Author: News Desk

Tories taunt Keir Starmer over Diane Abbott fiasco Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruthlessly seized on the chaos in the Labour Party over the future of Diane Abbott which has sparked a revolt on the left of the party. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was accused on Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning of “dithering” over the trail-blazing MP and first black woman to be elected to Parliament in Britain. She has vowed to stand again for her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency and accused Labour bosses of trying to bar her from being a candidate after almost four decades…

Urgent hunt for girl, 9, missing for two days Police are urgently appealing for information about a schoolgirl who has been missing for two days. Soraya, nine, was last seen in Canning Town in London on Tuesday, and is believed to be in the company of her mother. A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police said: “Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace a young girl who has gone missing from Hemel Hempstead. “Soraya, aged 9, was last seen in Beckton Road in Canning Town, London at around 5pm on Tuesday 28 May. “She is usually seen wearing colourful leggings.…

Murder investigation after man and woman found dead in quiet village A murder probe has been launched after a woman and young man were found dead at a home near Bishop’s Stortford. Emergency services were called to an address on Cambridge Road, in Ugley, on Tuesday evening after reports two people were seriously injured at an address. Officers found a woman in her fifties and a man in his twenties with injuries. They were pronounced dead at the scene. A 63-year-old man from Ugley has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. Detective inspector Lydia George,…

Faiza Shaheen speaks out after Labour blocks candidacy Faiza Shaheen has spoken out after Labour did not endorse her for the Chingford and Woodford Green seat in northeast London. Reports suggested the economist would be suspended by the party after she allegedly liked a series of posts on X that downplayed antisemitism accusations. Ms Shaheen says she was informed of the decision shortly before appearing on Newsnight on Wednesday, 29 May. “They briefed the press before they even had the decency to call me… I’m so shocked right now,” she added. A Labour spokesperson told The Independent: “The NEC has…

Diane Abbott: Timeline of her suspension from racism comments to Labour ‘election ban’ The Labour party has become embroiled in a political row following the fallout around veteran MP Diane Abbott’s readmission to the party – and lack of clarity over whether she can still stand for it. After being suspended from Labour for just over a year, Ms Abbott was readmitted to the party in late May, once again becoming a Labour MP. Ms Abbott has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, securing a majority of over 33,000 at the last General election. For the latest political…

Family pays tribute to football coach killed with one punch: ‘I’ve lost my compass, my guide’ The family of a football coach killed after suffering a single but fatal punch outside a pub have mourned losing their “heart and soul” after his attacker was jailed. Scott Hendy, 46, fell and suffered a critical head injury after being struck by George Baylis in pub car park in Redwick Road, Pilning, at about 12.10am on 2 March. He was taken to hospital where he tragically died the following day. Baylis was arrested a short distance away approximately 30 minutes after the incident.…

Worker pulls faces as Rishi Sunak gives election speech in Devon A worker was caught on camera pulling faces as she listened to Rishi Sunak deliver a Conservative General election campaign speech during his tour of Devon. The prime minister was delivering a speech to workers at a defence firm on Wednesday (29 May). As Mr Sunak said “It’s been difficult the last few years”, the woman in the shot of the camera can be seen pulling a face. Discussing the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, the Conservative leader added: “I hope you saw throughout that I had your back.”…

Jon Stewart calls rejection of UK candidate for liking one of his sketches ‘dumbest thing since Boris Johnson’ The US late-night satirist Jon Stewart has responded after Britain’s Labour Party blocked left-wing academic Faiza Shaheen from standing as a candidate in the upcoming General election for liking a number of potentially offensive social media posts, one of which featured a clip from The Daily Show. “This is the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson… what the actual f****…,” the comedian wrote on X when he was notified of the controversy. The clip in question, dating from…

Angela Rayner defies Keir Starmer to back Diane Abbott as Labour election candidate Angela Rayner has given Diane Abbott her full backing to run for Parliament in the General election in a dramatic intervention. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer was forced to deny that he is trying to “purge” the left of the party as the row over Ms Abbott and candidate selections threaten to derail his campaign. The row appears to have left Labour on the brink of open civil war and handed Rishi Sunak and the Tories an unexpected lifeline as the struggle to close the gap…

Mortgage crisis deepens as one in four face missing payments this year A quarter of Britain’s mortgage holders face missing their payments by the end of this year as interest rates continue to soar, analysis shows – with thousands told already that they could lose their homes. Some 1.6 million homeowners will come to the end of their fixed-rate deals this year, with an average hike of about £1,800 annually on their repayments as they move on to higher interest rates. Since the actions of Liz Truss as prime minister in 2022 sent rates spiralling, charities say pleas for financial…