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Politics

Reform reinstates “melt Nigerians to fill potholes” councillor

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Nigel Farage and Glenn Gibbins of Reform UK

Nigel Farage and Glenn Gibbins of Reform UK

On the same day that the UK dealt with the aftermath of white riots targeting people of colour, Reform UK reinstated the councillor who suggested ‘melting Nigerians to fill potholes‘.

It’s a sign that the party doesn’t take racial justice seriously. Worse than that, it’s a sign that the party is actively pursuing an agenda of racial injustice.

Weasel words from Reform

In May 2025, Glenn Gibbins was elected in the Sunderland City’s Hylton Castle ward. He was immediately suspended, however, after unearthed social media comments like the above surfaced. Other comments included:

What’s obvious from these comments is that Gibbins isn’t just a hateful and bigoted little man; he’s also the sort of person who doesn’t inspire confidence in regards to his ability to think. In other words, he’s not someone you’d want holding power in your local area even if you agreed with his rancid opinions.

With the final comment, Gibbins is essentially calling for a race war against Muslims. And much like many other far-right politicians and agitators this week, he did so by pointing to the crimes of individuals to target the entire population:

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Blaming every member of a group for the crimes of individuals is known as ‘collective punishment’. It’s prohibited under the Geneva Convention, because we saw what happens when its allowed to happen unchecked in the 20th century. And now we’re seeing it again:

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The BBC reported the following on Reform’s decision to readmit Gibbins:

Reform UK said following an internal disciplinary process the councillor had now been readmitted to the party with a final written warning.

A spokesperson said: “He has apologised for making the post and accepts that it was made in extremely poor taste showing poor judgement.” Gibbins has been approached for comment.

Has Gibbins learned his lesson, though? Or has Reform simply decided it isn’t even going to pretend to care anymore?

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A pattern

It doesn’t end with Gibbins. As Reform Party UK Exposed reported (emphasis added):

Reform UK Sunderland has a problem.

Councillor David Laing

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Former BNP candidate who lied when asked about his previous politics.

No action taken.

Councillor Glenn Gibbons

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Said Nigerians should be melted down to fill potholes.

Reform UK have readmitted him.

Councillor David Barker

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Neglected his children and had them taken away by social services. Harassed social services creating a website to harass people protecting children.

No action taken.

Councillor Michael Quigley

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He spent Christmas Day this year proposing putting elephants on Dover beaches to shit on immigrants. Utterly deranged.

No action taken.

Councillor Axel Tye

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Shared anti-Semitic post on Facebook.

No action taken

And this is just one council.

As such, it seems the reason Reform isn’t binning councillors for racism is because if it did it would have no councillors left.

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Featured image via Carl Court / Getty Images

By Willem Moore

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Polanski question leads Khan to reveal he told police to investigate Great Israeli Real Estate event

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Composite image showing Sadiq Khan and Zack Polanski in front of a photo of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Composite image showing Sadiq Khan and Zack Polanski in front of a photo of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

London mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the Great Israeli Real Estate event, scheduled for Sunday 14 June in London. This came in response to a question from Green Party leader and London Assembly member Zack Polanski at Mayor’s Question Time.

The event promotes the sale of land in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli property sector is trying to make inroads in the western market. Actress and questionable ‘wellness’ advocate Gwyneth Paltrow has recently sold her face to developers.

Polanski said:

It is morally incomprehensible and unconscionable that this event is scheduled to take place in our city and I welcome the mayor’s strong condemnation of Sunday’s event and its breaches of international law.

The key question now is what comes out of his talks with the Metropolitan police and the Home Office.

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In practical terms, the Met should shut down the event on the grounds that it is unlawful. London risks becoming complicit in settlement expansion if people in our capital are profiting from the theft of Palestinian land.

The mayor should call on the government to cancel this event outright. There is real fear that London is being used as a platform for an event associated with the confiscation of land and the destruction of homes.

The cancellation of this event would demonstrate that London will not tolerate complicity in the dispossession and subjugation of the Palestinian people.

Featured image via Jordan Peck – Getty Images for SXSW London / Jon Rowley – Getty Images / Getty Images

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By The Canary

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Internet Debates Whether It Is OK To Be Naked In Front Of Your Kids

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Internet Debates Whether It Is OK To Be Naked In Front Of Your Kids

An expectant parent has asked the internet masses whether they think being naked in front of kids is “weird” – and it’s opened up a whole lot of conversation around nudity, children and what’s acceptable.

The parent-to-be wrote on Reddit that they’re having their first child this year and grew up in a “naked household” – where it was totally normal to get dressed, changed, or shower in front of each other. “I’ll also add it was just us girls who did this (no brothers),” she said.

“I’m going to be having a son. Is this concept still weird? My husband thinks so as he grew up with just his mother and much older brother.”

Is it OK to be naked in front of your kids?

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In my household, privacy is limited – I can’t even take a shower without someone barging in to sing Wheels On The Bus at me. And I’m fine with that.

I’m not ashamed of my body and I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling shame around their bodies, either. I also personally think it’s great for opening conversations with little kids around what our body parts are called and what their functions are.

Most Redditors seemed to think nudity is fine, with one caveat. It’s OK until someone – whether you or the kids – becomes uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing to be shamed, and nothing to be forced either,” said one commenter.

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Another said their husband stopped being comfortable “fully nude” around their daughter when she was a toddler.

“That’s respected, but it’s also not some huge deal if she runs into the room to tell him about her made up dragons while he’s changing, he’ll cover up or turn away and ask for privacy,” they said.

“At 8 she wants privacy for the bathroom mostly, we respect that, but then she will run around the house naked or just in underwear. She sees me changing frequently and it doesn’t make either of us uncomfortable so for now that’s fine. Everyone gets to say in what level of privacy they want within the family.”

There are definitely rules that are useful to follow, though.

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One parent said they have three rules in their household: “Respect anyone asking for privacy, no naked butts on the couch, and we all put on clothes for visitors.”

Another said they have conversations around what’s appropriate to do in private (versus out and about), as well as consent.

“We don’t shame nudity, we explain anatomy using anatomical language, we teach about things that are only appropriate to do in private, and who’s allowed to view/touch his private parts and who isn’t,” they said.

“Whenever our son is ready to keep his nudity private or ask us to do the same, that’s fine, we’ll change. He knows it’s up to him.”

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Experts agree it can be beneficial, too.

Amy Lang, a child sexual health educator, told The Guardian that while strict rules and guidelines are needed (ie. telling kids not to touch other people’s private parts), family nudity gives kids the opportunity to talk about boundaries, bodies and safety.

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Delta Goodrem Confirmed For Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Cast

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Delta Goodrem Confirmed For Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Cast

Pop singer Delta Goodrem will compete on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC has confirmed.

On Friday evening, the Australian performer became the third celebrity unveiled for the line-up, fresh from her recent success at the Eurovision Song Contest.

She enthused: “I’ve been incredibly honoured to perform on many different stages throughout my career – from TV, theatre, film sets, to touring my own shows around the world.

“There is, however, one stage I’ve never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor! I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Strictly and can’t wait to get started!”

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After getting her start in Neighbours in the early 2000s, Delta burst onto the music scene with hits including Born To Try and Lost Without You.

In her native Australia she has an impressive nine number one singles to her name, including Innocent Eyes, Predictable and Almost Here, a duet with her ex-partner Brian McFadden.

Last month, she represented her home country at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria, with her song Eclipse, finishing in fourth place on the night.

This year’s Strictly Come Dancing casting announcements are coming in earlier than usual, with the line-up usually beginning to get unveiled around August time, ahead of the show’s September return.

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On Wednesday, fans of the long-running BBC dance show were surprised when, out of the blue, EastEnders favourite Lacey Turner, best known for her performance as Stacey Slater, became the first star revealed to have signed up.

A day later, it was revealed that former Love Island champion Dani Dyer would also be competing in 2026, a year after having to pull out of the series days before the first live show after sustaining a serious injury.

It’s well-documented that the upcoming series of Strictly will be markedly different to recent seasons, most notably thanks to its new presenting line-up, a mass exodus among the show’s resident troupe of professional dancers and, reportedly, a revamped studio.

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The Epic Story of How Trump Seized the World Cup

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The Epic Story of How Trump Seized the World Cup

“I was undecided with whether I never wanted to see these people ever again, because we had a pretty good idea of what had happened,” said former U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati about a stunning FIFA vote that handed the World Cup to Qatar over a favored American bid. “Or if I want to start bidding the next hour.”

Read the fullinside story of how FIFA’s rejection of a U.S. effort to host the 2022 World Cup sparked bitterness, indictments, a reorganization of soccer’s governing body and, ultimately, a North American World Cup.

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10 humanitarian Gaza volunteers abducted in Libya to be held another month

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Gaza

Gaza

The Libyan abductors of ten Global Sumud land convoy volunteers kidnapped on 24 May 2026 have extended their illegal captivity for another thirty days. The ten were abducted near Sirte despite having previously agree safe passage with aid bound for Gaza. The extension is the second imposed on them by Libya’s Internal Security Agency (ISA).

Organisers have described the “political hostage taking” as outrageous and a “blatant attack on international solidarity with Palestine”. The group is demanding action from the volunteers’ governments and others to pressure the ISA into freeing the captives. The ISA has released footage showing the victims being transferred after the extension:

Gaza — Widespread repression

The abductions form part of a wider — and accelerating — criminalisation of Palestinian solidarity and global resistance to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Supporters are asked urgently to:

Pressure officials to act NOW to secure the safe release of these citizens of Spain, Poland, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia, and Italy.

Mahmoud Shalaby, regional researcher at human rights organisation Amnesty International said:

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At a time when Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are grappling with Israel’s ongoing genocide and catastrophic humanitarian conditions, it is utterly disgraceful that individuals seeking to deliver humanitarian assistance and end Israel’s unlawful blockade have been met with arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and prosecution on bogus charges in Libya.

No one should be punished for undertaking peaceful humanitarian action and trying to stop human rights abuses. The Libyan Arab Armed Forces must ensure the immediate and unconditional release of the activists, and in the meantime ensure that they have prompt and regular access to their families, consular representatives, lawyers and any medical care they require.

The abductees’ home nations are Argentina, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Uruguay and USA.

Featured image via GlobalSumud

By Skwawkbox

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Parenting Expert Shares Two Words You Should Say To A Rude Child

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Parenting Expert Shares Two Words You Should Say To A Rude Child

A parenting coach has shared the two-word response parents can use if their kids are being disrespectful – and it’s surprisingly simple.

In a TikTok video, Mike Wallach, who runs Apparently Parenting, said: “Stop letting your kids walk all over you with this one trick.

“It’s super simple – and when done correctly, they rarely push back against it.”

What’s the trick?

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The parenting coach and behaviour analyst said if a child is disrespectful or rude towards you, all you need to say in response is: “Try again.”

This can be used in a variety of scenarios, added the parenting coach, such as “when they slam the door, when they yell back ‘no’, when they’re playing too rough, [or] when they snatch a toy out of someone’s hand”.

“They immediately know what needs to be done to change their behaviour,” he explained.

Of course, some younger children might need a bit more direction than simply “try again”. If they say something rude to you, or shout at you, you could respond: “That’s not how we talk to each other. Can you try again?”

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If they shout a demand at you, like “I want a snack!” you could respond: “Let’s try that again. How do we ask nicely?”

When kids are rude it might be tempting to raise your voice, but parenting pros suggest remaining calm and speaking in a steady voice, otherwise the situation will likely escalate.

According to My Parenting Solutions, asking for a replay is “so simple and effective”. But if your child is having a tantrum, it’s probably best to wait until they’ve calmed down to encourage them to try again.

The method can work well, because you’re giving children the opportunity to practice acting respectfully.

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Any more tips?

Yes! If your child is being angry or rude, or having constant tussles with siblings, ‘special time’ might just help.

Child psychologist Dr Becky Kennedy, founder of Good Inside, described it as the “best bang-for-your-buck” parenting strategy.

Put simply, ‘special time’ is a period of time you carve out in your day where you and your child have one-on-one time together.

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“So often, our attention as parents is split between work, siblings, admin, getting everyone fed, and the endless mental to-do list and demands on our time and resources,” Anna Mathur, a psychotherapist and author of The Uncomfortable Truth, told HuffPost UK.

But special time “cuts through that noise”.

It could be five minutes, it could be 15 minutes – but the idea is you get rid of all distractions and just sit and spend time with your kid.

Mathur said it works because “even 10 minutes of dedicated one-on-one time is a statement that tells your child: you matter, you’re seen, I want to be with you” and helps kids “feel emotionally secure, which strengthens their nervous system and improves behaviour”.

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How Alan Cumming and David Morrissey’s Long Friendship Was Key During Tense Tip Toe Scenes

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David Morrissey, Alan Cumming and Russell T Davies at the launch of Tip Toe last month

In Russell T Davies’ new drama Tip Toe, Alan Cumming and David Morrissey play feuding neighbours whose turf war spirals out of control with tragic consequences.

But in real life, it turns out the pair are lifelong chums.

Outside of Tip Toe, Alan and David have been friends for around 40 years and, in fact, were even neighbours for a long time.

Speaking to BBC News in the lead-up to Tip Toe’s release, David explained: “We have to do some pretty tough stuff, but the great thing about being with an actor who is a friend is that you can really push it.”

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He added that after shooting a “very confrontational” scene, he and Alan would be “hugging each other and making sure each other are alright”.

Alan also told ITV’s This Morning that his friendship with David “really helped” them get through what might otherwise have been quite a difficult shoot due to the show’s heavy subject matter.

In a separate interview, Russell told The Hollywood Reporter: “It turned out [Alan has] been best friends with David Morrissey for 40 years, and they’d never appeared on screen together.

“When they did their first little scene on Canal Street, we all gave them a round of applause. It was such a lovely moment.”

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David Morrissey, Alan Cumming and Russell T Davies at the launch of Tip Toe last month
David Morrissey, Alan Cumming and Russell T Davies at the launch of Tip Toe last month

Alan West/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

The Bafta winner also told Channel 4 that it was Alan who suggested that David could play Clive, having already been cast as Leo in the early stages of the creative process.

“He said, ‘oh, I’ve sent the script to Dave’. And we were like, ‘brilliant, imagine getting David Morrissey as well’,” Russell recalled. “And it happened!”

Russell enthused: “The fact that that they’re friends in real life, it just shows how great actors they are because they fucking hate each other [in the show] and it’s visceral and uncomfortable.

“[Being friends] gave them a lot of freedom, I think. They didn’t have to spend time getting to know each other, so I think they felt very free to go for it.”

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He added: “They’ve been mates for 40 years, so they knew they could go for it. And I think there’s a real boldness in what they do together.”

The brutal finale of Tip Toe premiered on Channel 4’s streaming service over the weekend, with Russell previously opening up to HuffPost UK about what went into the unflinching scene.

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Three in four consumers wrongly believe cage chickens are a thing of the past

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Chickens in an 'enriched' colony cage

Chickens in an 'enriched' colony cage

Vegan campaign group Viva! says its latest survey reveals a major transparency problem within the UK egg industry, as the government mulls over a potential cage ban.

Underpinning this statement is an eye-opening statistic. Almost three-quarters (74%) of UK shoppers are unaware that ‘enriched’ colony cages are used in the UK.

Katie Robinson, campaigns manager at Viva!, explains:

We asked 2,000 members of the public a simple question. And in doing so we’ve highlighted a deeply worrying disconnect between what consumers believe to be true and the realities of animal farming.

Brits consume 14.5bn eggs a year, yet most have no idea how they are produced. That’s no accident. The egg industry shouts about supposedly idyllic free range farms and completely omits the hens trapped in cages.

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A general lack of transparency across the whole supply chain is bolstered by concerted efforts by the egg industry to obscure the facts. Consumers are denied the information they need to make informed decisions. That must change.

Cages weren’t banned in 2012

Many consumers think all cages were banned in 2012. In reality, barren ‘battery’ cages were replaced by larger, ‘enriched’ colony cages, capable of holding 40-80 birds each. Under current guidelines, each hen is given slightly less usable space than an A4 piece of paper.

They spend their entire lives under artificial lights, in rows of cages within vast, industrial sheds, deprived of the ability to display natural behaviours.

Currently, around 7.3 million egg-laying hens are trapped inside these cages, with approximately 17% of the UK’s egg supply stemming from caged birds.

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While the public’s understanding of UK cage use is low, previous data from Bryant Research shows that nearly all those (94%) who are aware of ‘enriched’ colony cages are strongly against them.

Viva! is therefore deeply concerned that consumers are unwittingly buying eggs produced in a manner they find cruel – and would avoid if they knew the truth.

The animal advocacy organisation is one of many calling for much clearer food labelling requirements so shoppers can see how an animal lived before they were slaughtered and packaged for a supermarket shelf.

Even farmers are admitting that the industry needs to be more transparent. In a recent article in the Western Morning News, Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkey Breeders said:

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We have to accept that things can be ugly on farm, from feather pecking to killing and plucking – we have to do a better job of educating consumers about the realities of farming.

Cracking the cage secret

The poll was conducted as part of Viva!’s 2026 Cracked campaign. The campaign’s primary aims are to raise awareness of the plight of caged hens and maintain pressure on the government to follow through on its commitment to phase out ‘enriched’ colony cages, a pledge outlined in the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy for England.

Despite huge public backing for a ban, the National Farmers’ Union and British Egg Industry Council have both pushed back hard on proposals. And the much-anticipated outcome of a major public consultation has already suffered delays. Defra says it will deliver its verdict in “the summer”.

Viva! activists have been tirelessly campaigning for a ban on ‘enriched’ colony cages, organising dozens of public outreach events across the UK, protesting in Parliament Square, securing prominent media coverage of Viva! Campaigns’ caged hen facility investigation and even canvassing celebrities and influencers for support.

Thousands of letters calling for a ban have also been sent by constituents to their MPs, making it clear that this is a welfare issue the animal-loving British public cares deeply about.

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Robinson adds:

There’s still time for people to support our Cracked campaign while we await a response to the government consultation. These beautiful, sensitive birds will never know freedom. They can’t stretch, dustbathe, enjoy the sun on their backs or the dirt beneath their claws.

Caged egg systems take everything from them; all these hens have is people who care enough to fight for them.

I’d urge everyone shocked by what they’ve read here to take 30 seconds out of their day to write to their MP and demand change. Without you, millions more hens could face a lifetime of misery in cages.

Viva! has created a letter template supporters can use to contact their MP quickly and easily. Visit viva.org.uk/mp-ban-cages to write to yours now, before it’s too late.

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Featured image via Viva!

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Closing the border to police immigration is a futile and unnecessary demand -a deviation from explaining why race riots are passively tolerated

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Brian Walker

Predictably enough, the  Westminster right wing and the DUP did have to turn it  into a row about the border. It was quickly revealed that the Somali  (whoops correction) the Sudanese suspect entered NI illegally from the south and was  granted leave to remain three years ago. Cue firestorm over  immigration policy and in particular -wouldn’t you know it? –  the open border and how to police it .

From The Times

The UK has returned only one asylum seeker to Ireland since a post-Brexit deal was signed in 2020 and the government is now preparing to crack down on the border route being used as a “back door” for illegal immigration after the Belfast attack.

Home Office insiders said the common travel area (CTA) with Ireland was “a massive Achilles’ heel” as concerns rose over illegal migrants taking advantage of the lack of routine immigration checks to enter the UK.

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There are 2,370 asylum seekers in supported accommodation in Northern Ireland, 2.5 per cent of all asylum seekers across the UK. 

Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said the human rights of asylum seekers were often being prioritised over national security. 

The UK Home Office revealed overnight that in the past year it had apprehended more than 900 “immigration offenders” abusing the open land border.

The Dublin government had a prompt reply

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Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Dublin, however, showed 18,500 people had sought asylum in 2024, of which 90% were thought to have travelled from Great Britain to Ireland via a flight or ferry to Belfast.

Before 2019, the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland was relatively small, about 5,000, commensurate with the experience of a small country on the farthest outreaches of Europe.

That number grew significantly between 2022 and 2024, when it peaked at 18,500. Just 10% of people applied for asylum at an airport or port, while 90% made a first-time application in person at the International Protection Office in Dublin. This figure includes some who may have entered the country legally and days, weeks or months later sought asylum.

In 2025 and 2026 to date, the proportion of asylum seekers applying at the office in person were 88% and 90% respectively.

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Without physical checks on the Irish border, neither the UK nor Irish governments can verify the precise numbers of people crossing the border illegally, but in 2024 Ireland’s then justice minister, Helen McEntee, said publicly that 80% were coming over the land border.

Where does that leave us? In NI there are 65,000 “ people of colour”. 124,000 mainly white born outside the UK, mainly from the EU. Irish travellers 2610, Roma 1259.

In the Republic  23.5% foreign born including UK, Asian 3.3%, Black Irish 1.5%. The Republic’s population has expanded dramatically  in line with growing prosperity from 2.8 mn in 1961, to 5.4 mn last year, and projected to rise to 6.7 mn by 2060.

All manageable, surely –   although the new EU-Irish immigration rules llook very complicated and slow  

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This  population rise  in the Republic since the WW2  has not  yet kept pace with the rise in Northern Ireland’s population which began with the  introduction  of the Welfare State in 1948, as my namesake Prof Brian Mercer Walker points out slightly mischieviously  in the Irish Times today.

 David Mc Williams described graphically the mass emigration which afflicted the new Irish state in its first 50 years (“Britain was a saviour for Irish migrants. One of those sons will captain England next week,” June 6th). By 1961, an estimated 45 per cent of all those born in Ireland between 1926 and 1936 had left.

It is interesting to note that Northern Ireland in the same period did not face this problem. The government of Northern Ireland can be rightly criticised for not creating an inclusive society or ensuring full civil rights for all.

At the same time, this government pursued policies which brought benefits for every citizen, unionist and nationalist. In their social policies, unionist ministers, especially John M Andrews, insisted with the London treasury that as part of the UK its people were entitled to parity in social services and equal standards with elsewhere in the UK.

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Following the Butler Act in Britain, the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947, gave free secondary education for all, which was not available in the South until the 1960s. The National Health Service, established in 1949, benefited everyone….

The failings of Northern Ireland in its first 50 years are well known. Its benefits and successes, due to these effective government policies, deserve attention.

Today, the situation is very different. With new Irish government social and economic policies, the southern population has grown remarkably. Still, viewed over the last 100 years, the rate of population growth in the South has yet to catch up with the North. 

  One violent attack  by an immigrant or anybody else is one too many.  Close coordination between the two governments  over policing and data sharing is plainly the right approach. The open  border survived Brexit and will survive race riots. Despite the disaster of Brexit my ideal remains interchangeability  of government arrangements and citizenship in these islands.  On the present situation,  this comment by James Nancy in the Bele Tel deserves an extended extract.

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 Violent crimes in Northern Ireland elicit responses so well rehearsed as to have become ritualised: clichéd language running deep and deadening grooves into our collective consciousness.

Every time a woman is murdered in her home — almost always by a white Northern Irish man she knows well — we can set our watches by the expressions of concern that flow from political leaders who then seem to forget about institutionalised misogyny within days.

And so too have racist riots become an annual occurrence in the North, a predictable consequence any time someone of a minority background is accused of a serious crime.

Last year, there were the nights of rioting in Ballymena, which were themselves a sort of horrific reprise of the year before, when minority citizens of Belfast were burned out of their homes and businesses by mobs.

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Because of this history, there was a sickening sense of inevitability building through Tuesday as people waited for the calls to go out on social media for protests, for the injunction by politicians to behave “responsibly”, and for the very real safety fears of minority communities to get only a passing mention in a tokenistic, rhetorical gesture towards the notions of basic decency and human empathy.

The political rhetoric surrounding these incidents has become utterly bizarre and full of a confused grammar than betrays both personal and moral cowardice…..

There are reports of “fires targeting homes”, with the sentence structure making it seem as if flames are a sentient body capable of attacking families in their residences. (Perhaps the PPS can launch a case against the tendency of carbon-based substances to burn, or charge the chemical process of change with attempted murder?)

There has too been another round of “legitimate concerns” about immigration raised, which are based on views so comically untrue that no satire of Facebook bigotry could best them.

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How many rounds of arson and violence do the minority citizens of Belfast have to live through before the leaders of political unionism learn some reasonable hesitancy and become more concerned with safety than with the prospect of offending far-right activists on social media?

… The key issue is that racist mobs keep trying to murder minorities in our city. The problem is that pogroms have become functionally permitted by our political culture, treated as a seemingly tolerable annual tradition or seasonal occurrence: a sort of perverted Morris dance that leaders are ready to jig along to if it means they can keep making false statements about immigration.

There is much to be done to tackle racism and intercommunal tension in Belfast, but the first and easiest course of action is a change in our leaders’ rhetoric about minorities.

The cost of creating a safer and more tolerant city is no higher than politicians learning to speak responsibly and for them to start treating the safety of minorities with the same care they currently take to avoid offending internet racists.

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Keir Starmer Nearing End Of PM Tenure

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Andy Burnham stands with supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour's candidate for the Makerfield by-election in Makerfield, England, Friday, May 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Keir Starmer could hardly have been more unequivocal when asked yet again whether he would fight any Labour leadership contest.

“I don’t think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight,” the prime minister said on Friday.

“And let me just be clear with you. That’s not about personal vanity, it’s not about stubbornness. It’s out of a very deep sense of duty.”

Allies of the PM describe him as “frustrated” and “angry” that his future is even up for debate less than two years after leading his party to a landslide election victory.

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But whether he likes it or not, it is.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting has already said he will challenge Starmer, while Andy Burnham will also join any contest should he, as expected, win next week’s Makerfield by-election.

James `Lyons, who was director of communications in No.10 until last year, summed up the slightly surreal situation British politics now finds itself in.

“The full weight of the Labour Party’s still very considerable campaign machine is behind Andy Burnham to deliver the result that could end up with the prime minister being ousted,” he told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast.

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Lyons said Starmer himself “will still think he can turn it round”, but that reality will hit him if Burnham’s victory is confirmed in the early hours of next Friday morning.

“If it looks like Andy’s there, then I think that’s the time to start having some conversations about whether’s it’s in his interests or the country’s interests to have some sort of stable and orderly transition,” he said.

Any lingering chance that Starmer could ride out his latest crisis were killed off by defence secretary John Healey’s excoriating resignation letter on Thursday hitting out at the lack of cash being made available in the government’s Defence Investment Plan.

“The excellent and extensive cross-government work that completed in January – overseen by you, me and the chancellor – confirmed the scale of the challenge and the rising demands on defence,” Healey wrote.

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“Since then, you have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.”

Healey’s message was even more impactful given his status as one of the cabinet’s most loyal ministers.

“John is both the most decent and most hardworking person in British politics,” one ally told HuffPost UK.

“People tend to forget that he was a Treasury minister or many years, so really understands what he’s been dealing with.

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“His resignation letter was equal parts science, art and moral philosophy. And he will have agonised over every single word and phrasing.”

Healey’s bombshell made it all the more likely that Burnham will quickly become the next prime minister should he see off the challenge from Reform’s UK’s Robert Kenyon in Makerfield.

A Labour source said: “Until John’s resignation, I was imagining a scenario where a more marginal win for Andy might allow an orderly transition over an extended period of time, or even an early Keir v Andy contest leading to the PM hanging on before making a call on his own future in a year’s time.

“But I think John going has made the period ahead much more difficult to predict.”

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Andy Burnham stands with supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour's candidate for the Makerfield by-election in Makerfield, England, Friday, May 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Andy Burnham stands with supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election in Makerfield, England, Friday, May 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Sitting outside Burnham’s HQ, the Stubshaw Cross Community and Sports Club, Labour campaign boss Louise Haigh MP insisted they were taking nothing for granted.

She said: “We think it’s going to be close. Reform got 50% of the vote here a month ago, so we’re having to persuade people who voted Reform just a few weeks ago to come over to us, so it’s a really big ask.

“But what is absolutely clear is the Burnham bounce is real and that no other Labour candidate could be in contention.”

The campaign’s efforts in the run-up to polling day will be focused on the 16% of voters who are still undecided. If enough of them break for Burnham, then his path to 10 Downing Street becomes clear.

HuffPost UK has learned that Burnham supporters at Westminster are already gathering nominations for his leadership bid should he win next Thursday.

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They hope to collect far more than the 81 required to trigger a contest, thereby creating a sense of unstoppable momentum which they believe would be enough to quickly see him sweep to power.

Lyons, who saw Starmer work up close during his time in No.10, said: “I think there’s every chance that what we will see is a coronation and we will see a significant number of MPs nominating Andy in a way that makes it very difficult for the prime minister to fight on.

“I know in his heart he will want to [fight on], he definitely feels he is the best person to be leading the country during this omni-crisis that has been created by the conflict in the Middle East and the conflict in Europe.

“Under those circumstances, if a sizeable proportion of the parliamentary party don’t want you, I think it’s very hard to carry on.”

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Keir Starmer’s belief that he should fight on to save his job is undoubtedly sincere.

But it will soon become apparent that it is a battle he will lose and should therefore be avoided.

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