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The Independent
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Reform wants you to think London is a terrifying hellscape – here's why they're wrong
I write this from under my bed, in the dark, heart pounding, fearing for my life. Yet another wave of violent crime is rampaging through the streets of London, and as the sinister mob closes in on terrified residents like myself, I… wake up from this mad fantasy and realise it's just another sunny day in Hackney and everything's fine. In fact, I'm thinking to myself, what a brilliant summer we're having. Not that you'd know any of this if you listened to the hyperbolic bleatings of those trying to convince you otherwise. Whether it's Trump calling London 'a war zone', Nigel Farage or TV's tough guy-wannabe-mayor Ant Middleton calling it a 'murder capital', there's clearly a new script in play. London, they want you to believe, is out of control; a terrifying hellhole where every minute is spent holding on to your phone for dear life, or just holding on to your dear life, for that matter. It's not the new script when you're living in this town, though – I write this from my kitchen table, a friend having just cycled round to bring back a Tupperware that I lent her after my backyard birthday party. (And I live on a street where they filmed a lot of the gritty drama Top Boy, so it's not as if everything's twee round here.) My Polish, Caribbean and French neighbours have all been invited to my housewarming party, and have commented how nice it has been to see my garden coming along. Turns out they were more worried about my poor geraniums than the doom spiral headlines about what is going on outside in the hard-knock streets. And yes, I am happy to be bringing up my child here too. As I write, my 13-year-old daughter is in town with her friends, using the underground and buses to celebrate the end of term at her outstanding state school. They may be shopping at Camden Market, perhaps chilling out on Hampstead Heath or swimming at the lido. I am not sure where they are, but I am sure they are all having a thoroughly lovely time. Which is why I couldn't help laughing while watching a woman called Laila Cunningham telling Sky presenter Sophy Ridge about her fears for the city. Cunningham, a former CPS prosecutor and Conservative councillor, is now a councillor for Reform and on their law and order team. Fixated on London's descent into the pits of hell, she recounted a recent trip to Chicago and New York, where people we concerned for her safety and said to her: 'We've heard what's going on in London, are you guys okay?' A bemused Sophy Ridge responded by saying, 'We are okay though. I mean, I live in London?' Thinking of something that must be protecting the presenter from the terror stalking the streets, Cunningham replied, 'You're okay because… maybe you come to work in a taxi!' Ridge barely stifled her giggles, as she explained that, no, she gets the bus. The Reform types love to hate Sadiq Khan, who came into power in 2016 at a time of huge policing cuts. They conveniently forget that while the Met has had to cope with an increase in knife crime in the capital, 18-19 police forces have also reported year-on-year increases in knife crime, including Avon and Somerset (31 per cent), Cambridgeshire (14 per cent), and Hertfordshire (14 per cent). Terrible things do happen, and poverty kills, but that's also true from Cornwall to Carlisle. And yet, London is being relentlessly talked up as a hellscape of epic proportions. Ant Middleton, the former SAS telly personality, is in full rapture of this loopy narrative and how in a 'twisted grip', Khan's London is 'rotting from the core' and 'needs cleansing from the inside'. One piece of advice for free: don't start your campaign by slagging off London. You won't seduce a city like this one without loving it. Yes, there are high costs, everyday chaos and cruel collisions of wealth and want. But even on the days we love to hate this dirty old town, something exciting happens and you realise you can't leave. God knows I've considered trading it in, often scrolling Rightmove to imagine a bigger house and a smaller mortgage elsewhere. But would those places let me go from a fascinating book launch to a funny film screening to an outdoor rave all in one night? How can I move from a place that houses 170 museums, 300-plus live music venues, and serves up everything from Shakespeare's Globe to Stormzy? I've never even learned to drive, not even with a kid in tow – the taxi service of mum and dad isn't really a thing here. Cycling and walking are though, as 47 per cent of London is green space – parks, commons, heaths and canals. And isn't it strange that those who spend their lives clutching their pearls over the 'state of things' and how 'multi-culturalism has failed' are often doing so from their crunchy drives in Guildford or Kent. That old-fashioned 'white-flight' doesn't seem to have changed much, and while our mash-up of cultures and backgrounds might not always be plain sailing, it definitely makes us stronger overall. Londoners don't bat an eyelid at sharing their buses, schools, parks and supermarkets with newcomers from across the world. You are just as likely to be sharing your bus with a quantum physicist as a grime producer, and 300 languages are spoken here – more than in any other city on Earth. In an international city, the micro speaks to the macro – the children at my daughter's school have a global awareness and it shows. I did a BA in modern languages and still ended up less worldly at 23 than she is at 13. How is any of this bad? I think back to what it was like when I first moved to London from Yorkshire in the mid-Nineties, jealously guarding my handbag on the tube for fear of the pickpockets I'd heard so much about. Thirty years later, I still haven't been pickpocketed once, and the only man who groped me in a crowd was a former boss at a Christmas party. I'm sorry if anyone doesn't feel safe to roam London's historic streets, as Middleton claims, but I enjoy roaming them all the time. Sometimes on a nice summer's evening, I'll even walk back from a party, whether I'm 10 minutes or an hour away from my door. In the Cotswolds or Somerset, there might not even be a pavement to walk home on. You're far more likely to end up in a dark ditch on the side of a dual carriageway. Here in the big, disgusting, beloved smoke we can at least count on street lamps and paths made out of concrete to keep us safe and the people to keep it interesting.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I know why so many young people are quitting depressing Britain for Dubai - the UK made me sick and gave me acne and my life felt like a waste
A British woman has revealed how her health improved after she moved from the UK to Dubai – saying life at home was 'making her sick'. Ela Reeves, 25, from Essex, was struggling with a series of health conditions prior to the move, including chronic fatigue, sore joints and acne. With her body 'crying out for change', she decided to try life in sunnier climes – and jetted off to Dubai for a new life in January. Working remotely there for her job at a luxury travel company, Ela says her quality of life improved immediately – and now feeling healthier than ever, she's not surprised that so many Brits are making the same move, tempted by tax-free salaries, better weather and more job opportunities. More than 240,000 UK expats are estimated to be living in Dubai, with many attracted to the city by the 5,000 British companies operating in the UAE, with famous faces including Amir Khan, Ant Middleton and Kate and Rio Ferdinand among their numbers. There has been a 420 per cent rise in the five years to 2024 in enquiries from UK nationals wanting to relocate to the country, according to John Mason International Movers – with a 45 per cent surge in the 12 months to last March alone. 'Leaving the UK has been the best decision I've ever made for my health,' Ela said. 'The UK was quite literally making me sick. 'I thought that I had all of these autoimmune diseases because I was constantly tired and fatigued, I was constantly getting ill and I constantly had anxiety. 'I just didn't feel my best self despite being somebody who is always health conscious, always eating the right things, going to the gym, and getting eight hours of sleep. 'It was so draining to the point that I was focusing on my health so much and wasn't really getting the results that I should have been. 'I was like 'What the hell is wrong with me?' Prior to moving to Dubai, Ela says she had 'severe' acne, struggling with bloating due to high cortisol levels, and says the lifestyle and weather in the UK limited her. Since leaving, she has noticed a huge difference in her health and has lost weight. Ela said: 'I'm [now] doing 20,000 steps a day, and my skin is the softest and clearest it's ever been. 'I have so much energy – I never thought I would have this amount of energy. 'Despite getting eight hours of sleep and trying to stay off of my phone before I go to bed and stuff, I just always felt drained and tired. 'I just kind of gave up on that for a bit and thought that was just me as a person – but not here. 'I can work till late at night, I can get up early in the morning and I feel fresh. 'Even if I get less sleep now, I've still got the energy because I'm constantly outside getting fresh air and sunlight.' Ela describes the UK as 'such a depressing place to live' and said: 'Because it is so miserable, it is affecting your health and your body in so many ways.' She cites the weather as a 'huge factor', saying she now walks a lot more, and spends her afternoons at the beach and sitting in the sun. Ela said: 'I'm not wasting hours indoors anymore watching TV. 'There's always something to do here, and that shift alone has made me feel more energised and productive. 'Life feels full again, not wasted. 'In the UK, the days felt so repetitive, scrolling on my phone and watching TV. 'And with WhatsApp, FaceTime, and social media, I don't miss my family as much as I thought I would. 'I've actually loved the experience of moving abroad solo and have made so many friends here. 'My family has also come to visit, and thankfully we all have the flexibility to travel and see each other when we want to.' Ela has visited home to sort out visa issues and says her health issues have immediately resurfaced as a result. She said: 'I'm back in the UK temporarily and already my acne has flared up again, and I'm feeling constantly fatigued. 'It honestly just confirms what I suspected: being in the UK really does impact my health. 'In my opinion, the UK isn't a happy place anymore. 'So many people are struggling with their health, finances, and, let's be honest, the weather. 'There are incredible opportunities for young people abroad – go and find them!' On the flipside, some expats have claimed that life in Dubai is not all it's cracked up to be, and have returned to the UK, citing fears over job insecurity, and claiming they're exhausted by the work-life balance and bored by the 'soulless' culture. However, brand Kelly Lundberg, who has lived in Dubai for 22 years after falling in love with the city when she started working as an air hostess for Emirates, says that those who can't hack life in the UAE are approaching it the wrong way. After moving to Dubai, she launched a personal styling business, working with celebrities and royalty and has collaborated with the world's biggest brands, from Chanel to HSBC, but insists that there's more to the emirate than just being a 'glitzy playground'. 'Having grown up in Edinburgh, and lived in Dubai for 22 years, I've been lucky enough to experience the best of both worlds,' she told MailOnline. 'So I can say with absolute certainty that those who see Dubai as little more than a glitzy sun-drenched playground for the ultra-rich aren't looking hard enough at what this beautiful emirate has to offer. 'And as for the influencers announcing their departure, calling the city "soulless", while bemoaning how they thought they'd be better off, I'd beg to differ. Perhaps they didn't look beyond the brunches and the Burj. 'For those who are open-minded, Dubai offers opportunities that are hard to match anywhere else in the world right now. And I'm not alone in this thinking.
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
BRIAN READE: ‘Haters may try to divide us but they can never conquer our spirit'
WITH the shocked and injured still strewn across Water Street, the lies began to spew. Without a thought for the fate of dozens of casualties hit by a driver at Liverpool's trophy parade, or the fears of hundreds of thousands of others who knew loved ones were present, the immigrant-haters, far-right trolls and conspiracy theorists frantically pushed their agenda on social media as they declared it a terrorist incident. Tommy Robinson's X account called it 'suspected terror attack,' high-profile Reform UK supporter Ant Middleton deemed it a 'terrible terror-type incident' and warned: 'Do not believe anything that comes from police statements or the msm.' The leader of the British First Party, Paul Golding, fired off four posts headlined 'POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK' while dozens more raged about uncontrolled Islamism, diversity destroying the West, Britain getting what it deserves due to opening its borders… and on and on the cesspit seethed. They were all ignorant of the truth and all extremely dangerous. And what's worse they knew it. Which was why Merseyside Police, recalling what happened last summer in Southport, rushed out the news that the alleged perpetrator was a 53-year-old white, British man. Which only further triggered the trolls as they demanded to know why the 'two-tier' police had mentioned his ethnicity. Is it because he was white, they asked? No. It's because you knuckle-scraping keyboard warriors had left them fearing another riot. But something else was happening on social media platforms in the aftermath of Monday's incident, when transport was closed down in the ensuing chaos, leaving thousands of people who had travelled to Liverpool for the celebrations, stranded. Locals were offering their phones to those without power, lifts to other towns and their spare bedrooms for those with nowhere to sleep. Nathan Johnson, along with two friends, drove 26 people to different parts of the UK and arranged rides for many others. When, in the following days, the grateful recipients offered him petrol money, he told them to donate it to food banks. John and Kerri Davies, who run J&K Travel, called in staff, mobilised four minibuses and spent six hours transporting more than 400 people across the Mersey to the Wirral, and would not take payment. Oli Fountain was one of dozens offering somewhere to stay for the night, posting on X: 'Anyone stuck in town who can't get home give me a dm, have 2 sofas people can crash on, can put the kettle on and get people warm at least.' People turned up at Lime Street railway station with food and drinks, taxi drivers offered free lifts and hospital staff abandoned their bank holiday plans and went into work. This, along with the swift actions of the emergency services, was the real story of the human response amid Monday's panic. This is the real truth about people in this country, especially in my home city of Liverpool. That most are a font of goodness who want to unite communities not divide them. The individuals and political organisations who shout loudest about being the true patriots among us are often cowardly traitors consumed with prejudice. The real patriots are those who get on with helping others without caring what colour or race they are. As the aftermath of Monday's horror showed: Heroes don't always wear capes, but villains always wear their keyboards out with hate.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Conspiracy theorists seize on chaos in Liverpool
The injured were still lying in the road when conspiracy theories started circulating online. Not even an hour had passed after a driver rammed his car into Liverpool fans celebrating their club winning the Premier League, when prolific users of X, formerly Twitter, took to the site to speculate on the motive and identity of the driver. At 6.55pm, less than an hour after the incident occurred Tommy Robinson, a far-Right activist, wrongly described it as a 'suspected terror attack,' despite Merseyside Police making no such mention in their statement. An hour later, Ant Middleton, former Special Forces soldier and Reform UK supporter, pushed the theory further, writing: 'When you have leaders normalising terrorist attacks by saying that they're part and parcel of big city living, you open yourself up to these types of national threats!' Undoubtedly mindful of the disorder in Southport last summer, by 8pm Merseyside Police announced they had arrested a 53-year-old white British man. Conspiracy theorists' posts had frightening echoes of the hours after Axel Rudakabana's murdering of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July. Reporting restrictions had prevented Rudakubana, then aged 17, from being named. The lack of information about the suspect's identity saw riots engulf the seaside town after rumours spread he was a Muslim asylum seeker. This time the force poured cold water on rumours, releasing the suspect's details just two hours after the incident. By 10.30pm they'd held a press conference with further details, saying at 10.56pm, undoubtedly mindful of the disorder last summer, that it was not being treated as a terror attack. That should have put conspiracy theories to bed. But sceptics have raised questions over videos which show a young man driving what appears to be the offending vehicle despite the man arrested being aged 53. Writing on X, James Goddard said: 'Media announce driver is a 53-year-old White British male but in the footage the driver looks in his early 30's not 50's 'No doubt the authorities are working overtime to piece a dishonest narrative together to feed the public.' Numerous anonymous accounts on X began questioning whether this was a media and government plan to keep the truth from the public. People began speculating whether it was a false-flag attack, while others continued to insist that a man seen lying on the ground wrestling with police officers was in fact the driver of the car. As more details about the alleged attack emerged late on Tuesday, including the fact he was arrested on suspicion of being high on drugs at the time, the conspiracy theorists seized upon one detail still missing from reports: a name. The fact that there was no name was to many, on social media at least, proof that something was being hidden from them. 'Until the name of the man is made public, don't believe anything', one X user posted. The reality is that police never name a suspect until they are charged. Merseyside Police said on Tuesday, during a second press conference, that they had been granted an extension to question the suspect until Wednesday lunchtime. At that point they will either have to release the man on bail, or make a charging decision. Whether even that will stop the manic, unfounded speculation that now seems to inevitably follow mass-casualty incidents such as Southport and Liverpool, remains unknown.
New European
27-05-2025
- New European
Reform can't resist Liverpool conspiracy theories
Within two hours of a car driving into a crowd at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade, Merseyside Police announced they had arrested a white British man, aged 53. At that point, police also said that the incident was not being treated as terrorism, hoping to stop any wild speculation leading into unrest, as happened last year. Police on Merseyside, keen to avoid the vacuum which allowed the far right to decide who was responsible for the murders of three children in Southport last year, were much quicker to put information in the public domain following last night's horrific incident in Liverpool. Not that this stopped some of the right's more dedicated conspiracy theorists. Ant Middleton, former TV presenter and putative Reform candidate for Mayor of London in 2028, weighed in on, inevitably, X, urging his 427,000 followers not to 'believe anything that comes from police statements or the msm… Corruption runs deep and lessons were well and truly learnt from the not too distant past! 'God bless all the scousers and to all involved in this terrible 'terror type' incident, may strength be with you! You are in my prays [sic] this evening! Romans 8:26,' he added. Pointed out to him that the suspect was a white Briton, Middleton – who himself has spent time in prison for the unlawful wounding of a male police officer and common assault on a female PC – responded: 'It doesn't matter his skin colour, it's the motive behind why he done [sic] it. Which could be a number of things. 'This tactic being used multiple times as confirmed terror attacks who suggest it comes from that handbook and terror attack or not this should be treated primarily as suspected terrorist activity until proven otherwise.' Meanwhile, Middleton's Reform colleague and fellow noted national security expert Darren Grimes – formerly of GB News, now a Durham councillor – was irked by an initial BBC report that, with confirmation of the nature of the incident yet to come, labelled it a road traffic collision. 'Road traffic collision? Do the BBC know we've all seen the awful videos? I hope to Almighty God there is an explanation for what's happened in Liverpool,' he wrote on X. When it emerged that the suspect was white and British, Grimes complained: 'Tonight has proven that the police can give out identifiable characteristics such as skin colour pretty damn fast when it suits the approved narrative.' All very distasteful when people are still seriously injured in hospital. Still, those lucrative likes and reposts won't harvest themselves.
