Politics
Taoiseach Martin’s weak response to his predecessor’s vile racism
Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin has responded tepidly to appallingly bigoted remarks by his predecessor Bertie Ahern on a voter’s doorstep. The voter recorded the ex-Fianna Fáil leader saying he didn’t approve of Africans entering Ireland, and vilifying the next generation of Muslims who he said were set to cause “problems.”
Instead of condemning Ahern’s overt racism and Islamophobia, Martin said the remarks were “not appropriate,” “correct, or proper” — a slap on the wrist at best.
Ahern vomited out the racist sentiments while canvassing for Fianna Fáil in the run-up to a Dublin Central bye-election, scheduled for 22 May. The woman recording wasn’t trying to catch out the former Taoiseach. If anything, she can be heard muttering comically incoherent xenophobic beliefs in a lengthy rant. She said:
I’m really disappointed in you and your party and all the other parties on the globalism, hordes of foreigners coming into our country. Can we not close our borders?
Can we not be like Poland and have safe clean streets. Can we not have that, Bertie?
She then swiftly changed her mind, and decided that Ireland did in fact have:
…lovely streets now with bicycle lanes. That’s great for the homeless to sleep on.
This will be a boon to urban planners, who may not have realised that cycle lanes apparently make great dormitories for people without shelter. We can seemingly achieve greener transportation and solve the housing crisis all at once, using a narrow strip of tarmac. More fool them for not realising there’s no better place for a kip than a spot which might see you becoming an impromptu speed bump for a 30kg piece of metal on wheels.
Backing Ukrainian but not African migration
Ahern made it clear he had no issue with immigration, as long as those coming in are the right colour:
I have no problem with the Ukrainians. Because, you know, in fairness, Russia moved in and war in their country.
He wasn’t so keen on people with more melanin, however:
The ones I worry about are the Africans. I agree with you on the Africans. We can’t be taking in people from the Congo and all these places. I think there’s too many from those places.
Now, one might say old Bertie cited the Ukraine war as the reason for the discrepancy. That might sound fine until we remember there’s a hardly discussed war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). One driven by resource conflict over the minerals that power technology such as smartphones. Wealthier nations that extensively consuming this technology bear a large responsibility — including Ireland. When people flee the DRC as a result of the violence, we have a responsibility to take in those seeking refuge.
Ahern’s ugly views of Muslims were also clear, with him saying:
The Muslims…I don’t worry about this generation. The next generation when the kids start growing up, that’s when I think the problem would be. I said this to Jim O’Callaghan. That’s when the problem comes.
It’s bad enough that the former leader of the Irish government holds these views. It’s more concerning that he appears to be trying to influence policy by speaking to minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan.
Doorstep conversation exposes Irish politics
The discussion was quite revealing of the current zeitgeist in Irish politics, as the woman’s rant took in republican elements, the citing of genuine issues, alongside the confused racist shite with which she sought to apportion blame.
She referenced how Ireland had “only been free for 100 years,” and now supposedly overrun by foreigners again. Later she cited 1916 revolutionary Patrick Pearse, executed by Britain, as saying “Ireland belongs to the Irish”. This is an anti-colonial quote aimed at the British, now being repurposed by the Irish far right for anti-migrant purposes. This disingenuous leveraging of Irish freedom fighters is apparently achieving some cut-through among voters.
The genuine issues she identified were housing:
I’m worried about my kids because they’re never going to be able to buy a house…
Emigration due to the cost of living:
…our taxpayers are paying for the education of the youth and they’re having to leave.
Finally, inequality. As Ahern walked away, she said:
God forgive you. God forgive you. You never spoke up for us. You’re walking around here lying to everyone. You’re a liar. You’re a liar. We never do that. And you have all your money. When you die you can’t bring your money with you.
Ahern was of course forced to leave Fianna Fáil in 2012 as a result of:
…failing to truthfully explain the source of large sums of money that passed through his bank accounts.
People Before Profit hammer Martin
These funds were linked to property developers, bringing us full circle back to the disaster of housing in Ireland. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy pointed this out to Martin’s face in the Dáil, saying it’s:
…very blatant what the agenda is. Scapegoat immigrants, divide ordinary people. Why? So nobody blames Bertie Ahern, Fianna Fáil and the landlords and developers you have allowed to profit from the housing crisis.
People from the Congo didn’t take corrupt payments from developers to blow up the property bubble. They were never found by a tribunal to have been untruthful in explaining how 400,000 euros in today’s money pass through their bank accounts.
Muslim children didn’t crash the economy causing years of misery and austerity for ordinary people. Unlike Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael, they never rolled out the red carpet for developers and vulture funds.
They weren’t the ones who sowed the seeds of the current housing disaster and they weren’t the ones who refused to maintain council flats and then voted to increase council rents.
This is the straightforward message that needs to get out to voters like the woman confronting Ahern beside the flaking paint of her front door.
It isn’t “Sharia law” and Congolese people harming Ireland. It’s the likes of greedy developers and landlords, alongside politicians such as Ahern and Martin who are only too happy to do their bidding.
Featured image via the Canary
Angela Rayner has been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness by HMRC, according to the Guardian. Coincidentally, this ‘redeeming’ news for Rayner comes just in the nick of time as her former boss’ position appears increasingly untenable.
As a result, likely runners Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham look set to face another contender. Nonetheless, it hardly feels like any of these contenders will actually provide any real difference to the public at large.
After all, they have all been perfectly happy to sell out their principles to get closer to power – that isn’t likely to change when the next job offers even more power.
As we all well know from the numerous examples we’ve seen over the years: power corrupts.
EXCL: Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, paving the way for a potential leadership bid if Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels.
The former DPM has settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty, but has not paid any…
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) May 14, 2026
Rayner will ‘play her part’ in making Starmer step aside
According to the Guardian’s political editor, Rayner has cleared her stamp duty debt of £40k but has not received any penalties from the HMRC for failing to pay it in the first place. Apparently, this is likely to make her a hopeful in the upcoming – likely fiery – leadership battle for the job of PM after they inevitably oust Starmer.
Journalist Pippa Crerar posted on X:
HMRC was also satisfied there was no tax avoidance.
Rayner tells me she was “bruised” by whole experience because of intrusion into her disabled son’s personal life, but also because it had appeared as though she was “in it for myself” rather than on the side of ordinary people.
Rayner indicated she may run in event of a contest as she would “play my part” and that she understood why Labour MPs were so upset following last week’s election crushing. She said Starmer should “reflect on” stepping aside.
Whilst Labour MPs are clambering to distance themselves from Starmer, it is hard to ignore the fact that many of these same MPs have had no issue up until now with the PM’s leadership.
Rayner, more specifically, had been seen as a genuine advocate for working class people in years gone by. Nevertheless, her apparent comfort to back down on her principles, and her sense of humanity, has not gone unnoticed.
For instance, despite full solidarity having been offered to her constituent – a Palestinian man – before entering government, he was later seen being forcibly removed from a public event. This followed an appeal to Angela Rayner for help and compassion after multiple members of his family were murdered by Zionist Israel.
Heartbreaking moment Dalloul al-Neder confronts Angela Rayner about his family who died in Gaza.@NadiaWhittomeMP reacts on the new Pod Save the UK with @cocobyname & @MrNishKumar. Listen here: https://t.co/0G12rmurTr#PodSaveTheUK pic.twitter.com/E7BWdXZ5Lj
— Pod Save the UK (@podsavetheuk) February 2, 2024
Rayner – where has your voice been?
The Morning Star reported at the time:
Dalloul al-Neder, who has lost his mother, brother, pregnant sister-in-law and two nieces during bombing in December, confronted Ms Rayner during the fundraising event at the Village Hotel in Cheadle.
“I lost my family in Gaza,” Mr Neder began as Ms Rayner looked on.“Why did you not demand a ceasefire?”
He was dragged away seconds after his intervention by a police officer.
Another protester shouted: “Fifteen thousand children and women are dead: where has your voice been?
“You call yourself a modern-day feminist? I don’t think so. Women are having to use scraps, tents, for sanitary towels.”
Therefore, it is surely pretty clear – as it is to the electorate – that any of these Labour MPs running for leadership might change the face at the top, but their priorities will unlikely change in practice.
Many in the UK also see the futility in any of the leadership ‘hopefuls’ for Labour:
Labour are finished, neoliberalism should never have been the guiding light for Starmer’s change’ schtick. — EuropeanPowell (@EuropeanPowell) May 10, 2026
Now they are paying the price.
Rayner was all for a free Palestine, but quickly threw her principles out of the window.
Burnham was already blocked over becoming an MP by…
The post above finishes:
Chaos, treachery, U-turns, the Epstein saga, McSweeney, Palantir, Blackrock, supporting genocide, purging the left, punching down instead of up.
Labour are finished, watch them tear each other apart in their death throes.
Join the Green Party, the only truly viable party of the left.
We can’t keep doing the same thing and somehow expect a different outcome
We know by now that the Labour political elite are all more focused on bending to powerful people, rather than effectively defending and championing the ever-eroding civil rights and freedoms of ordinary people. Following Starmer’s purge of socialist, anti-Zionists from the Labour Party, this really was inevitable. Rayner may have been more loyal to working class people – but she could have done far better.
As a result, this misplaced priority is dragging the country further into decline. The rich and powerful may be capable of weathering instability and uncertainty. However, that burden becomes increasingly unbearable for poor people across the UK.
Therefore, it is essential that people don’t buy into the misleading portrayals of these MPs as somehow different to their soon-to-be predecessor as PM. They, too, have shown they are perfectly happy to sell out their principles, and their constituents, for the right price.
British people deserve far better than the political class corrupting and subverting our democracy.
Featured image via the Canary
Keir Starmer has abandoned his pre-election promise to ban trophy hunting imports. Animal rights campaigners are not happy.
Considering the pressure tactics Starmer used against the Tories to ban this disgusting practice, he has, in a political sleight of hand, folded to the US pro-hunting lobby.
Starmer’s spine needs checking
Trophy hunting is a vile sport which needs eradicating. Wankers who, more often than not, are wealthy, pay thousands to kill wild animals to satiate their weird bloodlust.
Once they’ve massacred innocent animals, said wankers keep the severed heads, hides, and feet like some kind of votive offerings. Because nothing says comfort like a stuffed giraffe hanging over you as you watch the TV. Fucking weirdos.
The proposed law — otherwise known as the UK Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill — aimed to stop British hunters from bringing animal parts home as if they were souvenirs. It would have ushered in a zero-tolerance police of this archaic hunter-gatherer-behaviour which endangers at-risk species.
But Labour quietly dropped the policy, hoping we wouldn’t notice. The issue was also conspicuously absent from the King’s speech, which may suggest it will not feature in the upcoming parliamentary agenda. No timeline, no start date from Labour — in it’s typical signature U-turn.
Before the election, Labour MPs made a point of attacking the Conservative government for dragging its feet on the issue. But let’s be honest, Labour, under Starmer, has completely folded under international pressure.
The Trump administration leaned on the DEFRA and it crumbled
The Trump-led US government heavily lobbied the UK to drop the ban. It should come as no surprise from a man who viciously protected the right to bear arms. US secretary of the interior Doug Burgum wrote to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, asking Labour to drop the bill.
Burgum claimed the ban would undermine conservation and disrupt cultural traditions. This, I struggle with because how the fuck will stopping rich people having tiger skin rugs undermine conservation? And if your cultural tradition is slaughtering an innocent animal to get your rocks off, I’d say it’s a tradition that belongs in the fucking bin. The US hunting lobby previously spent £1m fighting UK restrictions.
Instead of standing up to Washington and it’s gun-loving lobby, Starmer’s spine melted into oblivion and he caved.
British hunters import body parts of endangered species
The government is ignoring its own citizens to please foreign billionaires. Over 90% of British people find trophy hunting disgusting. Whilst our so-called ministers stall, our British billionaires are out there slaughtering endangered species.
Eduardo Goncalves, the founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, blasted the delay. He stated that the bill is sat there waiting for ministers to get on with it. And yet, they have quietly shelved all plans, much to the public’s dismay.
New research shows that blood thirsty British hunters brought back 118 body parts from giraffes between 2020 and 2024. They’ve become Britain’s most hunted trophy animal, even as they face a silent extinction.
Many subspecies of giraffe are now critically endangered, such as the Masai and Reticulated giraffe. Yet British hunters continue to murder these defenceless creatures, just so they can display their corpses in their stately homes.
UK imports of lion trophies skyrocketed from two in 2022 to 28 in 2023. It may seem like small numbers, but the fact is it is growing. Now, please tell me how the fuck this is helping conservation efforts? Trophies from 39 endangered species were shipped to our shores in 2023. That’s three times the amount from the year before.
Claire Bass, director at Humane World for Animals UK, slammed the decision, arguing that the US government is attempting to wield power over a British decision.
The Labour party has shown it lacks the spine to defend animals from bloodthirsty rich elites. By burying the bill, the government has once again shown it’s promises mean fuck all when faced with American pressure.
Featured image via the Canary
By Antifabot
Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, saying it is now clear that Keir Starmer will not “lead the Labour Party into the next general election.”
Streeting, who has headed the Department of Health and Social Care since the 2024 general election, described the 2026 local and devolved parliament elections as “unprecedented”.
In his resignation letter, the leading Labour MP said that the rise of nationalism in all corners of Britain represented “an existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom”.
He wrote: “Progressives across our country understand this threat and our responsibility to confront it, but they are increasingly losing faith that the Labour Party is capable of rising to our historic responsibility of defeating racism and offering hope that Britain’s best days lie ahead through social democracy.”
MDU warns Chancellor clinical negligence system ‘not fit for purpose’
Northern Ireland RE curriculum is ‘indoctrination’ – Supreme Court
Streeting further accused Starmer of presiding over a period of “drift”.
He called on the prime minister to oversee a leadership contest and for a future election to be a “battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.”
Read Streeting’s resignation letter in full.
Dear prime minister,
The results are in and I am pleased to report that I have delivered against the ambitious targets you set for me when I became your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Today’s figures confirm that we surpassed our waiting times target despite strikes, and that waiting lists fell by 110,000 in March- the biggest monthly drop outside of Covid since 2008 – meaning that we are on track to achieve the fastest improvement in NHS waiting times in history.
The only question that matters in government is whether we leave our successors a better situation than we inherited. Ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes are now the fastest in five years. A&E waiting times are improving, with four-hour waiting figures also the best in five years. We’ve recruited 2,000 more GPs and satisfaction has risen from 60 per cent to 74.5 percent since we came to office. We hit our target of recruiting 8,500 mental health staff three years early. We’ve achieved this at the same as balancing the books for the first time in nine years and smashing the 2 per cent NHS productivity target by achieving 2.8 per cent, which means the investment we’re putting in goes further and that the public can have greater confidence that their money is being well-spent.
None of this would have been achieved without the brilliant leadership team of ministers, officials, and special advisers we have established in the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS – superbly led by Samantha Jones and Sir Jim Mackey, who has been a knight in shining armour and a brilliant leader of 1.5 million staff upon whom all this success depends.
The National Health Service is the embodiment of all that is best about Britain and our values. Thanks to our Labour government, it is on the road to recovery: lots done, but so much more to do.
These are all good reasons for me to remain in post, but as you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so.
Last week’s election results were unprecedented – both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure. For the first time in our country’s history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom – including a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK. This represents both an existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom, but Reform UK also represent a threat to the values and ideals that have made this country great. Progressives across our country understand this threat and our responsibility to confront it, but they are increasingly losing faith that the Labour Party is capable of rising to our historic responsibility of defeating racism and offering hope that Britain’s best days lie ahead through social democracy.
There is no doubt that the unpopularity of this Government was a major and common factor in our defeats across England, Scotland and Wales. Good Labour people lost through no fault of their own. There are many reasons we could point to: from individual mistakes on policy like the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance to the “island of strangers” speech, all of which have left the country not knowing who we are or what we really stand for.
You have many great strengths that I admire. You led our party to a victory few thought possible in 2024 and I was proud to fight alongside you in the trenches of that campaign. You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage – not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran.
But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.
As a member of your government, I know better than most that governing is hard. It should be, because it matters. There are enormous challenges facing this country. For the first time in our history the next generation faces a worse inheritance than the last. We have wars raging in Europe and the Middle East that are making our challenges harder, not easier. We are in the foothills of a technological industrial revolution that has huge implications for every aspect of our lives – not least the future of work. It is not clear whether democracy or tyranny will define the 21st century. After the financial crisis, austerity, the disaster of Brexit, Liz Truss, the covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and now the war in Iran, the country needs to believe again that things can be better than this and that politics is part of the answer, not the source of the problem. These are big challenges that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering.
It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism. It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.
Serving as your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been the greatest joy of my life and, regardless of our differences this week, I remain truly grateful to you for the opportunity to serve and I am deeply saddened to be leaving government in this way.
Yours sincerely,
Wes Streeting
Rail union RMT will ballot members at Heavy Haul Rail Ltd for industrial action. This is after the company refused to rule out compulsory redundancies and pressed ahead with sweeping restructuring plans.
The union says the employer is seeking to cut jobs, merge grades and impose revised job descriptions. This will range across control, rosters, TOPS, train planning, administration and management grades.
Heavy Haul Rail only came into existence at the start of 2026, following a buyout of part of the Freightliner business.
RMT warns the company is asking members to take on extra duties and flexibility without any guarantee of additional pay. Also, members may have to relocate hundreds of miles away.
Heavy Haul Rail supports critical infrastructure building programmes, as well as renewal and maintenance work on Network Rail. It has rejected the union’s call for a no compulsory redundancy agreement.
The company has also dismissed proposals to protect existing roster clerk jobs and mitigate further redundancies in the crucial function of controller grades.
Bosses are trying to load extra duties onto staff, including control and delay attribution work, while refusing to guarantee they will be properly paid for it.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said:
Heavy Haul Rail is trying to force through job cuts, merged grades and extra duties while refusing to guarantee no compulsory redundancies.
Our members keep this operation running and they will not accept attacks on their jobs, pay and conditions.
The company’s proposals are unworkable, damaging to the business and completely unacceptable.
We will ballot our members for industrial action and we will be urging them to send a clear message to the employer that they will not accept these proposals.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Wes Streeting leaves No 10 on Wednesday (Alamy)
2 min read
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has resigned from the cabinet and is expected to trigger a leadership contest
The resignation comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future looks increasingly fraught amid resignations and calls from those in government for him to resign following a disastrous set of local elections in which the party lost 1,500 council seats.
Streeting met with Starmer in Downing Street on Wednesday morning, leaving No 10 after just 16 minutes. The Times reported that Streeting had told the Prime Minister that he was preparing to challenge him for the leadership.
It was later widely reported that Streeting was expected to resign as soon as Thursday morning and fire the gun on a leadership election.
As of Wednesday, four ministers had resigned from government, including health minister Zubir Ahmed, who is a close ally of Streeting.
He was preceded by faith and communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, Home Office minister Jess Phillips and Ministry of Justice minister Alex-Davies Jones.
On Wednesday, PoliticsHome reported that junior minister Josh MacAlister, Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, had told the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure.
At the time of writing, more than 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for Starmer to resign.
On Tuesday, PoliticsHome reported that Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Prime Minister, had sparked suspicion among colleagues that he was seeking support for his own leadership bid.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is also seen as a potential contender for the leadership. Miliband’s allies told PoliticsHome on Wednesday that he would have the numbers to stand in a leadership contest if Manchester mayor Andy Burnham cannot get a seat in time.
Angela Rayner revealed in an interview with The Guardian on Thursday morning that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs. It means that Rayner could put her name forward in a bid for the leadership.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said publicly that Wes Streeting’s bid to topple Keir Starmer – expected any minute – is “revenge”. He’s alleged revenge by Starmer’s former handlers Morgan McSweeney and his mentor and child-rapist fan Peter Mandelson. Both men were sacked or resigned over the scandal of Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US. Starmer has tried desperately to distance himself from Mandelson – completely unsuccessfully – and McDonnell says they’re now collecting payback:
Just a thought. Wes Streeting owes his political status to the support he’s received over years from Peter Mandelson & Morgan McSweeney at Labour Together. He wouldn’t make a move against Keir Starmer without Mandelson’s say so. So look on this as Mandelson’s & Morgan’s revenge.
— John McDonnell (@johnmcdonnellMP) May 13, 2026
Straight from one Mandelson-McSweeney puppet to another. That’s a grim prospect for a country desperate for real change and a halt to the march of fascism. It seems many agree:
— just me #corbynwasright (@JCorbynwasright) May 13, 2026
Mandelson has groomed Streeting for years, many think. Certainly enough that Streeting confessed his fear of losing his parliamentary seat to the disgraced Blairite fixer:
Mandelson has been around young Wesley from the early days. Always ready to give him a hand… pic.twitter.com/RmZn2tvkAn
— John Miller (@johndowmiller) May 13, 2026
Starmer clones
But not everyone agreed. Many think it’s a con – an attempt by the pair to convey an appearance of change while maintaining the same God-awful status quo – continuity kid-starver and genocide-enabler:
No, it’s nothing to do with “revenge”.
.
This is a semi-orderly transfer of a facade, without any meaningful change of control, power, or policy.
.
The government will continue to support genocide abroad,
crush freedom at home,
& increase the cost of living to cut non-dom taxes. pic.twitter.com/bkyq8MqEA4— Frank O’Callaghan (@ionank) May 13, 2026
Maintenance of the ‘Epstein class’, in other words:
It’s not revenge John. It’s a con. They want it to look like there’s distance between Starmer and Streeting when in fact it will be more of the same Labour Together project. Simon’s supporting Streeting, Reed ‘behind’ Starmer. It stinks.
— The Daily Politik (@DailyPolitik) May 13, 2026
The Epstein links were a recurring theme:
Miles off John
Syarmer and streeting both part of the epstein regime.
Its just a passing of the baton— Dulcet panacea (@dulcet_Panacea) May 13, 2026
Riding two horses
Others pointed out, accurately, how the ‘Labour Together’ saboteur squad is supporting both sides in the ‘contest’:
It’s not revenge John. It’s a con. They want it to look like there’s distance between Starmer and Streeting when in fact it will be more of the same Labour Together project. Simon’s supporting Streeting, Reed ‘behind’ Starmer. It stinks.
— The Daily Politik (@DailyPolitik) May 13, 2026
And some think it’s Israel’s revenge – though you could be excused for thinking that’s a fake distinction:
It’s Israel’s revenge for not directly attacking Iran.
— bawbagstauner (@bawbagstauner) May 13, 2026
Certainly Israel and its lobby – and private healthcare – have just as big a piece of Streeting as they do of Starmer, as Green leader Zack Polanski has previously pointed out:
Streeting appears to have rushed his launch in order to prevent Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham getting into the contest. Certainly Burnham is no panacea, but Streeting and his supporters rightly recognise he’d have no chance against Burnham.
Whether McDonnell is right or wrong, Streeting in Number 10 would be just as appalling news for the many as Starmer has been. Has-been… – that seems very appropriate. If only both of them were ‘never-was’s.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
Mu Sochua speaking in Tokyo in Feb. 2024 (Newscom/Alamy)
7 min read
Mu Sochua is on an international mission to rid Cambodia of its industrial-scale ‘scam centres’. Noah Vickers speaks to her as she brings her message to Westminster
It’s become a reality of daily life in the West. Messages on social media from anonymous profiles urging you to invest in crypto. Phone calls from someone claiming to work for your bank or software provider, warning that your account is about to be compromised.
For most of those at the receiving end, scams are simply a nuisance to be ignored. For the minority who fall for them, they can have devastating consequences. But little thought is usually given to those on the other side of the phone – hundreds of thousands of whom have been trafficked, abused and imprisoned in vast, multi-storey facilities across south-east Asia.
In Cambodia alone, roughly 100,000 people are estimated by the United Nations to be forcibly involved in online scams.
Leading the charge to shut them down is Mu Sochua, a 71-year-old Cambodian opposition activist and former MP who since 2017 has been living in self-exile in the United States.
Mu argues that the scam centres are only able to operate because the country’s government tolerates them. There is no path to permanently closing all of them, she suggests, without restoring democracy in Cambodia.
“There would not be scam centres on this scale – with torture and human rights abuses – if it was in a country with the rule of law, a government elected by the people in a free and fair manner, where there is civil society, independent judiciary and independent media,” she says.
The UK government, she argues, should say loudly and clearly that the Cambodian regime is complicit in allowing the centres to remain open.
In October 2025, the UK and US announced sanctions on Chen Zhi, chairman of the Prince Group conglomerate that built some of the scam centres and was implicated in laundering their proceeds, along with a network of associated companies. Further sanctions against other groups and individuals linked to the scam centres were announced in March.
Some of those sanctioned had incorporated their businesses in the British Virgin Islands and invested in the London property market, including a £12m mansion on Avenue Road, a £100m office building on Fenchurch Street and several flats.
All of these assets were frozen by the sanctions, but Mu argues that “freezing alone is not enough”. Ministers should ensure, she says, that the money raised from them is used to support the victims of human rights abuses in Cambodia, just as immobilised Russian assets have been used to support the Ukrainian war effort.
Mu also points out that no sanctions have been levelled against members of the Cambodian government. Close family members of deputy prime minister Neth Savoeun, for example, reportedly own luxurious London properties.
While the Foreign Office expressed “regret” that Cambodia’s most recent election, in 2023, was “neither free nor fair” – due to the disqualification of the main opposition party – the regime’s ruling family continued to enjoy access to the UK’s education system.
Just last month, the son of one of Cambodia’s other deputy prime ministers, Hun Many – who is himself a son of the country’s former prime minister Hun Sen – graduated from Sandhurst military academy.
“Look how well-prepared they are to give the top education to their children,” says Mu. “To groom their children to take over. Where? In the UK. In the US.”
Mu, who served as a minister in the Cambodian government from 1998 to 2004, was in 2005 nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize along with 999 other women around the world working to advance peace and human rights. But in 2017, her party leader was arrested on treason charges, and Mu was forced to flee after being tipped off that she would be next.
“I only had, overnight, less than 10 hours to pack up,” she remembers. “I never even had a chance to say goodbye to my family, and since then, I’ve not been able to go back.”
When The House meets Mu, she is visiting the UK Parliament in her role as president of the Khmer Movement for Democracy (KMD) – a global campaign to restore Cambodia’s democratic freedoms.
Over the last year, she has made similar visits to speak with parliamentarians and officials in Japan, South Korea, the US, Canada, Australia, Belgium and Germany.
This is a moment where you have Cambodia down on its knees – don’t let go
Mu says she is “banging on the door” of each of these governments, particularly as many of them were signatories to the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements intended to guarantee Cambodia’s democracy in perpetuity. As long as the accords are being violated, Mu argues that the UK and others should cease trading with Cambodia.
“The UK, the EU, the US – where there is a huge market for the Cambodian garments sector – have to use that leverage that they have,” she says, adding that it does not make sense to condemn the scam centres while continuing to import clothing from a country rife with labour exploitation.
“On the one hand, you go after the scam centres. On the other hand, the UK closes its eyes to other kinds of violations, like workers’ rights.”
The Cambodian economy, she points out, is in a precarious state and further pressure, instead of what she calls “soft diplomacy”, may help break the regime’s resolve: “This is a moment where you have Cambodia down on its knees – don’t let go.”
Not only are the scam centres destroying lives, she adds, but they are part of a wider network of criminality that is “putting global security in jeopardy”. Until it was closed in December last year, the Cambodian digital payment platform Huione Pay was being used not only to launder money from the scams but also to launder cryptocurrency stolen by North Korean hackers, which may in turn be helping to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
Mu’s multiple attempts to return to her home country have been blocked by the authorities, who have cancelled her Cambodian passport. But she takes courage from her work leading KMD, which is currently setting up an elected overseas citizens assembly to speak for Cambodians inside and outside the country.
“We are for national reconciliation,” says Mu. “I want to go home – I have tried so hard to go home.
“Right now, we are building this platform so that the Cambodian people are united, so that we can represent ourselves as an alternative, democratic Cambodia. That will be feasible if the international community starts coming back to Cambodia in the context of the Paris Peace Accords.”
The Foreign Office declined to comment in response to Mu’s remarks, instead pointing The House back to the press releases announcing their sanctions on those connected to the scam centres. The Cambodian government did not respond to a request for comment.
Following the UK’s sanctions in March, Cambodia’s parliament passed its first law targeting the scam centres in April. Under the legislation, scams conducted by gangs or against many victims can be punished by up to 10 years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines. The law also outlines penalties for those convicted of money laundering, gathering victims’ data, or recruiting scammers.
Justice minister Koeut Rith told reporters at the time: “This law is strict like the fishing net, strict to ensure we don’t have the online scams anymore in Cambodia, strict in order to serve the interest of the Cambodian nation and people.”
There was an opinion piece published in Metro earlier this week, trumpeting the headline, ‘Zack Polanski, not Wes Streeting, should be Britain’s first gay prime minister’. The article began like a moronic Pink News scoop: ‘Like many LGBT+ people, I’ve spent my whole life hoping I’d live to see the day an openly gay prime minister moved into 10 Downing Street.’ I was tempted to ask why, but I’m pretty sure that Streeting or Polanski would give an equally on fleek rendition of ‘Tear down those curtains and make him a dress’ upon entry, so what difference would it really make?
I jest, of course. The sad reality is that there are those among us who appear to believe that one’s sexuality or identity is the most interesting and important component to doing a job. That certainly seems to be the case with the LGBTQIA+ crowd, who think that having an actual gay person in charge would be the most groundbreaking event since Eddie Izzard said, ‘Call me Suzy’.
The fact is that neither Labour’s Streeting nor the Greens’ Polanski would ever ‘identify’ as gay. Both would likely talk in terms of being LGBTQIA+. Which is quite a different entity altogether. Ultimately, both terms are meaningless and irrelevant to the task at hand. Had a prime minister come out, say, in 1981, when the tennis legend Martina Navratilova did, it would have been a different matter entirely. Although, if my recollections are correct, it would have been distinctly unlikely, considering the constant mixture of fear and loathing levelled against lesbian, gay and bisexual people at the time. To do so would have been not only courageous, but most likely a fool’s errand, too. Your career would have been over and out before you could say, ‘I could crush a grape’.
Homosexuality is so unremarkable now that I’m surprised more politicians haven’t latched on to the Hollywood craze and declared themselves ‘nonbinary’. This, apparently, carries far more cachet, and – most excitingly – a smashing new wardrobe filled with assorted dungarees.
Which brings me onto the reaction to this Dual of The Divas between Streeting and Polanski. Of course, the bona fide members of the all-or-nothing LGBTQIA+ mob were outraged at the suggestion that Streeting could take the crown. Some septum-pierced, grammarless hack said he was ‘Getting out ahead of this right now’, before declaring: ‘We simply do not claim Wes Streeting as the first gay PM. A man who has thrown trans people under the bus, who backs attacks on LGBTQ migrants, on POC [people of colour], on [the] working class… is not emblematic of our movement and is certainly no trailblazer.’
I had no idea a group could ‘claim’ anyone for themselves, but as this particular individual’s X bio proudly proclaims he’s ‘Your dad’s favourite lay’ (followed by a glittery long fingernail emoji), I think we may safely dismiss this rant as the ravings of an online omnicause onanist.
Trouble is, there seems to be rather a lot of these people about. Polanski is being touted as the champion of LGBTQIA+ politics, but it does not seem to me that this particular individual will concern himself with the first three letters of this increasingly foolish acronym, whose rights are in direct opposition to the TQIA+. Most gay people who want nothing to do with gender ideology call themselves LGB. That is because we do not want to see women’s hard-won rights demolished, we do not want to see lesbian-only spaces invaded by men, and we most certainly do not want to see gender theory in action – especially when it comes to influencing other people’s children.
In practice, neither Streeting nor Polanski would be any good. In fact, I believe they’d be rotten. Gay, straight, multicoloured or hexagonal, their sexual preferences are utterly irrelevant. Especially now. What is of vital importance is what these men really believe and whether they are to be trusted. It’s not enough to say, ‘Well, I’ve always voted “X” and I’m not changing now.’ It’s not enough to say, ‘Yay! They’re LGBTQIA+! That’s what matters!’
It is worth heeding these words from the estimable Douglas Murray: ‘It doesn’t matter what your sexuality is. You should simply be concentrating on doing what you should be doing in your life and doing it well.’
I wonder if that’s ever going to be a possibility for people ever again?
James Dreyfus is an actor who has starred in Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Absolutely Fabulous and The Thin Blue Line.
On Wednesday morning, Labour’s Health Secretary Wesley Streeting met with ailing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for approximately 16 minutes. Perhaps a longer rendezvous was unnecessary. Streeting, a long-time favourite of pro-Israeli lobbyists and private healthcare interests, has certainly made his intentions clear.
By lunchtime on Wednesday, Streeting’s camp confirmed what the rest of the country already knew: he is going for Starmer’s throne. The Streeting coup was underway.
By Tuesday evening, a string of Streeting allies had resigned from Starmer’s cabinet in an attempt to force him out before Andy Burnham had time to get back into Parliament.
Zubir Ahmed
First, Zubir Ahmed, a junior minister in the Department of Health and former Personal Parliamentary Secretary (PPS) to Streeting.
Ahmed, the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, was also one of several Scottish parliamentary candidates to receive £10,000 from Labour Together in the run-up to the 2024 general election. The controversial think tank has been beset by scandal, and it was recently revealed that current board member Jonathan Kestenbaum, a Labour peer, previously served with the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank.
Jess Phillips
Then, Labour’s Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips stood down from the cabinet, praising Starmer in her resignation letter as:
a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things.
She was referring to the same person who once said that the Israeli state “had the right” to cut off water and electricity to Gaza.
Like Streeting in Ilford North, Phillips now sits on a wafer-thin majority in Birmingham Yardley. Furthermore, the disastrous local elections last week left Labour with a grand total of zero councillors in the constituency.
In 2020, Streeting endorsed Phillips for Labour leader and served as her “campaign chair”, saying:
Jess is the person to bring our party and our country together.
Just days after Labour’s defeat in 2019, Phillips and Streeting spoke together at the Limmud Festival at an event titled “Should the Jewish community (still) be worried about the Labour Party?” Limmud’s executive director at the time was Eli Ovits, a reserve captain in the Israeli military and IDF spokesman.
Streeting, Friend of Mandelson and Israel
In 2022, Streeting became the first member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet to join a Labour Friends of Israel-funded delegation to occupied Palestine. LFI also paid for Sarah Harrison, one of Streeting’s staffers, to accompany him on the trip. Anna Wilson, another Streeting aide, had a similar trip in July 2023 paid for by ELNET, the lobby group which organised a Peter Mandelson-led delegation in 2024 and is headed by former LFI chair Joan Ryan.
Funders of Streeting include:
- Jonathan Mendelsohn (through his company, Red Capital Ltd.), a director at private healthcare firm the Europa Healthcare Group;
- David Menton, a business associate of Israeli arms beneficiary Chaim “Poju” Zabludowicz, who is also a donor to and director of BICOM, a pro-Israeli lobby group that flourished under the leadership of former Labour MP Lorna Fitzsimons; and
- Trevor Chinn, who was a director, key funder, and central figure in Morgan McSweeney’s Labour Together operation.
Streeting once opined that “there wouldn’t be a Labour government” without McSweeney’s contribution. He has also been eager to defend Peter Mandelson in the past. Last September, he said that Mandelson should not be considered “guilty by association” for his close ties to notorious paedophile and likely Israeli intelligence asset Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson, who Streeting has described as a “legend”, personally campaigned for Streeting in both his 2015 and 2019 election campaigns. In 2024, sans-Mandelson, Streeting’s vote collapsed. He now holds his seat by just 528 votes.
A choice between two lightweights?
Keir Starmer’s remaining allies say that he will stand against Streeting if he launches a leadership challenge. With a cost of living crisis, curtailment of civil liberties, and genocide in Gaza, the British public are to be treated to a showdown between two Israel lobby-backed political lightweights as they fight over the rotting carcass of the Labour Party.
Featured image via the Canary
Manchester City moved the title race on for at least another week with a composed 3-0 win over a much changed Crystal Palace at the Etihad.
Phil Foden, given a rare start, was the standout figure, producing two first half assists that set the tone and handed City a commanding lead they never surrendered.
Guardiola made six changes to his regular starting XI, resting big names and bringing Gvardiol back from injury, while Palace manager Oliver Glasner shuffled his side too.
The changes mattered less in this game than City’s efficiency, they created three big chances. All converted into goals and a performance that felt measured.
Manchester City clinical
The opener was a moment of instinct. Foden’s clever back heel found Antoine Semenyo, who finished into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.
The second arrived Foden again found space, touching a cross into Omar Marmoush’s path. Marmoush swivelled and finished with composure to double the lead.
A late third was Savinho, set up by Rayan Cherki after the interval, wrapped up the scoring and a statement win.
City’s finishing was clinical as it has been these past few games, yet their approach was simple; control possession and probe patiently. Punishing when Palace provided opportunities to do so.
This win moves City to within two points of leaders Arsenal. With both teams having played the same number of games. That gap keeps the title race alive, but the margin for error is tiny, Arsenal are still in control of this title charge.
City will bemoan the draw away at Everton that handed Arsenal the advantage, yet Guardiola’s team have shown in recent matches they will not give up until the final whistle has been blown.
History suggests a comeback from five points behind so late in May is unprecedented, but City’s back-to-back wins hint at belief rather than resignation. Guardiola’s body language at full time, was pure energy, fist pumps which underlined the winning mindset.
Final Word
Phil Foden was the standout player of the match, his movement and decision making unlocking Palace’s low block. Guardiola praised Foden’s ability to create in tight spaces and highlighted the midfielders adaptability in a deeper role.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner admitted his team failed to execute their plan and were beaten by a superior side.
City’s rotation showed that Pep had one eye on the FA Cup final against Chelsea in the coming days.
Guardiola managed minutes carefully, as did Palace with their own European final on the horizon.
This was not a Premier League classic, not an end to end thriller. for the neutrals the result keeps the title race interesting. For City, they must now maintain that pressure for 1st place. For Arsenal, it was a prompt to finish the job. The final days. of the season promises to be tense, with every slip and spark magnified at the top.
Featured image via the Canary
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