Best Of

This is the Tory shadow secretary of state for justice and shadow lord chancellor.

"Nick Timothy
There is no equality before the law. Identity politics is hardwired into British justice
The politics of racial and religious identity have corroded police judgment and warped our criminal justice system" (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/04/equality-before-law-identity-politics-britain-courts

He hasn't been sacked, so presumbably Kemi agrees?

On one hand, give Kemi a bit of time.

On the other- it highlights Kemi's problem. The intellectually coherent thing would be to sack Nick Timothy, and possibly hand him a map of Westminster with the route to Reform HQ helpfully marked in blue highlighter. But that has downsides.

I still think she should do it, though.

Quite clearly, there's a factional struggle emerging within the Conservatives.

On the one hand, you have those who are basically Reform-lite and see a future joined or merged party as the single "right" political movement.

On the other, you have Badenoch and others who see a revived Conservative Party as a distinct political vehicle from Reform not signing upto the populist elements of the Farage platform and indeed seeking to regain the mantle of moderate pragmatism which the party once enjoyed and indeed profited from electorally.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon says Sikhs are ok.

Could make a reality TV game show around this. Get some patriot panellists on, and they could decide whether particular families are ok or to be deported. 4 deports and it happens for real, 4 oks they get a free meal at spoons.

OMG. I can see it now. And Channel 4 as well - just for the last fainting vibes of edginess.

No I think it would be Channel 5 or GBeebies. Channel 4 could do an alternative show where a panel of 12 Sikhs, decide if Tommy Robinson and various other patriots are ok or not. If not, an afternoon in the stocks, if ok, that free meal at spoons.

Pippa Crerar

@PippaCrerar

Since his selection for Makerfield, Burnham has navigated a difficult path between setting out his vision for government, while trying to reassure locals he’s not just using them as stepping stone to power.

In our @guardian interview he:

* indicates there would be *no* snap election if he replaces Keir Starmer, but defends himself from criticism of running a shadow l’ship campaign

* says Labour should be a broad church with more ministers from left - but Jeremy Corbyn should not be let back in

* defends his comments that politicians should not be “in hock” to bond markets - and denies he’s boxed himself in on fiscal rules

* signals he’d begin transforming broken social care system *this year* if he becomes PM


https://x.com/PippaCrerar/status/2062590209250959783





I need details!!!

Is there a reason Kirpans (yes I know one wasn’t actually used in this situation) have to have a sharp blade and point?

Surely as they are symbolic and shouldn’t be used as a weapon in the UK there could be no objection to them having to be non-bladed/pointed and then totally safe to carry as a symbolic object.

Christians who are so inclined to demonstrate their beliefs through objects don’t literally carry around a wooden crucifix with a body nailed on, Jews funnily enough don’t lug around and actual star and Muslims aren’t packing a crescent moon in their pockets.

No, no reason, except perhaps for sects making theological (in both senses) arguments with a view that "it is not a real symbolic Kirpan unless it is a real weapon", or that "we think it needs to be a real weapon" or similar - despite the general view being that this is not "required". I think the offender was an adherent of such a group.

My preferred update would simply be the withdrawal of that exception, and requiring that a sharp bladed kirpan comply with standard UK knife law, which means the blade is under 3" and non-locking. That's why the personal steak knife I sometimes take to pubs if out for lunch and I know they have blunt knives meets this spec - it is an exception to the "bladed items" law.

Since the claim that "they are the only group treated like this" by Farage and co is a lie, it would also mean a look at other exceptions.

Compare, for example, with Muslim views on Guide Dogs, and the traditional view that dogs are ritually unclean, which I think is the category. The UK Sharia Authority ruled a couple of decades ago that there was no problem because iirc these are working animals, but there still regular problems around Muslim private hire drivers not stopping when the passenger is a VIP with a Guide Dog.

It does not help that I think the only licensing authority that takes this suitably seriously is London.

As someone coming from a position of near total ignorance, I watched a Sikh being interviewed on the news about the religious significance of the Kirpan. He seemed very reasonable but it did occur to me that his explanation of it being seen as a symbol of your readiness to defend your family and community certainly wouldn't fly if a youth in a hoody said the same thing after being picked up by the police.

Family member who works at a train station on the South Coast says that swords, knives and weapons are often carried by young people. Sometimes they are shown to other presumably competing youths to indicate a willingness toward violence. There is a wider issue than this killing but politicians can't help themselves when a bandwagon goes past.