Metropolitan police officers have arrested ten peaceful protesters at an anti-genocide demonstration in Euston, London – in at least one case violently.

Police violence in Euston

On Wednesday 22 April the Israel Institute of Technology was holding a fundraising event for Israel at the Shaw Theatre. As London for Palestine wrote on its Instagram, the institute “is deeply intertwined with Israel’s military industrial complex… [and] has been labelled ‘the university with the greatest ties to the Israeli military’”.

War criminal president Isaac Herzog – who incited genocide against the Palestinian people – made a speech via video call. Little wonder then that pro-Palestine, anti-Zionist activists held a protest outside.

The demo took place at Euston – and one of those arrested was Kamran Ahmed. Ahmed is a member of the Filton 24 only recently released after being held in prison for more than a year without trial – and being on hunger strike:

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Three women were arrested after the demo finished, grabbed by police as they made their way peacefully home:

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Ahmad asked supporters able to do so to make sure they attend Woolwich Crown Court tomorrow, 23 April 2026, where the retrial of Filton anti-genocide protesters will continue:

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The arrests were without provocation and the policing turned ugly without warning. The flailing Starmer regime is still repressing humanitarian protest against war and genocide even as his always-awful tenure collapses.

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By Skwawkbox

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Human rights organisation Amnesty International has warned that the UK is complicit in a generational human rights crisis. The NGO’s new report, published on 21 April, said the UK had “failed to register” spiralling global trends. And singled out Keir Starmer for, among other things, his pathetic decision to help the US attack Iran.

Surveillance, wars, crushing peaceful protest, hostility to migrants, social and economic policies and much more – the UK has covered itself in shame amid a global assault on basic human rights. The report, titled ‘The State of the World’s Human Rights: Amnesty International Annual Report,‘ is available to read in full here.

The document covers human right issues across the world. But the UK is a standout failure, despite claiming to be a bastion of liberal and democratic values.

Amnesty led with a series of bullets listing where the UK was failing. Our regular readers will recognise these as areas the Canary has covered energetically for years:

• Used counterterrorism powers to restrict peaceful protest
• Overseen the mass arrest of peaceful protesters, with courts ruling aspects unlawful
• Intensified hostile policies towards migrants and people seeking asylum
• Increased surveillance and policing powers
• Continued arms transfers to Israel despite clear risks of use in serious violations of international law
• Cut international aid amid escalating global humanitarian need
• Defended the use of national security vetoes in legacy Troubles cases, undermining truth, accountability and justice for victims and families
• Pursued economic and social policies that risk pushing more people into poverty, weakening protections for economic and social rights

Rest assured, we will continue to do so.

Amnesty International — generational crisis for human rights

Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive Kerry Moscogiuri had some stern words to say:

Human rights are facing the most dangerous moment in generations. We are at a tipping point.

This is the moment the UK’s moral mettle is being tested. In these desperate times we need strong leadership to defend human rights and international law, but right now we are falling short.

Moscogiuri slammed Starmer for his decision to:

criminalise peaceful protesters while ignoring the injustice they are speaking out against. Keir Starmer knows what is happening on his watch. He knows the peaceful protesters being treated as criminals are expressing their horror at the killing of children in Gaza.

Adding:

He knows powerful states are tearing up international law in pursuit of power and profit, and that the UK has not challenged this with the clarity and consistency required. And he knows a world in crisis will force more people to flee, requiring international protection, not performative hostility or attempts to shirk our responsibilities.

Powerful stuff.

Moscogiuri also blasted the ex-barrister PM over arms sales and allowing UK bases to be used for war – clearly a reference to the US use of British bases to bomb Iran:

You cannot claim to defend the rule of law while undermining it in practice, whether through arms sales, or allowing UK bases to be used in conflicts where international law is being violated. That is not moral leadership, it is complicity.

War displacement and fascism

The Amnesty chief said these matters needed to be addressed now to fend off a rising far-right, protect marginalised and vulnerable people and resolve wars:

The hour has come. This is exactly the moment human rights were created for when populism is rising, when people are struggling to afford the essentials, when asylum seekers and migrants are scapegoated, when war and displacement are everywhere, and when some lives are treated as worth less than others.

Moscogiuri then called on Starmer to meet the challenges of our times:

We can be better than this. The question now is whether the Prime Minister will rise to meet the challenge of our lifetime, or be remembered for standing by when it mattered most.

We don’t expect Starmer will pay much attention. His commitments to, for example, US hegemony and Israeli genocide have been made very clear. But the spirit of Amnesty’s criticism is correct. These are not normal times. And one way or another, we need to organise ourselves to confront the crises we face today.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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Lambeth Council in London has long been a Labour stronghold, however, that all looks likely to change come the local elections on 7 May. The Greens look set to take several seats, with independents and Lib Dems also set to make significant gains. As a result, it appears a hung council lies ahead which is likely to go a long way to limit harmful policies pushed by Labour.

We reported on Lambeth’s commitment to the ‘Vote Palestine ’26’ pledge, organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement. Lambeth has a proud, growing socialist base in their local community, with members working cooperatively against oppression and for social justice.

We spoke to Laura Graham who is standing as an independent candidate for her local community in the ward of St Martin’s. Laura works actively with other independents and local Greens as she sets out to bring Labour to task and fight for social justice in Lambeth.

Laura Graham: ‘They feel conned, they’ve been completely let down’

We asked Laura Graham why she decided to take action and stand for her local community. Speaking of her initial excitement and subsequent disappointment with Your Party, Graham told us:

So, I’ve never been part of a party before. And I’ve never been apathetic, I’ve always been political in some ways, but I’ve never been that driven. And certainly locally, my physical home has always been here, but it’s always been quite toxic locally.

This new party [Your Party] was something that really was going to turn things around. And locally, my proto branch is a mixture of socialists and communists and the rest of it. And we just bubble along, get on with things, and it really is lovely. And then the CEC decision for expulsions of anything with socialist in its name. Yeah. It was heartbreaking.

It was just like, what have you done? And my understanding is, from the online discussions and things across the country, is that there is an appetite for Corbyn’s Labour Party, but without the undermining that the Labour Party did to him, and that’s what they are creating, and I don’t think that is what I signed up for.

Undeterred and even more determined, Graham refused to leave her community unrepresented and vulnerable to bad actors, choosing to stand as an independent:

I had such a massive mountain to climb, my face is known and I’ve got lots of friends locally. I’ve lived here all my life. But the apathy amongst people who I don’t know, in regard to actually voting, has been so sad to see. They turned up for the general election, they did what they were asked, they got rid of the Tories and Labour came in even worse, and their life has declined.

So, they feel conned, they’ve been completely let down by Labour. And then we’ve got the cuts across Lambeth by this current Labour council. The problem we have here in Lambeth is that there’s been a monopoly of Labour councillors in the town hall, so they just do whatever it is that they want to do. There’s very little chance of opposition.

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It’s meant sweeping cuts, selling off our shared assets, shutting down our schools. I mean, it’s ridiculous. There are two schools that are impacted in my ward that are due for being shut down. And the argument is that there aren’t enough children locally. My argument is, actually, I like the small class sizes for working-class kids.

And the thing is, they take away a school, they sell up the land to the developer and it’s never coming back as a school again. So, when we lose them, we lose them forever. Labour seems to have no problem with that, it feels like social cleansing to be fair.

Labour fielding local candidates with dodgy MP expense scandals

Adding insult to injury, Graham highlighted how one of the Labour candidates up for election is a former MP who was mired in expense scandals. Talking about Kitty Ussher’s £20k expenses which she claimed for home improvements, Graham further underscored why it is so important to keep Labour out:

Apparently, she’s filled to the mugs for it. She paid back a bit of what she owed. But she claimed £20,000 for renovations to a second home that she had for several years.

She also informed that two of the Labour candidates don’t even live in the area, are subsequently incredibly privileged and as such, completely out of touch to represent one of the most deprived wards in London.

Laura Graham: “a real community champion, with a community voice”

We asked Graham how it has been on the doors and about the conversations she has been having with her local community. In a beautiful show of solidarity and community-first politics, Graham and local Green Jeremy Isaacs are working cooperatively in support of each other in order to get the scourge of Labour out. Graham pointed out that Reform UK is standing in just two seats in Lambeth, making the incumbent Labour Party the key party to focus on.

This inspiring independent talked to us about her local campaign strategy coordinated in tandem with her local Green:

So, there are two seats here in St Martin’s Ward and the Greens really kindly decided to only stand one candidate because they wanted to support my campaign. And it’s been really good on the door as well because we’ve got two votes here.

On the doors, they were just like “oh I want to vote for green”, so I said, “can I have the other one because we’ve worked really well together”.

I’ve got to know Jeremy Isaacs as a Green candidate really well. We met actually before I decided to do this, we met through a few mutual friends, and he lives in another part of the ward so we could work really well together.

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We now are actually concentrating on canvassing and knocking on doors.

Referring to the local Green Party campaign, in turn proving she acts in solidarity, Graham added:

They’re [Greens] not doing anything locally. So, the campaigning that’s happening for Jeremy is me having conversations on the door and inviting Jeremy to local events so that he’s getting his profile noticed. And he’s really championing me in those events as well. It’s wonderful.

He’s such a strong candidate here and he’s really keen to do it. He’s an NHS doctor and he said that he would go part-time in order to be a good councillor here.

Graham: ‘It’s just been lovely’

Referring to her own manifesto, Graham told us:

We’ve got a big leafleting campaign coming up. We’ve got a brand-new leaflet coming out, which we’re very excited about. It’s really reflective of my personal kind of politics around No Cuts Pledge and the Pledge for Palestine.

And I’ve got still more doorstepping to do. I really do want to get around to every single door. Unfortunately, I can’t clone myself, so I’m looking for a team of people that can help, really, to get into places where I’m not going to be able to get to. And we do regular stalls, so we’re having one this afternoon, which is usually our stall is outside the Tulse Hill Co-op.

It’s just been lovely we’ve had such a great response there that we’ve been doing them every Saturday and every Sunday.

We then asked Graham about the conversations she is having with local voters. Graham stated that the main opposition locally is Labour, and in turn, the apathy that they have created for those who feel abandoned and let down, informing:

What I’m hearing on the doors is that Starmer cannot be trusted and that they turned up and voted to get rid of the Tories. It wasn’t particularly that they loved Starmer, but that it was the right thing to do. So, they’ve done the right thing, which nobody can disagree with.

However, the first thing Starmer did when he came in was cut the winter fuel payments for pensioners and attacked disabled people. So disabled people became completely politically homeless, literally within a few months of Labour being in power. And that can never be forgiven for what they did there. It’s shocking.

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They’ve diluted that, obviously, from pressure from the backbenchers. However, from the beginning of April, the most severely disabled people, who are so severely disabled that they cannot work, will have that benefit slashed by half.

On the doors we’re getting people, who traditionally voted Labour, not going to vote this year or were going to vote for the Greens. When I tell them about my manifesto, that I’m local, they’re really interested in that but it’s offering real change and difference as well that I’m not attached to a big established political party.

They’ve let people down for many years so that’s my unique center point, that I can be a real community champion with a community voice and what is really exciting to people is that the polling is showing that Labour, in St Martin, are going to have a really bad night on May 7th. The Greens are going to do really well, and the Lib Dems might be able to get two, which will then lead to a hung council which then means as an independent candidate, I will have real power.

Solidarity in Lambeth

Independent Laura Graham and the Green Party’s Jeremy Isaacs pictured together in St Martins:

Strengthening Laura’s credentials on her ability to work in solidarity for her local community, she told us about the other independents standing across Lambeth who have formed an assembly group called ‘Shake it Up’:

I’m not the only independent standing; I’m one of the seven independents. We’ve got ‘Shake It Up’, who are standing in other wards, and we’ve been working so closely together that the prospect of working with them as a gang is really exciting. We are mostly on the same page about stuff, we want to represent our local communities and we’re very community based.

The prospect of all of us getting seats is just really exciting, that can really show that independents can have a big impact. We have worked together already; they invited me to get involved with a protest down in Brixton Plaza.

Brixton Plaza has about 100 independent small businesses locally, and the Labour Council gave planning permission to the owners of the building to just get rid of it and make it into the Lidl and the traders there would give them four weeks’ notice to get out, no compensation, I think.

So, over the Easter weekend we pulled together a protest and Shake It Up got the services of a lawyer to be free to pay for the tenancy agreements to see whether they could be entitled to compensation and it was horrific that they found that everyone had different tenancy agreements, some of them not legally valid so they probably hadn’t been insured. They’d invested so much money into their little units, shutters on their units cost £3,000. There was no talk about any of that money coming back.

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And the developers knew that they were going to do this development and they would still let people start stalls with deposits four weeks before the eviction notice. Some people have been there for eight years; others have been there for four weeks.

So, we met outside the plaza, we asked people to sign a petition. We then walked up to the town hall, and we got lots of people who were traders talking about how it had impacted them. And then we spoke outside the town hall. Then the next day, the petition was taken to court and the judge ruled in the favour of the traders. So, we got an injunction, and there is time now to negotiate compensation.

Lambeth — Politics for the masses, not just the privileged

Deplorably, Graham made us aware that the local Labour council are pushing a ‘Safer Streets’ initiative, which in reality is a front for local corporates to hire ‘vigilante’ security bodyguards. Specifically, they will target those shoplifting food and goods most predominantly. Once again, instead of addressing poverty, Labour intend to punish its symptoms.

In fact, the local Labour candidates are apparently promoting it in their leaflets as a ‘benefit’ to the community. Funnily enough, they don’t highlight how they will be paid by local developers. Developers who have long shown they care precious little about local communities and more about their profits.

Nonetheless, Lambeth clearly has great people fighting for its best interests. People who prove in their joint campaign that solidarity and social justice are their true priorities. A refreshing change to the unprincipled political ilk that come from our greedy establishment parties.

Therefore, we at the Canary recommend voters in St Martins to get behind Laura Graham and Jeremy Isaacs on 7 May.

We wish you both all the best!

Featured image provided via author

By Maddison Wheeldon

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The latest projections from YouGov, published on 22 April, put Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru and far-right populists Reform UK neck-and-neck for control of the Senedd. What’s more, the pollster also predicts massive losses for both Labour and the Conservatives.

The new data represent only the second YouGov multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) model for the 2026 Senedd election. Between 6 and 15 April, 3,000 adults in Wales contributed to the dataset.

Some of the data is compared to notional results for 2021, because the Senedd electoral system has recently undergone massive changes. 

Compared to the first MRP from March 2026, Reform has gained an extra seven seats. Conversely, Plaid Cymru has lost the same number. 

Meanwhile, the Greens are also set to make significant gains. Although the left-wing environmentalist party has never had a Senedd MP, YouGov now predicts that the left-wing party will win seven seats.

Reform set to gain, Labour set to lose

The Tories would have held a notional 26 seats in 2021. However, YouGov’s central projection has them on just 3 seats this year. The pollster pointed out that:

This would leave the party short of the five seats needed to form a political group in the Senedd, barring them from chairing committees and limiting their ability to question ministers.

However, the Tories’ predicted losses pale in comparison to Labour’s:

Last time Labour lost a general election in Wales:

> Attlee is still in the army; Bevan is 21 & about to go to study in London.
> Conan Doyle still writing Sherlock Holmes; Monet still painting water lilies.
> Civil war in Russia; a wounded Hitler has just returned to Munich. https://t.co/839LbVE7mj

— Joe Allen (@Joe___Allen) April 22, 2026

YouGov explained that the Labour Party was:

set to fall to just 12 seats in the Senedd, a notional loss of 32, ending their century of dominance of Welsh politics and leaving them with no representation in a huge swathe of the country stretching from Llanelli to Llandudno.

As such, many social media users speculated as to the… efficacy of voting Labour:

Voting Labour under these circumstances is madness. https://t.co/uH4P9voF3G

— Zoe Gardner (@ZoeJardiniere) April 22, 2026

Some even characterised a vote for Labour as a vote for Reform, in the circumstances:

it’s clear in Wales it’s now vote Labour and get Reform
or vote Plaid and get Plaid #localelections26 https://t.co/dBcvM3CkIE

— neil merriman (@NeilMerriman) April 22, 2026

Coalition on the cards

However, as with a great deal of parliamentary politics, the reality isn’t quite that simple. Rather, YouGov speculated at length about the possibility of a coalition government within the Senedd.

This was largely because both Plaid Cymru and Reform are predicted to take 40 seats at the outside. Even that best case scenario for either party is far short of the 49 required for a majority.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, has voiced a preference for his party to form a minority government. However, this would involve trying to get the Greens or Labour on-side in order to pass any motion, which is somewhat impractical.

Nevertheless, some social media users have speculated that Plaid Cymru would be a welcome change:

For what its worth, I think it'd be good for Wales if it took a break from being led by Labour – same as it was for Scotland.
If Wales puts Plaid Cymru in power, they will get a chance to see what they have to offer & what they can achieve.

Voting Reform or Tory won't help Wales https://t.co/k7eZr9eyq5

— Bryan Smith #RejoinEU same handle on BlueSky (@BpsmithUk) April 22, 2026

In practice, the Welsh parliament would likely only be able to function with some level of alliance between two or more parties. In that scenario:

the balance tips decisively towards the likelihood of a Plaid Cymru-led government, as Reform UK and the Conservatives win a collective right-of-centre majority in a mere 3% of our model’s simulations, suggesting Dan Thomas’s route to being first minister is limited. […]

Although they fall just short in our headline estimates, Plaid Cymru and Labour hold a majority between them in 47% of our simulations, while Plaid Cymru and the Greens do so in 5%. The three parties hold a combined majority in 96% of our mid-campaign model’s simulations.

The possibility of a Plaid-led coalition beating out Reform will likely come as a relief to a good deal of Welsh residents. Many posters expressed their distaste at the prospect of “English nationalist” Reform controlling Wales:

Wales doesn't have power over immigration, only Westminster does. Don't let an English nationalist racist party take over Wales, change our history to British in museums, and make life much harder for the vulnerable.
Owain Glyndŵr fought against this.

Vote @Plaid_Cymru 7th May https://t.co/2gQIEsLJnx pic.twitter.com/M9CbQoXeDp

— Sharon (@K4rmaRules) April 22, 2026

And again:

All that Reform blue in Wales is disgusting. It seems like Wales wants to continue to be controlled by right wing English people. https://t.co/nVGjGV2r0W

— Tom_Owain (@TOwainlfc) April 22, 2026

Meanwhile, others were more bothered by Reform’s clear vendetta against working-class people:

#wales #cymru People of Port Talbot, Swansea and South Wales. Please DOn't vote REform, YOu are voting against working people, losing jobs in the council and Reform want to frack particularly in the Swansea Bay area. .They will take your employment rights https://t.co/jD3Ro8A1LN

— Al Bopper (@Alanbopper) April 22, 2026

Whilst YouGov currently predicts an incredibly tight race between Reform and Plaid Cymru, the prospect of a coalition being necessary means that practically any of the major parties may find themselves with a share of the leadership of the Senedd.

As such, 7 May’s voting will be more crucial than ever — and will bring greater change to Welsh politics than we’ve seen for decades, for better or for worse.

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By Alex/Rose Cocker

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Ahead of the July 2026 energy price cap increase, advice organisation Green Doctors is explaining how its service can help.

Bills are set to rise again, and the risk of a substantial increase in the price cap grows due to uncertainty surrounding Trump and Netanyahu’s warmongering in West Asia. This change would impact UK households’ fuel prices and energy bills.

According to End Fuel Poverty, UK gas prices have already skyrocketed 124% month-on-month and up 65% year-on-year, peaking since the conflict started in February. This three-year high in Gas and Oil prices follows attacks on energy sites across Iran and Qatar.

On 27 May, the UK government will release the July price cap based off Ofgem’s reports. In essence, this means your bills will be protected until at least 1 July 2026, as the April to June price cap has already been decided.

The price cap is a way of smoothing out these price spikes, delaying the offset costs from reaching consumers. But, if price instability continues, there is a risk that the announcement on 27 May will signal an increase. With households already struggling with the soaring cost of living, some may need external support to help them navigate this turbulent period.

Some tips from Green Doctors

Many people feel like their energy bills are completely out of their hands, and they are paying the price for geopolitical tensions they have little control over. Green Doctors wants to share some practical ways people can help themselves, in reducing their energy bills and tackling their anxieties over the ever-increasing energy prices.

Daniel Brittle, Green Doctors service manager for London and South England, has spoken about the measures people can take to make their home more energy efficient and feel more in control.

He mentioned that people can make small-scale energy efficiency improvements around their home, like fitting draft proofing or radiator foils to their radiators, which most DIY stores sell.

A service like Green Doctors is important in times of energy instability as it provides people with clarity on their energy bills. Last year Green Doctors supported over 5,000 people in London with energy efficiency measures. These small changes can make a big difference to people’s lives, giving them a sense of security over their energy bills.

Brittle also stressed that they are expecting a rise in referrals around the time of the energy price cap increasing, especially when people receive those first bills at higher costs.

Green Doctors delivered around 2,700 home visits in 2025. But with the demand for Green Doctors ever growing, there are fears that the service won’t be able to keep up.

Pearl is a Green Doctors service user from Hammersmith and Fulham. She said about her energy costs:

It is very expensive. The bills were constantly rising. Money goes into energy bills then I do have a deficit in terms of other things in the house like my rent, my food shopping, clothing for my children, and day to day activities like travel.

When the Green Doctor came into my home, the first thing he asked me was who my energy provider was. We looked at my bill. We looked at what tariff I was on for the energy company on my behalf.

I found it very helpful because it then took off the anxiety because I didn’t know what to say to the energy company. But, because he is coming from a specialist point of view, it was a very straight forward and easy conversation.

Brittle added:

Green Doctors help people be more energy efficient and save money in ways they may not have considered. This might include behavioural changes, such as turning down temperature controls or setting up their thermostat to heat their home only when needed.

They also help explore other options, like the Warm Homes Discount, the Priority Services Register, or finding the cheapest energy tariff by switching providers.

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Find out more or get in touch with Green Doctor here.

Featured image via Green Doctors

By The Canary

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The post ‘Iran is <em>still</em> a nuclear threat’ appeared first on spiked.

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A former Special Air Service (SAS) colonel says holding troops accountable over war crimes could wreck the UK/US alliance. SAS troops are currently under investigation for extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan. The same report re-heated fake claims about a ‘witch-hunt’ against British troops.

These kinds of claims about UK troops being ‘harassed’ for ‘doing their jobs’ have been bandied about for over a decade — usually by the hard-right press. This time it is the Daily Telegraph… again. Needless to say, committing war crimes is not the ‘job’ of British troops — though they certainly have committed them abundantly in the past.

The British state has spent serious time, effort and deviousness to make sure that it — and, by extension, British soldiers — are protected over allegations of war crimes. Two bills were even passed to that end. One covers the so-called Irish Troubles. The other deals with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Telegraph also claimed — without evidence — that special forces troops would leave their jobs in substantial numbers.

Lt Col Richard Williams, the former commanding officer of the SAS, said on 22 April that the supposed resignations were a “national security” matter:

The Americans bring scale, resources, helicopters, drones. We bring highly trained personnel. If that capability is diminished, it affects not just us but the wider alliance… It is putting national security at risk.

The Ireland bill is currently being repealed and replaced. Various outlandish claims about veterans being ‘witch-hunted’ have been made over the years. None of them stand up to scrutiny.

The SAS and lawfare conspiracism

Williams has previously claimed that Iranian intelligence had fed intelligence to UK legal firms as an act of ‘lawfare’ or legal warfare. The Centre for Military Justice (CMJ) and two former senior British Army officers seem to think this amounts to an evidence-free conspiracy theory:

There is of course no evidence for this assertion, which would be laughable if the context was not so serious.

Adding:

We have been here many times before. Evidence-based reasoning is entirely absent from this ground-hog day debate. We now live in an age of accountability. That is a good thing, although it may be difficult and painful.

They concluded:

Respect for the law and human rights would have prevented atrocities from Londonderry to Basra as well as inside the darker parts of the Army that some would prefer to remain hidden.

As the Canary has previously reported, simply making up claims of a witch hunt to stoke fear and moral outrage among ex-military personnel is a political tactic. Hard-right political party Reform UK has even tried their hand at it lately.

CMJ said in July 2025:

There have been just six prosecutions brought against veterans since the Good Friday Agreement, more than 25 years ago. There has been just ONE conviction. That is not a witch-hunt.

Over 300,000 British troops served in the so-called Troubles. By no serious measure can six prosecutions and a single conviction be seen as a witch-hunt.

CMJ director Emma Norton added:

Protesters and political actors must stop stoking the fears of the veteran community. It is irresponsible to encourage veterans to live in perpetual fear of getting a knock at the door and activists should not be pouring fuel on the fire of elderly men’s fears.

The current inquiry into alleged SAS killings in Afghanistan is still underway amid allegations of a cover-up by senior officers. Yet it seems some figures want to portray this basic accountability process as a conspiracy to harass soldiers and veterans — before the inquiry has reported a single finding.

British troops are subject to the law. They are trained to abide by it — even when they are Special Forces. Accountability processes may be long, slow, messy and partial, but they exist for a reason. Operating in line with domestic and international law is not too heavy a burden.

It is wrong-headed and dangerous to say otherwise. And anyone putting forward this view immediately comes across as if they want to be above the law.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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Disabled People’s Organisations will gather in Manchester and online to challenge government SEND reform proposals and hear from groups they say are underrepresented in the consultation process.

The government’s SEND Reform Consultation is due to close on 18 May. In its consultation and Schools White Paper, the government has set out proposals for changes to the SEND system.

However, the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) has raised concerns about several aspects of the proposals, including:

• That Inclusion Bases in schools increase segregation, rather than inclusion.
• That segregated education settings are being prioritised for funding.
• That concerns from Disabled people are not being reflected in the proposals.

ALLFIE, alongside the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, will launch the Northern Inclusive Education Network at an event titled ‘Build Inclusion: Educate, Don’t Segregate’. It’s taking place in Manchester and online via Zoom on 30 April.

The event will bring together Disabled people and organisations from across the UK to discuss Government SEND reform proposals. It will provide a clear, accessible overview of the proposals. And it’ll discuss their potential implications for Disabled children and young people.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to share lived experiences and perspectives on the proposed changes.

Sessions will be facilitated by members of ALLFIE’s youth campaigning and activism project, Our Voice, as well as representatives from Disabled People’s Organisations and staff from both organisations.

People in the SEND system best placed to comment on it

Organisers say young Disabled people, who are currently navigating, or have recently navigated, the SEND system, are best placed to describe its impacts in practice. They also highlight the role of grassroots organisations, which draw on long-standing experience in Inclusive Education and Disabled people’s rights.

Lani Parker, of ALLFIE, said:

Young Disabled people and grassroots Disabled people-led organisations are often not adequately involved in decisions that directly affect them.

We believe those with lived experience of the SEND system should be fully included in shaping reforms.

The current proposals risk weakening the rights of Disabled children and young people to learn alongside their peers. We are calling for a system that delivers Inclusive Education in practice for every Disabled child and young person.

Organisers also warn that the proposals will deepen exclusion and segregation for already marginalised communities. This includes Disabled people experiencing intersecting inequalities related to race, class, gender and sexuality, who are often disproportionately affected by systemic barriers.

You can register for the event here. It runs from 11.30am-6.00pm on Thursday 30 April.

ALLFIE is a Disabled People’s Organisation founded in 1990 and led by Disabled people. It is a UK-based organisation focused on campaigning and information-sharing on education, training and apprenticeship issues affecting Disabled people.

It’s the only national Disabled People’s Organisation in the UK focused specifically on Inclusive Education. ALLFIE campaigns for the right of all Disabled pupils and students to be fully included in mainstream education, training and apprenticeships with the necessary support.

ALLFIE believes that Inclusive Education is the basis of lifelong equality. It argues that children who learn and play together are more likely to grow into adults who understand and respect difference.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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As we reported, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she’d like to ‘taser and deport’ Zack Polanski on 20 April. Polanski himself has now responded by doing something which is inconceivable to Labour politicians — i.e. being normal:

My own answer to this pretty odd question would be that I wouldn’t choose to taser anyone.

Who would?

And framing this around political opponents is really problematic. pic.twitter.com/iojZKcqdak

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— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) April 22, 2026

Tase test

As reported by the Telegraph:

Mahmood was also asked which of the opposition leaders – Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch, Zack Polanski or Sir Ed Davey – she would either deport or taser. She replied: “You are talking to me so I want to taser and then deport… all of them.”

The problem Labour politicians have is they’re all seething sacks of grudges and insecurities. This quickly becomes obvious whenever they feel free to speak openly, because they say things like ‘I would assault and deport everyone‘.

Others had an even stronger reaction than Zack Polanski:

Keir Starmer's Labour – what a disaster

SHABANA Mahmood has been accused of showing a “sickening indifference” to human life after she joked about tasering and deporting her political rivals. pic.twitter.com/BHseMUq7EC

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) April 21, 2026

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Some argued it’s just a grim topic for the home secretary to be joking about:

I’m old enough to remember when jokes were about things that were funny.

“And we deported him to Afghanistan and he was murdered 2 hours after the plane landed, oh how we laughed!”

Demons.

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— It’s Norm (@CheersNormanP) April 22, 2026

Zack Polanski — War of words

When Polanski isn’t threatening to not tase people, he’s defending himself against accusations of antisemitism from confused gentiles:

https://t.co/l8pAxIWwep

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) April 22, 2026

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The correct response was sorry. I'm being an absolute ghoul and I was wrong.

But you have no shame so I won't hold my breath.

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) April 22, 2026

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You’ll note Zack Polanski didn’t threaten to tase or deport anyone here.

It’s a low bar, but Labour politicians keep tripping over it.

Featured image via Barold

By Willem Moore

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Keir Starmer’s disgraced long-time handler Morgan McSweeney has been called to give evidence to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. The call comes after former top Foreign Office civil servants told the committee that McSweeney had told them to ignore vetting and “just fucking approve” Keir Starmer’s appointment of disgraced paedophile’s pal — and McSweeney’s mentor — Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the UK.

McSweeney was previously always considered a shadow figure, who had little personal online presence or public profile. His father was a known used-car scammer who forfeited £25,000 in bail after fleeing to Malaga to avoid arrest and had a criminal conviction for assault. But McSweeney Jr was a cypher, a classical ‘power behind the throne’ who evidently wanted to wield power without being scrutinised by the public gaze.

Morgan McSweeney — the beginning of the end

The surface of that protective shell began to crack when the spying and sabotage activities of McSweeney’s outfit Labour Together were exposed by Paul Holden’s landmark book The Fraud. It spiderwebbed fatally when McSweeney’s mentor Mandelson was forced to resign in disgrace after further revelations of Mandelson’s ardour for serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. And not just ardour — Mandelson gave Epstein sensitive and highly lucrative insider trading information.

And now McSweeney’s cover looks set to collapse altogether. If he is made to give sworn evidence, as the committee has the power to do, any lies he tells will be perjury, as well as contempt of Parliament, all on camera. It’s not routine for select committees to do so, but they can and do.

And in this case, they must. Starmer’s cabal has woven tissue after tissue of lies. To bring down Corbyn, to fool Labour members into voting for him as party leader, to fool voters in the general election and then seemingly daily since. That includes the latest, feeble attempts to blame underlings and civil servants for Starmer knowingly appointing a known security risk and friend of child-rapists to a key diplomatic position.

There can be little doubt that Starmer and McSweeney’s other remaining allies will be applying pressure behind the scenes on committee members to give McSweeney the softest of kid-glove treatments when he comes before the committee. They must be kicked out without ceremony — and any MP who doesn’t go for the jugular will be disgraced.

Time for the shadow man to be dragged into the disinfectant of sunlight. Whether he will burst into flames is a coin toss.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

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