Latest news with #JustStopOil
News18
11-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Undercover Guards On Duty As Lord's At High Alert For IND-ENG Test, Here's Why
Lord's Cricket Ground is under high security for the third Test between India and England. Here's why. The Lord's Cricket Ground has been put under a high security alert with some extra measures deployed, including random checks on spectators and undercover guards, during the third Test between India and England under the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. According to a report in The Times of India, these are precautions to avoid disruptions to the game and excessive heckling of the players, potential protests, and pitch invasions, like during the 2023 Ashes. A 'Just Stop Oil' protester had run onto the field and thrown orange paint during the second Test of the series. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Spectator
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Corbyn's new party is Starmer's creation
Have you ever been to an activist meeting? A proper one, not a cocktail party for potential donors. If Keir Starmer has been to one lately, I suspect he didn't stay past the minutes or he would have been better prepared for what happens when you try to get a roomful of lefties to point in the same direction. Starmer's team have been so busy admiring their enormous majority that it has taken them a while to realise that they are trapped with 400 left-wingers in every shade of red from post-Soviet carmine to the most delicate salmon pink, all of them high on victory and spoiling for a fight. One might as well try to herd 400 cats into formation. In our sclerotic two-party, first-past-the-post system, a majority as large as Starmer's is meant to give the leadership a free hand. But this depends on internal discipline and the appearance of consensus, which is not easy for Labour. In my experience, the only activist meetings that reach a consensus in under three hours are direct action groups such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action, which might explain why the government is trying to have them locked up before they become too powerful, free speech be damned. One suspects that Starmer might deal similarly with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, if he could. The MPs for Islington North and Coventry South are apparently going to form a new left-wing party. I'm happy for them. They make sense together. Between them, the former Labour leader and the young rising star have covered the two major modern left aesthetics: Soft Business Attack Femme and Wizard of No Fixed Address. And neither of them, apparently, is happy with purely vibes-based politics. They're the sort of terrifying people who actually go to meetings, stay until the end and listen. Rather than ask why this sort of thing is popular with voters, the government's loyalists are grumbling about how badly Corbyn and Sultana have betrayed the Labour party – which is a bit rich, considering that Corbyn didn't expel himself. Modern Labour acts as if only it can protect Britain from being further ravaged by the Bullingdon set. As such, any opinion that might go down badly with centrist dads from Stevenage is by definition a luxury belief. And there is a place for that sort of pragmatism. There are situations so desperate that 'you should see the other guy' is a winning argument. Last summer, just before the general election, someone threw a plastic bag full of raw meat into the building site behind my flat. The construction company had gone bankrupt and the site was fenced off, so we had to watch and smell the meatbag slowly rot until even the foxes wouldn't go for it. But if you'd decorated it with a red ribbon, I would have held my nose and voted for that rotting meatbag rather than allow the Conservative party another moment's control over what's left of the country. As it happens, I didn't have to make that choice. Because I live in Islington North, and Corbyn was and remains my MP. He is also my neighbour. I often see him in the corner shop. I could easily have brought up the rotting meatbag issue in person, but Corbyn does actually try to solve problems for his constituents, and there was a very real possibility that he might have tried to scale the fence himself. And with the greatest respect, he's 76. Corbyn was supposed to go away. That's what party leaders are meant to do when they're ousted: slink off to a discreet life of lucrative after-dinner talks. Instead, he has carried on standing up for his principles, which remain pro-social and anti-war. Instead of going back to rusticate on his allotment, he keeps on suggesting outrageous socialist plots like raising taxes rather than kicking children off welfare. When your entire political tradition is based on scamming, spin and weary pragmatism, honesty and consistency are the wild cards. Which is where Sultana comes in. The young MP (she's only 31) has a rare talent in this anaemic political culture: she speaks clearly and with conviction. 'Just 50 families now own more than half the UK population,' she declared in her announcement that she was quitting Labour. 'Poverty is growing, inequality is obscene, and the two-party system offers nothing but managed decline and broken promises.' Sultana was one of the first Labour MPs to have the whip withdrawn for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap. This early crackdown was designed as a warning to newcomers to the Commons about what happens if you don't toe the party line, wherever the leadership chooses to draw it. Unfortunately, somebody failed to frisk the new MPs on the way in to check they weren't carrying any concealed principles. Labour was never going to be able to control its MPs. Consensus is difficult to achieve among people who, by their very nature, believe that some things matter more than power. This is a feature of the left, not a bug. In a sensible democracy, politicians who stand up for their constituents should not automatically be a liability and smaller parties should not automatically be a threat. Most modern democracies have some form of proportional representation, which is, of course, a boring way to run a country. Proportional requires a lot more careful negotiation with smaller parties, a lot of coalition building, a lot of dull, grown-up compromise. Urgh. First past the post is far more exciting, if you're the sort of person who likes politics in primary colours. A two-horse race! All or nothing! Win or lose! Goodies and baddies! Adventure, corruption, intrigue, last-minute heel turns! Small men doing dangerous things for money! It's a game the two largest parties have spent generations learning to master. This is one of many things that Labour has the power to change in a heartbeat and doesn't dare. But this is no longer a two-party country, and the voting public can no longer be convinced by an appeal to a stability that barely anyone can remember. Sooner or later, Labour has got to come up with something better than 'you should see the other guy'.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Lord's beefs up security for biggest match since Just Stop Oil disrupted Test in 2023
Lord's will have heightened security measures in place for England's third Test against India with random spot checks to be carried out on spectators and hidden security guards in attendance. The latest match, which begins on Thursday, of what is developing into a compelling series is the most high-profile game at the ground since the Ashes two years ago, raising concerns it could be targeted by protesters. In accordance with the ground regulations flags and banners will be confiscated, while additional measures to protect the players in the pavilion that were introduced after some members' verbal abuse of the Australian team remain in place. Before those tumultuous scenes, the opening morning of the second Ashes Test in 2023 was interrupted by a protester from Just Stop Oil, who invaded the pitch and threw orange paint on the wicket before being carried off by England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Lord's staged the World Test Championship final last month, when South Africa beat Australia to become world champions for the first time in any format, but India's presence this week will guarantee a much bigger TV audience and global profile. Lord's is used to staging major matches however, and has drawn up what has been described as a rigorous if light-touch security plan. In addition to a visible security presence, plainclothes spotters will also be at the London venue. The Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord's, was forced to increase security for the players ahead of a one-day international between England and Australia last September due to the fallout from the 2023 Ashes Test. Australia's players were abused when they returned to the Long Room following Jonny Bairstow's controversial runout by Alex Carey on the final morning, with cries of 'cheat, cheat, cheat' ringing in their ears. Three MCC members received bans from the club as a result and additional security measures were put in place in the pavilion last year. Those extra stewards will remain on duty this week, while the widening of the roped off area protecting players from members also remains in place. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Lord's is guaranteed its biggest attendance since the Ashes Test two years ago, which Australia won by 43 runs on the final day as England narrowly failed to chase a tough target of 371 despite a stunning 155 from Ben Stokes. The opening four days are a complete sell-out and about 16,000 tickets have already been sold for the fifth day. MCC declined to comment.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
M25 protester sorry for delays but has no regrets
A former teacher who was jailed for bringing the M25 to a standstill said she was sorry for holding people up but "it was the right thing to do". Louise Lancaster from Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to cause public nuisance in July 2024, one of Britain's longest ever sentences for peaceful protest. The 59-year-old joined the Just Stop Oil protest in 2022, which prosecutors said cost the police more than £1m and caused about 50,000 hours of delays to motorists. Lancaster, who had her sentence reduced on appeal and is now out on licence, is the subject of a new Radio 4 documentary, Crossing the Line. The climate activist was one of five jailed for their involvement in bringing part of the M25 to a standstill over four days in November 2022. Forty-five Just Stop Oil protesters climbed gantries on the motorway, forcing police to stop the traffic, in an attempt to cause gridlock across southern England. People missed flights, medical appointments and exams, two lorries collided and a police motorcyclist came off his bike during one of the protests on 9 November. Speaking on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Lancaster told presenter Dotty Mcleod: "It was an experience and one I was prepared to do for what I was passionate about and what I believe was a right thing to do. "I don't agree that the government should put people who protest in prison but that's the case at the moment, and I was prepared to take that." Lancaster served nine and a half months of her four-year jail sentence at HMP Bronzefield. An activist can be charged with causing public nuisance if they do something that causes "serious harm" to the public, which is defined by Parliament as causing "serious annoyance" and "serious inconvenience". But the law says that someone cannot be found guilty of causing a public nuisance if they had a reasonable excuse for what they did. The M25 protesters have repeatedly said their reasonable excuse was they were drawing attention to their fears for the planet, but judges said this was not a legal defence - as sitting in the road was not necessary to do this. "Other methods of protesting like petitions and standing with placards was just not cutting it," Lancaster added. "You've got to think what is happening in the news massive floods have been killing people in Texas, we have had floods and wildfires in this country... people are dying because of those things. "It was always a balance between what we could do, which would hopefully not hurt or damage anyone's life, to mitigate the threat to life that is coming down the road," she said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously criticised the group's actions and said protesters must face the full force of the law. Lancaster had rented a safe house for activists due to take part in the M25 demonstrations, and bought climbing equipment. The judge sentencing Lancaster said: "Each of you has some time ago crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic. "You have appointed yourselves as the sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change, bound neither by the principles of democracy nor the rule of law." The Radio 4 documentary by journalist and producer, Patrick Steel, explored how Lancaster went from a special educational needs teacher, to law-breaking direct action eco-activist and criminal. Lancaster said: "For each individual person who was held up I am very, very sorry they were held up and caught up in that, which was basically targeted on the government to try and get them to the table, to try and get them to take positive action to mitigate climate breakdown." The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been contacted for comment. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Anger flares at Just Stop Oil 'last day of action' Why Just Stop Oil's long jail sentences could embolden some activists Just Stop Oil protesters jailed after M25 blocked
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
M25 protester from Cambridge sorry for delays but has no regrets
A former teacher who was jailed for bringing the M25 to a standstill said she was sorry for holding people up but "it was the right thing to do".Louise Lancaster from Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to cause public nuisance in July 2024, one of Britain's longest ever sentences for peaceful protest. The 59-year-old joined the Just Stop Oil protest in 2022, which prosecutors said cost the police more than £1m and caused about 50,000 hours of delays to who had her sentence reduced on appeal and is now out on licence, is the subject of a new Radio 4 documentary, Crossing the Line. The climate activist was one of five jailed for their involvement in bringing part of the M25 to a standstill over four days in November Just Stop Oil protesters climbed gantries on the motorway, forcing police to stop the traffic, in an attempt to cause gridlock across southern missed flights, medical appointments and exams, two lorries collided and a police motorcyclist came off his bike during one of the protests on 9 on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Lancaster told presenter Dotty Mcleod: "It was an experience and one I was prepared to do for what I was passionate about and what I believe was a right thing to do. "I don't agree that the government should put people who protest in prison but that's the case at the moment, and I was prepared to take that." Lancaster served nine and a half months of her four-year jail sentence at HMP Bronzefield. An activist can be charged with causing public nuisance if they do something that causes "serious harm" to the public, which is defined by Parliament as causing "serious annoyance" and "serious inconvenience".But the law says that someone cannot be found guilty of causing a public nuisance if they had a reasonable excuse for what they M25 protesters have repeatedly said their reasonable excuse was they were drawing attention to their fears for the planet, but judges said this was not a legal defence - as sitting in the road was not necessary to do this."Other methods of protesting like petitions and standing with placards was just not cutting it," Lancaster added."You've got to think what is happening in the news massive floods have been killing people in Texas, we have had floods and wildfires in this country... people are dying because of those things. "It was always a balance between what we could do, which would hopefully not hurt or damage anyone's life, to mitigate the threat to life that is coming down the road," she said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously criticised the group's actions and said protesters must face the full force of the law. Crossed a line Lancaster had rented a safe house for activists due to take part in the M25 demonstrations, and bought climbing equipment. The judge sentencing Lancaster said: "Each of you has some time ago crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic."You have appointed yourselves as the sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change, bound neither by the principles of democracy nor the rule of law."The Radio 4 documentary by journalist and producer, Patrick Steel, explored how Lancaster went from a special educational needs teacher, to law-breaking direct action eco-activist and said: "For each individual person who was held up I am very, very sorry they were held up and caught up in that, which was basically targeted on the government to try and get them to the table, to try and get them to take positive action to mitigate climate breakdown."The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been contacted for comment. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
