
Peter Taaffe obituary: old-school Labour agitator
Thrusting forward and glaring out from thick-lensed spectacles, the co-founder and leader of the Trotskyite Militant Tendency predicted in 1986 that her dismantling of one-nation Toryism would 'lay bare the realities of the class society' and prompt a 'purist workers' revolution'.
When Thatcher announced plans to introduce a poll tax of British adults, the Birkenhead-born revolutionary thought his time had come. He called for nationwide non-payment of the tax, organised workers' 'bill strikes' and was a key agitator of the poll tax riots in May 1990 that contributed to her downfall as prime minister five months later and the replacement of the poll tax with council tax. Taaffe declared: 'With
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ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
US and EU agree trade deal, says Donald Trump
The United States and the European Union have reached a trade deal, Donald Trump has said. It follows a brief meeting between the US president and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland on Sunday. A White House deadline was days away for imposing punishing import taxes on the 27-member EU, which is America's leading global trading partner. Instead, the US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods entering America, after Trump had threatened a 30% levy. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump said. The make-or-break talks were meant to head off trade penalties - and promised retaliation from Europe - that could have sent shockwaves through economies around the world. Trump and von der Leyen held private talks at one of Trump's golf courses in Scotland, then emerged a short time later saying they had reached an 'across the board' agreement. In remarks before the session, Trump pledged to change what he characterised as 'a very one-sided transaction, very unfair to the United States.' 'I think the main sticking point is fairness,' he said while also noting, 'We've had a hard time with trade with Europe, a very hard time.' Von der Leyen had said the US and EU combined have the world's largest trade volume, encompassing hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars. Trump said the stakes involved meant of making a deal, 'We should give it a shot.' Von der Leyen said Trump was 'known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker', which caused the president to interject with 'but fair." She said that, if they are successful, 'I think it would be the biggest deal each of us has ever struck.' Their meeting came after Trump played golf for the second straight day at his Turnberry course, this time with a group that included sons Eric and Donald Jr. The president's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name. A small group of protesters at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticising British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting 'Trump! Trump!' as he played Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course.


Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course


Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Major pledge on Britain being 'ready to fight' in face of China threats
Defence Secretary John Healey was challenged over threats to Taiwan as he visited HMS Prince of Wales, which is docked in Australia as part of a rare Indo-Pacific deployment Britain is ready to fight in the face of escalation from China, the Defence Secretary has said. John Healey was challenged over threats to Taiwan as he visited the British aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, which is docked in Australia as part of a rare Indo-Pacific deployment. Asked about what the UK is doing to support countries like Taiwan amid potential escalation from China, Mr Healey told The Telegraph: 'If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together. 'We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.' But the Cabinet minister insisted he would rather see any disputes in the Indo-Pacific resolved 'peacefully' and 'diplomatically', clarifying that he was speaking about preparation to fight in 'general terms'. Mr Healey was joined by Richard Marles, Australia's deputy prime minister, on HMS Prince of Wales, as the ship docked in Darwin to take part in war games with allies, including the US. The British aircraft carrier, which is roughly the size of three football pitches, is on an eight-month deployment, known as Operation Highmast. In April, Keir Starmer met the crew onboard HMS Prince of Wales during an overnight stay ahead of their voyage. The PM said the mission showed the UK's "leadership on global issues and security and defence". "We all know that the world is more uncertain than it felt a few months or years before - we're in a new era," Mr Starmer said at the time. "We are sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies." Tensions in the Indo-pacific region have been increasing for some time, with fears mounting that China will invade Taiwan, a self-governing island. China's leader Xi Jinping has eyed forcibly incorporating Taiwan into the country. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in May of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan during a high-level Asia defence summit. In the UK's Strategic Defence Review, published in June, it said: "China is increasingly leveraging its economic , technological and military capabilities.. This includes: a vast increase in advanced platforms and weapons systems such as space warfare capabilities, an unprecedented diversification and growth of its conventional and nuclear missile forces with missiles that can reach the UK and Europe.' And on the China threat the SDR warns of: 'More types and greater numbers of nuclear weapons than ever before with its arsenal expected to double to 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.'