Opinion

"Keeping Jeremy Corbyn away from No. 10 is an essential national endeavour" the Daily Telegraph thunders. The reliably Conservative newspaper took some time off from trumpeting Brexit to once again attack the Labour leader. These attacks are becoming more hyperbolic by the day. The Telegraph is trying to convince its readers that stopping Corbyn is like fighting Hitler during the Blitz - essential for national survival. This derangement about Corbyn's Labour is emerging everywhere on the right. Theresa May warned...

The Conservatives have been labelled con artists after running up mountains of debt in spite of austerity cuts at the same time as the rich significantly increase their wealth. Since the recession Britain's wealthiest have seen their net worth more than double while poverty has gripped the nation elsewhere. Food bank use has reached the highest rate on record as austerity-induced benefit cuts fail to cover basic costs. According to Shelter the number of 'homeless but working' families has risen...

In 2015 ahead of the Labour leadership election Jeremy Corbyn was a 200-1 outsider on the Betfair Exchange to win the contest. Without enough nominations to make the ballot the Islington North MP was written off by most of the media. His shock win sent shockwaves across the political spectrum that continued to reverberate as he fended off a leadership bid in 2017, took away the Tory majority in 2018 and guided Labour into the number one spot in the polls...

Is it possible to die from cringing? Because I fear that fate may await former Tory small business minister Andrew Griffiths after a Sunday tabloid published a cache of his truly grim sexts to two barmaids. Married Griffiths sent over 2,000 messages (how?!) in just three weeks to the two women he came across online. Let’s just say the texts were grubby, he called himself Daddy, he liked it rough and they’re all on Google. Whenever a sex scandal of...

Campaigners call for greater transparency to facilitate adoption of advanced non-animal methods Home Office figures released today reveal that 3,721,744 mice, fish, rabbits, dogs, rats, monkeys and other animals were used for research in UK laboratories last year. With the full extent of their suffering unknown, and whether modern non-animal methods could have been used in their place, the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is calling on the UK Government to end the secrecy and open up animal research to public scrutiny. Jan Creamer, President of the National Anti-Vivisection Society said, “With advanced modern methodsbeing more accurate and...

Abuse Inquiry shared our personal emails, but taking funds away from our inquiry is punishing us twice: Core participant hits out as Child Abuse Inquiry fined £200K for major data breach By Nigel O’Mara Nigel O’Mara is a veteran campaigner for child abuse survivors. He has waived his right to anonymity as a core participant in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.   It has been announced today that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has been...

Theresa May this week folded on several ERG amendments to a Chequers deal outlining how Britain proposes it might leave the European Union. Among them she backed down on the UK collecting tax or duties on behalf of another territory “without reciprocity” and an amendment that would force her to draw up primary legislation if she wants to remain in the EU’s customs union. Whatever the outcome of this turbulent week in parliament one thing we can say with absolute...

It was a relief to get away from the boisterous and indeed volatile atmosphere of the Tommy Robinson protest and counter protest on Saturday. The sleepy back streets between St James Park and Westminster Abbey were, on a hot sunny afternoon, in marked contrast to the frenetic activity normally seen there during the working week. All of a sudden, my reverie was interrupted by the sound of shouting, screaming and glass smashing. I looked towards the commotion which was occurring...

The absence of Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable and his predecessor Tim Farron from last night's crucial Brexit votes prove once again that the party is all bark and no bite. ERG amendments which have effectively allowed hard-line Brexiters to hijack the Chequers proposals were passed through by a slender margin thanks to the noticeable absentees. As Robert Peston noted shortly after, "one of great political jokes of our time is that Theresa May was rescued from defeat last night...