Author: Miles Donavan

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last.” Punk band Bob Vylan have released a statement following their controversial performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. During their performance, which was broadcast live on the BBC, the band’s singer – Bobby Vylan – initiated a chant among the audience of ‘Death, death to the IDF’. The IDF is the acronym for the Israeli military, the Israeli Defence Forces. This followed the audience being encouraged to chant ‘free, free Palestine’. Bob Vylan’s performance sparked major controversy, with tabloid newspapers using their front…

Labour MP Chris Hinchcliff explains why he doesn’t support for the disability benefit cuts Chris Hinchcliff is the Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire Nearly 50 years ago, Labour Minister Douglas Houghton—the man responsible for social security after thirteen wasted years of Tory government and the last Cabinet member to have served in the carnage of the First World War—said shortly after taking office: “The economic inheritance from the Conservative Government is a grievous one, far worse than is thought, but the Government will not make the social services the first casualty of economic difficulty. The next few days will…

Find out how your MP voted on the Welfare Bill The government suffered it’s biggest backbench rebellion in the House of Commons this evening as MPs voted on the second reading of the Welfare Bill. MPs voted 335 to 261 in favour of the Bill, but 49 Labour MPs broke the government whip to vote against it. This is despite government ministers making significant concessions to backbench MPs around the Bill. Ultimately, the legislation put before the Commons. Initially, the government had intended to use the Welfare Bill to make £5bn of savings through reducing disability benefit payments. However, during…

Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot and Alice Oseman are among the signatories More than 600 prominent public figures have signed a public statement calling for the government not to proscribe the direct action group Palestine Action. If proscribed, Palestine Action would be listed as a terrorist group and being a member of it or expressing support for it would become a criminal offence. The statement – coordinated by Fossil Free Books – has been signed by authors actors, comedians, politicians, campaigners and journalists. Among the most high profile signatories are the former Green MP Caroline Lucas, the journalist George Monbiot, Hearstopper…

There are many barriers to building the new homes we so urgently need, but puddles are perhaps the most surprising Paul Smith is Managing Director of The Strategic Land Group There are many barriers to building the new homes we so urgently need, but puddles are perhaps the most surprising – and one of the easiest to fix. Surface water flooding is the planning jargon for what happens when it rains so hard that drainage systems become overwhelmed – puddles, in other words, albeit often big ones. Current planning policy requires surface water flooding to be dealt with in exactly…

The very founding document of liberal free speech principles makes the argument that free speech is context-dependent, not absolute Patrick Hurley is the Labour MP for Southport The online right wing of the UK political community has become, since the landslide election of a Labour government in July last year, increasingly libertarian in their outlook. Notably, they – and increasingly, their supporters both in Parliament and on television newspaper review shows – are becoming more and more fixated on the concept of free speech, and the commitment or otherwise to it of the government.  In recent days, this defence has…

The government has rightly prioritised housebuilding, committing to build 1.5m net new homes this parliament. But existing homes need investment too. Ben Cooper is Research Manager at the Fabian Society. Our home is supposed to be a place of safety and security but for nearly 1.5m renting households, this is not the case. Over 16 per cent of all households who rent, live in a home that harms their health, wellbeing and education. And nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of those living in poor quality accommodation rent privately. Many will have struggled to keep their home cool in the recent…

‘We don’t know what is happening to that money’ A new report has found that £2 million in donations given to candidates during the 2024 general election campaign “essentially disappeared” from public scrutiny.  The research by Lib Dem peer Mark Pack and academic Chris Butler reveals that 170 candidates received a total of almost £2 million more than they were allowed to spend on their campaigns. This raises questions about where the excess funds went after the campaign. The details of who donated the money are also difficult to find, particularly if the candidate did not become an MP. Only…

Nigel Farage’s party have also set made clear their intention cut back on expenditure in local authorities, setting up the DOGE unit, and Farage warning workers in a speech celebrating his party’s gains, to seek “alternative careers” if they worked on diversity or climate change initiatives. With workers worried about what Reform taking power means for them, the UK’s largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200% in the 10 local authorities won by Nigel Farage’s party at last month’s local elections. Sky News reports: “Unison figures show its membership increased by an average of 272% in the week…

Farage chooses to ignore that the rich not paying their fair share of tax. So much for being a ‘man of the people’. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has admitted he doesn’t want to tax the rich anymore, as he sets out further details of his party’s policy platform. Answering a question from journalist Ava Santina from PoliticsJOE at a press conference, Farage said he didn’t want to raise corporation tax or taxes on wealthy people, despite trying to portray himself as being concerned with the interests of working people. Asked about Arron Banks, a major Reform UK donor and…