Politics
More animal welfare charities call for an end to the guga hunt
Two leading animal welfare organisations are calling on the new Scottish parliament to end the annual guga hunt on Sula Sgeir.
They’ve published a new report stating that the hunt cannot be considered humane, despite a NatureScot licence condition that requires killing must be carried out humanely.
This adds to the campaigning work of Protect the Wild, whose founder Rob Pownall ran for the Scottish parliament dressed as a gannet.
Animal Welfare and the Guga Hunt comes out as NatureScot considers a fresh licence application for the 2026 hunt. The topic is also due to for consideration by the Scottish parliament as it prepares to scrutinise a petition against the hunt that has attracted more than 100,000 signatures.
Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind worked with the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland to produce the new report. It examines the animal welfare implications of the hunt and identifies significant gaps in the legislative framework that governs it.
The groups submitted their report to NatureScot ahead of its decision on an application for a guga hunt licence in 2026.
The report finds that the method used to kill the young gannets, which are known as guga, carries significant welfare risks that cannot be adequately monitored or verified.
It also finds there’s been consistent underestimation of the disturbance of other vulnerable seabird species breeding on Sula Sgeir, including the highly protected Leach’s storm petrel.
Jason Rose, chief executive of OneKind, said:
This report is about the birds, what they experience during capture, during killing, and in the disturbance caused to the wider colony and other vulnerable species on the island.
The welfare risks we have identified are real and under current conditions they simply cannot be adequately monitored or mitigated.
The Scottish parliament, government and NatureScot all have a role in addressing the legislative gaps our report identifies, and we hope it contributes to that conversation.
Legislation around the guga hunt
On the legislative framework, the report’s findings note that Scotland’s animal welfare legislation only protects wild animals when they are under human control. While NatureScot requires humane killing of the birds by licence condition, animal welfare law doesn’t define the term humane and there is no independent oversight or monitoring on Sula Sgeir.
The report notes that ending the hunt would require only an amendment to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It currently contains a unique provision permitting the taking of gannets on Sula Sgeir for food. There’s no such exemption for any other species or location in Scotland.
The report’s findings sit alongside serious conservation concerns raised in a recent report by the Scottish Seabird Centre, which recommended that licensing of the hunt should end permanently.
The report, Assessment of the Guga Hunt in the Context of Seabird Conservation in Scotland, came out on 28 May. It noted that the gannet population on Sula Sgeir has declined by around 17% since 2017. And it’s the only Scottish gannet Special Protection Area where the population has fallen below the level it was at when the site gained protected status.
Robbie Marsland, director of the League Against Cruel Sports in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said:
Together, these reports make a compelling, evidence-based case why the guga hunt should come to an end.
This analysis sets out clearly why the hunt cannot currently be considered humane, and we hope it contributes to an honest, measured and constructive conversation about why this tradition can no longer be responsibly licensed.
For more than a century the League Against Cruel Sports has campaigned against traditions that harm animals. While we recognise the cultural significance of the hunt to the Ness community, the welfare of the birds matters too.
Both organisations are backing calls for a transition away from the guga hunt. To support this, they’d like to see initiatives that preserve and celebrate the Ness community’s cultural heritage. They also want to explore opportunities for local involvement in seabird monitoring and conservation on Sula Sgeir.
Featured image via Getty Images
By The Canary
Politics
Polanski brands Labour’s immigration plans ‘performative cruelty’
According to the Times, Labour is planning to restrict migrants from being able to access benefits. In response, the Green Party’s Zack Polanski has labelled their immigration plans “performative cruelty”:
Labour plans to withhold benefits to people who have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Performative cruelty and total cowardice.
That’s why the Greens will replace Labour. https://t.co/UxqPjdOjG6 — Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) July 13, 2026
Polanski slams Labour’s “cowardice”
Steven Swinford of the Times noted that so-called ‘Boriswave migrants’ wouldn’t have to wait ten years to be granted indefinite leave under the unveiled plan. At the same time, they’d face a longer wait to be eligible for benefits — which Polanski sharply criticised.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out how this could all go wrong.
If you have a class of people who can’t claim benefits, you have a class of people who will do anything to earn money should they find themselves unemployed. Employers will take advantage of this, and shadow economies will form. Once these shadow economies become established, we’ll find ourselves one step closer to a government which can strip away welfare for all citizens.
Things don’t get worse all at once; they get worse one step at a time, and this latest proposal is a significant step towards a state which works solely for the rich. Polanski has repeatedly warned against these creeping changes.
Zoe Gardner spoke further on this, stating:
This all sounds tough, but in reality it’s not just performative [cruelty], it’s incredibly stupid.
People fall into difficulties sometimes, they just do. You don’t have to be British to be impacted, we saw that with Covid for eg.
If you blanket deny the state safety net to one group, all you do is create child poverty, vulnerability to loan sharks, destitution & misery in our communities. This actually is bad, not to mention more costly in emergency services, for everyone.
The cost of managing destitute people often eclipses the cost of eliminating destitution in the first place. An example of this is that it costs more to house a homeless person than it does to let them sleep on the streets. This is because the various services which supposedly ‘help’ these people (or criminalise them) cost money, and as it turns out this adds up to more than simply giving people shelter.
Gardner added:
These are people who do & will live here for the long term, probably their kids will always live here.
Forcing them into poverty, debt & homelessness just because “foreigners bad” is not good for society, actually.
We’ve reached the point where this needs spelling out…
Labour has a chance to reverse this stupidity, but instead they’re doubling down.
They should hang their heads in shame for pathetically dancing the Xenophobic polka to Farage’s tune.
Unclear
Since the Times’ reporting above, HuffPost have claimed that Burnham will actually back Shabana Mahmood’s bill as it is. Polanski responded to that too, saying:
Labour had one last card to play.
That after Keir Starmer they could find themselves a progressive leader.
We're speed running crash and burn faster than anyone could have imagined.
We're building the alternative of hope with a plan to replace Labour.https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp https://t.co/XRLDDSrN2S — Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) July 13, 2026
As we’ve reported previously, ‘wishy washy’ doesn’t begin to cover Burnham’s approach to migration. As such, we have no idea how he’ll vote this evening, and we imagine that neither does he.
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore
Politics
Big Oil must foot the bill for urgent heat protection as Europe swelters
As deadly heat covers Europe, governments must act quickly to protect lives and force fossil fuel companies to foot the bill. That’s the view of campaign group 350.org.
There were more than 10,000 excess deaths across Europe during record-breaking heatwaves in June. Deadly wildfires are still raging in France and Spain. And even in the normally less extreme UK, the death toll has topped 2,700 and multiple fires have taken hold.
Climate campaigners urge European governments to take urgent measures to protect the public, especially vulnerable populations, from heat impacts. This includes measures such as upgrading hospitals, care facilities, schools and universities and providing emergency support for farmers.
France’s High Council on Climate has warned that the country’s infrastructure, cities and public services were built for “a climate that no longer exists”. It says that current adaptation policy is insufficient to protect people.
In response, 350.org campaigners called on European governments to invest massively in heat adaptation, while accelerating the shift to affordable renewable energy to reduce emissions and lower bills. 350.org analysis shows that the heatwaves drive up households’ energy spending.
Adaptation measures, however, must be borne by fossil fuel companies through stronger and permanent taxes on oil and gas profits, says 350.org. It shouldn’t be down to people already burdened with high energy bills and other extreme heat impacts.
Fanny Petitbon, 350.org France country manager, said:
This heatwave isn’t just about lack of preparedness, it’s gross negligence. Scientists have sounded the alarm long ago, but governments chose to keep burning fossil fuels.
We’ve been saying for decades that climate inaction is deadly. And now it has a body count of more than 10,000 in Europe in June alone. It’s never too late to protect people. Investing in adaptation now can save thousands more from harm in the months and years to come.
We don’t need endless debates in parliament nor austerity measures that slash the funds meant for climate action, we need decision-makers to wake up and act now. The scale of action needed and who must foot the bill is clear.
Europe’s heatwaves are sponsored by fossil fuel companies. The industry must pay both for the destruction and urgent measures like better thermal insulation of social housing, schools and hospitals, greening of public spaces, and heat warning systems for outdoor workers.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Politics
171% surge in referrals prompts LGBTQ+ youth charity to launch #DeserveBetter campaign
Referrals to LGBTQ+ youth charity The Proud Trust increased by 171% following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.
This prompted the charity to launch a major new national campaign highlighting the challenges LGBTQ+ young people continue to face and call for greater understanding, safer spaces and better support.
The Proud Trust, one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ youth charities, has launched #DeserveBetter, a nationwide campaign calling for greater understanding, safer spaces and better support for LGBTQ+ young people throughout the year.
The campaign comes as national research continues to paint a stark picture of the challenges many queer young people face. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ pupils experience bullying because of who they are, almost six in ten have seriously considered suicide, while almost a quarter may never complete secondary school, twice the national average.
The charity says there’s a growing demand for specialist LGBTQ+ support. Over the past year alone, The Proud Trust delivered nearly 400 youth group sessions and held more than 820 support conversations with LGBTQ+ young people, parents, carers and professionals.
Almost 10,000 people visited The Proud Place, its LGBTQ+ community centre in Manchester, while more than 1,400 teachers, youth workers and other professionals received specialist inclusion training.
Through its Rainbow Flag Award programme, which helps schools create safer and more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ pupils, the charity also reached almost 50,000 young people.
Campaign will highlight issues affecting LGBTQ+ young people
Through #DeserveBetter, The Proud Trust will shine a spotlight on many of the issues affecting LGBTQ+ young people today, including bullying, discrimination, healthcare, education, barriers to employment, family acceptance, identity, belonging and access to safe spaces.
To kick off the campaign, The Proud Trust is sharing powerful first-person stories from people speaking publicly for the first time about growing up LGBTQ+, while also shining a spotlight on the key issues affecting young people today through expert insight and lived experience.
Award-winning spoken word artist myndstate has written an original poem inspired by his own experiences of growing up gay, while the campaign will also feature a special film bringing together a host of LGBTQ+ celebrities and high-profile allies, with the full contributor line-up to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Liam Swanston, director of development and partnerships at The Proud Trust, said:
A 171% increase in referrals isn’t just a statistic, behind every referral is a young person looking for somewhere they feel safe, someone who understands what they’re going through, or simply reassurance that they’re not alone.
Every day we work alongside LGBTQ+ young people who are navigating bullying, discrimination, isolation and uncertainty while also trying to understand who they are and where they belong. We also work with adults who want to understand and support the young people in their lives better.
No young person should grow up believing they have to hide who they are, face those experiences alone, or feel there’s no place where they truly belong.
#DeserveBetter is about ensuring those young people’s voices are heard. This campaign shines a spotlight on the realities many LGBTQ+ young people continue to face today, while celebrating the extraordinary difference that acceptance, visibility, community and support can make.
We hope it encourages greater understanding, challenges misconceptions and reminds every LGBTQ+ young person that they deserve to feel safe, valued, understood and able to thrive, every single day of the year.
For more information about The Proud Trust and the #DeserveBetter campaign, visit www.TheProudTrust.org
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Politics
Refuge hope police reforms signal the “beginning of a future where women feel protected”
As of the 13 July, new regulations have come into effect for all police forces which will impact vetting procedures and suspensions. The government is rolling out the “complex and wide-ranging” rule change as part of its pledge to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). It follows a campaign from the charity Refuge, ‘Remove the Rot’, which kicked off in 2023 and subsequently found a “shocking scale of police-perpetrated VAWG” which meant women and girls could not trust the police to protect them. Refusing to allow there to be no place to turn for justice, the domestic abuse charity pushed for change, saying:
as an institution designed to protect the public from harm, the police cannot be allowed to let perpetrators slip through the net.
Refuge welcomed the changes which came into effect from today, adding that:
We hope today represents the beginning of a future where women and girls finally feel protected by the police, as they deserve.
Refuge: ‘Remove the Rot’ campaign
UK police forces have long been under mounting pressure to own up to the misogyny and racism that have been allowed to take root among many male officers.
These calls intensified after the appalling — and preventable — kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens. He abused his position of power with deadly consequences, conducting a false arrest of Everard and using police handcuffs to take her into his ‘custody’.
However, men that abuse women and girls do so because it makes them feel ‘superior’ and ‘dominant’ over their victims. This makes the police force quite an appealing line of work for these pathetic and dangerous types of men, making it the perfect breeding ground for these malicious, abusive attitudes.
Couzens shared “grossly offensive messages” with fellow officers before murdering Everard. This surely shows just how deeply these toxic attitudes can run within policing. Given another police officer was spared prison time for spying on a 14-year-old girl back in October, it doesn’t seem like the force has suitably recognised the severity of the threat facing women and girls across the country.
And that is what makes this so frightening: the police are supposed to protect the public, but when women and girls fear the very people meant to keep them safe, who are they supposed to turn to?
Given they amount to half the UK population, this has been a huge failing by the police and reform has been long overdue. This also comes at a time when the safety of women and girls is hugely under threat, with violence against women and girls rising and reported rapes increasing by over 500% in the last two decades alone.
“Refuge decided: enough is enough”
CEO of Refuge, Gemma Sherrington, welcomes the rule changes:
Women’s confidence in policing has been in crisis for far too long. Finally, the tables are starting to turn. As new vetting and suspension regulations come into force, today (July 13th) marks the success of Refuge’s Remove the Rot campaign.
For years, we have pushed for automatic suspension of officers accused of violence against women and girls (VAWG) alongside stronger vetting procedures. At long last, the police conduct and vetting regimes have been amended to bring new regulations in.
Launched in 2023, Remove the Rot uncovered the shocking scale of police-perpetrated VAWG, including domestic abuse, sexual assault and sexual harassment. Having seen firsthand the catastrophic impact this was having on women and girls’ trust in the police, Refuge decided: enough is enough. VAWG is already at epidemic levels, and as an institution designed to protect the public from harm, the police cannot be allowed to let perpetrators slip through the net.
The new regulations, which were first announced in the government’s 2025 VAWG strategy, will require all police officers to hold and maintain vetting clearance, with new requirements to tighten suspension for those under investigation for specified VAWG offences. While these regulations depend on consistent implementation across police forces and cannot reverse the harm caused by police-perpetrated VAWG, they do send a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.
This campaign win was made possible by the tireless efforts of our supporters, with over 48,000 of you signing our Remove the Rot petition which was delivered directly to Downing Street in 2024.
The head of Refuge finished with a reminder that this is just the start of long-overdue reforms of the kind of people the police force is willing to hire and empower:
We hope today represents the beginning of a future where women and girls finally feel protected by the police, as they deserve.
We deserve to feel safe with the police
Many women and girls won’t even consider contacting the police for abuse they have suffered. They may stay silent because they fear nobody will believe them, or because they want to avoid a criminal justice system that often puts victims on trial instead of holding perpetrators to account — further deepening their trauma.
However, these changes introduced to the police force, lobbied for by Refuge, are only effective from today. Those within the ranks will likely not face any penalties unless they choose to reoffend.
Yes, abusers often reoffend, so they will likely expose themselves eventually, but this again puts the burden on victims of police-perpetrated abuse to have the courage to speak up to the colleagues/mates of the very man who hurt them.
Therefore, officials should have applied these changes retrospectively to remove those already hiding within the force and tackle the rot at its very core.
After all, Refuge found over 1.1k cases of police perpetrated VAWG just between October 2021 and March 2022.
Refuge rightly says that women and girls deserve to be protected by the police — not to be abused by them.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
Do you ever get tiny itchy bumps on your fingers?
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Politics
People were right to ‘speculate’ about the death of Ann Widdecombe
‘Please don’t speculate.’ If I hear that chilling instruction one more time, I’m going to flip. It’s been the deathly, censorious chorus of the police, politicians and every media prick since Ann Widdecombe’s body was discovered at her home in Dartmoor last week. Don’t speculate. Don’t be a conspiracy theorist. Don’t exploit this tragedy. Don’t say it was political. Don’t call it terrorism. On and on they droned. And yet now it seems the ‘speculators’, those defamed as fantastists, may have been on to something.
Today it has been announced that counter-terrorism cops are taking over the investigation of Ms Widdecombe’s death. The body of the veteran Tory / Reform politician was found on Thursday. Shock tore through the nation when it was later announced she had sustained serious injuries and there would be a murder investigation. But cops were quick — weirdly so — to dampen ‘speculation’ that it might have been a political killing or a terroristic act. There is ‘nothing to suggest’ it was politically motivated, they said.
To many of us, it just didn’t stack up. How could they be so sure so soon? What’s more, the first suspect they arrested – a ‘26-year-old white man’, they told us, with the emphasis on ‘white’ – was swiftly released without charge. Without a suspect, how could they decipher a motive? Then came the news of the arrest of a second suspect, and that’s when folk really started scratching their heads. He was arrested in Rotherham, more than 250 miles from Widdecombe’s home. We were expected to believe that a random from Rotherham allegedly drove across England to the exact address of a famed politician and that there was nothing to see here? Nothing to ruminate on? Nothing unnerving?
Then came the Sun’s publication of CCTV footage seeming to show the suspect getting into his car in Rotherham on the morning of Widdecombe’s death, apparently with a large wooden stick. Naturally, the Sun, too, was accused of dangerous ‘speculation’, but in truth its intrepid sourcing of the CCTV footage contributed enormously to the public’s bristling, democratic concern over this strange death in Dartmoor. Even the BBC is now saying that the Sun’s reporting was swiftly followed by today’s jolting announcement: that Widdecombe’s death is now being investigated by counter-terror cops.
It was a moral outrage to shame the masses for ‘speculating’. People have serious, burning and entirely legitimate questions about this horrific incident. They knew it didn’t feel right that a possible political motivation was so swiftly discarded. They knew it didn’t add up that a man would allegedly trek from Yorkshire to Devon and allegedly knock on the door of a Tory turned national treasure without some kind of motivation. It’s possible the demonised speculators will be vindicated following today’s announcement that ‘new information and evidence’ has been discovered, and that counter-terrorism will take over.
It was officialdom’s supercilious tone that was most grating. And the media class’s, too – these prigs looked down on everyone asking questions as X-brained conspiracy nuts driven loopy by populism. They dolled up their opposition to ‘speculation’ as an effort to ringfence the legal sanctity of a future trial from the grubby BS of the little people. In truth, there has been a clear censorious impulse to their reprimanding of social-media oiks: pipe down, plebs, and leave it to us of a more refined, educated bent.
Maybe the chin-scratching public were right and the haughty elites were wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s see. Of course, justice must not be prejudiced. And Widdecombe and her loved ones really do deserve justice for the horror that appears to have been inflicted on her. But respecting justice does not preclude querying police narratives, especially when they are asking us to believe that an alleged Rotherham-to-Dartmoor journey, with an alleged weapon, where a simultaneously loved and hated politician was the alleged target, is a random thing with no motivation. We must be free to query that. It was good that people did.
It’s the double standards of the speculation shushers that really stands out. When a ‘progressive’ individual is attacked, it is instantly narrativised as the horrible consequence of right-wing ‘culture’ and angry tabloid criticism. Yet when a figure on the right is attacked, it’s all ‘Don’t speculate’, don’t point a finger, don’t weave a self-serving narrative. Shorter version: we can ‘exploit tragedy’, but you can’t. It’s preposterous, and sinister. We need justice for Ann, and we also need the right to put pressure on officialdom if we think they are selling both us and her short with their investigations.
Brendan O’Neill is spiked’s chief political writer and host of the spiked podcast, The Brendan O’Neill Show. Subscribe to the podcast here. His new book, Vibe Shift: The Revolt Against Wokeness, Greenism and Technocracy, is out now. Find Brendan on Instagram: @burntoakboy.
Politics
Wings Over Scotland | The Unstoppable Lie Machine
Six weeks ago, Nicola Sturgeon said this:
Today, on her behalf, her perpetually furious lawyer said this:
So she was lying. Imagine literally nobody’s surprise. “I have nothing to hide, but I’m going to hide it anyway” is flawlessly in character.
(Though we must take a moment to note that the idea of anyone bothering to release her “police interview” – seven hours of “No comment” – is hilarious.)
In the intervening time, both Police Scotland and the Crown Office have made it very plain that Sturgeon was NOT “exonerated”, something only a judge and jury have the power to do, but Anwar lies about it anyway because neither of them has the slightest clue how to do anything but lie any more.
Everywhere Sturgeon goes, the lies glisten in her wake like a snail trail. The former First Minister, a coward to the last, is nothing but a stain on Scotland’s history.
Politics
Twelve arrested over far-right terror plot against Suffolk Islamic event
UK counter-terror cops have arrested twelve people over an alleged far-right threat against an Islamic event in Suffolk, England. The arrests took place mostly in southern and eastern England with one individual detained in Greater Manchester.
On 13 July, the Counter Terrorism Police (CTP) had said:
The investigation, which is extreme right-wing terrorism-related, is connected to a suspected threat directed towards an Islamic event held at Shrubland Hall, Suffolk over the weekend (9-12 July).
Due to the concerns over the possible threat, and as a precaution, advice was provided via Suffolk Police to the organisers of the UK Ijtima event to close the event slightly earlier than planned on Sunday, 12 July. There is not believed [to] be any wider threat to the public connected to this matter.
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 13, 2026
NEW: 12 people have been arrested after a suspected far-right threat forced an Islamic event at Shrubland Hall in Suffolk to close early over the weekend pic.twitter.com/W2HnbUUPio
CTP’s Commander Helen Flanagan said:
After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country.
Flanagan also thanked the organisers for cooperating with police and noted the news “may be concerning”:
to the public and particularly those in the Muslim community, given that we believe the intended target was an Islamic event.
But as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act if there is any potential threat, no matter who or what the potential target may be. I’m also pleased to say that although the event ended slightly earlier than planned, it nevertheless passed off safely.
She added:
Sadly, this activity is a stark reminder that the threat level in the UK is at ‘severe’, so we urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything if it doesn’t look or feel right.
Suffolk arrest 11 men and one woman
Eleven of the twelve people arrested were men. They were aged between 27 and 60, and all but one suspect was arrested in the south and east of England. Police have said:
Eight men [A-H] have all been arrested and detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 and remain in police custody at this time.
Three other men [J-L] were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, and a woman [I] was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Of those, one person [J] has since been released on bail, while the other three [I, K and L] remain in police custody at this time.
Suffolk police assistant constable Alice Scott from Suffolk Constabulary said:
We understand that the arrests and the context behind them may well cause some concern amongst our local communities. To provide some level of reassurance we will have a visible police presence in the area of Shrubland Hall over the coming days and we welcome local people to speak to us on the matter if they wish to.
Scott said “a major incident” was declared early Sunday morning. The authorities initiated “a multi-agency response”:
to ensure a safe and properly co-ordinated departure from the event of the 15,000 attendees. The major incident status was withdrawn earlier today (Mon).
This was a complex and fast moving scenario with the priority of all the agencies working together to ensure the safety of all the attendees. The Suffolk Resilience Forum wants to thank the organiser and attendees for remaining calm in very difficult circumstances, and we can reassure the public that everyone left the location safely.
US-British commentator Mehdi Hasan noted this was just the latest threat to British Muslims:
“Twelve people have been arrested over an alleged right-wing terror threat to an Islamic event at a country estate in Suffolk, police said.”
Another threat against Muslims in the UK: https://t.co/c96kuxWYfo
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 13, 2026
Another X user said “Islamophobia is a disease”:
Counter terrorism has arrested 12 British patriots suspected of planning an attack against Muslims at an Ijtima event in Suffolk.
Islamophobia is a disease that has infected broken Britain…. It must be cured. https://t.co/TNHIn8Dehi — Zara Hussain (@zarahussain999) July 13, 2026
Another social media user pointed out that anti-immigrant public figures who’d been very vocal about the alleged 9 July murder of right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe had so far been very quiet on the latest arrests:
As the entire Reform cult scream terrorism over a murder where there is yet to be any statement of terrorism there is a profound silence about the 12 arrests in relation to right wing terrorism this weekend
Terror police hold 12 for 'threats' to Suffolk mansion's Islamic event…
— dave lawrence


(@dave43law) July 13, 2026
Police said:
The investigation is being led by officers from CTP London, with support from colleagues in the Eastern Region Special Operational Unit (ERSOU), CTP North West and CTP South East.
Between the Widdecombe case and this sudden spate of arrests there are now two new major counter-terror investigations underway in the UK. Time will tell what the police turn up, but the difference in legacy media coverage is notable.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
Politics
Undercover Policing Inquiry reveals BAE Systems offered money to Special Branch to spy on anti arms trade campaigners
Evidence in the Undercover Policing Inquiry recently revealed that BAE Systems, the UK’s largest arms company, offered the Metropolitan police money to spy on anti arms trade campaigners.
This followed the 1996 Seeds of Hope Ploughshares action which caused £1.4m worth of damage to Hawk aircraft. Four women were acquitted of criminal damage charges on the basis they were preventing a greater crime by taking action to stop BAE Systems exporting the aircraft to Indonesia for use in war crimes against people in East Timor.
The information emerged during the questioning of former detective chief inspector Dell on 1 July 2026. Dell managed the Special Demonstration Squad / Special Duties Squad (SDS) between 2001-2005. And he worked on C-squad – the Special Branch department that dealt with protest – prior to this.
During questioning about the links between private companies and police spies, Dell stated:
I remember someone on C-squad telling me that BAE Systems had suffered another attack…BAE had offered the Branch money to finance so resources could be put into this.
Dell denied that Special Branch took the money, stating:
Even though the Branch could well have done with the money, they made the offer to the commissioner, obviously, and it had to be declined.
It appears likely that this refusal led BAE Systems to take matters into its own hands. The Seeds of Hope action took place in 1996, and by 1997, BAE Systems had embedded its own corporate spy, Martin Hogbin, at Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). Hogbin remained at CAAT until 2003.
Cops worked for BAE Systems anyway
However, this also didn’t stop the SDS spying on CAAT throughout this period. HN3, cover name “Jason Bishop”, was also authorised to target CAAT. Former detective sergeant Ron Gilbertson, HN49, stated that Bishop was:
authorised to target CAAT because the group was known to hold protests and demonstrations, which had the potential to result in serious public disorder.
Bishop also targeted Disarm DSEI, the coalition group organising against the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair. And he was close friends with CAAT’s media coordinator, Emily Apple.
However, documents revealed in the Inquiry show that anti arms trade campaigners weren’t targeted because of the threat they posed to public order, but because their protests:
could influence the financial wellbeing of the state.
Apple said:
BAE Systems went to extraordinary lengths to spy on anti arms trade campaigners, and intrude into our lives. This is a private company essentially prepared to bribe the police for information about its critics.
There are serious questions that the Inquiry needs to investigate about the complicity between successive governments, the police, and arms companies to repress our right to protest in order to protect a trade that is complicit in multiple genocides and human rights abuses.
However, it’s important to remember that this is not historical. The power of the arms trade to influence both government and policing policy is in evidence today.
This is shown clearly in the proscription of Palestine Action, with documents detailing meetings Elbit Systems had, not just with the Home Office but with the attorney general’s office, about how to crack down on protesters.
Successive governments have tried to label our protests as unlawful or undemocratic. However, it is the arms trade, the government, and the police that are profoundly undemocratic, repeatedly subverting the law to repress, surveil and harass our protests.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Politics
Government urged to end animal welfare labelling confusion on meat products
Animal welfare charity FOUR PAWS UK is calling on the government to back mandatory animal welfare labelling legislation. It has published a report that reveals widespread confusion on supermarket shelves and growing public demand for a simpler, more transparent system.
A special event in parliament on 9 July launched the report. It included a pop-up supermarket aisle where parliamentarians saw how regulated welfare labels could transform the way we shop.
The report highlights a fragmented labelling landscape. Shoppers currently have to navigate a patchwork of assurance logos and welfare claims. And there’s often no clear information on how animals were bred, reared or slaughtered.
FOUR PAWS UK found that consumers are increasingly expressing concern for animal welfare. But they don’t have the tools needed to make informed choices between products. Unlike price or ingredients, animal welfare cannot be verified at the point of purchase. And this means consumers must rely entirely on the information presented on packaging.
Terms such as “farm fresh” and “responsibly sourced” can appear reassuring. But they provide little tangible information about stock density, housing conditions, access to pastures, or other factors that have a meaningful impact on an animal’s quality of life.
Method of Production labelling
FOUR PAWS UK argues the solution is mandatory Method of Production (MoP) labelling across all animal products. Under the proposals, labels would clearly identify the housing systems in which animals were kept and be supported by validated welfare indicators. This would create a consistent and trustworthy framework for consumers, retailers and farmers alike.
The report cites evidence from the egg sector that demonstrates how clear MoP labelling can improve consumer understanding. This has influenced purchasing decisions, contributing to the long-term shift away from caged egg production.
There is also strong public support for reform. A 2025 FOUR PAWS UK survey found that almost 80% of respondents support MoP labelling on animal products sold in supermarkets. The same research found four in five people also support banning cages for farmed animals. And two-thirds support ending barn systems where animals are raised exclusively indoors.
Emily Wilson, head of programmes at FOUR PAWS UK states:
Most people assume the information on a food label tells them something meaningful about the life an animal led. Too often, that simply isn’t the case. When shoppers are standing in front of a supermarket shelf, they should be able to tell, at a mere glance, the difference between one product and another.
The public have made it clear that animal welfare matters to them, but are being asked to make decisions on inconsistent, confusing and misleading claims. Consumers deserve honest, straightforward information.
Farmers who are already investing in higher welfare deserve recognition for the standards they’re setting. Most importantly, animals deserve a system that encourages a better standard of life.
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael is chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee. He wrote the foreword for the report, hosted the launch and chaired an expert panel discussion with representatives from farming, certification and retail sectors. He added:
People have a right to know how the food they buy was produced. The current landscape is clouded with marketing spin and meaningless messages, which only do a disservice to shoppers and the many farmers who are already investing in raising standards.
The government has an opportunity to deliver a practical reform, with benefits for consumers, producers and animals alike.
The market has failed so the government needs to step up
FOUR PAWS UK is calling on the government to bring forward mandatory MoP labelling legislation. And it’s urging MPs from all parties to support measures that improve transparency, reward higher welfare farming and give consumers the information they are demanding.
Voluntary approaches alone cannot deliver the consistency and market-wide coverage needed to drive genuine change. While assurance schemes do play an important role, coverage remains uneven and significant gaps exist across imports, processed foods and food service settings.
Without a common standard, farmers investing in better standards have to compete on a Wild West-like playing field, against products using ambiguous welfare claims. We need to level this playing field and bring in mandatory legislation that applies consistently across domestic and imported products, processed foods and food service settings.
You can download and read the report in full here. For more information email FOURPAWS@thephagroup.com
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
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