Met chief defends knife attack officers after Polanski criticism1 hour agoTom McArthurandOlivia IrelandPAMetropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said he is “proud” of the officers who arrested the suspect in the Golders Green attack, after Green Party leader Zack Polanski shared a post condemning their actions.Two officers Tasered and kicked the suspect in the head while trying to prise a knife from his hand after he had stabbed two Jewish men in north London on Wednesday.Polanski reposted a post on X which said: “Essentially his officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by Taser. He ” ” ” Sir ” ” “I think that he has found an area that seems to give him popularity, at least for the short term, and I think he should be very, very careful in what he’s peddling,” she added.The Welsh Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter also disagreed with Polanski’s decision to repost the comment, telling LBC it seemed “inappropriate”.Green Party deputy leader Rachel Millward told BBC Question Time that the emergency services were brave, well-trained and did a brilliant job.Liberal Democrats London spokesperson Luke Taylor MP also criticised Polanski, describing the reposting as “utterly disgraceful”. “That ludicrous response and his comments on ‘perception of fear’ in the Jewish community tells us a lot about the Green Party’s values,” he said.Essa Suleiman, 45, remains in police custody having been arrested on the suspicion of attempting to murder Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, in Golders Green on Wednesday morning.Sir Mark said later the same day that the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues, and was believed to be involved in a separate incident in south-east London on Tuesday.The Met formally declared the attack a terrorist incident.Polanski described the attack at the time as “horrendous” and said he was “thinking of the victims, their families and everyone who will once again be shaken by this attack”.Watch: How the Golders Green attack unfoldedThe Jewish security volunteers first on scene of Golders Green attack Zack PolanskiMetropolitan Police ServiceLondonAntisemitismGreen Party (England and Wales)Golders Green

‘Globalise the intifada’ chant is racist, says Starmer2 hours agoPaul Seddon,BBC NewsandRichard Wheeler,Political reporterReutersSir Keir Starmer has called for police to prosecute people chanting “globalise the intifada” during demonstrations, calling it an example of “extreme racism”.Speaking after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green on Wednesday, the prime minister said the chant, based on an Arabic word for uprising, had left Jews feeling “scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong”.He added that the government was also looking at what “further measures we can take on protests”, as it responds to concerns over rising antisemitism.Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told BBC Breakfast that people using “globalise the intifada” are “likely to be arrested”.Wednesday’s attack in the north London suburb, which police have declared a terror incident, has reignited debates over the protection of British Jews and the policing of pro-Palestinian marches.The Green Party and the Jeremy Corbyn-led Your Party have warned the response to the “abhorrent” attacks should not restrict civil liberties.Speaking at a news conference, Sir Keir said there were too many people who “don’t want to see” examples of antisemitism in British society. Sir Keir said that there are too many people who “don’t want to see” antisemitism in British society. He spoke at a news conference. “If you stand with people who say globalise intifada you are calling for terrorist acts against Jews. People who use this phrase should be prosecuted.” “It’s racism, extreme racism, and it’s left a minority community in this nation scared, intimidated, and wondering if they belonged. “Antisemitism is a national security issue”, government terror adviser claims. Sir Mark, the Met Police’s chief, said that the force would “exploit the full reaches” of the law to protect communities. Sir Mark said that there are major demonstrations coming up, and the force is looking into “what’s reasonable” when it comes to “restrictions”. “We have to find a way to get through this, but we’ll do everything we can to maximize the sense of security in London. Sir Mark, when asked if someone can be arrested for putting “globalise” on banners replied: “If that kind of phrase is used, you’re likely to be arrested.” “We said this before Christmas, and we have already arrested and charged people for such behavior. Jewish groups have described intifada as a call to violence against Jewish people. The government has yet to release its report on the review of hate crime and public order legislation commissioned by the government after two Jewish people died in an attack outside a Manchester synagogue last year. He said that a government using the pain of the Jewish people to restrict the right to peaceful protest was a dangerous mistake. Your Party said that some politicians “weaponise the abhorrent stabbings in order to take away civil liberties and attack the Palestine Movement without basis”. They said: “No antisemitism. No to racism. No to attacks on protest rights. No to attacks on the right to protest.

Labour’s London squeeze reveals a fragmented British political scene5 hours agoNick RobinsonToday Programme PresenterBBC”Doesn’t one of you know what keeps them up at Number 10?” asked a Cabinet Minister.Scotland? Wales? I was told no. London was the answer. The reason Sir Keir and his team were so anxiously awaiting the results of the council elections in London next week is because it represents Labour’s heartland. One in seven Labour MPs represent constituencies in London. David Lammy is also a London MP, as is the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is trying to take over Starmer’s position. Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing in the Cabinet, completes this quartet of powerful London-based MPs. The capital is home to a large percentage of the party activists and members who select the party leaders. Labour’s core will be hurt by losses in London. Getty ImagesOfcourse, politicians of all parties are known to make dramatic statements before elections, sometimes out of fear and sometimes to manage expectation. This year, almost everyone expects Labour to suffer serious losses in London. YouGov predicts that it could be Labour’s worst result in London for almost 50 years. And those losses would come as a result of a squeeze on both sides of politics. Labour is being attacked by the Greens, in London’s progressive inner-boroughs, and by Reform in the traditionally socially conservative outer-ring. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats also expect to gain councils. Tony Travers, an academic with a long history in London’s politics at the London School of Economics says that the capital could be about to experience a “political quake”. It’s not just important for London. It also provides an insight into the dilemma Labour faces about which direction to take, and a warning of the fate that might await the party at next general election. In a corner of east London, however, the story was different. After all votes were counted it was clear that Labour fared better in London than the rest of the nation. The result showed how dominant Labour had become in London. Over the next 14-years, the Labour Party strengthened its control over councils and the Labour Mayor Sir Sadiq won three elections in a line. YouGov and JL Pattersons polling suggests that they may lose the top spot in a few of these. Hackney votersRidley road market in Hackney has a maze of open air stalls selling everything from textiles to fresh fruits. Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party, was one of its visitors this month. The Greens now hope to take over this council that has been ruled by Labour since the 1970s. YouGov predicts Hackney will be one of the boroughs to fall to the Greens at election night. “I feel that it’s unfair and unbalanced at the moment,” says a woman. She is a full-time working single mother. She believes Polanski has “good ideas about taxing rich people”, adding that she is “really fed up” with getting poorer as she gets older. Prof Tony Travers believes that the Greens have capitalized on the voters’ concern about the cost of life. “The Greens are not talking about the environment anymore,” he says. The Hackney Greens’ manifesto places “Climate and Environmental Justice”, at the bottom of its list of values, after anti-austerity and putting workers first. They want a wealth tax and stricter rent controls. They also want 100% council tax relief to the lowest-income residents. They claim they will “defend migrants’ rights and stand up to the hostile environment created by Westminster politicians”. This week Polanski was forced to defend his party’s controversial promises, including legalising class A drug. The Greens in Hackney promise to push for decriminalisation of sex work, and to end the “prostitute warning”, a police warning given to sexworkers, which they say is “discriminatory” and “harmful”. They also want to stop “discriminatory enforcement against delivery drivers and riders, recognising many are migrants who face exploitation, harassment, and unjust enforcement”. The party wants to cut police funding because “the Metropolitan Police are institutionally racist, sexist, misogynistic and homophobic”. Getty ImagesThe coalition Polanski tries to build in Hackney and six other target councils of inner-London is similar to Jeremy Corbyn: young, anti-the-wealthy, urban, Muslim and anti-Israel. Another woman told me that it was a choice made with both the head and the heart. “I think that with my head, it’s Labour. I think my heart is with the Greens. “Barking and Dagenham” A few miles beyond the old East End lies a very different challenge for Labour. In Barking and Dagenham the main challenge comes from Reform. YouGov predicts that Labour will lose its council seat to Nigel Farage. “This area has seen so much immigration over the last few decades. Ella tells us that the area has changed a lot. I’m talking to her at BabyZone – a hub for parents on one of Europe’s largest council estates: Beacontree. The share of the population who describe themselves as white has dropped from 58% in the 2011 census to only 45% in 2021. And the borough is home to a high proportion of asylum seekers. Many lamp posts in this area have flags with union jacks or the St George’s Cross. One woman at the baby group told me that she didn’t like these flags because she called them “racist”. She’s still not happy with Labour. She says, “I think reform should beat Labour.” “Labour says they do things but don’t do it. You can’t enter the hospitals. The appointments are stacked up. “Ella doesn’t object to demographic changes. But many people here do. “I don’t believe [other residents] like the changes in the community. It’s just a matter of people not being able to integrate well and understand each other. “Reform has made inroads in other Labour areas, where white working-class people are struggling to survive. The words I heard repeatedly were that the place has changed, and we no longer recognise it. Dave, a man I meet in a local bar, tells me that the area has gone downhill. “I’ve been here my whole life, I went to school here. You wouldn’t recognize anyone around here anymore. “When you mention immigration, people use the race card against you. It has nothing to do with it. My granddaughter is Indian. The refugees don’t work. Everything is a handout. We work our asses off to pay for the things that are coming into the borough. “Getty ImagesWe are just a few minutes from the border of Essex and Nigel Farage is targeting the votes of the “Essex woman” or “Essexman” that we used to refer to during the Thatcher years. Farage is playing on the resentment that voters feel towards the policies of London’s City Hall and Westminster. He has promised to allow locals to vote on whether they want to leave London and move to Essex, where they feel more comfortable. The Conservatives are trying to retake their old strongholds of Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet. They lost these areas to Labour in 2022. YouGov has the Conservatives leading in Barnet in the northwest part of the city with 25%, six points in front of Labour. It worked for Margaret Thatcher in 1990, when she was under pressure to resign. She used victories at Westminster and Wandsworth in order to head off these calls, but those interested in political history will recall that she was forced out of Number 10 six months later. As for Sir Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats, the party is polling about the same as it did four years ago, but he still needs to gain to convince MPs, activists, and spooked MPs by the rise in the Greens, that his low-key strategy is still working. The Liberal Democrats have historically performed well when the two biggest Westminster parties do poorly in the polls, as they are currently doing. That’s a sign that modern British politics is fragmented. It could mean no party will win control of most London councils, and that the parties will struggle to work together to run local services. More than six million people are eligible to vote in London’s next week’s election. This is about the same as the combined population of Scotland and Wales. The results in London will not only determine who runs essential public services such as schools, social services, and rubbish collection. They could also be a sign of Labour’s fate on a national level. He summarized his party’s prospects with a few words, “We’re at risk of being stonked.” “Top picture credit PA and ReutersMore From InDepthA new financial crisis could be on the way – and it won’t look like the last one.Relish and dread the’shambles” that Starmer’s’shambles hangs over Scotland’s and Wales’ elections.If Plaid wins in Wales, it won’t mean that independence will happen – not yet.BBC InDepth provides the best analysis with fresh perspectives, challenging assumptions, Emma Barnett and John Simpson present their selection of thought-provoking deep readings and analysis every Saturday. Sign up here for the newsletterConservative PartyZack PolanskiKeir StarmerLondonReform UKGreen Party of England and WalesUK elections 2026Labour PartyLiberal Democratic

John Major warns that the UK should not continue to change prime ministers. If people can see the change, it will change the atmosphere. “He said that he felt “very deeply” that the unwillingness to have difficult discussions on important issues “demeans political”. “We are in deep trouble” if we don’t get a new generation who values public service to enter politics. Sir John was Conservative Prime Minister from 1990-97 and won the 1992 election with more votes than any British political party had ever received. Three years later, he challenged his rivals to “put it or shut up”. He defeated Tory MP John Redwood by a ballot of his members. Sir Keir, who is rumoured under pressure by rivals such as Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and others, may do the same. “It’s not a good idea to change prime ministers constantly. I think that a limit of five years is a good idea. I agree with the Americans who only have two terms as president. I think this is reasonable. “ReutersHe said he would not make the “mistake”, of giving advice in public to a Labour Prime Minister, but warned that the job of PM is “undoubtedly becoming harder”, partly because of social media. Sir John warned that leaders are avoiding taking action on the ageing population, healthcare costs, and pensions. “Tough luck, chaps””All they’re doing is telling my children, your children, and their grandchildren, ‘toughluck chaps, not only are we going to leave you a difficult economic situation with too many elderly people that you cannot afford to care for but we are also going to leave you climate change that we could have fixed for you, but didn’t. “I believe that the first responsibility of any government is to leave a better legacy for the next generation. This is not being done. “The younger generation inherits a world that is more difficult and less favourable than mine. “He warned that governments have “lost the ability to say no” when voters demand ever more public expenditure. “They say that if you do this, you will lose votes. Really? When you’re putting forward a policy which will… ease their children’s and grandchildren’s lives? Are we so egocentric that we cannot take in this message? I don’t think so. “It’s a game show. You are not there to just provide fodder for media and to project your career. You are there to solve problems that ordinary people elect you to handle. Sir John also criticised the increasing number of professional politicians across all parties. He said that Labour MPs used be “people who were without money, without privileges, working class people, who really knew their constituencies”, but now they are “much younger, much more educated, and, in my opinion, much less close to [their constituents] than their predecessors”. “And you can clearly see the Conservatives, where are all the businessmen?” Where are the soldiers? “Where are those who would have been an integral part of the party during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s? There are very few Conservatives on the benches today. “Sir John was the last prime Minister to not attend university. He was inspired to enter the political world after a chance encounter with Marcus Lipton at the age 13 when he arranged for a visit to Parliament. He hopes that others will still be willing. “I would tell young people that we need them in politics. We are in deep trouble if all the talent in the country is focused on how to earn more money and how to avoid public service because I hate the idea. Major warns that US isolation is a threat to global democracy. Nearly a million 16-24-year-olds are not in education or employment.

Elections watchdog considers looking into PS5m gift to Farage13 hours agoDamian Grammaticas & Jack Fenwick,Political correspondentsandChris Mason,Political editorEPA/ShutterstockThe elections watchdog for England and Wales has said it is considering whether to look into the PS5m given to Nigel Farage before the last general election.Reform UK mega donor Christopher Harborne gave the money to Farage in early 2024.In the correspondence, seen by the BBC, the Conservatives suggested that Farage should “have declared the donation to the Electoral Commission at the time as a regulated donee”.Reform UK said the money was a gift, and that it was given at a time when the now-Reform leader had not yet committed to standing as an MP.In its response to the Conservative Party, the Commission confirmed “we are aware of this matter and are considering it under our regulatory remit. We The ” “