Babak Belurs

Rabu, 13 Maret 2024

Diane Abbott: MP criticises Speaker for race row debate snub - BBC

By Sam Francis

Political reporter, BBC News

Diane Abbott has accused the Commons Speaker of failing democracy by not allowing her to speak during a debate focused on remarks about her.

Alleged comments by a Tory donor that Ms Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" dominated Wednesday's half-hour Prime Minister's Questions.

The MP repeatedly tried to ask the prime minister a question but was not selected.

A spokesperson for the Speaker said he "ran out of time" to call Ms Abbott.

Rishi Sunak repeatedly rejected calls from MPs to pay back £10m in Tory donations from Frank Hester, who reportedly said Ms Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and "should be shot".

The PM said Mr Hester's alleged comments were "wrong" and "racist" - but the businessman had apologised and his "remorse should be accepted".

Ms Abbott was sitting on the opposition benches during the weekly question session, but did not get a chance despite standing up, in an attempt to catch the Speaker's eye, an estimated 37 times.

In a social media post afterwards, Ms Abbott said Sir Lindsay Hoyle had failed both the Commons and "democracy".

"I don't know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving," she added.

MPs enter a ballot to ask a question at PMQs, which is seen as a highlight of the parliamentary week. But the Speaker also has discretion to choose additional MPs, who can rise - or bob - to signal they wish to pose the PM a question.

A spokesperson for the Speaker said: "During Prime Minister's Questions, the Speaker must select MPs from either side of the House on an alternating basis for fairness.

"This takes place within a limited time frame, with the Chair prioritising members who are already listed on the order paper. This week - as is often the case - there was not enough time to call all members who wanted to ask a question."

Ms Abbott later set out her views in an article published in the Independent, calling Mr Hester's comments "outrageously racist and sexist".

She accused the Conservative Party of regularly "whipping up racism in this country, including directed at me personally" - including posters singling Ms Abbott out as a risk during the 2017 general election.

Ms Abbott also accused Labour of failing to condemn Mr Hester's alleged comments early enough, as well as neglecting to address internal racism and sexism.

'Really poor'

Before the debate, Ms Abbott said Mr Hester's alleged comment that she needed "to be shot" was "frightening".

Both Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Stephen Flynn, the SNP Westminster leader, raised Mr Hester's alleged comments with the prime minister.

Once the debate was finished, Ms Abbott could be seen shaking her head after failing to be called to speak.

Labour MP Charlotte Nichols called the Speaker's decision "really poor".

In a social media post, Ms Nichols said: "If Diane wanted to speak, rather than being spoken for and about, she should have been given the opportunity to."

During the debate, Stella Creasy - another Labour MP - posted on social media that there would be "something very wrong if [Ms Abbott's] voice isn't heard today".

A Labour party spokesman echoed these comments saying after the debate "it would have been good for the House to have been able to hear from" Ms Abbott.

As PMQs finished Sir Keir and Mr Flynn approached Ms Abbott at the back of the chamber, alongside a succession of Labour backbenchers.

During the conversation, Ms Abbott reportedly repeatedly asked Sir Keir to restore her party whip.

He is reported to have responded: "I understand."

Ms Abbott - who sits as an independent MP after being suspended by Labour - has previously called for "public support from Keir Starmer" in the wake of Mr Hester's comments.

Selasa, 12 Maret 2024

Children to stop getting puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, says NHS England - The Guardian

Children who have gender dysphoria will no longer be given puberty blockers, NHS England has said, ahead of a radical change in how it cares for them.

There is not enough evidence about either how safe they are to take or whether they are clinically effective to justify prescribing them to children and young people who are transitioning, it added.

The government welcomed NHS England’s “landmark decision”, which it said was “in the best interests of children”.

NHS England made the announcement in response to the results of a public consultation on the ban, which it first proposed last June, and a review of available evidence by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

A spokesperson said: “NHS England has carefully considered the evidence review conducted by NICE and further published evidence available to date.

“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty suppressing hormones to make the treatment routinely available at this time.”

Puberty blockers arrest the physical changes in a child’s body that puberty brings, such as the development of breasts or facial hair. The NHS’s decision means that the new regional services caring for under-18s with gender dysphoria, which open next month, will not use them as part of the treatment.

From now on, children and young people will only be able to get them if they are taking part in a clinical trial. At least one such trial is due to start later this year, but no details, such as who will be eligible to join it, have been published.

The NHS’s decision reaffirms the position it adopted last year on puberty blockers after Dr Hilary Cass, who is leading an independent review into gender identity services for under-18s, issued interim advice warning against routine prescription of the drugs.

In late 2020 NHS England asked Cass, an ex-president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, to look into gender identity services. At the time they were provided for the whole of England solely by the NHS’s Tavistock and Portman mental health trust in London. Its treatment of under-18s with gender dysphoria, including its use of puberty blockers, had attracted criticism.

Fewer than 100 children and young people are taking puberty blockers.

The trust’s gender identity development service is closing at the end of this month. The first two new centres will open in April at two specialist children’s hospitals: Great Ormond Street in London and Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool. NHS England hopes to ultimately create seven or eight centres.

However, the services they provide will be what NHS sources say will be “fundamentally different from the current service, in line with the Cass recommendations”.

Maria Caulfield, the health minister, said: “We welcome this landmark decision by the NHS to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers and this guidance which recognises that care must be based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and in the best interests of the child.

“The NHS must ensure its Gender Identity Services protect, support and act in the best interests of children and we will continue to work with NHS England to protect children in this area.”

Stonewall voiced its concern about the new policy. “All trans young people deserve access to high quality, timely healthcare”, a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ rights charity said.

“For some, an important part of this care comes in the form of puberty blockers, a reversible treatment that delays the onset of puberty, prescribed by expert endocrinologists, giving the young person extra time to evaluate their next steps. We are concerned that NHS England will be putting new prescriptions on hold until a research protocol is up and running at the end of 2024.”

Sex Matters, which campaigns on how sex is used in law and other environments, praised NHS England for what it said was a return to evidence-based policymaking in relation to gender identity services.

“This a momentous development in the course correction of NHS England’s approach to treating childhood gender distress,” said Maya Forstater, its executive director.

“The significance of NHS England’s statement that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty blockers cannot be overstated, given the success that activist lobby groups have had in portraying them as a harmless and reversible treatment.”

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihQFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vc29jaWV0eS8yMDI0L21hci8xMi9jaGlsZHJlbi10by1zdG9wLWdldHRpbmctcHViZXJ0eS1ibG9ja2Vycy1hdC1nZW5kZXItaWRlbnRpdHktY2xpbmljcy1zYXlzLW5ocy1lbmdsYW5k0gGFAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9zb2NpZXR5LzIwMjQvbWFyLzEyL2NoaWxkcmVuLXRvLXN0b3AtZ2V0dGluZy1wdWJlcnR5LWJsb2NrZXJzLWF0LWdlbmRlci1pZGVudGl0eS1jbGluaWNzLXNheXMtbmhzLWVuZ2xhbmQ?oc=5

2024-03-12 18:34:00Z
CBMihQFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vc29jaWV0eS8yMDI0L21hci8xMi9jaGlsZHJlbi10by1zdG9wLWdldHRpbmctcHViZXJ0eS1ibG9ja2Vycy1hdC1nZW5kZXItaWRlbnRpdHktY2xpbmljcy1zYXlzLW5ocy1lbmdsYW5k0gGFAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9zb2NpZXR5LzIwMjQvbWFyLzEyL2NoaWxkcmVuLXRvLXN0b3AtZ2V0dGluZy1wdWJlcnR5LWJsb2NrZXJzLWF0LWdlbmRlci1pZGVudGl0eS1jbGluaWNzLXNheXMtbmhzLWVuZ2xhbmQ

Andrew Tate to be extradited to UK to face rape and human trafficking allegations - The Independent

Andrew Tate will be extradited to the UK to face allegations of sexual aggression after his Romanian trial proceedings have concluded, a court has ruled.

Bedfordshire Police said the force has obtained a European arrest warrant and is working with authorities in Romania.

Controversial influencer Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan, 35, were detained on Tuesday after the UK authorities issued a warrant for charges dating from 2012 to 2015.

Appearing at Bucharest Court of Appeal, a judge approved their extradition for when their trial for separate offences of rape and human trafficking ends. They have both been released from police custody following the hearing.

It comes after lawyers representing four women who accuse Tate of rape and sexual assault wrote to UK police to request his detention over fears he would flee Romania.

Andrew Tate and his brother being escorted into the court hearing

A statement from law firm McCue Jury & Partners, the lawyers acting on behalf of Tate’s British accusers, said: “Last week, we received information that Tate might have been planning to flee Romania, where he is due to stand trial for separate allegations of rape and human trafficking.

It is believed this may have been sparked by comments made by blogger Adin Ross, who told his followers during a Kick live stream on 5 March that he had received a text from Tate, who told him he was leaving Romania for good.

In response, a spokesperson for the Tate brothers said they “unequivocally deny” accusations that they intended to abscond to evade judicial proceedings, adding they were committed to participating in the legal process.

A police officer escorts Andrew Tate from the appeal court in Bucharest, Romania

“We believe this rumour has originated from a popular online influencer who misconstrued a text message from our clients while streaming live. There is simply no truth to it,” their spokesperson said.

The law firm representing the four women said the accusations were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary closed in 2019, with the Crown Prosecution Service deciding against pursuing charges.

The women announced last year they were preparing to sue Tate in London’s High Court and launched a campaign page, which said it was their “one remaining route to hold him accountable”.

It is understood the current arrest warrant, issued by Westminster Magistrates’ Court, relates to other alleged offences being investigated by Bedfordshire Police.

In a short statement issued on Tuesday, the Tates’ representative said: “This bewildering revival of decade-old accusations has left the Tate brothers dismayed and deeply troubled.

“They categorically reject all charges and express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence.

Both Tate and his brother ‘categorically deny’ the allegations

“The Tate brothers assert that the timing and circumstances surrounding the reappearance of these allegations raise serious questions about the motives behind this legal action.

“The suggestion that Mr Tate’s rise to fame may have played a role in these developments adds another layer of distress and concern.”

While his lawyer spoke to reporters outside of court, Tate has only tweeted on the platform Twitter/X: “The Matrix is afraid, but I only fear God.” The “Matrix” is a term that he uses to refer to a supposed wide-ranging conspiracy targeting men.

The Tate brothers are also charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in a separate case in Romania after being arrested in the country’s capital in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women.

They have denied the charges and are awaiting trial, with Tate winning an appeal in August 2023 to be released from house arrest. Both brothers are now able to travel within Romania but cannot leave the country, with their recent request to visit their hospitalised mother in the UK turned down.

In January, a Romanian court also overturned a decision to seize their assets, which included 15 supercars, more than 10 properties and 14 designer watches.

Former kickboxer Tate has attracted millions of followers in recent years by styling himself as the “king of toxic masculinity” on social media.

He has since been banned from certain platforms including Facebook and Instagram for espousing misogynistic views, which included that women were the property of their husbands.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvY3JpbWUvYW5kcmV3LXRhdGUtZXh0cmFkaXRlZC11ay1yb21hbmlhLWNvdXJ0LWIyNTExMzkxLmh0bWzSAQA?oc=5

2024-03-12 17:52:01Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvY3JpbWUvYW5kcmV3LXRhdGUtZXh0cmFkaXRlZC11ay1yb21hbmlhLWNvdXJ0LWIyNTExMzkxLmh0bWzSAQA

Labour calls on Sunak to return Frank Hester's £10m Tory donation - The Guardian

Labour has written to Rishi Sunak calling for him to hand back £10m in donations from the Conservatives’ biggest ever donor, after it emerged he told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott made you “want to hate all black women” and said the MP “should be shot”.

Anneliese Dodds, the chair of the Labour party, wrote to the prime minister calling for the money to be returned after the Guardian published details of Frank Hester’s remarks from a meeting held at his company, TPP, in 2019.

The businessman, who has given £10m to the Tories in the past year, said in the meeting that he did not hate all black women. But he also said that seeing Abbott, who is Britain’s longest-serving black MP, on TV meant “you just want to hate all black women because she’s there”.

TPP’s lawyers, Carter-Ruck, said the comments were not a true or accurate characterisation of the company or Hester.

In a new statement on Monday night, a spokesperson for Hester said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.

“The Guardian is right when it quotes Frank saying he abhors racism, not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s. He rang Diane Abbott twice today to try to apologise directly for the hurt he has caused her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks. He wishes to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life.”

In parliament on Monday, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said Hester had used “utterly revolting, racist and inciteful language”, adding that “it has no place in our politics and public life”.

In her letter to the prime minister, Dodds said the Conservatives should hand back the £10m as well as the value of a helicopter ride to the tune of £15,900 provided to Sunak by Hester.

She wrote: “While – in good faith – we assume that your party was not aware of Mr Hester’s views at the time of receiving these donations, it is only right that you and your party take these new revelations into account seriously.

“Accepting and using that money can only be treated as implicitly condoning and overlooking his deeply disturbing comments and the way he has run his business. Anything less than returning the money will be a stain on the Conservative party.”

She also highlighted that, in February, Hester had spoken about his access to Sunak, claiming that “I’ve had some quite long conversations with Rishi about AI”.

Hester’s remarks were criticised by some Conservatives. Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative MP and chair of the justice committee, told Times Radio: “It’s a stupid and offensive thing to say ... That’s not the sort of language that you should use about anyone that, frankly.”

Alistair Burt, the former Conservative minister, said: “If true, and it appears to be, it is open and shut for the Conservative party. Return the donations, end the relationship and ask decent donors to make up the difference. With MPs under threat, and past murders, this is unacceptable. Many Conservative members will be watching.”

The Liberal Democrats also called for Sunak to rule out giving a peerage to Hester, as well as handing the donations back.

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrat chief whip, said: “These comments are inexcusable and disgusting. Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak.

“He must reassure the public that the Conservative party does not tolerate these remarks. That means confirming that his party will return every penny of these donations and won’t take any more from this donor in future. He must also rule out any future peerage for Frank Hester.”

Hester gave £5m to the Conservatives in May 2023 and announced a further £5m donation this month, which had been accepted by the party from his company in November last year. With months to go before the next general election, a party spokesperson confirmed he was now its “biggest ever donor”.

The Conservatives told LBC: “Mr Hester has made clear that while he was rude, his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor the colour of her skin. He has since apologised.”

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI0L21hci8xMi9sYWJvdXItY2FsbHMtb24tc3VuYWstdG8tcmV0dXJuLWZyYW5rLWhlc3Rlci10b3J5LWRvbmF0aW9u0gEA?oc=5

2024-03-12 06:55:00Z
CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI0L21hci8xMi9sYWJvdXItY2FsbHMtb24tc3VuYWstdG8tcmV0dXJuLWZyYW5rLWhlc3Rlci10b3J5LWRvbmF0aW9u0gEA

Senin, 11 Maret 2024

Lee Anderson, UK lawmaker dropped by Sunak, defects to right-wing party - Al Jazeera English

Anderson was suspended from the Conservative Party over accusations of Islamophobia.

A prominent former deputy chairman of Britain’s governing Conservatives, who was suspended from the party over accusations of Islamophobia, has defected to the small right-wing Reform UK party in a setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The move on Monday by Lee Anderson, a former miner who has courted controversy with his outspoken views, comes months before a national election in which Reform is expected to draw votes away from the Conservatives and in doing so threaten Sunak’s re-election bid.

Anderson’s defection to Reform, which has Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as its honorary president and backs populist causes such as tougher immigration laws, gives the party its first member of parliament.

It also represents a blow to Sunak, given Anderson was appointed as the Conservatives’ deputy chairman last year to appeal to voters in former Labour Party-voting heartlands known as the “Red Wall”, which backed the Conservatives at the last election.

The New Conservatives, a group of MPs on the right of the Tory party who have rebelled against Sunak, said the Conservative Party was responsible for Anderson’s defection.

“We cannot pretend any longer that ‘the plan is working’. We need to change course urgently,” the group said in a statement.

“I want my country back. … We are allowing people into our country that will never integrate and adopt our British values,” Anderson said at a press conference alongside Reform leader Richard Tice, who predicted more lawmakers would join Reform.

“Reform UK has offered me the chance to speak out in parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who feel that they’re not being listened to.”

Last month the Conservatives suspended Anderson after he refused to apologise for saying London’s first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, was under the control of “Islamists”.

While the Labour Party of opposition leader Keir Starmer is Sunak’s biggest election rival, Reform could win over some traditionally Conservative-leaning voters.

Last month, Reform achieved its best result in one-off parliamentary contests known as by-elections, taking 13 percent of the vote in a constituency in central England, once considered a safe Conservative seat.

The party, founded in 2018 as the Brexit Party, has ruled out making any pre-election deals with the Conservatives.

The Conservatives said the party regretted Anderson’s move.

“Voting for Reform can’t deliver anything apart from a Keir Starmer-led Labour government that would take us back to square one – which means higher taxes, higher energy costs, no action on Channel crossings and uncontrolled immigration,” a Conservative spokesperson said.

Anderson quit his post as one of Conservative Party’s deputy chairmen in January to vote for amendments to toughen up immigration legislation that would revive the government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The 57-year-old supports the return of capital punishment, wants asylum seekers to be immediately returned to their countries of origin and earned the nickname “30p Lee” after claiming that decent meals could be made for 30 pence (38 US cents).

The row over Anderson’s comments about London’s mayor came at a sensitive time in British politics as Israel’s war on Gaza exacerbates tensions in Jewish and Muslim communities that have spilled into parliament.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMTEvbGVlLWFuZGVyc29uLXVrLWxhd21ha2VyLWRyb3BwZWQtYnktc3VuYWstZGVmZWN0cy10by1yaWdodC13aW5nLXBhcnR50gFyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWxqYXplZXJhLmNvbS9hbXAvbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMTEvbGVlLWFuZGVyc29uLXVrLWxhd21ha2VyLWRyb3BwZWQtYnktc3VuYWstZGVmZWN0cy10by1yaWdodC13aW5nLXBhcnR5?oc=5

2024-03-11 16:38:27Z
CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMTEvbGVlLWFuZGVyc29uLXVrLWxhd21ha2VyLWRyb3BwZWQtYnktc3VuYWstZGVmZWN0cy10by1yaWdodC13aW5nLXBhcnR50gFyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWxqYXplZXJhLmNvbS9hbXAvbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMTEvbGVlLWFuZGVyc29uLXVrLWxhd21ha2VyLWRyb3BwZWQtYnktc3VuYWstZGVmZWN0cy10by1yaWdodC13aW5nLXBhcnR5

Babak Belurs

Rabu, 13 Maret 2024

Diane Abbott: MP criticises Speaker for race row debate snub - BBC

'Really poor'

Related Topics

Tory donor's alleged comments about Diane Abbott were racist, says Downing Street - BBC.com

Sir Keir Starmer promises Dame Esther Rantzen a vote on assisted dying if he wins election - Sky News

Selasa, 12 Maret 2024

Children to stop getting puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, says NHS England - The Guardian

Andrew Tate to be extradited to UK to face rape and human trafficking allegations - The Independent

Labour calls on Sunak to return Frank Hester's £10m Tory donation - The Guardian

Senin, 11 Maret 2024

Lee Anderson, UK lawmaker dropped by Sunak, defects to right-wing party - Al Jazeera English

Rabu, 13 Maret 2024

'Really poor'

Related Topics

More on Assisted Dying

Related Topics:

Selasa, 12 Maret 2024

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Senin, 11 Maret 2024