US President Donald Trump said he doesn’t really care about the Iranian national team’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico this year.

Trump’s remarks came in an interview with Politico, where he was asked about Iran’s participation in the upcoming men’s football World Cup:

I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.

Whose fault is that, shithead?

Trump leads unprovoked attack on Iran

Trump’s statement coincided with the escalation of conflict in the Middle East following the US-Israeli attack on Iran last Saturday.

The Iranian national team had qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time. They will begin their campaign against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and conclude the group stage against Egypt in Seattle.

There has been no official announcement from Tehran regarding withdrawal from the tournament, despite the recent military developments. Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj told Iranian state television:

 It is far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope.

However, a final decision has not yet been made. FIFA unveiled the official poster for the tournament on Tuesday, marking 100 days until its start, a move that underscores the ongoing organizational preparations for the edition to be hosted by 16 cities across the three countries.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup remains contingent on developments in the regional landscape in the coming days and the unfolding of the current conflict in the Middle East.

Featured image via the Canary

5 min read4 hr

Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank on Thursday, Mahmood said new rules for people coming to the UK sit between the “extremes” of the Greens and Reform UK.

She also warned Labour MPs who plan to oppose her reforms that failing to secure the borders will result in the “nightmare” of Nigel Farage’s Reform winning power.

“They [the reforms] are not an invitation to the fairytale of open borders as Zack Polanski’s revolutionary Green Party demands, and neither are they the nightmare of Nigel Farage pulling up the drawbridge and shutting out the world, narrowing our proud patriotism into crude ethno-nationalism,” she said in a speech.

As part of the reforms, Mahmood announced that earned settlement would increase from five years to 10, arguing that living in the UK should be a “privilege”. 

“For those who come to this country and want to contribute to our national life, I am clear they should have a path to settlement and ultimately citizenship. But it is essential that the privilege of living in this country is earned, not automatic.”

The Home Secretary also confirmed a series of changes to the asylum system, saying that the current regime  “encourages” asylum seekers to come to Britain. 

“Today, seeking refugee status in Britain is more attractive than other countries in Europe.

“The five-year initial period leads almost automatically to settled status. This means refugee status is in effect permanent from day one. This fact encourages other asylum seekers to pass through other safe countries in pursuit of asylum here.”

The government is using secondary legislation to remove the “duty” to provide asylum support. Refugee status will be reviewed every two and a half years, down from five, and if their home country is deemed safe, they will be returned, following the example of Denmark. 

Today, 100 Labour MPs have signed a letter to the Home Secretary expressing concern about the new restrictions around earned settlement and refugee status, suggesting a significant backbench rebellion is possible.

It was co-ordinated by Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, who said: “We can change our immigration system for the better without forgetting who we are as a Labour Party. You don’t win back public confidence in the asylum system by threatening to forcibly remove refugees who have lived here lawfully for 15 or 20 years. That just breeds insecurity and fractured communities.”

Mahmood announced that migrants seeking settlement must have a clean criminal record, no debt to the taxpayer, a history of work and paying taxes and high standards of English language before they can settle permanently in Britain.

She said that some migrants will be able to qualify for settlement “at or earlier than five years”, including public servants like doctors and nurses, and argued that failing to act would see a “£10bn drain on our public finances”.  

“That figure will be paid for by working people in this country. It will mean ever longer waits for three million people in this country on social housing lists and yet more pressure on our National Health Service. It is an affront to the idea of fairness in our migration system.”

Under the Home Secretary’s plans, families of failed asylum seekers will be paid up to £40,000 to leave the UK voluntarily within seven days or face forced removal. 

Around 150 families are expected to take part in a trial of this policy, with the aim of rolling it out more widely to save up to £20m. 

Mahmood also announced new safe and legal routes, including a “student refugee route” with the first arrivals in autumn 2027. 

“This will be the first in a series of new safe and legal routes, which will include a new work route and the expansion of community sponsorship.”

Mahmood also confirmed that she is suspending visa routes to four countries, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, where abuse of visas “has been unacceptably high”.

Labour’s historic defeat to the Greens at last week’s Gorton and Denton by-election, which saw Keir Starmer’s party fall to third place in a seat it had controlled for over a century, has prompted calls by many Labour MPs for the government to be more progressive to help win back voters.

Some Labour MPs had wanted the government to dilute its planned package of reforms to the immigration system as a way of appealing to more left-wing voters.

However, Mahmood argued that the current asylum system is “eroding trust” with voters, and said that restoring order at the borders is necessary, “not a betrayal” of Labour values. 

“Hard-working people across this country engage in the daily struggle to make ends meet.

“They see a state that they pay taxes towards, yet it is unable to stop the flow of dinghies across the channel. They see a state that is paying billions towards hotels. It doesn’t look fair because it’s not fair, and it erodes their trust in government.”

She added: “It is our creed as a Labour Party that the states can and must be a force for good. Without the trust of citizens in the state, there is no space for Labour values in any part of government to be realised.

“Restoring order and control at the border is not a betrayal of Labour values; it is the necessary condition for a Labour government to achieve anything it hopes to.”

Since Iran’s women’s football team refused to sing the national anthem before a game with Korea on Monday, 2 March, the mainstream media has framed it as a silent act of resistance against the regime.

However, since then, in a game against Australia, the team proudly saluted and sang along to Mehr-e Khavaran.

🚨 Iran salute and sing anthem

The women’s national football team made global headlines after not singing along during their opening Asian Cup fixture ⚽️

Now, they sang along and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their second match 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PIWBgtjXVG

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— DW Sports (@dw_sports) March 5, 2026

And the mainstream media are only telling us what the US and Israel want us to believe. What they don’t want you to know is that the players are struggling to come to terms with the US and Israel illegally bombing their home country.   

Iran’s game against Korea was only one day after the US and Israel murdered Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. Iran lost 3-0, which is no surprise, given that the US and Israel are blowing their home country to smithereens.

According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s team and management have voiced fears for the families back home.

The internet blackout has made it nearly impossible for players or staff to contact anyone

Sara Didar, Iran’s 21-year-old striker, was on the verge of tears as she told reporters:

Obviously, we’re all concerned and we’re sad because of what has happened to Iran and our families and our loved ones.

Bombs don’t help

In a Guardian article, Cyrus Jones claims:

These women [the footballers] are prisoners

Iranian security is up on their floor [of the hotel] at night. They can’t leave their rooms. They can’t use the public bathrooms. They’re monitored when they go for breakfast, when they get on the bus. They’re monitored in a way no other players from other teams are.

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We could not find Cyrus Jones anywhere online, so we will take their comments with a pinch of salt. But the debate about the cost and nature of this attack is urgent. And let’s be clear, this war isn’t ending anytime soon.

The other source is Ara Rasuli. She is a member of the “Iranian diaspora in Australia” and a key contributor to the Women Life Freedom movement. The movement demands the end of the compulsory hijab laws in Iran.

Of course, anything which empowers women with agency and choice is a good thing. But, it cannot be forgotten that white, Western women will take any chance they can get to seize movements which involve Muslim hijabis taking their scarves off. Western Orientalism is obsessed with turning Muslim women into passive symbols, who once they shed their scarves, shed patriarchy along with it.

Such viewpoints must be viewed with suspicion, and require contextualising. Unfortunately, the Guardian has only shown one viewpoint – and completely ignored and disregarded the grief and heartache the Iranian players must be feeling as they watch the US and Israel bomb their country.

As author Trita Parsi explained when discussing BBC bias:

I was on BBC last night, following a clip with voices from Iran. All the selected voices welcomed war, saying they cheered every time they heard an explosion. Those views exist. But when you ONLY air those voices, you are doing war propaganda.

Bombing cannot bring freedom

Essentially, the Guardian framed the story as “these women are prisoners”, anti-regime, and pro-US attacks. But as Irene Montero, Spain’s MEP, said – when has any woman ever been freed by American bombs or illegal aggression?

It’s never happened. Not in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Lebanon. And it will not help in Iran, either.

You do not free women, or anyone else for that matter, by bombing them, or their families, or their livelihoods to pieces. You simply make them hate the people bombing them, and it’s not going to be any different this time around.

Featured image via Football Australia/ YouTube

The lead negotiator from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal told Sky News that there is no way Iran could have been two weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb.

‘This is not intelligence, this is fabrication’

Robert Malley, the lead negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, tells @SkyYaldaHakim: ‘There’s no way that Iran would have been two weeks away from developing a bomb’

Iran latest: https://t.co/fcwiwnqYSb

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 pic.twitter.com/zy4F7dLN2W

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— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 4, 2026

He said:

It’s not intelligence, it’s pure fabrication.

He also said that Iran does not currently have a structured programme in place to build a bomb.

Then he added:

Even the most alarmist predictions before the 12-day war were that Iran was at least 6 months to a year away from having a bomb, and that was if they dashed to a bomb, and before Israel and the US had attacked.

It’s not intelligence, it’s a creation of American politicians’ minds.

It’s not uncommon for Western leaders to lie about their reasons for invading countries in the global majority.

So the serial warmongers and oil thieves lied again about their reasons for invading the country with the third highest oil reserves in the world? Very interesting list this. Seems to be a strong correlation between oil reserves & perceived threats from said state! pic.twitter.com/D02paVGBUC

— Lalo Escőbar (@razor5edge) March 4, 2026

Whether it’s lies about drugs in Venezuela, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or now nuclear weapons in Iran – it’s all bullshit.

‘Fabrication’ folks. ‘FABRICATION’
Iraq weapons of mass destruction. Remember that? Did you fall for it again?
Are you scrambling for anything that might fill that gap in your internal narrative. You maybe suffering from
Donner-Kruger itis.
Your ignorance is murdering people. https://t.co/qlxB9Jccv8

— liam cunningham (@liamcunningham1) March 5, 2026

Zionists are good at two things and two things only – lying and playing the victim.

Not intelligence,it’s fabrication from Zionist mind https://t.co/54dNx92tNW

— uni 🕸 (@o1wa12) March 5, 2026

Israel has been telling us the same shit for years.

‘Iran is only 4 weeks 3 days away from nuclear bombs’ in 2003

‘Iran is only 8 days from nuclear bombs’ in 2018

‘Iran is only 2 months away from a nuclear bomb’ in 2026 https://t.co/YlAHcckaQw pic.twitter.com/YHmy1rraWY

— brown man (@AiemenRazieq) March 3, 2026

Of course, Iran is not close to building a nuclear weapon, like they haven’t been for the last 25 years. The US will take any excuse it can get to bully black and brown people.

We know – we’ve been hearing the same shit for decades. The US just needed to kill and bully ppl. https://t.co/HWz1Z738jf

— Oscar J (@OscarJ43943261) March 4, 2026

Iran is being made into Iraq 2.0

Remember when they told us the same lies about Iraq?

Well, that bullshit was made up by an Iraqi defector who wanted to bring down Saddam Hussein. The US then used those lies about ‘bioweapons’ to justify the large-scale and destructive invasion of Iraq.

Remember this?
“[Intelligence] concludes that Iraq has chemical and biological weapons, that Saddam has continued to produce them, that he has existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be activated within 45 minutes.” https://t.co/WbQxrJ2viS

— gathara (@gathara) March 5, 2026

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They use the same playbook every single time. They’re not even smart enough to come up with something new.

Same lies they told about Iraq https://t.co/AljCnfVVsW

— Chris87 (@ChrisATFC87) March 4, 2026

“WMD” all over again https://t.co/njj9NLtTUg

— Shant (@ShantDotMe) March 5, 2026

How many times is the US willing to go to war for Israel?

Once again the US is at war for Israel under a fake claim of weapons of mass destruction. https://t.co/O6zdJC7ivw

— Frank Wright (@frankwrighter) March 4, 2026

And why are we even surprised a pedophile is lying again?

So pedophile President @realDonaldTrump lied again https://t.co/HWQjvRI7zb

— Paul Dowson (@PaulDowson89788) March 5, 2026

Trump is full of shit. So is Netanyahu – and whilst some people are starting to see through the repeated lies and fabrications, a large proportion of the West is still believing every word that comes out of their genocidal mouths.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the mainstream media are parroting the lies of the US and Israel – but at this point, that’s what we expect. But until the media and Western politicians grow a backbone, nothing is going to change.

Featured image via Sky News/YouTube

Today, 5 March, home secretary Shabana Mahmood delivered a speech on immigration to left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research. She sought to argue for the ‘Labour case’ for gutting the UK asylum system.

In amongst the now-typical guff about public fear over ‘uncontrolled’ immigration, Mahmood also slipped in a new escalation of her party’s racist anti-immigrant turn. Namely, if an asylum seeker works illegally, or otherwise breaks the law, Labour plans to remove support payments and turn them out of their accommodation.

Because a sudden increase in now-homeless asylum seekers will definitely reduce public fear.

Removing support

In amongst her boasts about Labour’s new visa pause and degrading refugee protections to a temporary status, Mahmood explained her newest plans:

So this government will today introduce new, secondary legislation which will remove the duty to provide asylum support, replacing it with a power to do so.

Those who require it, and play by the rules, will rightly continue to receive asylum support. But those who do not will have their support removed.

The generosity of the British people will become conditional on those seeking asylum following the law, living by our rules, and not working illegally.

Taxpayer-funded accommodation will be reserved for those who have no right to work, and will otherwise be destitute.

For context, we might want to take a look at why those asylum seekers are working illegally. After all, the home secretary has been banging on about how generous the government is with its handouts.

According to charity the Refugee Council:

So, asylum seekers will now be faced with a choice between trying to survive well below the poverty line in government accommodation, or turning to illegal work and potentially being thrown out altogether.

It obviously won’t work

Accordingly, the Refugee Council pointed out that this would lead to an increase in rough sleeping. As such, the cost of the accommodation would simply be shifted to local councils and the health service. This seems obvious, given that if you take away people’s homes, they become homeless people.

The charity’s director of external affairs, Imran Hussain, suggested that making asylum decisions faster would be “far more effective” in slashing costs. Again, this makes sense, given that, as Mahmood highlighted:

Last year alone, £4 billion was spent on asylum accommodation.

If only something could be done to make temporary asylum accommodations into a short-term solution, ay?

However, Labour aren’t actually looking to fix the UK’s broken asylum system. Rather, they’re trying to appear ‘tough on immigration’ in a futile attempt to court the far-right. 

Mahmood had the gall to state that:

And when fearful, people turn inwards. Their vision of this country narrows. Their patriotism turns into something smaller, something darker; an ethno-nationalism emerges. The idea of a greater Britain gives way to the lure of a littler England. And other voices […] take hold.

As if her party isn’t blatantly capitulating to that nationalism by joining in far-right rhetoric.

Swinging for the Greens

Speaking of which, the home secretary also used her speech as an opportunity to take another swing at the Greens. Because, you know, Labour genuinely have no other plan after getting their ass handed to them in Gorton and Denton.

A Green Party spokesperson pointed out that Mahmood was:

deliberately misrepresenting Green Party Policy and reducing it to cheap soundbites.

Now, the government’s website removes inter-party attacks from its records of officials’ speeches. This leaves us with some terribly on-the-nose lines like:

Our asylum system is [political content redacted].

It also means that we have to rely on the BBC for the content of the redactions. Fortunately, the state broadcaster informs us that:

Mahmood will use the speech to step up her attacks on the Greens, accusing the party of wanting to create “a world without borders” and calling for “the most expensive and expansive migration policies anywhere in the world”.

Hope is dangerous

The faithful stenographer of the state also helpfully points out that the Green website says it will “treat all migrants as if they are citizens” and “dismantle the Home Office”. It conveniently left out the other half of Mahmood’s creative quote:

The Green Party wants to see a world without borders, until this happens the Green Party will implement a fair and humane system of managed immigration where people can move if they wish to do so.

Fuck them for wanting to work toward a better world, am I right?

Mahmood’s speech today showed two things quite clearly. First and foremost, there is no depth to which Labour won’t stoop in order to try to woo the right.

And second, Labour is clearly rattled. Gorton and Denton shook them to the core, and they have no answers. The coming months will see more of this rightward swerve, and more desperate attacks on the left-wing alternative. And, just like the rest of Labour’s new plans – they won’t work.

Featured image via the Canary

Indian Opposition Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government over America’s fatal strike on an Iranian vessel, IRIS Dena. The strike occurred as it was sailing through the Indian Ocean.

Kharge accused Modi of a “reckless abdication” of India’s national interests following. He emphasised that the ship was a returning guest from India’s International Fleet Review 2026 and was unarmed. Initially, there was no response from prime minister Modi.

Modi Govt’s reckless abdication of India’s strategic & national interests is there for all to see.

An Iranian ship, a guest of India was returning, unarmed from the International Fleet Review 2026, hosted by us, and was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

No…

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— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 5, 2026

Only after opposition started mounting, did the government respond, and even then, it was meagre.The Foreign Secretary was the only official pictured signing the Condolence Book at the Iranian Embassy in a formal gesture of respect.

As Maktoob Media reported:

India’s Foreign Secretary signs condolence book for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has signed the condolence book for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Embassy in Delhi, amidst growing criticism against the Modi government’s silence on the US-Israel attack on Iran.

India’s Foreign Secretary signs condolence book for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has signed the condolence book for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Embassy in Delhi, amidst growing criticism against the Modi government’s… pic.twitter.com/8u29HvIMwO

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— Maktoob (@MaktoobMedia) March 5, 2026

Meanwhile, American and Trump-aligned media outlets have been celebrating the cowardly attack, thumping their chests in glee.

Hegseth, who has said the war is being fought for Jesus, was gloating to reporters. In fact, he was admitting that they had:

 sunk an Iranian war ship that thought it was safe in international waters.

Instead it was sunk by a torpedo, a quiet death – the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the war department, we are fighting to win.

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He said the ship was:

ineffective, decimated, destroyed…pick your adjective, it is no more.

Murder of Indian guests and Modi’s silence

Professor Priyamvada Gopal questioned India’s legal standing in the face of such an attack, given Modi’s claim that India is the ‘guardian of the Indian Ocean.’

What about the Indian hosts of the Iranian ship on whose doorstep this happened? The self-proclaimed ‘guardian of the Indian Ocean’? Now a weak US vassal state. What terrible fall. https://t.co/RJOxDqBiNC

— Priyamvada Gopal © (@PriyamvadaGopal) March 5, 2026

Esha Krishnaswamy, the host of Historic.ly podcast, said that India wasn’t sovereign, insinuating that it had capitulated to the US and Israel.

Today, India showed that it isn’t an actual Sovereign country

— Esha K (@eshaLegal) March 5, 2026

Anand Mangnale, an Indian journalist said that the absence of any statement from the Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Navy, or PM signified a failure in diplomatic and defence policy.

This is the same vessel that the US torpedoed. Off the coast of India. It was a GUEST of India visiting for a Naval exercise.

What did @Jaishankar @rajnathsingh @indiannavy & @narendramodi have to say about it?
NOTHING. SILENCE.
Never has Indian Foreign & Defence policy been… https://t.co/WVZJrO4obR

— Anand Mangnale (@FightAnand) March 5, 2026

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Journalist Barkha Dutt shared satellite footage of IRIS Dena participating in multilateral naval exercises held in India’s eastern port city of Visakhapatnamised on 19 February 2026. She expressed horror at the fact that those onboard had likely all been killed.

To watch this is chilling. To think that most of these sailors are now likely dead, killed by a US strike on a ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, who were part of naval exerises reviewed by President Murmu a fornight ago. The war reaches our backyard. https://t.co/sK5fgjGpqY

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 4, 2026

Some pointed out that even Modi’s loyal supporters were turning on him.

Commenting on this, SOAS-based academic Subir Sinha wrote:

First @Zakka_Jacob. Then Kanwal and the other Sibal. And now @ShivAroor, who used to abuse and block people for people criticising his fawning coverage of Modi’s bombastic claims on security and foreign policy! The worms are turning! https://t.co/TcfidC9pJl

— Subir Sinha (@PoMoGandhi) March 5, 2026

So, when is Modi’s statement coming? Maybe never or far too late. The damage is done. However, we can clearly see where his loyalties lie. They are with the US and Israel, not India.

Featured image via the Canary

The UK Israel lobby is intensifying its pursuit of UN Special Rapporteur for occupied Palestine Francesca Albanese.

Witch-hunt hysteria

Notorious Israel lobbyist-turned-MP Luke Akehurst is laying the ground for a renewed attack on Albanese, calling for backing from the Starmer regime.

On 20 February, Akehurst asked if the Foreign Office to join in demands for the resignation of Albanese.

Zionist minister Chris Elmore responded yesterday saying, yes, the UK is making representations to the UN against Albanese and demanding “action” against her to — an undoubtedly Orwellian move. See his full response below.

4 March 2026. Along with several other countries, we have raised concerns about a series of comments made by the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ministers have raised these concerns directly with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the UK has asked that the comments of the Special Rapporteur be urgently investigated against the Code of Conduct for her post, and for action to be taken to restore the confidence of the international community in the independence and objectivity of this important role.

Israel’s number one defender

Before Labour parachuted him in as an MP, Akehurst ran “We Believe in Israel,” an offshoot of Britain Israel Communications and Research Center (BICOM) — another  lobby group. He also ran Labour First, a right-wing pressure group behind the worst attacks on the left. In 2023, Akehurst also helped infamous pro-Israel stalker Luke Stanger escape expulsion from the Labour party.

Trevor Chinn, a pro-Israel fanatic and megadonor, who sits on BICOM’s executive, has donated thousands to one Chris Elmore, Foreign Office minister. Elmore is also a parliamentary supporter of the racist lobby group Labour Friends of Israel. In 2025, he had a  meltdown with Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald, who at the time supported a Jeremy Corbyn-proposed ‘ten minute rule’ bill, demanding an inquiry into the UK’s collaboration in Israel’s genocide.

Albanese remains louder than ever

The Israel lobby has tried for years to silence UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestine, Francesca Albanese. She has been an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian people and has repeatedly condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza – in the face of staggering silence from Western powers. Still, these orchestrated efforts have also failed. This includes an attempt earlier this year to prevent her re-accreditation to the position. The move was overwhelmingly rejected by UN member states on the United Nations Human Rights Council, who backed Albanese.

The Trump regime has also targeted the UN official with vicious, wide-ranging sanctions.

If anything, US hostility has amplified her voice for Palestinians and against genocide. However, as the Akehurst-Elmore exchange makes clear, the Israel lobby has not given up trying to remove her – using the Starmer regime as their latest springboard.

Featured image via the Canary 

The head of the Carers Allowance inquiry has told MPs that there is a ‘force of resistance’ in the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Liz Sayce was giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee session on what the department has done since her review.

Spoiler: it’s sweet fuck all.

DWP “minimising” problem, says Sayce

Sayce told the committee that rather than own up to their problems and attempt to do better, the DWP has instead attempted to “minimise” the problem. She also said the department had been focused on deflecting blame.

Chair of the committee, Debbie Abrahams, asked Sayce what she thought the DWPs progress had been like, since the carer’s allowance issue was first revealed in 2018.

While Sayce acknowledged that small improvements happened, she skewered the DWP:

What didn’t happen was there was no overarching plan to address the recommendations that the [2019 Work and Pensions] committee made, ensure that the issues and really the injustices that carers had faced with overpayments and nobody senior tracking it

Sayce’s review finally made it clear that the DWP’s ‘systemic’ issues were to blame for many carers being overpaid and that no blame lay at individual carers’ feet. However, just days after her review was published, a senior DWP figure published a blogpost still blaming carers.

Neil Couling wrote:

Incidentally what has been missed in all the [media] coverage is that this error (and hands up we made it and we will put it right) affects only a relatively small number of cases and wasn’t the cause of the original complaint. Because at the heart of the overpayment issues in CA is a failure to report changes of circumstances

Speaking about Couling’s blogpost she said:

I was really distressed by that blog, as I am sure many people were. Because what you were hoping for from senior people at that point was to really share with colleagues across the department the seriousness of this – what has been learned, what is going to be put right. Not attempt to minimise or again place a responsibility back on the carers, as if it was their fault.

Culture of ‘resistance’ in DWP

She then went on to talk about the culture of the DWP as a whole:

When I was doing the review, I found people at different levels who were serious about wanting to improve things, including front line officials. And since then I can see that there are some people who are really wanting to learn and wanting to make change

But there’s also these almost sort of forces of resistance, which which worry me, and it’s about culture.

Sayce did say, however, that it was heartening to see ministers and the permanent secretary refuting Couling’s claims.

She said she thought there was a ‘job to be done’ to ensure everyone across the DWP. Which lined Abrahams up nicely to ask what Sayce thought that ‘job’ should involve.

In her answer, Sayce threw shade at senior officials like Couling:

Culture change is a difficult thing, isn’t it? But I think the first thing is that the there needs to be a modeling from senior people across the department about the importance of learning, the importance of getting things right for the people who are claiming the benefits

Hypocrisy

Sayce also called out the hypocrisy of the department penalising claimants for not responding quickly enough when they have excessive wait times. Asked by Joanna Baxter if she thinks the DWP customer charter for carer’s allowance is enough, she said:

One of the things that came through in the review was that sometimes, maybe for understandable reasons, the DWP didn’t respond very promptly. Somebody would communicate, and they didn’t get a response in a swift timescale, but they were expected to respond within specified timelines.

She continued:

The charter says something like… ‘we’ll reply as soon as we can’ So then you think, well, can the carer reply as soon as they can? There should be a kind of reciprocal rights and responsibilities here

She also raised the issue that while the DWP have contracted out the helplines jobs to bring down wait times, those on the end of the phone aren’t experts. So customers then have to wait for someone actually within the department to get back to them, which can often get lost. Sayce said this is something that also needs to have better regulations.

Speaking about staff, Sayce said that’s why she felt senior members of staff had perhaps brushed the issue under the carpet:

I felt that sometimes there was a kind of effort to almost minimise what had gone wrong to reassure staff that they hadn’t done anything. And actually that’s the wrong thing to do. As a leader in such a circumstance what you need to do, I think, is to own the problem, explain why the system wasn’t right.

DWP culture needs demolishing

Finally speaking about the culture again, she said more needed to be done by senior figures

I think it’s important with culture change to understand where you’re at, to understand what you’re doing, to shift the culture and to track it. The senior team needs to be on that case. It needs to be a bit more systematic than just good intent.

Sayce is right, that more needs to be done to change the culture in the DWP. But when they’ve had so many chances to improve, it’s hard to be as positive as her that they actually want to.

The DWP is a department entrenched in demonising poor and disabled people. For a positive culture shift to happen it needs to be completely stripped back to the bare bones and built again from the ground up. As a department that wants to actually support those who need it, not work against them.

Featured image via the Canary