Author: Miles Donavan

Barristers for the Solicitor General, who opposes the appeal, said there are “no grounds” for reducing the sentence. Far-right thug Tommy Robinson has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the length of his prison sentence for contempt of court. Robinson, 42, was jailed for 18 months in October last year after admitting breaching a 2021 High Court order banning him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel. In recent months, Elon Musk has also backed Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, with the billionaire owner of X posting and reposting calls…

“This is what Nigel Farage is: he’s a poundshop Donald Trump.” The National Education Union will use its political fund to campaign against Reform UK candidates, after passing a motion at its annual conference this week. The union described Reform UK as “far-right and racist”, while NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede called its leader, Nigel Farage, a “pound shop Donald Trump”. Delegates at the conference backed a motion stating that  “far-right and racist organisations, including Reform, seek to build on the despair, poverty and alienation in our society by scapegoating refugees, asylum seekers, Muslims, Jews and others who do not…

The Daily Mail isn’t happy because Mark Simms mocked Boris Johnson six years ago The Tory media is outraged about Mark Simms OBE’s appointment as the new interim head of the Charity Commission, who have accused him of praising so-called “hard-left politicians” and mocking Boris Johnson on social media. But there was no such outrage from the Tories and their right-wing media allies when Orlando Fraser was appointed as head of the charity watchdog by then culture secretary Nadine Dorries in 2022. Fraser stood as a Tory candidate for North Devon in 2005 and is founding fellow of right-wing think…

Reform can’t answer basic questions… Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been left stumped on the campaign trail ahead of local elections due to take place on May 1,, when asked how he intended to fund his party’s policies which would involve billions of pounds of additional spending. Populists like Farage are not used to scrutiny, and when it does occur they often fall apart. In a bid to appeal to voters, Farage has said his party would reverse Labour’s decision to means test winter fuel payments, scrap the rise in employers’ National Insurance payments and end the changes to…

“Will she allow pictures of lettuces?” Disgraced former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was booted out of office after just 49 days, is set to launch her own ‘free speech’ social media platform this summer. Truss, who has never accepted responsibility for her disastrous mini-budget which sent markets into turmoil and the pound crashing as well as adding hundreds of pounds to peoples’ mortgages, has always blamed the ‘deep state’ and others for her downfall. Despite her policies and ideas being discredited, Truss has chosen to double down rather than engage in a period of self-reflection. She has continuously tried…

Anderson has thrown his toys out of the pram Yesterday, anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray was cleared of the “noisy protest” charges brought against him, in what most media outlets have hailed as a victory for free speech and the right to protest.  Not Reform MP Lee Anderson, though. Anderson, who regularly hurls insults at the Stop Brexit Man, such as calling him a “parasite” and a “scrounger” has this time called him a “career activist”. Anderson has also told the Daily Express that there should be greater transparency about where Bray gets his funding from.  Anderson said: “As well as…

Amid economic uncertainty we should be doubling down on domestic production, especially in farming. Chris Worrall is a housing columnist for LFF. He is on the Executive Committee of the Labour Housing Group, Co-Host of the Priced Out Podcast, and Chair of the Local Government and Housing Member Policy Group of the Fabian Society.  While Britain finds itself caught in the crosshairs of escalating global trade wars – facing new tariffs from the United States and navigating complex post-Brexit trade dynamics with the European Union, amid grave economic uncertainty, we should be doubling down on domestic production, especially in farming. However,…

“The images are awful and people have enough to worry about in their lives without having to worry about rubbish collection alongside it…” The Labour Party’s Minister for Industry has called on trade union Unite to call off the bin strike in Birmingham and accept the deal on offer and to get back to normal. There has been no breakthrough after bin strikes in the city which have lasted for over a month, after the latest pay offer by the city council was “overwhelmingly” rejected by bin workers. The city has seen bin bags and fly-tipped rubbish pile high on…

Reform has ignored calls for the candidate to step down and stood by him A Reform UK local election candidate and deputy chair for North West Leicestershire has shared racist views online in the past, but that’s not enough for Reform to drop him as a candidate.  In 2013, Coalville North candidate Elliott Allman, who is a former Tory, shared a racist post on Facebook claiming that black drivers in Volkswagen cars tailgate him on the M1.  The post resurfaced after campaign group Reform Party UK Exposed shared a screenshot on X on 2 April. Allman responded to the tweet,…

With the local elections on 1 May, Left Foot Forward picks out the most competitive races and potential game-changers. First things first. Where will local elections take place on 1 May? It’s a county council election year, which means it’s a ‘quieter’ election year. Since district councils elect by thirds, and county councils go to the polls every fourth year, fewer councils are in play compared to other local election cycles. According to the Democracy Club, in terms of councillors elected, 2025 will be the smallest set of UK council elections since 1975. These seats were last up for election…