Author: News Desk

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…

General election live news: Angela Rayner backs Diane Abbott as Faiza Shaheen calls in lawyers over Labour row There is no bias in the title provided. Related: Starmer responds to Jeremy Corbyn standing as an independent candidateSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour deputy leader Angela Rayner says she backs Diane Abbott to stand as a Labour candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington at the general election.Defying her own party, Sir Keir Starmer’s right hand said: “I don’t see any reason why Diane Abbott can’t…

Netherlands boss explains decision to drop Chelsea star from Euro 2024 squad | Football Ian Maatsen, on loan at Borussia Dortmund from Chelsea, has been omitted from the Netherlands’ final squad for Euro 2024. Two weeks ago, Maatsen was named in Ronald Koeman’s provisional 30-man squad for the European Championships, despite having never been capped at senior international level. Nevertheless, many were hopeful that the young left-back would make the cut having excelled during his brief stint at Dortmund, playing a pivotal role in their run to the Champions League final. However, on Wednesday Koeman named his final 26-man squad,…

Man City’s Kyle Walker hails Chelsea star as the ‘best in the world’ | Football Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has heaped praise on Reece James, describing the Chelsea star as the ‘best right-back in the world’. Despite struggling with reoccurring injury issues, James has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League since making his first-team debut for Chelsea in September 2019. The 24-year-old was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate’s 33-man provisional England squad ahead of this summer’s Euros, despite the fact he only started five Premier League games this season. And even though…