News Round-Up

• “Britain’s population explosion” – On Substack, Matt Goodwin discusses shocking new data on how the country is on the brink of radical transformation.
• “Is the U.K. prepared to welcome one million migrants a year?” – In the Spectator, Michael Simmons reveals that government policy alone will drive the U.K.’s population up by five million this decade – but with a crumbling NHS, a housing crisis and stretched services, can Britain cope?
• “The Tories remain hamstrung on migration” – Until Badenoch has new a new immigration policy, her angles of attack are going to remain severely constrained, says Patrick O’Flynn in the Telegraph.
• “The Chancellor’s big speech won’t fix the damage of the Budget” – Rachel Reeves should have set out her plans for growth in August, immediately after taking office, and then followed it up, if necessary, with tax rises on businesses in October, writes Matthew Lynn in the Spectator.
• “Reeves’s speech was more a pitch to keep her job than a real plan for growth” – The Chancellor says the key to prosperity is stability, which feels like an unsubtle hint at a time when her own position is on the line, says Gordon Rayner in the Telegraph.
• “Is Rachel Reeves right that there is no trade-off between growth and Net Zero?” – To pretend that no trade-off exists between economic growth and Net Zero is foolish, writes Ross Clark in the Spectator.
• “Starmer must sack lunatic Miliband to save Britain” – Rachel Reeves says she is pro-growth – but that will remain a lie so long as the Energy Secretary is in post, says Allister Heath in the Telegraph.
• “Birmingham Council seeks 10% rise in tax bill while cutting £135 million in services” – In the Telegraph, Dia Chakravarty slams Birmingham Council for wasting nearly £1 billion, hiking taxes by 9.99% for two years, slashing services and calling it a “balanced budget”.
• “‘Non-crime hate incidents’ are a threat to free speech” – Police officers may face pressure to record more NCHIs, warns Andrew Tettenborn in the Spectator.
• “James Tooley’s ordeal is over – but why was he ever suspended?” – In the Spectator, Toby highlights the Kafkaesque ordeal of Prof. James Tooley, the Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University, who has been reinstated after baseless allegations.
• “The ‘plot’ to cancel the ‘anti-woke’ university chancellor” – A long-time champion of the ‘cancelled’, James Tooley has been exonerated of accusations levelled at him by his critics, reports the Telegraph.
• “If liberals oppose the death penalty, they must oppose assisted dying too” – Liberals don’t appear to recognise that both capital punishment and assisted dying risk the loss of innocent life, says Michael Deacon in the Telegraph.
• “Why I’m not convinced heat pumps are worth the money (yet)” – Heat pumps are better for the environment, but installation is expensive and some complain they don’t work well. In the Times, Alexis Conran looks at the evidence.
• “Climate change: a tale of two theories” – On Substack, Stephen Andrews challenges the “settled science” narrative that climate change is driven by man-made carbon emissions. 
• “Joe Rogan’s blistering take on claims climate change caused wildfires” – During the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan argues that LA’s longtime windy and dry conditions – not climate change – are the cause of the disaster, reports the Mail.
• “Britain relying on foreign mothers to keep fertility rates up” – In 2023, one in three babies were born to a foreign-born mother, up from a quarter in 2008, and one in four were born to parents who were both foreign-born, says the Telegraph.
• “The MHRA papers – part 16” – On the TTE Substack, Dr. Tom Jefferson and Prof. Carl Heneghan expose the MHRA’s habit of ignoring harm signals – like thrombocytopenia – lest they frighten the public, all while licensing vaccines without understanding their effects.
• “Overview of President Trump’s executive actions on global health” – KFF examines the effect of Trump’s executive actions on U.S. global health efforts.
• “‘I’m not antivax, and I never compared officials to Nazis’” – RFK Jr. says he is ‘pro-safety’ and will not be confiscating McDonald’s and Diet Coke during his Senate confirmation hearing to lead the HHS department, according to the Times.
• “Like the Louvre, Macron’s presidency is falling apart” – Eight years on and the Louvre, like Macron’s presidency, is falling apart, says Gavin Mortimer in the Spectator. At least the museum can be restored.
• “In historic first, anti-migration resolution passes the German Bundestag with support from Alternative für Deutschland” – For the first time in history, Germany’s CDU has passed an anti-migration resolution with AfD support, shattering the cordon sanitaire and sending the Left into a full-blown meltdown, says Eugyppius on Substack.
• “Germany under attack from China, warns intelligence insider” – A senior opposition MP has warned that Germany is under attack from China, as Berlin grapples with a fresh wave of cyber attacks and espionage plots, reports the Telegraph.
• “The Russian spy ship in Britain’s waters preparing ground for war” – A confrontation with a Russian trawler known as the Yantarmay looked peaceful but for the Royal Navy the fight is below the surface, writes Memphis Barker in the Telegraph.
• “‘I was wrong to call Trump a danger to the world’” – Lord Mandelson has dismissed speculation that the White House could reject him as U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. over his past remarks, reports the Mail.
• “Mandelson grovels to Trump on Fox News” – Oh Mandy. It’s now nine days since Donald Trump was elected – and our new man in Washington still hasn’t been confirmed says Steerpike in the Spectator.
• “Is it time to take Trump’s Gaza resettlement plan seriously?” – Trump’s audacious idea of relocating Gaza’s population is rooted in pragmatism, writes Jonathan Sacerdoti. 
• “Trump launches antisemitism crackdown and targets pro-Hamas students” – President Trump is ordering the deportation of foreign students who took part in pro-Hamas protests on college campuses, reports the Mail.
• “Shaken migrants deported by Trump issue stark warning to others” – Undocumented migrants who were deported back to Colombia this week have warned others to not go to the United States, because President Donald Trump is “deporting everyone”, reports the Mail.
• “Inside Selena Gomez’s decision to delete crying video about migrants” – Selena Gomez deleted her tearful video about Trump’s mass deportation of undocumented immigrants because she was worried it showed “weakness” – and feared it could “alienate” Republican fans of her beauty brand, according to the Mail.
• “Hollywood luvvies have become Donald Trump’s useful idiots” – Trump has been decried by Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and now, Selena Gomez. He couldn’t have chosen more helpful opponents if he’d tried, says James Hanson in the Spectator.
• “The chemical and surgical mutilation of children is finally banned” – Many children’s lives have been ruined by gender ideology, but Donald Trump’s latest executive order is an important step towards restoring sanity, writes Andrew Doyle on his Substack.
• “Trump’s ban on gender transitioning has turned the tide on an indefensible cult” – The President’s prohibition on gender transitioning is another nail in the coffin of a cruel ideology, says Suzanne Moore in the Telegraph. But those who led the charge will never admit they were wrong.
• “Vogue launches vile attack on Melania” – Vogue has launched a vicious review of Melania Trump’s newly-revealed White House portrait, comparing the First Lady’s look to that of a magician, reports the Mail.
• “Historic private gentlemen’s club votes against allowing women to join” – The Savile Club in Mayfair has voted against admitting women for the first time, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Calls for Bishop of Liverpool to step down after sex abuse allegations” – A group of church leaders from the Bishop of Liverpool’s own diocese have called for him to “step aside” and say his position is “currently untenable” after he was accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment, reports the Mail.
• “The £1.3 million failed attempt to impose DEI on the publishing industry” – With substantial public investment and lofty ideals, The Good Literary Agency vowed to change British literature. What went wrong? asks Ben East in the Telegraph.
• “The French navy is full of ships named after men who beat us. Don’t rename HMS Agincourt” – Given the pride shown by La Royale in its glorious history of bashing the Brits and being bashed in return, it would be surprising if it had been upset by our calling a submarine Agincourt, writes Robert Tombs in the Telegraph.
• “Give all the islands back“ – Starmer’s low approval ratings are a reliable indicator that he’s on the right track, says Tatiana McGrath (aka Andrew Doyle) in the Critic.
• “Sky News going bust?” – To celebrate the rumours that Sky News could be going bankrupt by the end of this year due to plummeting viewership, Basil the Great has compiled a list on X of their bias, lies and woke establishment pandering.
• “In praise of shabbiness” – Genteel shabbiness isn’t uniquely English but is without doubt something we’re experts at, says Paul Sutton on his Substack.
• “When the mushrooms kick in…” – Nigel Farage is accosted by a dragon during an ITV interview on Chinese New Year.

If you have any tips for inclusion in the round-up, email us here.