Nigel Farage is breaking a semi-silence in the aftermath of Henry Nowak’s murder. He spoke to Sky News Australia this afternoon…
Among other things he said of the BBC and their subsequent apology: “What they were saying was Nigel’s urging the white working class to go out and set fire to things; that’s what they tried to do.” ‘White cold rage’…
He accused mainstream politicians of attacking him instead of addressing the problems: “Any riots that go on, they want to blame the whole thing on me rather than dealing with the absolute cause of the problem… it’s the same playbook happening again and again and again … the British public are getting angrier and angrier that nothing is being done.” Farage said it was the same with Southport…
Kemi Badenoch – who has attacked Farage’s response to the murder – met Nowak’s family this morning and said:
“They have asked that we work across political parties and religions to rebuild trust in the police. That trust has been broken because of what happened, and I agree with them on that… We must also be prepared to examine, carefully and seriously, religious practices or exemptions that permit the carrying of dangerous weapons in public, and other activities that are not conducive to the public good. We also need to examine where the law needs to change.”
Starmer is due to meet them as well…
Speaking on the Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast, which she still appears on, co-host Harriet Harman said:
“Well, I’m just a bit suspicious about disappearing messages because the question is in my mind, ‘why do you put disappearing messages on?’ And I find it very odd if I’m wanting to track back a conversation I’ve had with somebody and the messages have all gone and I can’t remember what I said, let alone what they said because they’ve disappeared the message.
And why would you disappear the message unless you’ve got something to hide? I think if you are doing messages because you’re a government minister, you should be accountable for those and those ought to be available to be put in the public domain, to be in the public records, to be subject to freedom of information…
if I had my way, they would not have disappearing messages that would not be allowed if you were going to communicate with other colleagues in government about government business then you should have proper messages and they should not be disappearing.“
Harman was brought into Downing Street with a new top adviser job last month along with Gordon Brown to stabilise Starmer’s government after the locals. Starmer himself was confirmed this week to have disappearing WhatsApp messages enabled…
The new chairman of Ofcom has suggested that the internet/broadcast regulator could take a much tougher approach against GB News. Two-tier regulation…
Former Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire was yesterday formally appointed as new chairman the regulator. He spoke to the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee of MPs late last month about GB News. Asked whether he had seen The New World’s campaign against the channel, Cheshire said Rusbridger had been in contact with him…
He added that the regulator takes a programme by programme approach as opposed to looking at channels as a whole, but said he was“very open to being challenged about that, and I’m intending to meet up with Alan [Rusbridger] in due course.”
Worryingly, when asked about whether he agreed with the current Ofcom framework for allowing politicians to present programmes, Cheshire said: “It is literally the second question in my induction plan… it is very high on the list.” Activists and anti-GB News rags like The New World have been pushing that agenda hard…
Cheshire’s predecessor Lord Grade said those same activists are “embarrassed by the fact that there is a news organisation that has a different news agenda to them, that speaks to the agenda of the majority.“ And that it now beats Sky News and BBC News on the regular…
The Labour Party is pushing ahead with its digital communications strategy by opening a “political content creator” programme for over-18s. The point is to train Labour fans to get better at “creating engaging short-form videos to support the party’s online presence”…
Called the “For You Project” – named after TikTok’s algorithm page – the programme “includes a fully supported training programme where you can learn to make content that cuts through.” In support of the party…
Labour boasts its “creators have now hit over 2 million views on TikTok, with individual videos pulling hundreds of thousands of views, and we want to help you do the same.” It adds:
“Through this project you’ll learn from Labour’s digital team about video campaigning, content strategy, and communications, and join a select group of Labour volunteers working on the front line of messaging… We’re looking for people who want to get on camera and build their own brand, though if you’re more into clipping and editing, there’s a place for that too. You don’t need any experience, just enthusiasm, opinions, and a willingness to give it a go.”
What do aspiring Labour influencers get?
Applications close next Thursday. Questions involved include: “Please share a link to a political video posted on social media you found interesting, and explain why,” and “share a TikTok or short-form video you’ve made, political or otherwise. Engagement doesn’t matter, we want to see your style.” Hurry now…
David Lammy has done an interview with a medium-popularity influencer to complain about diversity in the judiciary. To advertise the new “Judicial and Legal Diversity Board“…
In a video with influencer Freddie Fraser, the ‘DPM’ was asked: “Can you help explain why people of colour should want to work in the judicial system?” He replied:
“I think if you look at our legal profession now, it is actually tremendously diverse, but people aren’t quite making their way into the judiciary and beyond. So, there’s a lot we got to do to crack at. We have now made huge progress on gender, but diversity is not yet where it needs to be. It’s important that we recognize the progress that has been made, but there’s more to do.”
At the end Lammy was asked what the judiciary should look like in ten years. He said: “I want it to look more like the country.” Judicial retention suffered after 2015 pension changes which were reversed seven years later…
The Judicial Attitudes Survey 2024 suggested there are 1,117 salaried judges that could potentially leave by 2029 (combining mandatory retirements, early-leavers, and the undecided) out of roughly 2,000 salaried judges. Maybe focus on hiring good judges rather than ranting about diversity…
Wes Streeting has accused Reform of acting in a way that has “echoes of the 1930s” with regard to Henry Nowak’s murder. It was always going to happen…
Streeting told a LabourList drinks reception in the Commons last night:
“We have seen it in the last 24 hours, the way in which [Reform] have sought to weaponise an absolutely heinous crime and situation…
To weaponise it against their political opponents, and to stoke rage, and to incite rage is really dangerous, and it’s not too dramatic to say this has echoes of the 1930s.
We have to take this seriously when you have political propaganda that weaponises the words of the Leader of the Opposition, bends and twists them out of context to suggest that a black woman leading the Conservative Party doesn’t think that white lives matter, that is a moment for all of us, especially those who are not Conservative, to speak up and challenge and call this out.”
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”