Latest news with #Rusholme
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ANDREW PIERCE: Was Afzal Khan's visit to Cyprus a bid to save his seat as he faces battle against Corbyn's new party?
Not for nothing has Labour 's Afzal Khan been dubbed the 'Honourable Member for Islamabad'. Born in Pakistan, where he lived until he was 11, the bearded MP has become perhaps the Commons' most vocal cheerleader for his ancestral homeland. On Thursday, he was in his element, helping raise Pakistan's national flag at the country's consulate, found – where else? – in his Manchester Rusholme constituency, at an event to mark the anniversary of partition from India in 1947. The first Muslim Lord Mayor of Manchester, who speaks Urdu as a first language, Khan also finds time to chair the all-party parliamentary group on 'Britain-Pakistan trade and tourism' and was, until he was dramatically sacked on Friday night, a trade envoy to Turkey. He is, meanwhile, a former parliamentary chair for the Labour Muslim Network, an ex-assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain and vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims. Yet in the past week, this distinguished if perhaps narrowly focused politician became famous for all the wrong reasons – having triggered an ugly international spat by embarking on a bizarre all-expenses-paid trip to northern Cyprus. This Turkish-controlled territory is an international pariah, unrecognised by the British or any other government except Istanbul. In 1974, after an attempted coup by Greek Cypriots, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus, raping women, abusing children, displacing perhaps 160,000 people and slaughtering an estimated 4,000 Greek Cypriots. The United Nations, Great Britain and the international community have never accepted the rogue state of 'northern Cyprus', which amounts to about 36 per cent of the island. Predictably, then, Khan's squalid little jaunt has triggered outrage in Cyprus, which boasts two British military bases, and indeed beyond. The National Federation of Cypriots in the UK denounced the trip as a 'flagrant breach' of both international law and British policy. Khan even agreed to be photographed grinning alongside Turkish Cypriot 'leader' Ersin Tatar at the latter's 'official residence', while accepting an honorary doctorate. Further reports suggest they exchanged 'gifts'. Khan was in fact a guest of Tatar who had issued a 'formal invitation' – and who was no doubt delighted at the propaganda coup of having lured a senior British MP from the governing party to lend legitimacy to his Potemkin statelet. While there, Khan – who neither sought nor received permission from the Labour leadership for the visit, nor discussed it with the Foreign Office – also saw nothing wrong in attending a series of 'official meetings', according to reports. Khan did not respond to my requests for comment. So what was the 67-year-old thinking? He calculated that the only way he can survive as an MP is by courting the Muslim bloc vote in his constituency – who sympathise with their co-religionists on the island. Islam is the largest religion in Manchester Rusholme, amounting to some 37 per cent of the electorate, while in northern Cyprus, 97 per cent of locals are Sunni Muslims. Khan virtually admitted there might be votes in his trip when he said he had been encouraged to visit by his Turkish Cypriot friends in Manchester, adding: 'That is why I am happy to be here.' And no wonder, given his shaky majority. While many Labour MPs were re-elected with increased majorities at the last election, Khan's slipped to just over 8,000. I can disclose he is now facing a major challenge from Jeremy Corbyn's nascent ultra-Left-wing, pro-Gaza political party, co- led by Zarah Sultana MP (who is herself of Pakistani Muslim ancestry). Already massing under the banner of the so-far-unnamed outfit – nicknamed 'Jezbollah' – are four 'independent' Muslim MPs who captured their seats from Labour at the last election. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, seen as a future Labour leader, squeaked home in Ilford North by just 528 votes, narrowly beating a 24-year-old whose campaign was endorsed by the increasingly powerful Muslim Vote pressure group. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood saw her majority in Birmingham slashed from 28,500 to 3,400. Corbyn and his chums, then, represent a serious threat to the Labour order. And on Friday night, a source close to Corbyn told me that Manchester Rusholme is top of their hit list. 'Afzal Khan is a long-time supporter of Starmer's regime,' said the source. 'We will flood Khan's constituency with supporters and resources. 'We intend to win it big. Afzal Khan may think he can curry favour with the Muslims in his constituency by embracing northern Cyprus – but they will see straight through it.' Khan has enraged the pro-Gaza lobby for having abstained in a Commons vote proscribing the pressure group Palestine Action. Another black mark against him, as they see it, was his abstention on a 2023 vote to make it illegal for councils to boycott Israeli goods. My Corbynista source adds: 'His actions speak louder than his freebie to northern Cyprus.' Khan left school without any qualifications before working as a bus driver and ultimately training as a solicitor. In 2014, as an MEP, he thought it appropriate to tweet: 'The Israeli government are acting like Nazi's [sic] in Gaza.' After he was selected as a Labour parliamentary candidate, he claimed: 'I was new to Twitter and made a mistake, which I apologised for.' But this was untrue: he had sent the tweet four years after he first started using Twitter. Khan apologised again the following year after sharing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about an 'Israel-British- Swiss-Rothschilds crime syndicate'. He later said he was 'mortified'. He apologised yet again two years ago after posing in front of a stall accusing Israel of 'apartheid', just two days after Hamas's October 7 attacks. On Friday night, a senior Labour figure told me: 'Khan said it was a personal visit. But he was the official trade envoy for the UK visiting a territory no other country recognises – so it's not a personal visit.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Man admits murder after homeless assault victim died years later
A man who was jailed 12 years ago for brutally assaulting a homeless man has now admitted murder after his victim died of injuries related to the 2012 Ellis, 36, received a 12-and-a-half year sentence in August 2013 for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Igor Pavlov in Whitworth Park in Rusholme, Pavlov died aged 52 on 3 July 2023 while Ellis was still serving his original Manchester Crown Court he admitted the new charge of murder and will be sentenced on 27 August. In the original trial the prosecution said Ellis's attack was an "act of senseless violence" which caused the victim life-threatening injuries and left him with "very severe" brain damage and needing specialist care court heard Ellis had gone to the park after a family argument and hit Mr Pavlov repeatedly with an "unknown" object as he sat on a Pavlov suffered a fractured skull which left him in a coma for Frances Birch said: "The final, devastating consequences of Anthony Ellis's brutal attack on Igor Pavlov came more than a decade after the event - but the Crown Prosecution Service was determined to bring Ellis to book for murder all the same."The strength of the evidence, including medical evidence around the cause of Mr Pavlov's death, meant Ellis had no option but to admit murdering Mr Pavlov."Ellis now faces a lengthy prison sentence for his senseless act of violence, which has ultimately robbed a man of his life."Our thoughts remain with those who knew and cared for Mr Pavlov." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
Police issue update as officer injured after being reversed into in hit-and-run
An investigation remains ongoing after a driver 'reversed into' a police sergeant multiple times, leaving him requiring hospital treatment. Greater Manchester Police said the sergeant was rushed to hospital on Friday, May 30, following a hit-and-run in Frodsham Street, Rusholme. The officer was trapped between the car involved and another vehicle, crushing his legs, before the driver fled the scene. READ MORE: Streets taped off near Greater Manchester town centre after man 'slashed' READ MORE: 'This is war... lines have been crossed, all my condolences to your family' In an update issued today (June 16), police confirmed that an investigation was still taking place. A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault, dangerous driving and failing to stop. He has since been bailed pending further enquiries, GMP says. Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said following the incident: "This incident is a reminder of the risks that our frontline officers face daily as they go about their duties to keep communities safe and respond to incidents. "Assaults on officers are wholly unacceptable and take them away from being able to serve and protect the public, which is what they come to work each shift to do. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE "An investigation is now underway, and we'd like to thank those who have already come forward with information about the incident, and to those in the area who may have been impacted by the emergency response. "Our priority is the wellbeing of the injured officer, and I wish him a speedy recovery as we look to pursue justice. "Anyone who has not yet spoken to us, but has information, CCTV or dash-cam footage of the incident, or the moments before and after, can contact us on 101 quoting log 2828 of 30/05/25." --- For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the latest. Follow us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page here. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.
The Independent
31-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Police officer hospitalised after being crushed between two cars
A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault, dangerous driving, and failure to stop after a Greater Manchester Police sergeant was injured in an alleged hit-and-run incident in Rusholme. The incident occurred on Frodsham Street at 6pm on Friday, where a car reportedly "reversed into the officer several times" before fleeing the scene. The injured sergeant is currently receiving hospital treatment for his injuries, which are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker has condemned the assault, emphasising the risks faced by frontline officers and assuring that an investigation is underway to bring the perpetrator to justice. Police are appealing to the public for any CCTV or dash cam footage of the incident or the moments leading up to and following it, urging them to call 101 and quote log 2828 of 30/05/25.
The Independent
31-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Police officer's legs crushed after ‘car reversed into him several times'
A man has been arrested after a Greater Manchester Police sergeant was injured when his legs were crushed between two vehicles in an alleged hit and run incident, the force has said. It was reported that a car 'reversed into the officer several times' on Frodsham Street, Rusholme, on Friday at 6pm before leaving the scene. A 41-year-old man is in custody and has been arrested on suspicion of assault, dangerous driving and failure to stop, GMP said. The sergeant, who has not been named, is being treated in hospital for his injuries, which are not thought to be life-threatening or life-changing. Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker condemned any assault on an officer as she wished the sergeant 'a speedy recovery as we look to pursue justice'. She said: 'This incident is a reminder of the risks that our frontline officers face daily as they go about their duties to keep communities safe and respond to incidents. 'Assaults on officers are wholly unacceptable and take them away from being able to serve and protect the public, which is what they come to work each shift to do. 'An investigation is now under way, and we'd like to thank those who have already come forward with information about the incident, and to those in the area who may have been impacted by the emergency response. 'Our priority is the wellbeing of the injured officer, and I wish him a speedy recovery as we look to pursue justice.' The sergeant is being supported by colleagues, a force spokesman added. Anyone who has CCTV or dash cam footage of the incident, or the moments before and after, has been asked to call police on 101 quoting log 2828 of 30/05/25.
