A prominent member of Hyde Labour Party who campaigned in Gorton & Denton with Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds has said he is ‘sad’ at the death of Ayatollah Khameini. Aren’t we all…
Business owner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman – well known to Reynolds, who is the local MP – posted an update to his status over the weekend:
Below included the following translated words: “Iran’s defence department is so weak they could not provide 24 hours security to their leader. How will they take revenge? But let it not be like Iraq. May Allah protect us. Amen.” That’s American firepower for you…
Rahman was photographed campaigning with Reynolds in Gorton & Denton – his association with Reynolds goes back years. He donated one of his shops for use as Reynold’s campaign office in 2017…
Two weeks ago Reynolds recorded a video with Rahman on his campaign “calling for the full reinstatement of the Sylhet–Manchester route and for long‑term protection of this essential connection.” One of the few comments said: “Maybe focus on keeping the sorting office open first eh?”
Starmer is updating the Commons on the UK’s response to the situation in Iran. Currently the UK strategy is ‘as little as possible’…
UPDATE: He says: “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved with the initial strikes. But it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done. And I stand by it.”
Starmer adds: “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
UPDATE II: Starmer’s full statement below:
Continue reading “LIVE: Starmer Gives Commons Statement on Iran”
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) has written to University College London and the Department of Education to raise the red flag after a UCL student society mourned the death of Ayatollah Khamenei on social media. The post, shared by UCL’s Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society, called Khamenei’s death an “unimaginable loss” and claimed his demise is “not the end to resistance”.
The HJS is now asking UCL if it has launched a review into the post, and whether it “distinguishes between lawful religious expression and political advocacy connected to foreign state leadership“. The HJS is also calling for “clearer national guidance” from the Department of Education how universities should handle cases like this, where student societies “appear to promote foreign political narratives” while still gladly belonging to an institution which relies on the taxpayer. HJS Research Fellow Emma Schubart said:
“Universities must remain places of free speech and open debate. However, there is a clear difference between private religious observance and political mobilisation linked to foreign state ideology. When that line becomes blurred, institutions have a responsibility to provide clarity. This is not about faith, it is about governance, transparency and maintaining public confidence that UK campuses are not being used as platforms for foreign political influence.”
Labour has executed another U-turn as Reeves backs down on plans to hike the minimum wage for 18-20s. The Low Pay Commission was working on equalising the minimum wage across age groups, they’ve now been stood down…
The FT reports officials have been told the equalisation doesn’t have to happen until next decade. The rates area already going up next month by 8.5% to £10.85 for 18-20-year-olds, approaching the £12.71 for 21s and above. Labour pledged in its manifesto to equalise the rates…
With unemployment skyrocketing Reeves has backed off that policy. Now scrap the National Insurance hike…
Chaudhry Sarwar, formerly a Labour MP in Glasgow and governor of Punjab, posted in Urdu over the weekend:
“Our hearts are saddened by the martyrdom of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The Muslim Ummah has lost a strong voice of resistance. May Allah grant him Paradise. We share the grief of the Iranian nation equally.”
His son, the Scottish Labour leader, spoke to reporters just now:
“He’s wrong… I have my view, he has his. He expresses a view, I disagree with it, deeply disagree with it. But I’m a 42-year-old man, and what people say, or their fathers say, I’m sure many of us get embarrassed by what our old man says, often in normal life, never mind publicly.”
It’s like a bad dad joke!
Speaking on the phone to Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent at ABC News, about Khamenei, Trump said:
“I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first.”
