News Round-Up

• “Ministers accused of ‘stitch-up’ over Islamophobia definition” – Critics, such as the Free Speech Union, claim they have been shut out of the consultation process on proposals being considered by communities secretary Steve Reed, reports the Telegraph.
• “Police apologise to Jewish leaders over Maccabi Tel Aviv report” – A senior police officer wrongly told Parliament local Jews were consulted on barring Israeli football fans before the Aston Villa match, says the Times.
• “The hug at Lord Alli’s house that could spell the end for Starmer” – Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner were seen warmly embracing at a charity fundraiser attended by Labour bigwigs, amid mounting speculation of a leadership plot, according to the Telegraph.
• “Labour Party has abandoned women and feminism, says Falkner” – The former head of the EHRC says Labour can no longer call itself the party of equality and has lost touch with its ‘fundamental values’, reports the Times.
• “Labour Party has abandoned women and feminism, says Falkner” – The former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission says Labour can no longer call itself the party of equality and has lost touch with its ‘fundamental values’, according to the Times.
• “Why mass immigration and generous welfare states don’t mix” – The extraordinary explosion in fraud in the state of Minnesota shows Somali immigrants are bringing their culture to America, says Daniel McCarthy in the Telegraph.
• “Falling rents. Rising wages. Perhaps stopping immigration works” – Real living standards might grow if the UK replicates Trump’s mass deportation policies, says Matthew Lynn in the Telegraph.
• “The evil of the grooming gangs is finally being exposed” – In the Spectator, David Shipley reports on the latest horrors unearthed in the rape gangs scandal, after Open Justice UK published several trial transcripts.
• “Claiming terror victims as martyrs for multiculturalism is an insult to their memory” – The state should focus on stopping the scourge of anti-Western violence in Britain, not managing our emotions in response, according to me in the Telegraph.
• “A two-tier state pension – Labour’s latest strike on Britain’s workers” – By handing tax breaks to just some retirees, the Chancellor has opened a divide that will grow and grow, says Rob White in the Telegraph.
• “Teachers soon to be classed as rich under Reeves’s stealth tax” – Middle-income professionals including teachers, social workers and police officers face higher tax rates after thresholds were frozen, reports the Telegraph.
• “Rachel Reeves’ high taxes strangling British music, say Dire Straits and The Who” – Almost 2,000 music industry figures have signed a letter to the Chancellor warning that market pressures are ‘stifling’ studios, says the Telegraph.
• “UK university investigates professor’s anti-Israel ‘boycott’” – A university is investigating after a professor refused a visit by an Arab-Israeli researcher ‘because Palestinian colleagues asked staff not to work with Israeli institutions’, reports the Telegraph.
• “Heathrow ‘taxing’ motorists to meet Net Zero targets” – London’s busiest airport will increase its fees from £6 to £7 next year and introduce a new 10-minute drop-off zone time limit as part of a plan to meet climate goals, reports the Telegraph.
• “Europe to ‘push back petrol car sales ban to 2040’” – The wheels are coming off Net Zero in Europe, reports the Times, as car bosses say that EU will delay the outlawing of new sales by five years, meaning the ban on the Continent would come a decade after the UK.
• “If we weren’t so scared of radiation we could have more nuclear power” – The Fingleton Review into nuclear regulation has called for the Government to revisit how safety limits are imposed. Disasters like Chernobyl shouldn’t mean we overcorrect, says Tom Whipple in the Times.
• “Trump’s Nasa pick says nuclear propulsion will beat China to Mars” – Jared Isaacman thinks a programme akin to the Manhattan Project will help the US to win the new space race, says the Times.
• “Florida judge agrees to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts” – The Trump administration is also seeking the release of sworn statements given by witnesses during court proceedings in New York, the Times reports.
• “Musk: EU must be abolished” – Elon Musk lashes out at officials after the billionaire’s social media platform X incurred a €120 million fine for alleged transparency breaches, reports the Telegraph.
• “Met Police’s Flying Squad ‘to have their guns taken away to save money’” – The Met’s Flying Squad could have their guns removed as the police force faces a £260 million gap in its funding, sats the Evening Standard.
• “Sociobiology on Trial” – Edward O. Wilson wanted to apply Darwin to everything from ants to humans and the media embarked on a crusade to discredit him in response, according to Quillette.
• “Ireland – The Cosseted Child of Europe” – Unable to defend itself, Ireland has become the cosseted child of Europe, says the Irish Politics Newsletter.
• “Man fined £100 for calling neighbour ‘fat’” – A magistrate awarded compensation after a woman said she was distressed by repeated comments, reports the Telegraph.
• “The comedy genius of Zarah Sultana” – British politics has become a farce as never before, says the Spectator.
• “The Left’s climate panic is finally calming down” – Millions of Americans may still believe warming exists, but far fewer view it as an imminent existential threat, according to Josh Hammer in the Los Angeles Times.
• “1984 revisited: George Orwell would be relieved at how we’ve done” – It’s common to suggest the great dystopian novel was full of warnings that have largely come true. But the evidence shows otherwise, argues Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker in the Times.
• “Peter Whittle obituary: Ukip deputy leader” – The television producer and founder of the New Culture Forum died last month, aged 64. The Times details his career in politics and his fightback against woke culture.
• “I’m a proud American, but do admit to being a bit of an anglophile. Having said that, I found this video to be very motivating…” – The Ways of a Gentleman finds this video moving. Hard to disagree.

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