Politics
Should celebrities and athletes shut up about politics? It’s complicated.
Americans are fed up with politics invading every aspect of their lives. But many can’t kick the habit.
Roughly 60 percent of Americans say it feels like politics are everywhere these days where it does not make sense for things to be political, according to new results from The POLITICO Poll. It’s a rare point of harmony between Republicans and Democrats, with majorities of both parties also agreeing that it is becoming less important what celebrities say about politics.
Unless they agree with them.
The same people who want politics out of everyday life are still influenced when the celebrities’ or athletes’ opinions align with their own. Nearly 70 percent of voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 would think “more positively” about a movie star if they spoke out against President Donald Trump. The inverse is also true: For nearly 60 percent of the president’s voters, their perception of a star would improve if they expressed support for him.
That picture comes into even sharper relief among the strongest partisans, who are more likely to expect that their favorite celebrities and institutions around them express their political views than those who are more in the middle.
That presents a complicated and often contradictory picture of how voters engage in politics as it bleeds into their daily lives — and the precarious line celebrities and local leaders need to walk as culture and politics become hard to detangle.
Celebrities and athletes have increasingly spoken out about causes like ICE crackdowns and racial equity on the world stage. Key culture podcasts — from the Joe Rogan Experience to Call Her Daddy — have hosted politicians including Trump and Harris. And actors like George Clooney were critical in calling for former President Joe Biden to end his 2024 campaign.
“Everyone should always speak up for what they believe in,” said Jordan C. Brown, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist who has worked with campaigns and celebrities alike. “But there is a cost, and I think I would just caution people of the cost.”
The result is an American public that doesn’t quite know what it wants, one that’s tired of their lives being politicized — but are also influenced by partisan statements.
Voters still care about where celebrities and institutions stand
Majorities of both Harris and Trump voters say politics has invaded spaces where it doesn’t belong, but Trump voters are more concerned than Harris voters are.
For example, most Trump voters (52 percent) say there is too much politics in sports, compared to 31 percent of Harris voters who say the same. In some areas of daily life — like sports, movies and on television, and music — pluralities of Harris voters say there’s an acceptable amount of politics present.
But few Americans say they want more.
Some Americans also claim bringing politics into other realms doesn’t affect them. A plurality of Harris voters — 38 percent — say it doesn’t matter to them if athletes, for example, talk about politics.
And yet, the poll finds, Republicans and Democrats alike actually are swayed by statements from businesses and celebrities.
Strong majorities report that celebrities’, athletes’ or even their local grocery store owners’ political statements impact their views of that individual. And roughly one in five people say they have changed their own opinion on a political topic because a celebrity spoke out about it.
The poll results also reveal a clear pattern for when those statements matter most: Americans respond positively to them when they reflect their own world views.
The majority of 2024 Trump voters say they would view an athlete more positively if they made statements aligned with the president’s agenda, like “We need to crack down on the crime running rampant in our cities.” On the other side, over 60 percent of Harris voters say they would think more positively about athletes who make statements like “We need to tax the richest people in this country.” That’s true even for voters on both sides who said there is “too much” politics in sports.
It’s a familiar phenomenon, according to Shaun Harper, a University of Southern California professor who has researched athletes’ political activism. He described the “‘I don’t want politics in my sports unless they’re my politics’” mindset as “anti-democratic.”
“It is unfair to athletes and to our democracy to expect them to only selectively leverage their platforms and their free speech rights,” he said.
The most politically engaged voters are the ones who care most
The strongest partisans are even more curious about what local, religious and cultural leaders have to say compared with those in the center.
More than one-third of Trump voters who self-identify as “MAGA Republicans”, the president’s most loyal base, say religious institutions should make their views clear to their followers, compared to 22 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters.
MAGA Trump voters are also more likely to act on those political differences: Forty-three percent say they would not buy from a business that made clear it held different political views — compared with 27 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters and roughly 30 percent across all adults.
On the other side of the aisle, about one-third of self-identified “strong” Democrats say athletes should make their political views clear, double the 16 percent of those who say they are “not strong” Democrats who agree.
And 36 percent of “strong” Democrats believe schools and universities should make their political views clear to their students, compared to 22 percent of “not strong” Democrats.
Those who voted third party, or who didn’t vote at all, are even less eager to hear about politics in their regular life: Just 12 percent say celebrities should make their political views clear to their fans. And less than 10 percent said they’ve changed their opinion about a political topic because a celebrity spoke about it.
Celebrities are already less willing to engage with partisan politics
The results shed light on an ongoing debate as stars and campaign strategists try to figure out how — or even if — to engage celebrities with politics.
Finding a way to do so that doesn’t damage their own careers, given the complexity of voters’ and fans’ partisan divides, can be difficult, the poll shows. When some voters claim to want neutrality but secretly want their favorite stars’ politics to match their own, but others demand political engagement, it leaves celebrities to decide which group they can upset the least.
Democrats have used celebrity endorsements and surrogates in significant measure since former President Barack Obama’s star-studded 2008 presidential campaign. Harris, two years ago, saw an outpouring of support for her presidential campaign from a host of VIPs: Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland appeared at her rally in Houston, Taylor Swift posted an endorsement for the former vice president to her millions of social media followers, and Lady Gaga performed at her election-eve rally in Philadelphia.
But that backfired for the celebrities when Harris lost, said Todd Hawkins, a Democratic strategist and consultant based in Los Angeles.
“What we saw was the biggest backlash as a result of losing, folks saying celebrities should not tell us what to do, no one cares about what they think,” he said.
Trepidation about the partisan divide is driving many celebrities’ reluctance to get involved in politics in a high-profile way — a dynamic captured by actor Jennifer Lawrence in a 2025 interview with the New York Times, when she was asked about her willingness to speak out against Trump.
“I don’t really know if I should,” she said. “But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart.”
Last year, actor and entrepreneur Selena Gomez posted — and later deleted — a tearful video responding to immigration crackdowns that drew criticism from the right. And Hunter Hess, an Olympic freestyle skier, drew heat from Trump for saying that representing the U.S. in the Games “brings up mixed emotions” after Alex Pretti and Renée Good were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
“They’re very concerned, they’re scared as hell, but they were scared last year more than anything,” Hawkins said of celebrities. “I still see trepidation on how and what they will do to be engaged.”
The connection between politics and pop culture, however, will hardly dissolve anytime soon, said Brown, the LA-based Democratic strategist: “There’s that phrase: the only thing Hollywood and D.C. love more than themselves are each other.”
Rupert Lowe has offered his former colleague Nigel Farage an alliance to unite the right.
The leader of Restore Britain, a far-right splinter group which formed after Lowe was kicked out of Reform UK, suggested it was time for the two rivals to “put our differences aside” in a public address.
It comes after the right-wing vote was split in the Greater Manchester mayoral contest, leading to Labour candidate Bev Craig’s victory.
Reform’s Sian Astley finished second with 111,928 votes while Restore’s Marlon West finished fourth with 46,289 votes in the first round.
In a video statement on X, Lowe said this result “showed what Restore Britain can deliver”, and suggested they work together to defeat the left-wing.
He said: “Nigel, my message is simple. If you are prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform, and serious government, then so are we.
“Millions of British people deserve a patriotic government to put our national interest before any personal differences that you and I may have…
“Now is the time to put our differences aside and cooperate for the good of the country that we all love.”
However, he said any deal relied on several key conditions Reform must agree to.
That included a call for mass deportations to “reverse” mass immigration, restoring the “demographic security” for so-called native Brits and tackling the rise of Islamism by banning the burka.
He also called for a referendum on the death penalty and urged Reform to restore a “self-sufficient Britain” by cutting welfare.
His olive branch comes after Reform started to slump in the polls against Labour, amid growing scrutiny over Farage’s finances and Andy Burnham’s takeover of the government.
The Reform UK leader is currently fighting a by-election in Clacton which he triggered last month.
He decided to start a “people versus the establishment” contest following a sleaze probe into a £5 million donation which he failed to register with parliament.
Farage later issued a lengthy statement on X which appeared to respond to Lowe on Sunday.
He said: “Only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change.
“To deliver that change, I understand Reform UK will need the support of people from other parties, as well as millions who have never voted before.
“That is the broad coalition I am building.”
He added that Reform “will always be open to anyone who shares our commitment to restoring Britain’s borders, rebuilding our economy, renewing our democracy and putting the British people first.”
He promised to “put country before party but insisted “I will never turn my back on my team”.
He said: “There will always be a home in Reform UK for those who believe that 14 years of Conservative government, followed by the last 2 years of Labour, have failed the British people… and that our country now needs a fundamentally different direction.
“I will continue to do whatever is necessary to defeat the left and provide Britain with the strong, serious leadership it deserves.
“This is the last chance for our country, and we cannot afford to waste it.”
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Andy Burnham has promised his government will be “relentless” in curbing how many people arrive in the UK on small boats.
Speaking from Dover, the prime minister said the number of English Channel crossings are down by 50% this year compared to the same period in 2025.
“The month we’ve just had in July has been the lowest number for six years,” he said. “So clearly progress has been made.
“But we’re not complacent, that’s why I’m here, it’s why I’ve come down on Sunday to see the team, to listen to what they think needs to be done, what further can be done.
“We’re just going to be relentless.”
He promised the government was “changing the whole approach” by putting enforcement officers on either side of the Channel to tackle people-smuggling gangs.
He made it clear that Labour would also look to build more safe routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK.
“That also takes away the selling points of the gangs. So on every level we’ve got to come at this, but crucially increasing the enforcement activity,” he said.
“So there’s been a doubling of officers through the National Crime Agency on the UK side of the Channel and French officers are now similarly doubled in number working on the beaches over there.”
The Home Office announced the number of NCA officers tackling smuggling gangs had risen to almost 800 from 376 at the start of 2025.
Concerns over illegal migration have grown after tens of thousands of migrants swam into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week.
The prime minister acknowledged that 98% of those people have already been returned to Morocco.
But he added: “There’s a broader issue about the Schengen area and our relationship with it, and of course, I would want to be in regular dialogue with the EU on those issues.”
Burnham has been criticised by his right-wing opponents for not focusing on the matter during his first fortnight in power.
More than 2,000 migrants have arrived on small boats since he got the keys to No.10 on July 20.
But the PM said he wants to “deal with the issue rather than play politics with the issue”.
He added: “The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled. We need to bring back that control. But also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it.”
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
People have criticised generative AI for the many ways in which it’s corrupting what it means to be human. The latest example of this comes from OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman.
What if you just talked to your children
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) July 31, 2026
OpenAI…
Young people today are growing up at a time when they can use generative AI to do their assignments for them. Workers can use AI to write their emails. Half of what you read online could be written by AI. In other words, we live in a world in which human communication is increasingly devoid of the human element.
As such, it’s unsurprising people have reacted to Altman with messages like the following from BuccoCapital Bloke:
Over the next few years you are going to have to fight with everything you’ve got to retain your humanity. They will try to convince you to give up connecting with each other, to give up truly being alive. It will be the most important fight of your whole life
Helen Lewis wrote:
I’m in awe of how sociopathic this comes off. What if I… actually enjoy talking to my family about their lives and interests?
Dylan Dittrich commented:
“Cool use case of chatgpt” and it’s just the worst, most dehumanizing idea you’ve ever heard.
Some responded sarcastically, including the Wild Geerters account:
Seems like a lot of hassle. A cool idea would be to replace the kids with AI chatbot kids and then have chatgpt talk to the chatbot kids on the drive, and maybe let AI drive the car while you chill at home watching an AI generated movie about a guy driving his kids to school
Jathan Sadowski remarked:
Telling my child to stop talking because I’m listening to the AI podcast about their soccer game and upcoming birthday.
Let’s stay human everyone
Despite claims to the contrary, generative AI is not an intelligent technology, and it seems unlikely it ever will be. That doesn’t mean it can’t act as a substitute for human interaction, though, and the threat to what that could mean for society is grave.
Be sure to speak to your children and loved ones and be grateful for the opportunity to do so.
Featured image via EPA/ BBC
By Willem Moore
The US has dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of an Iranian family on Qeshm Island, murdering a two-year-old and his parents. Two other children were pulled from the rubble alive.
The U.S. dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on an Iranian family’s home this week on Qeshm Island, killing a 2-year-old and his parents.
Barbaric savagery by soulless ghouls. pic.twitter.com/n4EfzZsxIG
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) August 1, 2026
The US attacked the residedential area of Iran overnight on Thursday 30 July.
According to the New York Times, the size of the crater and weapon fragments suggest that the bomb was a 2,000-pound Mark-84. This is one of the US military’s largest conventional bombs.
Additionally, the location and time of the strikes are consistent with where the US military was operating at the time.
US has created a pattern of destruction
Of course, this is part of a pattern.
For years, Israel, funded by the US, has dropped 2,000-pound American bombs on Gaza, in an attempt to systematically wipe out Palestinians, including refugees in tents.
2,000-pound Mark 84 bomb was what Biden-Harris sent to lsrael on a regular basis to kill and flatten Gaza in their genocidal campaign. https://t.co/aTIoTr2A5k
— CanCanGirl&TobyBear
(@ApricotForever) August 1, 2026
Both the Trump and Biden regimes green-lighted it.
Now, the US is doing the same to Iran.
For years, Israel was using 2,000lb American bombs to kill Gazan refugees in tents. Both the Biden and Trump administrations permitted it.
A precedent was set.
Now it appears the US is doing the same in Iran.
A 2000lb bomb was dropped on a family house in Qeshm, killing a taxi…
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 1, 2026
During the first month of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Israel dropped hundreds of these bombs. Many of them are capable of killing or wounding people more than 1,000 feet away.
At the time, satellite images revealed more than 500 impact craters over 12 metres in diameter. This is consistent with those left behind by 2,000-pound bombs.
The U.S. should be held accountable for these war crimes https://t.co/hsrFKxcWCY
— Ray Jackson (@RayJackson123) August 2, 2026
International humanitarian law dictates that militaries should take “all feasible precautions” to minimise civilian harm. Of course, that means not attacking innocent civilians.
“The choice to use that type of munition in such a densely populated area is “very difficult to reconcile with” https://t.co/2zu3d2utPE
— Reem Rifai (@ReemRifai_) August 1, 2026
But the US and Israel have never cared about the lives of Palestinian, Lebanese, or Iranian families. They are rogue terrorist states, and as long as the world continues to whitewash their crimes, they will continue destroying, bombing and murdering the people of West Asia.
On Thursday, an airstrike killed 3 a mom, a dad, and their 2-year-old son on Qeshm Island in southern Iran.
Our visual investigation (drawing on photos/videos from the site, satellite imagery, weapon fragments, and a crater size estimate, analyzed by weapons experts… pic.twitter.com/54xGryP0CI
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) August 1, 2026
Feature image via New York Times
By HG
Of all the self-help videos that sneak into my algorithm, the ‘Sunday Reset’ is my favourite. In a kind of tribute to Marie Kondo, a Japanese ‘organising consultant’, glamorous influencers manage to make loading the dishwasher and meal prep look aspirational. My Sunday follows a similar, if slightly less aesthetic, formula: three loads of washing, the weekly shop and off to Mass. My Catholic identity is a significant part of my life and so Sunday Mass is an important part of my routine – it gives me time to reflect and think. It tethers my week to something constant and reassuring.
As Christians, we’re taught to ‘keep holy the sabbath’. Although I’m sure theologians will have more to say on this, I have never felt guilty going straight from morning Mass to Lidl. Growing up in Scotland, it’s not something I’d ever thought about. There we can’t buy alcohol until after 10pm, sure, but the shops open whenever they want for everything else.
When I moved down south, I thought it was odd, and annoying, that the big Lidl near me had very different opening hours from the wee Tesco. When I learned the real reason – that the law demands shops over 280 square metres can only open for six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm – I was baffled. Even more so when I discovered that, in 2016, there were many Scottish MPs who voted against the easing of England and Wales’ Sunday restrictions.
There is no coherent reason for the rules to remain as they are. When you consider that the rules only apply to shops over a certain (arbitrary) size and that even those larger shops are allowed to open for some of the day, the idea that they are doing anything to keep Sunday special is ludicrous. There are no similar restrictions on any other kind of Sunday activity. Making the Sunday shopping experience inconvenient is doing nothing to protect our immortal souls.
Most people in the UK have the same two days off: Saturday and Sunday. How they spend their time over the weekend depends on their priorities. The state should not be infringing on the British people’s rights to enjoy their Sunday. In any case, for people who do prefer a slow Sunday, there would be nothing compelling them to change.
For retail staff, the truth is that even when these larger retail shops are closed, they don’t automatically get the evening off. There are hundreds of tasks to be done when the doors of the shop are locked. Restocking shelves, tidying the storeroom, refolding knitwear, marking down prices – the law doesn’t prohibit the shop from scheduling shifts for staff, only from serving customers.
That aside, why should retail workers be compelled to have Sunday evenings off? Hospitality endures no such restriction. Taxi drivers, hairdressers, public-transport staff, pilots, nail technicians – none of these professions has special rules. They are allowed to make decisions about their schedules that suit them. There are plenty of reasons people are happy to work on Sundays: teenagers and students looking for weekend jobs, or people who prefer shift work to match their spouse’s schedule.
The government’s own figures show that the repeal of these laws could generate up to £1.4 billion annually for the UK economy. It would open up thousands of work hours for people who would be happy to work weekend shifts. Given the rate of unemployment among young people, the government should consider this a gift.
Retail workers and shoppers are adults. They should be allowed to make decisions that are best for them. An absence of Sunday restrictions in Scotland has not ushered in a new golden age of retail. But it has opened more jobs, created flexibility in rotas and relieved some packed-lunch-related stress.
If keeping holy the sabbath isn’t possible from inside a Tesco larger than 280 square metres before 11am, then that’s a conversation for me and my maker, not for the government.
Lucy Rogers is the head of community at Looking for Growth, the political movement to end decline and save Britain.
Calls have grown for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign or face a vote of no confidence.
According to the Telegraph, UEFA’s stance is no longer limited to objecting to the proposed sale of a share of the World Cup’s commercial rights; it has evolved into questioning Infantino’s ability to continue leading FIFA.
UEFA officials believe that the recent crisis over the now-dropped FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project has exposed a flaw in the body’s decisionmaking mechanisms.
The project being pursued without sufficient consultation with the continental confederations and member associations, is a breach of the principles of governance and transparency, officials argue.
Infantino U-turning hasn’t been enough
Opposition is no longer confined to Europe as the Asian Football Confederation and Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) have joined the ranks of those rejecting the way Infantino has managed the project.
Reports suggest that this alignment gives the opposition considerable political clout within the international federation.
There’s a belief in European circles that it may be possible to rally the necessary support to call for an extraordinary FIFA Congress, which could see a vote of no confidence in Infantino if the crisis persists. Infantino has led FIFA for the past 10 years.
Nevertheless, no official announcement has yet been made confirming that the opposition camp has the legally required number of votes to impose such a move. Given that Infantino continues to enjoy the support of influential confederations, most notably the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the balance of power within FIFA remains open to all possibilities.
FIFA’s backtracking hasn’t ended the crisis
The Guardian noted that the current battle represents the greatest political challenge Infantino has faced since taking office as FIFA president. He has never before faced a coalition of this scale, bringing together continental confederations that wield significant electoral clout within the General Assembly.
The fate of any formal motion of no confidence remains dependent on the opposition’s ability to secure the required majority. However, the current crisis reveals a widening rift in trust between Infantino and a number of his key football partners, which opens the door to a significant struggle for leadership.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
The post Zack Polanski: an incitement to murder Nigel Farage? appeared first on spiked.
Just a few days ago, Faten Ben Omar El Azizi, a young Moroccan woman footballer, was chasing her dream on the pitch. She believed her best years were still ahead of her and that football might lead her to a brighter future.
Sadly, her final journey did not end on a football pitch, but rather in the waves of the sea separating Fnideq, in northern Morocco on the Mediterranean coast, and the Spanish city of Ceuta.
Faten Ben Omar El Azizi, who played for both Moghreb Atlético Tetuán and Morocco Athlétic Tangier, died while attempting to swim to Spanish enclave Ceuta.
Ceuta crossing death toll at 72, media reports
Tributes have flooded in for the sportswoman who was making her mark in Moroccan women’s football.
Faten’s death comes at a time when the northern coast of Morocco is witnessing a rise in attempts at irregular migration towards the city of Ceuta, on the North African coast.
These perilous journeys often result in death due to strong sea currents and the difficult conditions surrounding them.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is taking place in Morocco for the third consecutive year.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
Richard Tice is the deputy of Reform UK, and do you know what really winds him up? The idea that people of faith might want to acknowledge and learn from the horrors of the past.
We’d like to say this is unexpected, but Tice was promoting an alleged human trafficker a few weeks ago, so it really isn’t.
Did you thank Jesus for giving great courage and vision to the British for abolishing the slave trade, spending vast amounts of money and sacrificing brave Royal Naval sailors in the process?
As a Christian, you don’t speak for me, nor millions of other Christians in the UK… https://t.co/21mO5eW5jf — Richard Tice MP
(@TiceRichard) August 1, 2026
Richard Tice. Nickname: Mr Offended
In full, this is what Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said in her post:
Today I visited Cape Coast Castle. Seeing the horrific conditions that thousands of people were kept in, it is impossible not to feel the weight of the immense evil that drove the transatlantic slave trade.
I pray not only in lament for the Church’s involvement in the slave trade, but also for hope – hope that the God of healing can bring justice and reconciliation to all who are still impacted by its legacy.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who came to set people free, I pray that we have the courage to continue our journey of repentance, and to strive for a world in which all of God’s children are treated with dignity.
And this is how Tice responded:
Did you thank Jesus for giving great courage and vision to the British for abolishing the slave trade, spending vast amounts of money and sacrificing brave Royal Naval sailors in the process?
As a Christian, you don’t speak for me, nor millions of other Christians in the UK
Why should we donate to the Church of England for you to waste it on woke virtue signalling?
If you’re confused as to what Tice is so upset about, it’s presumably the idea that anyone should feel repentant about the past.
Guilt can be an unproductive emotion in that it encourages defensiveness, but Mullally clearly isn’t urging her followers to be overwhelmed by the feeling. In her message, she acknowledges the evils of the past, and argues that there’s hope to be taken from the journey society has taken, even though there is more yet to be done.
To some, this is the essence of Jesus’s teachings, in that it encompasses redemption, loving your neighbours, etc. For people like Tice, however, the essence of Christianity is moaning about literally everything, and mistrusting everyone outside your immediate family.
There’s so much hypocrisy in his reply
There’s a couple of other things to note about Tice’s response, starting with this:
Did you thank Jesus for giving great courage and vision to the British for abolishing the slave trade, spending vast amounts of money…
Speaking on how Britain ‘abolished’ the slave trade, Maddison Wheeldon wrote for the Canary:
Conveniently, Braverman makes no mention of what happened when the “abhorrent” slave trade and, later, slavery itself were abolished. It wasn’t the enslaved who were compensated – it was the slave owners. They received such vast sums to cover their supposed financial “losses” that the British government borrowed heavily to fund the payouts.
The debt from that borrowing was paid off by taxpayers for generations, with the final payments only being completed in 2015. Thus, ordinary people effectively spent almost two centuries paying to compensate slave owners, while enslaved people received nothing.
If nothing else, we should be aware of our past to prevent it happening again. Whether you feel guilt about the past is up to you, but if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we will have plenty to regret in the present.
As noted, Tice recently promoted a post from Andrew Tate, who has been charged with three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, alongside several other charges for unforgivable offences.
To align himself with someone like that suggests that Tice’s objections to the Archbishop stem from a lax attitude towards human rights and not her framing of the matter.
Reform’s downfall
As we’ve reported elsewhere, we’re not particularly optimistic Andy Burnham will change this country’s fortunes. At the same time, it is nice to see Reform sliding down the opinion polls.
Yet another opinion poll this week that puts Reform several points behind https://t.co/YIvAaUjJEg
— dave lawrence
(@dave43law) August 1, 2026
Partially, this is down to the ‘Burnham bounce’. At the same time, it seems the more people see of Reform, they less they trust the party. And with posts like the above from Tice, it’s not hard to see why.
Featured image via Louise Haywood-Schiefer
By Willem Moore
Nigel Farage and Reform UK are facing multiple police and parliamentary investigations into various donations and benefits they’ve received. When it comes to the notorious £5 million ‘gift’, Farage’s defence has included the claim that he wasn’t involved in politics at the time. Now, a new scoop from the Times has blown Farage’s claim out of the water.
EXCLUSIVE
Nigel Farage struck secret deal for return as Reform leader months before election — challenging claim he wasn't involved in politics so didn't need to report gifts.
In May 24 he showed deal to treasurer, who tonight acknowledged its existence https://t.co/HkD5bKIw5d — Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) August 1, 2026
Farage claimed crypto bro gave him funds
We previously reported the following on his £5m problem:
Farage accepted the £5m gift from Harborne – a crypto billionaire – in 2024. At the time, he’d said he wouldn’t run in the general election, but this changed after he received the £5m. The problem is that after he became an MP, he was supposed to declare any ‘registrable benefits’ from the previous 12 months. Farage did not declare the £5m, and now it looks like he was purposefully trying to hide it.
Since taking the £5 million, Farage has gone on to publicly support crypto, and as Reform Party UK Exposed noted:
Out of nowhere, Farage who previously was stating cash is king and despite claiming he was in to crypto in 2020 had not advocated publicly for it.
His only tweet with an opinion on it was in 2022 where he criticised Biden for taking donations from… a tech entrepreneur (Sam Bankman-Fried, jailed for wire fraud).
Then magically Reform UK produce a Cryptoassets and Digital Finance Bill, with no prior advocacy in May 2025. Reform UK then accepts donations in crypto.
This chain of events demonstrates why MPs are expected to declare money or donations they receive in the run-up to entering Parliament. Farage’s conversion to becoming a crypto-booster looks a lot different when you know about the gift. And now, the meager defence Farage had is being torn to shreds.
Reform leader shifts his stories
Farage previously excused not declaring the gift on the following basis:
At that period of my life, from 2021 to the third of June 2024, I was a broadcaster, I was someone that appeared on celebrity TV programmes, I was somebody that promoted some financial market products, but I was an influencer, I wasn’t in politics.
Now, new revelations published by the Times suggest he had agreed to return to politics by June 2024.
Nigel Farage struck a secret deal to return as leader of Reform UK months before the general election.
Farage negotiated the pact with Richard Tice, then the leader, in March and April 2024. George Cottrell, the convicted fraudster who had been secretly bankrolling Farage, supervised the discussions.
Reform has attempted to excuse the deal by saying it was “drafted for if, not when, Farage became leader”. As the Times has noted, however, Farage signed the agreement, which seems like an odd thing to do if he was undecided. Reform claims doing so “kept his options open”, which again, doesn’t seem to make sense.
The Times also revealed that this agreement saw Reform paying back Richard Tice several hundred thousand pounds. In the process of returning this money, however, the party accidentally sent a lump sum to Tice’s personal account instead of the relevant business account. This means the party gave false information to the Electoral Commission, which could be treated as a criminal offence.
He said he sought to address the erroneous £200k payment to Tice's account, but was blocked.
Reform sources say Tice transferred the money from his account to his company, effectively remedying the matter.
— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) August 1, 2026
Shot in the foot
While Farage is running the Clacton by-election, the parliamentary investigation into him is paused. This could end up working against him because the longer the pause is, the more investigators may uncover.
Featured image via Andrew Crowley
By Willem Moore
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