Latest news with #NewsAgents
Spectator
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Emily Maitlis doesn't understand grooming gangs
'You are focusing on Pakistani grooming gangs, because, probably, you're racist.' That's what Emily Maitlis ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe when he appeared on the News Agents podcast yesterday. But is she right? In fact, Pakistani men are up to five times as likely to be responsible for child sex grooming offences than the general population, according to figures from the Hydrant Programme, which is part of the police and helps investigate child sex abuse. According to academics from the universities of Reading and Chichester, around one in 73 Muslim men over 16 have been prosecuted for 'group-localised child sexual exploitation' in Rotherham. "Why do you 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 talk about Pakistani grooming gangs? There are 𝙩𝙚𝙣 times as many white grooming gang suspects?"@maitlis asks ex-Reform MP @RupertLowe10 why he won't denounce all perpetrators of grooming gangs equally. — The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) May 15, 2025 Lowe has been keen to highlight these cases and is crowdfunding an inquiry into the grooming gang scandal.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Badenoch claims Adolescence ‘fundamentally changed' story it is based on – despite admitting she hasn't seen it
Kemi Badenoch has said Adolescence is based on a true story that has been 'fundamentally changed', and that while it touches on an issue in society, Islamic terrorism is a bigger problem. Co-creator Jack Thorne recently dismissed an online theory that the series changed the race of the lead character from a real-life case it was supposedly based on. The drama about a teenage boy who is accused of killing a girl from his school examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture and has prompted a national conversation about online safety. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted a roundtable at Downing Street with Thorne and children's charities on Monday to talk about young boys being influenced by misogyny they encounter online. Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said she had not watched the series. 'I don't have time to watch anything to be honest, but I have read about it … what I understand is that this is a fictional representation of a story that is actually quite different,' she told LBC. 'And I think it's an interesting story. It certainly touches on some of the things that are happening in the world today, but it is not the biggest thing that is happening in the world today in terms of what is happening to people being radicalised on social media.' She said she was aware of what the series is about. 'I know what it's about, and I've given a view that it is a work of fiction that is interesting, that touches on a problem in society, but there are bigger problems, such as Islamic terrorism and that kind of radicalisation, and the story which it is based on has been fundamentally changed, and so creating policy on a work of fiction rather than on reality is the real issue.' She pointed to the Conservatives' policy to ban mobile phones in schools, which some have said is unnecessary as many schools already do not allow children to use mobiles. A post on social media amplified by Elon Musk has suggested the story, which features a white actor, is based on the Southport attacker. Co-creator Thorne recently rejected the accusations of 'race-swapping' in the series. It is not based on a true story and is 'making a point about masculinity' and not race, Thorne told the News Agents podcast. 'It's absurd to say that (knife crime) is only committed by black boys. It's absurd. It's not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes,' he added.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Badenoch claims Adolescence ‘fundamentally changed' story it is based on
Kemi Badenoch has said Adolescence is based on a true story that has been 'fundamentally changed', and that while it touches on an issue in society, Islamic terrorism is a bigger problem. Co-creator Jack Thorne recently dismissed an online theory that the series changed the race of the lead character from a real-life case it was supposedly based on. The drama about a teenage boy who is accused of killing a girl from his school examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture and has prompted a national conversation about online safety. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted a roundtable at Downing Street with Thorne and children's charities on Monday to talk about young boys being influenced by misogyny they encounter online. Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said she had not watched the series. 'I don't have time to watch anything to be honest, but I have read about it … what I understand is that this is a fictional representation of a story that is actually quite different,' she told LBC. 'And I think it's an interesting story. It certainly touches on some of the things that are happening in the world today, but it is not the biggest thing that is happening in the world today in terms of what is happening to people being radicalised on social media.' She said she was aware of what the series is about. 'I know what it's about, and I've given a view that it is a work of fiction that is interesting, that touches on a problem in society, but there are bigger problems, such as Islamic terrorism and that kind of radicalisation, and the story which it is based on has been fundamentally changed, and so creating policy on a work of fiction rather than on reality is the real issue.' She pointed to the Conservatives' policy to ban mobile phones in schools, which some have said is unnecessary as many schools already do not allow children to use mobiles. A post on social media amplified by Elon Musk has suggested the story, which features a white actor, is based on the Southport attacker. Co-creator Thorne recently rejected the accusations of 'race-swapping' in the series. It is not based on a true story and is 'making a point about masculinity' and not race, Thorne told the News Agents podcast. 'It's absurd to say that (knife crime) is only committed by black boys. It's absurd. It's not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes,' he added.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Putin's ‘appetite for conflict' will grow without Ukraine peace deal
A peace deal in Ukraine is needed to ensure Vladimir Putin does not retain a 'choke hold' on European economies, Sir Keir Starmer said. The Prime Minister said without a lasting peace agreement, the Russian president would continue to cause economic and political instability. Talks between the US and Russia are expected in Moscow after Ukraine agreed to the idea of a 30-day ceasefire as the first step to ending the war. But Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin's foreign policy adviser, suggested a ceasefire would grant a 'temporary break for the Ukrainian military', helping Kyiv's forces at a time when Russia claimed to be on the front foot and pushing them out of the occupied territory in Kursk. He said the ceasefire would 'give us nothing' but would give the Ukrainians 'a chance to regroup, consolidate their forces and keep doing the same in the future'. The Prime Minister told the News Agents podcast it 'doesn't entirely surprise me' that Russia had taken that position. Earlier, at an event in Hull, the Prime Minister said: 'I profoundly believe that if we don't secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we've already felt, will continue. 'And that means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle. 'We know some basics: Putin's appetite for conflict and for chaos is already there, and it will only grow. 'And Russia is already menacing our skies, our waters, our streets and our national security.' He said any peace deal would have to allow Ukraine to be 'sovereign and secure'. Sir Keir defended his decision to offer British troops to a peacekeeping force to secure an agreement. He said: 'There have been settlements in Ukraine before which had not been backed up. Nobody's defended the deal, and Putin has just crossed the line again when he wants to. 'That is not good for Ukraine. It's not good for Europe and it's not good for us.' Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said the world has 'yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia' to the ceasefire proposal. He said: 'This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that US pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.' American envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian officials, possibly including Mr Putin. Asked about Mr Ushakov's remarks, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters in Westminster it was 'up to Russia to respond and agree to a ceasefire if it is serious about ending the fighting and bringing peace about'. He added: 'I don't want to get ahead of the talks that the United States are going to have on these issues, so we will await the result of that. 'But we have always been very clear that in order to have a secure and lasting peace, security guarantees will be needed.'
