22 May 2026. Andy Burnham launches his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election. (Alamy)

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Exclusive: A number of Labour MPs who oppose replacing Keir Starmer are refusing to campaign for Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election.

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Multiple Labour backbenchers who remain loyal to the Prime Minister have told PoliticsHome that they will defy instructions to visit the constituency in the northwest of England at least twice before polls close on 18 June.

A Labour MP who has decided not to campaign in Makerfield told PoliticsHome: “There’s great confusion about the by-election. People feel like they are being asked to take part in an act of self-harm and so aren’t happy about campaigning. 

“There’s real upset that at a time when we need to be tackling some big national issues, we are creating an unnecessary diversion.”

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The by-election is widely described as one of the most consequential in British political history.

Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, is expected to launch a bid to replace Starmer in No 10 if he secures his return to the House of Commons later this month. Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon is expected to be Burnham’s closest rival, with a Survation poll last week putting Burnham three per cent ahead of Kenyon (43 per cent to 40 per cent). 

The by-election was triggered when Josh Simons resigned as the constituency’s MP as part of the wider Labour revolt against Starmer’s leadership following a disastrous set of local elections last month.

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Labour MPs and campaigners “from every corner of the country and every corner of the party” are travelling to Makerfield to campaign for Burnham, a party source recently told The House magazine. Party chair Anna Turley has asked all Labour MPs to canvass in the by-election twice during the campaign, plus polling day. 

However, Labour MPs who oppose a leadership contest are deeply unhappy about being asked to campaign for Burnham, with some refusing to travel to the constituency altogether.

Some backbenchers have agreed to make phone calls instead of campaigning on the ground in Makerfield. Some MPs are still deciding whether or not to go up, while others have told PoliticsHome they would “reluctantly” make a single visit to “show their face”. 

Some Labour MPs who don’t plan to visit the constituency cite the practical difficulty of getting there, insisting the issue is “distance, not personalities”. But others were more candid, pointing to the awkwardness of effectively being asked to campaign against their own PM.

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The Labour MP quoted above added: “We have to win the by-election, but does that mean we are coronating him (Burnham)? Most of us don’t even know the guy; he’s not the reason why we are here.

“If he wins, are we all then expected to have a much harder fight for the (Manchester) mayoralty, which will give us a bigger, bloodier nose than this.”

The Greater Manchester mayor is running his by-election campaign on a pledge to “Change Labour”, saying the party “needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust”. 

Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned from the government last month out of protest against Starmer’s leadership, has already gone up to Makerfield to campaign for Burnham, despite being expected to run in a future leadership contest. 

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A Labour source told PoliticsHome: “Thousands of party activists, supporters, councillors and MPs have been campaigning every day in Makerfield to make sure we win this by-election.

 

“The vast majority of the PLP will have been up by next week – everyone is pulling together to make sure we get Andy over the line on Thursday 18 June and win this for Labour. It’s vital that we send Reform packing.”

 

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The Director of Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice and Evangelical Lutheran Pastor, Munther Isaac, has posted a statement from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the abduction of a young member of their church community in Birzeit, located in the occupied West Bank.

As the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, Haddad has demanded the immediate release of Natalie Abudayyeh as he joins the Birzeit and Beit Jala communities in:

earnest prayer for Natalie’s safety and freedom.

Moreover, the Christian leader has made a plea to “friends, partners and siblings in Christ” to:

demand an end to this unjust and unequal system of detainment and detention that paralyzes and destroys Palestinian communities.

Statement from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad on the Israeli Detainment of Natalie Abudayyeh

This morning a beloved youth from our church community, Natalie Abuddayeh, was taken at gunpoint by Israeli forces from her student apartment in Birzeit alongside three other women. We are… pic.twitter.com/5JO51KXfk0

— Munther Isaac منذر اسحق (@MuntherIsaac) June 2, 2026

West Bank — Unjust and unequal system must end, says Christian church leader

The published letter written by Bishop Haddad expresses deep shock and horror at the abduction at gunpoint of a young female member of their community. Natalie is a student of media and journalism at Birzeit University near Ramallah in the increasingly occupied West Bank and was taken at the same time as three other women from the local community.

Palestinian journalists have paid an incredibly high price for their continued commitment to covering the flagrant illegal abuses inflicted by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). Bringing the brutal realities of this genocide to the wider international community — who are banned access by Israel — has not come without great sacrifice and loss. Since 7 October 2023, at least 235 journalists and media workers have been murdered in targeted attacks and bombardments.

Given Natalie’s enrolment as a student of journalism, this strikes concern of yet another attempt to stifle the freedom of press. In turn, this threatens the ability for journalists and media organisations around the world to get a clear, factual and evidenced picture of what is happening to Palestinians at the hands of their oppressive, apartheid-enforcing occupier Zionist Israel.

The bishop stated in his letter:

This morning a beloved youth from our church community, Natalie Abudayyeh, was taken at gunpoint by Israeli forces from her student apartment in Birzeit alongside three other women. We are deeply shocked and horrified by this news, as well as by the news that her family does not yet know where she has been taken.

Natalie is a member of Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Beit Jala, a graduate of Talitha Kumi Lutheran School, and a Media and Journalism student at Birzeit University.

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As Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, I unequivocally call for Natalie’s immediate release. The entire ELCJHL stands in solidarity with the Abudayyeh family and the Beit Jala and Birzeit communities, and we join them in earnest prayer for Natalie’s safety and freedom.

He then expressed how disturbing he and the Christian community find the fact that she is joining thousands of Palestinians held without charge or trial, including women and children as young as 12. When trials are held in military courts, they see an almost 100% conviction rate. This surely goes to highlight how unjust the courts are in practice.

In fact, 37% of children illegally detained have seen no charges brought against them and have had all legal and family access denied by their oppressor and kidnapper Israel.

We are incredibly disturbed by the reality that Natalie now joins the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli detention without charge or trial. Palestinian civilians, including women and children, suffer deep injustice in Israeli military detention and are often held for months or years with no explanation.

We call on our friends, partners, and siblings in Christ around the world to advocate for Natalie’s freedom using whatever channels are available to them, and to demand an end to this unjust and unequal system of detainment and detention that paralyzes and destroys Palestinian communities.

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Where is the West and its ‘Christian values’ now?

For centuries, the UK — and later the US after its colonialist ‘birth’ — claimed to uphold Christian values. Yet both countries repeatedly undermine those claims through sinister actions and policies that contradict the principles of compassion, justice, and human dignity at the very heart of Christianity.

Subsequently, the occupation and genocide in Palestine — coincidentally, the birthplace of Jesus Christ and home of St George — has exposed how vacuous these virtue signalling statements have always been.

The far right has long manipulated Christian teachings and symbolism for political gain, invoking Christ and religious identity to stir division, resentment, and hostility. However, when Christian leaders plead for an end to the decades of bloodshed and demand justice and accountability, Western leaders ignore those calls thus exposing the absence of the faith they so often claim to uphold.

Therefore, it is unlikely that this latest call from the Christian community — speaking directly from the Holy Land itself — will find anything but deaf ears in the UK government.

As a result, genuine Christians — and people of all faiths — must hold their leaders to account and challenge their continued support for actions that inflict painful suffering on civilians and deprive innocent people of their freedom.

Featured image via GlobalCampusofHumanRights

By Maddison Wheeldon

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The post Why so many young women fall for trans ideology appeared first on spiked.

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Security discussions are intensifying as the 2026 World Cup approaches, amid preparations to host the largest edition in the tournament’s history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches spread across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Although there are no official warnings regarding specific threats or intelligence suggesting imminent attacks, recent Western security reports and studies have highlighted the scale of the challenges the global event may face, with the tournament considered a potential target for a wide range of security risks, ranging from terrorism and violent extremism to cyberattacks and threats linked to drones.

World Cup security under the microscope

In a recent study entitled “The Terrorist Threat to the 2026 World Cup”, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) considered that the tournament represents an attractive target for those seeking to achieve widespread media impact, given the global audience that World Cup matches attract.

The report noted that potential threats are not limited to any specific group, but encompass a wide spectrum of security risks, including transnational jihadist groups, local extremists, entities backed by hostile states, and criminal organisations.

In this context, the report listed ISIS and its affiliates among the groups that continue to attract the attention of security agencies, citing previous incidents linked to the targeting of major sporting events or attempts to exploit them to generate global media coverage.

Concerns are not confined to the stadiums

One of the key points highlighted by the study is that the most likely scenario does not involve targeting the stadiums themselves, but rather the potential for less fortified targets to be at risk, such as fan zones, transport, hotels and public gatherings surrounding the matches.

The report also noted that the threat posed by ‘lone wolves’ and individuals who espouse extremist ideas without direct organisational links remains one of the scenarios that most concerns security agencies during major sporting events.

The challenge goes beyond traditional security concerns

For its part, The Guardian argued that the security challenge surrounding the 2026 World Cup is not limited to traditional security concerns, but is also linked to the tournament’s expanded scope, the multiple host cities and the unprecedented logistical and security challenges that accompany this.

The report noted that having three countries host the tournament and the competition spanning almost an entire continent requires high levels of coordination between security and intelligence agencies, at a time when concerns are mounting regarding cyberattacks, drones and attempts to disrupt tournament-related infrastructure.

The newspaper noted that security experts view transport hubs, airports and fan zones as the most sensitive locations during the tournament, compared to the stadiums, which will be subject to strict, multi-layered security measures.

World Cup — Security capabilities in the face of threats

The assessments contained in the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) study conclude that dealing with potential threats associated with the 2026 World Cup is based on the United States’ accumulated experience in managing major events, and advanced security capabilities that include counter-terrorism systems and the protection of large-scale events.

A report in The Guardian also concludes that the expanded scope of the tournament and the multiple host cities necessitate a higher level of security coordination between the three countries, and underscore the need for complex arrangements to address a wide range of risks, including terrorist threats, cyberattacks, drones and crowd control.

Featured image via Francisco Vega/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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Algeria — After years of ups and downs, marked by both successes and failures, the Algerian national team returns to the 2026 World Cup with a twofold ambition: to restore its standing amongst the African elite on the one hand, and to prove that the current generation is capable of writing a new chapter to match what the Desert Warriors achieved at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on the other.

Algeria, which dazzled the world over a decade ago when it reached the quarter-finals and played a historic match against Germany, has since experienced contrasting phases. From winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations to the painful absence from the 2022 World Cup, and finally returning to the world stage for the 2026 edition.

Today, the Algerian national team enters the tournament knowing that mere qualification is no longer enough for fans accustomed to dreaming big, and that the real challenge lies in transforming immense individual potential into a collective achievement on the world’s biggest football stage.

A blend of European experience and Algerian identity

The Algerian national team boasts one of the most talent-rich squads in Africa. The core of the team consists of players competing at the highest levels in Europe, giving them considerable experience in handling big matches and high-pressure situations.

Riyad Mahrez leads the attack with his wealth of experience, whilst Amine Gouiri is one of the team’s key attacking weapons thanks to his ability to play in multiple positions. Nabil Bentaleb also provides the team with crucial balance in midfield, whilst Rayan Aït-Nouri stands out as one of the key players capable of making a difference on the flanks thanks to his attacking and defensive abilities.

However, Algeria’s strength lies not only in the names, but in the variety of options. The national team boasts a large number of players capable of playing in more than one position, which gives the coaching staff great flexibility in dealing with various scenarios throughout the tournament.

From individual skills to tactical balance

In recent years, the Algerian national team has evolved from a side that relied primarily on individual skills to a more tactically balanced unit. It has become capable of combining possession and build-up play on the one hand, with quick transitions and direct attacks on the other.

One of the team’s key strengths lies in its ability to exploit the flanks, whether through Mahrez, Aït Nouri or the attacking full-backs, which provides Algeria with a variety of attacking options. Furthermore, the presence of players with excellent passing ability and movement between the lines allows the team to dictate the tempo against opponents who prefer to sit back defensively.

Conversely, the main challenge remains maintaining focus and discipline during big matches, an issue that has cost the team dearly in some previous tournaments despite their clear technical superiority.

Algeria — From progressing past the group stage to the bigger dream

While Algeria’s realistic goal is to reach the knockout stages, the ambition within the squad appears to be greater than that. The current squad believes it can go far if it manages to progress from the group stage with confidence.

The Desert Warriors possess the qualities to compete against teams of varying styles, whether those relying on physical strength or those favouring possession. Moreover, the breadth of talent provides the coaching staff with important options for managing the long matches throughout the tournament.

However, the path to a new achievement will not be easy, as the differences between teams at the World Cup are often decided by small details, not just the quality of the players.

A chance to redefine the current generation in Algeria

The 2026 edition represents an exceptional opportunity for a number of Algerian stars to leave a historic mark on the nation’s footballing record. The 2014 generation remains firmly etched in the fans’ memories, whilst the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title remains one of the most significant milestones in modern Algerian football.

As for the current generation, it has a rare opportunity to forge its own story, free from comparisons. If it succeeds in reaching the later stages, it will not only restore Algeria’s prestige on the world stage, but may also pave the way for one of the finest African performances in World Cup history.

Ultimately, the Algerian national team is not entering the 2026 World Cup as a guest or an underdog, but as a side possessing the talent, experience and ambition to make it one of the leading contenders to steal the limelight, and perhaps to rewrite a new chapter in the history that began in Brazil twelve years ago.

Featured image via Simone Arveda/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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Cruising from the UK is a genuinely brilliant way to explore Europe without the faff of airports and long-haul travel. That said, the experience changes quite dramatically depending on when you go, the same port can feel completely different in July versus October. If you’re based near London, cruises from Tilbury put a surprising range of destinations within easy reach, whether you fancy the Mediterranean or the fjords. Getting to grips with the seasons before you book can make a real difference to what you get out of it.

Spring Cruises: Fresh Beginnings and Mild Weather

Spring is quietly one of the best times to cruise, particularly if you’re not keen on baking heat or jostling through crowded streets. Mediterranean ports like Barcelona, Marseille, and Rome are warming up nicely by April and May, but without the suffocating temperatures that arrive in July. You can actually wander around and enjoy yourself rather than retreating into the nearest air-conditioned café.

Northern Europe comes into its own in spring too. Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands shake off winter and the daylight hours start stretching out in a very satisfying way. The Norwegian fjords in late spring are something else entirely, you get snow still clinging to the peaks whilst the valley floors are lush and green. It’s the sort of scenery that makes you put your phone down and just look.

Summer Cruises: Peak Season and Vibrant Destinations

Summer is when cruising really hits its stride, especially around the Mediterranean. The weather is reliably warm, the days are long, and everywhere feels alive. Santorini, Dubrovnik, Valencia, these places are genuinely wonderful in summer, though you won’t be the only one who’s figured that out.

The Baltic and Scandinavia are arguably at their very best during these months. Stockholm, Copenhagen, and other northern cities benefit enormously from the long daylight hours, you can explore well into the evening and still have plenty of light. Shorter UK coastal cruises from ports like Tilbury are also worth considering in summer, particularly if you just want a few days away without too much planning involved.

One honest word of warning: summer is expensive and busy. If you’re flexible on timing, you might find spring or autumn gives you a better experience for considerably less money. But if school holidays dictate when you travel, summer is still a fantastic option, just book early.

Autumn Cruises: Mild Temperatures and Cultural Experiences

There’s a strong argument that autumn is the best kept secret in cruising. Southern Europe stays pleasantly warm well into October, and somewhere like Lisbon, Malaga, or Nice on a mild autumn afternoon is hard to beat. The fierce heat has gone, the queues have thinned out, and the whole thing feels a bit more human.

What autumn also brings is culture. Local festivals, food events, and seasonal markets are far more common at this time of year, giving you a much more genuine sense of the places you’re visiting rather than just the tourist-facing version. Northern European ports go quieter too, which makes exploring on foot considerably more enjoyable, you can actually get into a museum without queuing for forty minutes.

For anyone departing from Tilbury in autumn, the range of accessible European ports remains wide, and you’ll often find the overall pace of the trip more relaxed than it would be in peak season.

Winter Cruises: Warm Escapes and Festive Journeys

Winter cruising tends to divide people, but for those who try it, it often becomes a firm favourite. The appeal is straightforward, while the UK is grey and cold, the Canary Islands and Madeira are sitting at a very comfortable 20°C or so. You can walk coastal paths, eat outside, and generally feel like a functioning human being rather than someone waiting for spring.

The ships themselves are quieter in winter too. Restaurants, excursions, and onboard activities all feel more spacious and less rushed. And if you time it right, a Christmas or New Year sailing through European ports can be genuinely magical, many cities lay on incredible festive markets and celebrations that are worth the trip alone. Sailing from UK ports like Tilbury in winter means you skip the airport chaos and get straight to the good part.

Planning Your Seasonal Cruise

The honest truth is there’s no single best time, it entirely depends on what you want from the trip. Northern European destinations make most sense between late spring and early summer, whilst the Mediterranean can be enjoyed year-round depending on your preference for heat. If budget and crowd levels matter to you, shoulder seasons are almost always the smarter choice.

A few practical things worth bearing in mind:

• Look up local events before you go: autumn and winter especially throw up some wonderful cultural celebrations that can completely transform a port stop into something memorable.
• Pack for the season properly: layers are your friend in spring and autumn; lightweight kit works for summer Mediterranean sailings. Decent walking shoes are non-negotiable whatever time of year you travel.
• Book excursions ahead of time: some attractions only operate seasonally, and popular tours fill up quickly even outside of peak months.
• Consider off-peak or shorter sailings: a four or five night cruise in the shoulder season can be more enjoyable than a fortnight in August at twice the price.

Conclusion

Seasonal planning really does pay off when it comes to cruising from the UK. Each time of year brings something genuinely different, summer’s energy, autumn’s quieter charm, winter’s warm escapism, spring’s fresh start. None of them is wrong; they just suit different kinds of travellers and different moods.

Leaving from somewhere like Tilbury keeps things practical, with straightforward access to a broad spread of European itineraries across all four seasons. The key is simply being honest with yourself about what you want, great weather, fewer crowds, cultural depth, or just a proper break, and then matching the season to that. Get that right and the trip tends to look after itself.

By Nathan Spears

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A legal battle by campaigners against the UK government over changes it has made to the UK’s drug price control system is moving to the courts, following a formal exchange with the government’s lawyers.

In its response to a pre-action letter, the government sought to justify the way changes, which will end the independence of NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) from ministerial control, have been made.

But the campaigners and their lawyers remain convinced it has acted unlawfully and have moved to get court permission for a full judicial review.

Patient-led campaign group Just Treatment, and social justice organisation, Global Justice Now, are taking the government to court, alongside their lawyers, Leigh Day, over the introduction of new regulations used to enact a central pillar of the US-UK trade deal on pharmaceuticals. The groups are crowdfunding to see the case through and cover the full legal and court costs.

A statutory instrument, which passed into law in April, gives ministers direct control over the key cost effectiveness threshold NICE uses to determine which medicines are made routinely available on the NHS.

Dancing to Trump’s tune

This change was required to enable the government to deliver on the promises made to Donald Trump under the trade deal on pharmaceuticals announced in December 2025.

It is part of a package of changes that commits the UK to dramatically increasing spending on patented medicines by the NHS over the next ten years.

But in a letter to the government (available here) last month campaigners set out why the changes are unlawful, and asked the government to revoke the legislation or face a court battle on the changes.

The campaigners believe that the changes effectively end NICE’s independence from political interference, leaving drug price setting subject to political lobbying by Big Pharma corporations and the US government.

They say this poses an existential risk to the UK’s careful framework of safeguards designed to protect patients and the NHS from the excessive pricing demands of the industry.

Changes the government has committed to under the Trump deal are estimated to cost the NHS billions of pounds a year by 2035, and have been widely criticised by health experts.

In its response the government stuck firm to its view that it has acted lawfully. Campaigners and their lawyers have now filed papers with the courts, seeking permission to have a court hearing so a judge can rule on the matter.

Diarmaid McDonald, director of Just Treatment, said:

It is extremely disappointing, but sadly not surprising, that the government has refused to admit the mistake they made in trying to bypass parliamentary scrutiny in order to push these changes through.

Throughout this process the government has listened to the US government and drug company lobbyists instead of NHS patients, staff, MPs, or independent experts.

We can’t allow them to put so many lives, and our publicly funded health system, at risk to inflate industry’s profits and Trump’s ego.

While we hope the courts force the government to reverse this unlawful and undemocratic change, the entire deal requires much greater interrogation.

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When this deal places so many lives at risk we have to ask why the demands of the pharmaceutical industry were met, and what the implications of their monopoly power are for our democracy, economy, and health.

Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said:

The government has shown it won’t stand up to Trump in order to protect our NHS, so we are taking matters into our own hands.

We won’t stand by and allow the NHS to be weakened simply in order to further inflate the profits of an industry that cares more about the interests of their shareholders than those of ordinary people.

The government has pushed through these measures without so much as a debate in parliament: so we are left with no other choice but to fight this in the courts.

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Rowan Smith, lawyer at Leigh Day, said:

Our clients are deeply concerned about the impact the UK’s pharmaceuticals trade deal with the US could have on the price and availability of drugs and medicines.

They argue that new powers giving the health secretary direction over NICE in matters regarding cost effectiveness risk undermining an important and globally recognised health body, and could materially impact what drugs and medicines are available on the NHS.

Drug price setting tied up in legislative knots

Parliamentarians have been trying to force a public debate on these changes, but the mechanism the government used to enact them, known as a negative statutory instrument, is designed to make that kind of independent scrutiny almost impossible.

Nonetheless MPs and peers from Labour, Conservatives, SNP, Lib Dems, Greens, and Plaid Cymru – as well as two cross party committees – have raised concerns.

NICE was established to be independent of ministerial control, but the deal the UK signed with Trump included commitments to increase the cost-effectiveness thresholds it uses to determine if medicines are deemed to be good value for money and so made available for use on the NHS.

That required the government to legislate to give itself the power to force that change on NICE, and it has already used it to adjust the thresholds.

But, the legal filing asserts that the intention of the changes directly contradicts the primary legislation being amended, and therefore should only be made using a new primary legislative process.

Featured image via Getty Images

By The Canary

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Sometimes you have to wait a while for people to catch up.

But patience is everything, readers.

All things, we hope, come to those who wait.

The SNP tried all sorts of excuses. First up, in February 2020, immediately after Wings had broken the story that “hundreds of thousands of pounds from two supposedly “ringfenced” fundraisers for independence have instead vanished into the hungry maw of the party’s seat-winning machine” was a simple, classic flat denial: “it’s categorically not true”. The very suggestion was “utter nonsense”.

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But since it WAS true – and obviously true, all anyone had to do was take the briefest look at the accounts and notice the startling absence of £482,000 that should have been there – that one couldn’t last.

In October of the same year, after the SNP’s accounts were published and we returned to the story, the party treasurer tried something slightly subtler: the money was still there, but it was invisible, and anyone saying otherwise was a conspiracy theorist.

That one was just too silly to survive very long, so in early 2021 they came up with a wizard wheeze: to prove they had the money, they were going to spend it, despite the fact that there was no second referendum to campaign for.

More pertinently, as Wings immediately pointed out, the cunning scheme was rendered somewhat implausible by the fact that everyone could see they didn’t have the money to spend, and were in fact just planning to re-label their normal spending as being from the indy fund in order to pretend they’d used it for its intended purpose.

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The plan duly collapsed catastrophically as the head of the “taskforce” resigned in the same week as the treasurer stood down in protest at not being allowed to see the books so that he could do his job.

(Biagi enigmatically described the role as the “worst job ever” before being abruptly silenced by being given a mysteriously non-specific sinecure as a “Chief Of Staff” in the House Of Commons, and was later rewarded with a lucrative but low-profile job – paying anywhere between £80,000 and £116,000 – as a Special Adviser to the First Minister, which he still holds.)

So in June 2021 they gave up on trying to be clever and went back to straight-up denial: there was simply NO missing money.

John Swinney was clear: specifically asked if the money had been diverted to other purposes, he replied “Not to my knowledge, no”.

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But once again, the denials were inconvenienced by the unhelpful fact that the money visibly and stubbornly continued to be very much missing from the party accounts. So in June 2022, they tried admitting to having spent some of it – specifically around £52,000, or less than 8%.

But that wasn’t very credible either, so a couple of months later they briefly tried upping the figure to £253,000 (while intriguingly also increasing the total that had been raised and ring-fenced by £70,000), and insisted there was still £488,000 available.

But there wasn’t. The party’s actual bank balance was £343,000 lower than that, so nobody but the super-gullible was buying it.

Then in 2023, just days after Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation as First Minister, they suddenly pivoted back to straight denial for a third time, hiding behind the need to avoid commenting on a live police investigation (a favourite trick of John Swinney’s, ironically).

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As far as we can recall (do please correct us in the comments if we’ve missed any further twists) that continued to be the official SNP position until today, when the poor suffering cat was finally released from the bag.

It has taken the SNP almost six and a half years to finally grudgingly admit what was indisputably obvious in 2020 to anyone with functioning eyes. And Swinney, who was either Deputy First Minister or actual First Minister for almost all of that time, can’t pretend that he didn’t understand the question.

He knows what “ring-fenced” money is and what can and can’t be done with it.

He knows fine well that more than just SNP supporters donated to the fund.

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?

So he can neither morally nor legally use the money for general “SNP objectives”, which might be directly opposed to their interests (eg advancing the SNP cause in a general election against the parties those people might support).

Not to mention the rather more serious matter, which is that his admission today unavoidably implicates him (and the rest of the SNP leadership since 2017) in direct, deliberate criminal fraud against thousands of ordinary Scots.

Because even if – and this is a VERY big stretch indeed – the SNP didn’t initially intend to spend the ring-fenced money on something else, they knew full well that they weren’t allowed to help themselves to it later. Either way, this is severely criminal activity.

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If you or we, readers, swiped an SSPCA collecting tin from a shop counter with 50 quid in it, we’d find ourselves hauled up in front of a beak in double-quick time, but apparently if you heist 700 grand (and then let your CEO spend it on robot lawnmowers) you’re fine.

There has as yet been no sort of explanation forthcoming from either Police Scotland or the Crown Office for the mystery of why after five years of investigation nobody has been charged with the crime that actually triggered Operation Branchform (which then branched off into a separate embezzlement inquiry).

We have prima facie evidence that a crime has been committed (money has been obtained under demonstrably false pretences). We have the suspects to hand. We have the motive (the SNP was skint and needed the money). We have an admission from the suspects that the stolen items have been disposed of (spent). Even in a country as hopelessly, abjectly corrupt as Scotland, that ought to be sufficient to see someone in a dock.

At a very minimum, this fund should lead to John Swinney’s early retirement. But he was not the prime mover in this sleazy business, and nor are mere resignations remotely enough to satisfy the demands of justice.

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Robert Kenyon is Reform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election. In aid of this, he and Zia Yusuf vowed to save a local library on 2 June. As it turns out, though, Labour had already saved this particular library:

Hi @RobKenyonReform, Ashton Library was already saved thanks to the Labour MP Josh Simons (you might of heard of him) and Councillors.

Being that you’ve not bothered to even sign the paperwork for being a councillor, let alone attending your first meeting, it’s no surprise you… pic.twitter.com/kHFkM7zaNi

— Reform Party UK Exposed (@reformexposed) June 2, 2026

The Makerfield saviour

In his video with Zia Yusuf, Kenyon says the following when asked what happened to the library:

So I think, I believe it’s got dry rot in the roof, and it’s going to cost a lot of money to put right. Like I say, Labour have looked after – the Labour Council have been in charge of looking after this library for a long time – and now they’re campaigning to save it, and, you know, It’s kind of, I don’t know, maybe it’s lack of maintenance or whatever that’s caused this issue.

A lesser man would have learned the answer to this before recording the video, but not Robert Kenyon. Kenyon also said:

They’ve obviously not prioritised Ashton Library until it’s got too late and now they’re rallying around to try and save it.

We’re no fans of Labour, but did something else happen in Britain over the past two decades which led to the underfunding of local authorities and the mass-closures of public libraries? Something that rhymes with ‘Tory driven austerity’, maybe? And wasn’t Zia Yusuf a Tory up until very recently? And weren’t most senior Reform politicians Tories up until very recently?

• Nigel Farage – ex Tory, now Reform.
• Richard Tice – ex Tory, now Reform.
• Lee Anderson – ex Tory, now Reform.
• Zia Yusuf – ex Tory, now Reform.
• Sarah Pochin – ex Tory, now Reform.

Reform UK are just the Tories that jumped ship. Establishment through and through. https://t.co/hTHrjFmrPT

— Carter (@carterp0well) March 24, 2025

This isn’t to say Labour is doing enough to reverse the effects of austerity, of course. But let’s not pretend a bunch turquoise Tories are going to undo a policy they spent over a decade supporting.

Back to the library, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham had this to say:

Yep. It’s almost funny. @RobKenyonReform never came to 1 meeting on Ashton Library. Me, cllrs and residents worked backsides off to save it.

In politics, berating ppl on socials doesn’t get stuff done.

He’s local, angry, but no plan to actually DO anything. Like… https://t.co/hlazx46Z9b

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— Josh Simons (@joshsimonsmp) June 2, 2026

This isn’t a great look for Kenyon, given that Burnham is his main rival in the Makerfield by-election. To be fair to Kenyon, though, he’s not had a library these past two years, so his booksmarts must have diminished.

Before you go thinking this is a Burnham endorsement, by the way, we’ve got problems with him too:

• Burnham ‘to support’ Mahmood’s racist immigration changes.
• Burnham is silent on wealth taxes – not a promising sign from potential PM.
• Andy Burnham’s role with Iain Duncan Smith’s think tank just shows he’s more of the same.
• Burnham WON’T back proportional representation this parliament.
• Shapeshifting Burnham ditches trans rights to panic-grab Reform votes.
• Burnham slammed for saying he won’t renationalise Thames Water.

Part timers

If you’re worried Kenyon might get in trouble for not showing up to fulfil his responsibilities as a councillor, don’t be. After all, his boss Nigel Farage has an even worse record:

Never on the team sheet.

Farage has missed 77 consecutive Parliamentary votes – failing to inform constituents why he hasn't shown up to vote throughout the course of April and May.

Where is Farage? pic.twitter.com/cjoYKh0L7x

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) June 2, 2026

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It’s more dire than this looks too. There have been 525 votes in this parliament, and Farage has shown up to just 169. At 32%, this means he’s shown up for less than a third of the votes he should have done. Do you think you could get away with missing seven days out of every ten at work?

Despite this, Farage and his party pretend to be the party of people who actually get up and go to work in the morning:

My party is the party of alarm clock Britain.

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) November 3, 2025

Maybe ‘Alarm Clock Britain’ is the name of a real ale they serve at his local?

Zia Yusuf’s parliamentary record, meanwhile, is perfect. And the reason it’s perfect is because he’s not a parliamentarian, despite his claims to the contrary:

Mate, this is embarrassing.

You are literally not the shadow Home Secretary.

You’re not even an elected politician. pic.twitter.com/CZiPgk5YX9

— Harry Eccles (@Heccles94) June 1, 2026

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Reform — Worse to come

The library video isn’t the only one that’s making Kenyon look clueless:

This might be the worst performance from a political candidate I have ever seen in my life. pic.twitter.com/Kku1RecFJ0

— Ali Milani (@AliMilaniUK) June 2, 2026

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As bad as the above is, we think things are going to get even worse later this week:

Join Question Time for a Makerfield By-Election Special

On the panel: Andy Burnham, Michael Winstanley, Jake Austin, Sarah Wakefield, and Robert Kenyon

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Thurs 4th June at 9pm on @BBCiPlayer, @BBCSounds, and the @BBCNews channel

Apply now: https://t.co/3ivO2BXgl1 #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/f9v8N13CYc

— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) June 2, 2026

If things do go badly, Kenyon can always just record a video claiming they went well. That’s the benefit of being full of hot air; you can literally just say anything.

Featured image via Christopher Furlong (Getty Media)

By Willem Moore

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Reform UK’s candidate in the Aberdeenshire South by-election is Jo Hart. And as you’d expect for a Reform candidate, she has some opinions that fall outside the mainstream:

Fair enough

In a video posted online by the Scotsman, an interviewer puts the following to Hart:

I wanted to ask about some of your past comments on social media. You’ve obviously had a certain amount of scrutiny about this. You called Hollywood actors Satanic worshipping trash. You made comments that appeared to suggest that 5G masks had negative health impacts. You called the Royal family benefit scroungers. ‘Fuck the Royals. Make Lizzie the last’. Do you regret these comments?

Hart laughed before responding:

Well, first off, let’s address the Royal one. That was a post that was shared and my actual sentiment was about was it appropriate to be spending money on the Jubilee right now after COVID when so many professional people were queuing at food banks? And the post that I shared was a public post and so it was taken totally out of context.

We suspect she could drum up some support with stuff like this — especially in Scotland, which isn’t known for its fealty to the crown.

Hart continued:

Then when it comes to the whole Satanic worship thing, you know, having banter with your friends, you know, you can then refer to things like Epstein Files and everything. So, I mean, let’s just have banter. It’s just a flippant comment.

We hate to say it, but we’re not going to pull her up here either. There are certainly enough celebrities with connections to Epstein and the like to warrant such “banter”. There are also many celebrities who are demonic themselves, like Kevin Spacey or the guy who wanted to eat people.

5G

With the next part of Hart’s response, we get to something we can criticise:

And with 5G, there’s not much research being done on that in a very long time about the effects of 5G on health. So I think that’s an area that could be looked into a little bit more as well.

In response, the interviewer asked:

So you think 5G masts do potentially have negative impacts on health?

Hart responded:

We don’t know what the long-term effects are, so I think we need to just look into it a little bit more.

The thing is, we actually have researched this already. As Full Fact reported:

The ICNIRP says: ‘‘A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the relationship between RF EMFs [radiofrequency electromagnetic fields] and health outcomes such as headaches, concentration difficulty, sleep quality, cognitive function, cardiovascular effects, etc. This research has not shown any such health effects.’’

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also monitors for evidence of any health effects caused by electromagnetic fields including radio frequencies. It states that “the overall exposure is expected to remain low relative to guidelines and, as such, there should be no consequences for public health”.

Additionally, this technology has not been shown to increase the risk of cancer and non-ionising radiation does not damage DNA.

Trust no one (specially if they’re Reform)

People should be mistrustful of new technologies and the corporations pushing them. For a good example of this, you should watch the Veritasium documentary on Asbestos, which documents the companies that covered up its ill effects:

If the asbestos thing happened today, the general public wouldn’t just have suspicions; there’d be widespread knowledge of the impacts. That’s because the internet allows us to share our experiences and diagnoses in a fashion which was impossible in days gone by.

For an example of a modern company doing what it can to cover up negative health effects, you should look to something like AI companies burying stories about ‘AI psychosis‘:

When a teenage boy told ChatGPT about his suicide plans, it said: “I won’t try to talk you out of your feelings.” His family is suing after ChatGPT actively discouraged him from seeking help, offered to help him write a suicide note and even advised him on his noose setup. pic.twitter.com/pRijpY1jYV

— Angela Yang (@Angela_Y_Yang) August 26, 2025

So yes, we do need politicians who are suspicious, but we also need politicians who know when to stop being suspicious. And Jo Hart does not appear to be such a politician.

Featured image via The Scotsman

By Willem Moore

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