The Canary (RSS/Atom feed)

https://www.thecanary.co/

RSS/Atom feed of The Canary
More feeds can be found in my following list

Public Key

npub1rvl7pvzak687gl8hcueqf5hhym3swhuyw57svp0ltp8u7hugeexqjxx33e

Profile Code

nprofile1qqspk0lqkpwmdrly0nmuwvsy6tmjdcc8t7z820gxqhl4sn70t7yvunqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dss4u6h0

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1rvl7pvzak687gl8hcueqf5hhym3swhuyw57svp0ltp8u7hugeexqjxx33e

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-03-13 20:34:31 UTC

Despite Starmers lies, the UK is at war with Iran
[Starmer]
Keir Starmer’s government is playing an ever-increasing role in the destruction of Iran, despite his claims that the UK was “playing no role”.
The government’s lines about “regional defensive operations” are becoming harder to believe, as the UK’s actions appear to be contributing to the deaths of thousands of innocent Iranians.
## British involvement under Starmer
Britain’s involvement began in January, when the UK and the US began moving weaponry to the Middle East.
According to [*Declassified UK*][1]:
> Britain moved “defensive assets” to Cyprus and Qatar in January and February “to ensure we were in a heightened state of readiness of any conflict beginning”, Starmer said last week.
>
> The assets included fighter jets, air defence missiles, advanced radar and systems to take down drones.
Since then, the UK has allowed the US to use several of its air bases. The US has stationed one fleet of military planes at RAF Fairford in Gloucester.
But importantly, Starmer has only approved “defensive” US action from UK bases.
Despite this, the US military has been [loading][2] large explosives into B-1 Lancer bombers at the base.
> American [🇺🇸] B-1 bombers being loaded at UK [🇬🇧] air bases, with 2000lb ‘bunker busters’
>
> Forget ‘defensive’ action
>
> Starmer has taken the UK [🇬🇧] to war without so much as a debate.[pic.twitter.com/zVn3ShUWxO][3]
>
> — Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) [March 12, 2026][4]
According to *Declassified UK*, US Planes have been [passing][5] through RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, both in Suffolk, as well as Prestwick civilian airport in Scotland.
In total, over 100 fighter jets have left RAF Lakenheath for the Middle East since January.
At least one of the jets from Lakenheath was among those which [crashed][6] in Kuwait.
## ‘Reality of war’
British MP Sarah Sackman also claimed that the US strike, which murdered 165 little girls, was just a “[reality of war][7]“. The reality is actually more like an illegal and unprovoked attack, which violates international law.
Ultimately, this plays into the hands of the US and Israel. Instead of condemning their actions, Sackman has practically given the genocidal maniacs permission to continue.
> NEW: British minister Sarah Sackman has refused to declare the Iran school massacre – which killed 165 people, including many children – a war crime.
>
> She said it was the “realities of war”[https://t.co/bFvoYWXpy6][8] [pic.twitter.com/4ZutHzKBes][9]
>
> — Imran Mulla (@Imran_posts) [March 10, 2026][10]
## Starmer — Diego Garcia
The UK has a military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Importantly, the UK is [illegally occupying][11] the island.
In true British and US colonial fashion, both countries evicted the entire population to establish a joint UK — US military base which has operated since the 1970s.
The US used it for [strikes on Afghanistan][12] from 2001, and both countries used it to bomb Iraq from 2003.
Now it appears that a US submarine, operating from the base, was used to fire two torpedoes at the [unarmed][13] Iranian frigate. It then sank off the coast of Sri Lanka.
Clearly, that is not a defensive operation.
> A US submarine operating from UK base Diego Garcia, firing two torpedoes at an Iranian Frigate, destroying it and killing most on board – the first operation of its kind since WW2 – is not a defensive operation.
>
> The British government is at war with Iran and lying to its people.
>
> — Joshua Virasami [🇲🇺][🇵🇸] (@JoshuaVirasami) [March 4, 2026][14]
The UK is also allowing the US to use its [military base on Cyprus][15] – another country the UK previously colonised illegally.
The *BBC *reported that the UK was not allowing the US to use its bases in Cyprus for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites. However, American U-2 spy planes are reportedly using the site.
The UK has also now sent HMS Dragon and two Wildcat helicopters to the eastern Mediterranean — supposedly to ‘protect’ RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
However, as the *Canary* previously [reported][16]:
> The HMS Dragon is fitted with a Sea Viper missile system. It can launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds and guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously. Wildcat helicopters from the 815 Naval Air Squadron, equipped with Martlet missiles capable of taking out drones, will assist it.
On March 6, a British pilot flying from RAF Akrotiri [shot down][17] Iranian drones over Jordan, Qatar and Iraq.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told the *BBC*:
> Just this week, we have flown Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets on sorties around the region, shooting down Iranian drones and defending innocent civilians from Iran’s indiscriminate attacks.
Why aren’t we letting the US and Israel fight their own battles?
## Weapons
Additionally, the UK is still [selling][18] millions of pounds’ worth of weapons to Israel.
It provides around 15% of the components in the F-35 fighter jets, which Israel uses in airstrikes across Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.
According to [Oxfam][19]:
> This includes the rear fuselage and active interceptor system, ejector seats, aircraft tyres, refuelling probe, laser targeting system, and the fan propulsion system.
The UK government supplies these parts to Israel via a global programme led by the US company Lockheed Martin.
To make matters worse, the UK produces components for Israeli armed and surveillance drones. Factories in the UK make them and then send them to Israel for assembly. The drones are used for both spying missions and to attack civilians.
We can presume that the drones are also now being used to attack civilians in Lebanon and Iran.
From letting the US use British air bases to sending parts for fighter jets and drones to Israel, the UK is involved in Israel and the US’s illegal war against Iran, whether Starmer admits it or not.
Was it not bad enough that the UK was complicit in the murder of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza? Now, it’s also complicit in the murders of Iranians and Lebanese people.
Starmer has even more blood on his hands.
*Feature image via [BFBS Forces News/YouTube][20]*
By [HG][21]
[1]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/how-britain-is-involved-in-trumps-iran-war/
[2]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn87kmlnzdyo
[3]: https://t.co/zVn3ShUWxO
[4]: https://twitter.com/BeckettUnite/status/2032023696085225958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/how-britain-is-involved-in-trumps-iran-war/
[6]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/how-britain-is-involved-in-trumps-iran-war/
[7]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-minister-wont-call-iran-school-massacre-war-crime-labels-it-realities-war
[8]: https://t.co/bFvoYWXpy6
[9]: https://t.co/4ZutHzKBes
[10]: https://twitter.com/Imran_posts/status/2031379902612623782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/25/un-court-rejects-uk-claim-to-sovereignty-over-chagos-islands
[12]: https://www.britannica.com/place/Diego-Garcia-island-Indian-Ocean
[13]: https://www.dawn.com/news/1979440
[14]: https://twitter.com/JoshuaVirasami/status/2029196315461075138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/03/cyprus-colonial/
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/11/cyprus-iran/
[17]: https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-f-35-conducts-first-combat-shoot-down-on-operations/#:~:text=An%20RAF%20F%E2%80%9135%20pilot,operation%20over%20Jordan%20this%20week.&text=The%20pilot%2C%20flying%20alongside%20two,them%20with%20two%20ASRAAM%20missiles.
[18]: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-oxfam/gaza-israel-crisis-sign-petition-call-for-ceasefire-now/does-the-uk-sell-arms-to-israel/
[19]: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-oxfam/gaza-israel-crisis-sign-petition-call-for-ceasefire-now/does-the-uk-sell-arms-to-israel/
[20]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJY8Az3BQag
[21]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/03/13/starmer-lied-the-uk-is-at-war-with-iran/

2026-03-09 18:03:19 UTC

Trump wants Texas Republican primary ended after Talarico’s victory
[Trump rallies against the left over Texas primary]
A panicked Donald Trump has called for an end to the Republican Party’s Texas primary after a left-wing Christian pastor who opposes Israel won a stunning victory in the Democratic primary.
## Not in your name
James Talarico, is the honourable pastor and state senator, who [beat Israel lobby-backed Jasmine Crockett][1] in the 4 March primary. He believes strongly that Jesus would be [ tipping over tables][2] in protest against racist Christian nationalism.
The results sent Trump into a tailspin, leading him to demand that Republican candidates drop out of the primary battle so he could nominate his preferred pick to fight the ‘radical left’ opponent. The move has [infuriated][3] members of the Republican camp.
## Tanking Trump
The demand, as we can surmise, shows that Trump knows how badly he’s [tanking][4] in the polls. The Democrats [haven’t won in Texas since 1988][5], but he fears they might now. However, Trump was out of luck. The candidates rejected his demand, and two contenders are [still fighting tooth and nail][6] for the top spot.
*Featured image via the Canary *
By [Skwawkbox][7]
[1]: https://apnews.com/article/texas-election-senate-crockett-talarico-cornyn-paxton-hunt-4d2fa601c0dab451c2cbd7c6f1483547
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/12/29/james-talarico/
[3]: https://www.aol.com/articles/greene-fumes-over-trump-demand-035733178.html
[4]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73VSQ6AgnJM
[5]: https://time.com/7382436/texas-senate-primary-results-democratic-talarico-crockett-republican-cornyn-paxton/
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eon9ArjKYMY
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/09/trump-interferes-in-texas-republican-primary/

2026-03-04 12:56:56 UTC

Israel suddenly remembers what international law is now they’re the ones being bombed
In a strange turn of events, it seems Israel has realised that international law does, in fact, exist.
> BREAKING: There is growing suspicion that Iran used cluster munitions in their attacks against Israel.
>
> A clear war crime. [pic.twitter.com/TbXOMkzVpp][1]
>
> — Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) [March 1, 2026][2]
Technically, the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) [prohibits][3] the use, production, stockpiling or transfer of cluster munitions and requires states to ensure that they claim no further victims.
However, neither Israel nor the US [signed][4] the CCM. That might have something to do with them being some of the biggest producers of the weapon. Obviously, the law isn’t important when there is money to be made.
> Hey, Eyeball – remember when the United Nations tried to ban cluster munitions and the US and Israel fought against it?
>
> Good times. [https://t.co/L3z3cCeEBP][5]
>
> — 99% Johnny Graz (@jvgraz) [March 1, 2026][6]
[According][7] to Oxford Public International Law:
> if widely implemented and adhered to, the CCM will dramatically decrease the harm to civilians caused by cluster bombs both during and after armed conflicts.
Of course, knowing what we know about Israel, it has no intention of minimising civilian casualties
## Israel playing the victim
But no matter whether they are illegal or not, Israel does not get to play the victim now that another country decides to play them at their own game.
We have to remember, this is after Israel [fired more][8] than a million cluster bombs into Lebanon:
> [pic.twitter.com/hjsoslAkDD][9]
>
> — melissa “cancelled student debt” byrne (@mcbyrne) [March 2, 2026][10]
Killed thousands of Palestinian children:
> You have no right of mentioning war crimes after killing 200.000 children in Gaza.
>
> Stfu
>
> — Parody Jeff (@BackupJeffx) [March 1, 2026][11]
Used white phosphorus on Gaza:
> Israel has always used white phosphorus on Gaza.
>
> And look who is talking about war crimes. [https://t.co/pAej5Sid2y][12] [pic.twitter.com/y4yzLBKj5X][13]
>
> — The Saviour (@TheSaviour) [March 1, 2026][14]
> Zionists who used internationally banned white phosphorus on the children of Gaza to burn them alive are now complaining about war crimes [https://t.co/EUFHTbltiO][15]
>
> — Fiza (@fizakkhann) [March 2, 2026][16]
Bombed schools, hospitals, [health workers and][17] [journalists.][18]
> Bombing a school in Iran while calling them war criminals is peak Israel. [https://t.co/BGVTegFsuF][19]
>
> — Walter Masterson (@waltermasterson) [March 2, 2026][20]
> The country that would never “bomb a hospital” is bombing hospitals again.
>
> Israel only feels alive when it kills.
>
> Israel only feels safe when it’s hated. [https://t.co/5w3IZiLhUC][21]
>
> — Bashar Zapen (@BasharZapen) [March 3, 2026][22]
Whilst [creating][23] and upholding a system of apartheid for years.
It’s one rule for Israel (and the US) and one rule for everyone else.
> the absurdity of these pro-genocide propagandists suddenly caring about “war crimes” isn’t an accident. they know what they’re doing. they just believe that israel should be allowed to commit crimes nobody else can [https://t.co/KleJmuBYYC][24]
>
> — matt (@mattxiv) [March 2, 2026][25]
Of course, Israelis want to talk about the law now bombs are [dropping][26] on Tel Aviv.
> Oh Israelis wanna talk about the law now [https://t.co/Qpe6Hq9CS8][27]
>
> — James[🔻] (@GoodVibePolitik) [March 1, 2026][28]
They had zero sympathy when the IDF was carpet bombing Gaza.
> International Law died under the rubble in Gaza, and these zionist rats genuinely think they have the right to speak [https://t.co/DY9JeUBaEg][29]
>
> — [📕] (@SwampCommunist) [March 2, 2026][30]
> MAN WHO HAS BEEN SLAPPING PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD FOR YEARS REPORTEDLY VERY ANGRY HE HAS BEEN SLAPPED IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD [https://t.co/ozrI5VgGAK][31]
>
> — AWSTEN KNIGHT (@awsten) [March 2, 2026][32]
Even Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, agreed that the US and Israel were breaking international law. But of course, because it’s the US and Israel, he’s going to look the other way.
> Asked about the illegality of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, Carney admits that “it appears that these actions are inconsistent with international law,” while simultaneously reaffirming that he supports it “in context.” This is not a principled foreign policy, it is a total mess. [pic.twitter.com/sjBuhDevZq][33]
>
> — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) [March 3, 2026][34]
Israelis are partying in bomb shelters. Do the people in Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran have bomb shelters? Do they fuck.
> Look at this. It’s worse than fiction. They truly don’t care what goes on outside.
>
> And how could they? They’ve had a genocide in their backyard for years now. [https://t.co/TDAxXgwGNG][35]
>
> — Shaun King (@shaunking) [March 3, 2026][36]
We have watched Israel commit war crime after war crime for two years. The terrorist state expects us to livestream babies being burnt alive, hospitals getting bombed, and journalists running from bullets and look the other way. Meanwhile, they want us to pay attention and join their cries of ‘international law’ when a couple of buildings get hit in Tel Aviv? Or when things don’t quite go their way?
If Israel wants to fuck around, they’re going to find out. And we are not going to have sympathy for them when they do find out.
*Featured image via [Al Jazeera English/ YouTube][37].
*
By [HG][38]
[1]: https://t.co/TbXOMkzVpp
[2]: https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2028196983190466687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/cluster-munitions
[4]: https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e2086
[5]: https://t.co/L3z3cCeEBP
[6]: https://twitter.com/jvgraz/status/2028237458056577293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e2086
[8]: https://www.haaretz.com/hblocked?returnTo=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.haaretz.com%2F2006-09-12%2Fty-article%2Fidf-commander-we-fired-more-than-a-million-cluster-bombs-in-lebanon%2F0000017f-e033-df7c-a5ff-e27b47270000
[9]: https://t.co/hjsoslAkDD
[10]: https://twitter.com/mcbyrne/status/2028286327578308757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://twitter.com/BackupJeffx/status/2028231839991673055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://t.co/pAej5Sid2y
[13]: https://t.co/y4yzLBKj5X
[14]: https://twitter.com/TheSaviour/status/2028249148101685305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://t.co/EUFHTbltiO
[16]: https://twitter.com/fizakkhann/status/2028570125839040660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/03/01/israel-targets-health/
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/11/21/israel-kills-journalists-they-knew-we-were/
[19]: https://t.co/BGVTegFsuF
[20]: https://twitter.com/waltermasterson/status/2028287395284627491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[21]: https://t.co/5w3IZiLhUC
[22]: https://twitter.com/BasharZapen/status/2028744179480764466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[23]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/
[24]: https://t.co/KleJmuBYYC
[25]: https://twitter.com/mattxiv/status/2028494114992312826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[26]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/03/01/tel-aviv-boom/
[27]: https://t.co/Qpe6Hq9CS8
[28]: https://twitter.com/GoodVibePolitik/status/2028257142239621306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[29]: https://t.co/DY9JeUBaEg
[30]: https://twitter.com/SwampCommunist/status/2028571028289417651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[31]: https://t.co/ozrI5VgGAK
[32]: https://twitter.com/awsten/status/2028472178719568062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[33]: https://t.co/sjBuhDevZq
[34]: https://twitter.com/CJPME/status/2028960068272640410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[35]: https://t.co/TDAxXgwGNG
[36]: https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/2028688243307188444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[37]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkY2dazfOtY
[38]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/03/04/israel-fafo/

2026-03-02 16:51:10 UTC

Lupita Nyong’o is breaking taboos around medical misogyny to #MakeFibroidsCount
[Lupita Nyong'o]
Lupita Nyong’o is using her platform to champion a cause close to her heart with the [Make Fibroids Count][1] campaign.
## Lupita Nyong’o shares her story
Over the weekend, actress and activist [Nyong’o spoke about living with Uterine Fibroids][2]. This is a condition that causes lumps to grow inside and on the walls of the uterus.
This is a massively painful condition, but due to[ medical misogyny,][3] it’s one that isn’t talked about or recognised enough.
Last year, Nyong’o revealed she has had 77 growths, with 50 still growing inside her. The largest was the size of an orange.[ As she said recently on Instagram][4], this inspired many other people to come forward to tell their stories.
She said:
> Last July, I ended a decade-plus of suffering in silence and publicly shared my diagnosis for the first time. Women worldwide responded with their own stories. I felt less alone, and more convinced than ever that this is not something we should accept.
>
> There’s something deeply wrong when a condition this widespread is this poorly understood. Do you accept this as the status quo? Neither do I.
As she said on [Instagram,][5] Fibroids aren’t rare, but thanks to periods and gynaecological health still being seen as a taboo, it’s very rarely spoken about. Millions of people are living their lives in excruciating pain because they’re told period pain is normal.
## Nyong’o wants to #MakeFibroidsCount
Nyong’o is sharing her own story in the hopes of raising awareness and fundraising for research into the condition.
Fibroids are often represented by fruit because it’s the easiest way to make size comparisons. Whilst some are the size of blueberries, some uterine fibroids can be the size of a cantaloupe. To raise awareness of this. Nyong’o posed with 77 pieces of fruit to represent each of her fibroids.
Nyong’ has partnered with the Foundation for Women’s Health to promote the #MakeFibroidsCount campaign. It encourages others share their story of living with uterine fibroids and donate to better research. The campaign aims to raise $200,000 dollars, which will aid better research, training and understanding of Uterine Fibroids.
Nyong’o said of the campaign
> Fibroids may be common, but they are not normal.
>
> I was told they were just something women live with. I refuse to accept that. Millions of women are suffering in silence, and we deserve better answers, better care and better options
## How you can #MakeFibroidsCount
You can take part in the campaign in the following ways:
**Donate:** You can donate to the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Foundation Grant[ here.][6]
**Share:** If you live with uterine fibroids, post an image of you with fruit to represent the invisible weight you carry. If you don’t live with it, share people’s stories. Use the hashtag [#MakeFibroidsCount][7].
**Raise funds:** as well as donating, you can also[ start your own fundraiser. ][8]
It’s incredible to see someone with a platform such as Lupita’s speaking up for a condition which is often disregarded or ignored. We need more of this from Hollywood.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Rachel Charlton-Dailey][9]
[1]: https://donate.foundationwomenshealth.org/campaign/768054/landing
[2]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVMsSt9Ejyd/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/09/03/why-are-so-many-endometriosis-patients-forced-to-go-on-reality-tv-to-get-healthcare/
[4]: http://Women worldwide responded with their own stories. I felt less alone, and more convinced than ever that this is not something we should accept.
[5]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVWQop_Ed2C/
[6]: https://www.gofundme.com/f/im-choosing-to-makefibroidscount-join-me/donate?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=lupita_direct_donate
[7]: https://www.instagram.com/explore/search/keyword/?q=%23makefibroidscount
[8]: https://www.gofundme.com/campaign/721/startfundraising
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/rachel-charlton-dailey/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/02/lupita-nyongo-fibroids/

2026-03-02 16:46:33 UTC

Puberty blocker trial overseer recused due to bigoted posts
[puberty blocker]
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced that it is pausing the Pathways puberty blocker trial for trans youth healthcare.
A week later, the MHRA announced that it was recusing Professor Jacob George from the trial due to his social media posts. Although the medications watchdog didn’t go into detail, it turns out that George has a history of posting transphobic bile.
Except, George isn’t just some guy who was working on the trial. He’s the chief medical and scientific officer of the agency – a role that was created just one month ago. George also happens to be the one [who raised the ‘concerns’][1] that led to pausing the trial.
Are we even pretending that this isn’t a fucking stitch-up any more?
## Puberty blocker trial
As a quick recap for the situation – we’re testing puberty blockers in the first place on the recommendation of Dr Hilary Cass. The government appointed Cass to review trans youth healthcare in the UK in spite of the fact that she has no experience in trans care whatsoever.
Her review has been[ roundly criticised][2] as bunk science based on the foundational assumption that being trans is a bad thing. Nevertheless, her conclusions were used as an excuse to justify the continued halt of the use of puberty blockers in the UK.
That gutting of trans youth healthcare [caused a massive spike in suicides.][3] The government lied about it repeatedly.
Meanwhile, the same puberty-blocking medications are still used routinely for [children with precocious puberty][4]. For some reason, we’re not at all concerned about the safety of these medications when they’re not given to trans people. Funny, that.
When Cass’ recommended trial rolled around, it was[ criticised for coercing trans kids][5] to participate in a study in order to access healthcare. Likewise, advocacy group TransActual highlighted that the senior personnel of the study were a who’s who of medical transphobia.
Cue Professor Jacob George.
## Anybody checking for bigots?
George entered his position as the MHRA’s [chief medical and scientific officer][6] on 5 January, just two months ago. The newly-minted civil service role would have him oversee the agency’s scientific, research, and innovation activities.
George’s posts [characterised trans people][7] as a “militant minority” opposed to women’s rights, and urged:
> Citizens, wake up and smell the coffee.
He called the inclusion of Imane Khelif – a cis woman boxer – in the sport a:
> denial of biological reality [who] means that women are being put at risk of brain injury
Likewise, George also fawned over notable transphobes like JK Rowling and Ted Cruz, calling the former “a treasure of our time”.
On 27 February, [the MHRA quietly announced][8] that it was removing George from overseeing the puberty blocker trial. The agency stated that:
> Following the identification of social media posts made prior to his appointment, Professor Jacob George is recused from further involvement on the Pathways clinical trial as a precaution.
Because the abundance of caution in trans youth medicine apparently only extends to making sure an open bigot isn’t in charge [once it gets aired on the fucking radio][9].
## Suddenly, the MHRA has issues
[On George’s recommendation][10], just a month into his new job, the MHRA paused its puberty blocker trial. [A letter from the agency][11] to the Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC) cited a need for more stringent bone density monitoring, among others. It also stated that:
> Since potentially significant and, as yet, unquantified risk of long-term biological harms is present to participants and biological safety has not been definitively demonstrated in this proposed cohort, at the very least, there should be a graded/stepwise approach starting with those aged 14 as the lower limit of eligibility.
In spite of George’s recusal, the pause is still in place. King’s College London, the trial sponsor,[ is now in talks][12] with the MHRA to address the ‘concerns’. A DHSC spokesperson said:
> As the evidence is now being interrogated by clinicians, preparations for the trial have been paused while MHRA and clinical leaders work through these concerns.
>
> This trial will only be allowed to go ahead if the expert scientific and clinical evidence and advice conclude it is both safe and necessary.
## ‘Political pressure’
To be clear: the MHRA previously approved the Pathways trial methodology,[ before George was appointed][13] (and before his job even existed). However, the study later met with objections from [vocal transphobes in society.][14] Even Hilary Cass [identified the fucking stitch-up][15]:
> There are no new research findings and the MHRA hasn’t presented any new evidence. It feels to me like they are responding to political pressure rather than to science.
She added that raising the age limit to 14 made no sense:
> will make the results invalid. It would make the design really, really flawed and you should not be subjecting children to a flawed study.
And highlighted other, even more nonsensical points in the MHRA’s letter:
> There were some bizarre things, that children won’t be able to tell you if they’re bleeding. Well, anyone who can’t tell you if they’re bleeding can’t consent to this treatment. That seemed completely bizarre.
## ‘No compelling scientific reason’
Likewise, [Dr Max Davie][16], a paediatrician with experience at the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service, was more direct in naming Prof George as the issue:
> The tweets by Professor George give a clear indication of his personal views on the topic. He is quite at liberty to hold whatever views on gender identity he may, but what he cannot do is allow these views to affect the fulfilment of his public duty.
He added:
> To be clear, there is no compelling scientific reason to halt the Pathways trial. While Prof George’s personal convictions are not the only possible explanation for the MHRA’s abrupt volte-face, it is the only one for which we have evidence.
The current pause on the Pathways trial is just another chapter in this whole sordid and biased affair. Trans healthcare is being held to an impossible double standard.
Transphobes know that the government will [seize on their every criticism][17], no matter how spurious. If they can’t halt gender-affirming care entirely, they’ll delay and reduce it, causing death by a thousand cuts.
First, we needed to [deny hormone therapy][18] in favour of puberty blockers. Then, we needed to stop blockers in favour of a trial. Now, we need to stop the trial in favour of sweet fuck all.
Meanwhile, it’s the UK’s trans youth paying the price for this open bigotry.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alex/Rose Cocker][19]
[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/01/professor-reportedly-paused-uk-puberty-blockers-trial-recused-bias
[2]: https://whatthetrans.com/cass-review/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/16/suicide-cass/
[4]: https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/11/puberty-blockers-what-you-need-to-know/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/24/puberty-blockers-transactual/
[6]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-welcomes-professor-jacob-george-as-he-starts-chief-medical-and-scientific-officer-role
[7]: https://seeninjournalism.substack.com/p/breaking-literally-cathy-newmans
[8]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-statement-on-pathways-clinical-trial
[9]: https://x.com/cathynewman/status/2027425770931372356?s=20
[10]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/01/professor-reportedly-paused-uk-puberty-blockers-trial-recused-bias
[11]: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6998b06d047739fe61889efb/Sponsor-letter110226.pdf
[12]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pathways-clinical-trial-paused-following-new-mhra-advice
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/24/puberty-blockers-transactual/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/28/puberty-blocker-trial/
[15]: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/pausing-puberty-blockers-trial-is-bizarre-says-cass
[16]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/01/professor-reportedly-paused-uk-puberty-blockers-trial-recused-bias
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/17/trans-stormont/
[18]: https://genspect.org/doubt-cast-on-the-dutch-puberty-blocker-review/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/02/puberty-blocker-recuse/

2026-02-19 21:42:46 UTC

$10 billion for Gaza reconstruction: What did the first Peace Council session deliver?
[Gaza]
In Washington, the first session of what has been dubbed the ‘[Peace Council][1]’ was held at the Trump Peace Institute. The event was dominated by US President Donald Trump, who positioned himself as the architect of Gaza’s next phase.
The layout of the podium, the tone of the opening remarks, and the messaging all signalled an attempt to shape a new political and security framework for the post-war period.
## Gaza — Declaring the end of the war and tying reconstruction to security
Trump opened by declaring the end of the war in Gaza. He set firm conditions for the next phase, foremost among them the surrender of Hamas’s weapons. He warned of severe consequences if the movement failed to comply. Trump then linked any political or economic progress in Gaza to Hamas’s commitment to the new security arrangements. According to Trump, the international community is “waiting for Hamas” as the main obstacle to implementation.
At the same time, he acknowledged the group’s role in certain humanitarian efforts, including the recovery of hostages’ bodies. However, he stressed that Gaza’s future requires governance reform and the creation of a stable civil administration.
He ruled out deploying US troops to Gaza and said Washington sees no need for direct military intervention.
Trump also announced the allocation of $10 billion to support the Peace Council and reconstruction efforts as part of a wider international funding package.
## ‘The only option’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio [described the initiative as the only viable path][2] to prevent a return to war. He stated there is “no alternative plan for Gaza.” Rubio argued that traditional international institutions had failed to contain the conflict. He expressed hope that the new approach could serve as a model for managing other global crises.
These statements suggest Washington aims to frame Gaza as a test case for a new conflict management model led by the United States, with regional and international backing.
## Arab commitments: Gaza funding and engagement
Several Arab countries announced financial, political and logistical commitments:
* Qatar: Reaffirmed mediation efforts and pledged $1 billion.
* United Arab Emirates: Committed $1.2 billion and linked its support to the broader regional vision under the Abraham Accords.
* Morocco: Offered to send security and police forces, establish a field hospital, and support coexistence programmes.
* Egypt: Reiterated support for Palestinian self-determination, rejected West Bank annexation, and called for a new phase of coexistence.
* Saudi Arabia: Pledged $1 billion to ease Palestinian suffering.
* Kuwait: Announced $1 billion in contributions over the coming years.
## International stabilisation force and transitional arrangements
Council Executive Director Nikolay Mladenov said the plan centres on disarmament in Gaza and the creation of a transitional security force. Around 2,000 people have reportedly applied to join a temporary police force, and recruitment has begun in coordination with Palestinian and Israeli authorities.
The commander of the international stabilisation force announced that Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have pledged troops. Jordan and Egypt will train Palestinian police officers.
Indonesia’s president confirmed a commitment to send more than 8,000 personnel.
## Multilateral funding efforts
Beyond the US pledge of $10 billion, nine Council members committed an additional $7 billion for emergency relief. The UN Office for Humanitarian Assistance will seek to raise $2 billion.
FIFA is contributing $75 million for sports projects in Gaza. Additional funding is expected from China and Russia. The session outlined a transition phase tied closely to security conditions. Reconstruction funding is explicitly linked to disarmament and governance reform.
With Washington setting the political and security parameters, the Peace Council marks the beginning of a multilateral but US-led effort to reshape Gaza’s future.
Featured image via [France24][3]
By [Jamal Awar][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/19/putin-trump/
[2]: https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1495387/us-military-ready-to-strike-iran-as-early-as-saturday-final-decision-not-yet-taken-according-to-cbs-news-live.html#:~:text=%2C%22%20he%20added.-,%22We%20have%20to%20get%20this%20right.,17:37%20Beirut%20Time
[3]: https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260219-trump-launches-board-of-peace-with-global-ambitions-beyond-gaza
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/jamal-awar/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/19/gaza-10bn-reconstruction/

2026-02-19 16:55:24 UTC

US attack on Iran seems imminent — but here’s what we actually know
[Iran Trump showdown]
An American attack on Iran appears imminent. US president Donald Trump has deployed massive military force to the Persian Gulf while negotiations between the two counties seem to have stalled. Media [reports][1] the attack could start as soon as Saturday 21 February.
Iran’s leadership has [said][2] that the principles of the negotiations — centring on [Iran’s nuclear plans][3] (or lack thereof) — were understood but that no agreement had been reached. The US has [said][4] military options are very much ‘on the table’ while Iran [now says it’s open to international nuclear inspections][5].
Iran closed large areas of its airspace on 19 February. It’s aviation authority [said][6] it was:
> to allow a planned missile launch exercise tomorrow. It specified danger zones where flying will be completely banned due to military activity.
Anonymous Iranian security officials [said][7] it was a show of force, and the US aviation authority has followed suit:
> warning that uncoordinated missile launches could pose catastrophic risks, including endangering civilian flight paths.
The closure was enough to active alarm bells for some countries. Poland [urged][8] its citizens to leave Iran. Prime minister Donald Tusk said:
> In a few, a dozen, or several dozen hours, evacuation may no longer be possible.
Behind the scenes, US military aircraft have been moving into the region for days.
## Tankers inbound
*Sky News* reported that American refuelling planes have passed through the UK as part of the build-up. Starmer’s Britain, it appears, is happy to serve as checkpoints for Trump’s march to war.
Military expert professor Michael Clarke was on *Sky* on 18 February. Using open source air traffic mapping, he showed how on 16 February six US tankers passed through the UK on their way to Greece. On 18 February, a further ten tankers passed through the UK on their way towards the Mediterranean:
You can hear his analysis from around 1.55 in this report:
And *Drop Site News* journalists Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Huzzain [reported][9]:
> the largest buildup of firepower in the Middle East since President Donald Trump authorized a 12-day bombing campaign against Iran last June that killed more than 1,000 people.
One anonymous former Trump insider told the investigative outlet that:
> based on his discussions with current officials, he assesses an 80-90% likelihood of U.S. strikes within weeks.
And retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said the level of build-up:
> harkens back to what I saw ahead of the 2003 Iraq war.
Davis warned:
> You don’t assemble this kind of power to send a message. In my view, this is what you do when you’re preparing to use it. What I see on the diplomatic front is just to try to keep things rolling until it’s time to actually launch the military operation. I think that everybody on both sides knows where this is heading.
And a key US command and control aircraft is now in the region…
## Critical command and control aircraft
Former US Marine and State Department whistleblower Matthew Hoh said the presence of the E-3 command and control aircraft was an indicator Trump intended to pull the trigger:
> The E3 is an incredibly important aircraft. For those unfamiliar, it is the large airplane that looks like an airliner, but with a revolving radar disc on top.
>
> The airplane is loaded with an air crew whose job is to observe, manage and control the airspace in its area. It is especially important for directing fighters and ground/sea based missile interceptors against Iranian missiles and drones.
> This is the strongest indication to me of the seriousness of the US threat to Iran. The US has deployed more than 2/3 of its available E3 command/control aircraft to Europe and the Middle East.
>
> The E3 is an incredibly important aircraft. For those unfamiliar, it is the large…
>
> — Matthew Hoh (@MatthewPHoh) [February 19, 2026][10]
Renowned international relations scholar John Mearsheimer reminded us that barring UAE – which has close ties with the settler-colonial pariah state – the only country absolutely determined to have a war with Iran was Israel:
Drop Site broke down the scale of the build-up:
> Two carrier strike groups—each built around one aircraft carrier, several guided‑missile destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles, and at least one submarine—are also being stationed nearby, along with several additional U.S. destroyers and submarines in regional waters near Iran to defend against ballistic missile attacks, as well as more than 30,000 U.S. military personnel and numerous Patriot and THAAD anti-missile batteries spread across regional military bases.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is on its way to the Gulf from the Caribbean. The ship took part in Trump’s last ‘spectacular’ – [the Caracas raid][11] which snatched Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on 3 January. The Ford is the biggest and most advanced carrier in the world.
Former Pentagon official Jasmine El-Gamal [told][12] *Drop Site*.
> This is not a dress rehearsal. This is it. This is not the negotiations of last year or the year before or the year before that. They’re backed into a corner. There’s no off ramp.
El-Gamal said:
> The fact that *that* carrier is there tells me that this isn’t just a routine kind of, ‘Hey, let’s flex some muscle.’ He didn’t need that. He didn’t need to send that second carrier to flex muscle.
But what would a US-Iran war actually look like?
## Short intense war?
With negotiations deadlocked, one expert said that Iran and US might favour a short intense war followed by a return to talks.
Swedish-Iranian scholar Trita Parsi [told][13] Democracy Now:
> We have a very dangerous situation, because both sides actually believe that a short, intense war may improve their negotiating position.
The US believes its overwhelming military capability will:
> be able to take out Iran militarily rather quickly and then force it to capitulate.
Parsi said the Iranians have other plans:
> They believe that they have the ability to inflict significant damage on the United States in the short term, including on civilian oil installations in the region, closing down the Strait of Hormuz, that would shoot up oil prices…
The Iranians were calculating that:
> the initial cost of this to the United States would be so immense, and the United States would recognize that it would have to go for a longer war, which it cannot afford, and as a result, it would get the United States to back off.
Yes another Middle east war is looming. It would be a war which is not at all separate to the current genocide in Gaza and the legacies of the Iraq war. In fact, it would compound both. The best case scenario is that it doesn’t happen at all. Next best? The sort of ‘limited’ bombing we’ve seen in the past.
The third, most terrifying and not at all unlikely outcome is that the war escalates into something altogether more existential with profound impacts for the region and the world, and which sends violent shocks through the global economy. A number of experts and insiders are saying we’ll find out sooner rather than later.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][14]
[1]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-possible-timeline-iran-strikes/
[2]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/2/17/us-iran-talks-set-to-begin-at-omans-embassy-in-switzerland
[3]: https://www.dw.com/en/united-states-and-iran-at-impasse-after-geneva-nuclear-talks/a-76023932
[4]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/2/17/us-iran-talks-set-to-begin-at-omans-embassy-in-switzerland
[5]: https://share.google/ixAknMmYMRaGRRl0v
[6]: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260219-iran-closes-large-parts-of-its-airspace-ahead-of-missile-drill/
[7]: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260219-iran-closes-large-parts-of-its-airspace-ahead-of-missile-drill/
[8]: https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-donald-tusk-urges-citizens-to-leave-iran-escalates-strikes-nuclear-talks-donald-trump-menaces-tehran/
[9]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
[10]: https://twitter.com/MatthewPHoh/status/2024287659800350763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/07/caracas-maduro-venezuelans/
[12]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
[13]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-possible-timeline-iran-strikes/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/19/trump-pressures-iran/

2026-02-19 11:41:55 UTC

Who Protects Global Shipping Routes From Modern Piracy Threats
Modern piracy and missile threats rarely meet a single line of defence. They meet layers of state power. To protect global shipping routes, national naval forces patrol high-risk corridors such as the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic density and regional conflict raise the stakes for global trade.
In the Red Sea, Operation Prosperity Guardian illustrates how a multinational coalition can surge ships, aircraft, and intelligence sharing when the Houthis target commercial vessels. These deployments often combine escort missions with maritime domain awareness, while diplomats coordinate rules of engagement that minimise disruption to shipping. This posture aims to deter attacks before ships become easy targets.
Closer to shore, coast guards enforce law in territorial waters, investigate boarding incidents, and coordinate handoffs to naval forces when threats cross jurisdictions. Together, they support freedom of navigation through routine presence patrols and, when required, freedom of navigation operations that challenge unlawful restrictions and keep sea lanes open.
Private expertise also informs assessments. A [maritime security consultant][1] may provide risk snapshots alongside official reporting, helping operators understand threat patterns before vessels enter contested waters.
### International Frameworks That Govern Maritime Security
Protection on the water depends on legal authority established through international agreements. Without these frameworks, coordinated anti-piracy efforts would lack the jurisdictional foundation needed to operate across borders.
#### The IMO and ISPS Code
The International Maritime Organisation sets baseline maritime security standards through conventions that flag and port states implement, creating shared expectations for vessel protection across busy shipping lanes.
Under the ISPS Code, ships and port facilities must translate those standards into practical controls. These include security assessments that identify likely boarding and sabotage risks, documented plans with designated officers and training to maintain readiness, and procedures for setting security levels and exchanging alerts with ports.
The official ISPS Code maritime security framework links security duties to broader safety rules, providing a reference point for compliance across the industry.
#### UNCLOS and Legal Authority at Sea
UNCLOS provides the legal authority that allows states to act beyond their territorial seas when piracy occurs on the high seas. It supports interdiction, seizure of pirate vessels, and prosecution decisions, while still requiring evidence handling and respect for jurisdictional limits.
This legal baseline enables international naval operations to coordinate boardings and handovers effectively. Regional agreements can then add local reporting channels and shared procedures tailored to specific corridors.
These add-ons often clarify who can pursue suspects into adjacent waters. They also guide how ports share incident reports without delaying cargo flows.
### Private Security Companies and Armed Guards
Where naval patrols cannot cover every lane, private security companies fill practical gaps. This is especially true on merchant transits that must keep schedules. Their value often starts before a ship leaves port, with a structured risk assessment that shapes the entire voyage.
#### Intelligence Gathering and Risk Assessment
Consultants track piracy patterns, local conflict dynamics, and known threat actors using open-source reporting, port briefings, and shipboard surveillance practices. They translate this intelligence into routing advice, watch schedules, and communications plans tied to specific choke points.
The process involves drafting incident checklists that bridge teams can follow under stress, at night, or whenever conditions deteriorate. To connect security planning with wider context, crews often review current maritime security challenges alongside flag state guidance and insurer requirements.
This alignment helps decisions reflect both operational reality and compliance obligations.
#### Armed Teams on High-Risk Transits
When a voyage still requires additional protection, armed guards may embark for the highest-risk legs. Teams typically coordinate with the master to avoid escalation and to keep crew safety central throughout the passage.
On transit, vessel protection focuses on layered deterrence. This includes visible watchkeeping and clear rules for reporting contacts, hardened access points and rehearsed mustering procedures, and graduated response protocols if evasive manoeuvring fails.
Armed presence serves as a last line of defence, intended to buy time, break an attack, and allow the ship to exit the danger area without injury.
### How Protection Differs by Regional Hotspot
No single protection model works everywhere. Threat profiles vary dramatically between regions, and defensive measures must adapt accordingly.
#### Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Operations
In the Red Sea, protection planning now reflects missile and drone risks linked to the Houthis. Naval forces concentrate on coordinated escorts and shared surveillance across air and surface assets, responding to threats that look more like state-adjacent warfare than traditional piracy.
Operators also rely on rapid threat reporting to adjust routes and watch levels. Managed corridors help responders cover traffic without diverting the main shipping lanes.
In the Gulf of Aden, however, procedures still draw on lessons from the Somali piracy peak. Patrol patterns and reporting points aim to increase visible presence against criminal networks rather than armed groups with military capabilities.
Crews log contacts early to trigger support before skiffs close. This consistency matters because ships still funnel through fixed shipping lanes where predictability creates vulnerability.
#### West Africa and Southeast Asia Protocols
West African waters often involve kidnapping and cargo theft closer to shore than open-ocean piracy. Protection leans on port state procedures, secure anchorages, and restricted access during cargo operations.
Regional navies focus on interdiction and evidence handling within coastal jurisdictions. Operators plan communications to limit time at low speed near approaches.
In Southeast Asia, by contrast, incidents concentrate in narrow straits where traffic density complicates detection. Watch teams use short-range surveillance to track craft that blend into routine movements.
Coast guard cooperation becomes central because vessels cross jurisdictions quickly. Local reporting networks help authorities coordinate intercepts before attackers reach sheltered waters.
### Coordination Between Naval and Private Security Forces
Real-time coordination works best when naval forces and private security companies operate from a shared picture of risk. Standard reporting formats let shipboard teams pass contact reports, surveillance cues, and posture changes to military watch floors without delay.
Communication hubs such as UKMTO and regional maritime security centres relay threat alerts, route advisories, and incident updates to vessels and nearby patrols. If a ship with guards aboard transmits a distress call, responders may include coalition units or the U.S. Coast Guard, depending on location and tasking.
To avoid gaps at jurisdiction lines, operators use defined handoffs when ships enter territorial seas or leave escorted corridors. The master and security team confirm tactical control at each boundary.
Common mechanisms include agreed radio channels and call signs, time-stamped position reports, escalation criteria for warnings versus assistance, and post-incident summaries focused on crew safety and evidence preservation.
### Evolving Piracy Tactics and Defensive Responses
Modern piracy groups increasingly borrow tools from state and criminal networks. Reports from recent incidents describe attackers using drones for scouting, GPS spoofing to confuse navigation, and encrypted communications to coordinate multiple craft.
The Houthis shifted the risk picture by pairing maritime harassment with missile and one-way drone strikes. This threat profile looks closer to terrorism than classic boarding-for-ransom operations. As a result, vessel protection plans now evolve around detection, disruption, and rapid reporting rather than just physical barriers.
Defensive responses often include enhanced surveillance that fuses radar, electro-optical cameras, and AIS analytics. Electronic countermeasures help mitigate jamming and spoofing effects, while tighter access control, drills, and escalation protocols align with terrorism scenarios.
These measures support earlier alerting when small boats loiter or when air contacts appear. They also help crews share clearer track history with naval responders quickly.
### Protecting Global Trade Through Layered Security
No single navy, coast guard, insurer, or private team protects shipping lanes on its own. Modern piracy, drone harassment, and regional conflict shift quickly, so coverage depends on layers that overlap and backstop one another. When one layer misses a warning, another can still detect, deter, or respond.
That layered approach blends patrols and escorts, legal authority through international frameworks, and shipboard measures informed by private risk assessment. It also relies on shared reporting hubs, evidence handling, and clear handoffs at jurisdiction lines.
As threats evolve, sustained coordination keeps vessels moving and helps safeguard global trade across contested chokepoints and oceans.
By [Nathan Spears][2]
[1]: https://www.securewest.com/services/intelligence/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/nathan-spears/
https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/lifestyle/2026/02/19/who-protects-global-shipping-routes-from-modern-piracy-threats/

2026-02-18 17:28:56 UTC

Another shade of blue? Nine ex-Reform councillors defect to Restore
[Restore Britain]
Seven Kent County councillors and two North Northamptonshire County Councillors [have joined][1] Restore Britain. Reform UK previously expelled six of them.
> Most of these were thrown out of Reform UK when [@LeaderofKCC][2] had her meltdown in the ‘suck it up’ cabinet meeting and the video was leaked. [https://t.co/w5NmJN5AH8][3]
>
> — Reform Party UK Exposed [🇬🇧] (@reformexposed) [February 17, 2026][4]
How do you even get expelled from Reform? Not [taking bribes][5] from Russia?
According to the [*Independent*][6]:
> The new Restore Britain group members are Paul Thomas, Oliver Bradshaw and Brian Black, who have been sitting as the Independent Group; Robert Ford and Isabella Kemp from the current Independent Reformers Group, and independent-sitting councillors Maxine Fothergill and Dean Burns.
Nigel Farage hoped that Kent County Council would be his flagship Reform council. Look how that one turned out.
Reform won control of Kent County Council in May last year, securing 57 of 81 seats. However, only 48 councillors remain. Nine were removed after they[ leaked a video][7] showing council leader Ms Kemkaran shouting and swearing at her members.
The *Canary’s* Joe Glenton [described][8] the video as:
> a group of dysregulated middle-aged toddlers having an incredibly puerile row
Is it a picture of what’s to come with Restore?
> Kent Council was described as being “a window to what a Reform UK government would be like”….
>
> It’s been chaos, full of lies and a wannabe dictator leading it…..so they weren’t wrong!
>
> — AxoAndy (@AxoAndy) [February 17, 2026][9]
After all, it’s the same faces, just with a few different letters.
In North Northamptonshire, Jack Goncalvez and Darren Rance have both also [defected][10] to Restore.
But Restore Britain has not even [registered][11] with the Electoral Commission yet.
> Rupert – can you point me towards your Registration Details on the Electoral Commission website… [pic.twitter.com/hJEnjmm3cW][12]
>
> — [🦋] 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗜𝗧 [🧵] [🌹] (@graeme_from_IT) [February 17, 2026][13]
## Restore Britain even more racist than Reform
I can’t believe I’m saying this (except I really can), but this clown show is competing for a number one spot in the ‘more racist than Reform’ show.
> BREAKING [🚨][🚨][🚨]
>
> Restore Britain Party members forced to elect Rupert Lowe as leader after their original 1st choice candidate shot himself in a bunker in 1945. [pic.twitter.com/2L0P6cFA2X][14]
>
> — Politics For You (@PoliticoForYou) [February 16, 2026][15]
> Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party is promising to sweep ‘Anti-British”, “anti-white” elements out of our universities and schools. Doing so, he is copying the Nazi playbook of 1933. If you’re not worried now, you should be. [https://t.co/cLV2qCDF36][16]
>
> — Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) [February 18, 2026][17]
But hey, what’s one more shade of blue? They’re all the same racist, ‘we hate every other country’ but Israel-loving muppets. I wonder if there’s some sort of blue attire-for-hire company setting up in Westminster.
If not, I want a commission when it goes live.
Rupert Lowe is welcoming these vile, racist muppets that are too embarrassing even for Nigel Farage and Reform with open arms.
He’s not even scraping the bottom of the barrel. He’s scraping the dregs up off the floor that no doubt have the remnants of rat shit in them.
*Feature image via HG*
By [HG][18]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/17/restore-britain-white-supremacy/
[2]: https://twitter.com/LeaderofKCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://t.co/w5NmJN5AH8
[4]: https://twitter.com/reformexposed/status/2023848637131092267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/10/19/police-reportedly-knew-russia-recruited-reform-leader-in-2022/
[6]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/kent-county-councillors-restore-reform-uk-b2922809.html
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/20/reform-councillors-suspended/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/20/reform-councillors-suspended/
[9]: https://twitter.com/AxoAndy/status/2023875338196152766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/2024144245704008080
[11]: https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/Registrations?currentPage=8&rows=30&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=desc&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&register=gb&register=ni&register=none&regStatus=registered&optCols=EntityStatusName&optCols=ReferendumName&optCols=DesignationStatusName&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=FieldingCandidatesInEngland&optCols=FieldingCandidatesInScotland&optCols=FieldingCandidatesInWales&optCols=FieldingCandidatesMinorParty&optCols=ReferendumOutcome&optCols=IsLowerTier
[12]: https://t.co/hJEnjmm3cW
[13]: https://twitter.com/graeme_from_IT/status/2023863154493751704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14]: https://t.co/2L0P6cFA2X
[15]: https://twitter.com/PoliticoForYou/status/2023537689065050168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://t.co/cLV2qCDF36
[17]: https://twitter.com/RichardJMurphy/status/2024024652742320586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/18/restore-britain-gains/

2026-02-17 18:14:46 UTC

UN Israel lobby group created fake Francesca Albanese video
[francesca albanese]
The fake video a number of [European governments are using to demand the resignation of Palestinian rights champion][1] Francesca Albanese was [created][2] by a UN-accredited Israel lobby group.
The Orwellian-named ‘UN Watch’ claims to exist to hold the UN to its charter. In fact, it is an [outright Israel lobby group][3] – but one with access to the corridors of the UN in Geneva. It has unequivocal anti-Albanese form – it [tried and failed in 2025 to prevent her re-accreditation][4] as UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestine.
Having failed via the open route to oust Albanese, it is now accused – with evidence – of trying to do it by creating a fake video of her. The video supposedly showed Albanese describing Israel as the ‘common enemy of the world’. This would have been accurate, but [was not actually what she had said][5] in her speech.
As former UN human rights commissioner Craig Mokhiber observed, the “despicable” UN Watch has decades of form and has no place anywhere near the UN, but is also invited by US politicians to address them. Mokhiber demanded the withdrawal of its UN credentials:
> Notorious Israel regime proxy group, “UN Watch”, set up in the 1990s by former Israel lobbyist and US ambassador Morris Abrams to harass and smear UN human rights defenders on behalf of the regime, is reported (below) to be behind the fabricated video used to attack UN Rapporteur… [https://t.co/sFVADfatdI][6]
>
> — Craig Mokhiber (@CraigMokhiber) [February 14, 2026][7]
> Notorious Israel regime proxy group, “UN Watch”, set up in the 1990s by former Israel lobbyist and US ambassador Morris Abrams to harass and smear UN human rights defenders on behalf of the regime, is reported (below) to be behind the fabricated video used to attack UN Rapporteur
> @FranceskAlbs.
>
> This despicable group has carried out such dirty tricks at the UN on behalf of the regime for decades with absolute impunity. It perfidiously poses variously as a “watch dog” or human rights group, spreads lies, and smears all critics of the Israeli regime as “antisemites.” And still the UN grants it “ECOSOC consultative status” credentials that allow it UN access to harass and smear UN personnel and disrupt UN proceedings. Like the regime itself, the impunity of this harassment cell has been secured through the active support of the US government (missions) in Geneva and New York.
>
> And Israel lobby-corrupted members of Congress periodically allow them to brief US congressional committees where they regularly slander UN personnel and processes. Its UN credentials must be withdrawn and its impunity must end now. Defenders of colonialism, apartheid, and genocide and serial harassers of UN personnel have no place in the corridors of the UN.
And the evidence appears strong that the lobby group is the origin of the fake video. As policy expert Martin Konečný pointed out, the first appearance of the video online appears to have been in a post by UN Watch director and Israel propagandist Hillel Neuer:
> Time to ask who is the original source of the manipulated video of [@FranceskAlbs][8] that several European governments jumped on to demand her resignation?
>
> It appears to come from pro-Israel propagandist [@HillelNeuer][9], executive director of [@UNWatch][10]. (Says also Grok.[👇]) [https://t.co/fOPgeCoeO9][11] [pic.twitter.com/4LpeqeMS0T][12]
>
> — Martin Konečný (@MartinKonecny) [February 14, 2026][13]
To their shame, a number of Western governments have continued to target Francesca Albanese as if the video wasn’t fake, despite knowing it was. Their removal is as essential as that of friends-of-genocide group ‘UN Watch’.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][14]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/13/albanese-fake-video/
[2]: https://x.com/CraigMokhiber/status/2022781148951429272
[3]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-israel-watchdog-group-accuses-senior-un-official-of-trying-to-block-their-work/
[4]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/03/27/pro-israel-groups-try-to-prevent-albaneses-un-re-accreditation/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/13/albanese-fake-video/
[6]: https://t.co/sFVADfatdI
[7]: https://twitter.com/CraigMokhiber/status/2022781148951429272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://twitter.com/FranceskAlbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://twitter.com/UNWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/fOPgeCoeO9
[12]: https://t.co/4LpeqeMS0T
[13]: https://twitter.com/MartinKonecny/status/2022664436272513375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/17/francesca-albanese-zionists-2/

2026-02-17 18:14:18 UTC

Why Portugal is one of Europe’s best destinations for villa holidays
Portugal has established itself as a frontrunner in sustainable tourism, blending its rich cultural heritage with eco-friendly practices. Many travellers appreciate the abundance of holiday villas in Portugal that align seamlessly with these initiatives, highlighting a commitment that sets a benchmark for other nations.
In recent years, Portugal has become synonymous with sustainable tourism, drawing visitors who value environmental stewardship. Enjoying [Portugal villa holidays][1] provides a way to protect the countries landscapes by engaging with responsible travel across various sectors. These holidays have gained popularity among those seeking an eco-conscious getaway. As you explore this picturesque country, you’ll discover how its green initiatives are transforming the travel experience while safeguarding its cherished ecosystems. For travellers seeking a villa in Portugal that embraces sustainability, the options continue to grow.
### Why Portugal is a top holiday destination
Portugal consistently ranks as a top holiday destination due to its favourable climate, stunning coastline, rich gastronomy, and reputation for safety. The Algarve and Lisbon Coast are particularly renowned for their breathtaking beaches and vibrant cultural scenes. Additionally, the Portuguese countryside offers tranquil retreats with picturesque landscapes, making it ideal for travellers seeking both relaxation and adventure.
These regions provide diverse experiences that cater to different preferences, from exploring historic cities to enjoying outdoor activities like hiking and surfing. Portugal’s commitment to preserving its natural beauty while offering modern amenities enhances its appeal to tourists worldwide. This balance of tradition and innovation ensures that visitors can enjoy a memorable holiday experience in this captivating country. Booking holiday rentals in Portugal has become a preferred choice for those who appreciate both privacy and the chance to experience the local culture authentically.
Beyond its natural attractions, Portugal boasts a welcoming atmosphere that makes visitors feel at home from the moment they arrive. The Portuguese people are known for their warm hospitality and genuine friendliness, creating an inviting environment for international travellers. The country’s excellent infrastructure, including well-maintained roads, reliable public transportation, and modern airports, ensures seamless travel throughout the region. With its affordable cost of living compared to other Western European destinations, Portugal offers exceptional value without sacrificing quality, making it accessible to travellers with varying budgets.
Many visitors also opt for a holiday villa in Portugal when seeking more authentic experiences in smaller towns. Whether exploring coastal hotspots or venturing inland, a Villa holiday in Portugal provides exclusive comfort and opportunities for cultural immersion.
### The benefits of holiday villas over hotels
Choosing a holiday villa in Portugal offers numerous advantages over traditional hotel stays. Villas provide more space, privacy, and flexibility, making them perfect for families and groups. Guests can enjoy private pools, expansive outdoor areas, and fully equipped kitchens, allowing for personalised experiences tailored to their needs.
Holiday villas also offer greater value by accommodating larger groups at a lower cost per person compared to hotels. This option allows travellers to enjoy luxurious amenities and scenic locations without compromising on budget. By opting for a Villa holiday in Portugal, visitors can immerse themselves in the local culture while enjoying the comforts of home.
### Booking through specialists versus large platforms
Booking a holiday villa through [trusted villa rental specialists in Portugal][2] offers distinct advantages over using large platforms. Specialists provide personalised service and [expert knowledge][3] of the local area, ensuring guests find the perfect accommodation for their needs. They often manage professionally maintained villas, guaranteeing high standards of cleanliness and comfort. For travellers who prefer holiday villas in Portugal, specialized booking services frequently deliver unmatched value and peace of mind.
These specialists also offer exclusive access to unique properties and insider tips on local attractions and activities. By choosing a specialist, travellers benefit from a tailored experience that enhances their holiday, providing peace of mind and ensuring a memorable stay. Whether you seek a villa in Portugal near the coast or a quiet countryside retreat, these experts can match you with the ideal accommodation. This approach contrasts with the often impersonal experience of booking through large platforms, where customer service and local insights may be limited.
### Portugal’s global leadership in sustainable tourism
Portugal’s comprehensive approach to [sustainable tourism][4] positions it as a global leader in balancing visitor satisfaction with environmental preservation. By integrating government policies with community-led initiatives, the country has created a blueprint for responsible travel that other nations can emulate. The success of Portugal villa holidays serves as a testament to the effectiveness of these strategies in attracting tourists while safeguarding natural resources.
The ongoing commitment to sustainability ensures that a holiday villa in Portugal remains an attractive option for discerning travellers who prioritise eco-friendly practices. As nations worldwide grapple with the challenges of balancing economic growth with environmental protection, Portugal stands out as an inspiring example of how thoughtful policies and community engagement can lead to lasting positive change.
By [Nathan Spears][5]
[1]: https://www.allurevillas.com/portugal-villa-holidays/
[2]: https://www.allurevillas.com/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/28/portuguese-journalists-ask-the-world-not-to-close-its-eyes-to-the-survival-of-the-free-press/
[4]: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/29/accessible-beaches-and-local-cheese-eu-exhibition-sheds-light-on-sustainable-tourism-proje
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/nathan-spears/
https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/travel/2026/02/17/why-portugal-is-one-of-europes-best-destinations-for-villa-holidays/

2026-02-07 16:12:52 UTC

Murdoch rag publishes Mandelson puff piece despite Epstein scandal
[Mandelson]
Here at the *Canary*, [we’ve long criticised Rupert Murdoch][1] and his grotty tabloid ([the *Sun*][2]) and his grotty broadsheet ([the *Times*][3]). We’ve got to admit, though; even we didn’t think they’d publish a puff piece on Peter Mandelson in the middle of his Epstein-stoked mega downfall:
> I deleted my post from before…
>
> I thought it was fake
>
> So I went to WH Smith and here it is
>
> An unbelievable attempt to sanitise this man and normalise what’s he’s done. [pic.twitter.com/HXTgAn8D5C][4]
>
> — Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) [February 7, 2026][5]
Just when you think the British media can’t sink any lower, the floor falls out from under your feet.
## Mandelson — Good lord, what now?
To quickly get you up to speed:
* Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of sex crimes with an underage prostitute.
* [Mandelson maintained a friendship with him anyway][6].
* The British media decided this wasn’t really a big deal, even when Starmer made him the ambassador to the US.
* [Additional leaks showed that Mandelson really, *really* liked Epstein.][7]
* [Even more additional leaks showed that this fucking rat was leaking British state secrets to Epstein][8].
Digitally, we’ve had access to the Mandelson [interview since the 2 November][9]. We also had access to the pictures. And while the interview seemed ill-judged at the time, it’s so much fucking worse to publish a printed copy several days later.
Just look at this cunt:
> JUST IN: [🇬🇧] [🇮🇱] [🚨] Western media mobilises to SAVE pedophile rapists
>
> The Times just conducted a "friendly" interview with Peter Mandelson (pictured half naked with young girls) that says he was “manipulated” by Jeffery Epstein.
>
> Fucking disgusting.
>
> Burn in hell [@thetimes][10] [pic.twitter.com/nxKqNW51v3][11]
>
> — ADAM (@AdameMedia) [February 7, 2026][12]
People have tried to give a more honest impression of who Mandelson is:
> I’ve managed to fix The Times Magazine cover for this weekend.
> Hope this helps.
> [😊] [pic.twitter.com/kptZIktBbL][13]
>
> — Sir Michael Take CBE (@MichaelTakeMP) [February 7, 2026][14]
When we say the interview was ‘ill advised’, what we mean is it provided the notorious liar Mandelson with yet another opportunity to lie to the public:
> In The Times gushing paedophile apologia puff piece on Peter Mandelson by [@katyballs][15], he claims Epstein lied to him about his indictment for trafficking children.
>
> Here’s Mandelson advising Epstein on how to devise an “alt story” to his indictment for trafficking children. [pic.twitter.com/VMkaxWGGkN][16]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [February 7, 2026][17]
We detailed Mandelson’s [slimy excuses here][18].
As we also reported, Mandelson sent a notice out to media outlets on 6 Feb [begging the press not to hold him to account][19]. And yet a day later:
> Friday night / Saturday morning [pic.twitter.com/ZkdhxQS1pN][20]
>
> — Count Binface (@CountBinface) [February 6, 2026][21]
## Stop giving him oxygen
The only further opportunity Mandelson should have to lie to the public is in court, where he will be put on trial for the soon-to-be-unveilled crime of ‘*Mandelsoning with intent*‘.
Oh, and also for misconduct in public office ([a crime which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison][22] [🤗]):
> Police raid Mandelson's Wiltshire home over misconduct in public office allegations. Another great day for Labour! [🇬🇧] [pic.twitter.com/bZQSytetng][23]
>
> — Peter Lloyd (@Suffragent_) [February 7, 2026][24]
*Featured image via Times scan*
By [Willem Moore][25]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/12/20/david-walliams/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/06/the-sun-rinsed-for-substantial-damages-in-civil-settlement/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/11/03/palestine-action-iran-times-article/
[4]: https://t.co/HXTgAn8D5C
[5]: https://twitter.com/MarinaPurkiss/status/2020079864116658213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2023/10/09/starmer-drained-swamp-labour-jeffrey-epstein-associate/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/09/14/labour-bbc-mandelson/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/03/mandelson-interview-epstein/
[10]: https://twitter.com/thetimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/nxKqNW51v3
[12]: https://twitter.com/AdameMedia/status/2019981402629108017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/kptZIktBbL
[14]: https://twitter.com/MichaelTakeMP/status/2020069784524877937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://twitter.com/katyballs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://t.co/VMkaxWGGkN
[17]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2020092248927646149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/03/mandelson-interview-epstein/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/07/mandelson-invokes-grieving-family/
[20]: https://t.co/ZkdhxQS1pN
[21]: https://twitter.com/CountBinface/status/2019909397661782354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[22]: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/uk-police-search-two-properties-linked-to-peter-mandelson-as-part-of-epstein-probe#:~:text=Misconduct%20in%20public%20office%20carries,Britain's%20most%20important%20diplomatic%20post.
[23]: https://t.co/bZQSytetng
[24]: https://twitter.com/Suffragent_/status/2020034168177192998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[25]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/07/mandelson-piece-published/

2026-02-04 16:59:53 UTC

The media circus around Epstein is erasing the experiences of victims and survivors
[epstein]
*BBC News *reported yesterday that the US Department of Justice has had to [remove thousands of documents related to convicted paedophile][1] Jeffrey Epstein, as they have compromised the identities of women who have been victimised by the elite-run web of sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation.
The outlet further stated that the “flawed redactions” of the Epstein Files have made nearly 100 survivors vulnerable, with the women’s lives “turned upside down.” However, the mainstream media circus around the release of the files is conveniently diminishing both the [horror and scrutiny of these atrocious crimes][2], as well as the accountability of the powerful figures responsible for them.
One thing is clear. The release of the Epstein files was certainly not to protect the victims and survivors of Epstein’s depraved network. The women and girls who bore the brunt of these atrocities have been sidelined even in the official reveal of their experiences.
## Epstein files: accountability should be in the interests of victims, not their abusers
According to *BBC News*, on Friday 30th January two lawyers for Epstein’s victims insisted that a New York federal judge order the DOJ to remove the website holding the files. They stated that [the negligent release was:][3]
> the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history.
At the *Canary*, we agree wholeheartedly.
This US-led failure to redact identifying images and names of victims has made the complete removal of such content the only viable response. Once again, women around the world are left feeling exposed and vulnerable, while so-called efforts to ‘protect women’ operate instead to shied powerful perpetrators of abuse. Yet again, a manipulative and abusive system has retraumatised the very women it was ostensibly meant to serve.
Given US President Donald Trump’s appearance in the files, photographed with Epstein’s so-called “harem” of young girls, too little attention focuses on the fact that rich, powerful men once again seem able to deter and deflect true accountability. Anyone who has experienced abuse knows this all too well: men often act without recognizing – or admitting – the harm they cause.
> Abolish the Monarchy. [https://t.co/yyNBmVlN6z][4]
>
> — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Women have had enough
Unfortunately for those powerful patriarchal arseholes, many women see straight through it and are at the end of their tether. They remind us that unless we dismantle the structures and hierarchies of power, the abuse will never end. As a white woman, I believe it is essential that white Western women confront our complicity – whether intentional or not – and come together in solidarity against all abuse. This means rejecting the Western patriarchal scapegoating of ‘brown men’ and confront the reality that white men have inflicted – and continue to inflict – vast harm. Abuse is about power; not race.
We wrote recently on the practice of [Nazi-like eugenics][6] amongst Epstein and his ilk of superior, privileged rich boys. Discussing the characteristics of the men who have assumed powerful positions in politics and business, our own Robert Freeman wrote:
> All this is ultimately the product of an economic and political system that practically guarantees the most poisonous humans imaginable rise to the top. Capitalism rewards the most ruthless and domineering among us, not the kindest and most compassionate.
>
> Those attracted to being a CEO — with the ability to control potentially thousands of lives — are unlikely to be good people. Once there, wealth grants them the ability to evade the law and control the political realm. With greater power comes greater impunity, and an already degraded soul rots still further. It’s a system that selects for, then refines, the worst traits of our species.
>
> The Epstein documents have produced an outpouring of fury, and an increasing clarity to the realisation that an entire system needs to be dismantled and reconstructed into something less misanthropic. We’ve had enough warnings by now of “Nazi like” reprobates controlling our lives. An imminent return to something akin to Nazism looms unless an alternative course is pursued urgently.
## Not all men: But it is all women
There is a reassuring factor for women that yes, it is not ‘all men’. Nevertheless, many women with platforms have demanded that we no longer center reassuring men that we aren’t ‘demonising all of them’. Instead, they insist that we finally center the very valid truth that whilst it might not be all men (thankfully), it is all women and girls.
All women and girls are likely to experience abuse or its consequences at some point in their lives. This truth is depressingly clear: the Epstein scandal proves that abuse does not occur in isolation – it spreads widely, thrives systemically, and men carry it out overwhelmingly. Even women and girls who never experience abuse firsthand live alongside its effects: they support survivors, navigate fear, and adapt their lives to avoid risk. The problem does not lie in individual morality alone; power structures actively enable abuse to continue and minimise its consequences, leaving no woman untouched by its impact.
It is time we empathise and choose to empower women and girls, not continue this toxic cycle of even the reveal of abuse not centring the abused.
*The Canary’s* Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu put across this argument powerfully and poignantly in a post on Instagram:
> View this post on Instagram
>
>
> [A post shared by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@sholamos1)][7]
## Dr Shola: ‘we will shut this shit down’
> Where are the white women? I’m looking, but I can’t see. Let me put my glasses on. I still don’t see them. You see, my shattered eye, we’re just wondering where the white women are following the release of the Epstein files. Because I don’t see white women protesting on the streets. I do not see white women collectively, undeniably being visible and vocal in exercising their white power, white fragility, and white tears to hold to account powerful white men that have subjected and deliberately targeted white women and white girls for rape, sexual molestation, sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. Where are the white women? How are white women so collectively silent and performatively powerless.
>
> Let’s break it down. Where are your bastions of white femininity? The protectors of the white female body? Where are your white female politicians and your white female media personalities? White female commentators? You know, those advocates of anti-Muslim, anti-Islam, anti-immigration because we have to protect the women and children where they are right now because everything seems quite crooked. We’re the white women who take to the streets protesting and demanding that white women and children be protected from the asylum seekers and the refugees and the immigrants and they do not even give an iota of that same energy to powerful white men who pose a greater significant risk to their bodies than asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants.
>
> Where are the white women whose white peers have unjustly sent black men to their deaths by state execution, either by the police or by the state because they have lied? Huh? Oh my God, I’m just as scared to say black man. Where are your white peers against a powerful white man that have targeted you for rape and sexual abuse? Where are the white women who exercise white power on a daily basis to say to black men, no, you don’t work there. No, you don’t live there. You don’t belong here. Where’s that white power now against a powerful white man? Now I’m not talking about the white women who’ve been doing the Lord’s work, speaking out against these powerful white men and have endured all kinds of persecutions including character assassination, who’ve been actively anti-racist, who’ve been unequivocally against the patriarchal power structure. Now I stand with them in solidarity.
>
> Now I’m talking to you multitudes of white women who excuse the inexcusable, defend the indefensible because you’re telling us it was never about protecting white women and children. You see the stats don’t lie. White men commit the most sexual crimes, rape, sexual abuse of children, and sex trafficking. That’s the fact. The fact also is that the problem are men. Yes, not all men. But you see, if we work together collectively, white, black, and brown women, against a patriarchal power construct that protects the men who commit these crimes, we will shut this shit down.
As Dr Shola powerfully states, it is time for women and girls everywhere, regardless of ethnicities or religion, to come together.
We must find our humility and refuse to continue being the continual playthings of patriarchal men.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][8]
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0k65pnxjxo
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-nazi-like-eugenicist/
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0k65pnxjxo
[4]: https://t.co/yyNBmVlN6z
[5]: https://twitter.com/zarahsultana/status/2018088087213965329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-nazi-like-eugenicist/
[7]: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUT9kIZDkqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/04/epstein-victims-2/

2026-02-03 22:16:32 UTC

Scrapping the two-child cap is a step forward, but no panacea for child poverty
[Ending the two-child cap won't end poverty]
Today, 3 February, the [Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill][1] received its second reading in the Commons. This moves it one step closer to realisation, and promises better standards of living for over a million children.
Campaigning organisation the[ Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)][2] urged MPs to vote in favour of the bill. The group explained that:
> Removing the two-child limit will increase the living standards of 1.6 million children overnight, while also ensuring hundreds of thousands of children are no longer affected in the future. Investing in social security is also highly beneficial for children’s health, development, educational and economic outcomes.3 An improved financial situation at home means better developmental outcomes, higher educational attainment and lower health costs in childhood. This leads to greater employment prospects and better health outcomes in adulthood. Public expenditure is therefore lower and tax revenue higher. Tackling child poverty is the right thing to do – for children and their families now and in the future, as well as for our public services and wider economy.
In anticipation of the reading, the government [put out an announcement][3] for a new £1bn Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). The intention behind the fund is to create a “safety net” to support families with the rising cost of living.
However, the news isn’t all good. A [Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) impact assessment][4] has recently revealed that over 70,000 households won’t receive the full benefit of scrapping the two-child cap.
## Crisis and Resilience Fund
The government press release called the [£1bn Crisis Resilience Fund][5]:
> the most significant investment in local crisis support in a generation.
The CRF will launch in April 2026. Local Authorities across England will receive portions of the funding, which will replace both Household Support Fund (HSF) and Discretionary Housing Payments.
The HSF was previously [renewed on an ad hoc basis][6], at the discretion of the government. The press statement called this an “annual cliff-edge funding cycle”. In its stead, the CRF forms the first multi-year pot intended for crisis support, confirmed until 31 March 2029:
> This will allow the fund to act as a genuine safety net to prevent families from falling into poverty by giving Local Authorities the certainty they need to run long-lasting initiatives targeted at the needs of their local area.
Sabine Goodwin, director of the Independent Food Aid Network, stated that:
> The eagerly awaited Crisis and Resilience Fund is set to be groundbreaking for households living on low incomes in English local authorities. Its newly published guidance outlines the delivery of effective crisis support via prioritised cash payments enabling choice and dignity as well as the need to help residents build financial resilience through bolstered community support.
>
> Taking a cash-first approach to poverty, this multi-year funding pot has the capacity to reduce the number of people having to turn to charitable food providers and to help fulfil the Government’s commitment to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.
## Thousands of families missing out
A Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) [impact assessment has revealed][7] that roughly 50,000 families who are currently affected by the two-child limit won’t actually be any better off once the cap is removed in April. This is due to the separate, overall benefit cap, which limits the total amount a single household can receive.
Likewise, another 20,000 families won’t receive the full benefit of the two-child cap’s removal, as it would take them above the overall limit.
The overall cap is currently frozen, and hasn’t increase with inflation since 2023. As things stand, the upper limit on benefits is currently £22,020 for a couple with children.
Worse still, it will remain in place for the coming fiscal year 2026/2027. MPs are only under a statutory obligation to review this limit every 5 years.
## ‘It’s not enough’
The DWP’s assessment underscores a warning issued last week by independent social change organisation the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It stated that, even in spite of the removal of the two-child benefit cap, 4.2 million kids will still grow up in poverty by 2029.
Iain Porter, a senior policy adviser at the JRF, said:
> It’s good news that the government has begun the process of reducing child poverty and the removal of the 2-child-limit for Universal Credit is a undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
>
> But on its own it’s not enough.
>
> Our analysis shows child poverty will fall sharply in April, but then stall. By the end of the parliament there will still be around 4m children in poverty – unless the government takes additional steps. An immediate and obvious step is to address the damage done by the benefit cap, which leaves families in hardship.”
The foundation urged the government to adopt a ‘protected minimum floor’ for Universal Credit. This would set a limit on payment reductions such as the overall benefit cap or debt deductions. Likewise, the JRF also called for an ‘essentials guarantee’, ensuring that benefit payments meet a minimum standard of living costs.
The second reading of the Universal Credit Bill brings us that bit closer to seeing the ruinous two-child cap scrapped, as it should have been all along.
However, as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warned, Labour has much more work to do if they’re serious about their plans to[ tackle child poverty][8] across the UK.
*Featured image via [Unsplash][9]/the Canary*
By [Alex/Rose Cocker][10]
[1]: https://whatson.parliament.uk/event/cal54394
[2]: https://cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-02/CPAG_Two-Child_Limit_Second_Reading_WEB.pdf
[3]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-resilience-fund-and-next-step-towards-removal-of-two-child-limit-provide-safety-net-for-families
[4]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-cap-impact-two-child-limit-changes-b2912684.html
[5]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-resilience-fund-and-next-step-towards-removal-of-two-child-limit-provide-safety-net-for-families
[6]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils
[7]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-cap-impact-two-child-limit-changes-b2912684.html
[8]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-resilience-fund-and-next-step-towards-removal-of-two-child-limit-provide-safety-net-for-families
[9]: https://unsplash.com/photos/two-children-are-playing-with-a-jar-of-money-pznedU3qo-8
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2026/02/03/two-child-cap-scrapped/

2026-02-03 22:10:06 UTC

What we know about Noam Chomsky’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein
[Chomsky's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein]
The wealthy, high-profile contacts of late [paedophile Jeffrey Epstein ][1]surprises no one. From [one][2] [US][3] [president][4] to [another][5], [billionaires][6] to [yet][7] [more][8] [billionaires][9], [Israeli][10] [war][11] [criminals][12] to [British][13] [politicians][14], and [transatlantic][15] [fascists][16] to [royalty][17] — it makes sense. But one big shock has been Epstein’s apparent friendship with Noam Chomsky.
## What we know about Chomsky’s relationship with Epstein
For [decades][18], Chomsky railed against [US imperialism][19], and its [propping up of a settler-colonial system][20], “[worse than apartheid][21]” in occupied Palestine.
He exposed the [hypocrisy of Western media propaganda][22] and [called][23] [out][24] its [cynical smears][25] against progressive movements.
Even though Epstein was apparently a [charismatic][26] [charmer][27] with [sociopathic][28] [traits][29] who could “[go between different cultures and networks][30]“, Chomsky’s positions might make you think he’d never socialise with multi-millionaires like Epstein. But whether through awful judgement or hypocrisy, he did.
It appears, as pundits contend, that Chomsky had reportedly maintained a [very][31] “[close friendship][32]” with Epstein even after the latter’s imprisonment in 2008. And the academic’s [support for free speech][33] and the fact he has unapologetically “[met and corresponded with everyone][34]” — including [war criminals ][35]— does not explain the level of warmth in their interactions.
Chomsky once said his dealings with Epstein were mostly financial. But new [communications releases][36] [show][37] that:
* The two spoke about dinner and holiday plans, while sharing jokes and affectionate exchanges.
* Epstein served as a social and political connector, linking Chomsky up with prominent far-right figure [Steve Bannon][38] and Israeli war criminal [Ehud Barak][39].
* Epstein made numerous payments to Chomsky and his relatives. Chomsky’s wife called Epstein a “very dear friend”, and even a “[hero][40]” at one point.
* While there’s no evidence he went to Epstein’s island, Chomsky insisted he was “[eager][41]” to. And in one response to an invitation, he said “I’m really fantasizing about the Caribbean island”.
* Chomsky gave Epstein advice in 2019 about how to deal with the sex-crime allegations against him. His words seemed to downplay the accusations and treat Epstein like the victim. He described “a hysteria that has developed about abuse of women” that could cause “torture and distress” to someone like Epstein.
[Countless][42] [academics][43] needed money and linked up with Epstein for [financial reasons][44]. The serial rapist, on the other hand, collected connections in exchange for [information or favours][45]. He was curious [about][46] [genetics][47] and how other people could [serve his interests][48].
Epstein may have pulled Chomsky in, but the academic stuck around. And Chomsky either refused to accept his friend was a criminal (disbelieving the women who called him out in the process), or he simply cared more about Epstein.
Chomsky, meanwhile, didn’t just look the other way on Epstein.
Fellow academic Lawrence Krauss also faced [accusations from numerous women][49], asked Epstein for advice on how to deal with them. He said he would [trust Epstein’s words][50] over those of the women accusing the multi-millionaire. Chomsky, meanwhile, continued to [appear][51] [publicly][52] with Krauss despite the allegations against him.
## “Unforgiveable”
Journalist Matt Kennard, who has [interviewed][53] Chomsky on [numerous][54] [occasions][55], responded to the latest revelations by [saying][56] the academic’s:
> consorting with Epstein is unforgiveable
As philosopher Émile Torres [added][57]:
> Chomsky has shown a clear pattern of poor judgment and low moral standards.
Author Vijay Prashad, meanwhile, [insisted][58]:
> There is no defence for this, in my view, no context that can explain this outrage.
He also clarified that, in addition to Epstein being a sex offender, the multi-millionaire:
> was a man of the Far Right and a Zionist
[Epstein’s connection with Israel][59] is clear, though we don’t know all the details. It’s not just that the father of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was reportedly an Israeli “[superspy][60]“. Numerous sources highlight his own [apparent connections to Israel][61] and its [intelligence agency][62] too.
Epstein’s work in the [arms trade][63] reportedly saw him work with numerous governments. And he often bragged about how he advised dodgy regimes around the world, while:
> making a fortune out of arms, drugs, and diamonds.
In short, the corruption in the world’s economic system seemed to [reward his sociopathic personality and lack of a moral compass][64]. And apparently, the settler-colonial regime of [Israel did too][65].
Because of how Epstein represents so much of what Chomsky spent his career criticising, his friendship with the sex offender will leave a shameful stain on his legacy.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Ed Sykes][66]
[1]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2025/07/25/how-jeffrey-epstein-got-so-rich/
[2]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-files-fbi-memo-says-israel-compromised-trump-epstein-had-mossad-ties
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/trump-may-have-spoken/
[5]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93w7vq31npo
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/musk-epstein/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/richard-branson-asked-epstein/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/epstein-gates/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-palantir/
[10]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-told-ehud-barak-give-peter-mandelson-israeli-energy-company-role
[11]: https://yaledailynews.com/articles/barak-is-not-a-man-of-peace-but-an-untried-war-criminal
[12]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/9/israels-ex-pm-ehud-barak-and-jeffrey-epstein-had-close-relationship-emails-reveal
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/blair-epstein-email/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/
[15]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/steve-bannon-boasted-about-farage-ties-exchange-epstein
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/tommy-robinson-epstein-2/
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/31/andrew-windsor-accused/
[18]: https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-resisting-empire-for-more-than-four-decades/
[19]: https://chomsky.info/20080424/
[20]: https://electronicintifada.net/content/chomsky-and-pappe-clash-solutions-palestine-new-book/14444
[21]: https://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/8/noam_chomsky_what_israel_is_doing
[22]: https://files.libcom.org/files/2022-04/manufacturing_consent.pdf
[23]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/09/17/jewish-intellectual-noam-chomsky-just-took-apart-the-antisemitism-smears-against-corbyn-2/
[24]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/07/12/noam-chomsky-tells-lowkey-exactly-whats-driving-the-anti-corbyn-campaign/
[25]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/08/02/watch-jewish-intellectual-noam-chomsky-nail-how-the-character-assassination-of-jeremy-corbyn-began/
[26]: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/742725946/a-young-jeffrey-epstein-made-an-impression-on-his-high-school-students
[27]: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-hollywood-connections-social-circle?srsltid=AfmBOoqUpRgK8fcCL60NcysapP87Bkp16IPQixqUp4zBg2elZqJzSz4p
[28]: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/curious-sociopathy-of-jeffrey-epstein-ex-girlfriends
[29]: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/08/15/tale-two-sociopaths/jQT59XUNZHxbtjM5TNXeoN/story.html
[30]: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/jeffrey-epstein-steven-hoffenberg-intelligence-agencies-spy-1197708/
[31]: https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2018150047163056336?s=20
[32]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/03/epstein-files-noam-chomsky
[33]: https://chomsky.info/19801011/
[34]: https://normanfinkelstein.substack.com/p/professor-chomsky
[35]: https://uniliterate.com/2025/12/structural-silence-chomsky-epstein-and-the-architecture-of-elite-immunity/
[36]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/03/epstein-files-noam-chomsky
[37]: https://x.com/novaramedia/status/2018304659941691570?s=20
[38]: https://x.com/flakyfarseer/status/1999797707729203584?s=20
[39]: https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1652751621200199680
[40]: https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2018395906723180659?s=20
[41]: https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2018140527216955556?s=20
[42]: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/2026/02/03/nine-more-higher-ed-names-epstein-files
[43]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-emails-reveal-ties-to-prominent-scientists/
[44]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-did-jeffrey-epstein-cultivate-famous-scientists/
[45]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-did-jeffrey-epstein-cultivate-famous-scientists/
[46]: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/31/business/jeffrey-epstein-eugenics.html
[47]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-nazi-like-eugenicist/
[48]: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-did-jeffrey-epstein-cultivate-famous-scientists/
[49]: https://www.science.org/content/article/university-finds-prominent-astrophysicist-lawrence-krauss-grabbed-woman-s-breast
[50]: https://observer.case.edu/former-cwru-professor-krauss-appears-in-epstein-files/
[51]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuVqfKYbGvE
[52]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk1U8MAudbk
[53]: https://chomsky.info/2005____/
[54]: https://x.com/kennardmatt/status/1829471374856908813
[55]: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/1240-noam-chomsky-interviewed-by-our-own-matt-kennard?srsltid=AfmBOor0MyxRBWiFN3ar--DtmyIw9cZXWtirBREnNLCcrV3_Q1cCNgff
[56]: https://x.com/kennardmatt/status/2018072799668043905
[57]: https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/noam-chomsky-is-a-scumbag
[58]: https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/03/on-the-emails-between-jeffrey-epstein-and-noam-chomsky/
[59]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israel
[60]: https://www.martindillon.net/the_assassination_of_robert_maxwell__israel_s_superspy_26176.htm
[61]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/03/epstein-mossad/
[62]: https://electronicintifada.net/content/us-media-barely-touches-epstein-links-israeli-intelligence/50822
[63]: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/jeffrey-epstein-steven-hoffenberg-intelligence-agencies-spy-1197708/
[64]: https://www.axios.com/2019/09/19/jeffrey-epstein-business-sociopaths
[65]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-files-fbi-memo-says-israel-compromised-trump-epstein-had-mossad-ties
[66]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/oso/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/03/chomsky-friends-with-jeffrey-epstein/

2026-02-03 20:37:31 UTC

DWP launches Access to Work call for evidence
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has [launched a call for evidence][1] in relation to the Access to Work scheme — meaning the time for Disabled people to have their say has is now.
## Soaring rejection rates
Access to work has come under fire in recent months. Most recently, an MP [forced][2] the DWP to admit that the number of rejections for the scheme had increased dramatically since Labour took office. The figures show that denials of the vital support had increased by over 20 percent this year. In total, the scheme rejected one in three claims.
As the Canary previously reported:
> Access to Work is, in theory, supposed to provide financial support to disabled people to help them get into and stay in work. The fund can be used towards specialist equipment, transport, and support workers. However, as the Canary has [reported][3], the programme has, for a long time, been failing disabled people, and the department is quietly [cutting][4] it without any consultation and little transparency.
>
> Of course, this means disabled people are struggling to get into work because of their accommodations can’t be met.
Additionally, in November, we [reported][5] that:
> The founder of an organisation that supports thousands of disabled people in navigating Access to Work has come forward about the underhanded process by which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is making “drastic cuts” to the crumbling scheme.
Importantly, the National Audit Office (NAO) was already [investigating][6] the DWP over its Access to Work failures.
This was after the DWP [attempted][7] to quietly push through severe cuts to the Access to Work scheme. These would limit funds for specialist equipment. It would also create stricter rules on support worker rates of pay and on awarding job aid support workers.
The changes make it harder for disabled people to find work. Additionally, though, many employed disabled people will find it much harder to keep their jobs.
## A failing service
As of September, Access to Work had a [backlog][8] of 62,000 disabled people in need of support. This didn’t include those already in the system who have to reapply yearly or every two years.
Another 33,000 people are waiting to be paid for support which Access to Work has already approved. This backlog is leading to people losing jobs at a time when the government is laying into disabled people — who they claim would rather be on benefits than work.
The government claims this backlog is due to increased demand for Access to Work. It has risen 83% since 2021/22. However, this makes sense because the government has attempted to get more disabled people into work.
Given the scheme’s continued failures, it’s more important than ever for disabled people to tell the DWP what they think. Labour continues to target disabled communities with [unproven work programmes][9] and benefit cuts in its frenzy to force disabled people into unsuitable work.
A fully-funded and functioning Access to Work programme would go a hell of a lot further to help disabled people find and stay in safe, suitable, and rewarding work. Now it’s time for disabled people to make it clear that this scheme is the main way the government can support them, which it would do if it were serious about helping disabled people.
The Canary highly recommends that you get involved.
[Follow this link][10] to submit your own evidence.
Featured image via [UK Parliament][11]
By [HG][12]
[1]: https://committees.parliament.uk/submission/#/evidence/3815/preamble
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/12/05/dwp-access-to-work/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/02/dwp-access-to-work-latest-cuts/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/10/09/dwp-cuts-access-to-work/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/02/dwp-access-to-work-latest-cuts/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/09/03/dwp-access-to-work-investigation/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/05/06/dwp-access-to-work-changes/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/09/03/dwp-access-to-work-investigation/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/23/dwp-work-well/
[10]: https://committees.parliament.uk/submission/#/evidence/3815/preamble
[11]: https://committees.parliament.uk/submission/#/evidence/3815/details
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2026/02/03/dwp-access-to-work-call-for-evidence/

2026-02-03 19:41:30 UTC

Union founder slams private equity milking foster care for profit
[Foster care ravaged by profit-hungry private equity firms]
Founder of the National Union of Professional Foster Carers, Robin Findlay, has called out [private equity ownership of foster care services in the UK][1].
## Shameless profiteering
According to the [Observer][2], Findlay said:
> Private equity is looking at this as a goldmine that should be tapped into and it’s bleeding the sector of money… on the back of vulnerable children.
Stirling Square Capital Partners, Cap10 Partners, and CapVest own the largest share of the provision of foster care for children in England. They are all private equity companies and the bosses, [who extract profit from children needing care][3], generate £13m in annual profits.
A privatised foster placements can cost around double the amount than a local authority place — with prices hitting approximately £50,000. As the state is not providing for vulnerable children, councils are left with no choice but to pay higher fees for private providers.
Privatisation is branded as ‘efficiency’, yet it’s costing councils double. In the process, children are treated like commodities by large asset management firms concerned with wealth accumulation. In fact, the Competition and Markets Authority said in 2022 that private equity firms profits, averaging 19 percent, are too high.
Foster care should ultimately be brought in-house. At the moment, it’s publicly funded while the private sector continues to profit. The lack of planning also means that lots of children are sent 100 miles or more away from their hometown.
With such issues in mind, [Wales][4] has moved to ban profiteering companies from providing foster care.
## The top-line
The top three firms [generated][5] a combined profit of £40m from foster care in 2023.
Stirling Square Capital, which owns National Fostering Group, made a profit of £23.4 million for the year to August 2023. CapVest, which owns Polaris Community, which turned a profit of £14.1m. Then there’s Cap10 partners, owner of Compass Community, which profiteered at £3m.
Taking resources from children certainly chimes with the community spirit. Private agencies [profit][6] from homes for around one in three children in foster care. And the public purse is footing the bill.
This has to stop.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [James Wright][7]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/12/10/foster-children-uk/
[2]: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/private-equity-owns-lions-share-of-childrens-foster-services-and-is-bleeding-the-sector-of-money
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2023/03/03/when-the-price-on-a-childs-head-is-100k-no-wonder-adoption-in-the-uk-is-so-toxic/
[4]: https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/news/law-passes-to-end-profit-in-children-s-social-care-in-wales/
[5]: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/private-equity-cashes-in-on-foster-care-three-buyout-firms-make-40m-profit-from-plight-of-vulnerable-children/ar-AA1vsnpN
[6]: https://weownit.org.uk/public-ownership/childrens-services
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/james/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/foster-care-sector-private-equity/

2026-02-03 18:58:37 UTC

Zarah Sultana nominates Bristol community activist as Your Party leadership candidate
[Candi Williams Your Party CEC candidate for South West]
Zarah Sultana has announced her endorsement for the new Grassroots Left slate, naming Bristol-based community activist Candi Williams as her female South West candidate for the up-and-coming Your Party Central Executive Committee (CEC) [elections][1] this February.
## Your Party collective leadership
Following the member decision at the inaugural conference in Liverpool last November for Your Party to be led by the collective leadership of 18 members from across each national region, Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn have both announced a slate of endorsed candidates: a man and a woman from each region.
Williams, who has played an active role in building the Bristol Your Party branch from 40 to 400, impressed Sultana with her commitment to anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, and liberation politics at a local event. And she will stand alongside Mark Gage as the Grassroots Left slate’s South West candidates.
Williams commented:
> For more than a decade, I’ve worked alongside people struggling. I have supported refugees, worked with vulnerable young people, and mobilised against fascists locally. The core problem is often the same: it comes from the top. I’m standing with people of colour, women, trans and queer people, disabled people, refugees, and all those facing oppression.
>
> I’m looking to represent youth groups, community organisations, and charities that feel unheard and unsupported. If you represent a community group that fits this description and you feel disillusioned by the current political climate, please do get in touch.
When announcing her slate, Sultana shared on X:
> I’m backing the Grassroots Left slate in the Your Party CEC elections: A member-led slate fighting for real democracy, empowering branches and members, ensuring transparency and accountability, and standing for socialist, anti-imperialist politics from the grassroots up.
All verified members of Your Party will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred regional candidates for the CEC from 9-23 February. Local hustings are expected to take place on Wednesday 4 February. The party is currently offering membership for £1.50 via its [website][2], and anyone who joins and verifies before 5 February will be eligible to vote.
Unrepresented community groups and charities can get in touch with Williams directly regarding their policy asks via the Grassroots Left email address: [email protected]
Grassroots Left says it is campaigning for maximum member democracy at every level:
* A Central Executive Committee fully accountable to members.
* Immediate recognition of local branches with full access to data and resources.
* Transparent decision-making that treats members as the driving force of the party.
The group has committed to ensuring that elected representatives remain accountable to the membership. It promises that all elected members of the slate will meet regularly with organised sections, caucuses, and affiliated groups to report on their work, receive feedback, and collectively discuss the way forward. Find out more [on the website][3].
*Featured image supplied*
By [The Canary][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/22/your-party-cec-candidates/
[2]: https://www.yourparty.uk/
[3]: https://grassrootsleft.org
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/03/zarah-sultana-nominates-bristol-community-activist-as-your-party-leadership-candidate/

2026-02-03 18:47:54 UTC

Why Asbestos-Related Illnesses Still Matter Decades After Exposure
Asbestos exposure is often treated as a problem of the past, or something tied to outdated construction practices or old industrial jobs. In reality, asbestos-related illnesses continue to surface today, long after the material stopped being widely used. The delayed nature of these diseases makes them a quiet but persistent public health concern, one that still affects thousands of people every year.
### Long Latency Periods Hide the Risk
One of the most challenging aspects of asbestos-related illness is its long latency period. Diseases such as [mesothelioma][1] can take 20 to 50 years to develop after initial exposure. This means someone exposed in early adulthood may not experience symptoms until later in life, often long after the exposure event has been forgotten or dismissed.
Because symptoms tend to appear gradually, early signs are frequently mistaken for more common respiratory conditions. Shortness of breath, chest pain, and persistent coughing are often attributed to aging, infections, or other lung diseases. This delay complicates diagnosis and reduces the window for early treatment.
### Why Cases Are Still Emerging Today
According to [global health estimates][2], tens of thousands of deaths each year are still linked to asbestos exposure. These numbers reflect past contact rather than current use, underscoring how long-lasting the health impact can be. Despite stricter regulations and reduced use of asbestos in many parts of the world, cases continue to emerge for several reasons:
* Legacy exposure from older buildings, insulation, and materials still in use
* Renovation and demolition work that disturbs asbestos-containing materials
* Secondary exposure, where family members inhaled fibers brought home on clothing
### The Burden on Health Systems and Families
Asbestos-related illnesses place a significant burden on both healthcare systems and families. Late diagnoses often mean more aggressive disease progression and fewer treatment options. Patients may require specialized care, multiple consultations, and long-term symptom management, all while coping with uncertainty and emotional strain.
In many cases, victims’ families also feel the brunt of these conditions. Many people diagnosed later in life struggle to trace where exposure occurred, making it harder to understand the condition or plan next steps. This lack of clarity can add to stress and delay access to appropriate support.
### Why Early Recognition Still Makes a Difference
Although asbestos-related illnesses progress slowly, early recognition can still influence outcome. People who worked in construction, manufacturing, shipyards, or older public buildings may not realize that brief or indirect exposure can still be medically relevant.
Identifying symptoms sooner allows patients to access specialist care earlier, explore treatment options, and have a better quality of life. Even when a cure is not possible, early intervention can help control symptoms and reduce complications.
### The Role of Credible Education and Support
Healthcare professionals continue to emphasize the importance of exposure history when evaluating unexplained respiratory symptoms. Access to reliable, medically grounded information plays an important role in addressing asbestos-related health risks.
Many people turn to established health-focused platforms, such as [mesotheliomahope][3], to better understand asbestos-related conditions and navigate available support options. Clear, accessible information can make a meaningful difference, especially for those facing a rare or unfamiliar diagnosis.
### Endnote
Asbestos-related illnesses remain a present-day health issue because of their long latency and often subtle early symptoms. Awareness, accurate information, and early medical attention continue to matter, even decades after exposure occurred. Recognizing these risks helps individuals, families, and healthcare systems respond more effectively to conditions that are still emerging today.
By [Nathan Spears][4]
[1]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3856563/
[2]: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asbestos
[3]: https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/nathan-spears/
https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/health/2026/02/03/why-asbestos-related-illnesses-still-matter-decades-after-exposure/

2026-02-03 18:12:47 UTC

Peter Mandelson interview shows the disgraced-Lord hasn’t learned a thing
[Mandelson in front of images of Jeffrey Epstein]
In a new interview with the *Times*, Peter Mandelson has spoken about his decision to [resign from the Labour Party][1]. It’s apparent from his latest comments, that the disgraced lord gives no shits about anything besides his own feelings:
> EXCLUSIVE
>
> Lord Mandelson interview with [@katyballs][2], who spoke to him both before and after the release of thousands of new Epstein emails
>
> * On resigning from Labour. 'The decision wasn’t easy but I feel better for it as I need to reset. I am a New Labour person and always…
>
> — Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) [February 2, 2026][3]
## Blood brothers
Mandelson is currently floundering after the latest instalment of the Epstein Files exposes more [details about his relationship to the deceased paedophile][4].
Bank statements, released in the files, show three unexplained payments totalling [$75,000][5] from Epstein’s JP Morgan accounts to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004.
During his tenure as business secretary in 2009, Mandelson allegedly forwarded confidential UK government documents to Epstein. The documents detailed [£20bn in potential asset sales][6]. Owing to these revelations, Mandelson is currently under investigation by the London Metropolitan Police for [misconduct while in office][7].
Now, Mandelson has spoken about the latest Epstein Files, as summarised by the *Times’ *political editor, Steven Swinford.
> Lord Mandelson interview with [Katy Balls], who spoke to him both before and after the release of thousands of new Epstein emails
>
> * On resigning from Labour. ‘The decision wasn’t easy but I feel better for it as I need to reset. I am a New Labour person and always will be wherever the current party situates itself. But I think I want a sea change. I want to be more an outsider looking in than the other way round. I want to contribute ideas that enable Britain to strengthen and to work for all, in every part of the country’
>
> * On being sacked: ‘It felt like being killed without actually dying. It’s a unique experience. I mean, I’m navigating the experience because I have really good friends who are helping me do so, starting with Reinaldo more than anyone else’
>
> * Says Epstein is ‘muck that you can’t get off your shoe… Like dog muck, the smell never goes away’
>
> * On the $10,000 his partner accepted for an osteopathy course while he was business secretary. ‘In retrospect, it was clearly a lapse in our collective judgment for Reinaldo to accept this offer. At the time it was not a consequential decision
> ‘The idea that giving Reinaldo an osteopath bursary is going to sway mine or anyone else’s views about banking policy is risible.
>
> * What drew him to Epstein? ‘He was a classic sociopath. Outwardly, completely charming and engaging. He was very clever’
>
> * Mandelson also says Epstein threw good dinner parties. ‘I remember one of the two dinner parties of his I went to. I sat next to someone in charge of brain research at Harvard. I was sitting opposite the founders of Google. At the other end of the table was Bill Gates. I think I also brushed past Noam Chomsky on a later date’
>
> * On giving evidence to Congress: ‘There is nothing I can tell Congress about Epstein they don’t already know. I had no exposure to the criminal aspects of his life’
## Mandelson refuses to take accountability
The public reaction to the article has not been positive, to put it mildly:
> The sheer fact Mandelson is still being treated softly enough to do chummy at home interviews is a sign of how untouchable he apparently remains. Guy's under investigation by the Met but gets a magazine profile like he's a game show host [https://t.co/pXlU0YbxhP][8] [pic.twitter.com/aGnxJgR9yl][9]
>
> — Ross McCafferty (@RossMcCaff) [February 2, 2026][10]
> Let us no forget that this morning Labour sent out its people to argue there was no need for any kind of investigation into Mandelson and to bat away suggestions he lose his peerage.
> Neither line last through lunch!!
>
> — Andrew Neil (@afneil) [February 2, 2026][11]
And, worryingly, Mandelson appears keen to continue working in the public sphere:
> NEW: Mandelson still wanted to come back to civic life as recently as LAST NIGHT.
> Iv with [@katyballs][12] – this is from their call after he resigned his membership [https://t.co/WSViSzJoF1][13] [pic.twitter.com/uZBuXsCKlR][14]
>
> — Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) [February 2, 2026][15]
## Well, he’s not sorry
Given his [repeated refusals to apologise][16], it’s clear the disgraced Lord doesn’t give a shit about his past with Epstein — beyond the damage it’s done to his reputation. Leaving the Labour party appears to be little more than a symbolic gesture — a temporary retreat from the public spotlight, in other words.
Mandelson must now be stripped of his lordship and face criminal scrutiny for what his actions.
*Featured image via [Epstein Files][17]*
By [Antifabot][18]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[2]: https://twitter.com/katyballs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2018419906241282318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/mandelson-epstein-emails/
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/02/how-peter-mandelson-links-jeffrey-epstein-came-to-light#:~:text=Bank%20statements%20held%20among%20the,believed%20to%20be%20a%20beneficiary.
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/mandelson-could-face-police-inquiry-over-alleged-leak-to-epstein
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/
[8]: https://t.co/pXlU0YbxhP
[9]: https://t.co/aGnxJgR9yl
[10]: https://twitter.com/RossMcCaff/status/2018428987085668629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://twitter.com/afneil/status/2018381799567568932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://twitter.com/katyballs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/WSViSzJoF1
[14]: https://t.co/uZBuXsCKlR
[15]: https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/2018427742824378674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/11/mandelson-refuses-to-apologise/
[17]: https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2024/01/epstein-1024x683.jpg
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/03/mandelson-interview-epstein/

2026-02-03 17:26:59 UTC

Undercover police spied on anti arms trade campaigners and exaggerated their threat to protect the arms industry
[Arms trade protesters outside DSEI]
Evidence quoted in an [opening position statement][1] released on 2 February by the Undercover Policing Inquiry shows that multiple undercover police officers spied on anti-arms trade campaigners, including Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), because of the [financial importance of the industry to the British state][2].
There are also allegations that risks from protests against Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), one of the world’s largest arms fairs, were deliberately exaggerated to ensure a repressive police response designed to stifle protest. In fact the biggest risk facing undercover police officers came from uniformed officers. Or, as they euphemistically say, “over-enthusiastic policing”.
One report, a 2003 review of HN3 ‘Jason Bishop’ who targeted DSEI protests states that:
> Source has been targeted at environmentalist groups who engage in direct action
> and/or protest action and a wide range of environmental and political issues. Some of these issues concern or could influence the financial well being of the State, i.e. DSEI.
Another, an interview with HN18 Robert Hastings in 2007, states that police targeted DSEI organising:
> because of the high profile nature of the event and the amount of money involved and the embarrassment that would be caused to the government etc.
Additional reporting from HN18 describes the “worst disorder” at DSEI protests as:
> free flowing [marches with] street party gatherings accompanied by a samba band and a sound system.
## Campaign Against Arms Trade
During the course of the inquiry, CAAT applied for core participant status twice. Once, when the inquiry initially began in 2015, when the inquiry argued there was not substantive proof that CAAT had been spied on.
The second application, made in 2024, was [rejected on the grounds][3] that reports were collateral damage due to reporting on another core participant, Emily Apple, who is also currently CAAT’s media coordinator, and a CAAT volunteer for some of the period covered by this tranche.
However, as [Apple’s position statement][4] for Tranche 3, Phase 2 of the inquiry sets out, CAAT was the target of frequent reporting by numerous undercover police officers, some of which pre-dates any reporting on her by undercover officers. Tranche 3 of the inquiry covers police spying from 1993-2008 when the Special Demonstration Squad/Special Duties Squad (SDS) closed.
Apple, who was also a very close friend of Martin Hogbin, the corporate spy who infiltrated CAAT from 1997-2003, is additionally asking the inquiry to investigate the relationship between the policing units and arms trade spies, and whether any of the information reported by Hogbin to BAE Systems ended up with the SDS.
Apple’s statement also details the extensive harassment she received from the police, often directed by the SDS, and the intrusive interference in her private life by undercover officers, including buying her then two-week old son a giant polar bear.
Apple, CAAT’s media coordinator and core participant, stated:
> It is very clear that CAAT and other anti-arms trade campaigns I was involved in were deliberately and intrusively targeted by undercover officers to protect the arms trade, and its value to the state. Street party gatherings were described as ‘serious disorder’ while little or no investigations were carried out against the arms companies marketing illegal weapons at DSEI.
>
> While some of the events the inquiry is investigating are over 20 years old, this is not a historical issue. We saw yet again at DSEI in September 2025 the lengths the police are willing to go to protect arms dealers, deploying extreme violence – the very picture of ‘over-enthusiastic’ policing described in the documents – to police our protests. This resulted in the police breaking the wrist of a legal observer, breaking the ankle of another protester, and knocking a third unconscious.
>
> Anti-arms trade campaigners are currently facing unprecedented levels of repression, in particular with the proscription of Palestine Action. There are striking similarities between the exaggerated threats outlined in these documents with the justifications relied upon by this government to target protesters today.
>
> There are serious questions that need answering about the complicity between successive governments, the police and the arms companies to repress our right to protest to protect a trade that is complicit in multiple genocides and human rights abuses.
The inquiry will hear further detailed evidence relating to these allegations on the following dates:
* 23 February – HN3 ‘Jason Bishop’ giving evidence
* 23 March – Emily Apple giving evidence
* 24-26 March – HN18 Robert Hastings giving evidence
You can follow events on [the inquiry’s YouTube page][5].
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [The Canary][6]
[1]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Emily-Apple.pdf
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/militarism/
[3]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240222-Core-Participants-51-RULING.pdf
[4]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Emily-Apple.pdf
[5]: https://www.youtube.com/@undercoverpolicinginquiry9441/streams
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/03/undercover-police-spied-on-anti-arms-trade-campaigners-and-exaggerated-their-threat-to-protect-the-arms-industry/

2026-02-03 16:58:03 UTC

Tories put forward transphobe to stand in Gorton and Denton
[gorton and denton]
The Conservative Party have announced their pick for the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, choosing to stand former police officer and member of the LGB Alliance Charlotte Cadden.
The [controversial charity Sex Matters,][1] part of the LGB Alliance, has long drawn criticism for the hate group who work to normalise political attacks against trans people.
As a member of that group, this pick likely signals that the Tories are intending on using trans people as a scapegoat in a culture war.
> – Charlotte served for 30 years as a Police Officer, both for Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police
>
> – Charlotte is a trustee of the charity Sex Matters, a member of the LGB Alliance Business Forum. She coordinates the Women’s Rights Network in Greater Manchester…
>
> — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) [February 1, 2026][2]
## Glossy slogans with no real solutions for Gorton and Denton
Cadden arguably represents more of the same out-of-touch politics that Gorton and Denton have likely had more than enough of. Backed by a party long disconnected from the everyday struggles of working families, Cadden’s right-wing campaign likely relies on glossy slogans than real solutions. Constituents should watch closely how Cadden plans to tackle rising living costs, crumbling public services, and declining community wellbeing.
In a northern “worker bee” constituency, austerity and underinvestment have hit residents hardest. Manchester voters need leaders who put people above party politics. However, Cadden’s connections to Sex Matters and LGB Alliance raise serious questions about whether she delivers for the communities she seeks to represent.
In 2022, Consortium, a coalition of LGBT organisations, told a court that LGB Alliance was [set up to][3]:
> promote transphobic activity rather than pro-LGB activities.
As usual, the Tories have no ideas beyond peddling hatred against minorities. What they do have is the commitment to making life even more unsafe for trans people.
## Culture wars whilst ignoring actual abuse
And, the [Epstein scandal][4] only underscores how safety is threatened. Yet again, recent reports show how men are all too capable of orchestrating the rape and abuse of women and girls for their own gain. Even, at times, with the aid of women themselves. Therefore, it’s clear that the real threat comes from those who abuse power, men or women, not from trans people, like mainstream media headlines would have us believe.
> Rape/sexual assault is about CONTROL & POWER. Arguments about how it is “biological” make no sense. It has zero to do with sex— it is about having control and power over someone in the most heinous and humiliating way someone could think of, which is by violating their body.
>
> — Lexï [🇯🇲] (@lexisvexi) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Member of a ‘hate group’
As the satirical account below points out, LGB Alliance’s anti-trans rhetoric satisfies qualifying criteria to be designated officially as a hate group:
> This is outrageous. We meet all criteria of a hate group by the SPLC. Calling us anything else is a smear. [😡] [pic.twitter.com/uysrlzNjGg][6]
>
> — LGB_Alliance (@LGBAlliance_UK) [March 30, 2020][7]
This X account shows the attitudes exacerbated by far-right misogyny, targeting vulnerable groups. Legitimising attacks at others simply works to uphold patriarchal dominance in British society:
> "Charlotte wasted 30 years of police officers wages that would have been better spent on a male police officer." [https://t.co/6LTmWMSEuI][8]
>
> — Rolfy [🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿] (@__rolfy) [February 1, 2026][9]
The Tories’ latest stunts show they’ve learned nothing from their record in government. Ordinary people bore the brunt of brutal austerity, while the wealthiest soared to record profits:
> [🚨] Congratulations to Charlotte Cadden, our brilliant candidate for Gorton and Denton.
>
> A former police officer and school governor – she’ll be great.
>
> Labour have failed.
>
> Reform and the Greens offer fantasy politics.
>
> Only the [@Conservatives][10] have the team and plan to deliver. [pic.twitter.com/pF3vxU6iZm][11]
>
> — Matt Vickers MP (@Matt_VickersMP) [February 1, 2026][12]
## Culture wars: distraction tactics for right-wingers
This candidate announcement from the Tory party makes one thing abundantly clear. Right-wingers are intent on pitching their campaigns firmly on culture war issues around denigrating trans people’s rights under the guise of supporting women’s safety. Yet again the establishment parties are refusing to confront the real issues in society. Instead, true to form, they seek to create even more issues to distract us from the daily struggle affecting everyone’s lives.
After all, if the establishment want to win out, they can’t let the UK population unite against the threat facing us all.
The super-rich billionaires fleecing us left, right and centre.
*Featured image via [Just Giving][13]*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][14]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/29/sex-matters-loses-court/
[2]: https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2017976444366819822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/12/gay-rights-group-was-set-up-to-promote-transphobic-activity-court-told
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[5]: https://twitter.com/lexisvexi/status/2018005837659115528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://t.co/uysrlzNjGg
[7]: https://twitter.com/LGBAlliance_UK/status/1244675860650573828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/6LTmWMSEuI
[9]: https://twitter.com/__rolfy/status/2017991712766140896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://twitter.com/Conservatives?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/pF3vxU6iZm
[12]: https://twitter.com/Matt_VickersMP/status/2017978616563236907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Charlotte-Cadden
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/gorton-and-denton-tories/

2026-02-03 16:43:55 UTC

Egypt’s secret drone intervention in Sudan revealed
[Sudan]
Egypt is running a secretive military intervention in Sudan. Drones are being flown out of an airbase in the Sahara. Egypt is striking Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targets in support of the Sudanese government. The *New York Times *(NYT) [acquired][1] satellite images of the base, which sits close to the Sudanese border, hidden amid a vast agricultural project:
> The airstrip sits next to giant crop circles at the edge of the Sahara. Military drones take off over enormous fields of wheat, leaving their covert base for one of the world’s biggest drone wars.
The war in Sudan is theoretically between the [Arab supremacist RSF][2] and the Sudanese government. But foreign states pursuing [their own interests][3] are backing the combatants. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, backs the RSF with arms and equipment. Egypt backs the government, alongside Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Israel has backed [both sides][4] at different times.
RSF has killed Sudanese civilians in vast numbers. And some [estimates][5] say 150,000 people have died and over 10mn have been displaced by fighting.
## Egypt upscales its intervention in Sudan
The *NYT* [reported on 3 January][6] that:
> for at least six months, advanced military drones based at the Egyptian airstrip have been carrying out strikes in Sudan.
The paper said:
> Egypt, until recently, was mostly a diplomatic player in Sudan. But the drone activity suggests it has entered the fight alongside Sudan’s military, adding yet another layer to a war bursting with foreign powers on either side.
Egypt’s weapon of choice reflects a trend in warfare globally. Drones are the order of the day. The *NYT* said:
> The clandestine drone operation offers new evidence of how the civil war in Sudan — racked by famine, atrocities and tens of thousands of deaths — is morphing into a sprawling theater for high-tech drone warfare driven by the interests of rival foreign powers.
Egyptian operations have been impactful enough that RSF has even [threatened retribution][7]. But RSF is also using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Theirs are Chinese-made, but supplied by the UAE. The UAE denies involvement.
## Turkish arms, African wars
The Sudanese military uses drones too. Their UAVs are of Turkish manufacture. US officials [said][8] Sudanese drones made by Turkish firm Baykar were being flown from Egypt.
The fall of the southern Sudanese city of [El Fasher][9] in October 2025 reportedly sparked Egypt into action. The Egyptian government fears an RSF-controlled Sudan.
Egypt is in a precarious position. The country is a recipient of [massive investment][10] by UAE, RSF’s most important backer:
> Egypt’s economy is highly dependent on the Emirates, which in 2024 invested $35 billion in a development project on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast — the country’s largest ever foreign investment.
Since 2018 Egypt has been expanding its airfield 40 miles from the Sudanese border. Turkish drones have been [operating][11] from the strip for several years:
> But the arrival of Akinci drones last year provided vastly greater capabilities. With a range of more than 4,500 miles, the Akinci can carry at least three times more bombs than the TB2, according to experts. It also costs at least four times more.
The *NYT* [added][12]:
> By December [2025], at least two Akinci drones were operating from the base and striking targets inside Sudan.
Sudan is where regional and global ambitions meet. The three-year-old conflict reflects the present and future of warfare. Advanced drone technology, brutal old-fashioned imperial violence, and proxy war meet in the country’s killing fields, backed by self-serving foreign actors vying for influence in Africa and beyond. The war is one of the most grotesque spectacles of our era.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][13]
[1]: https://archive.ph/9P9pw
[2]: https://www.euaa.europa.eu/country-guidance-sudan/311-non-arabsafricans-darfur
[3]: https://archive.ph/jyL83
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/10/31/gaza-to-sudan-israels-role-is-being-overlooked/
[5]: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-11/sudan-united-nations-war-crimes-atrocities-violence.html
[6]: https://archive.ph/9P9pw
[7]: https://archive.ph/9P9pw
[8]: https://archive.ph/9P9pw
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/10/30/el-fasher-sudan/
[10]: https://archive.ph/o/hJqXW/https://www.reuters.com/business/egypt-announces-multi-billion-uae-investment-boost-forex-2024-02-23/
[11]: https://archive.ph/hJqXW#selection-1481.0-1485.103
[12]: https://archive.ph/hJqXW#selection-1481.0-1485.103
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/03/sudan-egypt/

2026-02-03 16:32:56 UTC

Starmer gives Mandelson evidence to police – but this could end be the end of Keirc
[starmer]
Keir Starmer has [given evidence to the Met Police][1] of Peter Mandelson leaking confidential government information to serial child rapist – and Mandelson’s bestie – Jeffrey Epstein. The evidence includes original emails containing sensitive economic information. The emails released by the US justice department also show Mandelson [engaging in insider trading that would enrich Epstein and his allies][2].
*Now* Starmer has. But his Downing Street officials – and therefore Starmer – were aware of Mandelson’s emails to Epstein *months* before now, probably even longer.
Last September, Starmer’s office [said][3] it had emails sent by Mandelson that exposed “the depth and extent” of Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein. That sounds a lot more extensive than merely the [pining adoration that the September Epstein file release exposed][4] – and Mandelson had already been vetted for his appointment by Starmer as UK ambassador to the US.
SNP MP Stephen Flynn made the same point on social media – and others agreed:
> Stephen:
> 10/09/2025 Gordon Brown reports Mandelson to Cab Sec re leaks.
> 11/09/2025 Mandelson is sacked.
> I think the Cab Sec found the files then so Mandelson sacked.
> They have covered this up until now when files released for public viewing.
> No choice but to hand material to the…
>
> — Ilkley John (@IlkleyJohn) [February 3, 2026][5]
Starmer said last September that he had full confidence in Mandelson. He knew, when he said it, about Mandelson’s gushing emails to Epstein, sent *after* Epstein’s first child rape conviction. If Starmer also knew that Mandelson was leaking sensitive information to the paedophile and Israeli spy and kept it secret, then he’s toast.
Criminal toast.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][6]
[1]: https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/2018677076211990721?s=46
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/
[3]: https://www.ajbell.co.uk/news/articles/officials-were-aware-mandelson-emails-starmer-defended-him
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/14/epstein-mandelson/
[5]: https://twitter.com/IlkleyJohn/status/2018686824152015352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/starmer-evidence/

2026-02-03 16:25:24 UTC

Trump law chief admits withholding the worst of the Epstein files
[Epstein files]
The US Department of Justice has released three million ‘Epstein files’, exposing [horrific crimes against children by US, Israeli, and other elites][1]. However the Department of Justice’s deputy head has confirmed in a speech that his department is withholding much of the worst:
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SnapInsta-Ai_3822409017638115091.mp4][2]
What has already been released from the Epstein files includes [admissions of torture and witness statements about rape, murder and violence toward children][3], mostly girls.
And Blanche admits that it includes photographic evidence of maiming, torture, rape – and murder.
All perpetrators must be exposed. There isn’t a punishment strong enough both for those who’ve carried out these heinous crimes, and those who’ve enabled them or looked the other way. The whole system that has enabled and protected them must be dismantled.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-nazi-like-eugenicist/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SnapInsta-Ai_3822409017638115091.mp4
[3]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUOf_f-Ae2B
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/epstein-files/

2026-02-03 16:15:22 UTC

‘Infantile’: Ukraine sports minister slams FIFA president’s consideration of Russia rejoining
[Infantino - FIFA president]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s statements regarding the possibility of reviewing the suspension of Russia’s participation in international competitions have reignited a broad debate about the consistency of FIFA’s standards in dealing with armed conflicts.
Both FIFA and UEFA suspended the participation of Russian national teams and clubs in February 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the time, FIFA [said the move was aimed at protecting the integrity of competitions][1] and ensuring the safety of participants. However, Infantino has spent the intervening years courting [Donald Trump’s hateful regime][2] ahead of the next world cup in the US. Now,[ Infantino has claimed that banning Russia][3] “achieved nothing” and instead contributed to increased “frustration and hatred.” He went on to claim that allowing Russian children to play football outside their country could be “a positive thing.”
## ‘Irresponsible and Childish Statements’
Infantino’s remarks were met with sharp criticism from Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvey Bidny, who argued that Infantino’s remarks disconnected football from the reality of a war that continues to claim civilian lives, including children.
The Ukrainian minister pointed out that Russia is [politicizing sports and using them to justify its aggression,][4] emphasizing that his position aligns with that of the Ukrainian Football Federation, which also warns against Russia’s return to international competitions.
He described Infantino’s recent statements regarding the possibility of lifting the ban on Russia as “irresponsible” and “childish,” given the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine, adding:
> As long as the Russians continue to kill Ukrainians and politicize sports, there is no place for their flag or their national symbols among those who respect the values of justice, integrity, and fair play.
## Inevitable questions
These stances have brought to the forefront comparisons with FIFA’s handling of Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Just as with the above invasion, Israel have continued their settler colonial domination of Palestinian territory, and [murdered footballers and other sports people][5]. Passionate pleas from human rights organisations, players unions, and football fans calling for FIFA to ban Israel have gone ignored.
Critics argue that FIFA, which emphasizes its commitment to the principle of “not politicizing sport” in the case of Gaza, has adopted a different and more decisive stance in the case of Russia, raising questions about the application of the same standards in different conflicts.
Human rights reports indicate [widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure][6] in Gaza, including sports facilities, in addition to a large number of casualties among athletes and children. Nevertheless, FIFA continues to assert that it is closely monitoring the situation and addressing it through internal mechanisms without resorting to suspensions or sanctions.
As calls for accountability for violations of international humanitarian law persist, FIFA’s handling of the situations in Ukraine and Gaza is seen as a true test of its credibility as a global body that claims to uphold the values of justice, integrity, and impartiality.
Based on its current showing, FIFA is a craven and corrupt organisation who values the lives of white people over and above the lives of Palestinians.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alaa Shamali][7]
[1]: https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/media-releases/fifa-uefa-suspend-russian-clubs-and-national-teams-from-all-competitions
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/21/trump-fifa-defends-peace/
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c2053zn21e1o
[4]: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-hits-out-at-infantile-fifa-boss-for-considering-lifting-russia-ban-13502506
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/11/16/gaza-israel-sport/
[6]: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/israel-and-palestine
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/03/fifa-russia/

2026-02-03 15:56:34 UTC

Finkelstein appears in latest Epstein release with brutal rejection of overtures
[Finkelstein]
Anti-Zionist academic Professor Norman Finkelstein appears in the latest release of Epstein files – and comes out rejecting the paedophiles overtures.
Robert Trivers is an academic who defended Epstein as a “person of integrity” even after Epstein’s conviction for child rape. He also took cash from Epstein. The Epstein files show Trivers was in the habit of ‘cc-ing’ Finkelstein into emails with Epstein on topics he thought might be interesting to both. Given his [later provision to Epstein of personal information on Finkelstein][1], this may have been a way of trying to establish contact between the pair of them.
For example, Trivers [wrote][2] to Epstein describing Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz as a “Jewish Nazi” when Dershowitz was having dinner with “Narcissistic Psychopath” Donald Trump. Finkelstein was among the other addressees:
There is no indication in the files that Finkelstein ever asked for or welcomed the contacts. The opposite, in fact.
## Finkelstein mentioned in Epstein files
In 2015, Trivers received an email from academic and author [Prof Joseph Chaney.][3] Chaney castigated Trivers for not just endorsing Epstein, but blaming Epstein’s victims for what they suffered. Chaney also shines for his humanity and readiness to speak out and call Epstein what he was – a rapist and paedophile:
> I was shocked to read your statement yesterday in The Guardian. The paper reports:
>
> At least two grant recipients in academia are standing by Epstein, saying he remains a friend: Krauss and Robert Trivers, a Rutgers University biologist.
>
> Trivers said Epstein is a person of integrity who should be given credit for serving time in prison and for settling civil lawsuits brought by women who said they were abused.
>
> “Did he get an easy deal? Did he buy himself a light sentence? Well, yes, probably, compared to what you or I would get, but he did get locked up,” Trivers said. He said he got about $40,000 from Epstein to study the relationship between knee symmetry and sprinting ability.
>
> Trivers also said he believes girls mature earlier than in the past. “By the time they’re 14 or 15, they’re like grown women were 60 years ago, so I don’t see these acts as so heinous,” he said.
The article in question can be read [here][4].
Chaney takes Trivers obscene comments to task:
> Is this claim regarding teenage girls your scientific opinion? If so, I’d like to see the research supporting your idea that a girl of 14 is as mature emotionally and psychologically as an adult woman in the 1950s. The real problem with the statement, though, is the way in which it places blame for child abuse on the child and excuses the criminal actions of an adult sexual predator, a man who was a serial rapist of children.
>
> Your claim about 14- and 15-year-olds is clearly wrong in the legal sense; but it is also wrong, and dangerous, as a claim about maturity. Any parent of a teenager can tell you that teens are not like adults. They have not yet internalized a sense of authority. They still depend largely on the judgment and guidance of adults who praised them for their obedience more than for their independence of mind.
>
> This means that they are too easily impressed by and manipulated by adults, especially those whom they view as important and powerful. Teenage girls, no matter how capable of sexual activity they may be, are not yet morally responsible persons. They are a vulnerable class of people that the law rightly protects from potential predators and abusers.
>
> I believe that your affection for Jeffrey Epstein has led you to make light of his heinous crimes. Have you read the report of the original police investigation on him? If not, I urge you to read it before you make further public statements in defense of his reputation. The powerful consistency of the evidence in the [Probable Cause Affidavit][5] should give you pause.
>
> The police record will reveal to you that Mr. Epstein is not a “person of integrity.” Appearances can be deceiving!
>
> I believe that your statement to the press was harmful. In a news report, once you are identified as a scientist from a prestigious university, people assume that you are speaking with the authority of a scientist and the backing of your institution and not simply as a private citizen. You represent Rutgers University, and also, by extension, academia. People (for instance, the parents of our students) are very sensitive to these issues.
>
> As a professor, I also am sensitive to this issue. Your statement, with its suggestion that the girl victims are partly to blame for the abuse they received at the hands of your friend, reflects badly on all of us. I hope you will issue a public apology and retraction.
Trivers was not impressed. He forwarded Chaney’s message to Epstein – and included Finkelstein – quipping:
> damn, i thought a “heinous crime” was the US invasion of Iraq 2003 or at least murder, rape and pillage?
Finkelstein [fired back][6] with a damning quote from one of Epstein’s child victims. He added that, rather than defend Epstein and Dershowitz, they deserve to be ‘throttled’:
> **Sworn testimony of Jane Doe #3**
> **24. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz was around Epstein frequently. Dershowitz was so comfortable with the sex that was going on that he would even come and chat with Epstein while I was giving oral sex to Epstein.**
>
> **My guess is, if Epstein put your daughter at age 15 in such a position, you wouldn’t publicly describe him as a “friend” and person of “integrity.” In fact, I would hope that you’d promptly throttle both Epstein and Dershowitz**.
Ever uncompromising, Finkelstein copied the child-rapist Epstein in on his reply:
Finkelstein is famous for his refusal to back down in his analysis of Israel’s genocide, apartheid, colonialism, arrogance and the sickness of its society. Because of it, he is hated and targeted by the Israel lobby.
He should now also be rightly famous for his refusal to compromise with perverts and paedophiles and their enablers. There is little doubt, given the [prevalence of paedophilia in Israel][7] and [among its supporters][8], and Epstein’s now-confirmed status as an Israeli ‘kompromat’ operative, that Finkelstein will be hated and targeted even more by the Israel lobby.
*Featured image via [YouTube screenshot/Media Education Foundation][9] *
By [Skwawkbox][10]
[1]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00934850.pdf
[2]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00834985.pdf
[3]: https://clas.iusb.edu/english/faculty/chaney.html
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/01/jeffrey-epstein-charities-refuse-money-financier-sex-case
[5]: http://www.scribd.corn/doc/253167806/Epstein-Probable-Cause-Affidavit#scribd
[6]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00710174.pdf
[7]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/12/video-daughter-of-israeli-minister-says-parents-filmed-her-rape-asks-police-to-protect-her-from-them/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/dan-norris-arrest/
[9]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFoHXuhq9mU
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/finkelstein-epstein/

2026-02-03 15:15:54 UTC

DWP insults disabled people with steering group for Timms Review
[dwp]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has appointed a 12-person steering group to the Timms Review and claims it has a range of lived experiences. However, the members are overwhelmingly southern, and the government has also included Jean-André Prager. Previously, and controversially, Prager called for the DWP to make PIP conditional for young people.
## DWP: what is the Timms review?
The Timms Review is the review and [consultation][1] of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). It came about after the government failed to rush through cuts to PIP. This was because of pressure from disabled people, which caused MPs to rebel. It forced them to remove PIP entirely from the Universal Credit Bill.
This is despite overwhelming [support ][2]for PIP staying exactly where it is, or even becoming more compassionate. Many responses pointed to the financial and mental health impacts of losing their PIP.
## Lack of diversity
Now, the government has received only 340 applications to sit on the Timms Review Steering Group. Given that there are over 16 million disabled people in the UK, that number is embarrassing. It shows how little faith disabled people have in the process.
Additionally, the government has not disclosed which regions are represented in the steering group.
Previously, the DWP [announced][3] the members of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel (IDAP), including their locations. This included a severe lack of northern representation – leaving just one person to represent the whole of the North of England.
Quick LinkedIn searches for the newly appointed steering group members reveal that at least 7 of the 12 are based in London. Unsurprisingly, once again, there is only one in the north – in Newcastle.
This is despite the North East [having][4] the highest level of disability – 21.2% – and the second highest level of poverty – 25%.
Is there any wonder the government didn’t publish this information?
## Here we go again
To make matters worse, the government has appointed Jean Andre-Prager to the steering group.
He was previously the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser covering the DWP and is currently a Senior Fellow at the [right-wing think tank, Policy Exchange][5].
Previously, he called for PIP to be made conditional for 16-30-year-olds. Of course, this bullshit and deeply flawed idea fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of the benefit – to aid with the extra costs of living with a disability. These do not magically appear when you hit 30. They are lifelong, and can drastically change the lives of young people.
A Policy Exchange report, which Andre-Prager led, [stated][6]:
> Reform should also be based on the principles which underpinned the New Deal for Young People, first introduced in 1998, which compelled engagement via fulltime education, voluntary work or formal employment. The Government should refresh these concepts for the modern day.
>
> This is a clear departure from the current purpose of PIP whose purpose is to meet some of the extra costs incurred by disabled people. However, given the rising claimant numbers – especially among young people with mental health challenges – we think this is a necessary step to encourage improved engagement with society. We suggest that DWP is still be able to opt individuals out of conditionality based on the severity of their condition. Coupled with this change, we would change the age where you can claim PIP to 18 (increasing it from 16) to better align with support provided.
It is ableist nonsense to even entertain the idea that young people with chronic illnesses and disabilities can just be cut out of vitally necessary support.
## Disgraceful decision
Once again, we are seeing this government’s latest trend of punching down at neurodivergent and mentally ill young people.
Given Andre-Prager’s history of authoring this report, it makes sense that the DWP would appoint him. It’s very likely that he’ll bring these dangerous ideas to the steering group. But obviously, that suits Labour’s [already clear intent][7] on hammering young people.
His presence is perhaps the biggest indicator of what the review is actually there to do. As the *Canary* has [repeatedly warned][8], the Timms review is a foregone conclusion. It exists only to support the DWP’s preconceived desire to cut PIP. The review clearly isn’t for listening to disabled people or groups. It’s to [further stigmatise people][9] who need support to survive.
Alarm bells should be ringing because this review does not have disabled people’s best interests at heart, and it never did.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [HG][10]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/31/dwp-pip-timms-review/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/30/dwp-pathways-to-work/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/23/dwp-panel-sparks/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/23/dwp-panel-sparks/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/08/29/activists-take-aim-at-right-wing-dark-money-think-tank-policy-exchange/
[6]: https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/For-Whose-Benefit-Proposals-to-Reform-Health-and-Disability-Benefits-and-To-Create-a-New-Social-Contract.pdf
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/11/dwp-pip-wait-times/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/05/15/dwp-pip-reform/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/12/12/dwp-new-benefit-changes/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/dwp-timms-insult/

2026-02-03 14:58:39 UTC

‘Terrorist’ leader of American ‘Antifa’ lets protestors use his loo. SEIZE HIM!
[antifa]
Ridiculous US federal officers [say][1] they have identified a key leader of ‘antifa’. But the guy they are accusing seems to be a local protestor who lets other protestors use his bathroom. Hardly the second coming of [Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh][2] is it, you absolute buffoons?
If it needs saying at all, Antifa does not exist in the sense meant by US officials. It’s a vaguely defined political tendency. It cuts across socialist, anarchist, communist and even liberal groups who, erm, don’t like fascism. It sort of says so in the name: antifa = antifascist.
## Antifa war is bullshit
To be clear, US president Donald Trump’s [war on ‘antifa’][3] is a war on the left. It is one strand of his nativist plans for an America in which he cannot be challenged. It had nothing to do with terrorism or extremism – except his own.
Independent US reporter Ken Klippenstein’s [work on Trump-era authoritarianism][4] has been groundbreaking. On 3 February he published [a new story][5]. He’d seen internal documents which referred to the individual:
> Twenty-nine year old Chandler Patey has been regularly protesting outside his local ICE facility in South Portland for months, offering up his apartment to fellow protesters to use the bathroom or wash off pepper spray, according to local news.
On the face if it Patey sounds like a normal guy. One of millions of Americans opposed to Trump’s so-called war on immigration.
However:
> To the Department of Homeland Security, “he is the leader of Antifa in Portland, OR.”
Klippenstein [explains][6]:
> That phrase appears in an internal report produced by DHS, the largest law enforcement agency in the country. As they see it, Patey—a young man accused of no crime and who looks like a random protester plucked off the streets of Minneapolis—is a domestic terrorist.
He noted that* Fox News* anchors had even discussed Patey’s home as being a antifa ‘safe house’:
> This kind of idiocy is hardly unprecedented by the standards of cable news, of course; but the federal government is buying into the hysteria, too. Documents leaked to me show Patey and countless other American protesters have been branded as domestic terrorists. As a result, their private information is now being collected and stored in a DHS intelligence system.
## American fascism
American fascism, embodied partly in the endless raids and beatings – [and street executions][7] – by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers, is thriving.
Klippenstein previously challenged the department’s claim that no database of ‘domestic terrorists’ existed. He asked them again in relation to Patey and got no answer.
Incredible work, guys. It would be funny, but as Klippenstein points out this kind of half-cocked intelligence gathering has [consequences][8]:
> This bureaucratic imperative to find terrorists among protesters is what got Renee Good and Alex Pretti killed.
DHS shot dead Good and Pretti in January. Neither was engaged in any kind of behavior which would merit being shot. Video evidence from multiple angles shows that they presented no threat to federal officers.
The evidence suggests that like them Patey presents no danger whatsoever. Except maybe in one narrow sense and it is that basic human solidarity is a severe threat to the far-right and their vision of a cowed and obedient population which cowers while armed thugs cart away their neighbours.
*Featured image via [Unsplash/Julian Schneiderath][9]*
By [Joe Glenton][10]
[1]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-identify-leader-of-antifa
[2]: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/19/oklahoma-city-timothy-mcveigh-interview-pre-execution/83009171007/
[3]: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/17/politics/antifa-terrorist-designation-trump
[4]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/about
[5]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-identify-leader-of-antifa
[6]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-identify-leader-of-antifa
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/15/ice-trumps-fascist-militia/
[8]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-identify-leader-of-antifa
[9]: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-red-smoke-bomb-sitting-on-the-side-of-a-road-8i1CMpg12iQ
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/03/antifa-bullshit/

2026-02-03 14:42:27 UTC

UK defence policy is nukes and sucking up to the US, minister reminds us
[uk defence]
Defence minister Luke Pollard just reiterated in the House of Commons what UK defence policy is all about these days. It’s about massively expensive drones, nukes that aren’t ours, and a sniveling attitude to the US. Rule Britannia etc.
Pollard was answering questions from MPs on a range of military matters on 2 February. Tory Mark Francois (remember him!?) wondered if the UK would gift its Watchkeeper drones to Ukraine. Pollard [said][1] no:
> The UK and partners will continue to ensure we equip Ukraine as best we can to defend its sovereign territory and ensure it is in a position of strength for any peace negotiations.
He went on:
> Since Watchkeeper Mk1 entered service in 2010, drone technology has evolved at remarkable pace, driven by the extensive use of unmanned systems in the war in Ukraine. The Department has therefore prioritised this effort on more cost-effective drones that deliver comparable capability and can operate in the most demanding environments.
Supposedly, the search for Watchkeeper’s replacement – AKA, the Corvus program – will [cost][2] £130mn. This seems very optimistic. Based on the Israeli Hermes drone, Watchkeeper was ten years late late and cost £1bn. That’s [according][3] to *Drone Wars UK*. The NGO also said Watchkeeper flew only 14 hours in Afghanistan in 2014 because combat operations had effectively ended by the time it was usable.
Drone War [said][4]:
> Since then, apart from one short deployment in the UK, the 50 plus Watchkeeper drones have either flown on training flight, mostly in the UK or Cyprus (despite being marketed as an all-weather system, it performs poorly in ‘adverse’ weather) or simply kept in storage.
The drone, which is unarmed, was then [used][5] to monitor refugees coming over the channel:
> The UK deployment was to support Border Force operations to curb refugees crossings the channel. According to responses to our FoI requests at the time, a total of 21 flights were conducted in September and October 2022.
Very cost effective indeed.
## Special relationship with who?
Also on 2 February Pollard was questioned about US-UK defence relations. Independent MP Ayoub Khan [asked][6]:
> Whether he is taking steps to increase the UK’s level of military independence from the US.
Pollard said:
> The US remains the UK’s principal defence and security partner, and our co-operation on defence, nuclear capability and intelligence remains as close and effective as any anywhere in the world, keeping Britain safe in an increasingly dangerous environment.
No change there then, despite Donald Trump’s increasingly erratic warmongering. Pollard added:
> As close friends, we are not afraid to have difficult conversations when we need to. Friends turn up for each other, as we did for the US in Afghanistan, and friends are also honest with each other, as the Prime Minister has set out.
Trump recently [disparaged][7] the NATO contribution to the disastrous Afghan war, causing immense public butthurt to British MPs. Trump eventually [walked back][8] his comments, lauding British soldiers for their efforts in that pointless, failed occupation.
Cheers, Don.
## Independent nukes?
Khan had another question, however. He [asked][9] if the government would consider dropping military programs which did nothing to protect the country:
> Our nuclear deterrent now consumes nearly a third of the defence budget through Trident, a system that cannot be launched without US approval. In pursuing nuclear deterrence and mutually assured destruction, we have drained funding from conventional forces and neglected the diplomacy and development that actually prevents conflicts.
He asked:
> Does the Minister believe that prioritising nuclear defence over reducing tensions, ending conflicts and promoting peace genuinely delivers security for our people, and if so, can he explain why?
Pollard reiterated that the [House of Commons is populated largely by sycophants][10] divorced from public outlooks:
> I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question; it comes from a point of view that is different from that of many people in this House and in the wider public.
Then he leant into the usual inaccurate stock answer
> Our nuclear deterrent is operationally independent; the only person who can authorise its firing is the [Prime Minister][11]. It is a part of our security apparatus, which keeps us safe every single day, and has done for decades.
Adding:
> As a Government, we are continuing to invest in our nuclear deterrent, just as we are investing in jobs and skills right across the country that keep us safe every single day. Our relationship with the [United States][12] is a key part of that, but we will also continue to invest in our relationships with our other allies, especially around Europe.
In reality, as the US publication *National Interest* [explained][13] on 5 March 2025:
> the Trident missiles are not even owned by Britain, but are instead *leased* by the British military from the Americans.
They expanded:
> British nuclear deterrent relies exclusively on American ballistic missile technology, the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) known as the Trident II D5, built by the U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
So, not independent then. The UK has lashed its future security to the whims of US leaders – whoever is in charge at a given time. Donald Trump’s first year back in power has rocked alliances like NATO. It seems like exactly the time to start thinking about what a serious, independent defence and foreign policy would look like. Pollard and Starmer, however, remain committed to a dying consensus which serves nobody but the US.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][14]
[1]: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-01-27.108596.h&s=Pollard+Watchkeeper#g108596.r0
[2]: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-confirms-watchkeepr-replacement-this-year/
[3]: https://dronewars.net/2024/11/21/watchkeeper-drones-scrapped-but-will-any-lessons-be-learnt/
[4]: https://dronewars.net/2024/11/21/watchkeeper-drones-scrapped-but-will-any-lessons-be-learnt/
[5]: https://dronewars.net/2024/11/21/watchkeeper-drones-scrapped-but-will-any-lessons-be-learnt/
[6]: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2026-02-02a.6.4&s=Pollard#g6.6
[7]: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5703206-trump-nato-afghanistan-remarks-criticized/
[8]: https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-backtrack-criticism-uk-troops-afghanistan-keir-starmer-nato/
[9]: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2026-02-02a.8.1#g8.2
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/19/uk-defence-warmongering/
[11]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom
[12]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
[13]: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/britains-nuclear-deterrent-doesnt-work-without-the-united-states
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/uk-defence-policy/

2026-02-03 13:38:07 UTC

Celebs help launch Health Workers 4 Palestine fundraiser
[Actor Mark Rylance and model Amanda Parker at Health Workers 4 Palestine fundraising gala]
Louis Theroux, Mark Rylance, Zawe Ashton, Jonathan Pryce, and Glen Matlock were among cultural figures attending the Health Workers 4 Palestine Gala to raise vital funds for the charity’s Gaza Medics Solidarity Fund.
## Health Workers 4 Palestine fundraiser
In the first 24 hours of the fundraiser, it has raised over £300,000. And it’s now appealing to the public with hopes to raise £1m. Every donation will help rebuild maternity wards, fund mobile clinics, and pay stipends to doctors in Gaza.
[You can donate here][1].
Brian Eno and Antony Gormley donated art to the event. Motaz Malhees appeared fresh from global acclaim for his performance in *The Voice of Hind Rajab*.
Also in attendance were *BBC Springwatch* presenter Megan McCubbin, actors Juliet Stevenson, Khalid Abdalla and Denise Gough, comedian Jen Brister and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos.
Health Workers 4 Palestine is an organisation of medical professionals from over 70 cities around the world. It advocates for Gaza medics and the protection of [Palestinian][2] healthcare.
Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan founded the group in 2023. In July 2025 he flew with the first Gaza child evacuated to the UK for medical aid from Cairo to London.
As over 1,700 health workers lose their lives in Gaza, and this month 37 international aid groups including Save the Children are blocked from entering, this fundraiser couldn’t be more urgent. A recent study has found that [the population of Gaza has declined by over 250,000 people][3] since 7 October 2003.
The Health Workers 4 Palestine Solidarity Fund is administered by local NGOs, getting emergency support to the medics and patients who need it most.
Actor Zawe Ashton said:
> I’m here tonight to encourage people to donate to Health Workers 4 Palestine because I believe as an artist it’s the moment to advocate and use your voice for people whose voice is being distorted and silenced. The dismantling of healthcare in Gaza is one of the most dangerous and sickening parts of the genocide we’re seeing unfold.
Dr Abdel-Mannan said:
> Tonight shows what is possible when culture refuses to stay silent. We are standing in solidarity with the over 1,700 health workers who have been killed in Gaza, and those who continue to save lives against the odds working under unimaginable conditions. Together, we are fundraising to support Gaza medics and the rebuilding of Palestinian healthcare.
The gala took place at The Savoy, London on 1 February 2026. To [donate to the Solidarity Fund, go here][4].
*Featured image via Ali Khadr / Health Workers 4 Palestine*
By [The Canary][5]
[1]: https://www.healthworkers4palestine.com/donate/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/palestine/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/02/gaza-israel-genocide-wipes/
[4]: https://www.healthworkers4palestine.com/donate/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/03/celebs-help-launch-health-workers-4-palestine-fundraiser/

2026-02-03 13:21:56 UTC

Polanski: Labour attacking me to distract from its corruption and sex offender problems
[polanski]
Continuing his laudable approach of taking smear campaigns head-on and taking no prisoners, Green party leader Zack Polanski has shredded Labour’s feeble attempts to smear him. Other politicians might hide, deflect, or deny. Polanski posted to his social media that Labour is attacking him to try to distract from their own chronic problems with paedophiles and corruption.
His post points out:
• Starmer’s decision to [appoint Peter Mandelson as a senior adviser and UK ambassador to the US knowing Mandelson][1] was a [fan-boy and close friend of serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein][2]. Mandelson has now also been [exposed insider-trading and leaking government information to Epstein][3].
• Starmerite MP [Dan Norris’s][4] *second *arrest for rape and sexual assault. Norris was also arrested for alleged paedophilia – just the latest in a long line of Labour Zionists.
• Starmer’s former front-bencher [Tulip Siddiq’s prison sentence in Bangladesh][5] for [corruption][6].
He also includes a composite image of Labour’s smears to leave no doubt just how feeble Starmer’s party has become:
> Questions about Mandelson, his heinous crimes and how much Starmer knew.Dan Norris, elected as Lab MP, arrested – 2 counts of rape.Tulip Siddiq sentenced to 4 years.I wonder why Labour have made 3 attack videos about me in the last 24 hours?They're done. Finished. Toast.
>
> — [Zack Polanski (@zackpolanski.bsky.social)][7] [2026-02-02T21:12:30.478Z][8]
## Unlike Polanski, Starmer has an appalling record
And Starmer’s [personal record is appalling][9], from his time as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) through to what passes for his leadership of the Labour party.
Starmer was an awful DPP, [according to staff who worked under him][10]. But his awfulness went beyond merely being a bad boss. He relentlessly pursued Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over what turned out to be spurious allegations ultimately dropped by Swedish prosecutors. The CPS then [destroyed the records of Starmer’s involvement, but he flew to the US to discuss Assange’s extradition with US officials][11].
Starmer also notoriously failed to prosecute serial rapist Jimmy Savile. Those around him have [issued ‘non-denial denials’ that Starmer was personally involved in the decision not to prosecute][12]. However, it stretches belief to think that a serial rape case against Britain’s then-most famous entertainer would *not* have crossed the boss’s desk. Regardless, as boss the buck ultimately stopped with him anyway.
Starmer was also DPP when, according to departing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in 2024, Welby [informed Starmer’s CPS about the child abuse committed by paedophile church barrister John Smyth][13]. Welby said that he:
> believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
It never did. Smyth was never prosecuted and, just as with Savile, the scandal only broke after his death. Now to Starmer’s blighted tenure as Labour ‘leader’.
## Not much better as Labour leader
Starmer welcomed London MP Neil Coyle back under the Labour whip despite Coyle being [found by Parliament to have sexually harassed a staffer][14], as well as [racially abusing a Chinese-British man][15] – and when-Chester MP Chris Matheson was under investigation by Parliament for sexual harassment, [neither Starmer nor the party machine suspended him][16] pending the outcome of the investigation, as would be usual practice to protect the women around him.
Matheson [resigned only after he was found guilty][17] by the parliamentary panel of ‘threatening’ sexual misconduct. Starmer also [protected at least two further alleged sex pests][18] on his front bench, despite ongoing investigations.
And while Starmer’s cronies were deselecting or blocking potential left-wing parliamentary candidates on any pretext it could find, they were ignoring legal advice to let their mates stand. Labour’s National Executive [ignored the advice of its barrister][19] that it needed to thoroughly investigate allegations of ‘serious’ sexual assault brought against then-Redbridge council leader and slum landlord Jas Athwal. Athwal is a right-wing Labour figure close to Starmer’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Instead, the NEC dropped the case and reinstated Athwal, who is now a Labour MP after a [questionable vote][20] to select him as the party’s candidate in Ilford South.
## Rotten
Perhaps most seriously, Starmer and his then-sidekick David Evans covered up Jewish whistleblower Elaina Cohen’s allegations of serial abuse of women by a party staffer.
Cohen [*repeatedly* warned Starmer and Evans][21] that a staffer working for then-Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood – and allegedly Mahmood’s lover – was engaged in [‘sadistic’ and ‘criminal’ abuse of vulnerable Muslim women][22]. The victims were fleeing domestic violence, through the now-defunct domestic violence ‘charity’ that she ran.
Warned time and again, Starmer and Evans did nothing. Mahmood remained on Starmer’s front bench as long as he chose to be there. Cohen was sacked from her role as a parliamentary aide.
One of the victims gave evidence, at Cohen’s successful wrongful dismissal tribunal, of the abuse she and others had suffered. This included blackmail and sexual exploitation. Her [evidence was not challenged by Mahmood or his lawyers][23]. Mahmood admitted under oath to the tribunal that he had also [personally made sure that Starmer was fully aware][24] of Cohen’s allegations.
Despite the abundance of evidence, this mountain of vileness has been almost entirely ignored by ‘mainstream’ media. It’s time for that to end.
Go on, Zack Polanski. Go to town.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][25]
[1]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/09/11/starmer-has-sacked-mandelson-but-he-already-knew-and-his-record-regarding-abuse-and-rape-is-appalling/
[2]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/09/13/confirmed-starmer-knew-about-mandelsons-yum-yum-epstein-messages-when-he-defended-him-at-pmqs/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/dan-norris-arrest/
[5]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9dyd84lwo
[6]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/13/bangladesh-issues-anti-corruption-arrest-warrant-for-starmers-former-anti-corruption-minister-siddiq/
[7]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2yp6g7aqepdbjup33qrosebv?ref_src=embed
[8]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2yp6g7aqepdbjup33qrosebv/post/3mdvr5yckhc2v?ref_src=embed
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/11/starmer-mandelson-sacking/
[10]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/04/03/88-of-staff-said-starmer-was-poor-and-4-out-of-5-said-his-values-were-at-odds-with-cpss/
[11]: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/06/25/video-starmer-met-us-agencies-about-assange-extradition-cps-destroyed-all-records/
[12]: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/01/11/starmer-didnt-know-re-sub-postmasters-wasnt-involved-on-savile-what-did-he-do-as-dpp/
[13]: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/11/12/welby-quitting-says-he-informed-police-in-2013-about-molester-cover-up-who-was-running-cps-in-2013/
[14]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/03/10/coyle-readmitted-to-labour-despite-sexual-harassment-warning-as-well-as-racist-outburst/
[15]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/03/03/coyle-suspended-from-commons-for-abuse-with-racial-overtones/
[16]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/10/22/why-didnt-labour-suspend-starmer-ally-sex-pest-matheson/
[17]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/10/21/matheson-quits-as-labour-mp-after-finding-of-threatening-sexual-misconduct/
[18]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/10/23/starmer-sheltering-two-more-alleged-sex-pests-in-his-shadow-cabinet/
[19]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/10/11/exclusive-party-insiders-labour-ignored-harassment-adviser-to-dismiss-complaint-vs-athwal/
[20]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/10/10/breaking-600-postal-votes-turn-up-at-selection-meeting-as-tarry-backers-denied-entry/
[21]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/05/22/exclusive-sadism-fraud-threats-blackmail-theft-the-witness-statement-mahmoods-team-accepted-without-challenge/
[22]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/07/07/johnsons-on-his-way-whens-starmer-going-for-much-worse-cover-up-of-exploitation-of-domestic-violence-victims/
[23]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/05/22/exclusive-sadism-fraud-threats-blackmail-theft-the-witness-statement-mahmoods-team-accepted-without-challenge/
[24]: https://skwawkbox.org/2022/05/24/breaking-mahmood-tells-court-he-personally-made-starmer-who-did-nothing-aware-of-serious-allegations/
[25]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/polanski-smears/

2026-02-03 13:02:31 UTC

Reform want to make beer cheaper by nicking money from kids
[Reform]
Never a party to miss a vapid appeal to populism, Reform UK [have announced plans to cut beer duty][1] by 10%. Except, how do they plan to fund such a feat? Well, by reintroducing the two-child benefit cap, of course.
Under Reform’s new commitment, the party would gradually phase out business rates altogether for UK pubs. Incidentally, they’d also plunge around 350,000 children back into poverty, and 700,000 into deep poverty.
The fact that a mainstream political party can suggest something like this without being spat on immediately by everyone in range indicates that something is deeply wrong with our country. I just don’t have a better way to say that.
## Facts about taxes, as if that’s the problem here and not Reform
In Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget, the chancellor unveiled plans to hike business rates for pubs by 76%. This would boil down to additional costs of around £4,300 a year, after the current freeze ends.
However, on 27 January Labour [announced that it would reverse course][2]. Starting in April, pubs will now receive a 15% cut to new business rates bills, along with a two-year real-terms freeze.
Reform MP, and [general shithouse][3], Lee Anderson stated [that][4]:
> The loss of one pub is not just the loss of livelihood for a landlord, or the loss of a local employment hub. The loss of one pub is a loss to all of us as inheritors of a tradition dating back to Roman rule.
He went on:
> Yet the Conservatives, and now Labour, have facilitated the closure of thousands of pubs over the last decade. Any contrition they show is false.
As things stand, beer duty – i.e., tax – averages out at around 49p a pint, [although that varies][5] according to the drink’s strength. Reform’s plan would knock 10% from that figure by taking the money directly from struggling children and families.
Likewise, the far-right party would also cut VAT from 20% to 10% for the hospitality sector. Reform said that the fact supermarkets don’t pay VAT on food sales gives them an unfair advantage over pubs, as if the party has any concept of what fairness is.
The entire plan would carry a cost of £2.29bn in the first year, rising to £2.9bn by the fourth year. For contrast, [estimates suggest that][6] scrapping the two-child benefit cap will cost £3.6bn a year once it’s fully implemented.
## There’s something wrong with all of us
There are too many things to say about this, I don’t really know where to start.
As recently as May 2025, Reform was [all for scrapping the two-child cap][7]. Then, they flipped to saying it should only be lifted for two-parent full-time-working households, and finally to opposing the removal of the cap altogether. This pointless contrarianism was motivated purely by Labour getting behind scrapping the cap.
This plan is yet another monstering of people who receive benefits – this time pitting them against local pubs, of all things. These two causes are completely unrelated to one another, but Reform has very deliberately chosen to pair them off.
Given Reform’s projected image as champion’s of ‘British culture’, pubs make sense as their chosen cause to champion – but that’s not a compliment. The UK has [massive problems with alcoholism and binge drinking][8], and has even topped world alcohol consumption charts in recent years.
And finally, this is children we’re talking about. Reform are proposing to take money directly from the very poorest children in the UK, and to then give it to pub landlords. *If* the landlords chose to pass that saving on to customers, a pint might be 5p cheaper, at the cost of making life harder for 100,000 kids.
When did we get to this point, as a society? How can a mainstream political party can suggest something like this without it immediately sinking them? Why are the [right-wing][9] [papers][10] [reporting][11] this like it’s a normal idea?
This job sometimes involves reading, seeing, and reporting on heinous things. Many of them are objectively more awful than this. But this is just such a banal, calculated, cynical evil, it’s turned something in my stomach. There is something deeply wrong with us all. None of this is OK.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alex/Rose Cocker][12]
[1]: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2165915/nigel-farage-rescue-pubs-slash-pint-price
[2]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-support-package-that-backs-british-pubs
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/28/lee-anderson-embarrasses-himself/
[4]: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20260203/281565182191048?srsltid=AfmBOorQLeDgw1L94LVY6ox9F84Bcl29xSH__dRg59D25NwTm99Gt3wP
[5]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-support-package-that-backs-british-pubs
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/28/two-child-benefit-cap-how-work-cost-scrap
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/07/farage-suddenly-loves/
[8]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/how-britain-became-nation-of-boozers/
[9]: https://www.gbnews.com/politics/nigel-farage-reform-uk-plan-slash-pint-prices-save-britain-pubs
[10]: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2165915/nigel-farage-rescue-pubs-slash-pint-price
[11]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/02/reform-to-cut-price-of-pint-3bn-rescue-package/
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/reform-pubs/

2026-02-03 11:55:34 UTC

French judges order arrest of extremist women who blocked aid to Gaza
[gaza aid]
French judges have [issued ‘arrest summonses’][1] for two French-Israeli women who travelled to Israel to block aid to Gaza.
Nili Kupfer-Naouri founded and runs the ‘charity’ ‘Israel Is Forever’. The group says it exists to foster the “mobilisation of French-speaking Zionist forces”. Another women, known so far only as ‘Rachel T’, acts as spokesperson for the far-right extremist ‘Tsav9’ group, which regularly attacks aid trucks at the Gaza border. Even the [US has sanctioned it][2]. The ‘charity’ called for volunteers to support Tsav9’s blockade. Both women were born in France but now live in Israel.
## Israel is manufacturing famine in Gaza
Israel has repeatedly used settler groups and other civilians as a human shield to distance itself from accusations of directly blocking aid. However, the mobs [enjoy access to military-only roads][3] and occupation forces supposedly ‘escorting’ aid trucks do nothing to prevent the attacks.
Kupfer-Naouri confirmed that a summons had been issued for her in an interview with a pro-Israel ‘news’ site. She complained that it meant she wouldn’t be able to visit France any more because s[he doesn’t want to go to prison][4]:
> The risk is that I won’t be able to set foot in France anymore because I have no intention of going to French jail, whether in police custody or otherwise.
She described the arrest orders as “antisemitic madness” and said that three other members of her ‘charity’ had been interrogated by French police. And, she also complained that the summonses would mean French occupation war criminals would be unable to visit family in France:
> What’s serious is that it would set an unfortunate precedent for all our Franco-Israeli soldiers who participated in the ‘war of redemption’ [extremist language for the Gaza genocide] and who want to visit their families in France.
Yes, that’s what’s ‘serious’.
## More whining
‘Rachel T’ whined that the judges had acted for “radical pro-Palestinian” complainants than for the demand of Zionist groups for an apology from left-wing MPs from the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, which has [vocally opposed Israel’s genocide in Gaza][5]:
> I note that French justice is quicker to deal with a complaint filed by a radical pro-Palestinian organization than with those filed by Avocats Sans Frontières and the OJE [European Jewish Organization] against apologies for terrorism made by LFI [La France Insoumise, radical left] MPs.
‘Avocats Sans Frontières’ translates as ‘lawyers without borders’, but the French group is unconnected to the international human rights group Lawyers without Borders. The French group sent a delegation to Israel in December and [told French media that Israel is not an apartheid country][6].
The summonses were issued after formal complaints were filed by a number of pro-Palestine and anti-genocide groups. While arrest warrants have to be approved by the French ‘National Anti-terrorism Prosecutor’, ‘investigating judges’ can issue arrest summonses directly. Unlike warrants, they do not automatically mean provisional detention of the suspect. In principle, these summonses apply throughout the EU.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][7]
[1]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/02/02/gaza-french-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-for-french-israeli-activists-over-complicity-in-genocide_6750050_7.html
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/14/us-imposes-sanctions-on-extremist-israeli-group-for-blocking-gaza-aid
[3]: https://theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/16/palestinian-lorry-drivers-israeli-settlers-attack-gaza-aid-convoy
[4]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/02/02/gaza-french-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-for-french-israeli-activists-over-complicity-in-genocide_6750050_7.html
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/06/11/israel-crime-extermination/
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6ZeAzUko0
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/gaza-france-aid/

2026-02-03 11:48:01 UTC

Alex Pretti ICE killers could face homicide charge
[The killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents]
On 26 January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wrestled nurse [Alex Pretti to the ground and shot him multiple times][1] in the back. The killing was caught on camera by several bystanders, providing various angles. The Trump regime initially defended the use of lethal force, with key advisor Stephen Miller describing Pretti as an “[assassin][2]“. Trump and others around him [would later backtrack][3] following massive public backlash.
Now, it looks like the ICE agents involved could potentially face consequences:
> The doc, obtained by TMZ, lists "multiple gunshot wounds" as the cause of death … and under the section "how injury occurred" medical examiner Dr. Andrew Baker wrote, "Shot by law enforcement officer(s)." [pic.twitter.com/E4pPflJ2Zf][4]
>
> — TMZ (@TMZ) [February 2, 2026][5]
## ICE: prosecution for the shooters?
The shooting is now officially classed as a homicide. The medical examiner has listed the [cause of death][6] as “multiple gunshot wounds”. Under the section “how injury occurred”, Dr. Andrew Baker stated “shot by law enforcement officer(s)”.
Pretti was shot by ICE on 26 January 2026, only 11 days after another altercation with ICE in which [he suffered a broken rib,][7] with the *Canary* previously reporting:
> about a week before his death, he suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to detain other individuals.
The conclusion by medical examiners now leaves the door open for prosecution of the agents involved in the killing. This could set a new precedent for further scrutiny of ICE’s activities:
> Sounds like the federal agents that killed him should go to jail for 25+ years [https://t.co/8qnYKeKBci][8]
>
> — Polling USA (@USA_Polling) [February 2, 2026][9]
*Featured image via [France24][10]*
By [Antifabot][11]
[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/alex-pretti-minneapolis-minnesota-shooting
[2]: https://x.com/KeithOlbermann/status/2015165135061414355?s=20
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/26/white-house-alex-pretti-backlash
[4]: https://t.co/E4pPflJ2Zf
[5]: https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/2018437166750437475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.tmz.com/2026/02/02/alex-pretti-shooting-death-ruled-homicide/?adid=social-tw
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/29/alex-pretti-feds-knew/
[8]: https://t.co/8qnYKeKBci
[9]: https://twitter.com/USA_Polling/status/2018439350065700997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://s.france24.com/media/display/1d1656aa-fa16-11f0-bd79-005056bf30b7/w:1024/p:16x9/2026-01-25T011454Z-1656472056-RC2Z7JAF2VU4-RTRMADP-3-USA-TRUMP-MINNESOTA.jpg
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/03/ice-killers/

2026-02-03 11:25:27 UTC

Greens doorstep polling shows Reform in the lead & Labour third
[Nigel Farage, Zack Polanski, and Keir Starmer Reform]
According to doorstep polling from the Green Party, Reform are currently in the lead in Gorton & Denton. While this obviously wouldn’t be the desirable outcome, they’re also saying Labour are a distant third. And this could mean the Greens will benefit from any tactical voting which takes place:
> The Green Party have shared doorstep data with me from across Gorton and Denton.
>
> They say it shows:
>
> Reform – 39%
>
> Greens – 34%
>
> Labour – 21%
>
> Their data shows Reform 5 points ahead and Labour in a poor third place.
>
> — Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) [February 2, 2026][1]
## Polling
As Owen Jones highlighted, Reform also have Labour in third place:
> The Reform Party’s own data has the Greens in second place right now:[https://t.co/A2Jqo9jSC3][2]
>
> — Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) [February 2, 2026][3]
It’s important to remember these things can shift massively in response to a good campaign, [with the key example being the 2017 election][4] (the biggest vote share swing in Labour’s history).
While the polling we have currently suggests Reform will win, the bookies think the Greens have it:
> The bookies currently have the Greens as the strong favourite to win the by-election.
>
> But that’ll only pan out if the Greens can convince voters that it’s voting Labour which risks a Reform victory. [pic.twitter.com/44R7uWR45x][5]
>
> — Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) [February 2, 2026][6]
Polling is a snapshot of the moment; bookies have to to predict the future lest they lose money (not that they always get it right).
Given the polling, the Greens are saying they’re the only realistic option for people who want to keep Reform out:
> It’s all to play for but it’s clear Labour have blown it.
>
> Only the Greens can stop Reform. [https://t.co/IZ2E8zIqnM][7]
>
> — Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) [February 2, 2026][8]
This is especially true as both Your Party and the [Workers Party][9] have pulled out of the race:
> [📢] Statement on the Gorton & Denton By-Election
>
> After consultation with local Your Party activists, we will not stand a candidate in this by-election. Instead, we will unite to defeat the far-right [✊] [pic.twitter.com/UvrPe7CcmS][10]
>
> — Your Party (@thisisyourparty) [February 2, 2026][11]
## Vote locally, think tactically
Tactical voting can work, and it can especially work against Reform. We saw this in October last year [when voters abandoned Labour for Plaid Cymru in order to keep Reform out][12]:
> Caerphilly by-election broke several records:
>
> [🔴] First time Labour has lost in 115 years
> [🔴] Worst-ever Labour result
> [🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿] Best-ever Plaid Cymru result
> [🔵] Worst-ever Tory result
> [➡] Highest Reform % in a Welsh FPTP seat [https://t.co/7ySKTr2jBv][13] [pic.twitter.com/sDKXaOzWsP][14]
>
> — Stats for Lefties [🍉][🏳️‍⚧️] (@LeftieStats) [October 24, 2025][15]
Let’s hope we see a similar swing away from Labour in this election. Especially as all the party seems to be offering is more of the same (i.e. [endless failed privatisation][16]):
> Labour’s candidate in the Gorton & Denton by-election heads “Stakeholder Engagement” at Arup Group
>
> Arup specialises in helping states privatise public utilities, including railways and water
>
> Labour is stuffed full of people like this. It is the enemy of working people [pic.twitter.com/A5Trmvi6pe][17]
>
> — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) [February 1, 2026][18]
*Featured image via [Bristol Green Party][19] / [Chris McAndrew][20] / [Laurie Noble][21]*
By [Willem Moore][22]
[1]: https://twitter.com/owenjonesjourno/status/2018391148482412776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[2]: https://t.co/A2Jqo9jSC3
[3]: https://twitter.com/owenjonesjourno/status/2018391370772209795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2017/06/09/jeremy-corbyn-made-history-last-night-so-did-you/
[5]: https://t.co/44R7uWR45x
[6]: https://twitter.com/owenjonesjourno/status/2018392069169942855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://t.co/IZ2E8zIqnM
[8]: https://twitter.com/ZackPolanski/status/2018411032301965410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/02/greens-gorton-denton/
[10]: https://t.co/UvrPe7CcmS
[11]: https://twitter.com/thisisyourparty/status/2018408817923342594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/10/26/reform-get-sunday-interview-slot-over-plaid-cymru-despite-humiliating-loss/
[13]: https://t.co/7ySKTr2jBv
[14]: https://t.co/sDKXaOzWsP
[15]: https://twitter.com/LeftieStats/status/1981646377353388262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/08/ai-data-centres-privatisation/
[17]: https://t.co/A5Trmvi6pe
[18]: https://twitter.com/kennardmatt/status/2017963074741760176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[19]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zack_Polanski_%28cropped%29.jpg#/media/File:Carla_Denyer_and_Zack_Polanski.jpg
[20]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Official_portrait_of_Keir_Starmer.jpg
[21]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Official_portrait_of_Nigel_Farage_MP.jpg
[22]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/03/reform-lead/

2026-02-03 11:01:36 UTC

Labour MPs are talking mutiny over Starmer’s ties to Mandelson
[Images of Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson]
Keir Starmer notoriously made Peter Mandelson the ambassador to the US. We say ‘notoriously’ because at the point when Starmer hired Mandelson, [he knew he’d maintained a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after the late paedophile was convicted for sex crimes][1]. As many predicted, this scandal eventually exploded, [and in recent days has gone nuclear][2].
Now, Starmer’s MPs are starting to talk about mutiny. [As one unnamed MP said to *Sky News’s *Alexandra Rogers][3]:
> Consistent failures by Morgan McSweeney have damaged our media operation and left the public unaware of much of what we’ve achieved in government.
>
> The Mandelson saga has only made things worse, and if Keir doesn’t make changes soon, the PLP will.
>
> We’ve had enough.
## Mandelson’s creature
Morgan McSweeney is Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. [As Paul Holden wrote in his book about Starmer’s rise to power (*The Fraud*)][4]:
> McSweeney is a long-time protégé of Peter Mandelson, the architect of New Labour who, in February 2017, publicly bragged that he was “working every day” to bring down Corbyn’s elected leadership.
Holden also reported:
> McSweeney joined Labour in the mid-1990s as a receptionist and then a member of the party’s media operations. During the 2001 election he was given the task of feeding data into Peter Mandelson’s famed Excalibur computer that stored information to be used by the party’s rebuttal unit.
This is what Mandelson – [the “best pal” of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein][5] – said about McSweeney:
> I don’t know who and how and when he was invented, but whoever it was . . . they will find their place in heaven.
As Holden detailed, McSweeney used all manner of underhanded tactics to ensure Jeremy Corbyn lost in 2019, and that a malleable alternative took his place. That man was Keir Starmer, and this is what the public think of McSweeney’s vision:
> Contrary to popular belief, Labour is not struggling in the polls because they're losing votes to Reform. Even if they recovered all the votes lost to Reform they'd still be on just 21%, down double digits since GE2024.
>
> Instead, the bulk of votes lost have been to the LEFT.
>
> — Stats for Lefties [🍉][🏳️‍⚧️] (@LeftieStats) [January 26, 2026][6]
As people have highlighted, McSweeney was Mandelson’s champion in the Starmer government:
> Morgan McSweeney pleaded with Starmer not to sack Mandelson, one of his political mentors.
>
> Mandelson said whoever invented McSweeney would find their place in heaven.
>
> They are truly awful people who should be nowhere near government. [https://t.co/gYC5F010dF][7] [pic.twitter.com/Lu7GezM6qD][8]
>
> — James Wilson (@per_incuriam2) [February 2, 2026][9]
> McSweeney appointed Mandelson against the wishes of the Trump administration and a series of red flags raised by US spooks. [pic.twitter.com/FFlaNQ2l9C][10]
>
> — bat020 (@bat020) [September 14, 2025][11]
It doesn’t end with McSweeney, though:
> As the Guardian belatedly reported a couple of weeks ago, Peter Mandelson has been mentor or adviser to pretty much everyone connected to Keir Starmer's takeover of the Labour party – and to Starmer's likely right-wing successor, Wes Streeting [pic.twitter.com/1fcSe7UOtw][12]
>
> — Nicholas Guyatt (@NicholasGuyatt) [February 1, 2026][13]
## Criminal activity
The police are now considering an investigation into Mandelson:
> [🚨] NEW: The Met Police is now "reviewing" reports into Peter Mandelson's alleged misconduct of public office to determine if they "meet the criminal threshold for investigation"
>
> — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) [February 2, 2026][14]
This is the benefit establishment insiders have, of course. If you or I stole a loaf of bread in full public view, the police wouldn’t weigh up the pros and cons of taking action; they would simply arrest us.
People are arguing that any investigation should also look at McSweeney:
> The Mandelson affair ranks as the greatest political scandal of the last sixty years. Betrayal of party, principle, government and country. McSweeney’s emails and mobile (they spoke almost daily and who the cabinet must insist resigns) should be examined by the police. New lows.
>
> — Will Hutton (@williamnhutton) [February 2, 2026][15]
And as this writer noted, there is no argument for giving McSweeney the boot but keeping Starmer:
> This would be like sacrificing Rod Hull to save Emu [https://t.co/Q2WMk2AucF][16]
>
> — Willem Moore (@willem_moore_uk) [February 2, 2026][17]
*Featured image via [Number 10][18]*
By [Willem Moore][19]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/13/mandelson-epstein-starmer/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[3]: https://x.com/alexrogerssky/status/2018395506360168448?s=20
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/the-fraud/2025/10/14/the-fraud-part-two-morgan-mcsweeney/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/08/mandelson-trump-greenland/
[6]: https://twitter.com/LeftieStats/status/2015791170715086991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://t.co/gYC5F010dF
[8]: https://t.co/Lu7GezM6qD
[9]: https://twitter.com/per_incuriam2/status/2018114392596865269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://t.co/FFlaNQ2l9C
[11]: https://twitter.com/bat020/status/1967242808559087940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://t.co/1fcSe7UOtw
[13]: https://twitter.com/NicholasGuyatt/status/2018102641469936052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14]: https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2018404216486703453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://twitter.com/williamnhutton/status/2018474449855746110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://t.co/Q2WMk2AucF
[17]: https://twitter.com/willem_moore_uk/status/2018379294783742084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[18]: https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/54354095706/in/photostream/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/mandelson-mcsweeney/

2026-02-03 10:53:59 UTC

Don Lemon’s arrest shows just how politically lost America is
[don lemon]
Journalist Don Lemon was [arrested as he reported on a gathering protesting][1] the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit in Minnesota. The *Associated Press* [reported that][2]:
> The charges stem from Lemon’s actions while covering a protest, raising concerns among press freedom advocates about the criminalisation of journalistic activity.
Let’s be clear. Don Lemon did not call for unrest. He did not incite violence, organise mass resistance, or step outside the bounds of liberal democratic debate. Instead, his arrest while reporting on a protest exposes a far more uncomfortable reality: power has grown brittle and it now reaches for punishment when scrutiny feels too close.
This moment reveals the authoritarian drift of the Trump administration and, more pointedly, who bears the cost when the states legitimacy comes under pressure.
## Don Lemon: when liberal positions become liabilities
As a former *CNN* anchor, Lemon is smack bang in the centre of the political spectrum. Historically, his positions would have registered as unremarkable. Opposition to unaccountable force, scepticism towards militarised policing, and concern over immigration enforcement once formed the [backbone of liberal democratic critique.][3] These views alighted with constitutional restrain, not rebellion.
However, something has shifted.
Today, the state increasingly treats scrutiny itself – however mild – as a provocation. As executive power expands and surveillance becomes normalised, even [mild dissent now attracts suspicion][4]. Consequently, journalism that merely documents authority – not necessarily agitates against it – is shut down with considerable force.
Crucially, when a Black journalist raises that challenge, institutions rarely interpret it as professional distance. Instead they read it as intent to agitate.
## Surveillance disguised as neutrality
Editorial scrutiny often presents itself as neutral concern: questions about tone, [warnings about objectivity][5] and accusations of advocacy. In practice, however, this scrutiny operates as institutional suspicion.
Neutrality, it seems, remains intact only when journalism aligns with power. When reporting destabilises official narratives, neutrality becomes negotiable. As a result, white journalists benefit from an assumption of detachment, while Black journalists must reportedly demonstrate it.
Because of this imbalance, identical actions generate unequal consequences. The determining factor is not behaviour, but who performs it and what their presence exposes.
Lemon’s reporting remained measured, legible, and recognisably liberal. Ironically, that restraint made it more threatening, not less. The state does not fear incoherent outrage. It fears critique that cannot be dismissed as extremism.
## The free speech contradiction
At the same time, those in power insist they value free speech. They repeatedly frame dissent as welcome, provided it remains responsible and measured.
[Lemon’s met those criteria.][6] Nevertheless, coercion followed.
This contradiction matters. A system that claims to prize reason while punishing those who test it does not defend free speech. Instead, it manages it. Calls for civil discourse function less as invitation and more as constraints, allowing speech only when it reassures power rather than interrogates it.
Ultimately, the response exposes fragility, not confidence. A secure system answers criticism. A brittle one suppresses it.
Another consideration of Lemon’s arrest is the spatial context. The fact that his arrest took place around a church, a site the state traditionally treats as morally insulated and symbolically untouchable. Religious spaces have long been leveraged by authority to legitimise control, casting state action as protection rather than coercion. When power cloaks itself in religious sanction, scrutiny becomes easier to criminalise.
This is not about faith. It is about how religious symbolism is mobilised to discipline dissent. By framing the site as sacred and the journalist as disruptive, the state redraws space itself as a boundary of obedience. In doing so, it turns moral authority into territorial control, narrowing where journalism is allowed to exist at all.
## From scrutiny to criminalisation
In response to Don Lemon’s arrest, the Freedom of the Press Foundation [said][7]:
> Arresting journalists for doing their jobs sets a dangerous precedent and threatens the public’s right to know.
Authoritarianism rarely announces itself. Instead it advances through procedure. Laws stretch beyond their original purpose. Reporting blurs into obstruction. Monitoring quietly replaces protection.
When authorities detain or arrest journalists under the language of public order or interference, the message becomes unmistakable: scrutiny itself now constitutes a risk.
This shift intensifies during moments of political anxiety. As legitimacy thins, power prioritises containment over accountability. Accordingly, journalism survives only when it remains predictable, deferential, and safely non-disruptive.
The most serious danger, then, is not radicalisation. Rather, it is anticipatory obedience, the slow internalisation of limits imposed not for accuracy, but for the safety of power.
Lemon has rejected the suggestion that his reporting crossed a line, [framing the case as a threat to press freedom][8]:
> I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. In fact there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.
## Race as structure, not sentiment
Importantly, this is not an argument about identity politics.
[Black journalists operate within a historical framework][9] that has long cast Black presence as disruption in public space, political discourse, and intellectual authority. That history does not disappear inside courtrooms or newsrooms. Instead, it reasserts itself through surveillance, suspicion and unequal enforcement.
As a result, the same behaviour produces different interpretations. Surveillance follows the bodies power has always keened to regulate.
## A warning, not an exception
It would be tempting to treat this case as an aberration, a mistake that institutions can quietly correct. That interpretation would miss the point.
This moment signals a [narrowing of legitimate journalism][10] itself. When liberal dissent becomes suspect and calm scrutiny triggers coercion, democratic accountability has already begun to erode.
A free press does not exist to reassure authority. It exists to unsettle it. If that function no longer enjoys protection, particularly for those already over surveilled, then free speech becomes a slogan rather than a practice.
The real question, therefore, is not whether Don Lemon crossed a line.
Instead, it is how narrow the space for journalism has become, if measured critique now invites punishment.
When mild opposition registers as a threat, authoritarianism is no longer approaching. It is already operational.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Vannessa Viljoen][11]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/trump-us-is-at-the/
[2]: https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-arrest-minnesota-church-service-d3091fe3d1e37100a7c46573667eb85c
[3]: https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/rights-protesters
[4]: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/democracy-under-threat
[5]: https://www.cjr.org/analysis/race-objectivity-newsrooms.php
[6]: https://cpj.org/reports/2021/06/journalists-arrested-attacked-covering-protests/
[7]: https://freedom.press/issues/fpf-statement-on-outrageous-arrest-of-don-lemon/
[8]: https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-arrest-minnesota-church-service-d3091fe3d1e37100a7c46573667eb85c
[9]: https://nabjonline.org/
[10]: https://cpj.org/reports/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/vanessa-viljoen/
https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/03/don-lemon-is-not-a-radical/

2026-02-03 10:28:10 UTC

PSNI may roll out rights-violating face scanner tech
[PSNI]
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is investigating the potential deployment of Live Facial Recognition Technology (LFRT or LFR) in the Northern Ireland. [According to a report][1] in The *Irish Times*:
> The force has set up a Facial Recognition Governance Board which is monitoring programmes elsewhere in the UK and engaging directly with industry providers, though it insists no decision has been taken over whether to deploy the controversial technology.
The PSNI haven’t exactly been transparent about such plans up to this point, with no public references to the Facial Recognition Governance Board available online prior to today’s revelation. LFRT involves the use of cameras combined with automated facial recognition software to scan and identify faces. The system then matches the results against a police watchlist of wanted persons.
The PSNI say they don’t currently use the technology, meaning officers manually operate cameras and examine footage collected. However, they say they are:
> …monitoring national LFR programmes, including those implemented by the Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police and, most recently, British Transport Police.
>
> At this stage, we are engaging with these programmes and their industry providers solely in order to assess operational feasibility.
## PSNI turn to ‘Israeli’ surveillance tech already in use by British police
A crucial question is whether any of those “industry providers” include Corsight AI, an ‘Israeli’ firm whose LFRT program has been [adopted by British police][2]. This is already a breach of the Palestinian-led [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions][3] (BDS) movement’s guidelines. They stipulate no economic dealings with the Zionist entity, or even non-‘Israeli’ companies which support the terrorist land theft project.
Purchasing Zionist tech is one of the worst imaginable cases of this, as it gives a direct boost to the military-surveillance sector of ‘Israel’s’ economy. Further use of Corsight’s product provides funding to, and refinement of, a [system used to violate Palestinian rights][4].
The British government is planning to roll out LFRT systems further, moving from 10 vans to 50 that have the technology installed. [*Al Jazeera* outline][5] how even “Israeli intelligence operatives” have “concerns about its accuracy”. This appears to be another case of much heralded AI ending up like the fictional [Robocop prototypes shooting themselves in the head][6].
Big Brother Watch have [flagged the unreliability of the dodgy tech][7], saying it:
> …discriminates against women and people of colour. 80% of people misidentified by facial recognition in London in 2025 were Black.
This sort of bias is a commonly recognised flaw of AI platforms.
Misidentification is a crucial flaw which would result in potentially illegal surveillance. If a system incorrectly identifies someone as a suspect on a watchlist, it could result in their data being stored in the system. This would be a breach of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which outlawed the storage of [data like DNA and fingerprints][8] from people not convicted of a crime.
## A chilling effect on basic rights
Beyond that, use of LFRT in a public space is inherently indiscriminate and likely breaches other laws, [such as those relating to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly][9]. Its use at protests will discourage attendance, especially from minoritised communities. Lancashire police are known to have [shared footage of disabled people with the Department of Work and Pensions][10] in an attempt to have their benefits stripped.
The above issues have been cited in a challenge to the Met Police’s use of facial scanning which has just been heard in the High Court. Big Brother Watch argued that its use amounted to “[stop and search on steroids][11]“. They cited the case of a man detained for 20 minutes by the cops, despite providing ID to show he’d been falsely identified.
The [Met’s justification][12] is that London’s scale makes tracking suspects too hard:
> Locating these individuals within a vast, bustling metropolis is akin to looking for stray needles in an enormous, exceptionally dense haystack.
Though it may currently make mistakes, AI is steadily improving. Its increasing capacity to sift through enormous amounts of data and make sense of it is amounts to a power too excessive to grant to increasingly authoritarian states. When [Edward Snowden revealed the extent of the US surveillance apparatus][13] in 2013, he didn’t just criticise its immorality. He also lambasted it as ineffective, due to excessive data collection simply adding more hay to the haystack.
In the age of AI, a giant haystack becomes less of an issue. What would previously have required hours of human intervention to interpret can now be churned through and summarised by AI in seconds. Such a power seems too much in the hands of even an accountable state, nevermind an undemocratic and abusive one [arresting thousands of innocent people][14] for opposing genocide.
## PSNI can’t be trusted with mass surveillance power
The PSNI [has played a role in that][15]. In the last week alone it has been shown to have behaved in a [discriminatory manner][16]. [Internment][17] and [collusion][18] are grim historic examples of what happens when police are granted excessive powers.
We could achieve zero crime, but it would require total surveillance and ensure zero freedom. Mass face scanning is a step too far towards the latter, and the PSNI’s secretive Facial Recognition Governance Board should rule out its use.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Robert Freeman][19]
[1]: https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/psni-considering-use-of-ai-facial-recognition-cameras-in-northern-ireland-XUAYW6X2S5GF5J2CKOJRXSPCLE/
[2]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/28/uk-police-to-use-ai-facial-recognition-tech-linked-to-israels-war-on-gaza
[3]: https://bdsmovement.net/
[4]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/israel-opt-israeli-authorities-are-using-facial-recognition-technology-to-entrench-apartheid/
[5]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/28/uk-police-to-use-ai-facial-recognition-tech-linked-to-israels-war-on-gaza
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJIjNs_s2NI
[7]: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campaigns/stop-facial-recognition/
[8]: https://www.genewatch.org/sub-563146
[9]: https://www.doughtystreet.co.uk/news/equality-and-human-rights-commission-intervene-judicial-review-met-polices-use-live-facial
[10]: https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/police-force-admits-passing-footage-of-disabled-protesters-to-dwp/
[11]: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/press-releases/high-court-to-hear-landmark-legal-challenge-against-police-live-facial-recognition/
[12]: https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/national/25800758.police-use-facial-recognition-properly-restricted-court-told/
[13]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/12/08/uk-criminalises-non-violent-protest/
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/10/06/psni-hated-in-belfast-now-hated-in-london-as-they-arrest-anti-genocide-protestors/
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/30/irish-speaker-arrested-at-palestine-action-protest/
[17]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/19513550.northern-ireland-impact-internment-still-felt-many-50-years/
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/12/11/british-security-forces-linked-to/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/robert-freeman/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/03/psni-face-scanner/

2026-02-03 09:49:53 UTC

New Epstein files show Mandelson repeatedly ‘insider trading’ and helping banks beat taxes
[Mandelson]
Documents in the latest Epstein file release show [Keir Starmer’s disgraced senior adviser][1] Peter Mandelson engaging *repeatedly* in likely ‘insider trading’ with Epstein, who was closely and corruptly linked to big banking and big business. At least, that’s according to finance expert and investigative journalist Dan Neidle.
A number of commentators have pointed out that the files show Mandelson boasting of persuading Gordon Brown to resign as prime minister, including the *Times’*s Gabriel Pogrund. But, as Neidle pointed out in response, they show far more than that.
Instead, they show Mandelson providing financially sensitive – and potentially highly profitable – insider information to a Wall Street trader:
> Gabriel understates what happened here. We can tell from this version of the same email chain that Mandelson’s last email was sent 16:02:52 BST
>
> Brown’s resignation was public 19:19 BST.
>
> Implies Mandelson leaked price-sensitive information to a Wall Street insider. [https://t.co/bWCjLpaAku][2] [pic.twitter.com/nYNLWnENMR][3]
>
> — Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) [February 2, 2026][4]
## Mandelson’s sickening power
Knowing that Brown was about to resign – with its likely ‘blip’ in UK stock market prices – would have given Epstein and anyone else he informed the opportunity to ‘sell short’. Short selling involves selling shares a trader doesn’t own yet, in the expectation of buying them for a lower price later because of news that shocks the market.
This is not theoretical. In another grossly anti-semitic email thread, Epstein [boasts][5] to another Jewish contact that “the Jew make money” by “selling short” while the gentiles – “goyim” – “deal in the real world”:
## Grim links
The *Times*‘s political editor Steven Swinford and *Novara*‘s Aaron Bastani picked up on another email showing Mandelson tipping off Epstein about a coming $500bn bail-out “to save the euro” – and “threatening” then-chancellor Alistair Darling on behalf of a huge bank to reduce a planned tax on bankers’ bonuses:
> Mandelson was seemingly involved in insider trading, while helping Epstein, and by extension Jamie Dimon, intimidate his colleague, Alistair Darling, over a tax on bankers bonuses.
>
> We’ve genuinely never seen anything like this in British politics before (on this scale).… [https://t.co/nyDCgycEtj][6]
>
> — Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) [February 2, 2026][7]
The bail-out tip-off would have given Epstein and his coterie the opportunity to buy shares – the opposite of selling short – at the existing price, knowing that news of such a huge bailout would push prices up and create an immediate profit.
Neidle added that the threatening of Darling directly benefited Epstein as well as his banking sponsor:
> New Epstein emails show Peter Mandelson secretly advising JPMorgan’s CEO on how to fight Labour’s 2009 bankers’ bonus tax – even suggesting he “mildly threaten” the Chancellor.
>
> Mandelson was Business Secretary at the time.
>
> A year later, he was seeking work with JPM. [pic.twitter.com/Nz8o5pN7b4][8]
>
> — Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) [February 1, 2026][9]
Both the short-selling and the bail-out tip-off fall under the category of ‘insider trading’. Insider trading is a serious criminal offence. At the time Mandelson was providing this information to Epstein, the criminal penalty was an unlimited fine and up to seven years in prison. The potential prison time has since increased to ten years, but only for offences committed from 2021. The Mandelson emails were in 2009 and 2010.
[Police are ‘investigating’ whether Mandelson’s actions are prosecutable][10]. There can be no excuses for failing to charge him.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][11]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/starmer-receipts/
[2]: https://t.co/bWCjLpaAku
[3]: https://t.co/nYNLWnENMR
[4]: https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/2018350835458085202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.threads.com/@wall/post/DUMRnydkV7o/media
[6]: https://t.co/nyDCgycEtj
[7]: https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/2018346468214501803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/Nz8o5pN7b4
[9]: https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/2018012951509168549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/police-must-investigate-peter-mandelson-165302312.html#:~:text=All%20rights%20reserved.-,Police%20must%20investigate%20Peter%20Mandelson%20after%20Epstein%20file%20revelations%20%E2%80%93%20SNP,Government%20and%20all%20appropriate%20authorities.
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/03/mandelson-insider-trading/

2026-02-03 00:08:02 UTC

Epstein, Mossad, and the question we are not allowed to ask but must do
[Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell]
The latest release of [documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein][1] has reignited a familiar media ritual. Names circulate, while royals and celebrities dominate headlines. Moral outrage flows freely, and safely in directions that neatly avoid the structures of power.
## Epstein – the unasked question
But beneath the spectacle lies a question that mainstream commentary continues to avoid, despite its growing inevitability:
Was Epstein operating as part of an intelligence-linked blackmail operation? And if so, for whom?
This is not a conspiracy theory, but a legitimate question that the files themselves provoke.
Epstein’s death in 2019, officially ruled a suicide but shrouded in conspiracy, left a trail of unanswered questions. The financier’s rise from humble Brooklyn teacher to billionaire was always suspicious.
How did a man with no clear business acumen amass such wealth? Epstein’s partner, [Ghislaine Maxwell][2], daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, a confirmed Mossad asset who [died under mysterious circumstances in 1991][3], provides the smoking gun. Multiple Israeli prime ministers attended Robert Maxwell’s funeral, with Shimon Peres delivering the eulogy.
## ‘Honeytrap’
Former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe has alleged Epstein and Maxwell ran a “honeytrap” operation for Mossad, luring elites into compromising situations to extract favours or silence. This is no conspiracy theory; it is echoed by Steven Hoffberg, Epstein’s former business partner, who alleged Epstein frequently flaunted his Mossad connections.
Survivor Maria Farmer described the network as a “Jewish supremacist” blackmail ring linked to the Mega group, a cabal of pro-Israel billionaires including Les Wexner, who gifted Epstein his Manhattan mansion.
Epstein held multiple passports (a spy’s toolkit) and reportedly fled to Israel after his first charges in 2008 before securing an extraordinary non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to continue operating freely.
It is also worth noting that Israel has long been a legal and jurisdictional refuge for sexual predators, particularly where extradition would expose intelligence, financial or diplomatic sensitivities.
Israel’s intelligence services, including Mossad, operate globally and extrajudicially by design. Like all major intelligence services, they cultivate leverage, assets and influence networks beyond formal diplomatic channels. Sexual blackmail has been widely documented as one such method across intelligence history, from the Cold War to present.
What distinguishes the Epstein case is not the abstract possibility of intelligence involvement, but the patterned convergence of factors: unexplained wealth, elite access, transnational mobility, institutional protection and repeated investigative shutdowns. These are not the characteristics of a ‘lone wolf’, but of a pernicious foreign influence over celebrities, politicians, bankers and media moguls.
## Recent revelations
The most recently released files only amplify these suspicions. An FBI report from a confidential source claims “Trump has been compromised by Israel,” citing leverage through Jared Kushner and Alan Dershowitz. Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre accused Dershowitz, a staunch defender of Israel, of involvement, though she later retracted her statement amid legal pressure.
The scale of Epstein’s reach is difficult to dismiss as coincidence. Across politics, finance, media and celebrity culture, the same names, or at least the same circles, recur with unsettling regularity.
In politics, the record is already public. Former US president Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s private jet numerous times, a fact acknowledged but persistently minimised. Donald Trump, for his part, publicly described Epstein as a “terrific guy” who enjoyed the company of “beautiful women… on the younger side”. While these statements are not crimes on their own, they are indicators of proximity.
Media power was no less entangled. Senior figures from major broadcasting and publishing empires, from former CBS chief Les Moonves to media baron Rupert Murdoch, surface repeatedly in the documents and testimonies, either through social proximity, shared intermediaries, or financial overlap.
Epstein did not merely socialise with media elites; he embedded himself within institutions capable of shaping coverage, suppressing stories, and disciplining dissent. When journalists attempted to pursue the story aggressively, they encountered legal pressure, editorial resistance, or sudden loss of access.
## Hiding in plain sight
Celebrity culture played a complementary role. High-profile figures moved through Epstein’s orbit not necessarily as conspirators, but as legitimising assets. Fame provided cover, glamour, and normalisation.
The presence of globally recognisable names diluted suspicion, transforming what should have been alarming access into social banality. Ironically, it was over-exposure that provided the perfect cover for Epstein’s crimes, rather than secrecy.
Flight logs and visitor records name Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, and Kevin Spacey, alongside tech titans such as Bill Gates. While some deny involvement in illicit activities, their proximity to Epstein’s web implies potential leverage over public influencers who mould cultural discourse.
Similarly, major institutions including JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank continued to service Epstein long after everyone knew his criminal record. Internal compliance failures have since been acknowledged, but the broader question remains unanswered: how did a convicted sex offender retain access to the global banking system at the highest level? Who judged the risk acceptable – and why?
## Geopolitical leverage
Further evidence of Mossad’s fingerprints emerges in Epstein’s dealings with international crises. Emails from July 2011, just a month before Muammar Gaddafi’s fall, show Epstein and associate Greg Brown plotting to recover up to $80bn in frozen Libyan funds, assets deemed sovereign, stolen, or misappropriated by Western powers.
Brown believed the true amount could be four times higher, reaching $320bn. Their scheme involved leveraging MI6 and Mossad agents to extort concessions from postwar Libya, still assumed under Gaddafi’s control, in exchange for returning the funds for “reconstruction”.
This wasn’t mere opportunism; it points to Epstein’s role in geopolitical manoeuvring, using intelligence networks for financial and strategic gains aligned with Israeli interests.
## The real Epstein scandal
The conclusion, then, is not a lurid morality tale about “bad people doing bad things,” nor the tired revelation that royals, celebrities, or billionaires behave with impunity. That much is already obvious. Child abusers exist across every class and every society. What does *not* exist everywhere is a system that records, archives, weaponises, and protects that abuse for strategic ends.
The Epstein case points not to isolated depravity, but to structured leverage: an architecture of blackmail in which sexual crimes become instruments of power rather than grounds for prosecution. That is why the fixation on individual scandal – princes, parties, and gossip – functions as misdirection.
The real scandal is the evidence of an intelligence-linked operation in which Mossad repeatedly appears as a point of reference, protection, and utility; an operation that embedded itself across politics, finance, media, and celebrity culture.
Not all abusers are documented and not all are shielded. And not all become untouchable.
Epstein did because he was useful. Until this is discussed in those terms, as a question of foreign influence, the story will remain trapped in spectacle, and the system it exposes will remain intact.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Rares Cocilnau][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/sky-news-epstein/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2022/01/15/prince-andrew-scandal-explodes-as-fbi-investigates-ghislaine-maxwells-uk-contacts/
[3]: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a35171995/ghislaine-maxwell-father-robert-maxwell-life-death/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/rares-cocilnau/
https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/03/epstein-mossad/

2026-02-02 23:03:34 UTC

Epstein’s “Nazi like” eugenicist horrors revealed in document release
[Epstein]
***Content warning – this article contains extremely upsetting content that details child rape and paedophilia ***
[A journal][1] — written by a girl who was 16 years old at the time of some entries — [reveals the sheer depravity of][2] Jeffrey Epstein and the ruling class he lurked within.
The girl was subjected to horrifying sexual abuse and despairs at being Epstein’s “property”, and “incubator” for the now-deceased financier’s children. One deeply disturbing account reveals the loss of a child, likely due to incessant abuse by Epstein and his associates:
> So sorry Jeffrey these things happen when your body had never been given time to properly heal!
> So it came out in the toilet and I didn’t know what to do so I just flushed the tiny little foetus.
> You have made me numb and I hate you for this!
> I hope I never have to see you again!
> I am not your personal incubator!
Another equally troubling passage seemingly describes a traumatic childbirth performed by an ‘Israeli’ doctor:
> Close your eyes close your eyes close your eyes. Don’t speak she doesn’t talk.
>
> I cant stop shaking and its been a week.
>
> A decision was made but I cant tell Jeffrey.
>
> These things happen. Why didn’t I close my eyes fast enough.
>
> The doctor was different again.
>
> I think from Israel. He had kind eyes but didn’t speak directly to me.
>
> This was different.
>
> A shot and those rod like things had a hook and so much pain.
>
> Ghislaine [Maxwell] said to push all the pain away. I don’t understand.
>
> Blood and water all over the bed and she was right.
>
> Like a feeling when your tummy hurts and you have to push.
>
> She said to close my eyes and put her hands over my eyes but I didn’t close them because of these tiny cries.
>
> I am so lost.
>
> I saw between her fingers this tiny head and body in the doctors hands.
>
> It reached its tiny arm up and had a tiny foot.
>
> I closed my eyes and no more…
In a later entry, she fears something terrible has happened to the child:
> In the hall Ghislaine said she was beautiful.
>
> SHE WAS.
>
> Not is.
>
> She was a beautiful girl!
>
> I heard her.
>
> Where is she?
>
> Why did she stop whimpering?
>
> She was born!
>
> I heard the tiny cries!
>
> I cant do this anymore!
## ‘Master race’ insanity of vile paedophile
The pregnancy appears to be part of a deranged eugenicist plan by Epstein to create as many “perfect offspring” as possible. She writes:
> Superior gene pool? Why me? It makes no sense.
>
> Why my hair colour and eye colour?
>
> That feels very Nazi like but in thinking about these stupid insane theories he has I guess in mind it makes sense.
This revolting fantasy is consistent with [previous reporting on Epstein. ][3]The child abuser — who liked to [wear an ‘Israeli’ Occupation Forces sweatshirt][4] — was determined to develop a “super-race” by “impregnating 20 women at a time”. The [*New York Times* reported in 2019][5] that:
> Epstein told scientists and businessmen about his ambitions to use his New Mexico ranch as a base where women would be inseminated with his sperm and would give birth to his babies … Mr Epstein’s goal was to have 20 women at a time impregnated at his 33,000-sq-ft Zorro Ranch in a tiny town outside Santa Fe.
This is the most sinister form of a [growing interest in pronatalism among the US ruling class][6]. Fellow “Nazi like” [sieg-heiler Elon Musk][7] has fathered 12 children, and advocates for measures to increase the birth rate. The founder of messaging app Telegram Pavel Durov has made:
> …a sperm donation…to a fertility clinic [which has] resulted in children conceived in 12 countries by more than 100 couples.
Overseas, authoritarians [Nigel Farage][8] and [Viktor Orban][9] have talked up policies for ensuring greater levels of childbearing. [Given][10] their [racist ideologies][11], one suspects they imagine these children all having a similar skin colour to their own.
## Rogues’ gallery of ruling class sickos
This all amounts to the strange delusions brought on by excessive power — a belief that you’re a superior form of life, when you in fact represent the absolute dregs of humanity. A notion that the world needs more of you, when we can all see the defective specimen before us is already one too many.
Other entries from the journal of the child abused by Epstein reveal the alleged participation in her suffering of countless other ruling class ghouls. [Among those named are][12]:
> Mr. Leonsis, Mr. Case, Mr. Snyder, the Gregorys, Mr. Colgan…Mr. Kimsey [and] George Mitchell
[There are suggestions][13] that the above refer to Jim Kimsey, Ted Leonsis, and Steve Case, AOL executives at the likely time of the journal’s creation. [George Mitchell is the former Democratic senator][14], perhaps best known for his role as chair of the North of Ireland peace negotiations. He is described as someone:
> …who you think would be good like a grandpa [but is] bad.
The writer also names [lead Epstein funder Leon Black][15]. She accuses the financier of throwing her to the floor and says “the fat fuck bit me”, leaving blood on Epstein’s carpet.
## Capitalism ensures the Epsteins of the world rise to the top
All this is ultimately the product of an economic and political system that [practically guarantees][16] the most poisonous humans imaginable rise to the top. Capitalism rewards the most ruthless and domineering among us, [not the kindest and most compassionate][17].
Those attracted to being a CEO — with the ability to control potentially thousands of lives — are unlikely to be good people. Once there, wealth grants them the ability to evade the law and control the political realm. With greater power comes greater impunity, and an already degraded soul rots still further. It’s a system that selects for, then refines, the worst traits of our species.
The Epstein documents have [produced an outpouring of fury][18], and an increasing clarity to the realisation that an entire system needs to be dismantled and reconstructed into something less misanthropic. We’ve had [enough warnings][19] by now of [“Nazi like” reprobates][20] controlling our lives. An imminent return to something akin to Nazism looms unless an alternative course is pursued urgently.
*Featured image via [ABC][21]*
By [Robert Freeman][22]
[1]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2012/EFTA02731361.pdf
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-palantir/
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/01/jeffrey-epstein-seed-human-race-report
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1953890194039746572
[5]: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/31/business/jeffrey-epstein-eugenics.html
[6]: https://theweek.com/health/the-rise-of-pronatalist-tech-bros
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/01/23/led-by-donkeys-musk-tesla/
[8]: https://www.politico.eu/article/reform-uk-nigel-farage-britain-birth-rates-families/
[9]: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-populist-right-want-you-make-more-babies-viktor-orban/
[10]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/08/go-back-home-farage-schoolmate-accounts-bring-total-alleging-racist-behaviour-to-34
[11]: https://www.errc.org/news/shamelessly-racist-viktor-orban-on-roma-integration-and-putting-the-hungarian-middle-class-first
[12]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2012/EFTA02731420.pdf
[13]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Epstein/comments/1qrumze/comment/o2r1agp/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/15/ucu-has-called-for-queens-university-belfast-to-cut-ties-with-epstein-associates-including-hilary-clinton/
[15]: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/business/jeffrey-epstein-leon-black.html
[16]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot
[17]: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/neoliberalism-economic-system-ethics-personality-psychopathicsthic
[18]: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DT2lJ5JjuBY/
[19]: https://www.972mag.com/gaza-ceasefire-netanyahu-sabotage-ncag/
[20]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/ice-thugs-attack-march-in-texas/
[21]: https://abcnews.go.com/US/latest-release-epstein-files-includes-survivors-names-despite/story?id=129713987
[22]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/robert-freeman/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-nazi-like-eugenicist/

2026-02-02 22:18:08 UTC

Toxins beneath the rubble of Gaza: electronic waste is a silent bomb threatening people’s lives
[Gaza]
The rubble of war in the Gaza Strip is no longer a silent witness to destruction. It has become a layer of contamination storing slow-acting toxins.
Among the debris, the remains of homes, [hospitals][1], and schools are mixed with thousands of tonnes of broken electronic devices. This has created what can be described as *electronic rubble* — a long-term environmental and health hazard. These toxins seep silently into soil, water, and human bodies in one of the most densely populated and besieged places on Earth.
In Gaza, the war has not only caused physical destruction. It has also left behind a new type of waste that the Strip was never equipped to handle. Mobile phones, computers, household appliances, medical equipment, and network cables have been turned into dense electronic waste by bombing. This waste cannot be easily separated from building rubble or safely disposed of.
The suffocating siege and the near-total collapse of Gaza’s [waste-management system][2] make the problem even worse.
## Gaza figures spell environmental disaster
The United Nations Development Programme estimates that between October 2023 and the end of November 2025, around 900,000 tonnes of solid waste were generated in Gaza. Most of this waste was dumped in temporary sites after the collapse of collection and treatment systems.
Daily waste generation has risen to between 3,300 and 3,850 cubic metres, compared with about 1,300 cubic metres per day before the war. Electronic waste is estimated to make up 10–15% of the total. That equals 90,000 to 135,000 tonnes of toxic devices, metals, and chemicals.
This is equivalent to thousands of buses filled with highly hazardous waste.
## An invisible danger — and an indelible impact
According to World Health Organization reports, electronic waste is the fastest-growing form of solid waste worldwide. Less than a quarter of it is recycled. While e-waste contains valuable materials, improper handling poses a serious threat to public health and the environment. This risk is amplified in fragile settings that lack infrastructure and oversight.
The danger lies not only in volume, but in composition.
Burning, landfilling, or unsafe dismantling releases toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and dioxins. These seep into air, soil, and groundwater, enter the food chain, and ultimately reach humans. The [WHO warns that children and pregnant women are most vulnerable][3]. Exposure can cause premature birth, neurological damage, and chronic respiratory and immune diseases that may last a lifetime.
## Scientific warnings from inside Gaza
Environmental experts in Gaza warn that electronic waste is among the most dangerous threats facing Palestinian society today. It contains electronic chips, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals that persist in the environment for decades.
These materials gradually penetrate soil, contaminate groundwater, and reach people through food and air.
Experts stress that burning or burying electronic waste with ordinary rubbish releases toxic fumes. These gases damage skin and lungs and worsen asthma and heart disease. The risk is intensified because landfills are often close to homes and displacement camps.
Pollution does not stop at the surface. It spreads into groundwater and farmland, threatening food security and public health in the medium and long term.
## Unprotected workers — and a crisis without tools
Sanitation workers and waste collectors face even greater danger.
They handle hazardous materials without adequate protective equipment, while the sector suffers severe shortages of resources and capacity. Experts agree that the long-standing blockade, combined with widespread wartime destruction, has paralysed Gaza’s ability to manage complex waste safely.
## A silent bomb waiting to explode
Environmental specialists say urgent action is needed. This includes separating e-waste from debris, safely treating toxic materials, providing protective gear for workers, and launching public awareness campaigns.
Without intervention, electronic waste will remain a silent bomb beneath Gaza’s rubble.
It threatens present health, future ecosystems, and adds another layer of suffering to lives already exhausted by siege and war — with consequences that may last decades after the bombing ends.
*Featured image via [UNRWA][4]*
By [Alaa Shamali][5]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2025/11/08/gaza-medicine-crisis-israel-strangles-life/
[2]: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/undps-emergency-response-to-solid-waste-management-in-gaza/
[3]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/born-vulnerable-toll-maternal-malnutrition-and-stress-gaza
[4]: https://www.unrwa.org/gaza-through-their-eyes-photo-12
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/02/gaza-buried-in-toxic/

2026-02-02 21:23:45 UTC

Modi liberalises Indian tariffs much to chagrin of the left
[Modi]
After nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations that began in 2007, India and the European Union have concluded a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA). But potential ‘reform’ of tariffs is angering many of the left of Indian politics. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President [Ursula von der Leyen][1], both announced the deal enthusiastically, with Modi [saying][2]:
> Today is a day that will be remembered forever, marked indelibly in our shared history.
Von der Leyen framed the agreement as a historic achievement, stating in a pinned tweet:
> Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals.
## The EU-India deal
The EU-India Free Trade Agreement [commits][3] both sides to sweeping tariff elimination, covering over 96% of India’s tariff lines and 99% of the EU’s — with the goal of expanding bilateral trade, which reached €120bn in 2024.
A key selling point to Europe, as outlined by the European Commission, is that the deal:
> will help EU companies and farmers export more. Separately, the Commission underscored a specific gain for EU agriculture through a parallel pact on Geographical Indications (GIs), which aims to protect traditional EU products in the Indian market ‘by removing unfair competition in the form of imitations’.
Through the timing of the conclusion of the agreement, India and the EU are unmistakably sending a message to Washington. Its allies and partners will not give in to [threats of tariff wars][4] and weaponising trade, [according][5] to the geopolitical magazine *The Diplomat*.
*The Diplomat* further states there are some roadblocks before the operationalisation of the deal:
> The EU-Mercosur agreement, concluded after 25 years of negotiations, just days before the India-EU FTA, is now facing [opposition][6] from the European Parliament. Unlike the Mercosur agreement, the India-EU FTA does not require [approval][7] by each of the 27 national member states, which could potentially speed up the operationalization of the agreement, but it would still need Parliamentary approval.
## India’s left condemns Modi’s neoliberal deal
However, the core disputes that caused the breakdown of negotiations in 2013, under the then-ruling Congress party, have not been meaningfully resolved in the current pact. They have simply been papered over.
A key failure cited by the current opposition Congress is the Modi government’s inability to secure an exemption for India’s aluminium and steel sectors from the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Jairam Ramesh, the Indian National Congress’s general secretary in-charge of communications, [emphasised][8] the material consequence of this on social media:
> India’s aluminium and steel exports to the EU have already fallen from $7bn to $5bn and are only expected to fall further beginning this year due to the enforcement of the CBAM since 1 January, 2026.
The [tweet][9] from Ashok Swain, an Indian-origin academic based in Sweden, captures the tone of the Indian left’s opposition to the EU-India trade deal:
> Thanks to the trade deal between EU and India, German cars and French wines will be cheaper in India – exactly what 800 million Indians surviving on subsidised food have been demanding.
## Pros and cons of tariffs
Swain’s criticism mirrors the opposition from domestic left-leaning factions like the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has [argued][10] that tariff cuts on luxury goods will only benefit the wealthy, while threatening the livelihoods of farmers, workers, and ordinary citizens.
The skepticism of the left stems from India’s economic history.
As Tricontinental Research [notes][11], millions in India still rely on agriculture for their livelihood. The institute notes that in the 1990s, aggressive cuts to agricultural tariffs triggered a prolonged agrarian crisis. While farming now makes up just 18 percent of India’s GDP, it still employs 46 percent of the national workforce. In contrast, the service sector accounts for over half of the economy but only 30 percent of jobs.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of over 500 Indian farmers’ unions, [warns][12] cheap, subsidised EU processed foods and wines will crash domestic prices and devastate small farmers. It condemns the “double standard” where complex EU barriers block Indian farm exports, while India lowers its own import standards.
Furthermore, left-wing critics warn the FTA’s facilitation of European weapons procurement from India risks empowering crony capitalists and derailing the country’s traditional nuclear policy, with [the Diaspora in Action group][13] and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) asserting it represents an “absence of guardrails” for peace and stability.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [The Canary][14]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/07/23/gaza-starvation/
[2]: https://x.com/narendramodi/status/2016072789858693558
[3]: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/india/eu-india-agreements/memo-eu-india-free-trade-agreement-chapter-chapter-summary_en
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/04/04/trump-tariffs-china/
[5]: https://thediplomat.com/2026/01/india-eu-fta-some-challenges-ahead-but-strategic-signal-is-clear/
[6]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260121-eu-parliament-votes-to-challenge-mercosur-trade-deal
[7]: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-eu-working-to-make-fta-operational-at-earliest/articleshow/127726945.cms?from=mdr
[8]: https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2016434658766959044
[9]: https://x.com/ashoswai/status/2016156942620663860
[10]: https://cpim.org/oppose-the-india-eu-free-trade-agreement/
[11]: https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-india-deindustrialisation/
[12]: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/india-eu-trade-deal-will-lead-to-corporate-capture-of-market-huge-unemployment-samyukt-kisan-morcha-3880400
[13]: https://dahrd.org/2026/01/27/eu-india-fta/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/modi-liberalises-indian-tariffs/

2026-02-02 20:45:42 UTC

Apparently, Reform are trying to court the Muslim vote for the London mayoral race
[Reform]
A clip [has emerged on social media][1] of Reform leader Nigel Farage proudly explaining that his party has put forward a [Muslim candidate][2] for the London mayoral election in order to court the Muslim vote.
In the video, Farage — apparently answering an interviewer’s question — states that:
> We’ve got a Muslim woman who’s gonna stand for us for the mayor of London contest against Sadiq Khan. So no, there are plenty of members of the Muslim community who will vote for Reform, support Reform. The difference here of course is that, for many many years, the Muslim vote was viewed by Labour as being a bloc vote. They turned out and voted for Labour in their droves. **That **has changed a lot.
The hypocrisy on display is quite breathtaking, even for Farage. ‘We’ve got a Muslim woman, so of course Muslims will vote for us — also, Labour made the mistake of thinking Muslims all vote together’.
It sounds an awful lot like the Reform leader is fine with [playing identity politics][3] when it suits him, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately for him, Farage also mistakenly seems to think that UK Muslims are completely uninformed.
## Reform — London ‘feels like a Muslim city’
You see, that Muslim woman that Reform have got [would be Laila Cunningham][4], a UK-born Muslim of Egyptian descent. Cunningham formerly worked as a prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service before making the move into politics.
Like most Reformers, she’s also a Tory washout. The Reform candidate[ was previously elected][5] as a Westminster City Council member in 2022 for the Conservative Party. And, also like most Reformers, Cunningham also happens to have dabbled in Islamophobia.
In an interview [on the *Standard* podcast][6], Cunningham argued that Muslims wearing the burqa should be stopped and searched by the police. As her reasoning, the newly-minted Reformer stated:
> It has to be assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason.
She also asserted that “there should be one civic culture, which “should be British”, and went on to say:
> If you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city. The signs are written in a different language. You’ve got burqas being sold in markets.
For her comments, Shaista Gohir — crossbench peer and CEO of the Muslim Women’s Network UK — accused Cunningham of helping to endanger UK Muslims. Gohir said that the Reform candidate was:
> sending a message to Muslims that they do not belong [and] emboldening people who already abuse Muslims and influencing those people who are reading this misinformation.
## Who else did we expect from Farage?
As such, Cunningham hardly seems like a shining light to sway London Muslims to vote for the far right. But, then again, who else would we expect as a choice from [noted Islamophobe Nigel Farage][7], who once told *Sky News* that:
> We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, [who] in fact loathe much of what we stand for.
When questioned on whether he was referring to Muslims, the Reform leader responded:
> We are. … And I’m afraid I found some of the recent surveys saying that 46% of British Muslims support Hamas – support a terrorist organisation that is proscribed in this country.
This is a blatant misrepresentation of a [study from the Henry Jackson Society][8] — a neoconservative think tank. It asked whether British Muslims feel more sympathy with Hamas or Israel [p22].
Apparently British Muslims are just expected to forget Farage dog-whistling that they, as a whole, are terrorist sympathisers. Likewise, Reform clearly reckons that London Muslims are just waiting to vote for a woman who wants them accosted by police.
Reform chose Cunningham, as a minoritised woman, to lend an acceptable face to racist policies. Far from being the breath of fresh air in UK politics they pretend to be, Reform are pulling the same old establishment stunts.
See also: [Priti Patel,][9][ Shabana Mahmood,][10] [Kemi Badenoch,][11][ Suella Braverman][12], etc etc etc.
*Featured image via [the Australian][13]*
By [The Canary][14]
[1]: https://x.com/SlyForTheRight/status/2018264172077756541?s=20
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/27/laila-cunningham-reform-london/
[3]: https://news.sky.com/story/reform-uk-leader-nigel-farage-attacks-woke-virus-in-big-companies-after-end-of-natwest-debanking-battle-13336881
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/16/reform-uk-london-mayor-candidate-laila-cunningham-burqa-stop-and-search
[5]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2434x5gx4o
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/16/reform-uk-london-mayor-candidate-laila-cunningham-burqa-stop-and-search
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/26/nigel-farage-under-fire-said-muslims-not-share-british-values
[8]: https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/HJS-Deck-200324-Final.pdf
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/21/home-secretary-caused-legal-storm-by-posting-tweet-about-migrant-deaths/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/15/shabana-mahmood-awards-herself/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2020/06/04/the-jaw-dropping-response-from-a-tory-minister-to-a-call-for-ethnic-equality/
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2023/11/10/psc-brands-braverman-unfit-for-office-and-disgraceful-ahead-of-its-next-march/
[13]: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fworld%2Fnigel-farage-unveils-former-lawyer-laila-cunningham-to-challenge-for-london-mayor%2Fnews-story%2F61054c31877ea5844b10d48f3ca54341&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-1-NOSCORE
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/reform-claims-its-courting/

2026-02-02 19:55:17 UTC

Belfast university dumps Mitchell after further Epstein ties emerge
[George Mitchell]
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) will end its relationship with George Mitchell, following new revelations in the latest trove of Jeffrey [Epstein files][1] released in the last week. A building on the university’s campus will no longer be known as the [Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice][2]. A bust of the former Senator will also be removed.
In a statement, [the university said][3]:
> While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.
>
> As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen’s University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.
## String of allegations facing George Mitchell
QUB’s claim of no wrongdoing by Mitchell is highly questionable. He remained in contact with Epstein years after the notorious paedophile was [convicted in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution][4]. This may not have been criminal wrongdoing, but was certainly the wrong thing to do.
[A 2011 email][5] present among the [three million documents released by the US Department of Justice][6] shows Epstein planning to meet with Mitchell and former secretary of state for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson in New York. Mandelson [has resigned in disgrace][7] due to continuing details emerging about his links to Epstein.
Other allegations against Mitchell are more sinister. [A horrifying letter written in code by a 16-year-old][8] abused by Epstein reads:
> They are always flights of horror whether it’s with Jeffrey, Mr. Leonsis, Mr. Case, Mr. Snyder, the Gregorys, Mr. Colgan or one being borrowed by a seemingly good federal worker and even rented, it is all horror.
>
> And nothing is as it seems, I am so confused by everything and people you expect to be good like even Senators like George Mitchell who you think will be like a grandpa are bad. Mr. Kimsey is deranged.
Those mentioned appear to mostly be prominent US business figures. [A previous email release][9] suggested a victim of Epstein’s crimes:
> …was required to have sex with friends of Ms Maxwell and Mr Epstein, including Glenn Dubin, Les Wexner, Ehud Barak, former Senator George Mitchell and Stephen Kosslyn.
Mitchell has [previously described][10] his relationship with Epstein as a “blessing”. In 2019, [Virginia Giuffre accused Mitchell of raping her][11]. She died by suicide in 2025.
## George Mitchell — scholarship body cuts its losses
The US-Ireland Alliance has also separated from Mitchell. It [describes itself as][12]:
> …proactive, non-partisan, non-profit organisation dedicated to consolidating existing relations between the United States and the island of Ireland and building that relationship for the future.
[It offers scholarships for US students to study in Ireland][13]. The website is keen to stress the body’s role in generating future “leaders”. It’s reasonable to ask why we’d want the people who should be our *representatives* pre-selected for us via Ivy League universities and unaccountable institutions. The better option is to have them rise through more organic popular movements, such as trade unions.
The question is even more timely as the Epstein revelations show us the utter depravity of the ruling class the former system has produced. [In a statement today, the Alliance said][14]:
> The board of directors of the US-Ireland Alliance has unanimously agreed that its George J. Mitchell Scholarship program should no longer bear the former Senator’s name.
>
> The decision was made due to new information that has come to light as part of the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the Department of Justice on Friday, according to Trina Vargo, founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance.
Vargo, like Mitchell, was [previously involved][15] in the North of Ireland peace process.
## Time to end all boot-licking tributes to wretched US ruling class
Mitchell has been a revered figure among the establishment in the Six Counties for his role as chair in the talks which culminated in the [Good Friday Agreement][16] of 1998.
He was invited to speak in front of a group of teenagers at the university as recently as [April 2025][17], which seems like a deeply irresponsible decision given the credible accusations against him. Mitchell’s removal is long overdue.
Fawning tributes to powerful Americans were always pathetic, but the latest revelations add an additional element of disgust to the sycophancy. While they’re ridding us of Mitchell, Queen’s can go one better — kick [warmonger and fellow Epstein associate Hillary Clinton][18] out of her role as chancellor.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Robert Freeman][19]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/epstein-files-survivors-slam/
[2]: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g3vy778w5o
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/02/usa.internationalcrime1
[5]: https://x.com/DrAaronEdwards/status/2017442335701832036
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/01/starmer-andrew-windsor-epstein/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[8]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Epstein/comments/1qrumze/another_decoded_diary_entry_from_16yo_victim/
[9]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00653923.pdf
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/15/ucu-has-called-for-queens-university-belfast-to-cut-ties-with-epstein-associates-including-hilary-clinton/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/15/ucu-has-called-for-queens-university-belfast-to-cut-ties-with-epstein-associates-including-hilary-clinton/
[12]: https://us-irelandalliance.org/about
[13]: https://us-irelandalliance.org/scholarships
[14]: https://us-irelandalliance.org/mitchellscholarship/announcement
[15]: https://boardstaff.us-irelandalliance.org/board/trina-vargo
[16]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Agreement
[17]: https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/senator-george-mitchell-urges-next-generation-to-stay-in-north-and-not-leave-peace-to-fate-3W2UMBWCEZEXBJIER6SGGVFXLE/
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/15/ucu-has-called-for-queens-university-belfast-to-cut-ties-with-epstein-associates-including-hilary-clinton/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/robert-freeman/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/george-mitchell-has/

2026-02-02 19:46:27 UTC

Trade unionists call on Polanski to mobilise Greens against local council austerity
[Zack Polanski in front of a People's Assembly banner saying End Austerity Now]
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has been in touch with details of a petition to [Green Party][1] leader Zack Polanski. It calls on him to commit Green candidates in the upcoming council elections to opposing [austerity cuts][2]:
## The Polanski petition
The TUSC all-Britain steering committee has welcomed a new petition from leading trade unionists. It calls on the Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, to mobilise his party in the struggle against local council austerity.
[The petition][3], launched by 20 current and former members of trade union executives, makes an opening appeal to Polanski:
> to ensure that in this year’s local council elections no candidate shall appear on the ballot paper on behalf of the Greens who has not made a public commitment to vote against all cuts and closures to council services, jobs, pay and conditions should they be elected as a councillor on 7 May.
This is the first set of elections since Polanski won the Green Party leadership last summer, denouncing the ‘system rigged for the rich’. And, with local public services still facing an unbearable funding squeeze, opposing all further cuts and closures should be a no-brainer.
As the petition says, while:
> we cannot expect Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, the Lib Dems, the Tories or Reform to join the struggle to defend local public services… we should not expect anything less from those who have spoken against the establishment’s austerity agenda.
The trade unionists’ petition further asks that Zack Polanski:
> instructs all current Green Party councillors to make the same commitment for future council budget-making meetings, including in the 40-plus local authorities where the Greens are presently part of the council administration.
The Greens do have a substantial presence in local government and if their hundreds of councillors were to take such a stand – and there was a protest movement to back them up – who could categorically say that Starmer and the chancellor Rachel Reeves wouldn’t have to make yet another U-turn?
The central battle remains to get the trade union leaders to build on the heroic resistance of those like the Birmingham council bin-workers fighting wage cuts and poorer services. But a widespread councillors’ rebellion would open up a new front. That’s why the trade unionists’ petition to Polanski deserves all our support.
## But can councillors resist austerity?
The main argument made by councillors from the establishment parties for why they ‘reluctantly’ go along with the devastation of local public services is that it would not be ‘legal’ for councils to resist. Firstly, that’s not a good argument from those who say they are ‘fighting the system’ – only not now apparently, and not in their local town hall in defence of public services! But also, it is just not true.
Since its inception, TUSC has pioneered an anti-austerity strategy of councils using their prudential borrowing powers and reserves to set needs-based budgets as part of building a mass campaign for proper government funding for local services, explaining exactly how that was possible. Not by ignoring the legal requirement for a council to set a ‘balanced budget’ each year before it is able to spend money or issue council tax bills, but by formally ‘balancing’ it by the use of borrowing powers and reserves.
Previous TUSC documents have detailed what powers councils have and how they could use them to this end. They include the 55-page briefing Preparing a No Cuts People’s Budget, [available from the TUSC website][4]. What is very relevant is that the alternative budget amendments moved by TUSC-supporting councillors and explored in this briefing were not recommended by council finance officers when they were presented. But officers didn’t rule them ‘illegal’ either. There really is no excuse for any councillor to go along with local austerity policies.
The latest developments on local council funding and the law were addressed in [a TUSC discussion document][5] arguing for a clear anti-austerity stance in the 2026 elections from any candidates selected by the newly-formed Your Party. But the same points apply to Green Party candidates too.
## TUSC candidates and the petition
It is clear that local austerity will not be defeated by votes in the council chambers alone but by combining such defiance with building a mass movement. But it is also absolutely clear that councillors voting for austerity is definitely not the way to defeat it!
The TUSC national election agent, Clive Heemskerk, welcomed the petition as a means to help clarify where there should or should not be TUSC candidates contesting seats in the 7 May elections:
> All candidates appearing on the ballot paper using one of the TUSC descriptions in May will have no difficulty in making the commitment asked for in the trade union petition. It is a requirement of standing to agree to [TUSC’s six candidate guarantees][6] – the first one of which is to ‘oppose all cuts and closures to council services, jobs, pay and conditions, and the privatisation of services or their transfer to social enterprises or arms-length management organisations which are the first steps to their privatisation’.
>
> The six guarantees are the minimum commitments candidates make. They can bring other issues to the fore of their campaign if they wish, as the TUSC model means that it is the individual candidate who is in control. But you can’t use one of the TUSC descriptions on the ballot paper unless you commit to the six guarantees as a minimum.
>
> This May, TUSC has agreed that we will not be standing against Your Party candidates and, if there are Green councillors or candidates who sign the trade union petition to Zack Polanski, we will not stand in competition with them either.
>
> We can’t know in advance what position Zack will take on the petition’s call – we would very much welcome the Green Party throwing its councillors into the battle against austerity but that will very probably not be his stance – but if a prospective Green candidate is prepared to sign the petition that’s a better indication that they might resist the pressure for cuts from the council officers (and their less determined fellow councillors) than any amount of verbal ‘opposition’ to austerity in general.
>
> Of course, it is true that petitioning Green and Your Party candidates to take a stand is not the same as trade unions having their own candidates running, directly subject to the democratic accountability of the union members. It puts the working class and its organisations in a similar position to where we were at the end of the 19th century, without a party of our own and seeking out individual ‘friends of labour’ to articulate workers’ interests.
>
> That’s why TUSC will be stepping up its support for the campaign in the trade unions for them to take the necessary measures to establish their own political voice; including by encouraging as many trade unionists, socialists and working-class community candidates as possible to stand in May’s elections – alongside Your Party and genuine anti-austerity Greens.
You can [sign the petition online here][7]. Or you can [download a printable PDF version here][8].
*Featured image via TUSC*
By [The Canary][9]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/green-party/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/austerity/
[3]: https://c.org/r55nStyRBm
[4]: https://www.tusc.org.uk/txt/450.pdf
[5]: https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ideas-about-the-2026-local-elections.pdf
[6]: https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Local-elections-core-policies.pdf
[7]: https://www.change.org/GreensMustPledgeNoCuts
[8]: https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ZP-petition-PDF.pdf
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/02/trade-unionists-call-on-polanski-to-mobilise-greens-against-local-council-austerity/

2026-02-02 19:26:48 UTC

Israel causes Gaza’s population to drop by about 254,000 during the war
[Gaza]
A large-scale study published by [*the Guardian*][1] and prepared by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights has found that Gaza’s population has fallen by around 254,000 people since the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023.
By the end of 2025, this decline amounted to roughly 10.6% of Gaza’s pre-war population. Researchers describe it as one of the most severe demographic shifts in the Strip’s modern history.
## Unprecedented
The figures confirm what researchers call an “unprecedented demographic earthquake”. They link the decline to [mass civilian killings][2], forced displacement, and worsening health and living conditions. These factors have also caused a sharp drop in birth rates.
The report provides stark details on the human cost of the war:
* 18,592 children were killed between the start of the conflict and the end of 2025.
* 12,400 women died as a result of violence.
* Total Palestinian casualties reached 71,000, with more than 171,000 injured.
Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025, [hundreds of additional deaths][3] and injuries were recorded afterward. This underlines both the fragility of the truce and the failure to protect civilians.
## International humanitarian law under strain
The study warns that international humanitarian law, designed to safeguard civilians during war, has reached a “breaking point”. Researchers cite widespread war crimes and an almost total lack of accountability.
They caution that continued impunity risks eroding international legal protections entirely, paving the way for future atrocities.
The damage has extended far beyond loss of life. Gaza’s social fabric has been torn apart by falling birth rates, destroyed homes, and the devastation of hospitals and schools.
Severe shortages of [water, electricity][4], and healthcare have compounded suffering, pushing civilian life into an unprecedented crisis.
## International support and accountability
The study urges the international community to act immediately to protect civilians in Gaza. It calls for:
* Stronger enforcement of international humanitarian law
* Faster investigations and prosecutions of war crimes
* Urgent international assistance to relieve civilian suffering and address widespread destruction
*Featured image via [Red Cross][5]*
By [Alaa Shamali][6]
[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb/02/more-than-100000-civilians-killed-war-crimes-out-of-control-study
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/06/03/gaza-aid-distribution/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/31/gaza-32-killed-in/
[4]: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/water-being-used-weapon-war-gaza
[5]: https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/international/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/02/gaza-israel-genocide-wipes/

2026-02-02 18:47:36 UTC

As Spycops hearings resume victims set out their positions
[Spycops campaign banners outside Royal Courts of Justice]
The ‘Spycops’ [Undercover Policing Inquiry has resumed][1] hearing live evidence in Central London. Five former undercovers from the notorious Special Demonstration Squad active between 1992 and 2007 will be giving evidence over the next two months.
The inquiry has published [a series of ‘position statements’][2] on behalf of numerous participants, including [the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police][3] and [victims of abusive undercover policing][4].
## Spycops infiltrating campaigns
[The Inquiry has set out some of the questions][5] it will be asking about the justification for spying on [trades unions][6], justice campaigns, [political parties][7] and campaign groups, including [Palestinian solidarity groups][8], as well as the accuracy of the intelligence reporting, the officers’ abuses, including [black-listing][9] and [sexual deception][10], as well as the impact of it all.
Following on from previous hearings about the police’s handling of the murder of Stephen Lawrence and spying on the Lawrence family, the Inquiry will explore how the tasking of undercovers focused on protecting the reputation of the police.
In 2005, police shot dead [Jean Charles de Menezes][11] in cold blood. They then deployed undercover officers to spy on the campaign for justice. The Metropolitan Police has proffered an [apology][12] to the family for the reporting on their campaign.
In the early 2000 this drive to protect reputations expanded, with a ‘policing’ focus on preventing embarrassment to the government, and [protecting corporations][13] and ‘UK Plc’.
The evidence is that spycops ran deliberate campaigns of harassment. We will hear evidence of how managers and undercover officers secretly plotted to [disrupt democratic processes][14] by targeting print shops, raiding people’s homes and [deliberately harassing people][15], and we will hear from the victims about the psychological damage and disruption that caused.
The Inquiry will also hear from [women targeted for deceitful sexual relationships][16] where the evidence speaks of abuse and coercive control.
## Spycops as provocateurs
As with previous hearings, the Inquiry will hear about undercover officers’ roles in a number of high profile events, including the [massive 2003 Stop the War demonstration][17] against the invasion of Iraq, and the undercover officer who played a central role in planning the high profile 1999 Carnival Against Capitalism, often known as J18, which ended in widespread clashes in the City of London.
The inquiry will explore the extent of [DC Jim Boyling’s role in organising the J18 event][18], alongside the decision by the Special Demonstration Squad not to tell the City of London Police the protesters’ plans, and government claims that the police had no contact with the organisers and no way of knowing what would happen on the day. Boyling will also face questions about his central role in organising the first ever anti-genetic crop decontamination in Ireland.
DC Carlo Soracchi will face questions about his attempts while undercover to encourage an arson attack on a charity shop in Maida Vale. And also how he came to meet with police barristers preparing the Met’s defence in a civil case about the mass detaining of protestors, the [2001 Oxford Circus ‘Kettling’][19], contributing to the police’s victory, and undermining the judicial process in a case which set a major precedent.
## The human toll
This so-called ‘spycops’ inquiry is one of the longest and most expensive ever, and it has been plagued with delays. Nevertheless, its importance is probably best underscored by the final words of the Metropolitan Police in its [position statement][20]:
> The human toll of the [Special Demonstration Squad]’s dysfunction has been severe and wide-ranging: misuse of deceased people’s identities, wrongful intrusion into individuals’ private and political lives, grievous sexual exploitation, damaged relationships, broken families, and widespread anger, distress and psychological harm (including to some of the officers themselves).
>
> The MPS recognises how important it is to understand the damage that the SDS has caused, to hear directly from the people who have been affected, and for the Inquiry to hold those responsible to account.
Hearings are taking place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral.
For live coverage of hearings follow @tombfowler on social media & see the [YouTube channel][21].
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [The Canary][22]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/28/spycops-hearings-to-resume/
[2]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/hearing/ucpi-evidence-hearings-tranche-3-phase-2-day-1/
[3]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Commissioners-Lawyers-MPS.pdf
[4]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-NPSCPs.pdf
[5]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/CTI-Opening-Statement-T3P2-with-Annex-A-and-B.pdf
[6]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-FBU-Fire-Brigades-Union.pdf
[7]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Ken-Livingstone.pdf
[8]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-ISM-Atif-Choudhury-Asa-Winstanley-and-MCD.pdf
[9]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-IKP-Frank-Smith-Dave-Smith-and-Stephen-Hedley.pdf
[10]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Category-H-CPs.pdf
[11]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Patricia-Armani-da-Silva.pdf
[12]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Commissioners-Lawyers-MPS.pdf
[13]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Dave-Morris.pdf
[14]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Guy-Taylor-and-Noel-Douglas.pdf
[15]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Emily-Apple.pdf
[16]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Category-H-CPs.pdf
[17]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-PILC-Lois-Austin-Lindsey-German-Chris-Nineham-John-Rees-Hannah-Sell-and-Stop-the-War-Coalition.pdf
[18]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-HJA.pdf
[19]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Emily-Apple.pdf
[20]: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/T3P2-Position-Statement-Commissioners-Lawyers-MPS.pdf
[21]: https://ucpi.uk/youtube/
[22]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/02/as-spycops-hearings-resume-victims-set-out-their-positions/

2026-02-02 18:22:12 UTC

Starmer tries to pretend he’s against Mandelson – but we have the receipts
[starmer mandelson]
Keir Starmer is desperately scrambling to distance himself from the (re)disgraced Peter Mandelson. The prime minister now [says that Mandelson should be removed from the house of lords][1] after Mandelson’s resignation from Labour for his extreme closeness to serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. But we have the receipts – *far* too many to fall for such craven arse-covering.
Last September, when a then-new tranche of Epstein files exposed Mandelson’s [pining for Epstein][2], Starmer went to Parliament to [insist Mandelson – a senior Number 10 adviser – had his full confidence][3] as his personally-appointed UK ambassador to the US.
But Starmer had been [warned more than a full day earlier][4] that the [damning revelations were coming out][5].
## Starmer has no excuses
Nor was there any excuse for Starmer appointing Mandelson in the first place. Mandelson’s closeness to Epstein was not a new revelation. Labour had [known about it for years][6], yet he still got the top job. This [appointment was pushed by the appalling Morgan McSweeney][7], Mandelson’s protégé, Starmer’s chief of staff and one of the architects of Corbyn’s downfall.
Yet even when last September’s exposure came about, Starmer tried to protect him. With Labour out of options, Mandelson was then removed – kind of – as ambassador, but [kept on the government payroll][8] – and allowed to keep both his peerage and his Labour membership.
And Starmer was never powerless to remove Mandelson from the Lords, as he now tries to claim:
> Of course the PM doesn’t have the power to unilaterally remove Mandelson from the Lords. But given it can only be removed via an act of Parliament in government time, Starmer is hardly powerless, indeed he is the only person who can make it happen. [pic.twitter.com/A9UyQtLK3I][9]
>
> — Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) [February 2, 2026][10]
There’s a saying about Israel’s genocide in Gaza that “one day everyone will have been against this”. Starmer *now* wants us to believe that he has always been against Mandelson and his perks and peerage.
Nope. We’re not buying it – but we do have the receipts.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][11]
[1]: https://x.com/jessicaelgot/status/2018303842836771146?s=20
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/09/15/mandelson-bbc-news/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/16/starmer-mandelson-latest/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/11/starmer-mandelson-sacking/
[5]: http://Eps
[6]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/08/31/breaking-labour-suspends-glanville-for-partying-with-paedo-so-what-about-mandelson/
[7]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25461240.morgan-mcsweeney-very-insistent-peter-mandelson-appointment/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/11/mandelson-not-sacked/
[9]: https://t.co/A9UyQtLK3I
[10]: https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/2018308202740195417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/starmer-receipts/

2026-02-02 18:02:22 UTC

Dan Norris arrested again, this time over rape and sexual assault
[dan norris]
Dan Norris, former Labour MP and current Independent MP, has been arrested again for a number of sexual offences.
Norris’s first arrest, in April last year, was over alleged rape and paedophilia. His [latest arrest][1] is on suspicion of rape against a second woman, sexual assault against a third woman, as well as voyeurism and upskirting against a number of women. The police [investigation into the first allegations is still ongoing][2].
## Dan Norris arrest one of many
Norris’s re-arrest is the latest in a long line of scandals involving the pro-Israel right, especially in the Labour party – mainly, but not exclusively, in connection with child sex offences. Zionist former MP Conor McGinn was [charged last week][3] with one count of sexual assault against a woman. Starmer’s [mentor and chief adviser Peter Mandelson resigned yesterday over his notorious links with serial child rapist and Israeli agent Jeffrey Epstein][4]. In early January, Israel fanatic [Liron Velleman admitted child sex offences][5].
But these barely scratch the surface.
In January last year, [former Blair minister Ivor Caplin was arrested in a sting operation][6] as he allegedly attempted to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex. Local police went after local left-winger Greg Hadfield for exposing the explicit content Caplin posted on his X feed – Hadfield [defeated the ‘vexatious’ charge][7] in November 2025. However, no charges have yet been brought against Caplin and a court did not impose bail conditions after his initial bail expired. Despite the ongoing police investigation, Caplin was [recently invited to speak on *LBC*][8] about Keir Starmer’s move to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s bid to stand in a parliamentary election.
## The list continues
Hackney councillor Tom Dewey, an organiser in pro-Israel group ‘Labour First’, [admitted possession of the most serious category of child rape images][9] in 2023. The party [knew of his arrest when it allowed him to stand for election][10]. After his conviction, it [blocked local women members from its systems to prevent them discussing the case][11].
In March 2025 Sam Gould, who worked for Starmer’s health secretary Wes Streeting, quit as a Redbridge councillor after being [convicted on two separate counts of indecent exposure][12] to a 13-year-old girl.
And in August 2025, the [US allowed Israeli cyberwar official Tom Alexandrovich to fly back to Israel][13] after he was [caught in a police paedophile sting][14].
The problem is not limited to Israel’s supporters outside Israel, either.
The regime is [currently ignoring well over 2,000 extradition requests for alleged and convicted paedophiles][15]. In April 2025 Shoshana Strook, the daughter of Israel’s far-right settlements minister [fled to police and asked them to protect her][16], accusing both her parents and one of her brothers of raping her as a child, over a period of years, and filming the rapes.
A jury will decide on the evidence whether Norris and McGinn join the list or are acquitted – as long as ‘justice secretary’ David Lammy doesn’t [abolish juries for such cases before then][17]. But the arrests bring the Starmeroid faction’s paedo and sex offender issues well and truly back into the spotlight.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][18]
[1]: https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/news/2026/02/update-on-investigation-into-non-recent-sexual-offences/
[2]: https://www.mnrjournal.co.uk/news/labour-mp-dan-norris-remains-on-police-bail-amid-serious-sexual-offence-allegations-850981
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/28/conor-mcginn/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/06/liron-velleman/
[6]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/01/11/former-chair-of-jlm-pro-israel-lobby-group-arrested-on-suspicion-of-child-sex-offences/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/11/17/greg-hadfield-not-guilty/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/25/burnham-discussed-on/
[9]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/07/20/paedophile-right-wing-labour-candidate-admits-possession-of-child-abuse-images/
[10]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/07/01/labour-allows-now-charged-right-winger-to-stand-despite-child-porn-arrest/
[11]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/09/08/hackney-n-labour-condemns-abuse-of-power-to-kill-discussion-of-right-wing-paedophile/
[12]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78exj07w09o
[13]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/28/israeli-accused-paedo-official-skips-court-despite-israels-promise-that-hed-attend/
[14]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/16/top-israeli-cyberwar-official-caught-in-las-vegas-child-predator-ring-sting/
[15]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/20/israel-ignores-well-over-2000-extradition-requests-for-paedophiles/
[16]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/12/video-daughter-of-israeli-minister-says-parents-filmed-her-rape-asks-police-to-protect-her-from-them/
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/05/lammy-jesus/
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/dan-norris-arrest/

2026-02-02 17:48:51 UTC

Musk ‘fully crashes out’ after new Epstein allegations
[musk]
A spiralling Elon Musk has been accused of “fully crashing out” and “powerscaling his pedophilia” in his bizarre attempt to brush off his [over 1,000 appearances][1] in files on serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. So far. Many of them come in the latest Department of Justice release, including [asking Epstein about parties on his island on Christmas Day][2].
## Bizarre sort-of-denial from Musk
Musk issued a bizarre response that if he wanted to “spend my time partying with young women” he wouldn’t need “creepy loser” Epstein’s help. But as a non-denial denial, it didn’t go down well. Accusations in response were along the lines of ‘protesteth too much,’ or in more modern parlance, “fully crashing out”:
> Fully crashing out [pic.twitter.com/F0AIxyi7k9][3]
>
> — evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) [February 1, 2026][4]
Others were even more direct, accusing Musk of “powerscaling his pedophilia” to say he’d beat Epstein at it:
> Dude is powerscaling his own pedophilia against Epstein and saying that he would win [pic.twitter.com/N4NJQShVe8][5]
>
> — Saltydkdan (@saltydkdan) [February 1, 2026][6]
But even that wasn’t direct enough for some:
> Just a fair reminder that behind the screen, this is the man who begged to be on Epstein Island [pic.twitter.com/UCR6l014Lf][7]
>
> — Dr man (@dr_1man) [February 1, 2026][8]
And Epstein may have shot himself in the foot, or at least the ego. A bias he reportedly wanted built into his ‘Grok’:
> the “Elon is great at everything” feature he personally demanded be programmed into Grok is a source of perpetual amusement [pic.twitter.com/iRs0hIYluA][9]
>
> — Claire, aka Midwestern Hedgie [🏳️‍⚧️] (@MidwestHedgie) [February 1, 2026][10]
Despite the grimness of the topic, there was room for denialism humour too:
> This, but pedophilia [pic.twitter.com/ICKv3tjlEq][11]
>
> — Jesse Savoie (@MusicDecomposer) [February 1, 2026][12]
But, as with so many things, it turns out that Musk hasn’t been original. A similar tactic was attributed to musician Drake:
> Finally, an “I’m not a pedophile” defense so bad it even dethroned Drake’s [pic.twitter.com/JY6TAgqmMc][13]
>
> — RaiBread (@RaiBread776) [February 1, 2026][14]
With millions of documents released – though reportedly the DOJ/FBI is withholding more than half – there is much more to come.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][15]
[1]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein?bm-verify=AAQAAAAM_____5q4Y0kTwcYcX8lkjYo0Jy0GRoJCRDHmcqRpgqywlS6Cd8GN0a7BQYzCHL1aF-cfHMCmrzJYwYHmZRR4iM9KoG15juU6xcKz8PDZI2fBPop0WF8hiBFEotBnFRzGKyHCNGcemRqRDf4AtWXlVCJBovWmxotoDTEcFjxAt6GlB0Ue7vQdmWyCpchuSpX6MOZYfEZfPQSU9GHx1qppaMloJWClCPm_tU-sfxaE2OM910QQZclxxEGwIEkvK-tn1tc9DjDcTxm7Zj93D-o9YW8INxU
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/elon-musk-emailed-epstein/
[3]: https://t.co/F0AIxyi7k9
[4]: https://twitter.com/esjesjesj/status/2017851820354244858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://t.co/N4NJQShVe8
[6]: https://twitter.com/saltydkdan/status/2017938508405473497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://t.co/UCR6l014Lf
[8]: https://twitter.com/dr_1man/status/2017943564521746863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://t.co/iRs0hIYluA
[10]: https://twitter.com/MidwestHedgie/status/2017986433529663662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/ICKv3tjlEq
[12]: https://twitter.com/MusicDecomposer/status/2018077591035625761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/JY6TAgqmMc
[14]: https://twitter.com/RaiBread776/status/2017974136975331775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/musk-epstein/

2026-02-02 17:32:09 UTC

Kuenssberg tries to trip up Polanski on legalising drugs, but he smoothly obliterates her
[polanski]
The *BBC*‘s Laura Kuenssberg interviewed Green party leader Zack Polanski. The Greens h[ave a policy to legalise, regulate, and use a public health approach][1] to drugs.
## Polanski calls out ‘unnecessary deaths’
With reference to that policy, Kuenssberg tried to trip him up with tired propaganda from proponents of the ‘war’ on drugs, but failed:
> “What we need is a public health approach [to drugs]”
>
> Green Party leader Zack Polanski defends his party’s drug legalisation policy and also tells [#BBCLauraK][2] why he personally has never taken drugs or drank alcohol[#BBCLauraK][3] [https://t.co/SSXISApUWc][4] [pic.twitter.com/rgOGDP82aQ][5]
>
> — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) [February 1, 2026][6]
The interviewer said:
> Keir Starmer said you were high on drugs and soft on Putin.
Polanksi replied:
> That was beneath the audience of the Prime Minister. There are thousands of unnecessary deaths from drug harms and dangerous drugs, what we need is a public health approach. That’s not just me saying that, that’s experts. So when we talk about legalising drugs, the key bit is about legalising and regulating. If someone has a problematic relationship with drugs, surely they should be seen by a medical health professional to help them.
Legalising and regulating drugs is the sober approach. Portugal decriminalised possession of drugs in 2001 and the results have been positive. Drug death rates fell following the reforms 15 years ago. And compared to the EU, they’ve remained much lower. In 2019, [drug deaths][7] in Portugal were six for every million people. The EU average was 23.7 per million. In Scotland it was much worse at 315 deaths per million.
## ‘Hypocritical’
Kuenssberg continued:
> Are you sending a message to young people that if you legalise all drugs its ok to use drugs?
But Polanski responded:
> Well Keir Starmer made a joke about taking drugs at university. What we see is that this is very racialised. Very often it is young black people stopped and searched on the street, eight times more than their white peers. The danger is happening now where we’re pushing it into street corners… I’ve never taken drugs in my life, or even drunk alcohol, but I don’t sit here as the fun police. People should do what they want to do, it just wasn’t for me. But this is about a system change, against a hypocritical approach. We’ve had Labour and Conservative MPs say on the record they’ve taken drugs, but they’re both putting in prison people who have taken drugs, and again, it is disproportionately young black people
[In Portugal, use of drugs by 15-24 year olds actually fell in the decade following decriminalisation][8]. So Kuenssberg is missing the mark.
## Trauma causes addiction, not drugs
Evidence analysed from a wide array of experts shows that trauma, environment, and issues like social isolation lead to drug addiction. It’s not a fact of the drugs themselves. This is revealed in Johann Hari’s book *Chasing the Scream*.
Another issue with prohibition is that people with heroin or crack addictions are stigmatised and isolated even further because of their addictions. Whereas, in Portugal they are mentored into increasing social connections and leading vibrant lives. Instead, people with addictions are integrated into society.
This policy is outdated and Polanski is right to challenge it.
*Featured image via [YouTube screenshot/BBC Politics][9]*
By [James Wright][10]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/03/24/addiction-over-50s/
[2]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBCLauraK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBCLauraK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4]: https://t.co/SSXISApUWc
[5]: https://t.co/rgOGDP82aQ
[6]: https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/2017911599353254025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight
[8]: https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight
[9]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMmDM_PvHyc
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/james/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/polanski-drugs/

2026-02-02 17:21:43 UTC

Declassified summit: Ahmed Alnaouq confronts the left’s failure to unite against rising fascism
[Ahmed Alnaouq]
Yesterday, Palestinian journalist Ahmed Alnaouq delivered a powerful mobilising speech confronting the left’s continuous squabbles whilst the far-right are exploiting divisions and soaring in popularity with British voters.
At the *Declassified UK* summit, Alnaouq called on left-wing fighters against fascism and Zionism to unite against the threats we all face. He challenged us not to fall for the gutter press’ toxic culture wars, amplified by our broken media system. His energised speech reminded us of the power we hold in solidarity and shared resources.
Furthermore, it comes as a wake-up call for socialists across the country: build bridges, focus on what unites us, and stop obsessing over what divides us.
> View this post on Instagram
>
>
> [A post shared by Palästinaforum Austria (@palaestinaforum)][1]
## Ahmed Alnaouq: ‘we have everything to unite us’
Since [Your Party was announced by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn][2] in the summer, public spats and our failure to have respectful, decent debate have left socialists across the country frustrated and angry.
Alnaouq’s speech in full was as follows:
> I think it is the time for unity. I’m just sick and tired of us people with morals and human rights. I’m sick and tired of us quarreling among each other. I’m sick of us trying to build new parties. I’m sick of us fighting each other, finding ways to divide us from each other.
>
> Well, we have everything to unite us.
>
> My friends, fascism is not at the doorsteps in the UK. It is here. And unless we join forces with each other, unless we hold hands, we will not be able to defeat it. And we don’t have the luxury for trial and waiting. We do not have time. We have to act. My friends, we have the numbers. We have the resources. We have the support of the people. What we don’t have is organisation. We need to learn how to work with each other in order to defeat fascism, in order to defeat far-right, in order to defeat Zionism. And we must never shy away from calling ourselves anti-Zionists because we are anti-Zionists.
Our recent reporting highlighted the deepening split between Your Party’s co-founders, exposing[ factions more interested in division than unity][3]. Following the launch of Corbyn’s The Many slate, we wrote about the common enemies we should be uniting against:
> Both leaders have been clear that they face the same enemies. Wealth inequality, rising costs, oppression, injustice, and war all sit at the centre of their political focus.
Despite those common enemies, as Alnaouq outlines, leftists are not doign enough.
## Power for the people, not egos
This issue once again underscores an issue that we know full well permeates through all structures of power: ego and self-advancement. To build a movement that can sustain the fight ahead and withstand attacks from the far right and the media, we must safeguard against self-interest and the hunger for power. Those shady, unwelcome interests will continually seek to manipulate the overall movement for their own advantage, which will only weaken us all in the end and lose the battle ahead.
Capitalist, neoliberal abuse won’t fall on its own. In order to beat billionaire-funded fascism we must have a socialist movement run and powered by its members. Anything else is just repeating failure and hoping for miracles.
As Alnaouq pleads, it is high time for the left to finally learn our lesson.
*Featured image via [Instagram][4]*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][5]
[1]: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUODnehDCvS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/12/07/your-party-next-conference/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/16/your-party-slate/
[4]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DReok6lCDYM/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/ahmed-alnaouq/

2026-02-02 16:58:51 UTC

‘Stay away’: Israel drop mystery chemicals in Lebanon and refuse to explain why
[israel lebanon]
Israel has sprayed chemicals into Lebanon, according to UN forces in the region. United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) [said in a press release][1]:
> the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told UNIFIL that they would be carrying out an aerial activity dropping what they said was a non-toxic chemical substance over areas near the Blue Line.
The ‘blue line’ is a 120km strip which marks the line of withdrawal after Israeli military withdrawal in 2000. UN troops monitor the zone.
## Israel attacks Lebanon AGAIN
Despite the claims the chemical were non-toxic, UNIFIL were told:
> peacekeepers should stay away and remain under cover, forcing them to cancel over a dozen activities.
UNIFIL complained their peacekeepers could not “perform normal operations” near the Blue Line for over nine hours. Later, UN troops helped the Lebanese military collect “samples to be tested for toxicity”.
UNIFIL called the move “unacceptable” in their press release:
> The IDF’s deliberate and planned actions not only limited peacekeepers’ ability to undertake their mandated activities, but also potentially put their health and that of civilians at risk.
Israel did not disclose what the chemical was or why it as being deployed. UNIFIL said it had
> concerns about the effects of this unknown chemical on local agricultural lands, and how this might impact the return of civilians to their homes and livelihoods in the long-term.
Southern Lebanon has remained under Israel attack despite a ceasefire with Israel. Israel [killed][2] eight journalists in 22 January, as well as wounding nineteen civilians.
[UNIFIL][3] called on the Israeli forces:
> to stop all such activities and work with peacekeepers to support the stability we are all working to achieve.
The Republic of Ireland currently has 350 troops deployed as part of the peacekeeping presence. Irish troops were not affected but the country’s defence forces [condemned][4]:
> any violation of airspace or conducting of activities which prevent UNIFIL personnel from carrying out their duties.
The IDF has not [commented][5], but the unexplained use of unknown chemicals in a febrile area is a cause for major concern for UN troops and locals alike.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][6]
[1]: https://unifil.unmissions.org/en/press-releases/unifil-statement-2-february-2026
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/23/lebanon-remains-under/
[3]: https://unifil.unmissions.org/en/press-releases/unifil-statement-2-february-2026
[4]: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/02/02/defence-forces-condemns-israeli-chemical-drop-in-southern-lebanon/
[5]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unifil-claims-idf-dropped-unknown-chemical-substance-over-blue-line-delaying-their-activities/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/israel-lebanon/

2026-02-02 16:50:10 UTC

Epstein and Palantir boss discussed plans to destabilise the Middle East
[Epstein Palantir]
Journalist Sulaiman Ahmed has exposed a deliberate agenda between Palantir’s Peter Thiel and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to destabilise the Middle East. The latest Epstein File releases included emails referencing Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt, suggesting coordinated attempts to advance Western interests in the region.
This follows widespread reporting on Palantir weeding its way into our NHS, with the help of their privileged ally and [Labour peer Peter Mandelson][1]. This latest revelation strengthens wider calls to block Palantir’s advances into our state infrastructure through our healthcare system.
> BREAKING: Jeffrey Epstein & Palantir’s Peter Thiel were discussing a Plan that would destabilize Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt.
>
> "The more of a mess, with just lots of bad guys on different sides, the less we will do." [pic.twitter.com/ZCoMjV2CGP][2]
>
> — Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) [February 1, 2026][3]
## Epstein Thiel: billionaires pulling the strings of global chaos
The email correspondence released shows Epstein and Thiel state their intention to destabilise the over-policed region. Confirming a long-suspected Western agenda, Epstein is alleged to have said *‘the more of a mess, with just lots of bad guys on different sides, the less we will do*‘. This is no secret, of course, with the West having a long history of interfering in the Middle East. Our own [Steve Topple wrote in 2017][4] about the correlation between the unhappiness of the region’s citizens with the levels of western interference:
> The World Happiness Report 2017 manages to highlight the never-ending chaos and suffering that comes with failed Western intervention. And the reason is generally because such interference is driven by one thing: money. So while Western nations enjoy the fruits of past colonial plunder and modern neoliberal policies, people in far-off, forgotten lands continue to suffer the consequences of those greed-driven Western exploits.
The latest batch of files on Epstein further demonstrate what is the lived reality for Arabs – understanding so-called ‘destabilisation’ in the region can only happen through understanding Western interventionism carried out by powerful elites.
## Palantir, Epstein and mass murder
Public calls to limit Thiel’s influence in the UK are likely to gain weight from journalist Ryan Grim’s X post. Grim has shared an audio clip in which Epstein links Israel’s former PM Ehud Barak to Palantir. Where Palantir operates, morality does not appear to follow:
> As Ehud Barak was leaving official govt service in Israel, he turned to Jeffrey Epstein for guidance. Epstein told him he needed to look at a Peter Thiel company called Palantir. Rare audio of Epstein and Barak from the latest DOJ release: [pic.twitter.com/bSSeRrWkVb][5]
>
> — Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) [February 2, 2026][6]
It’s curious that just as the US grows more unstable, connections surface between Thiel’s guidance and JD Vance’s political rise:
> And Peter Thiel is the one who made [@JDVance][7] a senator and installed him as Trump’s Vice President, just FYI. [https://t.co/Aj2GS7wPEa][8]
>
> — Andrew—#IAmTheResistance (@AmoneyResists) [February 2, 2026][9]
This next clip simply goes to evidence how US leaders are not acting in the interests of their own country, but that of a hostile, aggressive military state. Again, this should further strengthen public calls to keep [pro-Israel][10] Thiel out of UK politics.
> NY Sen. C. Schumer (not up for re-election till Jan 2029):
>
> “We delivered more security assistance to Israel, our ally, under my leadership than ever, ever before. We will keep doing that… I have many jobs as leader & one is to fight for aid to Israel.”[pic.twitter.com/ciwtO7aSMQ][11]
>
> — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) [February 1, 2026][12]
## Palantir and the NHS
Palantir and Thiel’s influence in politics across the world is difficult to overstate. For example, we have repeatedly written about the defence surveillance corporation moving to [seize the data held by the NHS][13]. Wes Streeting has [shown no qualms in handing the UK state over to billionaires][14], continually taking steps to ensure the richest profit from the essential health needs of ordinary citizens.
As wrote recently about the contract between Thiel’s Palantir and the UK government:
> NHS England awarded the contract in 2023, under the Conservative government. Palantir is also known to have close links to the Labour Party, and it has been reported that Palantir hired Peter Mandelson to lobby the Labour Government to help it win more government contracts. The contract is up for renewal in February 2027.
>
> Palantir is a US company that specialises in artificial intelligence powered military and surveillance technology and data analytics. Billionaire Trump donor Peter Thiel was a co-founder of the company.
Moreover, the evidence above shows Peter Thiel demonstrating an apparent eagerness to sow chaos in the Middle East for his own gain. As a result, his active contracts and partnerships with the Labour government must now be scrutinized to ensure the rights of those in the Middle East are not denigrated so billionaires can make even more money.
## No more establishment politicians
Neo-liberalism has seen Western politicians repeatedly abusing power and the richest bending the rules in their favour. As a result, the most important choice for UK voters in the upcoming local elections is to elect leaders who serve ordinary people and rein in billionaire influence.
As Zack Polanski, Green Party leader recently put it in a letter to [Palantir’s CEO Alex Karp][15]:
> I know that companies such as yours hire corporate lobbyists such as Peter Mandelson to assess ‘political risk’. I have some advice you can have for free. The political risk is very high for your continuing involvement with the NHS. The Green Party is advancing, and we will use every means at our disposal, including that of our hundreds of thousands of members, to get you out of the NHS.
Like many across the country, we are watching and we are taking receipts. We cannot allow this craven bunch of money-hungry fools lead the world into further ruin.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][16]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[2]: https://t.co/ZCoMjV2CGP
[3]: https://twitter.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/2018018868610920756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2017/03/20/worlds-unhappiest-countries-screwed-west/
[5]: https://t.co/bSSeRrWkVb
[6]: https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/2018187089200734560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/Aj2GS7wPEa
[9]: https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/2018113504411029573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-advised-former-israeli-prime-minister-ehud-barak-look-palantir
[11]: https://t.co/ciwtO7aSMQ
[12]: https://twitter.com/DropSiteNews/status/2018107294349705248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2024/08/20/nhs-palantir-data/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/26/streeting-slams-reform-nhs-privatisation-plan/
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/22/zack-polanski-to-hand-in-nhs-contract-termination-notice-to-palantir/
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/epstein-palantir/

2026-02-02 16:30:40 UTC

The international order is dead, and the West killed it
[international order]
The international order meant to limit the effects of war on vulnerable groups is falling apart. 100,000 civilians died in 2024 and 2025 as a result. And the problem isn’t going away anytime soon.
The Geneva Academy’s [new report][1] laid out how international humanitarian law (IHL) was at breaking point around the world. The *War Watch: IHL in focus* study warned:
> The years 2024 and 2025 proved devastating to civilians, with little evidence of willingness among warring parties to limit the barbarity inflicted upon the most vulnerable.
In many cases:
> serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL)were wrought against those whom the law was supposed to protect on a huge scale and with rampant impunity.
And the report said:
> Murder, torture, and rape were widespread; civilians and their homes, schools, and hospitals were bombed regularly and sometimes systematically.
The report acknowledges genocide in Gaza and Sudan as being among the most egregious cases today. But many other countries are also affected.
## International order breakdown: neither inevitable nor unavoidable
The [report][2] describes widespread attacks on hospitals, medical workers, and journalists. There is widespread sexual violence in many conflict areas. [Disabled people are particularly vulnerable in warzones][3], and at the same time warzones create more disabled people – often in mind-boggling numbers. In Ukraine, for example:
> at least 50,000 Ukrainians – soldiers and civilians had lost limbs – since the February 2022 invasion. That estimate had doubled by the end of 2025.
Impunity is widespread. The academy said dealing with it should be “treated as a policy priority”. However:
> Persistent under-resourcing, alongside political measures that constrain or undermine judicial independence, risks weakening the enforcement of IHL and eroding its deterrent effect.
## Rhetorical commitments
The report warned that many governments did not match action with rhetoric. This includes arms sales:
> International law prohibits States from assisting any actor, State or non-State, in carrying out attacks
> against civilians.
The authors warned political considerations often overrode legal obligations:
> While the UN Arms Trade Treaty has been ratified by a large number of States, its obligations are too often sidelined in favour of political considerations. This must change. The continued export of arms to Israel, Russia, and others has contributed directly to violations on the ground.
This seems especially relevant given [US][4] and [Israeli][5] attacks on organisations like the United Nations (UN) and International Criminal Court (ICC). And the Trump administration’s [recent decision][6] to pull out of dozens of international bodies covering everything from climate change to counter-terrorism.
The authors said:
> What is described and summarized in this report is neither inevitable nor unavoidable. It is a choice we make as a species to murder, torture, rape, and abuse our own.
Either the situation is arrested and enforcement and accountability are guaranteed or further damage will be done to IHL:
> This report is a record of both what has, and has not, been done in armed conflicts around
> the world. It is a grim, grisly snapshot of our inhumanity. No one in a position of authority, though, can say they did not know.
In recent weeks we saw [an admission][7] from Canada’s PM Mark Carney that the so-called global order was dying. He wasn’t wrong, even if he didn’t go far enough. Now legal experts are saying the legal system meant to limit war is coming apart too. And, it’s happening entirely by the choice of many powerful Western states.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][8]
[1]: https://geneva-academy.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/WarWATCH-IHL-in-Focus-Report-2024-25.pdf
[2]: https://geneva-academy.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/WarWATCH-IHL-in-Focus-Report-2024-25.pdf
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/long-read/2025/08/11/palestine-disabled-people/
[4]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/imposing-sanctions-on-the-international-criminal-court/
[5]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jy9v43z89o
[6]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp80ln97py5o
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/21/starmer-carney/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/international-order-dead/

2026-02-02 16:21:47 UTC

Pope Leo makes even more of a mess of Trump strangling Cuba
[cuba]
Donald Trump’s regime [has been tightening the US stranglehold][1] on Cuba. And Pope Leo XIV’s take on the events has attracted criticism. Because it shows the kind of establishment propaganda the world is up against.
On *X*, the [first US pope][2] of the Catholic church [lamented][3]:
> an increase in tensions between Cuba and the United States of America
The “[economic terrorism][4]” of the [US embargo][5] has now strangled the Caribbean island for over six decades, reportedly costing it [$170bn][6]. But the pope seemed to think both-sidesing the issue was appropriate. And reacting to Trump’s unprovoked decision to squeeze Cuba even harder, Leo simply called on “all responsible parties” to negotiate.
Fortunately, people were quick to challenge the pope’s ridiculous framing of the issue:
> Collective punishment by the USA against Cuba isn't "tension" it's a war crime.
>
> — John Smith (son of Harry Leslie Smith) (@Harryslaststand) [February 1, 2026][7]
The only thing ‘increasing’, Puerto Rican [professor][8] Rafael Bernabe clarified, is the:
> systematic aggression of the US government against Cuba
> There are no "increasing tensions" between Cuba and the United States. That implies that Cuba is taking action to increase tensions with the United States. There is nothing of the sort. There's only increased and systematic aggression of the US government against Cuba, which must…
>
> — Rafael Bernabe (@BernabeMVC) [February 1, 2026][9]
To be fair, Leo did call for dialogue to “avoid violence” and further suffering of the Cuban people (indirectly clarifying that it’s the US posing the threat and that Cuba [poses no threat][10] at all to US civilians). But his both-sidesing seems to be an echo of Catholic leaders’ [longstanding hostility to communism][11].
Amid the [US terror assault in Latin America during the Cold War][12], for example, many Catholics in the region wanted to stand clearly with ordinary people [against ongoing inequality and injustice][13]. But the church hierarchy in Europe [attacked and silenced progressive voices][14] while [appointing conservative figures][15] in their place.
## You can’t defeat the empire without defeating its propaganda
The issue here isn’t communism, though. It’s that the US has long been terrorising civilians whose governments don’t submit to its rule. Trump’s regime may treat international law with more overt contempt. But it’s nonetheless a pattern of behaviour that Western propaganda enables.
To help break this cycle, we need to centre the key context. That means highlighting how the US:
* Is a [military superpower with hundreds of international bases][16].
* [Has consistently terrorised countries around the world][17].
* Is a [co-perpetrator][18] of Israel’s [genocide][19] in Gaza. And it has [attacked][20] [the international legal system][21] to defend these actions.
* Has [undermined international law][22] by imposing an [illegal embargo][23] on Cuba since the early 1960s, [costing both countries billions][24]. The [majority of countries in the world have consistently called for an end to the embargo][25]. The US and Israel have often been [the][26] [only][27] [ones][28] to oppose that call.
* Tightening of sanctions since the first Trump administration has “[hurt civilians the most][29]“, increasing infant mortality and reducing life expectancy.
* Currently holds Venezuela’s president as a [prisoner of war][30]. It abducted him in an illegal military invasion that used [new high-tech weaponry][31]. And it probably committed [war crimes][32] in the process. But the US president boasted about how “[incredible][33]” this all was.
It also means emphasising that Cuba:
* Is [willing to engage peacefully and lawfully][34] with the US. And it has never attacked the US or its people.
* Has supported [countless liberation movements][35] in the past, including in the [battle][36] that helped to [defeat settler-colonial apartheid in South Africa][37]. But since the end of the Cold War, it has no longer done this.
* Has [its][38] [issues][39], but has also made significant advances in [healthcare and education][40] since its 1959 revolution. And it has sent [hundreds of thousands of doctors][41] on [solidarity missions around the world][42].
## Name the real ‘malign actor’ – US imperialism!
Despite all of the above, the US insists that it’s going after Cuba because of its links to “[malign actors][43]“. These include China and Russia, with which the US itself has sought to improve relations. But some truth always slips through, and the White House has clarified that Cuba’s continuing [independence][44] [is][45]:
> threatening the foreign policy of the United States.
[The foreign policy of the US][46], as has long been the case, is to ensure the dominance of US elite interests in the Americas. Trump’s stance on Cuba follows this policy, while also appeasing and exciting his [anti-communist voters][47], [agitators][48] (like secretary of state [Marco][49] [Rubio][50]), and [racist warmongers][51] in general.
There will be [resistance from within Cuba][52] itself. And countries in the region like [Mexico may refuse to play along][53] with Trump’s power games completely. Resistance to Trump’s shamelessly brash version of US imperialism needs to be much stronger, though.
Trump has shown that he [will back down][54] when he feels too much pressure from other countries. He’s just pushing the world to see how far it will let him go. And the more lazy framing we get from high-profile figures like the pope, the easier Trump’s rampage will be.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Ed Sykes][55]
[1]: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/un-cuba-embargo/
[2]: https://www.georgetown.edu/news/what-it-means-for-the-first-american-to-be-chosen-as-pope/
[3]: https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2017973782489555370
[4]: https://x.com/claireforny/status/2017373359525249057
[5]: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/7/21/the-us-embargo-on-cuba-has-failed
[6]: https://x.com/ceprdc/status/1974112832263242193?s=20
[7]: https://twitter.com/Harryslaststand/status/2018033010315059509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://internationalviewpoint.org/_Rafael-Bernabe_
[9]: https://twitter.com/BernabeMVC/status/2018049180640690179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://x.com/RepRashida/status/2017324925158150558
[11]: https://jacobin.com/2024/03/catholic-anticommunism-world-war-mussolini-hitler
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2019/02/06/three-terrifying-reasons-never-to-trust-us-intentions-in-latin-america/
[13]: https://theconversation.com/after-50-years-liberation-theology-is-still-reshaping-catholicism-and-politics-but-what-is-it-186804
[14]: https://leonardoboff.org/2024/02/03/this-liberation-theologian-was-once-silenced-by-the-vatican-in-the-laudato-si-era-hes-getting-a-second-look/
[15]: https://www.globalsouthstudies.org/keyword-essay/latin-american-liberation-theology/
[16]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/10/infographic-us-military-presence-around-the-world-interactive
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/editorial/2019/06/15/trump-talks-about-nations-of-terror-has-he-never-met-the-united-states/
[18]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/06/06/israel-us-genocide/
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/explainer/2025/08/01/genocide-accusations-israel/
[20]: https://hrdag.org/2026/01/05/trump-administration-sanctions-icc-attack-rule-law/
[21]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/03/what-do-the-trump-administrations-sanctions-on-the-icc-mean-for-justice-and-human-rights/
[22]: https://press.un.org/en/2025/ga12722.doc.htm
[23]: https://press.un.org/en/2017/ga11967.doc.htm
[24]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2016/04/08/us-ties-cuba-improve-4-crucial-issues-remain/
[25]: https://cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news/article/4669/world-overwhelmingly-rejects-the-blockade-at-the-un-for-33rd-consecutive-year
[26]: https://truthout.org/articles/only-us-and-israel-vote-against-resolution-demanding-end-to-blockade-of-cuba/
[27]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-embargo-on-cuba
[28]: https://cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news/article/2866/un-votes-in-favor-of-ending-cuban-blockade-191-2
[29]: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/harsh-us-sanctions-push-cubas-healthcare-system-to-breaking-point
[30]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/30/is-maduro-a-prisoner-of-war/
[31]: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/1/26/the-discombobulator-did-us-use-secret-weapon-in-maduro-abduction
[32]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/13/us-war-crime/
[33]: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/1/26/the-discombobulator-did-us-use-secret-weapon-in-maduro-abduction
[34]: https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/2/cuba-denies-security-threat-accusations-as-us-raises-pressure
[35]: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/cuban-internationalism-not-reciprocated
[36]: https://cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news/article/3769/how-cuba-helped-defeat-apartheid-in-south-africa
[37]: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2024/08/how-cuba-helped-end-apartheid-at-cuito-cuanavale
[38]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2016/04/08/us-ties-cuba-improve-4-crucial-issues-remain/
[39]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2016/11/30/telegraph-stooped-sickening-hypocrisy-reporting-fidel-castros-death-opinion/
[40]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2016/04/08/us-ties-cuba-improve-4-crucial-issues-remain/
[41]: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/1/cuba-has-a-history-of-sending-medical-teams-to-nations-in-crisis
[42]: https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/en/articulo/cuba-sends-doctors-us-sends-sanctions
[43]: https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/2/cuba-denies-security-threat-accusations-as-us-raises-pressure
[44]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/zarah-sultana-says-cuba/
[45]: https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/2/cuba-denies-security-threat-accusations-as-us-raises-pressure
[46]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2019/02/06/three-terrifying-reasons-never-to-trust-us-intentions-in-latin-america/
[47]: https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/2/cuba-denies-security-threat-accusations-as-us-raises-pressure
[48]: https://x.com/bellybeastcuba/status/2012605299643797930
[49]: https://t.co/b9mBUsLG60
[50]: https://en.granma.cu/mundo/2026-01-12/kidnappings-by-trumps-narco-democracy
[51]: https://x.com/billmaher/status/2016536731181584391
[52]: https://x.com/thiagoavilabr/status/2017943032708972973
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2018196261707329611
[54]: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/23/trump-davos-canada-carney-france-macron-spain-china-wind.html
[55]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/oso/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/02/cuba-pope-leo/

2026-02-02 16:03:15 UTC

Disgraced General David Petraeus is back and trying to cash in on Gaza
[David Petraeus]
Ex-US general David Petraeus is [trying to make money out of Israel’s genocide][1]. The one-time special forces chief and counter-insurgency ‘expert’ now works for a private equity firm linked to military and fossil fuel contracts. Wow. What a surprise for us all.
Petraeus is know for many things. Like being a former top US special forces commander. And also head of the CIA. Oh, and leaking state secrets to his biographer. Who he was [having an affair with][2]. And getting away with it, barring a fine.
All of this is relentlessly cringe obviously, but somehow the biography in question ultimately ended up being called ‘All In: The Education of General David Petraeus’. Which is a bit much for a Monday. Anyway…
## David Petraeus and biometric warfare
*Drop Site News* now [reports][3] Petraeus has been out to Israel giving speeches and schmoozing. He
> visited the U.S.-military run coordination center established in southern Israel to oversee the so-called ceasefire in Gaza.
Why? Well it is likely connected to his reputation as:
> a major proponent of biometric gated communities in counterinsurgency, now works for KKR whose portfolio includes companies that have technology and defense interests in Gaza.
So who are KKR?
*Drop Site* [reported][4]:
> Soon after his resignation from the CIA in 2012, Petraeus began work for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), a powerful U.S. private-equity and investment company. Petraeus is currently a partner at KKR, chairman of the KKR Global Institute, and chairman of KKR Middle East, which has offices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Sounds like he knows all the worst people…
## A dubious track record
The general is seen by some as the pioneer of modern counter-insurgency, despite being forced to resign from the CIA. He [escalated the war in Iraq][5], deploying more troops and arming militias. He also expanded the dirty war of night raids and drone strikes in Afghanistan and Yemen.
Former US president Barack Obama then installed him as head of the CIA – until his mortifying downfall. Petraeus has worked around the private equity sector ever since.
But why is he interested in Gaza? Well one of his hobby horses is the role of gated communities in counter-insurgency. In effect, how to control populations. And the US-led transitional authority, named the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), has come up with a deranged plan to keep Gazans in special UAE-funded blocks.
> One week prior to Petraeus’s visit, the U.S. Army presented the CMCC with plans for a “Gaza First Planned Community” in Rafah, as first reported by Drop Site.
*Drop Site* [said][6]:
> The residential compound would house up to 25,000 Palestinians in an area under full Israeli military control and would include biometric entry, identity checks, reeducation programs, and controls over aid and housing.
Sounds deeply fucked up, but understandably appealing to someone like Petraeus.
## Wall it off
Petraeus’ January 21 speech to the CMCC was reportedly full of praise over the current non-ceasefire in Gaza. But the former general also visited Israel in 2024 for a major military conference. He told the Israeli press [then][7]:
> The foundational concepts of counterinsurgency are that you clear an area, you hold it, and you hold it in a very significant manner…You wall it off. You create gated communities, as we call it, 12 or 13 of them in Fallujah alone. You use biometric ID cards because you’re trying to separate the enemy, the extremists, from the people. That’s the fundamental idea.
It’s not clear what is in it for Petraeus. But *Drop Site* [said][8]:
> The exploration of Gaza’s gas would fit into the economic and energy cooperation between Israel and the UAE under the Abraham Accords. In 2025, a formal UAE–Israel energy cooperation memorandum of understanding was signed, outlining gas sector cooperation.
They added:
> UAE involvement in Gaza gas would further position it as a regional energy hub linking the Gulf’s capital and infrastructure with Eastern Mediterranean resources and European markets.
And here is the thing, UAE’s national oil firm has [links][9] to KKR:
> KKR, together with Blackrock, held a $4 billion investment in the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and has a [minority stake][10] in ADNOC Gas Pipeline Assets, which has the technical expertise required for offshore gas exploration and extraction…
Retired military officers often end up making money in lucrative roles in the arms and energy industry. Petraeus is no different. The fact he also gets to riff about population control and counter-insurgency is an added bonus. Like so many of the War on Terror’s ghoulish figures, where most of us see genocide, Petraeus sees opportunity.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][11]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/01/uk-arms-imported-israel/
[2]: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/david-petraeus-former-cia-director-gets-probation-fine-in-leak-case-1.3045271
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/08/18/gaza-iraq-parallels/
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency
[9]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/petraeus-gaza-israel-cmcc-cia-kkr-gated-communities-counterinsurgency
[10]: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/kkr-adnoc-middle-east-investment-gas-pipeline-.html
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/david-petraeus/

2026-02-02 15:47:57 UTC

Residential care charity trustee paid his own company £1m from charity funds
[residential care charity]
The families of residents at William Blake House in Northamptonshire [have called for an urgent inquiry][1] into the residential care charity. They’ve made [accusations of mismanagement][2] after it came to light that one of the trustees paid its own company £1m from the charity’s funds.
The care facility houses 22 residents with learning disabilities and complex care needs. For this role, William Blake House received [£3,464,805 last financial year][3] from 20 government contracts. However, it now faces the threat of closure under a staggering £1.6m debt in unpaid taxes.
## Residential care charity told ‘trust has been shattered’
A group of 17 residents’ families have accused the charity of wasting public funds and putting their relatives’ care at risk. In a public statement on the situation, the families explained that:
> Our relatives are some of the most vulnerable adults in society and entirely dependent on stable, continuous care. As parents we placed our trust in the charity to protect the welfare of our loved ones.
>
> This trust has been shattered and serious mismanagement and lack of governance revealed. Our children’s wellbeing has been placed in jeopardy.
The group also asserted that they weren’t made adequately aware of the care facility’s mountain of debt.
As such, the Charity Commission confirmed that it has opened an investigation into William Blake House. A spokesperson for the third-sector watchdog said:
> We are aware of potential governance concerns at William Blake House Northants and have opened a regulatory compliance case to engage with the charity’s trustees about these matters.
## Mounting debts
William Blake House failed to pay its[ 77 staff members’][4] pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) and national insurance to HMRC. Meanwhile, the charity’s assets slumped in value between 2022 and 2024, plummeting from £920,000 to just £200,000.
The care facility’s own records show that auditors have repeatedly questioned the facility’s financial viability. Earlier in January, a judge told trustees that it had until 30 March to square off its taxes with HMRC. Failing this, the charity would be slapped with a winding-up order.
The charity’s [webpage states that][5]:
> We offer accommodation where the residents can live, learn and work with others in healthy social relationships based on mutual care and respect. We are inspired by the ideals of Rudolf Steiner, based on the acceptance of the spiritual uniqueness of each human being, regardless of disability or religious or racial background.
Steiner was a 19th Century Austrian [philosopher, scientist and noted occultist][6]. A *Guardian* article on the unfolding William Blake House [scandal noted that:][7]
> Over the same period, the charity has paid Van Kruger Consulting, a company solely owned by William Blake House’s chair, Bushra Hamid, £800,000 in strategy fees over three years to develop a “Steiner strategy” business selling online Steiner training courses, and a further £240,000 in unspecified consulting fees. It has yet to launch.
>
> The payments were authorised by the William Blake House board. Its current three trustees include a business associate of Hamid, Paula Allen. Hamid is also chair of the Northampton-based arts gallery charity the Shoosmith Centre, where Allen is both a fellow trustee and its £30,000-a-year interim chief executive.
## ‘Tangible progress’
[For its part,][8] William Blake House claimed that the need to repay HMRC delayed the launch of the Steiner training courses. It also stated that Steiner Friends – another charity – would repay the £800,000 consultancy fee. Hamid happens to chair Steiner Friends, and it also features Allen as a trustee.
Likewise, William Blake House asserted that it returned to a regular PAYE payment schedule with HMRC in October 2024. In defense of its financial mismanagement, the charity pointed the finger at local authorities failing to raise contract payments in line with inflation, along with the high cost of agency staff.
The trustees stated that they’ve made “tangible progress” toward selling off the facility’s land to a developer in order to pay off the remaining tax debt. The developer, in turn, plans to construct a new residential home and rent it back to William Blake House.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alex/Rose Cocker][9]
[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/02/inquiry-residential-care-charity-debt-william-blake-house
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/10/25/state-of-care-report/
[3]: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/sector-data/top-10-charities/-/charity-details/3984663/charity-overview?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=3984663
[4]: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/sector-data/top-10-charities/-/charity-details/3984663/charity-overview?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=3984663
[5]: https://williamblakehouse.com/pages/wbh-residents.php
[6]: https://www.rudolfsteinerweb.com/
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/02/inquiry-residential-care-charity-debt-william-blake-house
[8]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/02/inquiry-residential-care-charity-debt-william-blake-house
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/02/residential-care-charity/

2026-02-02 15:13:52 UTC

Remember when Epstein-fanboy Mandelson said he ‘worked every day’ against Corbyn?
[mandelson]
Peter Mandelson has just quit the Labour party over his extreme closeness to and admiration for serial child rapist Jeffrey Epstein. He said he wanted to avoid embarrassing Keir Starmer any further. By resigning he [embarrassed Starmer even further by exposing Starmer’s refusal][1] to kick him out.
This is Mandelson in 2017, telling an interviewer that he worked every day to bring down Jeremy Corbyn, [reposted][2] today by writer Saul Staniforth:
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ETjXZ2KBuhNpf-9e1.mp4][3]
Tax lawyer and investigative journalist Dan Neidle discovered evidence in the latest Epstein file release that he claims is evidence that Mandelson leaked sensitive UK government info to Epstein:
> the link: [https://t.co/aIfM9QyJBq][4]
>
> — Dan Neidle (@DanNeidle) [February 2, 2026][5]
## Mandelson machinations
Mandelson failed – or only partially succeeded in his efforts to undermine Corbyn in 2017. Corbyn went on to almost defeat the Tories in that year’s general election. But that wasn’t the end of the sabotage – and in 2019 Mandelson got his wish, along with catastrophe for our country.
The UK has been massively damaged by a ring of paedophiles and their hangers-on in the Labour right, including the Israel-funded ‘Labour Together’ faction that [finally brought down Corbyn][6] and still runs Starmer’s government through [Mandelson protégé Morgan McSweeney][7], Starmer’s chief of staff. McSweeney then [pushed Starmer to appoint Mandelson as a his senior adviser][8].
Their success in undermining Corbyn up to the 2019 general election led to another Tory government, led by Boris Johnson. Johnson’s mismanagement of the pandemic led to the [needless deaths of hundreds of thousands][9], many of whom would have survived under a Corbyn response that would have mirrored the successful strategy of New Zealand instead of [Johnson’s ‘pile up the bodies’ approach][10].
Their success in installing Starmer in Downing Street in 2024 has led to incalculable continued misery for Britain’s poor and vulnerable, [especially our kids][11]. It led directly to Starmer’s collaboration in [Israel’s genocide][12] of [hundreds of thousands of innocents in Gaza][13] – and [Israel’s murder of British aid workers][14].
There is certainly satisfaction in Mandelson’s exposure and disgrace now. But there will not be justice until he, Starmer, and all their faction are behind bars for genocide and treason.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][15]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[2]: https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/2018209256424546608?s=20
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ETjXZ2KBuhNpf-9e1.mp4
[4]: https://t.co/aIfM9QyJBq
[5]: https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/2018252388029657109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/09/22/campaign-to-sabotage-corbyn-coming-back-to-bite-morgan-mcsweeney/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/13/mandelson-epstein-starmer/
[8]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25461240.morgan-mcsweeney-very-insistent-peter-mandelson-appointment/
[9]: https://skwawkbox.org/2020/06/10/video-psychopathic-johnson-refuses-twice-to-even-express-regret-for-his-lock-down-delay-that-killed-min-25000-people/
[10]: https://skwawkbox.org/2021/04/26/he-must-make-a-public-statement-starmers-watery-response-to-revelation-johnson-wanted-bodies-piled-high-rather-than-lock-down-again/
[11]: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/07/18/starmer-mocks-those-who-dont-want-to-starve-children-and-bans-shadcab-debate/
[12]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/22/israeli-militarys-own-data-says-at-least-83-of-its-gaza-victims-were-civilians/
[13]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/09/12/gaza-genocide-death-toll-revised-up-now-over-680000-including-almost-half-a-million-children/
[14]: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/04/03/video-israels-error-killing-of-wck-food-aid-workers-was-3-attacks-over-1-5-miles/
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/mandelson-corbyn-2/

2026-02-02 14:58:28 UTC

DWP study shows their health assessors feel ‘despised’ – and are quitting in droves
[dwp]
A newly-released report commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that over [half of its health assessors][1] quit the job within their first year.
The health professionals reported feeling ‘despised’ for their role, which involves evaluating people for both Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and the health-related element of Universal Credit (UC).
## DWP health assessors: ‘a cog in the machine’
The DWP carried out its research back in 2022, and included findings from 2021. It found that a full 40% of new recruits don’t make it through the training period of three months. By the end of a year, 52% of the health professionals quit working for the department.
Both PIP and Universal Credit disability assessments have to be conducted by a qualified health professional. However, the DWP is held in such low regard that most don’t even consider working for it until they have “no other option but to leave the NHS”. In fact, one assessor stated [that][2]:
> We all got in healthcare for altruistic reasons and that maybe isn’t the case in this job… you’re a cog in the machine doing bureaucratic work.
During [a work capability assessment][3] for the health-related element of universal credit, the assessor is meant to determine an applicant’s level of capability and how that would affect their working life.
Likewise, for a PIP assessment, the health professional scores an applicant according to their level of impairment with daily tasks. This score determines the level of support the claimant receives.
## ‘Punitive, exhausting and inflexible’
However, the disabled people at the receiving end of these assessments have often described them as [inconsistent,][4] [hostile][5] [and degrading][6]. Financial insecurity charity Turn2us’ head of policy, Lucy Bannister, explained:
> People recovering from illness or navigating the additional cost of disability should rightly expect to be treated with dignity and respect. But this report shows that’s not happening.
>
> The staff carrying out assessments for disability benefits describe the system in the same terms as disabled people: punitive, exhausting and inflexible, focused on tick-boxing rather than care. It’s not working properly for anyone.
One DWP contract manager commented on newly recruited health professionals for the study:
> The idea that they would want to be on a treadmill of collecting details but not intervening is alien to a significant proportion of the health sector.
>
> A lot of people that apply for roles don’t understand this point. They arrive. Have rigorous training and [the] penny drops that this is what role is.
## ‘They suck you into it’
A former nurse, who left the DWP after two years, [put it more bluntly][7] for the *Independent*:
> They suck you into it, because when you first go they tell you ‘give it six months, because it’s a totally new way to how you’ve been working as a nurse’. […]
>
> Most assessors leave at around six months because they realise they’ve been had.
She also described remaining in the office from 5am to 10pm “working [herself] to death”. This was because the DWP’s backlog of cases has become completely unmanageable. And, as the *Canary’s *[Rachel Charlton-Dailey explained][8], the situation has only gotten worse in 2026:
> the department has diverted staff from dealing with new claims to tackle the backlog of reviews. This meant the DWP got to brag that they processed the highest number of reviews since the benefit began. 96% more reviews were carried out than in Q3 in 2024. But it was only because they had so many left over to clear.
>
> This has, of course, meant that new claimants suffered, as clearance for new claims fell by 25%. This meant that 40,000 new claimants were left waiting. This is despite the fact that the number of new claims is down by 6% from the same period in 2024. This also means the decision time has risen, from 14 weeks in October 2024 to 16 weeks in October 2025.
## Reform and rebellion
Given the massive backlog, Labour came up with the bright idea of ‘reforming’ PIP assessments back in the summer of 2025. [That is to say,][9] they attempted to rush through massive cuts that could have ruined PIP claimants’ lives.
The proposed changes would have made it far more difficult to qualify for PIP. This would have resulted in thousands of disabled people losing the support they relied on. The cuts were only narrowly averted when a group of [Labour MPs rebelled][10] against the plans.
Instead, DWP minister Stephen Timms took PIP off the table during the debate, beginning a review in its place. However, this meant MPs were able to vote through[ Universal Credit cuts][11]. And, of course, the review itself is already looking like [a complete farce][12]:
> Timms has spent a good chunk of the last few months umming and awwing over how he can make it look like the review is co-produced with disabled people. It took[ until 30 October 2025][13] for them to appoint disabled co-chairs.
>
> At the same time, they quietly released the terms of reference which, while seemingly aimed at placating disabled people, confirmed that all PIP recipients will be at risk by DWP decisions.
## ‘Struggling to do the job’
The DWP conducted their staff-retention study back in 2022, and only chose to publish it now. However, the writing has been on the wall of a long time, as Charlton-Dailey [wrote earlier this month][14]:
> It’s becoming increasingly clear that the main reason the government is pushing ahead with PIP reform is that they don’t have the staff to process the claims they already have. [As a recent report found][15], delays to PIP are endangering people’s lives. The same report revealed that the DWP planned to make the application process more online-focused and to give every claimant a case worker. But this only works if the DWP can actually find the staff.
>
> With the DWP struggling to do the job it’s already supposed to do, it’s difficult to see how it could possibly manage reforms. But they’ll almost certainly find a way to blame that on disabled people, too.
PIP and UC assessments are designed to minimise a claimants’ disability, such that the government has to award as little support as possible. We see this at every level of the DWP machine, from the shocking treatment of disabled people during assessments, to governments desperately trying to move goalposts and slash payouts.
It’s unsurprising, really, that healthcare professionals leaving NHS jobs are finding the DWP intolerable. They’ve left respected roles providing treatment for illness, only to enter a role where they’re tasked with removing that self-same support. Any individual with a shred of empathy would feel the same.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alex/Rose Cocker][16]
[1]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-pip-wca-assessment-lcwra-timms-b2910935.html
[2]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-pip-wca-assessment-lcwra-timms-b2910935.html
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/01/16/dwp-wca-court-verdict/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/07/12/one-question-to-the-dwp-has-exposed-its-staggering-institutional-failures/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/2017/03/14/now-a-study-suggests-dwp-assessments-are-causing-permanent-mental-health-damage/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2017/03/07/more-people-come-forward-in-the-dwp-kill-yourself-scandal/
[7]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-pip-wca-assessment-lcwra-timms-b2910935.html
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/13/dwp-pip-reassessments/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/07/02/welfare-bill/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/06/26/dwp-minister-labour-rebellion/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/07/24/universal-credit-bill-dwp/
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/01/14/dwp-timms-review-update/
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/31/dwp-pip-timms-review/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/13/dwp-pip-reassessments/
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/11/dwp-pip-wait-times/
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/dwp-assessors/

2026-02-02 13:48:13 UTC

Police ‘fabricating the law’ over Tatchell ‘intifada’ arrest
[Peter Tatchell surrounded by cops and holding a placard saying Globalise The Intifada. Non-violent Resistance. End Israel's Occupation Of Gaza & West Bank]
Police have bailed 74 year-old human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell “under investigation” to attend Charing Cross police station at 1pm on 1 March. His bail condition bans him from attending any Palestine protest. He said:
> Met Police seem to be acting under pressure from a foreign regime, the Israeli government, and from Netanyahu supporters in the UK. They want to restrict criticism of Israel’s genocide and suppress support for the right of Palestinians to resist occupation.
## Tatchell’s placard
Police arrested the veteran campaigner in Aldwych, at the [national Palestine solidarity march][1] in London on 31 January. The arrest was for carrying a placard that read:
> Globalise the intifada: Non-violent resistance. End Israel’s occupation of Gaza & West Bank.
On his arrest, police handcuffed him and took him by van out of London, to Sutton police station in Surrey. This was despite cells being available at Brixton. Tatchell commented:
> From my arrest at 1.26pm to my release at 1.40am the next day, I was in police custody a total of 12 hours without charge, including ten hours in the cells for what is a minor alleged public order offence. It was an unjustified and excessively prolonged detention.
Police claim the placard was a ‘racially aggravated’ offence under [Section 5 of the Public Order Act][2] which criminalises the display of:
> signs that are threatening or abusive, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm, or distress.
## ‘The word intifada is not a crime’
Tatchell said:
> The police allegation is nonsense. My placard was not threatening or abusive and did not mention anyone’s race.
>
> The police are fabricating the law. They claim the word intifada is unlawful. The word intifada is not a crime in UK law. The police are suppressing free speech without legal justification.
>
> Even if people disagree with the words on my placard, in a free and democratic society they should not be criminalised.
>
> This is just the latest example of officers restricting and criminalising peaceful protests.
>
> The Arab word *intifada* means uprising, rebellion or resistance against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It does not mean violence and is not antisemitic. It is against the Israeli regime and its war crimes, not against Jewish people.
>
> By ‘non-violent resistance’ I was advocating boycott, sanction and divestment – the same tactics that helped bring down the apartheid regime in South Africa.
>
> ’Globalise the intifada’ means create a worldwide campaign like the anti-apartheid movement.
>
> The police are totally wrong to conflate support for Palestinian resistance to oppression with hatred and attacks on Jews.
>
> Palestinians have a right to resist Israeli settlers who are terrorising their villages on the West Bank, beating them and burning their homes, cars, livestock and crops.
>
> Over 400 Gazans have been killed by Israel since the current ceasefire began last October.
>
> At a London rally in December 2025, three people were charged with [this new ‘crime’ of expressing support for an intifada][3] against Israel’s war crimes and mass killing of civilians, including 20,000 Palestinian children.
>
> I have a long history of defending Jewish people against the antisemitism of the far right and Islamist extremism. I joined the March Against Antisemitism, with the Chief Rabbi and thousands of Jewish people, on 26 November 2023, just after the 7 October massacre.
>
> This is my 104th arrest or detention by the police in my 59 years of human rights campaigning.
>
> I am currently taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police over my arrest on the Palestine solidarity march on 17 May 2025. I was arrested for a ‘racially and religiously aggravated offence’ – namely displaying a placard that condemned Israel’s ‘genocide’ and Hamas’s execution of Palestinian critics. It read:
>
> ‘STOP Israel genocide! STOP Hamas executions! Odai Al-Rubai, aged 22, executed by Hamas! RIP!’
>
> This placard did not mention anyone’s race or religion. The police have since admitted that I was wrongly arrested and I am awaiting a settlement.
*Featured image via Jacky Summerfield*
By [The Canary][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/01/zarah-sultana-israel-ceasefire/
[2]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/64/section/5
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr571jqdy9ro
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/02/police-fabricating-the-law-over-tatchell-intifada-arrest/

2026-02-02 12:59:31 UTC

Billie Eilish says ‘fuck ICE’ at the Grammys
[Billie and Finneas Eilish at the Grammys]
Pop star Billie Eilish has spoken out at the Grammys against Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit. The militia have been running wild across Minnesota. They’ve been terrorising families, [stealing children][1] such as Liam Ramos, and killing [Renee Nicole Good][2] and [Alex Pretti][3] in cold blood.
At the Grammys Eilish said:
> Billie Eilish says "f*ck ice" during her [#Grammys][4] acceptance speech: "Nobody is illegal on stolen land. We need to keep fighting and speaking up. Our voices do matter." [pic.twitter.com/Sz1um3afYJ][5]
>
> — Variety (@Variety) [February 2, 2026][6]
## ‘No one is illegal on stolen land’
As we’ve previously reported, [the government is rushing through poorly-vetted recruits to get as many ICE agents on the street as possible][7]. Some of these recruits are sexually harassing one another; others are off their heads on drugs. And as one insider said:
> This isn’t the department of baking cookies. This is the Department of Homeland Security, where you can be deported from the country.
>
> And we’re now employing people who are not equipped to tie their own shoelaces.
>
> This whole thing is a complete disaster from beginning to end.
Speaking at the Grammys, Eilish said in the video above:
> No one is illegal on stolen land.
>
> And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. And I just, I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting and our voices really do matter and the people matter.
>
> And fuck ICE.
Eilish isn’t the only pop start to have spoken out against ICE and the Trump regime. As we reported, this is what [Sabrina Carpenter][8] said in response to ICE using one of her songs in a promotional video:
> this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.
>
> — Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) [December 2, 2025][9]
## ‘Fuck ICE’
Elilish and Carpenter join the likes of celebrities such as [Kehlani][10] and [Bad Bunny][11] who both spoke out against ICE during the Grammys:
> Bad Bunny condemns ICE during his [#GRAMMYs][12] speech for Best Música Urbana Album:
>
> “Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.” [pic.twitter.com/lS9cZV5t5x][13]
>
> — Pop Base (@PopBase) [February 2, 2026][14]
This high-profile protest has helped to shine a global spotlight on the actions of ICE, but the question remains: will this ‘ICE out’ movement in the music industry be enough to force change to federal policy?
*Featured image via [Chad Davies (Wikimedia)][15]*
By [Antifabot][16]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/23/ice-arrests-child-as-bait/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/07/ice-murder-minneapolis/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/24/ice-murder-spree/
[4]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Grammys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://t.co/Sz1um3afYJ
[6]: https://twitter.com/Variety/status/2018161337940279442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/10/ice-agent-discharges-weapon/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/12/02/sabrina-carpenter-slams-white-house-video/
[9]: https://twitter.com/SabrinaAnnLynn/status/1995876972405420114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/celebrities-joni-mitchell-kehlani-trump-natalie-portman-b2911895.html
[11]: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bad-bunny-ice-out-powerful-grammy-awards-acceptance-speech_uk_698044f3e4b0033acb38bfa7
[12]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/GRAMMYs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/lS9cZV5t5x
[14]: https://twitter.com/PopBase/status/2018147321322566108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ICE_Agents_in_Minneapolis_After_Shooting.jpg
[16]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/02/grammys/

2026-02-02 12:48:33 UTC

Bannon in Epstein files on ‘Tommy Robinson’ – ‘cheap at any price’
[Tommy Robinson]
Fascist Steve Bannon appears hundreds of times in the US Justice Department’s latest release of Epstein files and [thousands overall so far][1]. The exposed conversations show the extent of [Bannon’s plotting][2] with the serial child-rapist – long after Epstein was convicted – to expand fascism in Europe and other western areas.
They also [show Bannon appearing to suggest][3] in 2019 that UK fascist Tommy Robinson is readily available if enough cash is offered. The conversation started with a reference to ‘Robinson’s [conviction on contempt of court charges][4] for harassing defendants in, ironically, a ‘grooming gang’ case:
Bannon is a [long-time supporter of far-right thug ‘Robinson’][5], though Epstein seemed less impressed. The *Canary’s* Willem Moore [wrote yesterday that Robinson is “weirdly silent”][6] on the latest Epstein child sex scandals, given how he loves to shout about alleged grooming by brown people.
In January 2025, Robinson [quickly deleted a post that appeared to show he had been searching for underage gay sex][7]. In his attempt to rubbish his detractors, he [then appeared to admit it][8].
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][9]
[1]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein?bm-verify=AAQAAAAM_____5q4Y0kTwcYcX8lkjYo0Jy0GRoJCRDHmcqRpgqywlS6Cd8GN0a7BQYzCHL1aF-cfHMCmrzJYwYHmZRR4iM9KoG15juU6xcKz8PDZI2fBPop0WF8hiBFEotBnFRzGKyHCNGcemRqRDf4AtWXlVCJBovWmxotoDTEcFjxAt6GlB0Ue7vQdmWyCpchuSpX6MOZYfEZfPQSU9GHx1qppaMloJWClCPm_tU-sfxaE2OM910QQZclxxEGwIEkvK-tn1tc9DjDcTxm7Zj93D-o9YW8INxU
[2]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-and-steve-bannon-discuss-tommy-robinson
[3]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01615976.pdf
[4]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48887440
[5]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/11/how-tommy-robinson-won-over-trumps-inner-circle/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/tommy-robinson-epstein/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/14/tommy-robinson-deletes/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/14/tommy-robinson-appears-to-admit/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/tommy-robinson-epstein-2/

2026-02-02 12:34:00 UTC

Another woman has made allegations against Andrew Windsor
[andrew]
*[Channel 4 News][1] *have reported on a second woman who has come forward with further allegations against Andrew Windsor, following the latest US release of the Epstein Files.
The disgraced royal has faced pressure from across UK and US society to take accountability for his long-term, [close relationship][2] with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
*Channel 4 News* also went on to discuss the incredibly murky ties between political advisor and Labour peer Peter Mandelson, who has since [resigned from the Labour Party to save ’embarrassment’. ][3]Bit late for that, but all right then.
> Epstein: Second woman comes forward with allegations about Andrew[https://t.co/gZeN5CD9Gm][4]
>
> — Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Andrew caught ‘with his trousers off’
The *Channel 4 News *piece on the murky connections between prominent public figures and Epstein went as follows:
> The concerning image of the man formerly known as Prince Andrew has prompted a government response, urging Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to explain himself as a second woman comes forward… A second woman is alleging Epstein sent her to have sex with the then Prince Andrew when in her twenties. Those mentioned in the release may not be found guilty of wrongdoing, but those who condemned Epstein out loud but called him a friend in private are now locked into a waiting game of public shame.
Our own Willem Moore wrote yesterday about the UK PM’s reluctance to ask Andrew Windsor to apologise. The weak PM instead appears to suggest the spoilt former prince should lend his wisdom and knowledge to aide US investigations but should stop short of admitting guilt. Entrenched Western power structures continue to protect abusers, showing a deep resistance to accountability for the wealthiest in society. Moore [wrote:][6]
> It’s important to understand that the Epstein Files contain claims which may have no merit when investigated. At the same time, you also need to realise that:
>
> We may never know which claims have merit and which don’t, because the authorities have failed to investigate the many crimes linked to Epstein.
>
> There is more than enough known about Windsor’s activities to say he’s a degenerate and a liar.
## Web of abuse among elite and alleged cover-ups
The renewed attention generated by the latest release of the Epstein files has intensified critiques of entrenched power structures. This has also prompted fresh arguments for the dismantling of institutions such as the British monarchy:
> Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor invited Jeffrey Epstein to Buckingham Palace and promised him a lot of privacy. [pic.twitter.com/1xrskvgffA][7]
>
> — Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) [January 30, 2026][8]
> They knew Andrew Windsor was a beast and were fully aware of what was happening on that island.
>
> They closed ranks and provided cover for some of the most depraved child abusers on the planet. [#EpsteinFiles][9] [#AbolishTheMonarchy][10] [pic.twitter.com/wHp1VtSmv1][11]
>
> — Paul (@LeftySeparatist) [February 1, 2026][12]
## Elite desperately closing ranks
The continued release of documents has heightened public concerns about elite-linked sexual abuse. This has only reinforced the view that the wealthy and powerful face far less scrutiny than their working class ‘inferiors’. This blatant and offensive imbalance of accountability and responsibility follows a long line of scandals where those with power are rarely punished, implying that wealth offers protection from punishment.
As the UK’s criminal justice system tightens its grip on ordinary people, anger is likely to grow over the preferential treatment of the wealthiest against the interests of everyone else.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][13]
[1]: https://youtu.be/yFpnZuhEom0?si=8KiTm_fudryu1zh0
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/31/andrew-windsor-accused/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/
[4]: https://t.co/gZeN5CD9Gm
[5]: https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/2018027595749544089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/01/starmer-andrew-windsor-epstein/
[7]: https://t.co/1xrskvgffA
[8]: https://twitter.com/I_amMukhtar/status/2017347896979374128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EpsteinFiles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbolishTheMonarchy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/wHp1VtSmv1
[12]: https://twitter.com/LeftySeparatist/status/2017877618645692545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/02/andrew-windsor/

2026-02-02 12:17:24 UTC

Coward Farage sent lapdog Zia Yusuf to debate Polanski for him
[Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf, and Zack Polanski]
As we reported, [Zack Polanski has been trying to get Nigel Farage to debate him for weeks][1]. Now, Farage has responded by…
…quietly sending his lapdog to do it for him:
> [🚨] BREAKING NEWS [🚨]
>
> Gorton & Denton is a two-horse race between Reform UK and the Green Party.
>
> Zia Yusuf is challenging Zack Polanski to a LIVE debate in the constituency.
>
> Read his letter to Zack in full. [👇] [pic.twitter.com/u1X4aJTDnl][2]
>
> — Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) [February 1, 2026][3]
## Henchman
The letter from Zia Yusuf above is impressive in that it’s just a repeat of [the “embarrassing” attack ad they put out in November][4]:
> Rattled! [https://t.co/4LD9fplcUZ][5]
>
> — Curtis Daly (@CurtisDaly_) [November 21, 2025][6]
Reform have had the best part of three months since then – have they really not come up with anything new?
The Greens certainly have a lot of new angles for attack, including:
* Farage’s recently [exposed financial links to foreign billionaires][7].
* [Reform stuffing itself full of ex-Tories][8] who Farage previously attacked.
* Hypocritical Reform councillors, [including those who spaffed £600k on eight parking spots for themselves.][9]
* Questions about why Reform politicians [keep sucking up to Donald Trump][10] despite his links to Jeffrey Epstein and his murderous, authoritarian crackdown on ordinary Americans.
Here’s how Polanski responded to Farage’s errand boy:
> I wouldn't bother replying to the secretary Zack.
>
> — Narinder Kaur (@narindertweets) [February 2, 2026][11]
Polanski is also calling out the right-wingers who are confessing to being terrified of him:
> Love the sweet sound of sheer right wing panic in the morning.
>
> We're going to win Gorton & Denton – and Reform know it.
>
> Tax wealth. Not work.[https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp][12] [https://t.co/kM1ZM6H8XZ][13]
>
> — Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) [February 2, 2026][14]
Adam Brooks, by the way, recently came up with the concept of ‘avoidable rape’:
> the idea that there’s such thing as an “unavoidable rape” is disgusting and extremely misogynistic.
>
> all rapes are avoidable you sick fuck [https://t.co/MM4VzI772O][15]
>
> — Evie ♡ (@EFCevie) [January 31, 2026][16]
Sickening.
## Gymnastics
Just to recap, the chain of events is that Polanski challenged Farage to a debate; Farage refused to acknowledge the challenge, and now the lackey Yusuf has stepped in to do his boss’s dirty work.
Somehow, Reform are presenting this as the Green Party leader being scared to debate:
> Can’t hypnotise your way out of this one, Zack [https://t.co/haLjiqIO0Z][17]
>
> — Laila Cunningham (@policylaila) [February 1, 2026][18]
[London mayoral candidate Cunningham is one of the people sucking up to the convicted sexual assaulter Trump][19]; she also presents herself as a defender of women.
Given the people that Farage surrounds himself with, you can see why he doesn’t want anyone to challenge him directly.
*Featured image via [Barold][20]*
By [Willem Moore][21]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/11/farage-polanski-debate/
[2]: https://t.co/u1X4aJTDnl
[3]: https://twitter.com/reformparty_uk/status/2018063816420929625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/23/reform-ad-zack-polanski/
[5]: https://t.co/4LD9fplcUZ
[6]: https://twitter.com/CurtisDaly_/status/1991982418132439217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/24/reform-donor-labelled/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/27/reforms-next-tory-defector-could-be-the-least-surprising-yet/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/reform-kent-parking-spaces/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/27/reform-ice/
[11]: https://twitter.com/narindertweets/status/2018239365231620206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp
[13]: https://t.co/kM1ZM6H8XZ
[14]: https://twitter.com/ZackPolanski/status/2018261995284226436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://t.co/MM4VzI772O
[16]: https://twitter.com/EFCevie/status/2017694672546570673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://t.co/haLjiqIO0Z
[18]: https://twitter.com/policylaila/status/2018071456396071337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/25/reform-candidate-comes-out/
[20]: https://x.com/JustBarold
[21]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/02/polanski-farage-2/

2026-02-02 12:11:41 UTC

Greens become bookies’ fave in Manchester after Workers Party pulls out
[Zack Polanski, Nigel Farage, and George Galloway greens]
The Workers Party of Britain have [dramatically pulled out][1] of the Gorton and Denton by-election. In a post on social media, they [announced][2]:
> This decision is taken in the best interests of the working-class. Labour and Reform must lose.
And, this looks like fantastic news for the Greens:
> The Greens have now gone odds on to win the upcoming by-election in Gorton & Denton.
>
> Here's how we bet:
>
> Greens – 10/11
> Reform UK – 13/8
> Labour – 4/1
> Lib Dems – 200/1
> Conservatives – 200/1[https://t.co/nakHgF38Xb][3] [https://t.co/TzESpNG9ZR][4]
>
> — Ladbrokes Politics (@LadPolitics) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Greens given an even bigger chance for change
The Workers Party was first established in December 2019 by George Galloway, and the party is known for having leanings which are both socialist and socially conservative. During the last election, [they secured 10% of the vote in Gorton & Denton][6].
Galloway’s party has now stepped down, saying the decision is in the best interests of the working-class, and that both Labour and Reform must lose. The party has claimed [Labour are the enemy of the British people][7], stating people have become poorer whilst they’ve been in office.
This comes at a vital time for the Greens, whose very public fight with Reform makes this a crucial test for both parties. The Workers Party dropping out of the race means there’s potentially [10% of the vote][8] up for grabs. And with Reform projected to get [30% of the vote][9], this couldn’t come at a better time:
> This is genuinely massive.
>
> The Workers Party won nearly as many votes as the Greens in Gorton & Denton at the last election.
>
> The Greens still have to fight for those votes, but this greatly increases their odds – and ability to claim they're best placed to stop Reform. [https://t.co/TAppKuccIu][10]
>
> — Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) [February 1, 2026][11]
Many have praised the Workers Party for pulling out:
> Well done to the Workers Party for taking this principled decision.
>
> Now is the time to focus on defeating Labour and Reform, and we do that by uniting behind the Greens [https://t.co/wxgSlf5CFK][12]
>
> — The Muslim Vote (@themuslimvoteuk) [February 1, 2026][13]
> No Workers Party candidate will stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
>
> A major advantage for the Green Party. Very surprised!
>
> — Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) [February 1, 2026][14]
## Heating up
This must have been a difficult decision for the Workers Party, with the Greens recognising the party stepping down:
> Only Greens can beat Reform in this Gorton and Denton by-election. [pic.twitter.com/MFYho5vxpw][15]
>
> — The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) [February 1, 2026][16]
With the race heating up, this step taken by the Workers Party avoids splitting the left vote and gives the Greens a better chance of getting the votes needed to win. The question is, will that 10% of voters choose to side with the socialist Green party or the socially conservative Reform?
Time will tell.
*Featured image via [Parliament][17] / [Parliament][18] / [Barold][19]*
By [Antifabot][20]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/starmer-gorton/
[2]: https://x.com/WorkersPartyGB/status/2018048150808760748
[3]: https://t.co/nakHgF38Xb
[4]: https://t.co/TzESpNG9ZR
[5]: https://twitter.com/LadPolitics/status/2018059160701620624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://electionresults.parliament.uk/general-elections/6/political-parties/261/elections
[7]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y2lj3md8po
[8]: https://electionresults.parliament.uk/general-elections/6/political-parties/261/elections
[9]: https://www.pollcheck.co.uk/by-elections/gorton-denton#:~:text=January%202026%20Britain%20Elects,24%20January%202026%20n%3D1%2C003
[10]: https://t.co/TAppKuccIu
[11]: https://twitter.com/owenjonesjourno/status/2018067638648246632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://t.co/wxgSlf5CFK
[13]: https://twitter.com/themuslimvoteuk/status/2018069182512861226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14]: https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/2018070162801389798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://t.co/MFYho5vxpw
[16]: https://twitter.com/TheGreenParty/status/2018046151098773504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://members.parliament.uk/member/5091/portrait
[18]: https://members.parliament.uk/member/609/portrait
[19]: https://x.com/JustBarold
[20]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/02/greens-gorton-denton/

2026-02-02 12:01:33 UTC

Trump has spent almost £500 million on military deployments to US cities
[trump]
US president Donald Trump is spending incredible sums of taxpayers money deploying the military to US cities. National Guardsmen have been deployed around the US in Trump’s first year back in office.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) [said][1] the operations:
> cost taxpayers approximately $496 million from June through December last year [2025].
The CBO added:
> that if last year’s deployments were to continue through this year, it could cost taxpayers $93 million per month — which would amount to more than $1.1 billion in 2026.
In essence, US taxpayers are forking out to have their streets turned into militarised zones. The deployments have usually been in support of groups like Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE). ICE are increasingly seen as Trump’s poorly-trained, trigger-happy personal fascist militia.
US senator Jeff Merkley [told][2] *CNN*:
> The American people deserve to know how many hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on Trump’s reckless and haphazard deployment of National Guard troops to Portland and cities across the country.
Adding:
> Trump is weaponizing taxpayer funds to illegally tighten his authoritarian grip on our communities. It must end.
## Trump and outrageous budgets for fascism
ICE, who have murdered at least two people in January in Minneapolis, now has a budget higher than some countries. The paramilitary group’s [budget][3] for 2026 stands at $22mn dollars. Some estimates put that figure [higher][4] than the military budgets for countries like Canada, Australia, and Italy.
Hanna Homestead of the US-based National Priorities Project [told][5] the *Intercept*:
> The CBO numbers confirm what invaded and over-policed communities have always known — the U.S. government is invested in control and domination, not caring for people.
Adding:
> They are spending billions to militarize our streets while cutting food aid, healthcare, social services, and labor and environmental protections – at a time of unparalleled wealth inequality.
The [street execution][6] of nurse Alex Pretti is the most high-profile killing yet. Feds shot Pretti to death on 24 January 2025. The officer had already subdued him.
Two of the officers involved in the killing have now been named. Investigative journalism website ProPublica [reported][7]:
> The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
The killing animated [another round][8] of massive street protests in Minneapolis. The northern US city has become a key battleground between communities and Trump’s so-called war on immigration. With an even bigger ICE budget set for next year, it’s hard to see how anyone will be able to stop this runaway train any time soon.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Joe Glenton][9]
[1]: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/29/politics/national-guard-trump-deployment-cost-taxpayers
[2]: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/29/politics/national-guard-trump-deployment-cost-taxpayers
[3]: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/21/nx-s1-5674887/ice-budget-funding-congress-trump
[4]: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-administration-funds-ice-beyond-top-global-armed-forces-while-medicaid-loses-over-1-trillion-1773591
[5]: https://theintercept.com/2026/01/29/trump-military-deployments-cities-cost/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/24/ice-murder-spree/
[7]: https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez
[8]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/nationwide-protests-walkouts-planned-over-fatal-ice-shootings-minneapolis-2026-01-30/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02/trump-military-millions/

2026-02-02 11:43:52 UTC

Starmer’s Gorton candidate is corporate lobbyist who supports NHS privatisation
[starmer]
Keir Starmer’s pick – after [blocking][1] Greater Manchester mayor [Andy Burnham][2] – to contest the Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester is a corporate lobbyist who supports NHS privatisation.
Angeliki Stogia wants to bring back ‘PFI’, the so-called ‘private finance initiative’ used by the Labour right to turn NHS hospitals into cash-cows for private investors. Her record is captured in an excellent and damning Bluesky thread by @labourrightwatch:
> Instead of Burnham, Labour have anointed Angeliki Stogia for #GortonAndDenton.Yet again, they try to force a corporate stooge (a lobbyist) into office instead of someone who stands for the rights + wellbeing of citizens.She was IDed as a lobbyist in 2024archive.ph/r1nnA
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][3] [2026-02-01T10:44:28.345Z][4]
> Angeliki Stogia's role at Arup. Arup are a global construction advisory firm that donated £33k to minister Darren Jones in the form of a secondee to work in his office.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][5] [2026-02-01T10:54:50.333Z][6]
> So, what do Arup do?They ask giant corporations what their wishlist is, and then get govt to enact it.www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-mone…
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][7] [2026-02-01T11:05:28.659Z][8]
> It appears that Stogia's role was in managing community relations (stifling opposition) during public consultations and rollout of Arup's projects for clients such as the National Grid. The 'Great Grid Upgrade' drew anger from locals over the choice to use pylons instead of underground cabling.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][9] [2026-02-01T12:24:46.919Z][10]
> In a 2023 advertorial in the New Statesman paid for by Arup, Stogia opines that the only way to revive our services is though public private partnerships – benefitting her employer, Arup. Stogia doesn't seem to be a fan of public ownership of infrastructure.www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec…
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][11] [2026-02-01T12:35:12.660Z][12]
> In the paid content article, Stogia writes that we need “strong private sector collaboration” and that we must “get the public and private sector working in lockstep”.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][13] [2026-02-01T12:36:26.955Z][14]
> ..and insists “Policymakers must find new ways to stimulate private sector investment, not only for building new homes but also in new schools, hospitals, transport networks and the transition to net zero.” She adds “Businesses need to be confident that there will be a return on their investment”.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][15] [2026-02-01T12:36:41.730Z][16]
> – Arup's business model relies on public private partnerships (PPPs). It wins a huge amount of govt contracts in the UK and globally.- Arup’s global revenue for 2024/25 was £2.16 billion. – Arup’s carbon footprint for the year ending March 2023 was 193,569 tCO2e.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][17] [2026-02-01T12:40:34.434Z][18]
> Arup relies on public money for its profits but is very pro-privatesector:It accused Dept for Transport of failing to co-operate suffieciently with the private sector on the High Speed 2 (HS2) project in 2021.www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/dft-r…
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][19] [2026-02-01T12:43:54.420Z][20]
> Some of Arup's clients/projects:The failed Garden Bridge project; datacentres for HSBC & Citigroup; private water firms Severn Trent + United Utilities; the Environment Agency; Persimmon; Canary Wharf group; Cuadrilla; Crossrail; 2012 Olymics London; Beijing Olympics; Spirit energy carbon storage.
>
> — [Exposing the Labour Right [🥀][✊][🇵🇸] (@labourrightwatch.bsky.social)][21] [2026-02-01T12:48:18.538Z][22]
And the account ends by highlighting Stogia’s specific commitment to PFI, which has heaped massive and exorbitantly expensive debt onto the NHS to make huge and long-term profits for private investors:
PFI, [according to the government’s National Audit Office][23], has:
> the effect of increasing the cost of finance for public investments relative to what would be available to the government if it borrowed on its own account … the price of finance is significantly higher with a PFI.
The Greens have [promised to renationalise the NHS and other vital public services][24]. Local Green party members have [overwhelmingly selected local plumber Hannah Spencer as the party’s candidate][25]. Spencer is the [bookies’ favourite to win the seat][26].
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][27]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/01/26/labour-pressure/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/22/andy-burnham-labour-leadership/
[3]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[4]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mds5m2eak22r?ref_src=embed
[5]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[6]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mds66ljprc2r?ref_src=embed
[7]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[8]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mds6rmbtzk2r?ref_src=embed
[9]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[10]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsd7g4o4k2r?ref_src=embed
[11]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[12]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsds2unfs2r?ref_src=embed
[13]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[14]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsdubppck2r?ref_src=embed
[15]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[16]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsdupslzc2r?ref_src=embed
[17]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[18]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdse3nq6yk2r?ref_src=embed
[19]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[20]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsebmhbt22r?ref_src=embed
[21]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3?ref_src=embed
[22]: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vrjfpxtzjcfuccmw6dgpuvc3/post/3mdsejidjkk2r?ref_src=embed
[23]: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtreasy/1146/114608.htm
[24]: https://bylinetimes.com/2024/06/12/green-party-pledges-swathe-of-nationalisations-and-nhs-surge-in-manifesto-dubbed-amateur-hour-by-one-critic/
[25]: https://greenparty.org.uk/2026/01/30/greens-pick-local-plumber-to-win-gorton-denton/
[26]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25811898.latest-odds-gorton-denton-by-election-bookies-favourite/
[27]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/starmer-gorton/

2026-02-02 10:57:24 UTC

Identities of Alex Pretti ICE murderers exposed
[Alex Pretti]
The two ‘immigration’ thugs who murdered peaceful protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis have been named as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35. Both are said to be from Texas. Investigative journalists at [*ProPublica* wrote][1]:
> Pretti’s killing, and the subsequent secrecy surrounding the agents involved, comes as the country confronts the consequences of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The sweeps in cities across the country have been marked by scenes of violence, against immigrants and U.S. citizens, by agents allowed to hide their identities with masks — an almost unheard of practice in law enforcement. As a result, the public has been kept from one of the chief ways it has to hold officers involved in such altercations accountable: their identity.
## Alex Pretti killers exposed
Records seen by ProPublica indicate the pair are the two who [shot Pretti ten times][2] as he tried to protect a female protester who had been attacked by one of them.
As with the identity of Jonathan Ross, the murderer of Minneapolis woman Renee Good, the identities [reportedly leaked because of incompetence by agency head Kristi Noem][3].
The agency has so far refused to disclose the names officially and refused to comment on the leaked names, instead referring questions to the FBI – which also refused to comment. Spokespeople for city authorities and state governor Tim Walz said they have not been given the identities.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][4]
[1]: https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/24/ice-murder-spree/
[3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9d7vNkbrVA
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/02/alex-pretti-murder/

2026-02-01 23:44:44 UTC

Irish defence minister confirms plans to scrap Irish neutrality
[Helen McEntee irish]
Irish Minister for Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Trade Helen McEntee has confirmed the government will push ahead with plans to scrap Ireland’s long-cherished position of neutrality. The stance has been far from perfectly adhered to, as Ireland has over the years allowed [frequent use of its airports for US warplanes][1], including those assisting so-called ‘Israel’s’ genocide in Palestine.
Nonetheless, the country has avoided involving its troops in any large-scale conflicts for more than a century. It also has [unusually low defence spending][2] in comparison to other European nations. McEntee and her government seem determined to change that, however.
On *[The Anton Savage Show][3]*, host Emmet Oliver egged on the push for greater militarisation:
> We’ve had a lot of people have been saying for many years: “Why should we give a veto to China and Russia over any military intervention that we get involved in as a sovereign nation?”
## Popular ‘Triple Lock’ prevents Irish involvement in war
There’s nothing like a hard-hitting first question that mirrors the exact opinion of the guest. This is symptomatic of [general mainstream media support][4] for a march to increased militarisation in Ireland. The question refers to the fact that Ireland can only deploy troops overseas in a number greater than 12 if all three of the following approve it:
– The Irish government
– The Dáil
– The UN Security Council or the UN General Assembly
This is known as the ‘Triple Lock’, in reference to the capacity for any of these bodies to veto Irish troop deployment abroad. As every permanent member (China, France, Russia, UK, USA) of the Security Council can veto any significant decision the Council takes, that enables any one of those nations to block use of Irish forces overseas.
Naturally in agreement with the stenographer she was speaking to, McEntee pledged to kick off the march to likely NATO slavery ASAP:
> …I want to get this legislation moved as quickly as possible. I’m hoping to have it published by Easter. And I hope to have it enacted throughout this year.
The legislation referred to is the Defence Amendment Bill which the Irish government has again been [pushing forward this week][5]. It would remove the requirement for UN approval, and allow deployment of up to 50 soldiers abroad without Dáil consent.
Lebanon has been used as the sympathetic case for a peacekeeping deployment of Irish forces, who have been present in the country since 1978. The government has been desperately trying to find an angle to push the new measures through, given [strong public support for continued neutrality][6]. With [high Irish pro-Palestine sentiment][7], the idea of local soldiers being present to help ward off further brutal assault by Israeli Occupation Forces is obviously an appealing cause.
However, it’s difficult to see how much difference a small UN force can currently make against a [nuclear-armed brute prepared to break all international law][8].
## Neutrality end likely means NATO alignment
The more likely result of changes to the law is closer alignment to the self-destructing NATO, ‘led’ by an erratic fascist [currently killing his own citizens][9]. As Workers’ Party representative for Meath East [Gerry Rooney outlined][10]:
> The removal of the UN element of the Triple Lock is blatantly designed to allow the government to align even more closely with NATO. They have made it clear that, even if outright membership isn’t a runner just yet, they will seek to cosy up as close as they can.
>
> Our neutrality is suffering the fate of a frog in warm water being slowly but surely brought to a boil.
He continued:
> A government that, for 20 years, has been unwilling to spend €5 million or €10 million a year to pay a living wage to our soldiers, and is unable to put even two of Naval Service’s eight ships to sea, now claims to care deeply about defence and security.
>
> What they really appear to care about is pacifying their superiors in Brussels and Washington, and lining the pockets of international arms companies.
As discussed previously in The *Canary, *there are companies [eyeing a potential bonanza from Ireland ramping up its defence spending][11]. There’s also a push from other NATO members for this increase, given Ireland hosts a great deal of crucial infrastructure for the digital economy, mainly that of US tech giants. That’s money that could otherwise be spent on actually useful stuff, like housing, health care and education.
The spectre of Russia and China controlling Irish armed forces through Security Council veto is the fear typically raised by the media. However, with the Triple Lock scrapped, Ireland is far more likely to be at the beck and call of the US. Control from Washington should be of more concern than from anywhere else, given its [genocidal policies][12] and obviously [heightened warmongering][13].
This vassal status was confirmed by McEntee’s response to a question about the upcoming visit of the Irish government to the White House in March. There they will once again embarrass themselves [prostrating before Emperor Trump][14]. Asked by Oliver if Irish representatives would challenge Trump on recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence, McEntee dodged the question:
> …I’ve no doubt [the Taoiseach’s agenda] could be set in the coming weeks. And there are opportunities both publicly but also in private for the Taoiseach to have a conversation with the president on many different issues.
As previously respected non-aligned nations like [Finland][15] and [Sweden][16] abandon that stance to join the NATO war machine, the world is rapidly losing potential peacemakers. Ireland seems keen to accelerate that process, and sidle up to a volatile alliance making the world less safe.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Robert Freeman][17]
[1]: https://www.shannonwatch.org/
[2]: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=IE&most_recent_value_desc=false
[3]: https://open.spotify.com/episode/156NfCipftILr2p1qoumOO
[4]: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorials/2026/01/28/the-irish-times-view-on-removing-the-triple-lock-a-necessary-change/
[5]: https://www.thejournal.ie/triple-lock-6940102-Jan2026/
[6]: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/04/19/irish-voters-support-neutrality-by-21-margin-but-are-less-convinced-on-triple-lock-poll-finds/
[7]: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/09/30/why-is-palestine-so-important-in-ireland
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/31/gaza-32-killed-in/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/24/ice-murder-spree/
[10]: https://workersparty.ie/plan-to-abolish-triple-lock-is-designed-to-align-with-eu-nato-war-machine/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/10/ireland-reliance-on-foreign/
[12]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/31/us-approves-6-6bn-sale-of-attack-helicopters-assault-vehicles-to-israel
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/09/greenland-trump-says/
[14]: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41783150.html
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2023/04/06/finlands-nato-membership-may-increase-international-tensions/
[16]: https://www.government.se/government-policy/sweden-in-nato/
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/robert-freeman/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/01/irish-neutrality/

2026-02-01 23:38:10 UTC

Kuenssberg tells Polanski talking about Gaza genocide is ‘divisive’
[Kuenssberg Polanski]
[*BBC* establishment shill Laura Kuenssberg][1] tried a ‘gotcha’ with [Green Party][2] leader [Zack Polanski][3] on Sunday 1 February – and ended up exposing and embarrassing herself. Kuenssberg claimed that the Greens’ determination to include the UK government’s [collaboration][4] in Israel’s [Gaza genocide][5] is ‘divisive’, as if genocide and hurt feelings carry equivalent weight. She received a thorough but civil schooling:
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/polanski-kuenssberg.mp4][6]
## Kuenssberg: no shame over Gaza
Kuenssberg also got a roasting from social media for her arguably antisemitic apparent suggestion that describing Israel’s genocide as a genocide is going to offend ‘the Jewish community’, (Hint: there is no one ‘Jewish community’ and Jews from all kinds of Jewish communities also oppose the genocide, except the rabidly pro-Israel ‘community, which makes it a political issue, not an ethnic one.
The examples below typify the many responses:
[Kuenssberg]
[Kuenssberg]
[Another strong performance][7] from Polanski. The Greens are [now the bookies’ 11/10 favourites to win the Gorton and Denton by-election][8].
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][9]
[1]: https://skwawkbox.org/2019/12/11/bbc-well-send-you-a-comment-on-kuenssberg-breaking-electoral-law-if-we-decide-we-feel-like-it/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/green-party/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/01/polanski-kuenssberg/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/10/05/mahmood-protest/
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/12/27/gaza-genocide-is-not-over/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/polanski-kuenssberg.mp4
[7]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/05/25/video-polanski-strong-on-gaza-genocide-and-on-tax-as-kuenssberg-wheels-out-israel-advocate/
[8]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25811898.latest-odds-gorton-denton-by-election-bookies-favourite/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/kuenssberg-polanski-gaza/

2026-02-01 23:24:03 UTC

Mandelson resigns – embarrassing Starmer over Epstein to avoid embarrassment over Epstein
[Mandelson]
‘Lord’ Peter Mandelson – a [swooning fan of serial child-rapist, paedophile-panderer and Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein][1] – has [resigned from the Labour Party][2]. In a [statement][3], he said he was resigning so he doesn’t “cause further embarrassment” to Starmer’s party over his massive Epstein links.
In doing so, he has embarrassed Starmer over his massive Epstein links.
## Mandelson exposing himself and Starmer
Mandelson’s resignation only highlights the Brylcreemed blancmange’s utter spinelessness – and Starmer’s refusal to expose and inconvenience Israel. Starmer has frequently been challenged over why he would not remove both Mandelson’s Labour membership *and* his peerage. On every occasion, he and his mouthpieces have dodged the question.
Now Mandelson has fallen on his (metaphorical) sword when Starmer should have mounted his (metaphorical) head on a (metaphorical) spike for his, at best, close alignment with a monstrous child rapist. The paedo’s fan has acted more decisively than the supposed ‘leader’.
Now *that’s* embarrassing – and hugely revealing.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/mandelson-epstein-emails/
[2]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8jm2vpve1o
[3]: https://news.sky.com/video/mandelson-resigns-from-labour-to-save-his-party-further-embarrassment-13502133
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/mandelson-resigns/

2026-02-01 23:11:02 UTC

The ‘Wall of Tears’ in New York: when the names of Gaza’s children become testimony that refutes Israel
[Wall of Tears]
While Western governments continue to provide political and military cover for [Israel][1], within Western societies themselves, there are growing spaces for challenging the official narrative, led by independent artistic and cultural initiatives that redefine the victim and break down their reduction to numbers. In this context, art is no longer merely a symbolic expression, but a tool for moral questioning, bringing the tragedy of Gaza from the margins of the news to the heart of public consciousness. In New York City, one of the world’s most influential cultural capitals, a [huge artwork entitled][2] ‘Wall of Tears’ has emerged, documenting the names of thousands of Palestinian children Israel has killed in the Gaza Strip, transforming them from numbers in military reports into an indelible human memory.
## Names instead of numbers from Gaza on the Wall of Tears
On Grattan Street in Brooklyn, the wall was built approximately 15 metres long and three metres high, made of weather-resistant vinyl in a sandy colour that mimics the besieged land of Gaza. On its surface are written the names of 18,457 Palestinian children who were killed between 7 October 2023 and 19 July 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The list begins with the name of 14-year-old Wissam Iyad Mohammed Abu Faisaf and ends with eight-year-old Sabah Omar Saad Al-Masri, arranged chronologically according to the date of their martyrdom, in a visual documentation that restores each child’s name and age and refutes the description of ‘collateral damage’ promoted by the occupation machine.
The work is by American artist Phil Buehler, known for his politically charged art projects. In a statement to the *Guardian*, he said that from a distance, the wall ‘looks like an abstract painting,’ but it draws passers-by closer, before they discover that they are looking at the names of children killed in Gaza.
## Art as a tool for accountability
The artist points out that reading the names, accompanied by selected photos and stories taken from press reports, forces the viewer to make comparisons and imagine their own children or family members in the same place, creating a human shock that transcends traditional political and media language.
The Wall of Tears is not an isolated initiative, but part of a clear artistic trajectory in Buehler’s work, who has previously carried out projects such as The Wall of Lies, documenting false statements by US President Donald Trump, and The Wall of Shame about the 2021 storming of the US Capitol, as well as Empty Beds, which highlighted the abduction of Ukrainian children.
In this context, Buehler treats art as a tool for political and moral accountability, rather than as an aesthetic act detached from reality.
The work was carried out in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Radio Free Brooklyn. Buehler emphasises that the project was ‘behind the times’ even before its opening, as it documents the names of children only up to July 2025, while Israel continued to kill hundreds of children after that date, including during the period following the ceasefire agreement last October.
## Hind Rajab: the memory that opens the wall
The opening of the wall coincided with the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the child Hind Rajab, who was shot dead by occupation soldiers inside a car carrying her and her relatives as they tried to reach a safe place on 29 January 2024. Her final cries for help became documented testimony, forming the basis of the film ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ by Tunisian director Kawthar Ben Hania, which has been nominated for prestigious international awards, including the Oscars and BAFTA.
The work comes amid heated political debate in New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. In this context, Buehler emphasised his rejection of the deliberate conflation of opposition to genocide in Gaza with anti-Semitism, arguing that this conflation is used to silence moral criticism and shut down any public discussion of the crimes committed.
## Testimony on the Wall of Tears
The ‘Wall of Tears’ was not the only event in Brooklyn. Over the past few months, the city has witnessed other artistic initiatives in support of Gaza, most notably the non-profit exhibition space Recess hosting the American debut of the ‘Gaza Biennial’ under the title ‘From Gaza to the World,’ with the participation of 25 Palestinian artists.
The works on display documented life under bombardment, famine and displacement, affirming that Palestinian art continues despite war and siege.
The Gaza Biennial is an international art project that was launched in April 2024 on the initiative of artists from Gaza and the West Bank, with the participation of more than 50 artists, to transform art into an act of survival and resistance, and to redefine the artistic space in a time of extermination.
Thus, dismantling the Israeli narrative is no longer the exclusive domain of human rights reports or political statements. In the streets and on the walls of Western cities, art stands as a moral witness to a crime that the official world is trying to overlook, while the human conscience insists on fixing it in memory… name after name.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alaa Shamali][3]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/30/wall-of-tears-mural-gaza-children-brooklyn
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/01/wall-of-tears/

2026-02-01 22:56:52 UTC

Watch as Polanski asks “who bought the Labour Party?”
[Polanski Starmer]
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has released a half-hour video with *The Fraud* author Paul Holden doing *exactly* the right thing.
## Polanski on the money – again
Polanski asks “Who bought the Labour Party?” He and Holden then dissect the secrecy, dishonesty and dark-money tactics of Starmer and the faction that conned Labour members into voting for him. By [hiding his real agenda][1], they then conned just enough of the electorate to get him into power. With a [big, deep-state leg-up from ‘Reform UK’][2], of course.
The title of the show is *Bold Politics* and it’s not mis-sold. This is exactly the kind of head-on, confrontational approach needed from a left leader in the era of fascist fake-news politics. The kind practised by Starmer no less than Reform. It’s well worth a half hour to watch it:
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][3]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/08/starmer-lawfares/
[2]: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/07/12/smoking-gun-of-fake-reform-candidate-no-response-from-party/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/polanski-starmer-bold-politics/

2026-02-01 22:47:58 UTC

Crossings as a weapon of war: how Israel strangled Gaza via blockade
[Gaza Rafah Crossing]
Although Gaza is only a few kilometres away from the rest of the world, its inhabitants live in suffocating isolation, controlled by decisions rather than borders. This isolation is measured by the permits granted or denied and by the gates opened and closed according to the balance of military power. The crossings, which were supposed to be lifelines, have been turned by [Israel][1] into tools of subjugation and collective punishment, through which it controls the movement of people and the flow of food, medicine and fuel, imposing a permanent siege on more than two million Palestinians.
Land and sea crossings are the only lifeline for the Gaza Strip, but they are directly or effectively controlled by Israel and used as a political and security bargaining chip, in clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law. As the war continues, the closure of the crossings has become one of the main causes of the worsening famine, the collapse of the health system, and the disruption of the most basic necessities of daily life.
The Gaza Strip is connected to eight main land and sea crossings. Israel has complete control over seven of them, while the Rafah crossing – the only land crossing with Egypt – was outside Israel’s formal control for a limited period before Israel imposed its de facto control and closed it completely in May 2024.
## Rafah Crossing: the crossing to Gaza that Israel forcibly closed
The [Rafah Crossing][2] was the most important lifeline for the residents of the Strip, both for the passage of patients, students and travellers, and for the entry of humanitarian aid under specific arrangements. However, Israel’s military control of it in May 2024 and its complete closure led to an almost total halt in transit, depriving thousands of patients and wounded people of treatment and disrupting the entry of aid, even though the crossing does not legally fall under Israeli sovereignty.
## Karam Abu Salem Crossing: food under the knife
The Karam Abu Salem Crossing, southeast of the Strip, is Gaza’s most important commercial gateway, through which the vast majority of food, medicine and aid shipments pass. However, Israel has complete control over the number of trucks, the type of goods and the timing of their entry, turning the crossing into a tool for political and humanitarian blackmail that is opened and closed according to Israeli calculations, not the needs of the population.
## Al-Muntar Crossing: the disrupted artery of exports
The Al-Muntar Crossing is located east of Gaza City and was previously the main commercial crossing, equipped to accommodate about 220 trucks per day. However, it has been effectively removed from the export system and is now used only for limited imports, which has severely damaged the productive and industrial sectors and deepened the economic dependence of the sector.
## Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: the closed gate for the people
In the northernmost part of the Strip is the Beit Hanoun Crossing, which before 2007 was the main crossing point for workers, traders and patients travelling to the West Bank and the occupied interior. Today, the crossing is under complete Israeli control and is almost permanently closed, cutting off geographical and human contact between Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
## Gaza crossings closed or converted for military purposes
East of Rafah is the Al-Awda commercial crossing, which was previously used to bring in construction materials and goods, but has been closed since 2008 and is now abandoned.
The Al-Qarara crossing is located east of Khan Yunis. It is a disused crossing that is only used for Israeli military purposes related to field operations and incursions.
The Shuja’iyya crossing, east of Gaza City, is dedicated to the entry of fuel through special pipes and is used very limitedly. Any interruption in its operation leads to widespread paralysis, including hospitals, power stations and bakeries.
## Zikim Crossing: aid under restrictions
Israel opened the Zikim Crossing in the north of the Strip in 2024, ostensibly to allow humanitarian aid to enter, but it is subject to strict controls and is opened irregularly and with limited capacity, making it unable to meet even minimum humanitarian needs.
## Huge losses for Gaza
In addition to the land crossings, Israel imposes a suffocating naval blockade that prevents Gaza from exploiting its most important natural outlet. Economic studies indicate that an efficient seaport would reduce trade costs by about 25%, increase exports by more than 27%, and raise the sector’s revenues by about $127 million annually. However, the blockade prevents this entirely.
According to United Nations estimates, the closure of the crossings has caused economic losses estimated at $17 billion over ten years, while Israeli control of the crossings has become a tool of comprehensive blockade, through which it controls food, medicine, fuel and freedom of movement.
Despite this, Egypt is often blamed for the closure of Gaza, while the reality is that the flow of aid is essentially halted by Israeli decisions, whether through direct closures or through restrictions on the entry of shipments even through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alaa Shamali][3]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/
[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gazas-rafah-crossing-with-egypt-reopen-sunday-israels-cogat-says-2026-01-30/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/01/crossings-israel-gaza/

2026-02-01 22:39:14 UTC

Iran warns of ‘regional war’ if the United States attacks it
[Iran]
Iranian Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei][1] said on Sunday 1 February that any [military attack][2] by the United States on his country would lead to a regional war, warning that the repercussions of any confrontation would not be confined within Iran’s borders.
## Iran: regional war will follow if Trump attacks
Khamenei made the remarks in a speech addressed to the Iranian people from his residence in the capital Tehran, on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the victory of the Iranian Revolution, stressing that ‘the Americans must realise that igniting war this time will lead to a comprehensive regional war.’
The Iranian leader stressed that his country would ‘respond forcefully’ to any aggression or harm directed against it, while emphasising that Tehran does not seek to start a war and does not intend to attack any country, according to his statement.
These statements come amid escalating regional tensions, with the United States intensifying its military build-up in the Middle East, coinciding with threats by US President Donald Trump to target Iran militarily.
In this context, Tehran believes that Washington is working, through economic sanctions, political pressure and the stirring up of internal unrest, to create justifications for foreign intervention with the aim of changing the regime. The Iranian authorities affirm that they will respond with a ‘comprehensive and unprecedented response’ to any attack targeting them, even if it is limited.
## Nuclear weapons
With regard to the nuclear issue, the United States and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, accusations that Tehran denies, asserting that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, including the generation of electricity.
Khamenei also addressed the recent wave of protests in the country, describing them as a ‘coup attempt’ that had been thwarted. He said that these events targeted ‘sensitive and influential centres of the country’s administration,’ noting that the protesters attacked government and security institutions and Revolutionary Guard headquarters, as well as banks and mosques.
Iran witnessed widespread protests in late December 2025, which lasted for nearly two weeks, against the backdrop of a sharp decline in the value of the local currency and the worsening economic crisis. The protests began in the capital, Tehran, before spreading to a number of other cities, at a time when Iranian President Masoud Bazshkian acknowledged the existence of popular discontent and pledged to take steps to address the economic and living conditions.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alaa Shamali][3]
[1]: https://news.sky.com/story/iran-has-fingers-on-the-trigger-as-trump-sends-very-big-powerful-ships-to-region-13501758
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/29/trump-strikes-on-iran/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/01/iran-latest-war/

2026-02-01 22:31:29 UTC

Israel is forcing Doctors Without Borders out of Gaza on 28 February
[MSF]
The [Israeli][1] authorities have issued a [decision to end][2] the [activities][3] of *Médecins Sans Frontières* (MSF) in the Gaza Strip and to require it to leave the Strip by 28 February. It’s a move that has raised widespread concerns among humanitarian and medical circles about the repercussions on civilians’ access to life-saving healthcare, given the near-total collapse of the health system.
The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism justified the decision by citing the organisation’s failure to provide lists of its Palestinian employees, an administrative measure that is now being imposed on a growing number of humanitarian organisations operating in the Strip. The ministry said that failure to comply with this requirement would result in the suspension of the humanitarian organisation’s operations and force it to leave Gaza within the specified deadline.
## MSF out of Gaza – leaving countless Palestinians in dire need
In response, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) denied these allegations and considered that the decision was part of a broader context of increasing pressure and smear campaigns targeting relief organisations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, with the aim of reducing their ability to provide medical services independently and impartially.
The organisation confirmed that its legal registration to work in Gaza and the West Bank expired on 1 January 2026 and that it would be forced to cease all operations by 1 March unless the decision was reconsidered. It warned that this move would deprive hundreds of thousands of civilians of medical care and water, noting that its services in Gaza alone serve about half a million people.
MSF explained that, over the past few months, it had sought to open channels of dialogue with the Israeli authorities to renew its registration and clarify the administrative requirements, confirming its willingness to cooperate to ensure the continuation of medical care, provided that clear guarantees were given to protect its staff and maintain its operational independence.
The organisation stated that on 23 January, it informed the Israeli authorities of its initial willingness to share limited information about its staff as an exceptional measure, on condition that it be used for administrative purposes only and that its employees not be exposed to any security risks. However, it confirmed that it had not received any concrete assurances in this regard, either regarding the safety of its staff or the cessation of smear campaigns targeting it.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Alaa Shamali][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/
[2]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg1ymmkpkro
[3]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/doctors-without-borders-says-israeli-ban-pretext-to-block-aid-to-gaza/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/01/msf-gaza-ban/

2026-02-01 19:47:59 UTC

Israel just ‘broke’ a world record for kidney donors – but where did all the organs come from?
[Israel]
This week in occupied Jerusalem, more than 1,000 people gathered together, in an attempt to break a new world record – the largest gathering of live kidney donors. The event marked 2,000 kidney donations in Israel, and was organised by the kidney donation charity Matnat Chaim.
## Israel kidney donations: a “world record for humanity”?
Israeli occupation president, [Isaac Herzog][1], told the 1000 donors gathered [together for the event][2] that the record was “a world record for humanity. A world record for solidarity. And a world record for the deep and full commitment to one another, the selfless, the deep love of life and of people that is so beautifully embodied in our nation.”
But while the Israeli occupation brandishes itself as a humanitarian leader in organ donations, questions need to be asked about where this huge number of kidneys came from. Forensic evidence and human rights organisations reveal, beyond doubt, organ theft from Palestinians detained in the Israeli occupation’s prisons and torture camps. Many [bodies have been returned][3] from ‘Israeli’ custody with signs of surgical cuts and chemical burns, and missing organs – hearts, corneas, lungs and kidneys.
## Calls for an independent international investigation
Dr Munir al-Bursh, general director of Gaza’s Health Ministry, says what is needed is not another record, but an independent international investigation to reveal the truth behind the numbers. He took to social media, saying:
> The same authority the withholding Palestinian bodies for years, now boasts unprecedented “donation” figures. Did generosity appear overnight? Or are there silent bodies excluded from the celebration? The occupation has stolen organs from the bodies of Palestinian martyrs.
>
> This is not emotion- it is testimony: Doctor’s accounts, bodies returned incomplete, organs missing without medical, legal, or ethical explanation….We reject turning humanitarian values into propaganda, and we reject building achievements on Palestinian bodies- dead or alive.
According to [Euro-Med Monitor][4] human rights organisations, the Israeli occupation has recently made it lawful to hold dead Palestinian’s bodies and steal their organs.
## Pressure campaign by Zionist organisations around the world
Guinness World Records (GWR) has not accepted World Record submissions from Israel or the occupied territory since November 2023. Herzog described this decision as “flawed”.
GWR rejected the occupation’s initial attempt at breaking the world record.
But after a [pressure campaign][5] against it from Zionist organisations around the world, GWR has reversed its decision.
These organisations, which weaponise ‘antisemitism’ to achieve their goals, include [UK Lawyers][6] for Israel and a similar US organisation known as the [Brandeis Center for Human Rights under the Law][7].
The previous record for “largest gathering of organ transplant donors” was set in Chicago in 2018, with 410 donors.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Charlie Jaay][8]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/09/11/isaac-herzog-met-police/
[2]: https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/guinness-world-records-lift-israel-ban-kidney-donors-wsar8m44
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/11/06/gaza-organ-theft-even-in-death-palestinians-are-not-free-from-occupation/
[4]: https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5982/Int%E2%80%99l-committee-must-investigate-Israel%E2%80%99s-holding-of-dead-bodies-in-Gaza%E2%80%8B
[5]: https://www.uklfi.com/guinness-world-records-resumes-israeli-submissions-after-legal-pressure
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/08/14/uk-lawyers-for-israel/
[7]: https://brandeiscenter.com/after-excluding-israel-for-two-years-guinness-world-records-caves-to-legal-pressure/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/charlie-jaay/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/01/israel-kidney-record/

2026-02-01 19:33:39 UTC

Most politicians are liars – but every so often, someone exposes the truth
[Starmer politicians]
It’s widely accepted that politicians lie. But if you say they’re all the same, you’re incentivising a race to the bottom. I like it when a politician gets caught in a lie. It’s a wakeup call to the others.
## Politicians lie and lie and lie
Last week, I was a guest speaker at Paul Holden’s *[The Fraud][1]* book tour, along with his colleague Andrew Feinstein. Paul meticulously documents the undeclared donations, leaks, lies and smears behind the Starmer project. How they used smears to discredit anyone who challenged them, in cahoots with client journalists. He demonstrates that Starmer is just a cog in the wheel. There’s a whole machine of dark money behind him.
Which led me to think: which do I hate most, the lies or the corruption? Both, of course. But if forced to pick, I think lies are more damaging.
Dante condemns the financially corrupt to the fourth circle of Hell. It sticks in the craw that people like Robert Jenrick, one of the new ConForm party signings, [got a £12,000 donation][2] just 14 days after unlawfully letting the donor off a £40 million infrastructure contribution.
Or that Nigel ‘Nine Jobs’ Farage[ is making literally millions][3], including from telling people how to get dual citizenship to avoid paying UK tax. He’s not a patriot or a man of the people. If you think he’s on your side, wake up and smell the coffee. He’s on no one’s side but his own. And maybe [Vladimir Putin’s][4]. He knows [which side his borscht is buttered][5].
But I can understand the drive to acquire material comfort. In a culture where everyone is flipping their second home, it takes people of integrity to say no to making a few quid. I set myself a rule. I claimed no expenses in my entire time in office. If I took someone out for a meal to lobby them on behalf of the North East, I paid for it myself.
## DoubleThink
Dante condemns liars and deceivers to the deeper eighth circle of Hell. Lies destroy communication itself. The very thing that makes us human is the ability to share knowledge and consider things we have not witnessed. From there stems empathy and understanding. I’m human and fallible, but I always try to verify facts and check context. It’s educational, too. A commitment to truth is a lifelong education.
George Orwell’s 1984 is basically about the mutilation of truth. The Party apparatchiks think in DoubleThink and CrimeStop. Orwell describes them as protective stupidity. By justifying their lies for some greater purpose, they are freed from guilt. Party loyalty – and self-advancement – are more important.
DoubleThink becomes a habit. Once you have divorced yourself from the truth, it is easy to justify anything. You cut corners. Tell white lies. And before you know it you are criminalising non-violent protest and selling arms to war criminals. Objective reality is coherent, but their world of lies makes no sense, so they end up performing [U-turn after U-turn][6]. Lies don’t just make people dishonest. They make them incompetent.
Imagine if we ran science as we run politics. Where we did not check evidence and verify data. Where we decided which inconvenient laws of physics to ignore when building bridges. Even if we ran supermarkets that way – a store manager claiming there was loads of food on the shelves when plainly there’s not. They’d go bust in days.
Yet the truth will out.
## The truth will out
Hillsborough. Orgreave. The Iraq dodgy dossier. A surprising amount does come out. WhatsApp VIP lanes. MPs expenses scandals. Wes Streeting’s £372,000 bungs from private US healthcare firms. Reform’s Nathan Gill is in jail for [taking Russian bribes][7].
The strategy of the liars is to delay it as much as possible. To make sure any investigations occur after they’ve left office. But investigative journalists and campaign groups like The Good Law Project are on to them. So the liars spout distractions and smears like a squid squirting ink. Paul Holden tells me he’s gathering evidence on what laws the Starmer project broke. The liars are trying to outrun the truth.
I was asked at the book event, “With all the lies, where is the hope?”
I said 82% of Britons think water should be in public ownership. 78% support a wealth tax. Including 66% of millionaires. 75% of Britons support rent controls. Including 44% of landlords.
For all the propaganda and dark-money funded think tanks, evidence intrudes on people’s everyday lives. The more we challenge lies, the stronger truth becomes. Do not throw up your hands and say they’re all the same. We must incentivise truth and disincentivise lies.
A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has its shoes on. If you want to trip up the liars and let the truth catch up, [get yourself out door knocking][8] in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Or the upcoming council, Senedd and Holyrood elections. If thousands of us go out just for a few hours each, we’ll change the result.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Jamie Driscoll][9]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/the-fraud/
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/22/robert-jenrick-says-he-regrets-dining-with-donor-richard-desmond-westferry
[3]: https://goodlawproject.org/top-five-mps-bag-2m-outside-parliament-since-july/
[4]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yd878ejqko
[5]: https://bylinetimes.com/2025/12/16/nigel-farages-9m-donor-profits-from-putin-propaganda-platform-while-holding-mod-stake/
[6]: https://news.sky.com/story/every-labour-u-turn-as-starmer-rows-back-on-compulsory-digital-id-plan-13493934
[7]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yd878ejqko
[8]: https://greenparty.org.uk/get-involved/national-action-days/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/jamie-driscoll/
https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/01/politicians-liars/

2026-02-01 19:11:35 UTC

Sky News claim ‘being in Epstein Files not a sign of wrongdoing’
[A disgusted man and a tweet from Sky News Epstein]
In a grim social media post, *Sky News* have said the following over the Epstein files:
> Being mentioned in the Epstein files is not a sign of wrongdoing
>
> — Sky News (@SkyNews) [January 31, 2026][1]
As people pointed out, this was entirely the wrong way of wording this.
And yet the tweet remains up.
## What?
*Sky News* were actually responding to their own tweet:
> Being mentioned in the Epstein files is not a sign of wrongdoing
>
> — Sky News (@SkyNews) [January 31, 2026][2]
As we reported, [the newly released files have just exposed that Peter Mandelson took tens of thousands of pounds from Epstein][3]. They also exposed that Mandelson wanted the cash to be sent in smaller amounts – seemingly so he could avoid paying tax.
This is a sign of wrongdoing.
[Richard Branson, meanwhile, was exposed for giving Epstein PR advice on how he could salvage his reputation post-sex crimes][4].
Morally, if nothing else, this is also a sign of wrongdoing.
Do you know who else was mentioned in the Epstein Files?
Jeffrey fucking Epstein.
Are there signs that he got up to any wrongdoing!?
## Wordplay over Epstein
Here’s how *Sky News *could have worded it:
‘*Being mentioned in the Epstein Files is not confirmation of criminal wrongdoing*.’
They could also have just kept quiet.
If Peter Mandelson didn’t want to get tarred with the brush of a convicted sex criminal, THEN PETER MANDELSON SHOULD NOT HAVE MAINTAINED A LONG TERM FRIENDSHIP WITH A CONVICTED SEX CRIMINAL.
Here’s how other people responded:
> [https://t.co/uYGsXOxfEa][5] [pic.twitter.com/01wiX4P1ky][6]
>
> — The Agitator (@Agitate4Change) [February 1, 2026][7]
> I’ve never seen a mainstream news channel tweet something like this. It’s not a report or a quote. They’re just telling the public how to interpret information. I’m not saying it’s malicious or not, just new. Strange. [https://t.co/WLUSpiGlso][8]
>
> — Nego (@NegoTrue) [February 1, 2026][9]
> i don’t know i think being named in a document relating to sex trafficking is pretty bad and i think it’s also pretty bad that sky fucking news are tweeting this but hey nothing will come from it right [https://t.co/XopViZARG0][10]
>
> — bryony (@bryonycdc) [February 1, 2026][11]
## Why are they like this?
One of the key takeaways from the Epstein Files is that rich and influential people are all colluding in private to do unspeakable things. When *Sky News* posted the above, people didn’t think ‘*maybe we should give Mandelson the benefit of the doubt*‘; they thought ‘*so Sky News* *are in on it too*‘.
And make no mistake; this widespread suspicion of institutions could be a positive development.
Because the first step towards throwing out the degenerate elites is acknowledging they exist.
*Featured image via [Sky News][12]*
By [Willem Moore][13]
[1]: https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/2017691401656451310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[2]: https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/2017691401656451310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/01/31/mandelson-caught-in-tax/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/richard-branson-asked-epstein/
[5]: https://t.co/uYGsXOxfEa
[6]: https://t.co/01wiX4P1ky
[7]: https://twitter.com/Agitate4Change/status/2017949196892934350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/WLUSpiGlso
[9]: https://twitter.com/NegoTrue/status/2017923228740505993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://t.co/XopViZARG0
[11]: https://twitter.com/bryonycdc/status/2017891234400923703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2017691401656451310?s=20
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/sky-news-epstein/

2026-02-01 17:14:40 UTC

New York Times says ‘nothing to see here’ on Epstein Files
[Jeffrey Epstein and the New York Times logo]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations that [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. And that’s just scratching the surface. All in all, then, this latest batch of files has been one of the most scandalous revelations of all time. Or, if you’re the *New York Times (NYT)*, it’s simply old news:
> The New York Times would like you to rest easy and know that the elite world outlined in the Epstein files doesn’t really exist anymore! [pic.twitter.com/CFcLYx70f0][3]
>
> — Mel (@Villgecrazylady) [January 31, 2026][4]
## Epstein mates “all but gone”, but not forgotten
“All but gone”, the *NYT* says; “all but gone”!
Let’s do a ‘*where are they now?*‘, shall we?
* **[Donald J. Trump][5]: **Currently existing in relative obscurity as the president of the USA.
* **[Elon Musk][6]: **Sure, he’s the richest man on *this* planet, but there are so many other planets out there.
* **[Israel][7]: **The hermit nation has kept itself to itself throughout its recent local wars of aggression.
Jokes aside, [Peter Mandelson][8] and [Andrew Windsor][9] have been kicked into something like obscurity, but that’s because of previous Epstein releases.
People reacted to the *NYT* piece as follows:
> A "bygone elite"? The central characters in this are the president and the world's richest man. [pic.twitter.com/HnddGgKRvE][10]
>
> — Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) [February 1, 2026][11]
And that isn’t their only criticism:
> The New York Times had a three-hour interview with Trump and didn’t ask about Epstein. Today, the bombshell release of new files didn’t make the front page.
>
> So who the hell in NYT leadership or ownership was hanging out on the island and wants this to go away?
>
> — Sam Youngman (@samyoungman) [January 31, 2026][12]
## Problem papers
In October, [*Middle East Eye*][13][ reported][14] that 150 *NYT* contributors had pledged not to write for the outlet until it ends its bias against Palestinians. [Their letter stated][15]:
> Until The New York Times takes accountability for its biased coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the US-Israeli war on Gaza, any putative ‘challenge’ to the newsroom or the editorial board in the form of a first-person essay is, in effect, permission to continue this malpractice
>
> Only by withholding our labor can we mount an effective challenge to the hegemonic authority that the Times has long used to launder the US and Israel’s lies
Outlets like the *NYT* have the veneer of progressivism, but when it comes down to it, their primary objective is defending the status quo.
*Featured image via [Epstein Files][16]*
By [Willem Moore][17]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://t.co/CFcLYx70f0
[4]: https://twitter.com/Villgecrazylady/status/2017698087175639087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/elon-musk-emailed-epstein/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/mandelson-epstein-emails/
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/31/andrew-windsor-accused/
[10]: https://t.co/HnddGgKRvE
[11]: https://twitter.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2017876906234769556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://twitter.com/samyoungman/status/2017655741033955624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/over-150-new-york-times-contributors-say-they-will-boycott-paper-over-gaza-coverage
[14]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/over-150-new-york-times-contributors-say-they-will-boycott-paper-over-gaza-coverage
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/09/ms-rachel-joins-new-york-times-boycott/
[16]: https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/jeffrey-epstein.jpg?w=1200&h=675
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/01/new-york-times-epstein/

2026-02-01 17:08:07 UTC

Tommy Robinson weirdly silent on Epstein ‘grooming gang’ allegations
[Tweet of Tommy Robinson and Jeffrey Epstein]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. Given that Jeffrey Epstein was running the world’s most infamous grooming gang, you’d think Tommy Robinson would be all over this stuff [given his track record][3]. Instead, he’s ignored pretty much everything besides this:
> Jeffrey Epstein sent Peter Mandelson $75,000, Starmer made him US Ambassador, he's still in the House of Lords and still a member of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
>
> This is Mandelson at Epstein's home in his underpants.
>
> It's a big club.
>
> We must see arrests. [pic.twitter.com/rRVgIg9pHr][4]
>
> — Tommy Robinson [🇬🇧] (@TRobinsonNewEra) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Embarrassing
As we’ve reported, [the latest tranche of Epstein Files include new allegations against Donald Trump][6]. Given that Tommy Robinson has practically gone scuba diving up Donald Trump’s arse, you’d think he’d put some distance between himself and the alleged paedophile in the White House, but no.
For reference, here’s Robinson praising Trump mere days ago:
> President Trump is to remove income tax for America's workers.
>
> William Pitt the Younger introduced Britain's first income tax in 1799 as a temporary wartime measure to fund the Napoleonic Wars.
>
> Yet they all just "forgot" to remove it?
> [pic.twitter.com/4nPrF15b2A][7]
>
> — Tommy Robinson [🇬🇧] (@TRobinsonNewEra) [January 29, 2026][8]
The latest Epstein Files also [exposed Elon Musk for being a liar][9]. Once again, Tommy Robinson has said nothing about a man he [sucked up to like no one else][10]:
> The disgraced Ed Davey still hasn't deleted this.
>
> Would love to see Musk destroy him in court. [https://t.co/GlROaBD3Oo][11]
>
> — Tommy Robinson [🇬🇧] (@TRobinsonNewEra) [January 16, 2026][12]
It’s not been little Tommy’s week, because this also happened:
> A woman calling Tommy a "cuck" for Israel and that he sat there like a "little sheep" while Yishai Fleisher said Britain have a "special place in hell" to Tommy during an interview.
>
> WHAT A WOMAN![👏🏻][👏🏻][👏🏻] [pic.twitter.com/wKYwki1MQN][13]
>
> — G.T (@gingerrtom) [January 31, 2026][14]
Do you know who else was a big supporter of Israel and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)?
> DON’T FORGET EPSTEIN LOVED & PRAISED TOMMY ROBINSON… [pic.twitter.com/W1pg5mLPN1][15]
>
> — Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) [January 31, 2026][16]
## He’s in there
As people have highlighted, Robinson himself got a mention in the Epstein Files:
> [🚨] Tommy Robinson's appearance in the Epstein files
>
> Epstein emails Steve Bannon saying "Tommy Robinson!! Good Work" after Robinson travelled to the US to meet with Bannon in 2017.
>
> It is interesting that Epstein has this to say to Bannon only months after meeting with Tommy… [pic.twitter.com/517GzoAV2a][17]
>
> — Gadget (@Gadget440) [November 15, 2025][18]
[As we reported in November][19]:
> Steve Bannon was a key part of Trump’s first presidential campaign, and he worked as the senior counselor to the president until he got the boot.
[And as the *Guardian*][20][ reported][21]:
> Hundreds of texts over almost a year show Maga influencer Steve Bannon and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein workshopping legal and media strategies to protect Epstein from the legal and publicity quagmire that enveloped him in the last year of his life.
[And as we reported again][22]:
> In 2018, Bannon was looking at Robinson as a key leader in the pan-European far-right movement that he was trying to establish. While things didn’t pan out how Sloppy Steve intended, it’s certainly the case that European far-right groups have grown and forged links in the proceeding years:
> Be like Poland [pic.twitter.com/pW55BoY5zk][23]
>
> — Tommy Robinson [🇬🇧] (@TRobinsonNewEra) [November 10, 2025][24]
## No surprise that Tommy Robinson is silent…
Tommy Robinson is connected to all the same people as Epstein.
Just not [Mandelson][25].
Because even a bootlicking worm like Tommy Robinson has some standards.
And for more on Mandelson’s connections to Epstein, [read this][26].
*Featured image via [X][27]*
By [Willem Moore][28]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48950672
[4]: https://t.co/rRVgIg9pHr
[5]: https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2017929445844128051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[7]: https://t.co/4nPrF15b2A
[8]: https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2016887069260312857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/elon-musk-emailed-epstein/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/10/14/tommy-robinson-israel/
[11]: https://t.co/GlROaBD3Oo
[12]: https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2012145762956927036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/wKYwki1MQN
[14]: https://twitter.com/gingerrtom/status/2017552790382326098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://t.co/W1pg5mLPN1
[16]: https://twitter.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/2017601149365334526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://t.co/517GzoAV2a
[18]: https://twitter.com/Gadget440/status/1989656437388345570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[19]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/16/tommy-robinson-got-a-mention-in-the-epstein-emails/
[20]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/steve-bannon-jeffrey-epstein-text-messages-publicity
[21]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/steve-bannon-jeffrey-epstein-text-messages-publicity
[22]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/16/tommy-robinson-got-a-mention-in-the-epstein-emails/
[23]: https://t.co/pW55BoY5zk
[24]: https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1987902861276066240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[25]: https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/01/31/mandelson-caught-in-tax/
[26]: https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/01/31/mandelson-caught-in-tax/
[27]: https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/2017601149365334526?s=20
[28]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/tommy-robinson-epstein/

2026-02-01 16:57:13 UTC

The Tories are trying to make Reform look good for some reason
[Lewis Goodall and CHRIS Philps Reform]
The failing Conservatives are trying a new tactic [against][1] Reform, and it’s to…
**DRUM ROLL**
…suggest that Farage and Co support the most popular policy position in the UK:
> ‘So you’re willing to make claims about Reform that you can’t substantiate?’
> [@Lewis_Goodall][2] challenges Tory MP Chris Philp's claim that Reform wants to ‘nationalise everything that moves’. [pic.twitter.com/KjkWi2AXdJ][3]
>
> — LBC (@LBC) [February 1, 2026][4]
## If it moves, we can nationalise it (no, Reform did not say that)
In the video above, Toy Chris Philp says:
> In their manifesto, the last election, they proposed nationalising everything that moved
A confused Lewis Goodall asked Philp:
> apart from steel, what else did they want to nationalise that you disagree with?
Philp struggled to answer this, prompting Goodall to say:
> Kemi Badenoch is saying that you’re both parties on the right, on the radical right, really. So I’m just trying to understand ideologically… the differences between you
Once again, Philp had no answer when it came to nationalisation.
> The yankification of the British right continues. Even copying their parties’ tactic of accusing each other of being communists when neither could be more pro-capitalism if they tried. [https://t.co/jI2QHqvoP8][5]
>
> — cez (@cezthesocialist) [February 1, 2026][6]
Here’s the thing, though, [the concept of nationalisation is actually *incredibly* popular in the UK:][7]
[graph showing most people support the nationalisation of utilities and other key industries]
## Toryism is over
So, why is Philp arguing that Reform are in favour of this popular policy?
It’s because [these politicians][8] never interact with normal people.
They have no idea what your or I think, and when they’re pushed on any point, they immediately crumble.
For years the mainstream media carried them, but now the cracks in their ideology are beginning to tear the Tories apart.
Oh, and on a side note, ‘Philp’ is an incredibly unsatisfying word to say out loud or even look at. Visually it looks like a misspelling of ‘Philip’; audibly it’s the sound of dripping paint.
*Featured image via [LBC][9]*
By [Willem Moore][10]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/reform/
[2]: https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3]: https://t.co/KjkWi2AXdJ
[4]: https://twitter.com/LBC/status/2017921501517726203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://t.co/jI2QHqvoP8
[6]: https://twitter.com/cezthesocialist/status/2017936571216117936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50098-support-for-nationalising-utilities-and-public-transport-has-grown-significantly-in-last-seven-years
[8]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/28/matt-goodwin-embarrassed/
[9]: https://x.com/LBC/status/2017921501517726203?s=20
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/reform-nationalisation/

2026-02-01 16:51:38 UTC

Steve Reed thinks reasonable doubt is against victims, not Mandelson
[Steve Reed Mandelson]
In his interview with Laura Kuenssberg on the *BBC*, Labour [cabinet minister][1] Steve Reed appeared to shift the [focus away from][2] accountability, effectively casting doubt on [Epstein’s victims][3] rather than centring the seriousness of the allegations themselves.
Instead of clearly prioritising the need to protect and believe those reporting harm, Reed’s framing leaned toward cautioning against reputational damage and procedural concerns. Reed’s desperate avoidance tactics risk reinforcing a familiar and harmful pattern in UK politics: scrutinising victims more closely than the powerful figures actually accused of abuse.
Likely for many, this exchange will have underscored how instinctively the political establishment closes ranks, even when doing so undermines trust and deters victims from speaking out.
> Moments after he admits Lord Mandelson kept things from the govt prior to being appointed ambassador the US, Steve Reed is asked if Mandelson should be allowed to keep his peerage.
>
> Reed invokes the victims to dodge answering the question. [pic.twitter.com/MfVPaQJMqu][4]
>
> — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) [February 1, 2026][5]
## Burden of reasonable doubt misplaced by Steve Reed
Reasonable doubt has long functioned in UK society as a shield for the powerful, and our patriarchal system has inevitably led to a place where ‘compassionate’ British society would rather blame victims than hold powerful, abusive men to account. Reed’s behaviour reaffirms that misplaced priority by placing the burden of suspicion on tangible evidence released in the latest tranche of Epstein files in the US, instead of at the Labour peer.
Credible evidence has surfaced yet again showing very friendly ties between the Labour peer Peter Mandelson and disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Nevertheless, it appears Labour are continuing to be the most amateur and corrupted people in the room as Reed refuses to entertain the possibility that they are protecting a powerful paedophile.
Pressed by Kuenssberg on what was known by Starmer of the long-running ties between ‘Petie’ and Epstein, Reed appeared desperate to deflect from the substance of the issue, leaning instead on claims of complexity to shut down scrutiny of Mandelson:
> **Laura Kuenssberg: **Did your government have any knowledge of Peter Madison’s alleged financial links with Jeffrey Epstein?
>
> **Steve Reed:** Of course not.
>
> **Kuenssberg**: Of course not. Absolutely not.
>
> **Reed**: I mean, you’re talking about things that happened 20 years and more than 20 years ago. Of course, there was no knowledge about what’s going on. I want to hear what happened just as much as you do, just as much as people watching this show.
>
> **Kuenssberg**: But Lord Mandelson has said to us on the record a few weeks ago that he told Number 10 everything that there was to know when he was appointed as American ambassador. So is he not telling the truth?
>
> **Reed**: Well, the reason he was removed as ambassador to the US is because there were things he had not disclosed. Now, I don’t know how far that lack of disclosure goes. I think he should answer questions about his own life, not me.
>
> **Kuenssberg**: Should he be allowed back into the House of Lords?
>
> **Reed**: Well, again, we need to know exactly what’s going on. It would be very easy for me to sit here and speculate. I think we’re far better to stick to what happened, find out what happened. I mean, above all else for me comes the interest of the victims. They deserve to have a light shone on what’s gone on so they can find closure.
## Stop pretending you don’t know
Mandelson’s established ties should already be inexcusable in the eyes of the UK government. Yet the snail’s pace of accountability suggests it would take the most damning and deplorable evidence for those in power to show even minimal discomfort with him.[ As *Skwawkbox* wrote in September][6] last year:
> Despite Epstein’s 2008 conviction for paedophilia and the charges against him when he died in prison – with the US government claiming suicide and doctoring video evidence of the night of his death – Mandelson, who remains on the government payroll but may sue for wrongful dismissal, insists that Epstein was not a paedophile.
>
> Now, an examination of court papers by a UK left-wing activist has confirmed that, according to evidence submitted in a 2023 court case, Mandelson remained close to Epstein three years after Epstein’s first paedophilia conviction – close enough that Epstein continued to ‘connect’ high-powered bankers, including JP Morgan, with Mandelson along with the likes of Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, wanted Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and others
Steve Reed struck a similar tone in his interview with Lewis Goodall on *LBC.*
Pressed by Goodall, he appeared more irritated that Mandelson’s name kept resurfacing than genuinely disturbed by the serious possibility of traumatic sexual abuse against young girls. Rather than expressing concern for potential victims or genuinely acknowledging the gravity of the allegations, Reed’s retorts inferred frustration with the media scrutiny itself.
Remarkably, Reed even suggested that because Mandelson is on a leave of absence and not doing any actual work in the House of Lords, he effectively does not hold a peerage at all. Goodall quickly challenged the logic, cutting through the semantic dodge:
> ‘I hope he will reflect on what this image may or may not show.’
> [@Lewis_Goodall][7] grills MP Steve Reed over whether Peter Mandelson should be 'stripped of his peerage' following the latest batch of Epstein files. [pic.twitter.com/JaxzBozHpN][8]
>
> — LBC (@LBC) [February 1, 2026][9]
## Absence isn’t sufficient accountability
Steve Reed’s lazy responses lay bare an instinct to protect Labour’s most powerful figures. His subsequent interviews make it clear meaningful action by Starmer will be painfully slow against those with ties to a known and convicted sexual predator, like Mandelson.
In contrast to Reed’s empty protestations and deflections, we at the Canary believe that victims’ interests must always take precedence.
Mandelson must be made to forfeit all privileges and titles until formally cleared.
> Strip Peter Mandelson of his peerage.
>
> — Canary (@TheCanaryUK) [February 1, 2026][10]
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][11]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/the-fraud/2025/10/21/the-fraud-part-nine-the-ccdh/
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/31/keir-starmer-andrew-mountbatten-windsor-testify-us-jeffrey-epstein-links
[3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn82elvzpz7o
[4]: https://t.co/MfVPaQJMqu
[5]: https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/2017889931016692072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/14/epstein-mandelson/
[7]: https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/JaxzBozHpN
[9]: https://twitter.com/LBC/status/2017929205502104060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://twitter.com/TheCanaryUK/status/2017961820611358858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/02/01/steve-reed-epstein/

2026-02-01 16:40:36 UTC

Starmer says ‘renewal is becoming reality’. Yup, it’s called a Zack Polanski victory.
[Starmer Polanski]
Believe it or not, the laughably deluded Keir Starmer [claims][1] Britain is “turning a corner” in 2026.
“Renewal is becoming reality”, he chirps in Cabinet meetings and New Year videos, all while desperately clutching at anything that isn’t his [plummeting][2] approval ratings and a pair of tickets to a Taylor Swift gig.
I can only imagine a cabinet meeting with Starmer is much like reading those ‘motivational’ posters you might see hanging on the walls of a failing call centre.
Starmer is promising we will feel the difference in our pockets. Bills will drop, wages will soar, and unicorns will deliver free PlayStation consoles to anyone who was born before 1856, including Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Remember him? Reform UK has a raft of policies from the same era. How long will it be before the fascist fucks parachute the Brexit bullshitter into a winnable seat?
## Worst. PM. Since. The. Last. One.
Keir Starmer’s own personal approval — that makes Liz Truss look like a popularity contest winner — is the [worst][3] for any Prime Minister in half a century, and Labour’s epically disastrous poll ratings have [halved][4] since their 2024 landslide.
[Blocking][5] NHS sell-off-merchant Andy Burnham from a by-election because heaven forbid, a more-popular rival gets near Westminster? Starmer’s paranoia is showing through control-freakery.
MPs routinely whisper leadership challenges, Blairite Wes Screeching eyes the crown, and the fed up base is deserting in their disgruntled droves.
May’s [local elections][6] loom like a guillotine. A brutal [Scotland][7] wipeout is incoming, again, and councils are in [revolt][8]. But sure, this is the year of “national renewal”, according to the Labour spinners, if by renewal they mean replacing Starmer before he drags the Labour Party into third or fourth placed oblivion.
NHS [waiting lists][9]? Still a nightmare. [Violent crime][10]? Not exactly plummeting. [Cost of living][11]? The number-one issue, yet people are feeling squeezed harder thanks to Labour’s unbelievably poor [fiscal choices][12] — and they are choices, not necessity.
Starmer’s “turning the corner” spiel is peak political gaslighting.
## Slapping around slogans
How many shiny slogans can you slap over a government that’s broken down, out of fuel, and blocking the road? The only corner being turned is the one where voters are queuing up to abandon Labour’s sinking ship for Reform’s racist chaos or the Greens’ actual ideas that might just benefit ordinary people like us.
The populists on both wings of the political spectrum are ready to gleefully feast on the rotting carcass that Labour has left behind, and it is time, in my humble opinion, for Labour voters with a conscience (they do exist) to throw their voice and their vote behind [Zack Polanski’s][13] Green Party at the Gorton and Denton by-election, and extend that support to May’s locals.
Why? To stop Reform from winning the former Labour stronghold at the end of February, and to maximise left representation across the country in May. Not exactly controversial stuff for anyone with an iota of common sense and a bit of integrity.
Now, some diehard Labourites will insist that only they, the hugely unpopular Labour Party can defeat Reform in Gorton and Denton, and that is a demonstrable lie which goes back to my last point regarding common sense and integrity.
This isn’t just about electoral arithmetic, it’s a frontline battle in the class war against Starmer’s tepid, hug-a-hedge-fund Labour. The austerity-lite policies, the shameful Gaza complicity, and the failure to deliver on promises like a genuine Green New Deal should leave Gorton and Denton [ripe][14] for a Polanski picking.
A victory for Reform UK (they’re the people that you booted-out of government in 2024) would undoubtedly put a smile on the faces of the elite, but a [win for the Green Party][15] would be a delicious, seismic rebuke to the establishment.
## Polanski win = Starmer rebuke
The last time I checked, Green Party [membership][16] was approaching [190,000][17]. If utilised correctly, Polanski has one hell of a ground force, many of whom pounded the streets and banged on doors for Jeremy Corbyn.
And if we are going to talk about electoral arithmetic, the numbers scream opportunity for the Greens.
Under charismatic leader Zack Polanski — elected in September 2025 — the Greens have [surged][18] nationally by four points to 13.5%, closing in on Labour’s dismal 18.6%.
In Gorton and Denton specifically, Britain Predicts/New Statesman polling [shows][19] Labour at 29%, Reform at 27%, and Greens at 24% — a razor-thin three-way race where a little bit of tactical voting could swing it.
Furthermore, even the *Mail on Sunday’s* analysis, hardly known for its raging Marxism, [predicts][20] a Green upset, citing polling data and Labour’s dramatic collapse under the leadership of Keir Starmer.
These are the fruits of Labour’s self-sabotage, and I urge Labour supporters to do the right thing and give your vote to [Polanski’s Greens][21].
The Greens are rightly framing this as a Greens vs Reform showdown, positioning themselves as the anti-fascist bulwark against far-right demagogue [Matt Goodwin][22] (Reform’s candidate, a hard-right ‘academic’).
In a world burning from climate crisis and inequality, Gorton and Denton could spark the modern day revolution we so desperately need.
## Victory
A [Green victory][23] in Gorton and Denton isn’t going to be easy. Labour still has the machine and the money, and Reform still has the anti-immigration rhetoric that tends to strike a chord with a certain type of racist.
While the Greens undoubtedly have the momentum, they haven’t ever won a northern by-election. But every single hurdle is surmountable through mobilisation and an [historic upset][24] is absolutely achievable.
So here’s to turning the corner with Labour, everyone.
May it be sharp, painful, and lead straight to the Greens actually doing something useful.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Rachael Swindon][25]
[1]: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTFrb9oAJM2/?hl=en-gb
[2]: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/30/uk/keir-starmer-labour-party-conference-intl
[3]: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/30/uk/keir-starmer-labour-party-conference-intl
[4]: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/30/uk/keir-starmer-labour-party-conference-intl
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/25/starmer-has-gotten-his-excuses/
[6]: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/local-elections-2026
[7]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25661444.scottish-labour-mps-back-keir-starmer-oust-fearing-holyrood-wipeout/
[8]: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph/20260130/281526527477879?srsltid=AfmBOoqnyelYl1tIRoadnWxrkL27c0UOAJ5PV-9Q7oOhOdb2He1Xytog
[9]: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/guide-to-nhs-waiting-times-in-england/
[10]: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/07/27/cost-of-living-crisis-latest/
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/06/rachel-reeves-budget-november/
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[16]: https://join.greenparty.org.uk/
[17]: https://x.com/thegreenparty/status/2015740181702189068?s=46&t=V_RDNrWt0kyDO6fbVhUrzg
[18]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/29/zack-polanski-effect-charts-reveal-greens-advance
[19]: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/01/who-will-be-the-green-party-candidate-in-gorton-and-denton
[20]: https://x.com/mrwilldouglas/status/2015454532273418467?s=46&t=V_RDNrWt0kyDO6fbVhUrzg
[21]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[22]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/01/29/reform-uks-matt-goodwin-gorton-and-denton/
[23]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[24]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/29/polanski-we-must-win-gorton-denton/
[25]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/rachael-swindon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/02/01/starmer-greens-polanski/

2026-02-01 16:17:36 UTC

MAGA supporters are now publicly denouncing Donald Trump
[Donald Trump and people booing mAGA]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. Now, some of Trump’s most diehard MAGA supporters are publicly denouncing him:
> MAGA fans are abandoning Trump after the new Epstein files were released. [pic.twitter.com/zFu6uHO0Mv][3]
>
> — Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) [January 31, 2026][4]
## MAGA Vs Trump
[Trisha Hope is a Texas delegate and activist who campaigns for the Jan 6th rioters][5]. She’s now saying things like this:
> President Trump is compromised by Israel, this certainly explains his behavior. I don't see how he stays in office. [pic.twitter.com/4jKvs2cKo0][6]
>
> — Trisha Hope – National Delegate-TX (@JustTheTweets17) [January 31, 2026][7]
Ryan Garcia is a professional boxer who supported Trump:
> Boxer Ryan Garcia, who endorsed Trump and enthusiastically promoted him, has now rescinded his support after the new Epstein files dropped. [pic.twitter.com/q8TZRrMOIK][8]
>
> — Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) [January 31, 2026][9]
This isn’t just a Twitter MAGA phenomenon either. Under Trump, the Republicans are now so toxic they’re losing IN TEXAS:
> Democrats didn’t just see a 30-point shift in Texas and flip a State Senate seat red to blue: they did it while being outspent 20-to-1. This will send shockwaves through the Republican Party. [pic.twitter.com/2UQI4v8Bls][10]
>
> — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) [February 1, 2026][11]
## Lame duck
While Trump’s links to Epstein are the most attention-grabbing scandal, it’s not the only area where he’s failing. [The ICE killings in Minnesota are incredibly unpopular][12]; as is Trump’s general handling of the economy:
> Brutal new NYT/Siena poll for Trump: -16 net approval and only 32% of voters say the country is better off than it was a year ago.
>
> He's underwater on all the issues:
> -17 on immigration
> -18 on the economy
> -19 on foreign relations
> -29 on the cost of living
> -44 on the Epstein files [pic.twitter.com/gqpy4iKYf3][13]
>
> — Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) [January 22, 2026][14]
Clearly, [the MAGA people surrounding Trump want him to turn America in the Fourth Reich][15]. They’re going to struggle to drum up enough support to make that happen, however, because Americans don’t see him as their Fuhrer; they see him as a bumbling paedophile who can’t do anything right.
*Featured image via [RawPixel][16]*
By [Willem Moore][17]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://t.co/zFu6uHO0Mv
[4]: https://twitter.com/harryjsisson/status/2017704348751388788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/07/16/jan-6-marchers-at-republican-convention-complicate-efforts-to-avoid-subject/74421793007/
[6]: https://t.co/4jKvs2cKo0
[7]: https://twitter.com/JustTheTweets17/status/2017638590654693430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/q8TZRrMOIK
[9]: https://twitter.com/harryjsisson/status/2017719709026672918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://t.co/2UQI4v8Bls
[11]: https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/2017828939159261452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://www.aclu.org/documents/aclu-yougov-rapid-response-poll-ice-shooting-in-minnesota-jan-2026
[13]: https://t.co/gqpy4iKYf3
[14]: https://twitter.com/SarahLongwell25/status/2014316568646152640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/01/31/trump-us-is-at-the/
[16]: https://www.google.com/search?q=trump&newwindow=1&sca_esv=17be87800527bac9&udm=2&sxsrf=ANbL-n6SdlC8UAOBrRurLk26dSJZ0svt_Q:1769950297975&source=lnt&tbs=sur:cl&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2pp_WqriSAxWvT0EAHT-WB84QpwV6BAgGEB0&biw=1517&bih=904&dpr=1&aic=0#sv=CAMSVhoyKhBlLTVCZ0RrRk5QajcwNmVNMg41QmdEa0ZOUGo3MDZlTToOYU1hTUJxRjhCR3RBMU0gBCocCgZtb3NhaWMSEGUtNUJnRGtGTlBqNzA2ZU0YADABGAcgycHl_gMwAkoKCAEQAhgCIAIoAg
[17]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/maga-trump-epstein/

2026-02-01 16:13:07 UTC

Leaked email shows Epstein had big plans for Tony Blair
[Blair Epstein]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. Additional emails have shown that the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein may have seen Tony Blair as key to his future schemes:
## Blair and Epstein
The ‘aaramco’ mentioned in the above is almost certainly ‘Aramco’ – the Saudi Arabian Oil Company; the ‘jpm’ mentioned is almost certainly ‘J.P. Morgan’, the investment bank. As people have highlighted, we already knew about the links between Blair and JP Morgan, and indeed between JP Morgan and Epstein:
> Forget Andy and Mandy. The story should be about Jes Staley, Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan and Tony Blair. JP Morgan was Epstein's banker, the mechanism through which he sheltered the massive amounts of money he moved around the world. BBC will instead show Andy on the floor ad nauseam. [https://t.co/YqfLr2Uv4C][3] [pic.twitter.com/P5aDydrMg0][4]
>
> — Ben Tomeo (@TomeoBen) [January 31, 2026][5]
The above isn’t the only mention that Blair received in the latest Epstein Files release:
> Jeffrey Epstein’s cellmate told the FBI that Epstein was involved in “an orgy with Tony Blair” during his interview with law enforcement. [pic.twitter.com/TfM5eudMVP][6]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][7]
## Cover up?
There are also [accusations that Blair covered for paedophiles during his time in office in the latest Epstein Files][8]. One email sent to the FBI contained the following quote:
> Tony Blair is reported to have blocked the exposure of famous names in Law, business and politics, including some in his own cabinet, during the police investigation into paedophile Internet activity known as Operation Ore, which came out of the FBI investigation in the United States called
> Operation Avalanche. Neither convicted any of the big fish – as usual.
>
> The figures in Operation Ore were enormous: 7,250 suspects identified, 4,283 homes searched, 3,744 arrests, 1,848 charged, 1, 451 convictions, 493 cautioned; 1449 children removed from suspected dangerous situations. But still no major names in the paedophile-infested elite levels of society. Operation Avalanche in the US produced 35,0070 Internet records, but only 100 charges.
It’s unclear who this quote is from, but [Operation Ore was indeed a real investigation][9].
In 2014, [the *Mirror *reported][10]:
> One of Tony Blair’s ministers was among a group of men suspected of sexually abusing children at a home run by a convicted paedophile.
>
> But the probe was halted soon after an ex-social services boss told police of his alleged evening visits in the early 1980s.
>
> Official documents seen by the Daily Mirror during a 16-month investigation reveal former residents told detectives that a group of paedophiles attacked children in a private flat in the home.
>
> But two former Lambeth social services employees involved in the case suspect a cover-up because experienced detective Clive Driscoll was removed from the investigation and given other duties.
Dr Nigel Goldie was the local council leader in charge of child protection in 1998. He told the *Mirror*:
> There were some allegations that children were being abused by one or two prominent persons.
>
> There were a lot of very senior people trying to put a lid on it. There was something very unfortunate about the way the whole thing was dealt with.
A spokesperson from Blair refused to comment on the *Mirror *article.
*Featured image via [Epstein Files][11]*
By [Willem Moore][12]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://t.co/YqfLr2Uv4C
[4]: https://t.co/P5aDydrMg0
[5]: https://twitter.com/TomeoBen/status/2017684114892030054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://t.co/TfM5eudMVP
[7]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017662773153415255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00103831.pdf
[9]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20237564
[10]: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tony-blair-minister-former-pms-3468050
[11]: https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/newscms/2019_31/2929806/190711-jeffrey-epstein-2004-al-1142.jpg
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/blair-epstein-email/

2026-02-01 16:07:17 UTC

Edinburgh police: a masterclass in abject incompetence
It’s half midnight on 28 January by the time I open the door to my hostel room. Less than four hours later, I am walking back through it and out onto the Royal Mile for today’s adventure – documenting the shutting down of [Leonardo Factory][1] in Edinburgh.
There’s a wee crowd gathered at the bus stop when I arrive. As she pulls in more appear from the shadows, masked up and at the ready… silent Scottish ninjas out to fuck with the system.
I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of hard writing these pieces – it’s a similar formula when you’ve done a few of these actions. Some awesome people do an awesome thing. Invariably, someone comes along to be a bastard. Usually theres a happy ending.
Sometimes you’ve really got to rely on the [police][2] to give you something good to write about. They aren’t always helpful.
## Edinburgh: hardly the best and brightest
By quarter past five, protestors had successfully created blockades at all four designated entrances to the Edinburgh facility. Two security guards held position in front of the gate, whilst another couple of unidentifiable individuals stalked menacingly. Later on it became clear these must have been private security – one of them overheard boasting of multiple military tours in the middle east;
> I went there to help people
Okay buddy…
Police arrived shortly to assess the scene and continued to amass. There were reports of at least 30 officers gathering in a carpark around the corner.
At almost exactly 6.30am the officers not gathered in the carpark, tired and at the end of a long shift decided to move in. These state sanctioned thugs managed to get behind the line, clambering over peaceful activists to do so, eagerly helped by both private security personal.
[Edinburgh]
One wore a “Leonardo Visitor” lanyard. Both were witnessed assaulting various protestors. Police allowed this with impunity and when a journalist reporting on this tried to bring it to their attention he was directed to attend a police station if he wished to make a complaint about the incident happening within arms reach of the officers.
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.54.29-PM.mp4][3]
Questions must be asked of Police Scotland. Who are these individuals and why were they allowed to assist the police in their duties? On public land? And, with no identification visible to anyone?
Why were officers on the scene not concerned about unidentified private citizens assaulting protestors?
Why was a journalist, a man of colour, told to visit a police station to report a crime happening in full view? The closest station – Drylaw – is 15 minutes away.
A mile walking on foot for justice?
## State sanctioned repression of peaceful dissent in Edinburgh
You could see how futile the effort would always end up being – theres a correlation between the violence and the desperation of an action usually. When they start pushing unarmed women into the road in the way of traffic – beeping as someone is nearly thrown under the wheels – you know they are really clutching at straws.
[Edinburgh]
Yes two or three staff at the Edinburgh facility managed to squeeze into the gate, but in doing so the police line was stretched, distorted and finally bowed to the pressure of the crowd, intent on shutting shit down. A hasty retreat was negotiated with the crowd as officers found themselves out of their depth – exhausted and surrounded, and they were permitted to leave the scrum; the entrance once again blockaded.
They left soon after, their shifts over. Tired and beaten; the states resolve broken by a bunch of beatniks. Home, to their own reflection in the mirror.
Hanging around the next few hours things felt quiet, a little too quiet. There was a certain level of anxiety hanging in the air. Were the police regrouping? Its so easy to read into all the movements on the other side of the the road. The security guards aimlessly bumbling around, police coming and going.
It quickly became obvious they didn’t have the numbers – inspectors on their phones discussing “resources” – could he loose those two officers? What a shame – theres actual policing to do – not just bullying protesters? Big sad meow for the police. Failure it was.
## Lost Property?
And what a failure. Not content with being totally unable to break the Edinburgh blockade, turns out that the first shift had been even more incompetent than anyone realised… To add to the hilarity of their inability to do their jobs properly, the blue bibs were forced to come across and beg for help finding some missing equipment. What equipment did they loose? Turns out in the scuffle they managed to loose three canisters of PAVA and a set of handcuffs.
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.56.31-PM.mp4][4]
Now this wasn’t news to me – I had earlier found a PAVA canister in the middle of the road while live streaming and immediately handed it to an officer.
## After all, who the fuck is irresponsible enough to leave a fucking firearm lying in the road…
Neither the remaining canister outstanding or the handcuffs were located. Dunno about you but I wouldn’t want to be having that conversation
> sorry gaffer I lost a firearm
[Edinburgh]
I’m sure they were feeling pretty shitty about it – and you know what I probably would too.
But I wouldn’t then go and take that out on a journalist doing his job from a public place, legally…
[https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.57.43-PM.mp4][5]
Fucking unreal.
I wish police realised that the respect they are given is earned. You don’t get someone to force someone to look up to you. Just because you dragged your arse out of bed, pulled your lickle bib on and combed your hair, it doesn’t make you respectable.
Let’s not pretend this is anything other than what it clearly is.
*No one* chewed me out for disrespecting them – no one demanded my credentials.
*No one* shouted at and threatened me like what happened to *another* journalist, *just* for doing her job.
When two calm, professional, Muslim journalists are targeted by police while the abrasive white guy gets to carry on without even a comment you *know* that institutional racism is not merely confined to the MET police.
The rest of the action in Edinburgh continued without much fuss. They knew they were beat and they stayed away for the most part – besides a couple of brief journeys across the road to plead for information – when would this be over so they could leave? Activists finally had pity on them and scattered into the beautiful winter sunshine shortly after 1; the morning shift vanquished… The sounds of chanting still ringing in our ears…
> We’ll be back…
So will we…
Thank you for your action guys! See you soon!
*Featured image and additional images via the Canary*
By [Barold][6]
[1]: https://uk.leonardo.com/en/about/uk-locations/edinburgh
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/police/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.54.29-PM.mp4
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.56.31-PM.mp4
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WhatsApp-Video-2026-02-01-at-3.57.43-PM.mp4
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/harry-taylor/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/01/edinburgh-arms-factory-protest/

2026-02-01 15:39:14 UTC

Mandelson pined over Epstein in vile leaked emails
[Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. Additionally, the new documents further exposed Labour’s Peter Mandelson.
Despite his supposed respectability (he’s a lord, after all), we now know [Mandelson accepted thousands of pounds from Epstein][3], and that he seemingly tried to avoid tax on these payments.
Since yesterday, even more emails have come out. And what we’ve seen paints Mandelson as a pathetic creature who couldn’t stop thinking about the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein:
> AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH [pic.twitter.com/4PdYu1quTc][4]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][5]
## The end of Mandelson
Twitter’s Eyup Lovely has been documenting the pathetic emails Mandelson sent Epstein:
> I made it to page 100 of 590 for the search term “Mandelson” on the Epstein files and now I’m going to take enough ketamine to erase all I have seen from my mind and feel like I’m being 3D printed into a new world where none of this is happening
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][6]
Below, Mandelson advises Epstein on how to create some sort of suburban sex dungeon:
https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017720689604632631
There are also many messages in which Mandelson pines over his relationship with Epstein:
> I’M GOING INSANE [pic.twitter.com/7lnZGRySgu][7]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][8]
> WHAT
> IS
> GOING
> ON [pic.twitter.com/TVmSaZ3lcO][9]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][10]
In this exchange, Mandelson talks about his husband in the same way that a human being might talk about their pet dog:
> Jeffrey Epstein consoled Peter Mandelson after Mandelson’s now-husband Reinaldo “got into [his] texts” and had a “v bad” reaction to them, requiring Epstein to personally intervene as Mandelson “cannot talk to him about these things.” [pic.twitter.com/M7Pbat7oto][11]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][12]
What was in Mandelson’s texts that disgusted his now-husband?
That’s a rhetorical question; you’re literally reading what those texts must have looked like.
There was also this:
> Imagine how evil you have to be for Jeffrey Epstein to say this to you. [pic.twitter.com/Y4NQBE4lnx][13]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][14]
In another email, Epstein suggested to Mandelson that it would be “incest” for him to interfere with prince Beatrice:
> Jeffrey Epstein was trying to make Tony Blair the absolute monarch of the Middle East as early as 2009. [pic.twitter.com/evh981Ng0N][15]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][16]
Related to that, the sicko Andrew Windsor sent pictures of his children to the paedophile Epstein:
> Andrew sent photos featuring daughters Eugenie and Beatrice to paedophile Epstein: Innocent princesses are dragged into disgraced parents' scandal in latest file dump [https://t.co/lKS0eANySz][17]
>
> — Daily Mail (@DailyMail) [January 31, 2026][18]
Outside the emails, the latest Epstein Files also contain various allegations:
> In the Epstein documents, a victim mentions Peter Mandelson and Google co-founder Sergey Brin being present while they were sexually trafficked. [pic.twitter.com/inQ2ZteqYY][19]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][20]
> British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer features extensively in the Epstein documents, with one victim requesting the police investigate a “back door deal” betweeen Peter Mandelson, Rishi Sunak, and Starmer. [pic.twitter.com/2WIZLq5zNI][21]
>
> — Eyup Lovely (@eyuplovely) [January 31, 2026][22]
## And still there’s more
The above isn’t even the end of what’s come out since yesterday.
Regarding the mysterious cash Epstein sent, Mandelson is claiming that his memory has failed him:
> A spokesman for Lord Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving $50,000 from Jeffrey Epstein.
>
> MORE: [https://t.co/IRsJ8IlwOP][23] [pic.twitter.com/eDFODK3dLh][24]
>
> — Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) [January 31, 2026][25]
This may just be us, but we’d probably remember if a notorious international paedophile sent us $50k.
There’s also a new image of Mandelson in his underpants with a young woman (the redaction to her face suggests she’s a victim). Mandelson previously told the media he never saw any young women around Epstein:
> Well, well, well! [#PeterMandelson][26] lied to the world on [#bbclaurak][27]
>
> "There were no young girls."
>
> Listen to him say it, then look at the photograph released as part of the [#EpsteinFiles][28] and [#EpsteinTrumpCoverUp][29].
>
> Why is he still in the House of Lords [#Starmer][30]? [pic.twitter.com/l6cHbPfE3i][31]
>
> — Sinners of our time[⭐] (@Daily_Sinner) [January 31, 2026][32]
And for now, that’s it.
*For now*.
But like we’ve said elsewhere, Keir Starmer needs to grow a spine and throw Mandelson out of the House of Lords.
Ideally from a fifth floor window.
Also, he should strip him of his peerage.
*Featured image via [Epstein Files][33]*
By [Willem Moore][34]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uncategorized-en/2026/01/31/mandelson-caught-in-tax/
[4]: https://t.co/4PdYu1quTc
[5]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017724335675326609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017731607159853399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://t.co/7lnZGRySgu
[8]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017708863458328869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://t.co/TVmSaZ3lcO
[10]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017703065202122891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://t.co/M7Pbat7oto
[12]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017696944060027000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/Y4NQBE4lnx
[14]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017704471648694548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://t.co/evh981Ng0N
[16]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017661446394450073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://t.co/lKS0eANySz
[18]: https://twitter.com/DailyMail/status/2017631335309807934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[19]: https://t.co/inQ2ZteqYY
[20]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017684463463834101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[21]: https://t.co/2WIZLq5zNI
[22]: https://twitter.com/eyuplovely/status/2017673618046558472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[23]: https://t.co/IRsJ8IlwOP
[24]: https://t.co/eDFODK3dLh
[25]: https://twitter.com/mikeysmith/status/2017682614706987515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[26]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeterMandelson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[27]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/bbclaurak?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[28]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EpsteinFiles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[29]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EpsteinTrumpCoverUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[30]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Starmer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[31]: https://t.co/l6cHbPfE3i
[32]: https://twitter.com/Daily_Sinner/status/2017736352125591844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[33]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/briefs/2026/01/31/TELEMMGLPICT000460334307_17698930751811_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqYcYAFfXcLPKYux16Xs0QizGR7hDhZpqelq86OyHToIQ.jpeg?imwidth=640
[34]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/mandelson-epstein-emails/

2026-02-01 15:34:41 UTC

Polanski insists on an end to pointless personality politics on Laura Kuenssberg
[Polanski Kuenssberg]
On [Laura Kuenssberg’s show][1], [Green Party][2] leader Zack Polanski [cut through the tired][3] mainstream media obsession with playing into personality politics. Likely referring to repeated instances of career politicians advancing their own interests at the expense of their constituents, Polanski emphasises the importance of “grown-up politics,” where the focus is on the substance of policy as opposed to MP’s just trying to be difficult.
Polanski continues to reveal the ineffectiveness and immaturity of UK career politicians, with support from media outlets that are, predictably, in their pocket.
> .[@ZackPolanski][4] is asked about who he might work with in the future & he explains its not about any individual politician but the policy platform they were offering (he mentions a few demands he'd be making – a wealth tax, action on the climate crisis, & electoral reform) [pic.twitter.com/x1LexLSRUJ][5]
>
> — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) [February 1, 2026][6]
## Polanski: It’s time to be practical and deliver
During the Kuenssberg interview on the *BBC*, Polanski challenged the presenter’s desperate and thinly veiled efforts to depict the Green leader as incompetent simply due to the radical ideas in his policy platform. Polanski, already untroubled by questions about air travel for diplomatic missions, demonstrated once again his ability to out-maneuver the establishments preferred journalist.
Zack stated:
> It depends, again, what they’re putting forward as a policy platform. I think we need to take the personality politics out of it and actually say, what are the practical steps to get things done?
>
> If I was working with another politician, I’d want some obvious demands, a wealth tax and multimillionaires and billionaires, proper action on the climate crisis and indeed proportional representation so people’s votes actually counted.
Here, Polanski underscores a recurring oversight in UK politics. The priority should be the substance of policies and the principles they embody, rather than the individuals pushing them. As opposed to the familiar ego-driven self-interest of politicians promoting or obstructing policies for lucrative backhanders and future job prospects.
Your Party’s Emma Jayne Park in Glasgow alongside comrades across the country has also vowed to take on personality politics, calling for its end, as we [quoted in November][7]:
> I want to see socialist values clearly written into policy, which means ensuring that power is held within our grassroots communities – empowering local members to make decisions that affect their lives, prioritising their needs and voices in the party over top-down leadership models and personality politics.
According to this X account, leading media personalities like Kuenssberg have a vested interest in maintaining the ongoing practice of framing UK politics as a battle between individuals rather than ideas:
> An excellent answer and one that evidently frustrated Laura Kuenssberg, for whom politics is all about personalities (preferably "big" personalities with whom she can develop unhealthily cosy relationships – e.g. Boris Johnson).[#BBCLauraK][8] [https://t.co/tWN61XK0k9][9]
>
> — Tom Scott [🇺🇦] (@Tom___Scott) [February 1, 2026][10]
## Pedestal ideas, not politicians
Once again Polanski breaks through to the crux of the issue as attempts are made to drag him into the gutter with petty politics. In his interview, the inspiring and energising Green leader exposed the elephant in the room that political ideas are what matters – not the highly paid people pushing them. Instead of incorporating classroom politics into our democracy, he reminds us that what ultimately matters is the policy being considered.
Unlike the career politicians of Starmer’s right-wing Labour Party, Polanski instead chooses to challenge the system, putting principle and policy ahead of popularity and personal ambition. After all, the ‘principles’ of UK politics have long served the interests of a small elite, while the majority continue to struggle.
A futile trend that apparently won’t continue with the Green’s and Your Party, if elected into power.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][11]
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd9k3l4dxzpt
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/green-party/
[3]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25814780.zack-polanski-slaps-laura-kuenssbergs-gotcha-plane-question/
[4]: https://twitter.com/ZackPolanski?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://t.co/x1LexLSRUJ
[6]: https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/2017904404246999519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/27/your-party-glasgow-2/
[8]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBCLauraK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://t.co/tWN61XK0k9
[10]: https://twitter.com/Tom___Scott/status/2017905900653076828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/01/polanski-kuenssberg/

2026-02-01 12:28:26 UTC

A CBS News contributor appears in the Epstein files
[cBS Epstein]
*CBS News*, since its [takeover][1] by the [Israel][2]-fanatic Ellison family and the installation of equally Zionist Bari Weiss to run it despite her inexperience, has announced a slew of new contributors. These include Israel-supporting hack Tony Dokoupil, who [shamelessly regurgitated Israel’s ‘terrorist’ smears against a colleague][3] it had murdered this month. They also [include ‘wellness bro’ Peter Attia][4]. But the *CBS* contributor’s name also appears in this week’s new Epstein file releases
## *CBS* contributor appears in the Epstein files
He was joking with serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein about his “outrageous” life that Attia couldn’t tell anyone about. The email is from 2015, years after Epstein’s first conviction for raping a minor:
In 2016, Attia joked with Epstein that:
> “pussy is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.
Attia does not appear to have commented publicly so far. Nor has his new boss Bari Weiss, despite having read messages sent to her about the matter, according to X:
> > seen by all [pic.twitter.com/x7TCStpc2V][5]
>
> — Chris Brunet (@chrisbrunet) [January 31, 2026][6]
Since her installation by the Ellisons, Weiss has spiked stories on *CBS* inconvenient to the Trump regime, including [one on the torture of prisoners it has deported][7], and has [pushed for positive coverage of the regime][8]. She has visited Israel at least fifteen times, [including during its genocide in Gaza][9].
Epstein was, beyond doubt, an Israeli intelligence operative. The newest release of files from investigations into his crimes has revealed witnesses [alleging child rape and violence by Trump][10] and that he was [“compromised”, and therefore presumably controlled, by Israel][11], likely as a result of his closeness to Epstein.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][12]
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4qwwk0g0yo
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/23/gaza-cbs/
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/30/bari-weiss-new-cbs-news-contributors
[5]: https://t.co/x7TCStpc2V
[6]: https://twitter.com/chrisbrunet/status/2017621709617008987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g-s1-103282/cbs-chief-bari-weiss-pulls-60-minutes-story
[8]: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g-s1-103282/cbs-chief-bari-weiss-pulls-60-minutes-story
[9]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-jaffa-groupthink-opponent-bari-weiss-touts-going-against-the-grain/
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[11]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[12]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/cbs-epstein/

2026-02-01 12:03:45 UTC

Reform called out for spaffing £600k on eight parking spots for councillors
[Reform Kent]
*[LBC][1] *have reported that [far-right party][2] Reform have spent £600k in Kent on eight parking spaces, reserving six free spaces for elected councillors.
Reform won control of the local authority in May 2025 and has since sparked controversy over its spending decisions and failed savings promises in its election campaign. This latest policy is sure to spark fury among local taxpayers, with council workers now expected to pay for parking at work. According to *LBC,* the proposed parking charges for junior staff will raise £1m for struggling council budgets.
However, the preferential treatment extended to councillors over hard-working civil servants has further underscored Farage’s disregard for the working class.
> Reform council spends £600k on eight free parking spaces for senior councillors[https://t.co/XjNveahPww][3]
>
> — LBC (@LBC) [January 31, 2026][4]
## Lies: Reform’s currency of choice
This shameful incident on Kent Council is highly revealing and indicative of Farage’s true ambitions. The results of his actions also blow holes through the nonsense the grifter pushed through the mainstream media to win votes. [*LBC* ][5]reported that the Reform-controlled council conducted a cost review report into the proposed charges, finding that they would likely lead to a reduction in office use whilst negatively impacting staff morale and ongoing recruitment.
So much for Farage’s claims about the dangers to the UK economy of [people working from home][6], a practice that has given many people a more flexible and affordable work–life balance. The changes imposed by the far-right party will likely drive further remote working, dragging the Reform leader’s hypocrisy back into full view.
[Our own Ed Sykes][7] reported in October on how the ‘posh-boy hatemongers’ clearly having little to offer, writing:
> Millionaire Nigel Farage and his Reform party don’t serve ordinary people. They’ve attracted millions of pounds from super-rich individuals close to fossil fuels and finance. So it’s hardly surprising that they want to force dangerous things like fracking onto the ordinary communities voting for them. Reform’s private-school-educated climate-denier-in-chief Richard Tice is positively frothing at the mouth about the prospect. He lies about immigrants to distract people from the fact that he’s another posh boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth trying to squeeze money out of ordinary people and put it in the pockets of unscrupulous CEOs.
In a post on X, Reform MP Zia Yusuf criticises the supposed £1m cost implications of civil servants working from home. Yet his party’s leadership is now set to increase those very costs for Kent County Council, a risk flagged to Farage and co in the cost review report:
> So what?
>
> If they're being as productive why do they need to be in the office?
>
> If you cared about waste then cancel the renting of unnecessary office space from your rich mates.
>
> By the way your boss, Farage was "working" from Ascot yesterday. [pic.twitter.com/0il3NY6C6n][8]
>
> — Socialist Opera Singer (@OperaSocialist) [June 21, 2025][9]
These X accounts highlight a familiar pattern: when billionaires chase profit, it is ordinary people who are left to bear the cost:
> £600k on free parking for Reform councillors.
>
> Staff forced to pay.
>
> £120k on new political advisers.
>
> Reserves raided.
> Council Tax up.
> Locals forced to pay.
>
> Kent County Council under Reform: look after themselves first, send the bill to everyone else. [https://t.co/t3ovDIMlLW][10] [pic.twitter.com/MVG4wjkhym][11]
>
> — Mario Creatura (@MarioCreatura) [February 1, 2026][12]
> Anybody still think Reform UK is the voice for the working class? [https://t.co/E5S2aBudky][13]
>
> — Workers Party of Britain (@WorkersPartyGB) [February 1, 2026][14]
## Farage: The working class’s so-called hero
As MAGA voters increasingly abandon Trump over his hollow promises to the working class in the US, Reform is proving just as incapable of delivering on its lofty, Trump-inspired policies. With these failures mounting, questions grow about the far-right, billionaire-backed party’s prospects in the May 2026 local elections, as voters begin marking their ‘homework’ on councils the party already controls.
Anyone vying for office would be wise to confront these failures head-on and acknowledge who actually profits from Reform’s grip on power.
The super-rich and powerful.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][15]
[1]: https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-council-600k-free-parking-senior-councillors-5HjdRfw_2/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/reform/
[3]: https://t.co/XjNveahPww
[4]: https://twitter.com/LBC/status/2017733380339814815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-council-600k-free-parking-senior-councillors-5HjdRfw_2/
[6]: https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/nigel-farage-promises-to-end-working-from-home-while-reform-advertises-home-working-jobs-392812/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/08/reforms-embarrassing-council-mess-the-posh-boy-hatemongers/
[8]: https://t.co/0il3NY6C6n
[9]: https://twitter.com/OperaSocialist/status/1936216114293313964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://t.co/t3ovDIMlLW
[11]: https://t.co/MVG4wjkhym
[12]: https://twitter.com/MarioCreatura/status/2017869588650729856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]: https://t.co/E5S2aBudky
[14]: https://twitter.com/WorkersPartyGB/status/2017901366048411976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2026/02/01/reform-kent-parking-spaces/

2026-02-01 11:45:11 UTC

Sicko Starmer refuses to say Andrew Windsor should apologise
[Keir Starmer in front of images of Andrew Windsor looming over a victim]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2]. The files also contained [new allegations against Andrew Windsor][3], including a tip off which accused him of being involved in torture and murder. Despite all this – and despite the fact Windsor was running around with a convicted sex offender for years – PM Keir Starmer has now refused to say the former prince should apologise.
## Apologies
It’s important to understand that the Epstein Files contain claims which may have no merit when investigated. At the same time, you also need to realise that:
1. We may never know which claims have merit and which don’t, because the authorities have failed to investigate the many crimes linked to Epstein.
2. There is more than enough known about Windsor’s activities to say he’s a degenerate and a liar.
As we reported yesterday, Windsor claimed to have never met his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. Pictured below is an image of Windsor with Giuffre standing alongside [Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell][4]:
> Prince Andrew reportedly used the met police to dig up dirt on a sex trafficking victim.
>
> I told [@DailyMail][5] that his actions are utterly despicable, using his power and connections to smear Virginia Giuffre. I call for an investigation into his action.[https://t.co/vAvb9glGrc][6]
>
> — Dr Charlotte Proudman (@DrProudman) [October 19, 2025][7]
The latest Epstein Files contain images of Windsor looming over what appears to be a child. The fact that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) redacted this person’s face indicates that they’re a victim:
> It very clear the Royal Palace were given detailed briefings many months ago which led to the King culling the then Duke of York – now without title Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor . [pic.twitter.com/qbMSXQFoCG][8]
>
> — Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) [January 31, 2026][9]
There’s also this:
> The media are not covering the allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor tortured a girl before instructing her murder. [pic.twitter.com/ZZNIDZebma][10]
>
> — Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) [January 31, 2026][11]
The above tip could be true; it could be false.
What’s certifiably correct is that Windsor could have avoided all this by simply not hanging around with a notorious paedophile.
## Starmer
Getting to Starmer, [this is what he told the media][12] (emphasis added):
> I have always approached this question with the victims of Epstein in mind. Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.** As for whether there should be an apology that’s a matter for Andrew**.
>
> But yes in terms of testifying I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that. You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that
Fuck you, Keir; you’re supposed to be the leader of this country – you absolutely cannot bow out from having an opinion.
[The Windsors have rinsed the UK for hundreds of millions][13], and they used that money to defend Andrew Windsor against these vile accusations. We shouldn’t just be demanding an apology; we should be demanding these parasites return the wealth we afforded them.
Aren’t they supposed to represent us on the world stage?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel represented by this.
## They’re all in it
Of course, Starmer isn’t best placed to tackle this issue, given that he elevated the Epstein’s ‘best pal’ Peter Mandelson, [making him our ambassador to the US][14]:
> Well, well, well! [#PeterMandelson][15] lied to the world on [#bbclaurak][16]
>
> "There were no young girls."
>
> Listen to him say it, then look at the photograph released as part of the [#EpsteinFiles][17] and [#EpsteinTrumpCoverUp][18].
>
> Why is he still in the House of Lords [#Starmer][19]? [pic.twitter.com/l6cHbPfE3i][20]
>
> — Sinners of our time[⭐] (@Daily_Sinner) [January 31, 2026][21]
As people are furiously pointing out, Starmer is refusing to kick Mandelson out of the lords. Starmer is so bad on this issue, in fact, that I’m finding myself my agreeing with Simon Danczuk:
> Mandelson was so close to Epstein that the paedophile sponsored the Peer’s husband through college, after he’d come out of prison for child abuse. And Starmer insists on keeping “Petie” in Labour and the Lords. They are a bunch of very sick people. [pic.twitter.com/rAOsEGlB6H][22]
>
> — Simon Danczuk (@SimonDanczuk) [January 31, 2026][23]
At the same time, [Danczuk is a creep who torched his career as a Labour MP by sexting a teen][24]. I’m drawing attention to him [because he’s linked to Reform now][25], and everyone should know Farage’s bunch are no better than Starmer’s when it comes to tolerating degeneracy.
*Featured image via [Epstein Files][26]*
By [Willem Moore][27]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/31/andrew-windsor-accused/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/11/11/ghislaine-maxwell-trump/
[5]: https://twitter.com/DailyMail?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6]: https://t.co/vAvb9glGrc
[7]: https://twitter.com/DrProudman/status/1979864322005414062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8]: https://t.co/qbMSXQFoCG
[9]: https://twitter.com/mwilliamsthomas/status/2017518835188863036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10]: https://t.co/ZZNIDZebma
[11]: https://twitter.com/I_amMukhtar/status/2017590580390301965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2017689727206404365?s=20
[13]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/06/02/king-charles-wealth/
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/09/14/labour-bbc-mandelson/
[15]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeterMandelson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/bbclaurak?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EpsteinFiles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[18]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/EpsteinTrumpCoverUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[19]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Starmer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[20]: https://t.co/l6cHbPfE3i
[21]: https://twitter.com/Daily_Sinner/status/2017736352125591844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[22]: https://t.co/rAOsEGlB6H
[23]: https://twitter.com/SimonDanczuk/status/2017504331621089730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[24]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p03dmy57
[25]: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/500/simon-danczuk
[26]: https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-90-91-92.jpg?c=original&q=w_860,c_fill
[27]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/02/01/starmer-andrew-windsor-epstein/

2026-02-01 11:23:21 UTC

Zarah Sultana calls out Israel’s fake ceasefire at huge London protest
[Zarah sultana palestine]
[Your Party][1] [MP ][2]Zarah Sultana has posted on X after speaking at the 34th national demonstration against [Israel’s][3] genocide in Gaza. Sultana called out the ‘so-called’ ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which technically commenced in mid-October.
Despite a supposed ceasefire, Israel has [continued to kill][4] Palestinians, with more than 500 people reportedly killed in Gaza since phase one came into force. Addressing protesters, Sultana warned that the existential threat to Palestinians remains and urged people to continue marching, boycotting and mobilising until the occupation is dismantled and Palestine is liberated.
> Proud to stand among the 100,000 who marched through London today at the 34th national demonstration for Palestine.
>
> Since the so-called “ceasefire” in October, Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza.
>
> We will keep marching, boycotting and mobilising until the… [pic.twitter.com/9aU5mzlbqW][5]
>
> — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) [January 31, 2026][6]
## ‘Deadliest day in months’
Zarah Sultana attended the rally yesterday in London, where tens of thousands of people were estimated to have attended. This protest marked the 34th demonstration in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine. Despite police pressure and intimidation tactics, people continue to flock unafraid of the consequences, to demand that our leaders finally do what is in their power to end the injustice in Gaza and the West Bank.
A US-pressured ceasefire came into effect [mid-October 2025,][7] yet Israel has continued to kill Palestinians. Albeit at a slightly slower pace than before. Pro-Palestine activists regularly criticise Western media and political institutions for perpetuating a hierarchy to the value of human life. This is especially clear when considering the scale of death, injury, and trauma inflicted on Palestinians whilst the West claim a non-existent ceasefire is in place. Recent reports show that Gaza has just seen its [‘deadliest day in months’][8] with 31 killed in just one day, whilst the media continue to parrot Trump’s lines. Of those 31, six were children, in yet another reminder that the West are intent to view Palestinian children as ‘Hamas’ and acceptable ‘collateral’.
On X, *Al Jazeera* broke down the outcomes of phase one of Trump’s “peace plan,” revealing just how little it offered Palestinians, while Israel and its allies emerged having gained a great deal:
> The US has announced the launch of ‘phase two’ of the Trump plan to end Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, but what did phase one deliver? [https://t.co/TBezOvr0FU][9] [pic.twitter.com/kwgtEfRlFs][10]
>
> — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) [January 16, 2026][11]
All whilst the US thug ushers in phase two of his billionaire mates’ real estate plans for Palestine.
This account on X strips away the euphemisms to reveal the underlying reality: a continuation of white, Western aggression dressed up in diplomatic language:
> [🟥] THE “BOARD OF PISS” IS ALREADY DOING WHAT IT WAS BUILT TO DO: DELAY, SMEAR, CONTROL
>
> [🔳] The first clip is the tell. Trump and Witkoff publicly sell a headline that sounds like progress “Phase Two” while quietly shifting the centre of gravity away from withdrawal, aid, and… [pic.twitter.com/ViWxBbhh63][12]
>
> — shameen suleman (@shameensuleman) [January 29, 2026][13]
## Zarah Sultana: it’s not good enough
At the rally and in her subsequent post, Zarah Sultana denounced the so-called “ceasefire” on Gaza as a cruel farce. Calling out Western hypocrisy as Palestinian families bury their murdered children and carry the weight of unimaginable trauma, this socialist MP once again hits the nail on the head.
Gone are the days when people unquestioningly accepted headlines or political rhetoric. Citizens are learning, questioning, and refusing to be silent. This rally is yet another redeeming sign of a growing and persistent solidarity in the UK pushing back against white, Western imperialist agendas.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Maddison Wheeldon][14]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/new-left-party/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/11/30/your-party-collective-leadership/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/31/gaza-32-killed-in/
[5]: https://t.co/9aU5mzlbqW
[6]: https://twitter.com/zarahsultana/status/2017715798572187813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/10/11/prisoner-swap-israel-gaza/
[8]: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/31/middleeast/gaza-death-toll-ceasefire-intl?Date=20260131&Profile=CNN+International
[9]: https://t.co/TBezOvr0FU
[10]: https://t.co/kwgtEfRlFs
[11]: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/2012107083957629299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12]: https://t.co/ViWxBbhh63
[13]: https://twitter.com/shameensuleman/status/2016958350445985844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/maddison-wheeldon/
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/01/zarah-sultana-israel-ceasefire/

2026-02-01 11:12:20 UTC

New Epstein files release shows paedophile ‘blackmailing’ Bill Gates
[Epstein Gates]
The [latest release][1] of the Epstein files [has revealed][2] a draft email from the serial child-rapist to software billionaire Bill Gates.
## Epstein and Gates: more evidence
In the email, Epstein responds to an alleged attempt by Gates to sever their relationship, which he says will damage his public reputation. Epstein then ‘shakes down’ Gates for $30m to stay quiet about a sexually transmitted disease Gates had allegedly contracted and passed to his wife:
> Dear Bill,
>
> I cannot believe that you have chosen to both disregard and discard our friendship developed over the last 6 years. I am aware that accidents happen; it is how each of us has chosen to deal with this unfortunate event that has me dismayed beyond comprehension. You have decided to discharge me from my job, had Larry, your PR person, tell me that I engaged in morally inappropriate behavior, and then asked me to be the major actor in a cover-up so that you can maintain the reputation that you have worked so hard to achieve.
>
> Shortly after my critical eye operation, I spent my day having your emails read to me so as not to miss a beat. When I could see out of one eye, my first task was to correct my vision in that one eye so that I could read them myself. I assumed the dedication to our relationship ran both ways. L**arry has now asked me to recommit to a confidentiality agreement and has categorically told me that you were of the firm mind that we should no longer have any direct ongoing business relationship**. With a total disregard for its impact on the public perception of MY reputation, you have requested that I diligently avoid the truth, tell people that Bill will not invest with me, and craft answers that suit yours and Melinda’s needs.
>
> In fairness, you did agree to send me a letter of recommendation should a future employer ask for one. You have told me that Melinda insists on me ignoring our friendship, not even communicating with you unless Larry is copied or present. Though you have consistently maintained that I could not have done a better job and that I was underpaid compared to my contribution, you then, beyond all sense of fairness and, frankly, decency, said that as “generous” compensation for keeping the Gates reputation intact, you would let me keep what we agreed I had already owned (the investment participations) and give me a total of 2 years severance, similar to that of Christine Turner, a casualty of a former accident.
>
> I can assure you that if the shoe was on the other foot, I would have said, “Boris, this is not your fault. I confessed to Melinda; you didn’t. It was in a moment of weakness, and I promise that I will do anything within my power to make it right for you. **I have more money than anyone needs, and I do my utmost to structure something so that you will not be penalized for my error. Lucky for me, I have enough money to mediate a horrible situation**. **Though it will not heal the injury, it will make you secure in your future. In addition, I will bend over backwards to make sure your next career is rewarding and on an upswing**. I appreciate the fact that this event drastically alters your plans and am very aware of the career path you gave up to join the Foundation. I am very sorry, but as I believe time heals all wounds, the terrible pain felt currently will eventually pass.
>
> In that regard, I suggest I buy you the house that you so had your heart set on, and in addition to five years of severance, will **buy you out of the investment contract we had agreed—30-40 percent of a hundred million dollar partnership—for 30 million dollars in today’s dollars**, terms and conditions to be agreed. That’s what I would have done had I been in your shoes.
>
> What I did receive, however, was an unfriendly, strongly worded email telling me how employable I am and that I should not look to you for any significant financial help in the future. To add insult to the injury, **you then subsequently, with tears in your eyes, implore me to please delete the emails regarding your STD, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda, and the description of your penis**. You also made it clear to me that I am not to refer to [redacted]. That is another topic that must remain between the two of us. In return for all of these requests, which I would have done without a second thought.
In a separate email, Epstein told Peter Mandelson, [another close friend][3], that he had “monstrous fun” with the Microsoft founder in Seattle.
Gates has not yet commented on the allegations.
Blackmail
As one commenter [put it][4]:
> That’s blackmail. He’s shaking Gates down for $30 million to stay quiet about an STD Gates presumably had – and passed to his wife. It looks like Epstein was on Gates’ payroll. There was a similar email to Prince Andrew about a “salary” that wasn’t being paid.
>
> It seems Epstein sold himself as a “fixer” for the rich and powerful, like Roy Cohn without the law degree – but underneath it all, like Cohn, he was actually a blackmailer and extortionist.
>
> These people went to Epstein to “fix” their problems (quiet antibiotics for an STD, no paper trail) or to get what they wanted (young women). Then he turned that info into leverage and used it to squeeze them.
>
> The big question: was Epstein working alone, or was he a foreign state asset? Was he working for Mossad? There’s some circumstantial smoke there – family links through his father‑in‑law, fake passports, unexplained wealth and more.
The final question is not really a question. Epstein has long been exposed as an [Israeli intelligence asset][5] whose ‘kompromat’ is said to have [compromised US president Donald Trump][6], Epstein’s “closest friend” and no doubt hundreds of others.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][7]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/richard-branson-asked-epstein/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/01/31/epstein-file-alleges-trumps/
[3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/14/epstein-mandelson/
[4]: https://x.com/Skawtish/status/2017448631368896929?s=20
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/epstein-gates/

2026-02-01 11:05:38 UTC

13 arrested at huge national Palestine march – and they’re still locked up
Thirteen people were [arrested][1] at today’s national Palestine Solidarity March – one of the biggest on record:
## Arrests at the Palestine march
The march was overwhelmingly peaceful, despite an attempt by a hardline Zionist group to provoke. Typically of [police and state bias][2], only one was arrested at the pro-Israel counter-demo, despite its very different nature.
Police arrested numerous people, including human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell:
> [🚨] BREAKING: human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell reportedly arrested at the National Palestine march for holding a "globalise the intifada" sign [pic.twitter.com/I4WWHPoV1b][3]
>
> — Canary (@TheCanaryUK) [January 31, 2026][4]
Those arrested were taken to Brixton, Sutton and Islington police stations. Palestinian rights campaigners are asking those who can attend Sutton to get there as soon as possible to support those held there. Brixton is already well attended and Islington has now been ‘stood down’. Organisers expect help to be needed until Sunday 1 February evening.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Skwawkbox][5]
[1]: https://www.dumptheguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/31/peter-tatchell-arrested-palestine-protest-london-globalise-the-intifada-placard
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/04/02/palestine-march-met-police-meetings/
[3]: https://t.co/I4WWHPoV1b
[4]: https://twitter.com/TheCanaryUK/status/2017601234585235458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/01/13-arrested-palestine-march/

2026-01-31 20:45:54 UTC

Lebanese captives in Israeli prisons trapped between Israel and their own government
[Lebanon]
For years, detainees from Lebanon have languished in [Israeli prisons][1], some without charges, others without sentences — all without justice.
Their bodies bore the cost of occupation through torture, isolation, and medical neglect. Their families bore it through silence, waiting, and erasure. Yet the most enduring violence may not have come from prison walls alone, but from the sustained failure of the Lebanese state to act.
## Captives from Lebanon
As Israel violated international law with impunity and acts of terror, Lebanon’s institutions watched. They issued statements and moved on — leaving detainees suspended between an occupier that abused them and a state that abandoned them.
There is no official number, but recent Lebanese reports (late 2025) indicate that around 23 Lebanese prisoners are being held by the occupational Israeli forces — including 14 captured during the most recent war.
One of them is Imad Amhaz, a Lebanese detainee who was apprehended during the previous war, who the IOF published a video of his testimony, where Imad looked tired, worn out, and raised lots of suspicion about what he was saying, as if he was forced to say it.
Mohamad Shamas — an experienced journalist specialising in war and Hezbollah — has said:
> the video is not an intelligence disclosure but a strategically released media tool, intended to justify attacks on Lebanese infrastructure and embarrass Hezbollah. It serves as a manufactured psychological victory and a way to fill a political and security void through a carefully curated narrative.
Israel has always been a sociopathic entity when it comes to dealing with prisoners, regardless of their nationality. For what Israel did to Lebanese prisoners was not a series of isolated abuses; it was a deliberate system of domination built on illegality. Detention during the occupation of the South was designed to break bodies, erase identities, and terrorise entire communities.
## Khiam Detention Centre, Lebanon
Facilities like [Khiam Detention Centre][2] operated outside any judicial framework — torture replaced due process and silence replaced law. Prisoners were held without charges, without trials, and without timelines; not because evidence was lacking, but because legality was never the point. It is never a point when it comes to Israeli detention centres, in Palestine or formerly in Lebanon.
Cells were small, dark, and overcrowded, often underground, with minimal ventilation and little exposure to daylight. Prisoners were frequently kept in solitary confinement, sometimes for weeks or months.
The lack of natural light and silence was itself a form of punishment, designed to disorient and break detainees psychologically, as former Lebanese prisoner Nizar Haidar describes to *the Canary*, where he was imprisoned for fighting alongside the Lebanese Communist Party against the Israeli occupational forces in southeastern Lebanon back in the 80s.
He also adds:
> interrogation was systematic and brutal. I still suffer from the physical torture, the beatings, stress positions, electric shocks, and suspension
This comes alongside psychological abuse such as threats against family members — many prisoners did not know whether their families were alive or not. In addition to that, there was sleep deprivation and mock executions.
He explains that the:
> screams from interrogation rooms were often audible throughout the prison, creating a constant atmosphere of fear.
## Prisoners of war
As for today, the imprisoned Lebanese in Israeli prisons during the last war have suffered from deliberate violations, as per the “committee of detained and liberated”, of the [Third Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war][3], as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in times of war, such as:
1. Torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, including physical and psychological abuse such as beatings, strip searches, and threats, beginning from the very moment of capture.
2. Deprivation of basic necessities, particularly water and food, in addition to a severe lack of essential living requirements.
3. Deliberate medical neglect, accompanied by the failure to provide adequate healthcare.
4. Collective punishment imposed by the occupying power on prisoners and their families.
5. Arbitrary arrests without distinction between combatants and civilians, carried out under inhumane conditions.
6. Preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting detainees, and denying prisoners the right to communicate with their families and with lawyers responsible for following up on their legal status.
On the other hand, if Israel’s detention of Lebanese captives is a crime of occupation, then the Lebanese state’s response has been one of systematic abandonment.
## Government! What government?
For decades, successive governments, presidents, and parliaments have failed to treat detainees as a national priority, reducing their fate to an occasional slogan rather than a sustained political and legal battle. Beyond statements of concern, the state has taken no serious action to document abuses, pursue international legal mechanisms, or apply consistent diplomatic pressure for their release.
Families of detainees have been left to navigate uncertainty alone without clear information, legal support, or institutional backing. The Lebanese government has neither established a permanent body to follow detainee cases nor ensured coordination with international organisations.
In practice, prisoners have been treated as expendable files, activated only when negotiations or political interests require them, then discarded once the moment passes.
This failure is not merely bureaucratic; it is political.
By refusing to confront Israel’s violations in international forums, and by failing to mobilise legal accountability mechanisms, the Lebanese state has implicitly accepted a reality in which its citizens can be imprisoned indefinitely without consequence.
Silence, in this context, is not neutrality, it is complicity.
A state that cannot fend for its detained citizens cannot claim sovereignty. The continued neglect of Lebanese prisoners is a stark reminder that while individuals endured torture, isolation, and years stolen from their lives, the institutions meant to protect them chose inertia.
This absence of action has become a second punishment on those taken captive — one imposed not by the colonial occupier, but by their country itself.
*Featured image via the Canary*
By [Mohamad Kleit][4]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/11/15/palestinian-raped/
[2]: https://www.amnesty.org/es/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/mde150081992en.pdf
[3]: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Third+Geneva+Convention+on+the+treatment+of+prisoners+of+war&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
[4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/31/lebanon-abandons-its-captives/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/01/31/lebanon-abandons-its-captives/

2026-01-31 19:56:46 UTC

Survivors condemn illegal redactions in latest Epstein Files
[Epstein Files]
On 30 January, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released the latest tranche of Epstein Files. As we reported, the release contained allegations [Trump is ‘compromised’ by Israel][1], and that [he raped and beat a child][2].
While it’s welcome to finally see these files coming out, it’s not welcome to see so many redactions; especially as many of these redactions are likely illegal. It’s also not welcome that the Department of Justice (DoJ) is still sitting on files.
In response to this, survivors have now spoken out.
## Speaking out
[The statement from survivors reads][3]:
> This latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files is being sold as transparency, but what it actually does is expose survivors. Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous. As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized, and retraumatized while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy. This is a betrayal of the very people this process is supposed to serve.
>
> Virginia Roberts Giuffre alone reported many abusers connected to Epstein’s network, yet the public still does not have the full truth about who enabled him, who participated in his exploitation, and who has been shielded for years. Hundreds of women have come forward with additional reports like hers. The scale of this failure is staggering and indefensible.
>
> The Justice Department cannot claim it is finished releasing files until every legally required document is released and every abuser and enabler is fully exposed. We need to hear directly from Attorney General Pam Bondi when she appears before the House Judiciary Committee on February 11. Survivors deserve answers, and the public deserves the truth.
>
> This is not over. We will not stop until the truth is fully revealed and every perpetrator is finally held accountable. As we have always said, this is not about politics. We hope Democrats and Republicans will stand with survivors in continuing to demand the full release of the Epstein files.
>
> We look forward to hearing from Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 11.
## Epstein Files redactions
As we previously reported, the US congress passed the Epstein Files [Transparency Act][4] in 2025 which required the Justice Department to publish all of the documents relevant to Epstein. While it was permissible to redact information and images relevant to victims, it was not permissible to redact information to protect individuals’ reputations and/or feelings.
It certainly wasn’t permissible to delete files after the fact when they clearly did not contain redactable material, and yet this is what we’ve seen:
> File "468," which featured a photograph of Trump with young women in swimsuits burried in a drawer, has been pulled from the DOJ's website.
>
> The original URL for the file now brings you to a page that reads "AccessDenied" [pic.twitter.com/dWGnzz5jUZ][5]
>
> — Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) [December 20, 2025][6]
There are certainly fewer redactions in the latest release, because we’ve seen information like the following:
> JUST IN – Trump accused of raping a 13-yo in newly released epstein files [pic.twitter.com/zUA8E96mUt][7]
>
> — 𝑺𝜥𝜳 (@SKYLERXNET) [January 30, 2026][8]
At the same time, there are still redactions, and these redactions are intolerable to anyone who wants to see justice done to the men and women who aided in these crimes.
*Featured image via [ABC][9]*
By [Willem Moore][10]
[1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/31/trump-compromised-by-israel/
[2]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/30/epstein-files-new-releases/
[3]: https://twitter.com/PolitlcsUS/status/2017379369522430359?s=20
[4]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-must-release-epstein-files-friday-risk-repercussions-laws-co-autho-rcna249574
[5]: https://t.co/dWGnzz5jUZ
[6]: https://twitter.com/ReporterWillis/status/2002399704311546103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7]: https://t.co/zUA8E96mUt
[8]: https://twitter.com/SKYLERXNET/status/2017329606508908883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9]: https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/034f7ad3-fadf-4449-ad0c-ad6aae926457/epstein-survivors-ht-gmh-251117_1763392320702_hpMain_16x9.jpg
[10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/willem-moore/
https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/01/31/epstein-files-survivors-slam/