News Round-Up

• “‘Absolutely gobsmacking’ video of cop saying swastikas ‘need context’” – The Met Police has sparked fury after “absolutely gobsmacking” footage emerged of an officer telling a Jewish woman that swastikas “need to be taken into context” at a pro-Palestine march in London, according to the Mail.
• “Campaigners told the BBC about staff’s antisemitism 18 months ago” – MPs have demanded an inquiry into BBC bias following an exposé in the Mail on Sunday about the views of several BBC Arabic reporters.
• “‘We’re not just facing a threat to Jews in North London – this is the shutting down of democracy’” – U.S. envoy Deborah Lipstadt has spent her life fighting antisemitism. Now 77, she explains to the Telegraph’s Rozina Sabur why a rise in Jewish hatred has wider implications.
• “Alarm bells in Labour as more than 23,000 members quit the party” – Labour members are turning their backs on the party due to Keir Starmer’s stance on Gaza and his abandonment of his flagship £28 billion eco pledge, according to the Mail.
• “How the Post Office buried a report that could have saved sub-postmasters” – An ‘incendiary’ review into the Horizon scandal is now at the centre of cover-up allegations, write Mark Hollingsworth and Effie Webb in the Telegraph.
• “Cleverly warns churches after chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi’s baptism” – The Home Secretary warns that churches should not allow asylum seekers to exploit the system by converting to Christianity, reports the Mail.
• “Charity crowdfunded for Abdul Ezedi’s funeral under a false name” – The burial of chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi was paid for with money crowdfunded under a false name, according to the Mail.
• “How Britain lost faith in the Church of England” – As churches close, wardens disappear and calls are made for slave trade reparations, is it any wonder there is a crisis this Easter? says Peter Stanford in the Telegraph.
• “‘Why I have come to deplore the Church of England under its current leadership’” – The Telegraph’s Isabelle Oakeshott has begun to feel actively hostile towards the church as an institution.
• “Angela Rayner should face full police inquiry over council house tax row, says ex-standards boss” – A former head of the standards watchdog has called for a full police investigation into the tax row surrounding the sale of Angela Rayner’s council house a decade ago, according to the Telegraph.
• “No jury would believe Rayner’s property account, says barrister” – A top barrister says a jury would be unlikely to believe Angela Rayner’s account of her controversial property dealings, reports the Mail.
• “The Tories have broken Britain by not being conservative, argues Ben Habib” – Reform U.K. Deputy Leader Ben Habib says the Conservatives are in a full scale panic over the insurgent party, according to the Express.
• “Bill for public sector pensions hits £2.6 trillion” – The public sector pensions bill has hit a record £2.6 trillion, Treasury figures show – making it more than the entire size of the U.K. economy, reports the Mail.
• “Oxford University to stop politicians becoming chancellor, leaked email shows” – Politicians will be barred from standing to be Oxford University’s new chancellor, following a ruling by the institution’s governing body that breaks with 300 years of tradition, according to the Telegraph.
• “‘New level’ of terror threat in Germany ahead of Euro 2024” – The terror threat in Europe has surged following the Moscow attack, prompting heightened security measures as England football fans gear up for Euro 2024 in Germany, reports the Mail.
• “22% of population of Ireland born overseas, new figures show” – Newly published EU statistics on immigration show that the proportion of the population of the Irish state who were born overseas reached 22% in 2023, according to Gript.
• “Hate crime law could damage trust in police, says senior officer” – The BBC reports that a senior police officer says new Scottish hate crime laws could risk damaging public trust in the force.
• “The arts are under threat in Scotland” – Leaked guidance for Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act suggests actors and comedians could be targeted under the offence of “stirring up hatred”, warns Rosie Kay in the Critic.
• “Father Ted creator Graham Linehan slams SNP’s hate crime law” – Graham Linehan, whose performances in Scotland were cancelled as a result of his views, has slammed Humza Yousaf’s hate crime law on the eve of its introduction, reports the Mail.
• “Scotland’s hateful hate-crime law” – Ordinary citizens in Scotland are viewed with disdain, says Kathleen Stock in UnHerd.
• “The SNP’s grip on Scotland is firmer than we think. Labour should beware” – Support for Yousaf’s party – even among intelligent people on the Left – seems hardly to have dwindled, remarks Simon Heffer in the Telegraph.
• “We will never surrender powers to the World Health Organization” – No one is going to tell us how to take care of our citizens, or force us to impose any particular national response in future crises, says Esther McVey in the Telegraph.
• “Scotland’s £200,000-a-year NHS chief is now highest-paid civil servant” – The head of Scotland’s struggling NHS has been given a rise, making her the first civil servant to be paid more than £200,000 a year, reports the Mail.
• “It’s time to correct the foundational lie of the NHS” – Britain had an effective healthcare system long before Nye Bevan came along – it just wasn’t socialist, which is why Labour destroyed it, says James Bartholomew in the Telegraph.
• “Half a million antidepressant prescriptions given to kids each year” – Children are being handed almost half a million prescriptions for antidepressants a year, reveals the Mail.
• “The grim future awaiting British boys” – The Telegraph’s Szu Ping Chan on why the U.K. risks sentencing its next generation of men to life’s scrapheap.
• “Cannabis users ‘will have a new place within our society’: Germany prepares to legalise home cultivation” – Cannabis is currently classed as a narcotic in Germany, but that will change from April, reports Siobhan Robbins for Sky News.
• “Mirror publisher warns Facebook poses ‘potent threat to civil society’” – Facebook’s decision to prioritise user content over news articles is hammering many titles in the news industry, according to the Telegraph.
• “How Brussels botched Europe’s 5G rollout” – Bureaucrats in Brussels have long tried to sell Europe as the natural home of 5G, yet Guatemala has a better network than Sweden, notes James Warrington in the Telegraph.
• “Why the rise of ‘dystopian’ surge pricing can only be bad news” – Is surge pricing a positive development? For consumers, the answer is a resounding “no”. But like AI, it seems to be coming towards us whether we like it or not, says Charlotte Gill in the Telegraph.
• “Anti-car SNP council chiefs using taxpayers’ cash for… car journeys” – Two top SNP politicians made dozens of private car trips last year, costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds, according to the Mail on Sunday.
• “What next for the smart motorways that have already been built?” – Although the Government has scrapped its disastrous smart motorway scheme, many road users feel more still needs to be done to ensure road safety, writes James Foxall in the Telegraph.
• “How smart cars exposed the dark side of driving” – The rise of ‘computers on wheels’ is triggering a fierce battle about how drivers’ data is used, says Matt Oliver in the Telegraph.
• “Allies turn on Justin Trudeau over carbon tax as shine comes off premiership” – Recent polls show support slumping for Canada’s Prime Minister, with fellow Liberals blaming a 23% hike in his flagship Net Zero tax, according to the Telegraph.
• “Why did you snub the portrait of King, Deputy PM asks Channel Four” – Oliver Dowden has written to Channel Four to ask why it has failed to accept the offer of a portrait of King Charles to hang in its headquarters, reports the Mail.
• “Nick Cave says woke culture has a ‘lack of mercy, a lack of forgiveness’” – Nick Cave criticises woke culture for its “lack of mercy” and “a lack of forgiveness” and reveals his small-c conservatism in an interview with the Guardian’s Simon Hattenstone.
• “Nick Cave is right about the cruelty of cancel culture” – Aussie singer-songwriter Nick Cave has become a rare voice of sanity in the culture war, says Lauren Smith in Spiked.
• “Take it from a transsexual – transwomen are not women” – ‘Autogynephilia’ lies at the heart of male-to-female transition, writes Debbie Hayton in Spiked.
• “Easter doesn’t need to be ‘inclusive’” – Why are corporations running scared of the E-word? asks Lauren Smith in Spiked.
• “Outrage ensues as Biden celebrates ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’ on Easter” – ZeroHedge reads the room after Biden declares Easter Sunday a ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’.
• “Joe Biden has betrayed Christian America” – Easter Sunday is about bringing Christians together, says Megan Basham in the Telegraph. The U.S. President has proven he only cares about division.
• “‘Free Palestine!’” – Protesters from Extinction Rebellion NYC’s Palestinian Solidarity group have swarmed into New York City’s most iconic cathedral and disrupted Easter Mass.

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