Starmer's plan to ‘smash the gangs' isn't serious
Keir Starmer has repeatedly promised to smash the gangs to secure our borders. But the reality is rather different. Yesterday, the Prime Minister tweeted a short clip once again attempting to reassure British voters that the government is 'going to the source to smash the people smuggling gangs'. The video is an odd, cheap thing. Set to possibly the most generic soundtrack available and voiced over by an utterly bored-sounding young man, it shows images of small boats full of migrants, foreign police, and open water. Eye-catchingly, it promises to reveal just 'how we're controlling our borders'. Unfortunately, almost every single claim it makes is misleading or laughable.
The narrator tells us that the government is 'working with our international allies to smash people smuggling gangs for good' and that 'hundreds of boats and engines have been seized'. 'Since July we have returned nearly 30,000 people with no right to be here,' he continues.
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
The blackmail message is believed to have included a racist term RANSOM DEMAND Terrifying message sent by 'Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 High street retailer Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter holiday Credit: Alamy 2 M&S boss Stuart Machin, pictured, along with seven other company executives were emailed by the hackers, believed to be DragonForce Credit: PA The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Scottish politics: Labour wins the seat but not – yet – the argument
Labour's victory in the Holyrood byelection offers the UK government a rare political comfort but not, perhaps, the strategic breakthrough it might like to imagine. A late flurry of welfare signalling, a dogged ground campaign and a carefully staged visit to a Govan shipyard by Sir Keir Starmer helped shore up Labour's appeal to its traditional voters in Scotland's industrial belt. Yet as Prof John Curtice has noted, Labour's share of the vote actually declined compared with the last time voters cast ballots here in 2021 – a year in which the party was placed a distant third and was polling at the same dismal level of public support, 20%, it has today. The prime minister will gladly pocket Davy Russell's win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. But it is a foothold. There is still a steep climb to the summit. More telling is who lost. The Scottish National party's poor showing reflects dissatisfaction with its record of governance and the diminishing appeal of independence in areas where Labour has deep roots. The real surprise was Reform UK, taking over a quarter of the vote and leapfrogging the Conservatives into third place. It drew from both main parties, fuelled by protest and unionist anger that flattened the Tories. If these trends continue, the Holyrood elections, scheduled for next year, will not be good news for anyone but Reform despite the party losing its chair Zia Yusuf this week. Labour is not yet credible as a government-in-waiting at Holyrood. But for the SNP the crisis is more acute. If its vote remains around 30% and opposition is split at the next election, the SNP would probably remain the largest party, but would be unlikely to bestride the Scottish parliament. The pro‑independence movement would be institutionally endangered, not by Westminster suppression, but by electoral mathematics. Scottish politicians have long held the belief that Nigel Farage has less sway in a pro-EU, pro‑immigration nation. That is now harder to sustain. On the campaign trail, Mr Farage defended a race‑baiting Reform advert that twisted Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's words to suggest he had divided loyalties – a textbook use of identity politics to inflame division and resentment. It was a toxic, racist and dishonest dog‑whistle but that did not stop Reform's rise. The Tories face an existential crisis. In 2021 they became the official opposition as the strongest anti‑SNP, pro-unionist option, a strategy that paid off on the regional list. But if Reform keeps eating into that base, Thursday's result suggests the Conservatives could ignominiously fall behind not just Reform, but also the Lib Dems and Greens. With the constitutional question fading and Holyrood designed to favour horse-trading, 2026 looks like yielding a more divided chamber. Coalitions – Labour with the Lib Dems, or even across the divide – could yet emerge to focus on bread-and-butter issues and govern without Reform. Labour won the seat, not the argument. The SNP may still top the poll in 2026 – but as a weaker force in a far less predictable landscape.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
The digital shift is taking its toll on communities
As the digital shift takes its toll on community spirit, new research has revealed that 30% of people feel disconnected to their local community and 17% have never even spent time with their local community. Free weekly newsletter Join our weekly YourWorld newsletter for updates, behind-the-scenes insights from editor David Summers, and your chance to shape what's next. Free weekly newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... However, there could be a solution…and it's served with a side of mushy peas! The research, from the UK's leading pub company and brewer, Greene King, reveals that the simple joy of heading to the local pub for a fish and chips lunch could be the ultimate remedy for community disconnection. The iconic British dish has been crowned London's favourite lunch (32%) when socialising. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a response to these findings, Greene King has partnered with the Eden Project for The Big Lunch (7–8 June) — a nationwide event designed to bring neighbours and communities together to connect and build friendships. Lady enjoying a fish and chip lunch In fact, 22% of people revealed that the pub is one of the few places they can still truly connect with their community, it's clear just how vital these local spaces remain. Food was also hailed as the most important driver for togetherness, with a staggering 76% of people agreeing that sharing a meal is the number one reason to create more moments to socialise. With this in mind, Greene King is on a mission to bring communities around back together one dish at a time by supporting The Big Lunch, helping people rediscover the joy of shared moments, whether it's with old friends or new faces from across the street. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Entering the second year of its partnership, Greene King will be hosting events at many of its managed pubs throughout June, including community get togethers and giveaways. To find out what is going on at your local pub, visit here. Andrew Bush, Chief Experience Officer, at Greene King, said: 'Our research shows that 80% of people believe that food is the most important part of a social gathering. And with 22% of people choosing to socialise in the pub, it really does show the important role that both of these things can play in bringing people together. 'However, even surrounded by huge communities it's easy to feel alone, which is why The Big Lunch is the perfect opportunity for connection - whether it's with neighbours, old friends, or someone new. 'We encourage everyone to check out the website to see what's happening at their local Greene King pub and join us for great food and even better company.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To find out what is going on in your area, visit: Lindsey Brummitt, Programme Director at The Eden Project, said: 'This marks our second year partnering with Greene King for The Big Lunch, with their support again offering people a wonderful chance to get together, share delicious food and make new friends in our communities. 'Following last year's success, which saw communities across London come together to share friendship, food and fun, we hope even more people join in The Big Lunch this year on 7 and 8 June! 'The Big Lunch is a fantastic way to reach out and make valuable social connections, especially given over a quarter of people in the UK (27%) report a sense of disconnection as Greene King's recent research has discovered.'
