UK politics - live: Michael Gove accused of ‘witch-hunt’ as he vows ‘pro-Palestinian marchers will pay’
A damning public inquiry has revealed government failings are the worst treatment disaster in NHS history
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Michael Gove has been accused of a ‘witch hunt’ after saying he wanted pro-Palestinian marchers to pay for the massive weekly protests.
The secretary of state for levelling up labelled pro-Palestine university encampments as ‘antisemitism repurposed for the Instagram age’ and he accused activists of hostility towards Jewish students.
In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Gove also accused organisers of not doing enough to stop some demonstrators spreading anti-Jewish messages, which he claims, included chants calling for the “annihilation of Israel”. His remarks have sparked furore among organisations supporting Palestinians in Gaza, who have been holding huge protests in London every weekend since the 7 October Hamas attacks.
His speech came ahead of the publication of the Lord Walney review into political violence, which recommended government tighten laws to ban Gaza protests taking place on certain days as well as calling for powers to help businesses claim damages from protest organisers.
But on the same day, the High Court ruled the Home Office had acted unlawfully when it implemented regulations to lower the threshold for police intervening in protests.
Comment: Will any European country really adopt Rishi’s Rwanda plan?
As the prime minister visits Vienna to pitch his shabby flagship asylum policy to politically sympathetic EU leaders.
Sean O’Grady says surely he has more pressing matters – not least trying to get us an improved Brexit trade deal?
Will any European country really adopt Rishi’s Rwanda plan?
As the prime minister visits Vienna to pitch his shabby flagship asylum policy to politically sympathetic EU leaders, Sean O’Grady says surely he has more pressing matters – not least trying to get us an improved Brexit trade deal?
Infected blood scandal: Scotland’s First Minister apologies to victims
John Swinney has apologised to victims following the publication of the damning report unveiling NHS failings.
Around 3,000 people are thought to be affected by the contaminated blood between the 1970s and 1990s.
Mr Swinney said: “Today, in the light of the final report from the inquiry, on behalf of the Scottish Government, and as First Minister of Scotland, I apologise unreservedly to everyone who has been affected in any way by these events.
“To everyone who has been affected, I want to say that you have been failed by the organisations and processes that should have been in place to protect and support you, and I am sorry for the hurt, worry and damage that you have suffered.”
David Cameron: ‘ICC warrant for Netanyahu wrong'
Following the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Benjamin Netanyahu, Lord Cameron said the move won’t help to reach a ceasefire.
During a House of Lords session, Baroness Bennett said it is “now obvious the UK should at least suspend arms export licences to Israel”.
But the foreign secretary disagreed, and claimed stopping arm sales would be “completely wrong”.
On the ICC, he said: “I don’t believe for one moment that seeking these warrants is going to get the hostages out, it’s not going to help get aid in, and it’s not going to help deliver a sustainable ceasefire.”
‘Jewish people should feel safe on our streets'
Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “For far too long, our city centres have been filled with violent chants and placards calling for the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel.
“Antisemitism has become commonplace with medieval tropes modernised to attack the only Jewish state, the Jewish star of David compared to a Swastika and Zionism being equated to Fascism.
“Jewish people, like everyone else in this great nation, should feel safe on our streets and these recommendations are the first step in ensuring this becomes the case once again.”
In full: First infected blood scandal victims to receive payments by end of 2024
Announcing the details of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, cabinet office minister John Glen promised all those affected by the scandal will be eligible to claim compensation under the scheme, Archie Mitchell writes.
First infected blood scandal victims to receive payments by end of 2024
Cabinet Office minister John Glen said all those affected by the scandal will be eligible to claim compensation under the scheme
Infected blood scandal: Tributes paid to seven-year-old boy
Tributes have been paid to a seven-year-old boy who died of AIDs after he was given an infected blood transfusion.
Colin John Smith was just 10 months old when he was infected with the deadly virus when he received a blood transfusion under NHS care.
Newport East Labour MP Jessica Morden told MPs of the stress and heartache Colin’s family have been through as she urged the government to “put victims first”.
Cabinet Office Minister John Glen assured her the government heard her plea.
Mr Glen confirmed that the first full compensation payments to victims of the infected blood scandal will be made before the end of the year.
Jewish activist group hits back at Michael Gove
Glen Secker, member of the executive committee of Jews for Justice for Palestinians, told The Independent: “Michael Gove’s remarks is a work of fiction. It resembles nothing to the reality. Each 1,000 members of us at JJP attend demonstrations each time and we are welcomed by everybody. There is no hostility.”
On Jews not being accepted in pro-Palestinian marches, he added: “It is a fictional line, you wouldn’t get organisations like us to obey his instructions on what we can or cannot say.
“What Michael Gove has done is to wipe out a whole vision of antisemitism in favour of shutting down protests.”
On the presence of antisemitic slogans and symbols, he says: “I have been on every demonstration since October 7. People clap at us and thank us. I have never seen anything of what Gove is describing.
“You could have one or two who have antisemitic slogans buried in a march of thousands of people. In the past I have confronted people and they have taken them down.
“The protests have been amazingly peaceful.”
He adds: “We don’t identify with Israel in its current form and we separate ourselves from Israel’s actions. The genocide in Gaza has left no middle ground, you either condemn it or support it.
“That doesn’t excuse what Hamas did on October 7, we condemn that, but you have to put it into context. The context of repression whether you call it imperialism or colonialism doesn’t matter. It is what you do to people and it’s going to cause a reaction.
“It doesn’t excuse the violation of human rights but you have to understand it.
“Everyone should be able to live in Palestine with equal human rights, that’s what ‘from the river to the sea’ means. Our freedom as Jews is not complete without the freedom of Palestinians.”
Benefits reform will uncover hidden 'treasure' in the talents of unemployed Brits, cabinet minister claims
Welfare reform will help uncover the hidden “treasure” in the talents of unemployed Brits, the Work and Pensions secretary has claimed.
It came as Mel Stride said ‘skills bootcamps’ would be used to cut a reliance on overseas workers.
The UK has relied on foreign labour “for too long” and “I am determined to put that right”, he said.
Benefits claimants are to be offered training for roles in key sectors such as hospitality, care, construction and manufacturing.
In a speech on reforming the benefits system, he said: “I want to use the power of welfare reform to uncover the treasure that is the hidden talent in our country, to unleash the potential in communities that have too often been overlooked.”
AI to be implemented in research and tests
Ten nations and the European Union have agreed to establish an international network of publicly backed AI Safety Institutes to advance global research and testing of AI.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the agreement would mean “international progress” could be made on AI safety, after it was announced at the end of the first day of the AI Seoul Summit.
The UK announced it would create the world’s first AI Safety Institute during the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in November last year, to carry out research and voluntary evaluation and testing of AI models, with a number of other countries since announcing their own domestic institutes.
Lord Walney report: Activists condemn sweeping measures
Palestine Solidarity Campaign has attacked John Woodcock’s guidance for “undermining long-held democratic principles”.
Rejecting the proposals, PSC activists claim: “This thoroughly compromised report should be allowed to gather dust in the obscurity it deserves.
“Unlike Michael Gove, the organisers of the recent demonstrations against Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza have a proud track-record of challenging all forms of racism.
“Every single one of the fourteen London demonstrations for Palestinian rights that we have organised in the past seven months has been attended by thousands of Jewish people including an organised and highly visible Jewish bloc and Jewish speakers on every platform.”
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