Latest news with #GeorgeMadgwick
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Portsmouth City Council to form friendship with West Bank town
A UK council has agreed to form a friendship link with a town in the in the occupied West City Council chose to build the bond with Birzeit, north of the Palestinians' administrative capital in the region, decision was made as a way to balance its sister city relationship with Haifa, Israel, which has been in place since George Madgwick criticised the proposal, saying he was speaking up for "common sense" and for residents who are "sick and tired" of the local authority being "dragged into faraway political rows". He added: "Ask any Portsmouth resident what they care about right now, and I can tell you, it's not twinning with a town in a war zone 2,000 miles away. "It's fixing broken pavements. It's getting the bins collected on time. It's sorting out the chaos in our housing system, our schools, and the state of our NHS."Council officers agreed to link with a location in the occupied West Bank back in December chose Birzeit based on expert advice, saying the town shared interests with Portsmouth in areas like education and outreach and suggested there could be chances to work together with universities, museums, and religious Madgwick described the decision as a political statement and not a cultural or community Mayor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said Portsmouth had a "particular responsibility" as the home of D-Day – the Allied invasion that helped free Europe from Nazi control during World War added: "I think out of anywhere in this country we have a responsibility to remember and to stand on the side of history with Churchill and others who said we have to stand up against tyranny."I've written to the mayor of Haifa to express our condolences for the losses of life that they've had but if we run away from places because there is conflict, we are cowards."The twinning advisory group agreed to move the plan forward. It will next be discussed by the council's cabinet. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Rape charge against man staying in asylum hotel 'was kept secret to avoid stirring up community tensions'
Council chiefs have been accused of hushing up a rape charge against the inhabitant of an asylum hotel in order to avoid inflaming 'community tension'. The man was reportedly charged with rape and voyeurism following an attack on a woman on June 11, The Sun reported. He is believed to have been living at the Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea, which has functioned as an asylum hotel. However, the man appeared in front of Portsmouth magistrates' on June 16 and he was remanded in custody - so he is no longer living in the hotel. But there are now allegations that members of Portsmouth City Council sought to keep the nature of charged man's accommodation secret in order to avoid community unrest. Portsmouth City Council members were reportedly briefed in private about the charges against the man. However, it has been claimed that councillors were warned not to mention that the suspect lived in an asylum hotel. It was also reported that Portsmouth Independents Party leader Cllr George Madgwick was urged not to share 'privileged confidential information'. A young girl waves to security officers as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on June 20 Councillor Madgwick said: 'This is precisely why the public don't trust politicians and public bodies: things are hidden that should be disclosed. Anyone involved in any form of cover-up from disclosure to the public should question their role in a publicly funded position.' There are also two other cases in England, one in Manchester and one in London, in which the fact that suspects lived in asylum hotels was not disclosed. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick called the small-boat crossings 'a national security emergency'. 'Women in towns with asylum hotels shouldn't have to live in fear. The authorities must trust the public with the truth and act to protect them,' he said. A government spokesperson said: 'Sexual violence of all types is a despicable crime, causing the most unimaginable harm to victims and survivors. 'We recognise the immense bravery shown by them throughout their pursuit of justice, and protecting them remains central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. 'We have already taken action to ban foreign nationals who commit sexual offences from being granted asylum, and will do everything in our power to pursue deportation from the UK so that these vile criminals are off our streets and paying the price for their crimes.'
