News Round-Up
- “Trump set to back Starmer’s Chagos deal” – Donald Trump has suggested he will approve Keir Starmer’s deal to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, reports the Telegraph.
- “Vance clashes with Prime Minister over Britain’s ‘infringements on free speech’” – In the National Review, David Zimmermann reports on J.D. Vance schooling Keir Starmer on free speech at the White House.
- “US praises Starmer’s defence spending hike ahead of crunch Trump talks” – US officials have praised the UK’s commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP, and the PM’s offer of troops for any Ukraine peace deal, says the Mail.
- “Trump says Ukraine deal ‘soon or not at all’ after Starmer talks” – Trump has suggested that a Ukraine peace deal will come “fairly soon or not at all” as he hailed “special” Keir Starmer during an extraordinary White House visit, reports the Mail.
- “Macron has ‘no mandate’ to send European troops to Ukraine, says Meloni” – Giorgia Meloni has clashed with Emmanuel Macron over an Anglo-French plan to deploy European troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war deal, reveals the Telegraph.
- “France set to lift ban on police stopping migrant boats at sea” – The French Government is set to lift a ban on stopping migrant boats at sea for the first time in an effort to reduce illegal Channel crossings, according to the Telegraph.
- “In two-tier Britain, tweeting is now a worse crime than beating up a voter” – Disgraced MP Mike Amesbury will spend just 10 weeks behind bars, while childminder Lucy Connolly was jailed for 31 months over a tweet, writes Michael Deacon in the Telegraph.
- “The reformation of the Labour Party” – Labour seems to have realised there is no future in hand-wringing, virtue-signalling liberal-leftism, writes Rod Liddle in the Spectator.
- “More than half a million sick benefit claimants have never worked” – More than half a million people claiming benefits for health reasons have never had a job, reports the Mail.
- “The problem of Britain’s idle generation” – If we want to prevent an idle generation from becoming a forgotten one, ministers will have to act – and fast, warns Michael Simmons in the Spectator.
- “BBC admits serious flaws over Gaza documentary” – The BBC has admitted to serious and unacceptable flaws in the making of its Gaza documentary, saying public trust in its journalism has been damaged, reports LBC.
- “The British state is even more broken than it looks” – The British state appears increasingly unable to work out the costs of its policies, says Sam Ashworth-Hayes in the Telegraph. And until that’s addressed, there’s little hope of improvement.
- “Peter Hitchens and Sarah Vine go toe-to-toe in our new podcast” – The lurch towards far-Right politics is because communities are feeling “angry and unheard”, says Peter Hitchens on his new Daily Mail podcast.
- “Who’d dare join the SAS now?” – In the Spectator, Mary Wakefield wonders who’d still join the SAS when soldiers are now hounded for following orders.
- “Buckingham University’s shameful treatment of Professor Tooley” – The disgraceful treatment of James Tooley, the Vice Chancellor of Buckingham University, shows that even the soundest universities are vulnerable to woke capture, writes Simon Heffer in the Spectator.
- “The terrifying moment hammer-wielding bike-jackers attack cyclist” – The Mail has video of the terrifying moment a Regent’s Park cyclist had his £4,200 road bike robbed by hammer-wielding thugs during a morning ride.
- “BMW’s Oxford retreat signals deep trouble for UK carmaking” – In the Spectator, Martin Vander Weyer warns that BMW’s retreat from Oxford isn’t just a bump in the road – it’s a flashing red light for the entire UK car industry
- “Andrew Tate flees to Florida but DeSantis says ‘you’re not welcome’” – Britain is considering submitting an extradition request to the US for the Tate brothers, reveals the Telegraph.
- “Why Trump is backing free speech absolutist Tate” – The self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, fresh from house arrest in Romania, appears to be reaping the rewards of his Trump connection, writes Eleanor Steafel in the Telegraph.
- “What Europe gets wrong about the far-Right” – In the Spectator, Douglas Murray skewers the Left’s habit of branding any Right-wing party as the next Third Reich – while ignoring why voters keep voting for them.
- “Israel offered Mahmoud Abbas 94% of West Bank in 2008, former PM Ehud Olmert reveals” – In a new documentary, former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert reveals a 2008 peace offer that would have granted 94% of the West Bank to a Palestinian state, according to the Jerusalem Post.
- “Palestinians blew their best chance for peace” – In the Spectator, Stephen Daisley argues that by rejecting Ehud Olmert’s 2008 peace offer, Mahmoud Abbas condemned his people to decades of suffering.
- “Megyn Kelly reveals she’s battling devastating Covid vaccine injury” – Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly has sensationally claimed that she was injured by the Pfizer Covid vaccine, reports the Mail.
- “Federal workers fired to improve efficiency – media outraged; federal workers fired for not complying with an unethical vaccine mandate – media silent” – The media’s outrage over federal layoffs for efficiency is loud, but its silence when workers were fired for resisting an unproven vaccine mandate is deafening, says Prof Vinay Prasad on his Substack.
- “The world… re-Imagined” – On Substack, Bill Rice Jr. envisions a ‘Great Awakening’ where citizens begin to realise the devastating truths about Covid vaccines.
- “Nurses win battle to name trans colleague who was in their changing room” – NHS nurses have won a legal battle to name a biologically male trans colleague who used their female changing room, reports the Telegraph.
- “Oscar committee members abstaining from voting due to woke nominees” – Oscar voters believe the awards may be on their way out, as DEI rules lead to woke, niche movies being nominated over big box office successes, according to the Mail.
- “‘I did not have sexual relations with those children, on that island’” – A satirical video has surfaced of Bill Clinton reacting to news that Pam Bondi is releasing the Epstein client list.
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US praises Starmer’s defence spending hike ahead of crunch Trump talks
Everyone has been very kind about this visit.
Did it make you proud to be British?
A small man looking like a bit like ‘Penfold’ from the wonderful ‘Danger Mouse’ cartoons, accompanied by his foreign secretary doing a tongue tied impersonation of the cartoon evil genius ‘Baron Greenback’……without the genius bit……
The U.S. statesmen playing to the cameras, with an occasional squeak of protest from ‘Penfold’ which no-one listened to….
Why was no-one listening?….Because ‘Penfold’ has just as many armoured divisions available to him as the Pope does…..Feck all!
…described Sstarmer as “special” as in “special needs”, presumably.
What’s Trump up to?
All of this seems a little too cozy for my liking!
Can anyone see a longer term plan for Trumps friendliness with Starmer?
Maybe agreeing to the Chagos deal?
Uk-Us trade deal?
This cuddly love-in smacks of fishyness!
Trump detests Starmer. He’s playing mind games that Starmer doesn’t understand never mind has a chance of winning. Trump is unashamedly playing for the interests of the USA. Starmer thinks we should kowtow to International Law. If Trumps permits the Chagos deal to go through, its because this is best for the USA. Its that simple…
He is allowing Starmer to get closer to ‘our friends in the EU’, knowing this will be a complete cock up as the USA recover their debts in Ukraine.
There is also rumour that the US is developing a different naval base, nearer to China, and that might explain their present attitude to Chagos.
I know, right? I thought he was on a roll taking out the trash, getting rid of the sex-trafficking, rapist, pimping, women-beating con-artists, but instead he’s letting them in. What gives?
”Early this morning, I directed my office to work with our state law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into these individuals.
Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable.”
https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1895163491411005694
https://x.com/CrayonMurders/status/1895166761093226794
Trump has some dodgy friends. For any other politician, letting those brothers into the country, would present a political storm. But Trump is inoculated against criticism it seems. I guess people know what he is, and have factored that into their political assessments and considerations.
I read that this is only a temporary visit to the States because the prosecution in Romania ordered the pondlife to return by March 25th, which it’s unlikely they’ll do willingly, and if they don’t they’ll become fugitives. So it’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. They still need to be extradited to the UK because they’ve four victims there awaiting justice. Basically, if you support the abusive, toxic Tates you support Epstein, as they are cut from the same cloth, and you are therefore scum of the earth. Agree with Jonathon. It’s about morals. You either have them or you don’t, and the chinless wonder and his scummy grifter ‘bruh’ are indeed a litmus test; ”Yes. Andrew Tate is a litmus test. If you support him, you support a pimp, pornographer, and woman-beater. Tate admits that, by the way, he just says the violence was consensual and he gets off on beating women. If you consider that a legitimate defense, we have nothing in common. If you are willing to defend Andrew Tate, you are every bit as infected by the “woke mind virus” as the craziest leftist. You have become what you hate. You are willing… Read more »
An excoriating tweet. Makes you wonder why Trump and others, support them. Yet, I think they will be getting their come uppance, sooner rather than later. A deeply unpleasant pair.
Seems to be only me and thee that share that sentiment on here.👀Telling…In fact, it just gives me further confirmation of what I already know.😏
Don’t tell us Fishy is coming back to the stage.
Perhaps he’s desperate for the proposed visit to see Big Ears that the Downing Street Tool put on the table…
Yes, my thoughts too. What is Trump playing at.
“In two-tier Britain, tweeting is now a worse crime than beating up a voter”
Labour MP’s 10-week jail sentence, for beating up a constituent, suspended. Wife of Conservative councillor’s 31-month sentence, for posting hurty words on Facebook, upheld.
All in a country run by a lawyer Prime Minister, a former human rights barrister and former DPP.
Yet another episode worthy of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, penned by whoever is writing the script for the National Theatre of the Absurd.
I’ll eat my hat, then commence devouring my collection of Spanx, if that Ricky whatsisname gets sent down. Shall we place bets now what the outcome will be? I’m going with a suspended sentence.
A bit of community service and some suspended.
FGS, make it go away 😮
”Medical schools are letting in disadvantaged students with lower grades to boost diversity, a report claims.
The Sutton Trust a social mobility charity, analysed admissions to UK medical schools between 2012 and 2022 and found that most now provide “contextual offers” as part of efforts to widen access.
The study found that while standard A-level entry requirements for medical degrees are typically three A*s or three As, universities are now taking lower grades for “widening participation applicants”.
It said “a very small number of medical schools” had lowered entry requirements to three Bs at A-level for disadvantaged pupils, while the majority had dropped the bar by one or two grades.
The charity said this had “most commonly” resulted in disadvantaged pupils being told they could gain a place at medical school with two As and a B.
‘Gateway’ coursesNewcastle University, a member of the Russell Group, is among those to hand out offers to pupils who achieve three Bs at A-level.
This is reserved for disadvantaged pupils who complete a special summer school programme before enrolling on its five-year medicine course, according to the university’s website.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/27/medical-schools-let-in-disadvantaged-students-lower-grades/
Let’s see how many of these “disadvantaged pupils” become junior house officers and trainee GP’s in seven years time.
Even BT (Before Trump), the US Supreme Court had ruled against Affirmative Action, yet over here in Limeyland even BS (Before Starmer), this BS had become absurd.
A GP (Asian) and an auxilliary (Caucasian) at the local surgery, I veto. Merit is what merit does or doesn’t do.
We are moving back to the past where you could either pay to get medical treatment or die. I expect to see private medical schools starting up to train and retain their own staff.
So there you are on the operating table with surgeon’s desperately trying to repair your accidentally scaple nicked spleen when you suddenly realise it’s OK,.. the barely qualified surgeon that is performing your operation is black and gay!..thank goodness, I can rest in peace
Maximum trolling alert. Seriously, WTF? And don’t you have Rotherham as ‘Children’s Capital of Culture’ also? These towns will forever be tainted and remembered for one thing and one thing only, and no amount of ridiculous made-up titles bestowed on them, that effectively mean nothing, are going to change that;
”Rochdale has been awarded the title of Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025/26.
Speaking at the Rochdale Borough Culture Network Conference today at the town hall (27 February 2025), councillor Susan Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council confirmed that Rochdale’s bid had been successful.”
https://www.rochdale.gov.uk/news/article/428/rochdale-named-greater-manchester-town-of-culture
Come along, girls, boys and 37 other genders, let’s all play diversity hopscotch together, praising to Allah and protecting with blasphemy laws, the right sort of diversity, and converting to community centres and mosques, icons of the wrong sort of diversity.
Another triumph for a Town of the Preferred Culture.
It’s the fact that even if these rapists did happen to get sent to prison, their families are presumably all still there. The families who supported these evil scumbags throughout their trials and knew about the abuse, even condoning it. They come out of prison and there they are, part of the community once again, as if a prison sentence is ever going to change a person fundamentally when they’ve done such atrocious things to underage girls. Then you’ve got the ones who never faced justice and all of the families and much of the Muslim community ( not forgetting all of the people in authority and the police force ) who were complicit and looked the other way or actively covered up these crimes, they’re all still going to be there presumably. There’s effectively a very large herd of elephants in the room in these towns if these human detritus are just going to resume their lives, rubbing shoulders with decent folk. Once upon a time, a very long time ago, all the good people of the community would be round their houses and as a collective run the human trash that pose a danger to fellow citizens out… Read more »
That is the foul thing.
That and the fact that the issue has dropped off the radar again.
Sickening.
Yet another cruel joke. I’m not sure which is the bigger shit heap of Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton or Huddersfield.
Culture? Well that will be the moronic Asian wailing kind.
“BMW’s Oxford retreat signals deep trouble for UK carmaking” – Martin Vander Weyer warns that BMW’s retreat from Oxford isn’t just a bump in the road – it’s a flashing red light for the entire UK car industry…
…Flashing red light for jobs in the 15-minute city of the future, too – back to the era of Town, Gown and college servants who know their place serving the port.
Meanwhile in the great motor car factory up in the sky, William Morris looks down aghast at the goings on in the city that gave birth to a car factory at Cowley just over a century ago.
Well said, and if it happens, a righteous judgment on city that declared war on motorists.
Sowing and reaping.
“Federal workers fired to improve efficiency – media outraged; federal workers fired for not complying with an unethical vaccine mandate – media silent”
And meanwhile across the pond, another triumph for two-tier media moral outrage.
Disappointingly but predictably the DS channels the Telegraph again.
Today’s egregious examples include the DTs glowing assessment that Starmer got what he wanted from Trump.
He didn’t but the DTs naive columnists swallow Labour’s spin.
SkyNews Australia is closer to the truth https://youtu.be/2n9DAeVqlRQ?si=WIdsel6qdUEDV2QY
You’re shooting the messenger. The DS reporting is not the DS endorsing.
Why are the likes of the DT, DM, Species constantly served up day after day?
Other news outlets are available.
Amen.
“The lurch towards far-Right politics is because communities are feeling “angry and unheard”, says Peter Hitchens on his new Daily Mail podcast.”
If he actually used the term “far right”, I am very disappointed with him. He’s a very astute political commentator. I would like him to explain what he means by “far right” and point to the stated policies of these “far right” parties and politicians he seems to think exist.
I have never met anybody who is “far right.” Never.
Nor me.
Thinking about it, if we define “far right” as someone who wants to restrict other people’s freedom, by force, then I think we all know lots of people who fit the bill.
“NHS nurses have won a legal battle to name a biologically male trans colleague who used their female changing room, reports the Telegraph.”
Dear DS, please can we stop using the term “biologically male”? There is no other way to be male than biologically. By adding the word biologically, it suggests that there is some other way to be male, and we are immediately on the playing fields of the enemy’s choosing.
Hear, hear.
Trump said that EU VAT was a tariff on American imports. How long will it be before someone tells him we apply VAT too?
VAT is a Sales Tax. There is no Federal sales tax but the individual states impose their own as they deem necessary. According to Wikipedia
Our 20% VAT looks insane in comparison. I know the dog’s breakfast which is state-level sales tax levied at the retail end is not the only tax on goods. Even so, 7.25% vs 20%?
The meeting between the president and the prime minister struck me as a match between an amateur featherweight and Ali.
If the featherweight came out upright then Ali was seriously pulling his punches.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee – maybe the sting is on its way in the post.
No finer sight to contemplate than Sir Two-Tier on the receiving end of a swarm of bees.
Although when the IMF gets called in, Labout MPs might do a passable imitation.
The IMF / others cannot be far away.
I might have mentioned this once or twice over past months.
UK-US trade deal could mean tariffs ‘not necessary’, says Trump according to the BBC
Good idea. Such a deal would also make it damn’ difficult for Starmer to betray Brexit and cosy up to the EU. However, I reckon Starmer’s lack of negotiating skills will let the UK down.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14433073/moment-Regents-Park-cyclist-bike-robbed-hammer-wielding-thugs.html
The Brazilians have introduced a wonderful method of controlling bike thieves – car drivers are at liberty to crush them. Some have been treated leniently but plenty have been crippled and some have been sent for an interview with the devil. Interesting viewing.