
RMT has called action in two 24-hour tranches this week over opposition to four-day working pattern
A strike by London Underground drivers will severely disrupt transport in the capital over the next four days.
The RMT union and Transport for London (TfL) said that the strike would go ahead from midday on Tuesday 21 April, with no last-minute talks planned on Monday.
Continue reading...‘Its release seemed timely as the Tories had just left office. But then Diana died and all cheerful songs were taken straight off the radio. Boom! It disappeared’
John Lennon once said that everything he wrote was two songs in one. I’ve always stood by that. So you can take What a Beautiful Day at face value, like: “Oh, he’s having a lovely day.” But the song is essentially about revolution and bringing down the government.
Continue reading...Appointing an amoral narcissist was the PM’s biggest crime, but he was keen to prosecute others in his Commons statement
Things could be worse. The prime minister can still catch a break. Some had called Monday’s Commons statement Keir Starmer’s judgment day. But that was a category error. Many Labour MPs had long since made up their minds. Keir wasn’t the right person to be running the country. But it was just that now, with a war in the Middle East and the local elections early next month, was not the right time to think about replacing him. The party and the country wouldn’t thank them for turning a drama into a crisis.
You may also wonder whether the lack of interest in replacing their leader to be found among Labour backbenchers was mirrored by Starmer’s lack of interest in being prime minister. Because it’s increasingly looking as though he often fails to do the basics. I mean, I’m sure he likes being prime minister. When he remembers he is prime minister. We can’t be certain he doesn’t have to be reminded from time to time.
Continue reading...In run-up to May local elections, the Green party is reaching people who may not normally attend a political speech
It was a Sunday evening at one of Leeds’ biggest nightclubs, hot and humid, like walking into a jungle. Dancers pulsated shoulder to shoulder along with the music, riding the optimism of a good night out to come.
But the 2,000-plus crowd gathered at Beaver Works were not only there to enjoy house music and abandon themselves to whatever the evening held, they were there to support the local branch of their favourite political party.
Continue reading...Union’s interim head coach has been given a hospital pass and, despite a vastly improved performance, her team went down to Wolfsburg
So different, but absolutely the same. If you had wanted a clear demonstration of why exactly 1. FC Union Berlin was just the place for Marie-Louise Eta to become the first female head coach in a top five European league, you got it on Saturday afternoon. Eta made her debut at the helm in the Bundesliga match with Wolfsburg and after a week in which both she and Union were global news, with coach and club visibly taken aback by the media flocking to Berlin to see her opening press conference and debut in charge, just being able to get to work was a relief.
And there is really no place to ply your trade in Germany, or in Europe, quite like the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. As the team lineups are read out before kick-off there is a call and response, with each player’s name met with the collective reply “Fußballgott!” (Football God). On Saturday, when Eta’s name was announced, it was met with a united “Fußballgöttin!” (Football Goddess). On an extraordinary day, it was touchingly normal.
Continue reading...Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow about the scale of the energy shock caused by the war. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose
Continue reading...PM sets out his side of events relating to appointment and security vetting in address to parliament
Keir Starmer has ordered an investigation into any security concerns relating to Peter Mandelson’s tenure as UK ambassador to the US as he gave his side of events in a politically crucial statement in parliament.
“I know many members across the house will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer told jeering MPs, after setting out how the Foreign Office opted to overrule the initial decision to refuse Mandelson’s security vetting without informing him and other ministers.
Continue reading...Official tells Reuters it is ‘positively reviewing’ involvement in negotiations after earlier saying it had no plans for a new round of talks
The US has just released some more footage of the encounter with the Iranian flagged vessel, the M/V Touska.
In a post on X, US Central Command said US Marines had departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli by helicopter and rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel.
Continue reading...Deputy leader’s image on X was almost certainly generated or altered using AI, according to Peryton Intelligence
In a picture of a blue-skyed day in Birmingham, a diverse group of Reform supporters gathered with placards and cheesy grins to knock on doors for their party. Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, posted the picture as evidence of the activists’ commitment through thick and thin.
“That is what resilience looks like,” he wrote. “This is what belief looks like.”
Continue reading...Antisemitism has been rising in years since 7 October attacks, including recent arson attacks at Jewish sites
British Jews feel under siege and worry about their children displaying religious symbols in public, community leaders have said.
There have been a series of attempted arson attacks at Jewish sites over the past week, including incidents at two synagogues in London and one at a building used by the charity Jewish Futures. Four Jewish community ambulances were also set on fire in north London in the early hours of 23 March.
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