Racist councillors have no place in politics, but proposed suspension rules could be weaponised to silence legitimate criticism of extremism Daily Telegraph 23/10/26 “Let’s change the law,” said the electronic bulletin from the divisive group Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development Group). This was in relation to the disgraceful racist comments by Reform councillors in Solihull, recently exposed by ITV. The e-bulletin from Mend is intended to get individuals from Muslim communities to lobby their local MPs to push for the development and approval of powers for local authorities so that they could suspend and exclude councillors in such instances in the future. Depressingly, pressure tactics, online mobilisation and anxiety-inducing language have become the norm in our polarised political environment. This is doing nothing to build social cohesion and commonality amongst our communities. Mend has a notorious past. Government officials, security watchdogs, and political think-tank...
The Prime Minister’s rhetoric has collided with the reality that nationalisation is unaffordable Daily Telegraph 23/10/26 The quest to save Thames Water is the saga with no end. Two and a half years after shareholders abandoned the company, its future is no more certain. On the contrary, it is even more of a financial basket-case now than it was then, having been kept afloat by a steady drip-feed of emergency loans at a business that was already drowning in debt . Additional borrowings since March 2024 stand at roughly £3bn with another £2.4bn on the cards, just to see it through the next 12 months. That assumes, of course, that a disparate creditor base can agree on a deal – far from a foregone conclusion despite the high stakes. The arrival of Andy Burnham in No 10 would bring an end to this financial purgatory, we were told. Under Showtime Andy a privately led, debt-heavy industry ownership model that prioritised shareholder enrichment rather than customer care would be consig...