Is this the summer the British left comes back?
Although it was a chaotic start – the announcement seemed to take Corbyn by surprise – the pair seemed to strike a nerve at least. Despite not yet having a name, the new party claims to have had 600,000 people sign up as supporters already.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones recently sat down with Corbyn to discuss his plans, and explains to Nosheen Iqbal why the Labour government may have a new threat to fear.
Political correspondent Aletha Adu, meanwhile, discusses whether there will be any more defections to come, and what Corbyn and Sultana may hope to achieve.
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Restriction zones for domestic abusers ‘a long time coming', survivor says
Ministers will seek to introduce 'restriction zones' that will limit where abusers can go, aiming to allow survivors to go about their daily lives without fear of seeing their offender. Sexual and violent offenders could be restricted to certain locations and tracked with technology, and would face jail time for breaching the conditions under new proposals. Until now exclusion zones exist to stop perpetrators from going to where their victims live. A domestic abuse survivor has said she hopes that the new plans are not 'just pillow talk' after feeling let down by previous governments. Mother-of-two and survivor Leanne said she was 'ecstatic' about the move, adding: 'I hope change is actually going to happen, and it's not just pillow talk, but if it happens, then, yeah, it's a long time coming.' She said from her experience she would have asked for restriction zones at the school where she would take her children, her local supermarket or near her family's homes. 'These are places where I was confronted, even when he had restraining orders,' the 54-year-old said. 'If I could say those places, and I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected. I've been listened to.' But she called for ministers to listen to survivors more, adding of the government approach: 'So far, I'm loving what I'm hearing. 'Would I put a lot of faith in it? Probably not, because I don't like being let down, and I've been let down by previous governments. 'So we can only have hope.' The measure comes as the government plans to overhaul the prison system to curb overcrowding, which could see violent and sexual offenders released from jail earlier, and for more criminals to serve sentences in the community. Tens of thousands of offenders would be tagged, prompting concerns from the victims' commissioner for England and Wales over the Probation Service's ability to cope with rising numbers. The government has announced £700 million of funding until 2028/29 for the Probation Service to back up its reforms, as well as recruiting 1,300 new probation officers by March 2026. For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators, and will carry out detailed risk assessments. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at charity Advance in London on Friday. The victims minister said perpetrators will be GPS monitored to have real-time data about where they are going, and will be subject to 'virtual boundaries' which if breached could mean they go to prison. She said: 'We're putting really strong safeguards attached to these so that we can give victims and survivors the confidence to carry on with their everyday lives. 'We're going to be outlining more details on this as well as we're bringing in the legislation in the autumn.' Speaking at one of Advance's women's centres, director Amy Glover said the domestic abuse charity wants to see what the monitoring processes are, and how quickly a probation officer would intervene if a perpetrator was breaching conditions or doing something unsafe. 'What we can sometimes find when new safety measures are introduced for victim survivors, if they don't work all the time, then they can actually create a false sense of security,' she said. 'So we're just really interested to hear a bit more about how they will be rolled out and how we can ensure they're working effectively.' But of the measure, she added the reaction is 'largely positive' as it flips the current responsibility on survivors on deciding to leave their safe, small exclusion zone area, to perpetrators having more restrictions. 'The aim of these restriction zones, which we really welcome, is to flip that so now he may have a smaller area of movement. She is able to go about her daily life more.' The charity hosted the justice minister for a round table discussion about the issue, joined by survivors and reality star and campaigner Georgia Harrison. The Love Island star, who campaigns on violence against women and girls after becoming a victim of revenge porn, backed the plan for restriction zones for offenders if implemented correctly. 'Why on earth should a survivor have to pick an area and stay there for the rest of their life?' she said. 'It makes so much more sense that a perpetrator will be subjected to a restriction zone and a survivor can go wherever they want and feel safe. 'If implemented correctly, it could just mean that not only are they actually physically safe, but they can live every single day feeling safe.' The Refuge ambassador said that knowing your perpetrator is tagged and they are being monitored is the 'best way possible' if prisons are overcrowded to figure out what works outside of jails. 'This does seem like a really good answer to one of those issues,' she said. Ms Harrison also pressed the case for social media platforms to be helping and held accountable for needing to do more to prevent abuse online, which also affects victims of domestic abuse. Ms Davies-Jones said: 'As the victims minister, I get to meet with victims and survivors every single day who have been through the unimaginable, and I want to hear their experiences directly and learn from them so that we can make the system better for them, and finally put them back at the heart of the justice system.'
The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Charity rowing crew mistaken for Channel migrants by Norfolk MP
A charity rowing crew was contacted by the coastguard near Great Yarmouth after the local MP mistook them for 'illegal migrants'. Rupert Lowe, elected as a Reform UK MP but now sitting as an Independent, posted a picture on social media on Thursday night showing a boat near some wind turbines off the Norfolk coast. He included the message: 'Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. 'Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. 'Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW.' But the vessel pictured was in fact an ocean rowing boat crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four who are attempting to row from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND). The crew – Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley – said they had been contacted by the coastguard and asked if they could see a dinghy nearby. Mr Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, told the PA news agency it soon became clear the coastguard was asking about his own boat. 'I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us,' he said. After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued, but several hours later were contacted again by the coastguard as the police had 'asked if they could send a lifeboat out to check who we were'. Eventually, a friend forwarded Mr Lowe's post, which Mr Bates said provided 'a moment of light relief'. He said: 'We found it hilarious. I've not been mistaken for a migrant before. 'The best comment was the one asking where the Royal Navy were when you need them. I'm a former Royal Marine, so the Royal Navy were on the boat.' He added: 'But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn't twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land.' The quartet set off from Land's End on July 25 and initially headed north into the Irish Sea before bad weather forced them to stop at Milford Haven in Wales. They then decided to return to Land's End and start again, this time heading in the other direction, which Mr Bates said had been 'about us showing resolve and resilience and hope'. The journey is the first of four challenges over four years, with the group aiming to row from John O'Groats to Land's End next year, from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028, with a target of raising £57 million for MND research. So far, they have raised £107,515 for the charity. Mr Bates said: 'We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raise £57 million. 'We certainly will if MPs keep talking about us. Maybe Rupert will give us a donation.'
The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
David Lammy to host JD Vance as US vice-president arrives for UK holiday
David Lammy is due to meet US vice-president JD Vance amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary is expected to host Mr Vance on Friday at Chevening, his official country retreat in Kent, as the vice-president begins a summer holiday with his family in the UK. They will discuss UK-US relations in a bilateral meeting before being joined by their families. The pair are said to have developed a warm friendship, bonding over their difficult childhoods and Christian faith. Mr Lammy is reported to have attended Mass at the vice-president's Washington residence during a visit in March, and now plans to repay the favour with the stay at Chevening. Built in the 17th century, Grade I-listed Chevening was previously the home of the earls of Stanhope, before it was gifted to the state in 1959. It has traditionally acted as the foreign secretary's country residence, but the prime minister can nominate any of his cabinet colleagues to use the house. Friday's meeting comes at a time of persistent global uncertainty, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting an expansion of his country's campaign in Gaza and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly preparing to meet Donald Trump in the coming days. The US and UK have found themselves at odds on Gaza, with Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to recognise a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire drawing criticism from Washington. On Ukraine, Mr Trump said on a visit to the UK last month that he would bring forward the deadline for Mr Putin to agree a ceasefire or face higher tariffs to Friday. But speaking in the White House on Thursday, the US president would not commit to taking action when the deadline expires, saying only that it was 'up to' Mr Putin. Kremlin officials claimed that a meeting between the US and Russian presidents had been agreed and could take place as early as next week, despite Moscow showing no sign of relenting in its attacks on Ukraine. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Mr Lammy to use his meeting with Mr Vance to press for new American sanctions ahead of any meeting between the presidents. He said: 'We've been here before: Putin stalling and trying to curry favour with Trump through promises of a ceasefire – before rocking Ukraine with even more bombs. 'With his self-imposed deadline elapsing tomorrow, Trump needs to put his money where his mouth is and introduce the sanctions he promised on Russia. It would be a disaster if Trump lets himself be fooled by Putin again.' The vice-president and his family are also expected to visit Hampton Court Palace during their trip to the UK, the bulk of which will be spent in the Cotswolds.
