News Round-Up
- “Ukraine ‘agrees to 30-day ceasefire’ with Russia as Trump lifts pause” – The ball is now in Moscow’s court after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, reports the Mail.
- “Rupert Lowe ‘keeping options open’ after ousting by Reform UK” – Ex-Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has told Sky News that he has not ruled out joining the Conservatives or starting a new political party.
- “Could Elon Musk bankroll a rival to Reform?” – The world’s richest man is said to be mulling over financing a new political outfit, which could be led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, reports the Mail.
- “Met Police launches investigation into Reform’s Rupert Lowe” – The Met Police have launched a formal investigation into claims of threats by Rupert Lowe against Reform Chairman Zia Yusuf, says the Express.
- “Rupert Lowe’s team rally around him” – We are now on day five of the great Reform fall out and it’s still making waves, writes Steerpike in the Spectator.
- “Reform’s alpha males need to shut up and get on with the job” – The civil war engulfing Reform UK is preposterous, says Allison Pearson in the Telegraph. What’s important is the future of our ailing country, not a battle of male egos.
- “The Rupert Lowe fracas shows why Reform may not survive” – Britain desperately needs an alternative to the old parties, but Nigel Farage is sadly blowing the chance, writes Madeline Grant in the Telegraph.
- “Is snobbery behind Rupert Lowe’s row with Nigel Farage? ” – There is another more hidden aspect to the row between Rupert Lowe and Nigel Farage that has not yet been highlighted, says Nigel Jones in the Spectator.
- “Reform’s Lowe blow” – Will Rupert Lowe’s exile cause Reform UK to return to wandering in the political desert? wonders Connor Tomlinson on the Restoration Substack.
- “Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam’ tweet” – Top City law firm CMS has taken “prompt and decisive action” after a senior member of its HR team – a prospective Reform UK councillor – posted anti-Islamic and anti-trans comments on X, according to Legal Futures.
- “Crisis talks called over ‘two-tier’ justice plan” – The Justice Secretary is to hold talks with the Sentencing Council after it rejected her demand to change guidance to judges following claims of ‘two-tier’ justice, reports the Mail.
- “The end of equality: two-tier justice enshrined in British law” – The anti-white, anti-male takeover of Britain is all but complete, says Frank Haviland in the European Conservative. The judiciary is merely giving what already exists its seal of approval.
- “Politicised judges don’t deserve independence” – Shabana Mahmood must be supported in her fight against the Sentencing Council, writes Tom Harris in the Telegraph.
- “How foreign violence drives UK sex crimes” – In UnHerd, Joan Smith highlights the need for tougher deportation policies for convicted sex offenders.
- “Labour seeks Rwanda-style deal to avoid granting asylum to convicted sex offender on Chagos” – Labour is seeking a Rwanda-style deal to avoid granting asylum to a convicted sex offender jailed on the Chagos Islands, reports the Express.
- “Britain is dependent on US weapons. We now face a terrible choice” – In the Telegraph, Matt Oliver warns that Britain’s reliance on US weapons could leave its military paralysed if Washington withdraws support – just as it did with Ukraine – forcing the UK to rethink its defence strategy and look to Europe.
- “Benefits cuts ‘delayed to next week’ as Labour MPs revolt” – Labour’s welfare overhaul has been delayed amid a Labour revolt despite Keir Starmer warning the system is “indefensible”, reports the Mail.
- “Who becomes a Labour politician to slash benefits?” – Having spent so many years preaching against austerity, it is going to be extremely difficult for Labour to get away with the slightest cut to benefits, warns Ross Clark in the Spectator.
- “How to fix the Civil Service” – Whitehall is bloated, risk-averse and clueless about business, says John Nash in the Spectator. Labour’s tweaks won’t fix a system built to preserve itself.
- “Labour’s plan to decriminalise abortion is distracting, dishonest and unpopular” – The Government has not learnt the lessons of the Democrats’ obsession with progressive issues, writes Miriam Cates in the Telegraph.
- “Why are green groups giving Labour a free pass?” – One odd development in politics is the willingness of charities to let the Labour Government off the hook for policies they once attacked, says Iain Carter in the Spectator.
- “Labour’s AI plans are ‘an act of cultural suicide’” – According to Britain’s leading literary agent, the Government’s plans to weaken copyright laws for the benefit of AI companies are “a cultural act of suicide”, reports the Telegraph.
- “‘The role of Conservatives after the Trump meteorite has landed’” – In Conservative Home, Dr Lee Rotherham argues that the Conservatives must reflect on their past failures and evolve into a party of radical, rational solutions to global issues.
- “The BBC’s new plan for the licence fee is a shameless rip-off of the middle class” – The real question is not: “Should the middle class be forced to pay more for the BBC?” It’s: “Why should anyone be forced to pay for the BBC at all?” says Michael Deacon in the Telegraph.
- “The sad truth about the BBC” – Most people have such low expectations of the BBC that its failures barely generate much of a reaction these days, writes Gareth Roberts in the Spectator.
- “Why the English education system is so envied in Belgium” – In the Spectator, Harry De Paepe is baffled by Bridget Phillipson’s dismantling of 25 years of education reforms, given that her opposite number in Flanders is looking to replicate those reforms in the hope of repeating England’s education success.
- “Universities must put academic freedom above commercial interests, says free speech tsar” – In an interview with the Telegraph, Professor Arif Ahmed says that vice-chancellors must “show backbone” by upholding their commitment to free speech even when it jeopardises lucrative contracts.
- “Douglas Murray wins defamation case against Observer” – The Daily Wire reports that the flailing Guardian Media Group has had to pay out “substantial damages” to Douglas Murray – after Kenan Malik in the Observer was found to have defamed him.
- “Reuters fake fact check fails again” – Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg cut ties with Reuters and other fact checkers because of bias and mistakes – and bias and mistakes remain, says Paul D. Thacker on Substack.
- “Major city descends into wasteland as bin workers go on strike” – Nearly 400 council bin workers in Birmingham have walked out indefinitely as part of an escalating dispute over jobs and pay, reports the Mail.
- “Green council ditches plan to collect black bins once a month” – Bristol’s Green Party run council has dropped plans to collect residents’ black bins only once a month following outrage from locals, says the Mail.
- “More houses to be built out of wood under Labour’s Net Zero plan” – Labour is set to increase the number of properties built with a timber frame in a drive to cut the UK’s carbon footprint, reports the Telegraph.
- “Ed Miliband’s own EPC rating casts doubt on Net Zero drive” – The energy efficiency of Ed Miliband’s home was only fractionally improved by installing a heat pump, reveals the Telegraph.
- “Energy bills could fall by £250 a year if you live near new pylon project” – Thousands of residents living near electricity pylons could receive up to £2,500 off their bills under a landmark policy by the Government to push through new development and homebuilding, reports GB News.
- “The NHS: where does all the money go?” – On the TTE Substack, Prof Carl Heneghan and Dr Tom Jefferson write about NHS England’s bloated bureaucracy.
- “Five years later, lefty journalists and health bureaucrats are lying worse than ever about Covid” – On Substack, Alex Berenson slams the Left’s Covid revisionism.
- “Utah to become first state to ban fluoride in public water” – Utah will become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite opposition from dentists and national health organisations, according to AP News.
- “Germany plans to ‘defy EU laws’ with mass rejection of asylum seekers” – Germany’s new Government is planning to turn away asylum seekers from its borders, regardless of whether its neighbours agree, reports the Mail.
- “The Pakistani village doctor ‘at heart of people-smuggling route’ stretching to Britain” – In the Telegraph, Sophia Yan profiles Master Uzair, a former village pauper turned notorious people smuggler, who has built a fortune trafficking Pakistanis to Europe.
- “Liberals should be outraged by Cǎlin Georgescu’s election ban” – In UnHerd, Yanis Varoufakis slams Romania’s ban on Cǎlin Georgescu running for president, calling it a gift to Putin and a betrayal of liberal values.
- “Mark Carney is wrong about everything” – Canada’s new unelected Prime Minister is living, breathing proof that technocrats can’t be trusted, says Fraser Myers in Spiked.
- “Trump drops new tariff bombshell against Canada” – Donald Trump has continued his feud with Canadian leaders with a promise that “we’ll just get it all back” when reciprocal tariffs go into effect next month, reports the Mail.
- ‘It’s time for Canada’s free speech defenders to unite” – The newly formed Free Speech Union of Canada will lobby to defeat censorship laws and assist those whose rights have been trampled, says Lawrence Krauss in the National Post.
- “I’ll buy a Tesla to support ‘punished’ Musk, says Trump” – Donald Trump has vowed to buy a new Tesla car in support of Elon Musk after a plunge in the company’s share price, reports the Hill.
- “Does Trump want a stock market crash?” – In the Spectator, Matthew Lynn suggests that Trump is letting markets crash now to avoid a worse collapse later.
- “Trump could suddenly be in serious trouble” – J.D. Vance warned the markets could come for the President, says Philip Pilkington in the Telegraph. He now looks eerily right.
- “This 94 year-old stock market legend saw the Trump slump coming” – Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is well positioned to withstand any downturn, writes Michael Bow in the Telegraph.
- “Does Trump respect the First Amendment?” – Antisemitism is on the rise, but restricting freedom of speech is not the solution, says Andrew Doyle on his Substack.
- “Dawn Butler’s ‘black caucus’ is divisive and ridiculous” – America’s racial culture war should have no place in the UK Parliament, says Inaya Folarin Iman in Spiked.
- “Fitness influencer faces abuse and death threats from trans activists after pledging to open female-only gym in London” – The owner of a women’s-only gym in London has been targeted by trans activists after saying transwomen won’t be admitted, according to Reduxx.
- “Anti-woke new Tim Allen sitcom becomes monster hit for Disney” – Whether it be an increasingly sound Bill Maher interviewing Kid Rock on Real Time or A&E bringing back Duck Dynasty, it’s clear Hollywood has reconsidered its programming, says the Mail.
- “Disney makes odd decision on ‘woke’ Snow White premiere amid backlash” – The Hollywood premiere for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Snow White is to be “scaled back” amid a backlash against its woke gobbledegook, reports the Mail.
- “Global Minority” – The ‘Global Majority’ is a flawed, divisive idea that undermines equality by giving special treatment based on race, says Dr David McGrogan on his Substack.
- “‘All bad ideas are French’” – On X, Prof David Starkey explains how ‘all bad ideas are French’ is an absolute principle of human existence.
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Ukraine ‘agrees to 30-day ceasefire’ with Russia as Trump lifts pause But Russia ‘holds all the cards’ ‘The Trump administration now plans to present the temporary ceasefire offer to Moscow, which has raised a series of demands. Those include the removal of President Volodymyr Zelensky, recognizing seized territory as now independent states, and a prohibition on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance.’ So this is what Putin will demand: The first draft treaty, titled “Agreement on Measures to Ensure the Security of the Russian Federation and Member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”,included the following provisions, among others: that NATO members commit to no further enlargement of the alliance, including in particular to Ukraine that NATO deploy no forces or weapons in countries that joined the alliance after May 1997 a ban on deployment of intermediate-range missiles in areas where they could reach the other side’s territory a ban on any NATO military activity in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, or Central Asia language on consultative mechanisms, such as the NATO–Russia Council, and on the establishment of a hotline The second, titled “Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Security Guarantees”, included the following: a requirement that both countries “not… Read more »
Who to believe….a few random punters on the Interweb, or maybe someone on the frontline, would you think? ‘Blinded by a certain arrogance, European powers have often shown polite indifference to the Baltic states’ warnings of the Russian threat, despite the fact that history and geography make these countries invaluable sources of information on Moscow……the intelligence agencies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estoniathe…….current move toward peace negotiations conceals a major risk: Vladimir Putin’s regime is using the opportunity to prepare for a possible confrontation with NATO, even if it wishes to avoid it.’ ‘….the long-term goals that Russia is pursuing with its war of aggression go beyond Ukraine. In late 2021, the Russian Federation presented the West with an eight-point list of demands, including the demand that NATO should withdraw any troops or weapons deployed to countries that joined the Alliance after 1997. There is no reason to assume that Russia would have changed its wider strategic aims despite the setbacks it has suffered in Ukraine. Russia is still seeking a reordering of the European (and therefore global) security architecture, especially with its efforts to establish a sphere of influence over large parts of the continent.’ ‘In recent years, Russia has… Read more »
“Who to believe….a few random punters on the Interweb, or maybe someone on the frontline, would you think?”
That’s like saying, in regard to Covid and the vaccines, “Who to believe….a few random punters on the Interweb, or maybe someone on the NHS frontline, would you think?”
The guy on the real frontline for covid in China 06 Feb 2020 said the following:
“What is probably right is that just as with SARS there’s probably much stricter guidelines in mainland China for a case to be considered positive.
So the 20,000 cases in China is probably only the severe cases; the folks that actually went to the hospital and got tested. The Chinese healthcare system is very overwhelmed with all the tests going through.
So my thinking is this is actually not as severe a disease as is being suggested. The fatality rate is probably only 0.8%-1%.
There’s a vast underreporting of cases in China.
Compared to Sars and Mers we are talking about a coronavirus that has a mortality rate of 8 to 10 times less deadly to Sars to Mers. So a correct comparison is not Sars or Mers but a severe cold. Basically this is a severe form of the cold.’
That was a month before Jay Bhattacharya, also on the front line for covid, conducted two serial prevalence studies establishing that covid was comparable in severity to other seasonal Influenza Like Illnesses.
‘Seven months have passed since the start of the Kursk operation. At its peak, the Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled over 1,000 km², and currently, they still fully hold 351 km², with an additional 178 km² in the gray zone, meaning the Russians do not control more than 500 km².’
Not any longer
Here is another bit from a random punter on the interweb – there are no longer any invading forces in Sudzha, the last remaining settlement in Kursk. I think it is fair to say that the Ukrainian incursion into Russia is over.
The Ukrainians are rationalising their rout in Kursk region by claiming they are actively withdrawing as part of the peace agreement. Yeah, of course, we believe you.
So Trump thinks he can sort out Ukraine (a war started and continually promoted by USA) by telling Russia to drop their arms for one month in exchange for what? In exchange for USA and others continuing to arm Ukraine. Is that supposed to be serious? And if Russia refuses? Well, USA will continue to arm Ukraine. Welcome to the world of belligerent US Presidents, always demanding complete submission to outrageous demands from countries whether near or far.
And anyone who wishes to fight for the Baltic states against Russia is welcome to do so. The Baltic people are ordinary, hard working people, who simply wish to enjoy their lives in peace but, there as here, they have politicians in charge who deliberately insult and attack the Russian government. It is so bad that now EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, is from Estonia and as pure a Russian hater as possible. The EU has literally chosen someone who hates a major power in the world to be their chief diplomat!
Is it not far more sensible to promote friendship between neighbours?
How is anyone going to make any money out of friendship?
Actually everyone except the MIC but I get your point!
“The NHS: where does all the money go?” – On the TTE Substack, Prof Carl Heneghan and Dr Tom Jefferson write about NHS England’s bloated bureaucracy…
“…The evolution of non-jobs in the NHS is deeply concerning. Thousands of individuals are employed in bureaucratic roles that divert funds away from patient care. Many workers analyze data without understanding its significance or how to act on the results. Meanwhile, frontline staff face increasing levels of monitoring, mandatory training, and additional tasks that take them away from direct patient care.”
Therein lies the problem. Same went for the corner of the corporate world I knew best. Monitor Class mushroomed out of all proportion down the decades – specialist subject, Looking Over Other People’s Shoulders, creating non-essential tasks to distract and divert from doing real work.
Hold accountable Education, Education, Education – graduates with non-degrees in need of non-jobs.
“Five years later, lefty journalists and health bureaucrats are lying worse than ever about Covid” – Alex Berenson slams the Left’s Covid revisionisism…
“…But eventually everyone got Covid — and almost everyone recovered. And we all saw the only thing we had to fear was the public health establishment itself.”
In Britain, toadied and stooged to this day by M’Lady Hallett Herself in Person and 200 million quids’ worth of parasites and hangers-on, masquerading as barristers and support staff.
👍👍👍
The latest from Mr Lowe here, and this is why he’ll never be PM material. He’s too honest, too patriotic and too forthright. Rupert Lowe is the true ‘man of the people’, whereas Farage has just been play-acting. ”There have been repeated attempts from within Reform, including senior leadership, to silence me on the Pakistani rape gangs. At a speech in Essex, I was instructed by Farage’s team, sanctioned by him, to remove a call to deport all complicit foreign national family members. I ignored them, as you can watch below. My repeated pleadings for Reform to follow up on its promise to deliver a national inquiry into the rape gangs were ignored. There was a belief from senior Reform figures that my language on the rape gangs was too strong, too robust, too tough. Why pander? Why appease? Why dilute? To appeal to the ‘middle ground’? I do not care. We must do what’s right, and we must be honest. I believed Farage when he said he would launch Reform’s own inquiry into the rape gangs. We gave false hope to millions, and to let them down is truly unforgivable. I tried to push, but I failed. I apologise… Read more »
Oh great! What now for Britain?
I’ll be honest, I am now deeply concerned about the wellbeing of Mr Lowe and how this is going to end as it would appear he’s gone rogue and has now been given legitimate ‘fugitive’ status; ”The Metropolitan Police today confirmed they are launching a full-scale manhunt and investigation into Rupert Lowe, the 67-year-old country gentleman and known tweed cardigan enthusiast, after allegations surfaced that he may have been “quite rude” to a fellow Reform UK member. Following the Met’s announcement, Lowe has reportedly gone on the run, with unconfirmed sightings placing him at a rural farmers’ market, a National Trust gift shop, and, most alarmingly, loitering near the Barbour jackets in John Lewis. Chief Inspector Toby Pargeter-Davenport of the Met’s newly formed Taskforce for Wholly Arbitrary and Trivial Suppositions (T.W.A.T.S.) confirmed the inquiry at a press conference this morning. “We take allegations of moderate incivility very seriously. We’ve had reports that Mr. Lowe, an almost elderly farmer of previously impeccable decorum, engaged in what can only be described as a sustained campaign of vaguely disagreeable conduct. One witness claims he spoke with a slightly raised eyebrow. Another alleges he sighed in a manner interpreted as ‘contemptuous.’ Given the gravity… Read more »
Very entertaining.
Pretty good.😀😀😀
“Met Police launches investigation into Reform’s Rupert Lowe”
I’d be wary who you put your money on Elon!
“Britain is dependent on US weapons. We now face a terrible choice”
Bumfluff! Britain puts the arms in armageddon
It’s the only major manufacturing industry we have!
“The Pakistani village doctor ‘at heart of people-smuggling route’ stretching to Britain”
If Pakistan is so ‘colourful’ and ‘cultural’ why do so many Pakistanis want to leave it?
”The recent Women’s Day event in Pakistan on March 11, 2025, has sparked discussions about gender representation, as images from the event depict an all-male panel on stage. This scenario highlights the irony of celebrating women’s rights and empowerment without visible female participation, prompting debates on the authenticity and effectiveness of such initiatives.”
https://x.com/ImtiazMadmood/status/1899489358094221802
Hmm, I have questions…
”Queen Camilla visited an Islamic school in London today. The absolute f*cking joke of an irony.”
https://x.com/ImtiazMadmood/status/1899641495335977229
But those were men that identified as women, right?
Why would someone who is winning agree to stop and allow his opponent time to get his breath back?
Ask yourselves, woulkd Donald Trump ever do it?
“Liberals should be outraged by Cǎlin Georgescu’s election ban”
EVERYBODY should be outraged by Romania’s ban of democracy
The reigning status quo of this world is on the quicksand of armageddon
‘Amazon forest felled to build road for climate summit‘
“A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.”
“Scrutiny is growing over whether flying thousands of them across the world, and the infrastructure required to host them, is undermining the cause.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vy191rgn1o
Hahahaha. Won’t make a scrap of difference, they must have their jolly beano flying miles in their private planes to talk about how the plebs must take ‘climate change’ or ‘global boiling’, or whatever, seriously. They need to discuss how the plebs must start eating insects and stay within 15 minutes of their hovels to save the world. They meanwhile discuss all this as they eat their filet mignon.
Now why are al-Beeb being allowed to report this?
Of course it is in the minds of the sane, however for the environmental lobby signalling your virtue and wealthnis what it is all about.
Seems Reform were getting to be a threat to the uniparty, the propaganda patrols are out in force.
I agree. I smell a rat.
https://youtu.be/WAIQvYFmtzk?si=gg6m_GNxU2Dlo2tW
This should be today’s headline news.
Starmer is removing ALL subsidies to farmers. Think about the impact not just on farmers but every aspect of society.
“No Farmers No Food.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2025846/labour-Sustainable-Farming-Incentive-SFI
No wonder Kneel is increasing prison capacity. The manure is going to hit the fan this Summer.
I’m right out of expletives!
I think I’m going to beg Donald Trump to invade and take over Britain! to save itself from itself
https://x.com/NoFarmsNoFoods/status/1899582777298981193
There was a fair bit of coverage about it on the propaganda channel this morning, and it was the first time I had come across the term “hope value” in this context, although I have long been familiar with “land banking”. Looking on the bright side, if something has to be sold at it’s existing use value, there could be less capital gains tax to pay, which could occur if planning permission is granted.
An intelligent Council would own a lot of land before they grant planning permission on it, otherwise they would have to shell out a lot more, albeit with the seller having to pay the tax – but via the HMRC, presumably. Of course, selling off land rented out to tenants for farming has occurred to raise cash in the past. There is not going to be any more land, the question is how will the cash flow from A to B.
Mr. Starmer is displaying a distinct lack of wisdom, picking a fight with people who already own pitchforks…………………….
“Politicised judges don’t deserve independence” – Shabana Mahmood must be supported in her fight against the Sentencing Council, writes Tom Harris in the Telegraph.”
This reeks of hypocrisy. Since Pakistani Muslim woman Mahmood was appointed by Starmer as both Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor of the UK (strange decision), SHE appoints the members of the Sentencing Council HERSELF, and therefore has the power to sack them all.
The elected members of Parliament need to provide more information to their constituents about this Sentencing Council, whose website gives no indication of HOW LONG THEY SERVE.
Are these members of the “Kritocracy= Rule By Judges” appointed for life???
How did Great Britain manage to survive for centuries WITHOUT A SENTENCING COUNCIL? Answer: Perfectly well. Abolish the Sentencing Council.