News Round-Up

• “‘A jury took 15 minutes to clear me. Lammy can’t scrap them’” – In the Telegraph, Richard Holden, a former Conservative chairman, says his acquittal by a jury shows why juries are so important.
• “Four guilty after girl, 16, raped and exploited by gang” – A court has convicted four people after a teenage girl was repeatedly raped and exploited in what police described as a horrific ordeal, reports the BBC.
• “Starmer doesn’t realise he’s on a one-way ticket to the knacker’s yard” – The Prime Minister’s falling popularity has driven him to insulate himself from scrutiny rather than confront voters’ anger, writes Andrew Neil in the Mail.
• “Tories open door to Reform election pact” – A deputy chairman of the Conservatives has suggested the Party might consider an electoral pact with Nigel Farage if their fortunes haven’t improved by the time of the next election, says the Telegraph.
• “Streeting: Starmer must go further to undo Brexit” – The Health Secretary has urged the Prime Minister to pursue deeper alignment with the EU, according to the Telegraph.
• “Starmer peer lied about her PhD” – One of Sir Keir Starmer’s new peers lied about having a PhD from Liverpool University, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Starmer considers Australian-style ban on social media” – The Prime Minister is monitoring proposals to restrict teenagers’ access to social media platforms, reports the Telegraph.
• “Bridget Phillipson is putting trans activism above the law” – The Education Secretary is prioritising gender identity ideology over legal safeguards for women, argues Jo Bartosch in Spiked.
• “How Muslim gangs rule our prisons: Inmates use boiling cooking oil and hoax suicide vests to rule behind bars… and officers are powerless to stop them” – An investigation by the Mail describes how organised gangs use terror tactics to intimidate inmates and staff in British prisons.
• “Shoplifters get away with stealing every minute in theft ‘epidemic’” – New figures have shown that police are failing to solve hundreds of shoplifting offences each day, reports the Telegraph.
• “Trail hunts to be banned under Labour’s ‘war on countryside’” – Labour is due to propose new legislation that will criminalise trail hunting, says the Telegraph.
• “The Spanish ‘tradwives’ turning on liberal feminism” – Young Spanish women are rejecting modern feminist ideals in favour of traditional domestic roles, according to the Telegraph.
• “Palestine Action is worth dying for, says hunger striker” – A jailed activist has said he may not survive his hunger strike ahead of his trial over an attack on an Israeli-linked business, reports the Telegraph.
• “Australian prime minister booed at vigil for Bondi terror-attack victims” – Anthony Albanese was jeered by mourners during a vigil for victims of a recent terrorist attack, notes the Telegraph.
• “Nurses risk punishment for misgendering trans colleagues” – Health regulators have been accused of bias after telling nurses they could face sanctions for not using the preferred gender pronouns of transwomen, says the Telegraph.
• “No council elections? Even I didn’t expect this much gerrymandering” – Plans to delay local elections are an unprecedented manipulation of democratic processes, argues Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times.
• “JD Vance anointed as the true heir of Maga” – At the Turning Point US conference, the Vice-President emerged as the heir apparent to Donald Trump, according to the Times.
• “New York unheated EV school bus horror” – Parents have raised concerns over heat issues in electric school buses in Lake Shore Central School District, says WUWT?
• “Miliband ‘pitching himself as next chancellor’” – Ed Miliband is accused of using Commons speeches on the cost of living to audition for the role of Chancellor, claims the Telegraph.
• “Was 2025 the year that business retreated from net zero?” – Major companies have quietly diluted or abandoned climate pledges amid economic pressure, reports the Guardian.
• “How sustainability stole Christmas” – According to James Graham in the Spectator, environmentalism is to blame for ruining Christmas.
• “Labour must never take a penny again from shamed donor who blamed Israel for Bondi massacre” – In the Sun, Ian Austin argues that Labour cannot accept any more donations from Dale Vince after his shocking tweet about the Bondi Beach terror attack.
• “Welcome realism from the Conservatives over the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate” – Several letters in the Telegraph welcome the Conservatives ditching of the Net Zero commitment.
• “A New Paper Reveals Devastating Harms of Cross-Sex Hormones” – New research has linked the use of estrogen in males to serious long-term health risks, says the City Journal.
• “There’s nothing Christian about trapping people on benefits” – There’s nothing Christian about marooning people in welfare dependency, argues Peter Lilley in the Spectator.
• “Why weren’t the grooming gangs treated as race-hate crimes?” – In the Spectator, the Daily Sceptic’s Laurie Wastell asks why police, prosecutors and the courts have persistently failed to treat the the activities of the grooming gangs as hate crimes.
• “Sir Keir Starmer has proved to be an excellent recruiting sergeant for the Free Speech Union” – Watch me doing 10 minutes of stand-up at the Free Speech Union’s comedy night last week.

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