The IDF has confirmed suspicions that its mortar strike on a group of terrorists in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. DNA and fingerprint checks have been conducted…
Sinwar has been leader of Hamas in Gaza since 2017. Another step towards total victory…
Guido has obtained a leaked tape from inside a meeting between Angela Rayner and Muslim voters in Ashton-under-Lyne, held along with the recently ennobled Labour peer and former mayor, Lord Khan of Burnley. As George Galloway keeps up his campaign to remove Rayner from the seat by weaponising the Muslim vote, the deputy leader pleads for their support and says she only won the seat in the last election thanks to them:
“2019 was a very difficult year in Ashton. My voters were very upset with the Labour Party: I was with you and you saw me over the line. You supported me. In seats that are similar to mine people lost their seat – you were there for me and I don’t believe I could have done that without you.”
Rayner goes on to try to convince the community to lend their help by stressing that Labour and she personally can be trusted on Gaza and that the fault for the lack of a ceasefire rests on the “international community”:
“If me resigning as an MP now would bring the ceasefire I would do it… we can’t affect anything when we’re not in government. I’ll be honest with you, if Labour get into government we are limited… Biden who’s the US who has way more influence has only got limited influence in this. And Qatar, Saudi Arabia, all of these people we are all working to stop what’s happening at the moment – we want to see that, so I promise you that’s what we want to see and if Labour get into power we will recognise Palestine.”
She puts her own spin on Starmer’s line last week that Palestine should be recognised at some point “as part of a peace process”:
“I will push to recognise it: there is nothing to recognise at the moment, sadly. It’s decimated. We have to rebuild Palestine, we have to rebuild Gaza.”
That’s a justification for Labour’s current policy to push for recognition after a deal is secured as opposed to before. Is “there is nothing to recognise” the official Labour line?
Labour has had to insist that it is “proud” to have the Union flag on their branding after many of their MPs complained that it may “alienate ethnic minority voters“. It looks like Shadow Social Care Minister Andrew Gwynne might have chosen his side…
Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council and Labour councillor in Longsight, Luthfur Rahman launched his re-election campaign this week and chose to drop the Union flag for some more famously Mancunian branding – the Palestinian flag. Gwynne and other Labour MPs like Azfal Khan showed up to pledge their support. Not all Labour candidates object to flag waving…
The US State Department has just confirmed it has blocked further funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid allegations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the 7th of October Hamas attack on Israel. A spokesman said:
“The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7“.
The EU is said to be “extremely concerned“, though has not announced it will cease funding. The UK in 2022 sent £16,624,272 to UNRWA – the 13th biggest global donor – and has ramped up funding in recent months. Labour’s position when the US last suspended funding was that the UNRWA is “a vital UN refugee agency” and stopping funding was “shameful“. Has that position changed?
Guido has asked the FCDO if it plans to do the same.
UPDATE: The FCDO has released a statement:
“The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned.
The UK is temporarily pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.
We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it“.
Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector of Ofsted, has issued a warning to teachers to stop involving students in “divisive” political campaigns. She took issue with students missing school to participate in School Strikes for Palestine last week. During a media briefing following the release of Ofsted’s annual report, Spielman pointed out that teachers are “enlisting” children “to write campaigning letters” and “walk down the high street to support people who are demonstrating”. She cautioned against running “contentious” campaigns within schools because they lead to “unhappy” and “uncomfortable” students. There’s no end to education…
Every councillor in the UK has been sent an email from two Kingston councillors demanding they sign a letter accusing Israel of “war crimes, genocide and ethnic cleansing“. James Giles and Jamal Chahan have organised the effort, giving their 19,102 fellow UK councillors until Friday this week to sign on. Otherwise, they will publish “the names of those who have been invited to sign but choose not to, in the interest of accountability”. Councillors across the country are reacting pretty angrily to the threatening letter…
Guido readers may be interested to hear James Giles is a longtime agent and collaborator of George Galloway, running various campaigns for him including Batley & Spen’s by-election in 2021. Giles previously hosted Galloway’s programme for Russia-owned SputnikTV and Galloway’s The Mother of All Talk Shows when it was aired by the now-banned RT. He also ran his grandmother’s campaign in a by-election for the same council, which the LibDems and Conservatives denounced as “dirty” for attacking their LibDem rival for being an Ahmadiyya Muslim. A pleasant character no doubt…
Meanwhile, Conservative councillor Jamal Chahan is the son of Tory donor and PPE provider Ashraf Chohan. Guido hears he’s on his way through the candidate process to become a Tory PCC. Guido wonders what local Conservative associations will make of that…
UPDATE: A CCHQ source tells Guido:
“The councillor in question has now been kicked out of the Tory group. He’s also not a party member, so any applications from him won’t be going very far….“
Swift action from the new chairman. Not seeing the same from Sir Keir with his own elected MPs…
UPDATE II: The Local Government Association has expelled the pair and sacked them from all positions.
