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The Odyssey Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Rv And Everything We Know

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Matt Damon takes on the lead role of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's new film

We’re now less than one week away from the release of what promises to be one of 2026′s most talked-about films, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

The whole world has been waiting for the British filmmaker’s take on the Ancient Greek epic since it was first announced in 2024 – and our patience is about be rewarded.

Nolan’s first film since Oppenheimer’s Oscars sweep, The Odyssey is an epic tale of war, love and loss with a stacked all-star cast, and marks the director’s first movie shot entirely with IMAX cameras.

Excitingly, even this close to release, lots about The Odyssey is still shrouded in mystery, but here is everything we do know about one of this year’s most talked-about movies…

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What is The Odyssey about?

The Odyssey is based on an epic poem by the ancient Greek writer Homer, which follows the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, on his harrowing 10-year journey home after the Trojan War.

Over the course of his voyage, Odysseus battles numerous mythical monsters, including a cyclops, as well as sirens and deadly sorceresses, before finally making it back to his homeland and family.

The story predominantly explores the drive to protect one’s family, loyalty and the use of brain over brawn to succeed.

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Matt Damon takes on the lead role of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's new film
Matt Damon takes on the lead role of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s new film

Which stars are in the cast of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?

It’s no great surprise that A-listers are queuing up to work with Christopher Nolan, and the cast of The Odyssey is a real who’s who of Hollywood.

Matt Damon is taking on the lead role as Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway playing his wife Penelope and Tom Holland appearing as his son Telemachus.

Robert Pattinson will play Odysseus’ rival Antinous, a suitor for Penelope, and is joined by his Dune and The Drama co-star Zendaya, who will be playing the Greek goddess Athena.

Zendaya is set to play Athena in The Odyssey
Zendaya is set to play Athena in The Odyssey

Also playing pivotal characters are Charlize Theron as the sea witch Calypso, and Lupita Nyong’o, who is also set to play both Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra.

Rapper Travis Scott also appears in the film, playing a poet figure, with Mia Goth portraying the maidservant Melantho, John Leguizamo appearing as Odysseus’ friend Eumaeus, The Bear’s Jon Bernthal playing Spartan king Menelaus and The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie taking on the role of Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon.

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Rounding out the cast are Minority Report’s Samantha Morton as the mythical Circe (in what early takes on social media are calling a stand-out performance) and Yesterday’s Himesh Patel as Odysseus’ second-in-command, Eurylochus.

Logan Marshall Green and Elliot Page are also in the film, although neither’s role has been officially revealed.

Christopher Nolan fans will know the director has a penchant for working with the same actors across different projects, and many of his The Odyssey actors have appeared in his past movies.

Anne Hathaway starred in both The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, while Matt Damon also appeared in Interstellar, as well as Oppenheimer.

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Robert Pattinson and Himesh Patel both appeared in Tenet, while Elliot Page worked with the filmmaker back in 2010’s Inception and Benny Safdie had a minor role in Oppenheimer.

Anne Hathaway will play a key role in The Odyssey, which marks her third time working with Christopher Nolan
Anne Hathaway will play a key role in The Odyssey, which marks her third time working with Christopher Nolan

What has Christopher Nolan said about The Odyssey?

Compared to many of his peers, Christopher Nolan is known for his love of practical effects and shooting out in the real world, rather than relying on CGI and green-screen technology.

The Odyssey will be no different, with the cast shooting in locations as varied as Scotland, Morocco, Italy and Iceland.

“By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways,” the Dunkirk filmmaker told Empire in November last year. “Because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.”

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During a recent appearance on The Late Show back in May, Christopher told Stephen Colbert that he considered The Odyssey to be the original Marvel movie.

He claimed: “Even comic book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or D.C. or all the rest, a lot of it comes directly from the Homeric Epics.

“The thing about Homer is, nobody knows if that was a person. Homer, in a way, is the sort of George Lucas of his time.”

Christopher Nolan's last film, Oppenheimer, earned him the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director
Christopher Nolan’s last film, Oppenheimer, earned him the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director

When asked what made him want to adapt The Odyssey for the big screen, he admitted that a subplot involving Odysseus’ dog Argos had really stood out to him.

He explained: “I’m a new dog owner. I’d never had a dog growing up. I didn’t have a dog when my kids were young. We denied that, and then as soon as they left for college, we got a dog.

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“They love the dog, too, when they get to visit. I decided to do The Odyssey because it’s the ultimate dog story.”

What has the cast of The Odyssey said about the new movie?

Lead actor Matt Damon teased to Empire back in November that The Odyssey is “exactly what you want [from] a summer movie”, describing shooting it as “the best experience of my career”.

In a more recent interview with GQ, he shared how the film felt more like the big-budget films he made in the early years of his career.

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He explained: “It was a really weird movie for me personally in the sense that I had almost a nostalgic feeling the entire time I was making it, because it felt like the movies when I started working. And I know that that’s going away.”

Matt theorised that, because of the way that the industry is headed, The Odyssey could well be the last of its kind.

“I knew that this was the last chance I was going to have to do something like this,” he claimed, adding: “I don’t think people are going to be given the resources to shoot movies that way for much longer.”

Tom Holland also called The Odyssey his “proudest achievement” in an April interview with GQ.

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Spider-Man actor Tom Holland will play Telemachus in The Odyssey
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland will play Telemachus in The Odyssey

“I can tell you that it is an absolute masterpiece, and I’m taking myself out of that equation. Chris Nolan’s movie is fantastic,” the Spider-Man actor said. “It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before.”

Tom promised fans they are going to be “blown away by the set pieces and sequences,” thanks to the scale of Nolan’s film.

“I was absolutely blown away by the scale, the scope, his ability to navigate such an intricate and heartfelt story in the middle of this insane kind of action movie,” he enthused.

Charlize Theron also backed up Matt and Tom’s comment about the filming experience.

The Oscar winner told Elle that making the Greek epic was “one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had”, stating: “All of us had a certain personality of wanting to push harder. And when you put a group of those kinds of people together, it’s pretty amazing what they can accomplish.”

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And rewarding though the experience might have been, the stars have made no secret of the fact that the shoot was an especially tough one.

Matt admitted to GQ in June: “Every time we’d go somewhere, we’d be like, ‘Well, Iceland will be easier’. And then it’s raining sideways and it’s fucking freezing. Iceland was like, ‘Yeah, easy? Hey, hold my beer’.

“I’ve never seen people look so exhausted,” Robert Pattinson added about the experience in the same GQ article. “And this was only a third of the way.”

He continued: “I started a third of the way through the movie, and they’d already been to [two] countries by that point and people just looked like… I mean, at the end of every day people were broken.”

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Some critics have already taken issue with The Odyssey’s historical accuracy

Costumes in The Odyssey were certainly a talking point long before the film's release
Costumes in The Odyssey were certainly a talking point long before the film’s release

As soon as The Odyssey’s first trailer dropped in December, sceptics wasted no time pointing out how historically incorrect they felt the armour and costumes looked.

In a Time interview from May, the director responded to his detractors, insisting that his research was thorough when putting together The Odyssey, and pointing out that our knowledge of the Bronze Age is based on “very fragmentary archaeological records”.

He said of the cynics: “Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about Interstellar. But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”

There was also some discourse during filming, when the director’s location choices were met with backlash.

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Matt Damon and Zendaya were reported to be filming a sequence in Dakhla, a city in the Western Sahara that has been under Moroccan occupation for the last 50 years.

María Carrión, the executive director of Western Sahara International Film Festival, accused the director, his actors and his crew – whether knowingly or unknowingly – of “contributing to Morocco’s repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime’s efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara” by filming in the region.

While the filmmaker has not directly responded to these comments, The Guardian has claimed that The Odyssey’s shoot in Dakhla was completed in around four days, and was already over by the time the festival organisers raised their concerns.

Although some were concerned with the costume and location choices of The Odyssey, there’s also been a separate backlash centred on its casting.

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Some online commentators have questioned why a movie based on Homer’s Greek epic appears to have no Greek actors confirmed in the principal cast.

Greek City Times even published an open letter which argues that Greek people are being ignored in a story so deeply rooted in Greek culture, history and identity.

Similarly, the decision for all of the characters to speak in American accents was one that raised eyebrows.

Unfortunately, The Odyssey has also been met with racist backlash over its casting

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Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o will play two characters in The Odyssey
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o will play two characters in The Odyssey

Meanwhile, certain right-wing parts of the internet regrettably exploded when it was revealed that Lupita Nyong’o would playing Helen of Troy, described in mythology as “the most beautiful woman in the world”.

“Casting a Black woman to play a White woman in a foundational work of European literature is no more right than casting a White man to play Shaka Zulu!” the X owner claimed, referring to the South African king, while also Elon branding Nolan “an anti-White racist”.

Right-wing commentator Matt Walsh claimed in another X post that “not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world,’” despite the star being named People’s Most Beautiful Woman after first rising to fame.

Lupita has since addressed the racist backlash, reminding those who have an issue with her casting that The Odyssey is a “mythological story”.

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“Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence,” she told Elle in May 2026. “The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”

She added: “It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time.”

Nolan praised the Oscar-winning actor during the same article, enthusing: “The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless.

“I’m sure there’s a tremendous amount of discipline and training that goes into projecting that kind of poise and feeling the emotion bubbling beneath the character, the layers of the character right there underneath.”

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Has The Odyssey been adapted for the screen before?

While Christopher Nolan’s take isn’t the first adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, it looks to be the biggest and most epic adaptation to date.

Kirk Douglas previously starred in an Italian version of the story in 1954 called Ulysses, while the Coen brothers’ 2000 musical-comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou? turned Odysseus into an escaped prisoner in the American South.

The most recent adaptation of The Odyssey came in 2024, with the film The Return.

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Starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, the movie covered only the last act of the story, depicting Odysseus pretending to be a suitor to win his wife back – and killing the men trying to pursue her.

What are the reviews for The Odyssey like?

At the time of writing, official reviews are still under embargo, but those who’ve seen the film at advanced screenings have been sharing their abridged takes on social media. And we’re happy to say, the response has been pretty glowing so far.

Words like “staggering”, “colossal” and “spectacular” have already being thrown around, and while the jury’s still out on where The Odyssey will stand in the wider pantheon of Nolan’s filmography, it sounds as though it’s going to be pretty near the top.

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How long is The Odyssey?

There’s good news and bad news on this front.

What we’re happy to report is that The Odyssey is shorter than Nolan’s last film, Oppenheimer. The bad news? There’s not much in it.

Oppenheimer clocked in at three hours exactly, while The Odyssey’s runtime is the slightly shorter 172 minutes.

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When will The Odyssey release in cinemas?

Mark your calendars – Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey will hit theatres on July 17 2026.

Is there trailer for The Odyssey?

There certainly is. Give it a watch for yourself below:

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Parliament probes Richard Tice over undeclared Israel link

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Richard Tice of Reform UK shaking the hand of an official in the Israeli government for the photo op while in Israel in September 2025

Richard Tice of Reform UK shaking the hand of an official in the Israeli government for the photo op while in Israel in September 2025

The parliamentary standards watchdog has opened an investigation into Reform UK deputy Richard Tice. The allegation focuses on Tice failing to declare an interest that related to a Commons debate on Israeli influence.

Tice himself has disputed media reporting, although the following claim is in part at odds with what the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards stated.

Richard Tice claims probe is over antisemitism stance

In full, Tice said:

Contrary to garbage in media:

I am being investigated for standing against antisemitism. You could not make it up.

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Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by anti semitic anti Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.

The same anti Israel group failed to notify Commissioner that Ayoub Khan MP did not declare his substantial donation received from a pro Palestine group.

Funny that…..

Adding further context, the BBC reported:

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Reform said Tice did not mention in his 22 June speech that he had been on a trip to Israel last September, funded by a pro-Israel lobbying group.

The trip has been listed in Tice’s Declaration of Members’ Interests.

Here is what the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner published regarding the ongoing investigation:

Therefore, it is not the case that the commissioner is investigating Tice for “standing against antisemitism”, as he suggested.

The ‘Rule 6’ stipulates:

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Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders.

Additional guidance states that MPs can refer to register of interests entries but:

Such a reference will not suffice on its own, as the declaration must provide sufficient information to convey the nature of the interest without the listener or the reader having to have recourse to the Register or other publication.

Israeli influence

The debate in question happened as a result of a Parliament petition passing 100,000 signatures. The petition read:

We are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics. We believe it is important to determine the scope and impact of any such influence campaigns.

We feel that the horrific devastation in Gaza, the ongoing suppression of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the UK’s political response underline the urgent need to scrutinise how pro-Israel organisations, networks, and lobbying efforts may shape government decisions, party policy, and public debate.

Featured image via Office of the President of Israel/ X

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By Willem Moore

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BBC Documentary RevealsDolphins Taunt Pufferfish For This One Hilarious Reason

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BBC Documentary RevealsDolphins Taunt Pufferfish For This One Hilarious Reason

Our family bathrooms may not be dedicated to them the way that they were in the ’90s, but dolphins are still a really popular mammal. I mean, of course they are, look at their wee faces!

One thing we have been learning over time, however, is that they are a lot more mischevious than we first thought. For example, did you know that dolphins like to swim through self-made bubbles and surf in waves? Adorable!

However, I just learned something about these scamps of the ocean that is both horrifying and, to be honest, absolutely hilarious.

The reason why dolphins taunt pufferfish

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In a BBC series called Spy In The Pod, a documentary that used hidden cameras disguised as tuna and squid, to go into the heart of the dolphin’s world and get up close with their everyday lives.

One part of the footage revealed that dolphins appear to get high off pufferfish defence chemicals.

According to The Smithsonian, pufferfish produce a potent defensive chemical, which they eject when threatened. In small enough doses, however, the toxin seems to induce “a trance-like state” in dolphins that come into contact with it.

In the documentary, the dolphins gently played with the pufferfish, passing it between one another (puff, puff, pass, anyone?) which was in direct contradiction to what they did with other fish, which they immediately tore apart.

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In a hilarious development, the dolphins were also filmed floating just underneath the water’s surface, mesmerised by their own reflections. Just like we do in club toilets at 2am!

Researchers believe this was not a one-off

Speaking to the Daily Mail, series producer Rob Pilley said that he didn’t believe this was a one-off encounter, saying: “The dolphins were specifically going for the puffers and deliberately handling them with care.”

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Jeremy Clarkson shares weird idea to punish benefit claimants

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Jeremy Clarkson head shot

Jeremy Clarkson head shot

There are many miserable people in Great Britain who love to spread their misery around. One such person is  Jeremy Clarkson, who seemingly spends his free time devising new ways to belittle benefit claimants.

As many have pointed out, Clarkson himself is a beneficiary of government money. In other words, expect a thank you letter from him sometime soon.

Jeremy Clarkson, the meat w*nker

In his latest piece for the Times, Clarkson compares welfare recipients to dogs. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the broadcaster suggested that welfare recipients are actually worse than animals, because “at least dogs are grateful”.

Speaking of gratitude, now is a good time to remind you Clarkson once punched a man because the platter of meat he brought was cold — not hot, as Jeremy would have preferred. Is this the famous ‘gratitude’ he’s speaking of?

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Clarkson’s piece begins:

As I’m sure you’ve heard, there are now more than a million young people in this country who are not working. They’re not even looking for work. They’re just sitting at home all day, gormlessly watching shortform nonsense on their massive vulgarsonic televisions.

Nearly a million young people being out of work is true. The idea that none of them are “even looking for work” is some shite he made up. Also, we’re not sure he should be criticising people for “gormlessly watching nonsense on television” given that he was the host of Top Gear.

If you live in the world, you’re no doubt unsurprised to learn that a significant number of young people are out of work. The high streets are run down, many jobs have been lost to automation, and people can’t afford to go out, which means fewer jobs in hospitality. These are all areas in which young people traditionally worked, so of course fewer of them are in work.

Plus, the rise in national minimum wage has reduced the jobs available for youngsters.

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While he’s coming at it from the wrong angle, Clarkson isn’t wrong to suggest social media is having an impact. Because of phones, we’re never more than a swipe away from seeing how the other half lives. You don’t think that will instill a sense of hopelessness in young people who can’t even get an interview in retail?

Clarkson clueless about PIP

Like everyone on the right, Clarkson doesn’t understand how Personal Independence Payments (PIP) work. Clarkson suggests they’re given to people for not working, but Rachel Charlton-Dailey explained:

PIP isn’t an out-of-work benefit and has nothing to do with employment.

Here’s what Clarkson said:

And what makes this especially dispiriting is that if they’ve got ants in their pants, or ADHD as it’s now called, or some other head-based issue with an acronym, the state will give them up to £194 a week. Which is £100 more than they’d get if they got off their arses and did some kind of part-time work in the local shop.

Charlton-Dailey reported that about four in 10 claimants with ADHD receive the top rate of £194. As this is PIP, many will be in work because that’s how PIP functions.

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Misery loves company

Clarkson’s piece contains a long section about his dogs, in which he admits that they sometimes shit in his house (training issue). He then gets to his idea to belittle benefit claimants:

It’s very simple. Every week, when the benefits are paid, the recipient is given the email address of a randomly selected person who is getting up and going to work every day. And they are told that unless a proper and genuine email is sent, thanking the working person for their generosity, the benefits will stop. And I’m not talking about a cursory “thanks mate”. I want fulsomeness. I want to hear what they’ve done with the £194 I gave them that week. And I want effusiveness as well. I want to feel their gratitude.

“It is SO kind of you to go to work every day so that I don’t have to. Thanks to you I was able to buy an even bigger television this week”

This way, the communists in the Labour party would be happy because the benefits are still being paid. And the taxpayer will feel a bit better too because they’re at least being thanked.

This might not need pointing out, but this is blatant right-wing propaganda. We have a benefits system to ensure:

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  • Those who become unemployed can survive between jobs
  • Sick and disabled people don’t become homeless
  • People of retirement age are able to retire

The benefits system was designed to benefit everyone besides the ultra-wealthy — the people who will never require government support for themselves or their loved ones. The reason they’ll never require it isn’t because they’re inherently better than us; it’s because they and their ancestors benefitted from the fruits of other people’s labour.

Jeremy Clarkson benefits from govt handouts

These ultra-wealthy people use their position of influence to highlight the small numbers of people who are, admittedly, taking the piss, to tarnish the reputation of the entire benefits system. For what? So they can get away with paying less tax?

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Clarkson has an estimated net worth of £50 million by the way. Despite this, he’s accepted the following government and EU subsidies:

  • Environmental Stewardship scheme (£116,352)
  • Basic Payment Scheme (£133,733)

The government subsidises things like farming because crops — much like people — are needed to ensure society remains functional. The right-wing press doesn’t criticise farming subsidies because the land barons who benefit from them are often right-wing themselves. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

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This aside, there is a method for people to make money without working, and that method is to be born wealthy.

If a person has a million pounds, they can pay a second person to turn that fortune into more money through investing and asset hoarding. Over time, this has led to a situation in which global wealth is concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. And wouldn’t you know it, this has also coincided with there being fewer opportunities for ordinary working people.

To be fair to Jeremy Clarkson, he does seem like someone who works hard. The problem is, he works hard at being a f*cking knucklehead.

The longer we allow the rich to seize all the wealth, the worse things will get. The worse things get, the more that the rich will blame us for the problems they created.

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Featured image via Acub Porzycki/ Getty Images

By Willem Moore

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Trump’s Wacky Weekend Slop Spree Ends With Bizarre New AI Image

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Trump's Wacky Weekend Slop Spree Ends With Bizarre New AI Image

It depicted himself seated at a table with Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Trump in the image is wearing clothing almost identical to Lincoln’s, and the three are shown signing an upside-down U.S. map:

Some of Trump’s other weekend images included him gazing at a younger version of himself in the uniform he wore during his time in a private military academy as a teen, as well as one of himself as some kind of Revolutionary War hero.

Trump, however, never actually served in the military.

Trump was of draft age during the Vietnam War, but received four deferments for college and one for bone spurs in his heels.

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He later infamously told radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was “my personal Vietnam.”

Trump’s critics slammed him for obsessively posting AI slop images of himself instead of focusing on the war in Iran, affordability or any other issue far more important to the American people:

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Iran Playing Trump Like A Fiddle Says Andrew Neil

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Iran Playing Trump Like A Fiddle Says Andrew Neil

Iran is “playing Donald Trump like a fiddle” as the US president struggles to strike a peace deal with the Tehran regime, Andrew Neil has said.

In a brutal takedown, the veteran broadcaster said there are now “no good options” for America, despite the US president’s repeated claims to have won the war.

His comments on Times Radio came after Iran denied it was planning to hold peace talks with America to end the conflict, which began when the US and Israel launched attacks at the end of February.

That came after Trump claimed to have called off “massive” strikes on Iran so that negotiations could resume.

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Neil said Iran was stringing Trump along until the US midterm elections in November, when his Republican Party is expected to suffer a heavy defeat.

He said: “The truth is there are no good options [for Trump].

“You escalate this war, as he has threatened to do many times, Iran will escalate right back and create a mess among the Gulf states.

“You don’t do that, basically Iran has the upper hand and in the end you have to scuttle away.

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“There is no deal in the offing. Iran is playing Trump like a fiddle on this. This is a very evil regime in Tehran, but it’s not a stupid regime.

“They know what’s happening in America. They follow the midterms as closely as we do. They know this is a deeply unpopular war.

“The impact on the American economy has been very unpopular, his handling of the economy now has an approval rating of 30% [and] 78% of Americans want the war to end now.

“They are just going to drag this out through the summer months, until Trump gets a kicking in the midterm elections.”

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He added: “It’s a terrible time for America with no good options, and none of this rhetoric coming from Trump – we waste our time even analysing it because it’s either meaningless or he U-turns on it within 24 hours.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Hackers expose details of 100k police staff on dark web

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Two uniformed police officers walking with their back to the camera. Hackers have infilrated the national police system.

Two uniformed police officers walking with their back to the camera. Hackers have infilrated the national police system.

The cyber-criminal group ExfilSquad has leaked the names and contact details of more than 100,000 police staff on the dark web.

The news follows threats from the same group last week to leak more data unless public institutions met their demands for payment. ExfilSquad posted on X:

Check your emails! We warned most of you before posting these public warnings!!

Once your company’s data is posted here, it’s NEVER leaving the public eye and it will be passed around the internet FOREVER.

The payment we request of you is simply a rounding error compared to the litigation costs of your data leaking. Be smart and just pay.

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Hackers put multiple organisations under threat

Last week, the Canary reported that the same hackers had posted data stolen from the Department for Education (DfE) and the Police National Legal Database (PNLD). A source explained that a majority of the 145,550 full-time police officers employed in England and Wales have used the PNLD as part of their daily work.

Whilst ExfilSquad stated that they targeted 14 institutions in total, the identities of the others were not public knowledge. However, the most recent reporting from the Telegraph has revealed that the wide-scale hack targeted the Crown Prosecution Service, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and the National Crime Agency.

Likewise, the cyber criminals also breached Newcastle University — the only non-state body named so far. ExfilSquad reportedly stole data including the names, addresses and phone numbers of both staff and students.

The university has already begun an investigation into the exact nature of the attack and the vulnerability of its systems.

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Cybersecurity adviser Jake Moore, of European infosec giant Eset, explained:

The information put on the dark web should not be underestimated. More experienced threat actors see it as highly valuable because it enables them to personalise follow-up attacks, such as phishing or social engineering, which puts even more data at risk.

***

These attacks are becoming more common as criminals increasingly automate their tactics with ease and exploit the development using AI. The knock-on effect means organisations are facing a far higher volume of attacks, often with far less effort required from the attacker.

‘Officers at serious risk’

The Times reported that a government spokesperson declined to comment on the security breach, stating:

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We have dedicated capabilities to respond to cyber incidents, and it would be inappropriate to comment on a live investigation.

However, a staff member from one of the targeted law enforcement organisations said

I have worked in serious organised crime and put high-level criminals behind bars. For private information to be leaked about me is very disconcerting and puts officers at serious risk.

In the past I have been forced to move into safe houses and sell cars due to my job. Now I will have to keep my wits about me online and look out for anyone trying to get more serious information. It is not a good look.

Featured image via Ethan Wilkinson/ Unsplash

By Grace

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UKLFI’s desperate efforts to control anti-Israel narrative succeed after vegan fest cancelled

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UKLFI succeed in getting the Great Vegan Gathering 2026 venue booking cancelled

UKLFI succeed in getting the Great Vegan Gathering 2026 venue booking cancelled

A new four‑day vegan festival in London, billed as being “built on principles of love and kindness for all sentient beings” has been cancelled after complaints from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

The Scout Association cancelled the Great Vegan Festival’s venue booking just weeks before the event was to take place at their Gilwell Park Activity Centre in Chingford.

The association pulled the plug after UKLFI wrote to management warning them that several acts on the line‑up were “antisemitic”.

A statement from the Great Vegan Gathering read:

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After pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel, Gilwell Park decided to cancel our venue hire contract just weeks before the event. As vegans, we oppose oppression in any context and therefore stand resolutely against Israel’s genocide of Palestinian humans and animals in Gaza.

It is deeply regrettable that an event seeking to raise funds for rescued animals at sanctuaries was attacked by UKLFI, an anti-Palestinian group that has repeatedly targeted cultural events and organisations.

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UKLFI accuses musicians of ‘endorsing violence’

UKLFI claimed the musicians had published or performed material that “endorsed violence, vilified Israel and Israelis, and risked stirring up racial hatred”.

The bands HAWXX, Active Slaughter, and Millie Manders and the Shutup were specifically mentioned by UKLFI. They had previously spoken up against ‘Israel’s’ genocide, colonialism and fascism, and the criminal IOF.

UKLFI highlighted several of their songs, to justify its actions.

One of these was Active Slaughter’s song, It’s Not Anti-Semitic to Hate Fascists, which UKLFI claimed “accuses Israeli forces of killing ‘for fun’ and planting knives beside injured Palestinian teenagers”. But this is true, as this film about Palestinian human rights defenders in Hebron clearly shows.

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Israeli forces have filmed knives being planted beside Palestinian youths on more than one occasion.

UKLFI also claimed that if the festival went ahead in its proposed form, it could expose the Scout Association, as the venue operator, to legal, safeguarding and reputational risks.

Andrew Thorp, deputy public relations lead for the Scout Association, told us:

A decision has been made to cancel the hire of our venue for The Great Vegan Gathering at Gilwell Park.

Following the initial confirmation of the booking, we conducted a review into some actions taken by the event organisers. The review concluded that these actions were not consistent with Scout values or our venue hire policies.

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As a result, we have informed the organisers that the event will not proceed at Gilwell Park.

We remain committed to ensuring that all activity taking place at our venues reflects our values and supports an inclusive, respectful and welcoming environment for everyone.”

The Canary asked Thorp for more details, but he did not respond further.

Repeat targeting of cultural organisations and events

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JJ Maguire, a singer in Active Slaughter, told Middle East Eye:

My Jewish granddad escaped persecution in Nazi Germany, but many of his family members were murdered…It’s with him in mind that I founded a band which, in keeping with punk traditions, refuses far right politics wherever it rears its head.

***

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I was absolutely appalled to learn that UK Lawyers for Israel had mounted an attack on our pro-Palestine free speech.

Millie Manders, from the band, Millie Manders and the Shutup, said:

My band and I are proud to support justice for all animals and humans. This includes opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, a position shared by millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and atheists – people from every background.

Manders added:

We will never stop advocating for what’s right.

Attempted erasure of Palestine

UKLFI uses tactics of “legal intimidation” to silence pro-Palestine, or anti-‘Israel’ speech and activism. It sends letters, suggesting the possibility of legal action, while events are told they raise legal or equality concerns. The institution on the receiving end then risks legal action, costs and reputational damage.

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By doing this the organisation erodes democratic rights as it aims to erase Palestine from public life. It has taken matters upon itself to police our speech and actions. Academic institutions, the internet, sports, public institutions, charities, councils, companies and individuals have all come under fire.

In 2026, its actions led to the cancellation of academic events and the banning of Palestine Solidarity symbols worn by various railway, airport and hospital staff. It has also influenced guidance on investment of council pension funds.

Worryingly, two encyclopedias were told by UKLFI that their referencing to Palestine was incorrect. In addition, academic institutions have changed the description and wording of courses to remove the word ‘Palestine’.

Of course, UKLFI is lying when it states its concerns are “rooted in historical accuracy and educational responsibility”.

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The Scouts have been repeatedly targeted. In January, UKLFI wrote to a north London Scout group after an adult leader wore a keffiyeh, arguing the conduct may amount to harassment under the Equality Act.

In February, UKLFI wrote again after staff were seen wearing symbols of support for Palestine.

UKLFI’s role in shutting down Palestine discourse

In August 2025, UKLFI complained to Hertfordshire Scouts about Camp Wilayah, an annual Islamic children’s summer camp on its land. UKLFI alleged breaches of the Public Order Act, the Counter‑Terrorism and Security Act and the Children Act. The Scouts cancelled the booking, even though the camp had taken place for more than 13 years with no complaints.

The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and Forensic Architecture labelled UKLFI a “major actor” in the repression of pro‑Palestinian activism in the UK.

It exploits the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which equates criticism of ‘Israel’ with antisemitism. It also exploits terror legislation to create a chilling effect on pro-Palestine discourse.

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Various organisations are taking action against UKLFI’s threatening behaviour and weaponisation of the law.

The Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) and ELSC have filed a 114‑page complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They claim UKLFI is using legal threats as a form of strategic intimidation to shut down public debate on Palestine. As such, they are calling for UKLFI to be regulated as an unregistered law firm.

The Charity Commission is also investigating UKLFI’s charitable wing after a complaint by CAGE. CAGE accused it of “engaging in vexatious and malicious complaints” against pro-Palestinian activism, while “masquerading as a charity.”

Senior barristers linked to the group also face a separate complaint over their role as patrons.

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$730m hasbara budget making no difference

Pressure from UKLFI is part of a much larger, state‑backed effort to manage the occupation’s global image. In 2026, the ‘Israeli’ government approved a public diplomacy budget of roughly $730m.

Foreign minister Gideon Saar argues that managing ‘Israel’s’ image should be treated like “investing in jets, bombs, and missile interceptors”.

More than $50m is going into digital ad buys, around $40m into flying in delegations, and tens of millions more into influencer networks, AI‑driven content tools and targeted campaigns aimed at US universities and young Americans, where support for ‘Israel’ has plummeted.

Despite this unprecedented propaganda budget, unfavourable views continue to rise. No amount of money or digital campaigns can buy back the truth. The official story, framing ‘Israel’ as a democracy under threat, which treats all criticism as antisemitism and refers Palestinian resistance as terrorism, is starting to fall apart.

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Featured image via Vegan FTA

By Charlie Jaay

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Gaza holocaust continues during another weekend of Zionist atrocities

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Palestinians inspect the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a medicine warehouse next to tents sheltering displaced families in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, on 1 August 2026. There is a huge crater in the earth.

Palestinians inspect the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a medicine warehouse next to tents sheltering displaced families in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, on 1 August 2026. There is a huge crater in the earth.

So-called ‘Israel’ continued to livestream the extermination of an entire people over the weekend, with a massive string of atrocities across Gaza.

On Saturday 1 August, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) targeted warehouses used for storing medicines at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. According to Drop Site News, the buildings contained “critical supplies and equipment for kidney dialysis”.

Referencing Zionist policies that severely restrict aid to Gaza, hospital director, Raed Hussein, said “supplies have never been fully provided” over the past three years of genocide. He said any that do get in arrive “in a limited and reduced manner”.

Now, Zionist terrorists have destroyed even that small quantity of medical equipment.

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The blast left an enormous crater and destroyed large numbers of tents people had been using as makeshift shelter, alongside their belongings. Fatima Sharab was one of those left bereft.

She told Drop Site:

The mattresses, blankets we’d managed to gather after losing them 15 times, they’re gone again. What is left after this?

‘Israel’wants to spread disease throughout Gaza

In response to the attack, Munir al-Bursh, director-general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health – Gaza, said:

When the occupation fights people by destroying medicines and preventing medicine from entering, it turns medicine and illness itself into a tool of war.

Spreading epidemics as a means of mass murder is stated as an ‘Israeli’ policy. Giora Eiland, a retired major-general and still a key figure in the apartheid entity’s security establishment, said:

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The international community warns us of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this, as difficult as that may be. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers.

In response, Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, commented:

I agree with every word.

On the same day as the medical warehouse war crime, the IOF murdered “at least seven Palestinians”, the Palestinian Wafa news agency told media. In one atrocity:

An Israeli drone attack killed two people in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood…

The IOF killed another Palestinian in a Deir el-Balah drone strike and slaughtered another person “.in a strike on a tent near a school in al-Mawasi, north of Khan Younis”, Al Jazeera reported.

Terrorist forces killed three more people through the use of drones and air strikes later in the day.

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Sunday 2 August was even more horrific as butchers serving the land theft project killed at least 19 people. Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Mosab Abu Toha, who documents much of the daily crimes the IOF carries out, said the killing started when:

Israel carried out a strike on an apartment in Gaza City at 1:13 a.m. local time. Two parents and their child were burnt to death. A few minutes before that, Israel bombed a house in Der el-Balah in Central Gaza, killing two people.

Footage shows child casualties of Zionist crimes

Abu Toha shared graphic footage of what appears to be the child victim of that attack. Drop Site News provided similarly harrowing evidence of other innocent children horribly wounded by yet another illegal strike “on a residential apartment in the al-Mawasi area, northwest of Khan Younis, early Sunday”.

Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in the strike on the Hamza family’s apartment, according to Shehab News Agency.

Drop Site provided a list of the atrocities Zionists carried out during the 24-hour period, detailing at least 10 separate attacks during what Western media still absurdly calls a “ceasefire”. Since the supposed cessation of hostilities began in October 2025, apartheid land thieves have murdered “1,233 Palestinians, including 266 children“.

This is far more than the number of ‘Israeli’ civilians killed on 7 October. In response to that, Western mainstream media reacted with horror and proceeded to cheer on the Gaza holocaust. However, daily IOF atrocities contributing to that continuing extermination campaign are largely ignored.

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It was therefore left to Mosab Abu Toha to call Western complicity to account in the wake of the latest wave of barbarism.

He wrote:

While you are enjoying time with your families this summer, traveling to water parks, hiking through the woods, picking blueberries, and photographing mushrooms and rocks, Gazan families continue to be slaughtered in their tents, burned alive, and torn apart by Israeli attacks.

Children continue to be targeted. Those who survive are often left as the sole survivors of their families or are permanently disabled.

None of this would be possible without the political, military, and financial support provided by the United States and many European governments.

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Israel must be held accountable and punished for its heinous and live-streamed war crimes. This video you are seeing is from this early morning in Gaza. Do these kids not look like yours? Do you really appreciate kids and family?

Featured image via Mahmoud Issa/ Reuters

By Robert Freeman

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Christopher Nolan Says There’s A ‘Flaw’ In Film Criticism

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Christopher Nolan Says There's A 'Flaw' In Film Criticism

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been broadly praised by critics. The record-breaking movie has a whopping 94% on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes (that jumps up to 97% for the audience-generated Popcornmeter score).

Still, the adaptation has received its fair share of criticism, too. Nolan’s version of the millennia-old story was partly inspired by classical studies professor Emily Wilson’s translation of the poem.

But Wilson, it seemed, wasn’t such a fan. While she was “humbled” the director had cited her work, the classics expert said she would “be ashamed to have written any part of” the script.

Writer Joyce Carol Oates has since defended the director’s interpretation. And now, Nolan himself has chimed in on the discourse.

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Speaking with translator, lecturer and podcaster Zhong Shu, Nolan talked about “a fundamental flaw of film criticism”.

When asked about how his version of the Greek classic portrays Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) in a more contemporary way, the director said: “The criticism that’s often levelled at movies in general is, ‘Oh, the character has to be made sympathetic, so the character is manipulated in different ways or changed in different ways’.”

“And that’s a fundamental flaw of film criticism in a way, or storytelling criticism. Because to be able to identify the mechanism does not invalidate the mechanism. And that’s a real problem in criticism today.”

The Oppenheimer auteur continued, “I’m thinking more of amateur criticism, because they feel they’ve identified the mechanism, they feel that it invalidates it. That can be true of certain elements, and film grammar, film language evolves with that.

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“So when a trope becomes too familiar to an audience, then it has to be changed. But we do, as filmmakers, avail ourselves of that common language. We build on that understanding. Our audience has seen many films and they understand that language.”

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The House | “She dared to be a Daniel, she dared to stand alone”: Tributes to Ann Widdecombe

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“She dared to be a Daniel, she dared to stand alone”: Tributes to Ann Widdecombe
“She dared to be a Daniel, she dared to stand alone”: Tributes to Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdecombe: 4 October 1947 – c. 8 July 2026 | Image by: Colin McPherson / Alamy


11 min read

Fearless, honest and articulate, Ann Widdecombe was a warm and generous friend. A conviction politician whose principles were underpinned by her faith and patriotism, she was always true to her herself. Words by Lord Alton, Baroness Hoey and Baroness Browning

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Ann Widdecombe party conference
October 2000: Ann Widdecombe at Conservative Party Conference | Image by: Mr Riley / Alamy

Ann Widdecombe was a fearless and faithful friend, writes Lord Alton

In 1979 we nearly became election opponents when she and Frank Field chased the Conservative and Labour nominations in the by-election at Liverpool Edge Hill.

Nine years later, now MP for Maidstone, Ann joined the Standing Committee on my Private Members’ Bill to reduce the 28 weeks upper time limit for abortion. At meetings all over the UK we spoke at public meetings explaining why, despite other political differences, we were united by our belief in the right to life.

Ann had been deeply shocked by the Carlisle baby case – a baby aborted at 21 weeks gestation – and she later asked the Commons, “how can one accept, when a child has been breathing without the aid of artificial equipment, has a pulse rate and has survived for three hours, that that was not a live birth? Under what circumstances do we call a person an unperson?”

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She never hesitated to ask difficult questions.

Widdecombe prison cake
1997: Prisons minister Ann Widdecombe celebrates her 129th and final prison visit with a cake made by young offenders at Spring Hill | Image: PA Images / Alamy 

She loathed eugenics, human cloning and experiments on human embryos and feared assisted suicide would endanger people with disabilities.

With CS Lewis she also believed that if you are cruel to other species, it wouldn’t be long before you are cruel to human beings too. 

Her love of animals led her to accept the presidency of societies caring for donkeys and hedgehogs, and to her rescuing stray cats: Pugwash and Carruthers being two of the most notable.

One night, driving her to a meeting in the north of England, I was told to “stop the car”: She had seen a stranded hedgehog. It was rescued and taken to safety.

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She passionately opposed fox hunting – unlike some of her local party who tabled a hostile motion at an AGM.

I secured a supportive statement for her from a retired general who wrote to her party members: “I fought the Mau Mau and she’s exactly the person I would have wanted standing alongside me.” She successfully saw off the motion.

As I got to know Ann, I rapidly realised that behind the sometimes-gruff exterior was a principled, extraordinarily articulate, intelligent woman – not easily deterred. Her formidable debating skills, developed as a student in the Oxford Union, were deployed to great effect for all her causes – political, social, and charitable.

She was also intensely kind – to family, friends, and strangers. 

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In her mother’s final years, Ann brought Rita to live with her in London – telling me that, just as her mother had cared for her when she came into the world, she would care for her beloved mother as she left this world for the next. She did just that.

After one combative session on a Home Office bill, she told me, ‘you are still my favourite bleeding-heart liberal’. I took it as a compliment

As a godmother to one of my children she unfailingly always asked after him, travelling miles to be with him for his baptism and first communion.

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I saw that kindness in terrible tragedy too.

We shared Sir David Amess as a good friend. 

Following David’s appalling murder, and totally in character, Ann remained close to Julia, David’s widow, showing practical and continuing care, celebrating David’s life when we attended the unveiling of his statue in Southend. 

Ann’s convictions were underpinned by the twin pillars of her faith and patriotism, insisting that we must use our lives to the full: “We get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal.”

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Her faith manifested itself in her causes, through support for charities for the persecuted, the vulnerable, the poor – through the work of Right to Life, the Leprosy Mission, the St Vincent de Paul Society. It expressed itself in her devotion to Mother Teresa – whom she met at Westminster – and whom she later defended against Christopher Hitchens and in a 2016 BBC Songs of Praise programme exploring the characteristics of a saint.

Mother Teresa
1997, Westminster: Mother Teresa (centre) in Jubilee Room with MPs David Amess, David Alton, Ann Widdecombe and Alan Beith

In 2013, in recognition of Ann’s work, Pope Benedict named her a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great.

Ann’s patriotism had its roots in her upbringing – partly in Singapore, where the father she adored had worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Defence. In June, in our last conversation together – in Kennington over a favourite tandoori masala – we shared our concerns about the UK’s lack of preparedness as we face the “deadly quartet” of dictatorships threatening our freedoms.

Whether you agreed with Ann, or not, her forthright views were always trenchantly, intelligently, and honestly expressed and never with malice. In a toxic climate of inflammatory hate speech, that respect for difference must be the key to learning to live together.

Even when Ann and I were on opposite sides of political arguments, we agreed to disagree and never fell out. After one combative session on a Home Office bill, she told me, “you are still my favourite bleeding-heart liberal”. I took it as a compliment.

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In 1993 to mark her decision to become a Catholic she chose the hymns at the weekly mass in the Westminster chapel of St Mary Undercroft.

The last of those hymns was Faith of Our Fathers. Its final verse has a particularly poignant resonance:

…we will love

Both friend and foe in all our strife,

And preach thee, too, as love knows how

By kindly words and virtuous life.

Faith of our fathers! holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death!”

Ann was always true to herself.

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May she now rest in peace.

Lord Alton of Liverpool is a crossbench peer


Widdecombe MEPs
2019: Newly elected Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe with fellow MEPs and party leader Nigel Farage | Image by: SOPA / Alamy

Above all, Ann Widdecombe was a public servant and politician of conviction and high moral principles, writes Baroness Hoey

“Well Kate, at least we are both still around!” Those were the last words spoken to me by Ann Widdecombe just a couple of weeks before her murder. We were at a reception in Westminster chatting about the ups and downs of getting older whilst also remarking on how well we both felt.

Waking up to news of her death, I remembered that night and the friendship and camaraderie we enjoyed. Also issues on which we found ourselves in profound disagreement, such as hunting, where we campaigned on opposing sides, yet without rancour. In fact the reverse; we shared for one another that respect and affection which comes from recognition of a kindred spirit even if, at times, political opponents.

When she was a Conservative member, Ann sometimes found herself out of step with many of her fellow members, and indeed with party policy, as did I in mine. In doing so, she became far more widely known and recognised – both liked and loathed – than many of her contemporaries in parliament. She dared to be a Daniel, she dared to stand alone.

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Ann could cope equally well with congratulation or confrontation, returning heckles with humour

Above all, Ann was a public servant and politician of conviction and high moral principles and of deep religious conviction guiding her every thought and action. This faith enabled her – indeed demanded of her, with true Christian love of her neighbour – to overcome the divisions that arise in public and political life between those of sincere yet differing opinions and goals. Such generosity of spirit was a far cry from the shockingly spiteful comments made by self-regarding commentators when she died. 

Widdecombe Farage walk
April 2019: Ann Widdecombe with Nigel Farage | Image by: PA Images / Alamy

Two years ago, as a Reform UK party spokesperson, Ann addressed a pro-union meeting at Dromore Orange Hall in County Down. Speaking against the post-Brexit

Northern Ireland Protocol, she declared to a rousing reception from the audience: “I’m Ann Widdecombe, I’m a Roman Catholic and I’m in an Orange hall.” The audience rose to their feet as one. Earlier we had toured the Titanic exhibition and talked about her dedication to Reform UK and her respect and indeed love for Nigel Farage. 

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Ann could cope equally well with congratulation or confrontation, returning heckles with humour. She was steely yet kind, warmed by wit and a roustabout spirit. That is why so many of the public loved her and now mourn her, as will those of us privileged to have known her more closely. Our sense of loss is magnified by the terrible cruelty of her murder.

Sadly Ann is now no longer around but millions who admired her and shared her values will carry forward her battle for the nation she loved.

Baroness Hoey is a non-affiliated peer


Widdecombe Hague
1999: Back l-r: Angela Browning, Ann Widdecombe, Theresa May; front l-r: Michael Ancram, William Hague and George Young | Image by: PA Images / Alamy

Ann Widdecombe and I did not always agree – but I recall fondly that we laughed a lot, writes Baroness Browning

In June 1983 Ann Widdecombe made her second unsuccessful attempt to win a seat in a general election, this time in Plymouth Devonport fighting against David Owen of the SDP Alliance.

Keen to support a woman candidate, this was where I first met Ann. As soon as the election was over Ann returned to London where her doctor confirmed that she had been campaigning while suffering from pneumonia.

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We became friends. Ann was ahead of me in the quest to become an MP. She had done battle in both Burnley and Plymouth Devonport, I was looking to fight my first seat.

There were no training courses or mentors for candidates in those days and we agreed to work together: Ann now determined to find a ‘safe’ seat and me wanting a first attempt.

We also found we had things in common. Ann was a speaker for Women for Defence. I was a speaker for Peace Through Nato. Both organisations debated with CND and others opposed to nuclear deterrence. We debated around the country and on one occasion in Ireland, at the Tipperary Peace Festival, Monsignor Bruce Kent challenged us to debate back home. We hired the Drum Theatre in Plymouth for a public debate, which we won.

There were no training courses or mentors for candidates in those days and we agreed to work together… I learned a lot from Ann

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I learned a lot from Ann who encouraged me to produce press releases and press conferences in the days before the internet.

We did not always agree; Ann held strong views on most subjects but I recall fondly that we laughed a lot. Ann had a good sense of humour. After one debate in Exeter a lady I knew from the Conservative Party asked me if we would come and give a talk in Budleigh Salterton. She said she would consult her committee. I heard nothing but seeing her some weeks later she said, “Oh my dear, I did consult the committee but I am afraid they thought you and Ann are ‘too fast’ for Budleigh Salterton.” An expression I had always considered to have certain connotations. We roared with laughter.

As we approached the 1987 election we started applying for constituencies, sometimes being interviewed for the same seat.

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All was well. Ann won her Maidstone seat in 1987 and took her seat in Parliament. I unsuccessfully fought Crewe and Nantwich, later joining Ann in Parliament in 1992 representing my home seat of Tiverton.

We served together in the John Major government as ministers and in William Hague’s shadow cabinet.

They were great times: it is how I will remember Ann.

Baroness Browning is a Conservative peer

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