gets harder.”

His resignation comes hours after Defence Secretary John Healey resigned over the government’s defence spending plans,  saying he had been “left with no other option” after being presented with details of how much additional money the government was planning to spend on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

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 “Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe,” wrote Healey in his resignation letter. 

“After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your Defence Secretary.”

In an interview with PoliticsHome, Lord Hutton, defence secretary between 2008 and 2009 under former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, said Healey’s resignation was a “colossal failure of government”.

The former defence secretary said the government would need to combine borrowing with spending cuts, including welfare, to fund the necessary increase to defence spending – stating he was “utterly frustrated” the government seemed “completely unable to address” the issue.

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The departure of Carns from government so soon after Healey’s will pile further pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as the embattled Prime Minister attempts to keep his government together ahead of next week’s by-election which could see Labour Manchester mayor Andy Burnham elected to parliament in Makerfield. 

Burnham, who has made no secret of his leadership ambitions, admitted on the BBC’s Question Time last week that he would run in any Labour leadership contest – accusing Wes Streeting, who resigned as Health Secretary last month over Starmer’s leadership and heavy by-election losses, of starting the contest already. 

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‘Big Ben Dan’ Day has been found guilty of ‘public nuisance’ at Southwark Crown Court after climbing the parliamentary tower in March 2025. Day’s 17-hour protest was against Israel’s Gaza genocide and against state-sanctioned police violence against peaceful protest.

Big Ben Dan — “Serious disruption”

The state claims Day caused a £67,000 public bill, some lost bus fares and “serious disruption”. Not as big as Israel’s genocide has caused to millions of innocent Palestinians and surely that’s the point of protest. But that’s the UK state’s priority as Keir Starmer wages war on anti-genocide speech and protest.

Supporters chanted “Free Palestine” outside the court throughout the hearing. Day will be sentenced on 27 July. So far no indication has been given that he will be sentenced as a terrorist, as the state is likely to do to other anti-genocide protesters tomorrow, 12 June 2026. However, nothing should be ruled out as Starmer continues to protect Israel from scrutiny and resistance.

Public bleeding

The court was told that Day had bled on the tower’s stone because he had taken his shoes off for the climb. ‘Bleeding on a public building’ is not listed as a criminal offence, at least yet. Just as well, given the unprovoked police violence Day was highlighting.

Jurors also heard that Day said:

We’re being violently attacked by police for peaceful protest. That’s why I’m taking action at the so-called hub of democracy today.

It’s unclear how this was meant to be incriminating.

Spare a thought

The CPS’s Claire Campbell said afterward that the “fundamental right” to protest isn’t allowed to cause “serious public disruption”. Assuming she votes, perhaps she’ll spare a thought for the Suffragettes and their campaign next time she’s at the ballot box. That included very serious disruption, including widespread window-smashing and even the planting of bombs, as well as the death of a protester under the hoofs of the king’s racehorse.

Featured image via Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

By Skwawkbox

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