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  • Zarah Sultana – 2026 Comments on Andy Burnham and Gaza

    Zarah Sultana – 2026 Comments on Andy Burnham and Gaza

    The comments made by Zarah Sultana, the Your Party MP for Coventry South on 11 July 2026.

    Andy Burnham said nothing when Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to cut off water, food and electricity to Gaza.

    He refuses to call it a genocide.

    He refuses to back an end to all arms sales to Israel.

    He refuses to commit to arresting Israeli war criminals if they set foot on British soil.

    He refuses to support the deproscription of Palestine Action.

    The nice guy act and mealy-mouthed words don’t cut it when, as Prime Minister, he will be complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

    Our movement will not stop until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.

  • Adam Boulton – 2026 Apology over Ann Widdecombe Comments

    Adam Boulton – 2026 Apology over Ann Widdecombe Comments

    The comments made by Adam Boulton on 11 July 2026.

    I was seriously wrong and insensitive in one of the several media appearances I made yesterday in reaction to the death of Ann Widdecombe. I got the timing and tone of my initial word portrait of her wrong.

    Of course I shared, and share, the horror at her murder and the respect for her remarkable and feisty political career. I also know that many people loved her for her subsequent showbiz stardom. Her untimely death is a horrible thing.

    My mistaken view was that in the context of rolling news coverage, I was being asked to contribute as an obituarist who has known her and interacted with her since the 1980s. This approach was premature. At no point was I expressing my personal feelings about her, that’s not what I do.

    I was discussing her life in the round, based on the record of known facts and what she has said about herself, along with some recollections of our personal interactions. My choice of words on the spur of the moment was clumsy. I did not intend to offend though obviously I did.

  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 10 July 2026.

    The whole country will be utterly shocked by the awful news about the circumstances of Ann Widdecombe’s death.

    Today we come together across the political divide and I pay tribute to Ann’s dedication during her many years of public service.

    My thoughts and deepest condolences are with Ann’s family and friends.

  • Ed Davey – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    Ed Davey – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 10 July 2026.

    I’m really shocked and distressed at the news about Ann Widdecombe.

    She was a woman of deep faith who devoted her life to public service. The idea that she could have been murdered is truly horrifying.

    My thoughts and prayers are with her family and all who loved her, as they come to terms with this unthinkable news

  • Peter Tatchell – 2026 Apology After Mocking Death of Ann Widdecombe

    Peter Tatchell – 2026 Apology After Mocking Death of Ann Widdecombe

    The comments made by Peter Tatchell on 10 July 2026.

    I apologise for my insensitive comments about Ann Widdecombe’s death

    Nobody deserves to die, no matter what they believe in

    My sincere condolences to Ann’s family & friends

    I support the police investigation & want justice for Ann

  • Stella Creasy – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    Stella Creasy – 2026 Comments Following the Death of Ann Widdecombe

    The comments made by Stella Creasy on 10 July 2026.

    o one can deny Ann Widdecombe was a towering presence in our politics who fought for what she thought was right with determination and eloquence.

    You don’t have to agree with those views to recognise that contribution and feel for those who have lost a friend, as well as be shocked to hear of these developments.

  • Iain Dale – 2026 Comments on Peter Tatchell Mocking Death of Ann Widdecombe

    Iain Dale – 2026 Comments on Peter Tatchell Mocking Death of Ann Widdecombe

    The comments made by Iain Dale on 10 July 2026.

    I will curb my language but that tweet is disgusting. You profess to be an advocate of human rights, and the right to be treated with dignity after death is a basic human right everyone should have, yet you rejoice in her death. Yes, her religion guided her views on equality issues, and I had many disagreements with her, but as a gay man I counted her as a friend, as did many others. She was actually a profoundly kind person. She endorsed my candidacy knowing of my sexuality. She softened her views on equal marriage and told me in 2019 she would not support reversing it.
    So be ashamed of yourself today, Peter. You do some great work, but in this instance it’s you that’s the bigot. Bigoted against the dead, and bringing upset to those of us who counted Ann as a friend. Think on that.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 62 – UK General Comment on the draft resolution on child, early and forced marriage [July 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 62 – UK General Comment on the draft resolution on child, early and forced marriage [July 2026]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 July 2026.

    UK General Comment on the draft resolution on child, early and forced marriage. Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.

    Thank you, Mr President,

    Child, early and forced marriage is a harmful practice and a form of gender-based violence. The UK supports efforts to tackle the root causes of the practice, including discriminatory social norms, gender inequality and violence against women and girls.

    It is in this context, that we thank the core group and in particular Switzerland, the pen holder, for their efforts to bring this resolution forward. The UK joined the previous request for the OHCHR to develop guidelines to prevent and redress child, early and forced marriage and we thus wholeheartedly support the core group’s request to implement these guidelines.

    The core group held an open, transparent and lengthy process to take into consideration a broad set of views. We welcome this approach and congratulate them for delivering a strong text which focuses on impact. Indeed, education, empowerment and the promotion of the rights, agency and autonomy of women and girls remain central to preventing and ending child, early and forced marriage.

    We regret that several amendments have been tabled with the aim of challenging key agreed human rights language on comprehensive sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy, and violence. These concepts are firmly grounded in existing international commitments. Attempts to replace or redefine this language risk undermining the resolution’s objective and weakening protections for women and girls.

    Mr President,

    The UK has co-sponsored this draft resolution. We urge all members of the Council to join us in fully supporting without reservation this initiative and to reject the amendments which have been tabled.

    Thank you.

  • NEWS STORY : John Flowers Ltd faces investigation over alleged destruction of swift nests

    NEWS STORY : John Flowers Ltd faces investigation over alleged destruction of swift nests

    STORY

    John Flowers Ltd is facing an investigation after allegations that active swift nests were disturbed or destroyed during roofing work on council-owned homes in Jarrow. South Tyneside Council suspended further work at properties in Lulworth Avenue after concerns were raised by conservationists.

    The Northern Swifts Group said it had been alerted after at least one nest was found badly damaged. A dehydrated swift chick recovered from the nest was taken to a local wildlife rescue centre, where it was reported to be stabilising.

    Conservationists also reported seeing nest debris in a skip used by contractors, although the skip was removed before representatives could carry out further checks. They fear more than one nest may have been affected because swifts usually breed in colonies.

    South Tyneside Council said the roofing work had been carried out by a council-appointed contractor and confirmed that John Flowers Ltd was the company involved. The council has requested a full report from the contractor and launched what it described as an immediate investigation.

    The authority said ecological surveys were carried out before roofing work began and that contractors received guidance on what action to take if nests were found. It said further work had been stopped while additional ecological surveys and assessments were completed.

    Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to damage or destroy the nest of a wild bird while it is in use or being built. Swifts are especially vulnerable because they return to the same nesting sites and depend heavily on gaps and cavities in older buildings.

    The Northern Swifts Group said the incident demonstrated the need for clearer instructions and stronger oversight when contractors work on buildings used by nesting birds. Campaigners have repeatedly warned that renovation and demolition work can permanently remove breeding sites.

  • NEWS STORY : Former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe dies aged 78

    NEWS STORY : Former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe dies aged 78

    STORY

    Former Conservative minister, MP and Reform UK campaigner Ann Widdecombe has died at the age of 78, her management has announced. Widdecombe remained active in political campaigning and broadcasting until shortly before her death, more than 16 years after she left the House of Commons.

    Cloud9 Management said it was announcing her death with great sadness and offered condolences to her family and friends. Her representatives asked that the family’s wish for privacy should be respected.

    Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone from 1987 until boundary changes created the Maidstone and The Weald constituency in 1997. She continued to represent the area until standing down from Parliament at the 2010 general election.

    During John Major’s Government, she held ministerial posts in the Department of Social Security and the Home Office, including responsibility for prisons. She later served in the shadow cabinet as shadow health secretary and shadow home secretary.

    Widdecombe became known for her uncompromising political style and strongly held socially conservative views, which were closely connected to her Christian faith. Her career also included a prominent dispute with former Conservative leader Michael Howard, whom she famously said had “something of the night” about him.

    A committed Eurosceptic, Widdecombe left the Conservatives and joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in 2019. She was elected as a member of the European Parliament for South West England and served until the United Kingdom left the institution in 2020, later continuing her political work with Reform UK.