Latest news with #LondonPride
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four of U.K.'s largest Pride marches suspend political party participation
The organizers of four of the United Kingdom's largest LGBTQ Pride marches have banded together to suspend political party participation in their annual events in support of the country's transgender community. 'At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be undone,' the statement issued Monday by Birmingham Pride, Brighton Pride, Manchester Pride and Pride in London said. 'We will not stand by as the dignity, safety, and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed, or denied.' Political parties are often represented at Pride marches in the U.K. For example, the current prime minister, Keir Starmer, attended London Pride in 2022 when he was leader of the Labour Party. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a member of the Conservative Party, also attended Pride marches in a political capacity in 2010 and 2011. The joint decision to prohibit political party participation at these major Pride events follows a ruling last month by the U.K. Supreme Court to exclude transgender women from the legal definition of 'woman' in the Equality Act, a 2010 law that legally prohibits discrimination based on certain protected characteristics. The ruling stemmed from a legal dispute that began in 2018 when the Scottish Parliament passed a law seeking to increase the number of women on public sector boards. The law, to the dismay of some women's rights activists, included transgender women in its definition of women. Last month's court ruling, according to the four Pride groups, 'underscores the urgent need for immediate action.' 'In this moment, we choose to stand firmer, louder, and prouder in demanding change that protects and uplifts trans lives,' the statement said. In a statement shared on X, the LGBT+ Lib Dems, an arm of the Liberal Democrats party, said they are 'sickened to our core' by the blanket suspension on political parties. The group said the Liberal Democrats 'have been at the forefront of campaigning for LGBT+ rights' and have earned the right to be present at Pride marches. 'We look forward to a constructive dialogue with Pride organisers so we can come back bigger and better, while those parties who pander to bigotry and hatred can be left in the past, where they belong,' the statement continued. In an email to NBC News, Albie Amankona, a spokesperson for LGBT+ Conservatives, called the decision "disappointing." "While we regret this decision, our members look forward to attending in a personal capacity with pride in who we are and what we stand for," he said. The four Pride groups, in their joint statement, added that the rollback of trans rights in the U.K. is part of a 'disturbing global trend,' citing the banning of Pride events in Hungary and the proliferation of anti-trans legislation in the United States. So far this year, 575 anti-LGBTQ state bills have been proposed across the U.S., many of them targeting transgender rights, according to a tally by the American Civil Liberties Union. And on the federal level, the Trump administration has made trans issues a priority. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting trans rights, including one stating the U.S. government would recognize only two unchangeable sexes and another barring trans people from military service. This article was originally published on
NBC News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Four of U.K.'s largest Pride marches suspend political party participation
The organizers of four of the United Kingdom's largest LGBTQ Pride marches have banded together to suspend political party participation in their annual events in support of the country's transgender community. 'At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be undone,' the statement issued Monday by Birmingham Pride, Brighton Pride, Manchester Pride and Pride in London said. 'We will not stand by as the dignity, safety, and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed, or denied.' Political parties are often represented at Pride marches in the U.K. For example, the current prime minister, Keir Starmer, attended London Pride in 2022 when he was leader of the Labour Party. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a member of the Conservative Party, also attended Pride marches in a political capacity in 2010 and 2011. The joint decision to prohibit political party participation at these major Pride events follows a ruling last month by the U.K. Supreme Court to exclude transgender women from the legal definition of 'woman' in the Equality Act, a 2010 law that legally prohibits discrimination based on certain protected characteristics. The ruling stemmed from a legal dispute that began in 2018 when the Scottish Parliament passed a law seeking to increase the number of women on public sector boards. The law, to the dismay of some women's rights activists, included transgender women in its definition of women. Last month's court ruling, according to the four Pride groups, 'underscores the urgent need for immediate action.' 'In this moment, we choose to stand firmer, louder, and prouder in demanding change that protects and uplifts trans lives,' the statement said. In a statement shared on X, the LGBT+ Lib Dems, an arm of the Liberal Democrats party, said they are 'sickened to our core' by the blanket suspension on political parties. The group said the Liberal Democrats 'have been at the forefront of campaigning for LGBT+ rights' and have earned the right to be present at Pride marches. 'We look forward to a constructive dialogue with Pride organisers so we can come back bigger and better, while those parties who pander to bigotry and hatred can be left in the past, where they belong,' the statement continued. The Pride organizers added that the rollback of trans rights in the U.K. is part of a 'disturbing global trend,' citing the banning of Pride events in Hungary and the proliferation of anti-trans legislation in the United States. So far this year, 575 anti-LGBTQ state bills have been proposed across the U.S., many of them targeting transgender rights, according to a tally by the American Civil Liberties Union. And on the federal level, the Trump administration has made trans issues a priority. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting trans rights, including one stating the U.S. government would recognize only two unchangeable sexes and another barring trans people from military service.
Forbes
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Newest Spot For Afternoon Tea: ‘London Calling' Debuts At Brumus
Enjoy a London landmark-inspired afternoon tea at Brumus. London's latest must-visit for afternoon tea has arrived at Haymarket Hotel's Brumus Bar and Restaurant, nestled in the heart of the city's vibrant theatre district. Fun fact: Brumus is named after the owner's late beloved dog (a detail that instantly won me over). Aptly named London Calling Afternoon Tea, the new offering is a playful yet elegant tribute to the capital's rich heritage and iconic landmarks. 'The main inspiration behind this particular tea is, obviously, London!,' Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Mari Volkosh tells me while I bite into a smoked salmon and crème fraîche sandwich. 'We really wanted a tea that celebrates all of our landmarks that our guests, whether from London or from abroad, would recognize.' Afternoon tea as a tradition dates back to the 1840s, when Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, began requesting light refreshments in the late afternoon to bridge the long gap between lunch and dinner. What began as a private ritual soon evolved into a quintessential British pastime, marked by dainty sandwiches, warm scones and flavorful cups of tea. Brumus' version breathes new life into that tradition, offering an array of inventive sweet and savory bites served with timeless charm. The savory selection at Brumus' new afternoon tea is a love letter to British classics, elevated with a touch of modern indulgence. One highlight is a perfectly spiced coronation chicken bridge roll. Bolder palates can savor the richness of roast beef with horseradish on fragrant rosemary bread. Choose from ten traditional and eclectic teas. Rounding out the offerings are two standout warm options: a golden-crusted steak and London Pride pie bite, and a fried chicken Scotch egg-both comforting nods to the pub fare Britain does best. I washed it all down with a lemon and ginger zest tea to aid my overstuffed belly. Finish off the experience by indulging in a whimsical and artistic selection of sweet treats that are nearly too cute to eat. My favorite was the cinnamon biscuit covered in white chocolate in the shape of the London Eye. The Trafalgar Square-inspired Victoria sponge was balanced and not overly sweet. Because some traditions needn't be modified, classic scones are served with clotted cream and fruit preserves. Tourists and locals alike will find the experience charming. Paying homage to London's iconic sights: Dark chocolate & orange Big Ben, Cinnamon & cream cheese ... More London Eye and the Trafalgar Square Victoria Sponge. The décor (and the desserts) at Brumus are bold, eclectic and unmistakably theatrical, perfectly in step with its West End surroundings. Designed by Kit Kemp, the space blends classic British charm with bold and modern touches: think vibrant jewel-toned upholstery, whimsical dog artwork and sculptural lighting that adds drama without pretension. The color palette is rich and inviting, with patterned fabrics, statement banquettes and carefully curated details that create a joyfully offbeat atmosphere. It's the kind of place where afternoon tea feels elevated but not stuffy-a stylish retreat with personality to spare. The experience doesn't end with the final sip of Earl Grey. Guests curious to explore the neighborhoods that inspired their afternoon tea-time treats can embark on a self-guided walking tour, curated in collaboration with Blue Badge Guide Katie Wignall of Look Up London. Each afternoon tea guest receives an illustrated map and a QR code linking to the tour, making it easy to discover iconic sights and hidden gems at their own pace. The decor at vibrant British brasserie Brumus Brumus is located inside Haymarket Hotel, at 1 Suffolk Pl, London SW1Y 4HX, United Kingdom. Afternoon tea is served daily from 12 pm-4.45 pm. Pricing begins at £50 per person. Book a table here.
Telegraph
21-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The ‘indie' beer alternatives to the big brands
We all know that most of the big names in beer are owned by just a handful of giant global corporations. But YouGov data published by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) found that 81 per cent of beer drinkers believe consumers are being misled by those companies. They've been buying up formerly-independent craft breweries without a lot of drinkers realising. Brands like Beavertown, Camden and Fullers are now owned by beer giants Heineken, AB InBev and Asahi respectively. Buying these beers diverts sales from truly independent businesses, and often sends our hard-earned money out of the UK to global shareholders. Backing independent brewers gives us access to diverse, interesting beers on the bar as well as supporting valued small businesses which reinvest their money into the local economy. 'Indies have heart and soul, which is reflected in our beers.' says Ben Cleary of his independent Full Circle Brew Co in Newcastle upon Tyne. 'We provide jobs and training within our local communities and our tap rooms are social hubs – you just don't get this with the global beer giants.' The impact of lockdown and the rising costs of energy and ingredients have been taking their toll on brewery numbers for years now. The latest figures, to September 2024, show that the UK is now home to 1,721 breweries, down from 1,828 in January 2023. That's a six per cent drop in eighteen months and it represents the loss of hundreds of jobs. There has been no end of Guinness alternatives touted in the press recently but little mention is made of the fantastic alternatives to the other big brands. We've lined up some of the best on the market. Chances are, these independent beers will end up costing you more. That's an undeniable fact. They don't have the economies of scale that the beer giants have. Indies aren't looking to scrape every last ounce of profit they can from what they brew either, so high-grade ingredients and careful craftsmanship are the name of the game. That said, there is now an excellent range of independent beers available in the supermarket where those big orders have made the products a little less expensive. There's no doubt that quality costs but, in my opinion, it's worth every penny. And those pennies will be supporting small businesses and their local economies. Forget Fuller's London Pride Amber Ale (Owned by Asahi) 4.7%, £2.35 for 500ml bottle, Tesco Try Full Circle Goose Chase 5.8%, £3.70 for 440ml can, The Wobbly Duck The fourth biggest selling cask ale by volume in the UK, London Pride has been on the bar since 1958, brewed at Fuller's Griffin Brewery. But when Fuller, Smith & Turner sold its brewery business to the Japanese firm Asahi in 2019, the move was likened to the ravens leaving the Tower of London. Take one sip of Full Circle Brew Co's strong bitter, Goose Chase, and you'll never look back. The Newcastle upon Tyne brewery's gorgeously deep amber beer is complex and slightly sweet. Flavours of biscuit and baking spices intermingle with fruity, marmalade tones and a hoppy pine finish that will keep you coming back for more. Find other Full Circle beers in Sainsbury's. Forget Camden Hells Lager (Owned by AB InBev) 4.6%, £3 for 660ml bottle, Sainsbury's Try Adnams Kobold English Lager 4.7%, £2.10 for 500ml bottle, Ocado The Camden Town Brewery became a subsidiary of the world's biggest brewing group in 2016 after building a reputation for craft lager since 2010. Historic Southwold brewer Adnams' Kobold is the perfect alternative to Camden Hells. It's got the same floral and citrus tones with bready backnotes. It's a light, easy drinking lager with a hint of sweetness and moderate bitterness that keeps it fresh on the palate. Get this one ready for summer barbecues. Forget Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA (Owned by Heineken) 4.3%, £3 for 440ml can, Sainsbury's Try Castle Rock Session IPA 4.0%, £30 for 12 x 440ml cans, Castle Rock Brewery Neck Oil is ubiquitous in these lands, finding favour as an easy drinking session-strength beer with bold fruit flavours – then pushed out to tied bars countrywide by Heineken. Get the same taste experience and support the good brewers of Nottingham by enjoying Castle Rock Brewery's Session instead. This naturally hazy pale bursts with juicy passion fruit, orange and a background vibe of pine. Soft, juicy and lightly sweet, it's as full of flavour as Neck Oil once was, unusually for a lighter ABV beer. Find other Castle Rock beers in Asda Forget John Smith's Extra Smooth (Owned by Heineken) 3.4%, £4.72 for 4 x 440ml cans, Asda Try Anspach & Hobday Ordinary Bitter Smooth 3.4%, £3.80 for 500ml can, Hop Burns & Black The best-selling bitter in the UK commands keen loyalty among its most ardent fans, but many argue that the nitrogen serve that gives it the signature smooth texture is disguising the fact that it doesn't really taste of very much. You can enjoy the same full body, but with many more layers of complexity with Anspach & Hobday's Ordinary Bitter Smooth. This luxurious bitter combines flavours of currants, toffee and even a Weetabix-like hit of malt. It's slightly sweet with dried fruit tones and the dry finish keeps you coming back for that next sip. Forget Brixton Brewery Reliance Pale Ale (Owned by Heineken) 4.2%, £6.75 for 4 x 330ml cans, Morrisons Try Weetwood Turncoat New England IPA 4.0%, £3.95 for 440ml can, Whitmore & White Before Heineken moved in on Beavertown, it acquired a minority stake in Brixton Brewery in 2017. The move was billed as a vehicle for growth; increasing capacity tenfold, yet keeping it firmly rooted in Brixton when London's craft beer scene was growing strongly. In 2021, the drinks giant took over the business in full before finally, perhaps inevitably, announcing that production would be moved to Beavertown in Enfield in 2024. Reliance is not a bad beer, but it's hard to feel connected to a brand that has moved so decisively away from its roots. Try Cheshire's Weetwood instead. Turncoat is a lightly hazy New England IPA with tropical fruit flavours and a back note of biscuity malt flavour. An approachable beer with a dry finish that has just been named the UK's best cask session pale up to 4.4% in SIBA's Independent Beer Awards 2025. Find other Weetwood beers in Tesco. Forget Staropramen Czech-style Pilsner Lager (Owned by Molson Coors) 5%, £2.55 for 660ml bottle, Tesco Try Budweiser Budvar Original Czech lager 5%, £2.10 for 500ml, Morrisons While the focus of this article is UK indie brewers, it would be churlish not to present an authentically Czech alternative to Staropramen. It's called a 'Czech-style' lager because Molson Coors whips it up at its brewery in Burton upon Trent. Budweiser Budvar is a state-owned Czech brewery (not to be confused with the American brewery of the same name), and all of its beer is made in the town of České Budějovice. Technically, every Czech citizen owns a share in the enterprise so they have 10.5 million owners. This full-bodied lager has a crusty tiger loaf aroma, with floral sweetness. It's aromatic and dry with a slight grassiness and a light finish. Forget Sharp's Doom Bar Amber Ale (Owned by Molson Coors) 4.3%, £2.50 for 500ml bottle, Tesco Try Sambrook's Junction Best Bitter 4.5%, £34.45 for 12 x 500ml bottles, Best of British Beer The UK's best selling cask and bottled ale is everywhere, thanks to Cornwall's Sharp's Brewery being bought out by Molson Coors in 2011. If you want your money to support London's oldest independent brewery rather than the US/Canadian giants, then try Sambrook's Junction instead. A finalist in SIBA's (Society of Independent Brewers and Associates) Independent Beer Awards 2025, Junction is packed with delicious British hops giving a woody, herbal backnote to the slightly sweet malt-led flavour. It has great bitterness, hints of blackcurrant and a caramel tone on the finish. A true symphony of flavour from a quintessentially British style of beer. Forget Hobgoblin Ruby (Owned by Carlsberg Britvic) 5%, £2 for 500ml bottle, Waitrose Try Theakston Old Peculier 5.6%, £2.15 for 500ml bottle or four for £7 with Nectar, Sainsbury's The Wychwood Brewery in Oxfordshire that first brewed the Hobgoblin series was shuttered by the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company in 2023. Since then, Marston's has got out of brewing altogether and Carlsberg Britvic has quietly dropped all reference to Wychwood so Hobgoblin is just a brand name now, a shadow of its former self. If you like the blend of fruity and biscuity tones that Ruby offers, then there's another classic hiding in plain sight that can easily surpass it. Old Peculier is the signature brand of Yorkshire's Theakston's Brewery. This rich dark amber beer is hearty and full bodied. Within that richness, you'll find luxurious fruit tones – black cherry and date – as well as hints of banana from the Theakston twin-strain yeast and a slight grassy tone from those famous British Fuggles hops. Old Peculier is one of the beers that has made British brewing great indeed. Forget Shipyard American IPA (Owned by Carlsberg Britvic) 5%, £2 for 500ml bottle, Morrisons Try Wylde Sky Brewing Pacific Pale 4%, £4 for 440ml can, Dead Time It was exciting when beers from Portland's Shipyard Brewing Co first landed on these shores. But since Marston's and then Carlsberg Britvic got their hands on its signature Shipyard IPA, the beer has lost much of its impact. Brewed in the UK, the grapefruit burst seems muted. The hop punch lacks power. It is just another pale ale. Spend your pennies with Cambridgeshire's Wylde Sky instead. Since 2018, its beers and taproom have been an important part of a flourishing community of local food and drink producers. Pacific Pale is a highly drinkable ale that has grapefruit and passion fruit flavours growing from its hazy depths, tempered with a good drying bitterness. A UK-brewed American-style IPA to be proud of. Forget Tennent's Lager (Owned by C&C Group) 4%, £2.35 for 500ml bottle, Tesco Try Signature Brewery X Travis Raze the Bar 4.8%, £3.90 for 440ml can, Forest Wines While Tennent's may be Scotland's undisputed bestseller, it's a pretty one dimensional offering. Despite that, it is treasured by its fans. 'A cold, clean pint of Tennent's is the greatest thing in the world' says Dougie Payne of hit band Travis. No wonder, then, that when they partnered up for a collaboration brew with London's Signature Brew, Travis wanted something that gave a nod to the band's favourite beer. Raze the Bar does just that – a lightly sweet, fresh lager with a touch of orange marmalade, shortbread crumbs and a great bitterness. Signature's contemporary overhaul of Tennent's is every bit as delicious as you'd expect from a brewery of this calibre. 'It's got that Tennent's thing, but also lovely lemon citrus. It's more complex. A delicious beer,' Payne said after tasting it for the first time. What is an independent brewery – and how can you find them? SIBA has a three-part definition of what an independent brewery must be: Relatively small A manufacturer of beer for commercial sale up to a maximum permitted volume of one per cent of the British beer market. UK-focused A sole trader or company that is permanently based in the UK and carries out a minimum of 75% of its total beer production here. Masters of their own destiny An independent brewery cannot be under the control of – or connected with – any other entity operating within the UK brewing industry. To help consumers make an informed choice, SIBA has started the Indie Beer campaign. This offers an online checker ( so beer lovers can check whether their favourite brews are made by a true independent. There is also an Indie Beer mark that producers can use on pump clips, cans and bottles to highlight their status as an independent UK brewer.
