Latest news with #NickTimothy
Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Protect freedom to criticise Islam in law, MPs demand
The freedom to criticise Islam must be protected, Tory MPs have demanded amid a row over a man's conviction for burning a Koran. Following a trial at Westminster magistrates' court, Hamit Coskun, 50, was found guilty of committing a racially aggravated public order offence during a peaceful protest. Coskun set fire to a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London earlier this year while declaring that Islam was a 'religion of terrorism'. Politicians and free speech campaigners claimed the 'grotesque' prosecution was an attempt to revive and expand long-abolished blasphemy laws. In an attempt to prevent future prosecutions, Nick Timothy, a Conservative MP, is proposing to put a Freedom of Expression (Religion) Bill before the Commons next Tuesday. The proposed Bill, which is co-signed by 11 other MPs, would extend section 29J of the Public Order Act, which protects the criticism of religions and religious beliefs so that it covers section 4A and section 5 of the Public Order Act, under which Coskun was charged. Mr Timothy argued that those parts of the Act are currently being used to prosecute legitimate criticism and protest regarding Islam. He said that while England and Wales abolished blasphemy laws in 2008, they were now effectively being revived through the use of the Public Order Act. The Bill, if enacted, would 'protect free speech and ensure no religion is above the law'. Section 29J of the Public Order Act provides protection to the right to criticise or express 'antipathy, dislike, ridicule, insult or abuse of particular religions or the beliefs or practices of their adherents'. Mr Timothy told The Telegraph: 'We now have a blasphemy law in this country. Parliament never voted for it, and the country doesn't want it. 'To use the Public Order Act in this way is completely unacceptable, and to argue the protester was shown to be guilty of disorderly conduct because he was attacked by others is grotesque. 'I will introduce a Bill to put a stop to all of this next week. I challenge the Government to support it.' Sir Gavin Williamson, who is among the MPs who signed the Bill, said: 'This Bill rightly draws a clear line in rejecting any attempt to introduce blasphemy laws through the back door. 'Britain abolished such laws to uphold open debate, critical thought, and the principle that no idea or belief is beyond scrutiny. That must not be undone.' At Westminster magistrates' court on Monday, Coskun was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly conduct, which was motivated 'in part by hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam'. Coskun, who is an atheist of Armenian-Kudish descent, attended the Turkish Consulate on Feb 13 while holding a burning copy of the Koran above his head and shouting 'F--- Islam' and 'Islam is religion of terrorism'. He was ordered to pay £240, but despite the conviction he has pledged to continue burning Korans and intends to go on a tour of the UK, visiting Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow where he will set fire to the holy book. It is unclear whether he will resist doing so until the case is heard at the Court of Appeal where it will be decided whether he is able to challenge Monday's verdict. During his protest, Coskun was attacked by a passer-by, who kicked and punched him and spat him while he lay on the ground. Although the man has admitted assaulting Coskun, he has denied using a knife in the attack. Passing sentence on Coskun on Monday, District Judge John McGarva dismissed the suggestion that the prosecution was an attempt to 'bring back and expand blasphemy law'. He said Coskun had a 'deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers' and that what made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the protest and the fact it was accompanied by abusive language. He said the fact Coskun was attacked during the protest showed he posed a risk to public order. The judge concluded that Coskun's actions were 'highly provocative' and 'were motivated at least in part, by hatred of followers of the religion'. 'Helpful if the law was clarified' The Free Speech Union (FSU) paid for Coskun's legal fees alongside the National Secular Society, with both welcoming the Bill. Lord Young, the director and founder of the FSU, said: 'The Free Speech Union is helping Hamit Coskum appeal his conviction and we're optimistic it will be overturned, but that's a laborious, expensive process and it would be helpful if the law was clarified so the Crown Prosecution Service stops prosecuting people who protest against Islam or any other religion.' A spokesman for the National Secular Society said the conviction of Coskun was 'another damaging chip away at the fundamental right to free expression'. The spokesman added: 'Section 29J's robust free speech provisions explicitly protect expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule, and even abuse of beliefs, clearly signalling Parliament's intent to prevent the resurgence of blasphemy laws. 'With public order laws being used as a proxy for blasphemy codes to appease religious fundamentalists, the case for broadening freedom of expression protections is clear.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Man who burned Koran outside Turkish embassy while shouting 'f*** Islam' found guilty of public order offence
A man who set fire to a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London has been convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence. Hamit Coskun, 50, who shouted 'f*** Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Koran is burning' while holding the flaming Islamic text above his head, was ordered to pay £240 as a result of his conviction. He was found guilty of a public order offence motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam'. Coskun was also found guilty of using disorderly conduct 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to have caused harassment, alarm or distress', contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. Responding to the verdict, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'This decision is wrong. It revives a blasphemy law that parliament repealed. 'Free speech is under threat. I have no confidence in Two-Tier Keir to defend the right of the public to criticise all religions.' Conservative MP Nick Timothy added: 'We now have a blasphemy law in this country. 'Parliament never voted for it. The country doesn't want it. 'I will introduce a Bill to put a stop to all this next week.' Last week in court, Coskun's lawyer Katy Thorne KC argued that the Crown Prosecution Services were trying to effectively reintroduce and expand blasphemy laws in the United Kingdom. The CPS argued that Mr Coskun was not being prosecuted for burning the book, it was the combination of his insulting remarks about Islam and the fact he did it in public. The court also heard how Coskun, who is an atheist, was attacked by a passerby who was allegedly holding a knife, on February 13 after he had set fire to the religious text. Footage shown in court and captured on a mobile phone appeared to show a man approach Coskun while allegedly holding a bladed object. The man then chased Coskun and spat at him and kicked him after he had fallen over and dropped the Koran, the court heard. In the video Coskun's alleged attacker could also be heard saying: 'Burning the Koran. It's my religion, you don't burn the Koran.' Giving his verdict, District Judge McGarva said about Hamit Coskun: 'Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.' Coskun, who is now in hiding and has both Kurdish and Armenian heritage, had to flee his home country of Turkey two and a half years ago to escape persecution, the court was told. He argued he was protesting against the 'Islamist government' of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The National Secular Society (NSS) and the Free Speech Union jointly paid Mr Coskun's legal fees. Responding to the ruling, NSS Chief Executive Stephen Evans said: 'The outcome of this case is a significant blow to freedom of expression and signals a concerning capitulation to Islamic blasphemy codes.' A spokesperson for the Free Speech Union continued: 'This is deeply disappointing. 'Everyone should be able to exercise their rights to protest peacefully and to freedom of expression, regardless of how offensive or upsetting it may be to some people. 'The Free Speech Union and the National Secular Society intend to appeal this verdict and keep on appealing it until it's overturned. If that means taking it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, we will do so." 'Religious tolerance is an important British value, but it doesn't require non-believers to respect the blasphemy codes of believers. 'On the contrary, it requires people of faith to tolerate those who criticise and protest against their religion, just as their values and beliefs are tolerated.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Wes Streeting urged to ditch 'absurd' bid to electrify all UK ambulances within 15 years
Health Secretary Wes Streeting faced calls last night to ditch the 'absurd' Net Zero plan to electrify all UK ambulances within 15 years. The cash-strapped NHS is preparing to abandon all its diesel ambulances and install almost 5,000 charging points at hospitals and ambulance stations to power a fleet of electric-powered vehicles. Health chiefs have refused to reveal how much the new ambulances will cost, but official figures seen by the Mail on Sunday reveal it will cost £100million just to upgrade the grid and electrical infrastructure required for charging points. The MoS can also reveal there are currently just two electric-powered ambulances picking up passengers in England – compared with more than 4,500 diesel ambulances. There are 160 other electric emergency vehicles for paramedics, including two cars, 16 response vans and three motorbikes. The latest electric ambulances have a range of up to 200 miles, but paramedic crews in rural areas often travel further in a shift. Latest figures show the average response time in England for the most life-threatening 'category-one' ambulance calls is seven minutes and 52 seconds – compared with an NHS target of seven minutes. Last night Nick Timothy MP, former chief of staff to ex-prime minister Theresa May, said: 'Ambulance services have been struggling to meet their response targets. With these challenges it is absurd to distract NHS workers from their jobs with unrealistic Net Zero targets. 'Time, planning and expense are going into buying electric vehicles and building chargers – many of which will never be installed – instead of improving response times. 'Even more concerning is the challenge of upgrading the grid in time to meet the extra demand. 'This is yet another case of climate policy racing ahead of technology with shocking results for patients and taxpayers.' England's first electric ambulance began operating in the West Midlands in 2020. Another eight will be delivered this year to be used in urban areas such as Birmingham. West Midlands Ambulance Service said: 'Seventy per cent of our area is mainly rural and this continues to be the biggest factor in our move to electric – having the range to operate in areas where vehicles can do 200 miles-plus in a shift.' East of England Ambulance Service has been trialling three electric ambulances since 2023, but has not used them to transport passengers. Another eight will be delivered to the service this year. The Department of Health said: 'New electric ambulances will save the NHS £59million a year to reinvest in frontline care.' The NHS said: 'It is right we seek sustainable alternatives when they improve patient care and save the taxpayer money. Electric ambulances will not impact response times, [and] are cutting emissions, maintenance and fuel costs.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Locals call for transparency after nuclear drill
People living near a US airbase earmarked to house nuclear weapons say they are being left in the dark about what would happen in the event of a radiation alert. It comes after a drill simulating an accident involving such material was held, with personnel from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk taking part. Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, said while the US military was "welcome", there needed to be "transparency as far as possible on issues like this exercise". A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: "Exercise Diamond Dragon demonstrated our preparedness to respond to any incident, no matter how unlikely". The exercise was conducted at nearby RAF Honington. A US Air Force (USAF) spokesman said: "Airmen from the USAF participated in a small-scale, joint emergency response exercise from September 23-25, 2024. "The purpose was to train and evaluate combined emergency response procedures in support of military operations and accidents". The last exercise was held in 2015, after which a report into what lessons had been learned was published. The Suffolk Resilience Forum, which leads on emergency planning in the county, confirmed the scenario in both instances was a simulated crash in the UK of a US aircraft carrying "defence nuclear materials". Lakenheath Parish Council chairman Gerald Kelly said he had been told informally about the latest drill. He said the area had an emergency plan, but added: "There is nothing in there about this sort of incident." The MoD should inform residents "what it wants us to do" if the event of an incident, he said. Mr Kelly called for a siren system to be installed and for the local community to be involved in any future exercises. Last year it emerged RAF Lakenheath was preparing facilities to house and guard nuclear bombs, 15 years after they were removed from the site. The F-35A Lightning II squadron at the base is now certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear munition. The UK and Nato have a long-standing policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at a given location. The Defence Nuclear Organisation, which oversees "all defence nuclear business, excluding operations", published guidance in 2021 detailing what local authorities should do in case of a nuclear weapons emergency. One section advised members of the public situated 5km (three miles) downwind of an incident should be evacuated in a 45-degree arc, centred on the wind direction. Parents would also be advised not to try to collect children from school unless told otherwise. "The school authorities will look after them," the document stated. Lakenheath villagers said they did not know about this advice or Exercise Diamond Dragon. David Rolph, who has lived locally for 20 years, said: "I think the local people should be well aware of what we can do if something happened on-base and there isn't any information. There is no noticeboard saying what to do." He endorsed the idea of a siren warning system. Lily Brown, 33, a barber who previously worked at RAF Lakenheath, was not keen on the idea of sirens being installed. "I'd rather not know what's coming," she said. Sally Hunt confirmed she also had received no nuclear safety information, despite living close to Lakenheath for two decades. "If they are going to have nuclear weapons up there, I think we should be aware of it and know that there are safety measures in place," she added. Timothy, who has represented the constituency since last July, said: "We know that exercises like this take place across government, across the military and public services for all sorts of different possibilities all the time." A spokesman for the Suffolk Resilience Forum said it would publish a report on the latest exercise. They added: "This happened in West Suffolk because of the obvious availability and proximity of a suitable location and relevant military personnel. "This exercise is relevant to anywhere in the UK and does not represent a specific threat to our area." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Two arrested at peace protest outside US airbase Police helicopter 'near miss' during drone alert Ministers urged to clarify nuclear deployment Ministry of Defence RAF Lakenheath Suffolk Resilience Forum
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starmer's EU net zero deal ‘to drive up energy bills'
Sir Keir Starmer is to join a European Union net zero scheme as soon as next month in a move that risks driving up energy bills for millions of households. The Prime Minister is planning to use a summit in May to align the UK and EU emissions trading schemes as part of his 'reset' with Brussels. Critics claimed that the move would push up the cost of producing electricity from gas-fired power plants, which are the UK's second-largest source of power – ultimately adding to the costs faced by British industry and increasing household bills. The Telegraph understands the UK will link its own carbon credits scheme to Brussels' system as part of a plan to 'strengthen ties with Europe'. Nick Timothy, a Conservative MP, warned that linking the schemes would cost British households an extra £112 a year in more expensive goods and electricity from gas-fired plants. Despite the Labour Government's call for an increase in renewable energy, gas is still one of the country's largest sources of power – accounting for 26 per cent of the energy mix last year. Emissions trading schemes (ETS) are used by the Government and EU to raise money for net zero projects. They force carbon-emitting companies to buy credits for every tonne of greenhouse gases that they emit, adding to the cost of production and limiting Britain's carbon footprint. Since Brexit, when the UK launched its own ETS, British carbon credits have been significantly cheaper than those in Europe, because the Government's cap on the overall quantity of emissions has been higher. The system means that carbon-intensive industries have produced goods, including fertiliser and steel, at a lower cost. But ministers are now planning to use the UK-EU summit on May 19 to link Britain's scheme to that of Europe, which would mean that UK companies pay the same tax to emit carbon dioxide as European firms. The move would allow British exporters to avoid carbon import taxes imposed by the EU, but could result in a 50 per cent rise in the cost of credits. Sources told The Telegraph that if the deal was not completed by the time of the summit in London, UK and EU leaders would announce that they intend to link their systems and have instructed officials to continue negotiations. Last month, the Cabinet Office minister Lord Hunt said the Government was 'actively considering the case' for linking to the EU scheme, while Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister responsible for the EU reset, has previously told MPs that joining Brussels' system is 'absolutely what the ambition is'. The move will be met with scepticism from Conservative MPs, who argue that the UK's ambition of reaching net zero by 2050 is no longer realistic and could harm growth. Mr Timothy described the carbon credits plan as 'mindless Milibandism' and said the Government should realise 'actions have consequences' for voters. 'Analysis shows that we could be heading towards an extra £112 on the cost of living because of European alignment,' he said. 'So long as policy races ahead of technology, this means higher energy bills, fewer jobs and weaker growth. 'If the Government signs up for the EU's cap and trade scheme, then we will lose control and allow carbon prices to hit eye-watering levels. This is going back on what was promised to voters during the election.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
