Tag Archives: Politics

Justin Trudeau Responds After Canadian Parliament Accidentally Honoured Ex-Nazi

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Justin Trudeau has spoken up after the Canadian parliament gave a Ukrainian man who fought for the Nazis in World War 2 a standing ovation.

Yaroslav Hunka was declared a hero by the Canadian House of Commons speaker, Anthony Rota, on Friday, while the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting.

Rota pointed to Hunka when he was sitting in the gallery, calling him a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero”, adding: “We thank him for all his service.”

However, the 98-year-old veteran’s connections to the Nazis have since been uncovered.

He actually served in a voluntary unit primarily made up of ethnic Ukrainians under Nazi command. The unit has been accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians, but has not been found guilty of war crimes.

It was renamed the First Ukrainian Division before its surrender in 1945.

The speaker of the House, who had invited Hunka, said in a statement on Sunday that he only became aware of such information after the veteran’s visit, and now “regrets” his decision.

“No one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them,” Rota said.

He added: “This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my [district] and having been brought to my attention.”

He extended his “deepest apologies” to the Jewish communities around the world, and accepted full responsibility for the incident.

He apologised again in person on Monday from the house.

Opposition politicians have called on him to stand down.

But, Trudeau has not echoed these calls, even though they belong to the same Liberal party.

He told reporters on Monday that it was “extremely upsetting that this happened”, while denying he had a private meeting with Hunka or had a hand in choosing to invite the veteran.

He added: “This is something that is deeply embarrassing to the parliament of Canada and by extension to all Canadians.”

Ukrainians fought both for Germany and the Soviet Red Army during World War 2.

Some of those who joined the Nazis reportedly aimed to achieve independence from the Soviet Union.

The Canadian Jewish group, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it appreciated the apology, but called for ”proper vetting” to prevent “such an unacceptable incident” happening again.

Poland’s ambassador to Canada has expressed anger too, saying he wants an apology.

This is an especially unfortunate turn of events because the Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed Kyiv is operated by neo-Nazis – and claiming his invasion of Ukraine will be a “de-nazification”.

These claims are baseless – Zelenskyy is Jewish, and had relatives who died in the Holocaust. He was also democratically elected in 2019.

Trudeau noted on Monday that the incident in the Canadian parliament would help reinforce that rhetoric.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has already waded into the saga, claiming inviting Hunka was an “outrageous” act.

He said: “Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War.

“And they know nothing about the threat of fascism.”

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Why Are Armed Metropolitan Police Officers Handing In Their Guns?

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A row has erupted over the Metropolitan police after some officers turned in their firearm permits, meaning soldiers will now be drafted in to fill in the gaps.

The move – carried out by more than 100 of the 2,500 armed officers in the force – came after an officer was recently charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, an unarmed 24-year-old who died last September.

The debate has now escalated to include home secretary Suella Braverman, too.

Here’s what you need to know.

Why have officers handed in their firearm permits?

On September 5, 2022, Kaba was shot by a bullet – which went through the car windscreen – issued by a Met Police officer. Kaba died in hospital the next day.

Later reports revealed Kaba was driving an Audi which did not belong to him, and which had been connected to a gun incident the day before.

The police officer involved was suspended from duty, charged with murder and granted bail last week. Their details have been kept anonymous.

A plea and trial preparation hearing is listed for December 1, with a possible trial date to take place next September.

Some officers in the Met are now worried about how the charging of their colleague might impact them which is why they’ve decided to hand in their gun permits, according to the country’s largest police force.

The Met said: “A number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position.”

In an update on Monday, it added that some officers returned to duties in the last 24 hours.

For context, the London Assembly said that in April, there were 2,595 authorised firearm officers in the Met, down from 2,841 in 2018.

Home Office stats say between March 2022 and March 2023, the Met Police took part in 18,257 firearm operations – that’s a third of all firearm operations recorded in the UK.

However, only 10 of these incidents included an officer opening fire at a person.

What has this got to do with the Army?

The Ministry of Defence received a Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request from the Home Office to send in Army personnel to fill in the gaps.

This is not unprecedented – soldiers stepped in to help with civil missions at the height of the Covid pandemic, and during paramedics’ strikes last year.

The Home Office asked the MoD to provide “routine counter-terrorism contingency support to the Metropolitan Police, should it be needed”.

The Met explained: “To ensure that we can continue to keep the public safe and respond to any eventualities, from Saturday evening Met firearms officers will be supported by a limited number of armed officers from other UK forces.”

What has Suella Braverman said?

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has spoken up in support of the police officers.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has spoken up in support of the police officers.

Lucy North – PA Images via Getty Images

Home secretary Suella Braverman spoke out about the case on Sunday, saying there would be a review into armed policing, and that the officers have her “full backing”.

“They mustn’t fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties,” she claimed. “Officers risking their lives to keep us safe have my full backing and I will do everything in my power to support them. I will do everything in my power to support them.”

However, this statement, issued on X (formerly Twitter) has been controversial, because this is a comment on an active murder trial.

Doughty Street Chambers’ barrister, Adam Wagner, reposted her comment and said: “I think this series of tweets is inappropriate in the context of a live criminal case where an officer has been charged.

“It gives the clear impression, given the image in the linked article, that the Home Secretary is expressing an opinion on the Chris Kaba case.”

The i’s Ian Dunt told Sky News that he was “startled” by Braverman’s intervention, too.

He said journalists are told to be really careful when there’s live court proceedings, never mind cabinet ministers.

He claimed: “That’s a completely unjustifiable intervention by the home secretary and something we should be a little more alarmed about.”

How has the Met responded?

Braverman’s review has been welcomed by Met chief commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

He said while it was correct they were held to the “highest standards”, the current system undermines his officers, as they end up being investigated for “safely pursuing suspects” and they therefore needed more legal protection.

He said he would make “no comment” on any ongoing legal matter but said these issues “go back further” than the Kaba case.

He said: “Officers need sufficient legal protection to enable them to do their job and keep the public safe, and the confidence that it will be applied consistently and without fear or favour.”

However, he acknowledged that when officers act improperly, the system “needs to move swiftly” rather than “tying itself in knots pursuing good officers through multiple legal processes”.

Rowley has promised repeatedly to reform the force since getting into the role, and has vowed to robustly remove rogue officers in the Met.

It comes after years of scrutiny towards the force. A review released only in March this year called for immediate change or for the force to be broken up, claiming it was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

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Andy Burnham Says Ministers Are Treating People In The North ‘Like Second Class Citizens’

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Andy Burnham has accused ministers of treating people in the north of England “like second class citizens” amid mounting speculation that the next phase of HS2 will be scrapped.

The Manchester mayor launched a furious attack on the government as Rishi Sunak ponders whether to axe the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the rail project.

His comments came after former transport secretary Grant Shapps repeatedly refused to confirm that the high-speed line will be completed in full.

Speaking on Sky News, Burnham furiously said: “Why is it that people in the north are always forced to choose – you can have this or you can have that, but you can’t have everything?

“London never has to choose between a north-south line or an east-west line and good public transport within the city.

“Why are we always treated as second-class citizens when it comes to transport?

“This is the parliament who said they would level us up. If they leave a situation where the southern half of the country is connected by modern high speed lines and the north of England is left with Victorian infrastructure, that is a recipe for the north-south divide to become a north-south chasm.”

Burnham said the abandonment of the HS2 leg would be the “desperate act of a dying government”.

Around £20 billion of taxpayers money has already been spent on the project, which was meant to cost £33 billion in total.

However, repeated delays and soaring inflation mean there are fears the final bill could be more than £100 billion.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned that the cost of the project is at risk of getting “totally out of control”, fuelling speculation that plans to extend it to Manchester will be scrapped.

However, Boris Johnson has said that would leave a “mutilated” rail line and has urged the government to commit to the project.

Andy Street, the Tory mayor of the West Midlands, has also called on Sunak to complete the project, while business leaders have insisted scrapping it would be disastrous for the economy.

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‘You’re Answering A Different Question’: Grant Shapps Clashes With Trevor Phillips Over HS2

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The defence secretary repeatedly failed to say whether the next phase of the multi-billion pound project will go ahead.

Speculation is mounting that the government will axe plans to extend the rail line from Manchester to Birmingham.

Appearing on Sky News this morning, Shapps was asked whether or not he had promised businesses HS2 would go ahead as planned while he was transport secretary.

Phillips said: “Did you personally encourage people to invest on the basis that it was to run from central London to Manchester?”

Shapps began to say: “We’ve invested…”

But Phillips told him: “You’re answering a different question.

“I’m asking you when you talked to businesses as transport secretary, did you say to them, ’look, it’s worth investing in the north in this way because there will be HS2. Did you?”

But Shapps failed to answer and instead repeated that “the government is committed to improving rail infrastructure, particularly in the north”.

He added: “Forgive me, Trevor. I think your viewers understand that I’m not here today to deliver the budget on your excellent programme.

“I’m here to talk about actually things that I can inform you about which is for example, in my role as defence secretary and our work in Ukraine.”

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Twitter Users Raise A Stink After Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls Biden An ‘Old Fart’

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Republcian Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called Joe Biden an “old fart”, but the insult whiffed with many social media users.

On Friday, the president announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the White House and later tweeted that “it’s time to again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”

He added: “If members of Congress refuse to act, then we need to elect new members of Congress who will act.”

That post apparently had Greene seeing red and she responded by tweeting back, “Whatever you old fart. We are electing a new President. Turning 45 into 47.”

Greene may have thought the “old fart” comment was a truth bomb, but many users of X, formerly known as Twitter, raised a stink, especially since she’s been griping recently about the lack of “society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions.”

As a result, she was thoroughly mocked.

Greene has been harping on civility for everyone else but her for a while now.

On Monday, after she criticised Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman for wearing a hoodie on the Senate floor, he pointed out that there are other forms of decorum. He reminded her of when she displayed nude images of Hunter Biden during a House hearing.

Back in May, Greene found out how much her Democratic colleagues respect her desire for decorum when they raucously laughed at her after she told them, “Members are reminded to abide by decorum of the House,” she said, only to spark raucous laughter.

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Russia Likely Concerned Over Explosions At ‘Sensitive’ Air Base Near Moscow, UK Says

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Attacks on a “sensitive” air base near Moscow are “likely to be of most strategic concern” for Russian leaders, according to UK intelligence.

The ministry of defence (MoD) explained in its daily update that “both Russia and Ukraine have experienced unusually intense attacks deep behind their lines” over the last four days.

Moscow launched a wave of missile attacks across Ukraine earlier this week, targeting six cities including the capital of Kyiv.

It came just as the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was denouncing Russia in a speech to the UN’s General Assembly, on International Day of Peace.

While much of the war has taken place on Ukrainian soil, attacks in Russia have become increasingly common in recent months as Kyiv hits back – and this week was especially eventful, according to the MoD.

In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, the UK intelligence officers claimed: “There have been reports of explosions at Russian logistics sites, air bases and command posts in Crimea, the Krasnodar region and near Moscow.”

Crimea is the Ukrainian peninsula which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 but which Kyiv is determined to retrieve.

The Krasnodar region is to the south of the Ukraine-Russia border, while Moscow, the capital, is much further north and deeper within Russia.

The MoD continued: “It is highly likely that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has again been heavily targeted.

“However, the explosions at Chkalovsky Air Base, near Moscow, are likely to be of most strategic concern to Russian leaders.”

The UK intelligence officers claimed that this is a “sensitive location” because it’s where Russia stores its military aircrafts and VIP transport for Russian leaders.

The MoD noted that Moscow responded quickly: “Russia has launched long-range strikes at targets across Ukraine repeatedly over the last week.

“This unusual intensity is likely partially in response to the incidents in Russia and Crimea.

“With the ground battle relatively static, each side is seeking advantage by striking through their adversary’s strategic depth.”

Ukraine’s highly-anticipated counteroffensive has made slow progress in recent months, despite claims that it has broken through the Russian defensive lines in some places.

Ukraine has also faced pushback from Poland over its grain exports this week, with Warsaw announcing it plans to stop sending weapons to its beleaguered neighbour.

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Rishi Sunak’s Pivot On Green Policies Has Created A Storm Of Disbelief Online

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Rishi Sunak’s sudden U-turn on the UK’s climate pledges has caused deep alarm on social media – not least because of the policies he said he plans to “stop”.

The prime minister called a last-minute conference on Wednesday afternoon – just after parliament went on recess – to announce he was pivoting to a more “pragmatic, proportionate and realistic” approach to net zero by 2050.

He promised: “We will never impose unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people.

“We will still meet our international commitments and hit net zero by 2050.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he listed five policies which he planned to “stop”: taxes on eating meat, new taxes to discourage flying, sorting your rubbish into seven different bins, compulsory car sharing and expensive insulation upgrades.

He did also announce five new policies which he would be pushing for – including lifting the ban on onshore wind and new carbon capture storage – but that did not get as much engagement as his first post.

That’s probably because the policies he plans on stopping are not well-known government strategies.

Readers even added a community note to the post, which read: “Taxes on meat and flying had already been repeatedly ruled out by the government.

“There is no proposal to require people to have seven bins, or for ‘compulsory’ car sharing.

“The announced changes on insulation only stand to benefit private landlords.”

So, you can imagine the kind of reactions that followed across X…

Even his lectern was mocked for contrasting with the contents of his speech.

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Exclusive: Russell Brand Dropped From Jeremy Corbyn And Len McCluskey’s Poetry Book

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Russell Brand has been dropped from a book of poetry by Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, HuffPost UK has learned.

The collection, called Poetry For The Many, is due to be published in November.

According to The Guardian, Brand was among those who had been lined up to contribute to the book.

The Sunday Times and Channel 4′s Dispatches programme reported at the weekend that the comedian and actor has been accused of rape and sexual assault. Brand has strongly denied the allegations.

A spokesman for former Labour leader Corbyn confirmed this morning that the poetry book will now be published by New York-based OR Books without Brand’s contribution.

Other contributors include the actor Maxine Peake, children’s author Michael Rosen, director Ken Loach and former Labour Party official Karie Murphy.

Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey at a Unite policy conference in 2016.
Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey at a Unite policy conference in 2016.

Rob Stothard via Getty Images

Speaking when the publication of the book was announced, Corbyn said: “This book grew out of regular conversations Len and I hold about poetry: the enjoyment we get from it and the opportunity it provides for escape and inspiration.

“When putting it together, the hardest part was deciding what to leave out.”

“There is a poet in all of us and nobody should ever be afraid of sharing their poetry,” he added.

McCluskey, the former general secretary of the Unite union, said: “It should be mandatory on the national school curriculum to make poetry accessible to every child and student, so that the stigma in working-class communities about it being only for ‘posh people’ or ‘softies’ can gradually be eliminated.”

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‘He’s Wrong’: James Cleverly Condemns Boris Johnson Over Ukraine

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James Cleverly has hit back at Boris Johnson after he accused Rishi Sunak of failing to give enough support to Ukraine.

The former prime minister launched an outspoken attack on western governments’ response to the ongoing Russian invasion in an article in The Spectator last week.

Johnson said: “I have asked it before, and I ask it again: what the hell are we waiting for?”

Shown Johnson’s comments by Trevor Phillips on his Sky News show this morning, Cleverly said: “He cannot be talking about the United Kingdom.

“Under his tenure, and I always pay tribute to his leadership on this, we supplied those NLAW anti-tank missile systems that were so instrumental in the defence of Kyiv, we supplied training.

“Under Rishi Sunak as prime minister we were the first in the world to commit main battle tanks, other countries in the world then followed our example.

“We were the first to commit to the training of fast jet pilots, then other countries followed our example.

“We were the first to commit to those long-range missiles that have been instrumental in helping the Ukrainians in their battle in the south and south-east of Ukraine. So we have led the world on all these issues.”

James Cleverly was showed Johnson's comments on Sky News
James Cleverly was showed Johnson’s comments on Sky News

But Phillips replied: “Surely [Boris Johnson] should know about the issue of pace? He was the fastest of western leaders to respond. And he now says that the momentum that he set is essentially being run into the ground by you guys. You’ve got to take this seriously.”

Cleverly said: “Of course I take his comments seriously, but I’ve just given you evidence of the fact that he is wrong on this issue.

“I speak to the Ukrainians very regularly on this. They remain incredibly grateful, not just for our donations but our leadership on this issue.”

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Keir Starmer Hits Back At Penny Mordaunt After She Accused Him Of Having ‘Zero Balls’

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Keir Starmer has hit back at Penny Mordaunt after she accused him of having “zero balls”.

The Labour leader said the jibe was “water off a duck’s back” and said the government had “run out of energy, ideas and the ability to shape or change anything”.

Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, launched her attack last week after the Starmer said Rishi Sunak was “inaction man”.

Continuing the child’s toy theme, Mordaunt compared Starmer to Beach Ken from Barbie.

Referring to Starmer’s dig at the PM, she said: “I don’t think that line will survive contact with the prime minister’s work rate, but let me rise to the bait and return the serve, because I think the Labour leader is Beach Ken.

“Beach Ken stands for nothing on shifting sands, in his flip-flops staring out to sea, doing nothing constructive to stop small boats or grow the economy.

“When we examine his weak record on union demands, on border control, on protecting the public and stopping small boats, we discover that like Beach Ken he has zero balls.”

Starmer was asked about Mordaunt’s jibe on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

The presenter asked him: “I’m not going to invite you to prove anything on camera, but would you like to correct the anatomical record?”

The Labour leader replied said: “I just think when a government has completely run out of energy, ideas and the ability to shape or change anything, they go down this rabbit hole of ridiculous insults.

“It’s water off a duck’s back to me. I’m clearly setting out in strong terms what I’d do on issues like border control, where in the past Labour has not wanted to speak.

“So I speak confidently about the challenges that we face. My focus, unlike Penny Mordaunt’s, is on the challenges that we face as a country.”

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