Latest news with #Stepney
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Terence Stamp: a life in pictures
Terence Henry Stamp was born on 22 July 1938 in Stepney, east London. Here he is on 5 May 1961 at a reception at the Savoy hotel in London to introduce the stars of the forthcoming movie Billy Budd, which was to be his screen debut Photograph: Alamy Terence Stamp photographed with his mother Ethel, father Thomas, brothers Richard and John, and sister Linette at home in Plaistow, London on 28 May 1961. Stamp was about to depart for Spain to begin filming Billy Budd Photograph:Stamp was nominated for the best supporting role Oscar and won the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer for his performance Photograph: Alamy An undated portrait of Stamp Photograph:Stamp appeared alongside Laurence Olivier, Sarah Miles (pictured, in her film debut) and Simone Signoret in this British drama Photograph: Alamy Stamp with his girlfriend, the model Jean Shrimpton, in London in 1963 Photograph: Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images Stamp as Freddie Clegg, a psychotic butterfly collector and kidnapper of women Photograph:Shrimpton with Stamp and the horse Modesty, who she gave to him as a Christmas present, photographed in January 1965. Photograph:Stamp enjoys a beer with his friend and flatmate Michael Caine Photograph: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock Rossella Falk, Dirk Bogarde, Stamp and Monica Vitti in the spy spoof Photograph: Stamp and Caine in the Bag O'Nails club in Kingly Street, Soho in 1966, at the heart of swinging London Photograph: Alamy Model Celia Hammond with Stamp at a fashion show in London in 1967 Photograph:Stamp as Sergeant Troy and Julie Christie as Bathsheba Everdene in the Thomas Hardy adaptation Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock Stamp and Celia Hammond attend the premiere of Far from the Madding Crowd at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 17 October 1967 Photograph:Stamp as Dave and Carol White as Joy in Ken Loach's bleak drama Photograph: StudioCanal/Rex/Shutterstock Stamp, (centre) and his younger brother Christopher (left) wait in Malibu justice court for their arraignment on a charge of possession of marijuana, 23 May 1968 Photograph: George Brich/AP Stamp as Toby Dammit in the Federico Fellini segment of an anthology film, aka Spirits of the Dead, based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe Photograph: Alamy Director Pier Paolo Pasolini talks to Stamp on the set of the Italian arthouse film Photograph: Collection Christophel/Alamy Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Stamp as General Zod, Jack O'Halloran as Non and Sarah Douglas as Ursa Photograph: Stamp reappeared as General Zod, the sequel's primary villain Photograph: DC Comics/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock Stamp in the television drama series about the activities of British counterintelligence agents. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock Tim Roth, Stamp and John Hurt in Stephen Frears' thriller Photograph: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock In 1984, after some initial reluctance, Stamp gave his permission to use an image from The Collector on the cover of the 7' single What Difference Does It Make? by the Smiths Stamp as Sir Larry Wildman Photograph: Stamp photographed in May 1993 Photograph: Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images Stamp played transgender woman Bernadette, who travels across Australia with two drag queens, in this worldwide hit comedy Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy Stamp as Wilson, a vengeful Englishman on the rampage in LA Photograph: Alamy Stamp as Chancellor Valorum Photograph: Lucasfilm Stamp with Eddie Murphy in the US comedy-horror film Photograph: Disney/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock Kevin McNally, Christian Berkel, Bill Nighy, Tom Cruise, Stamp, David Scofield and Kenneth Branagh in the dramatisation of the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler Photograph: MGM/Allstar Stamp as a grumpy old man Arthur who, following the death of his wife Marion, played by Vanessa Redgrave, reconnects with his son through singing in the local choir Photograph: Alamy Stamp with Christina Hendricks in the Agatha Christie mystery movie Photograph: Vertical Entertainment/Alamy Stamp in his final film role as the 'silver-haired gentleman' in the British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright Photograph: Album/Alamy Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Britain's shameful past holds a vital message about immigration culture today
'East of Aldgate one walks into a foreign town', foreigners 'swamping whole areas once populated by English people'. The 'substitution of a foreign for an English population' has created 'increasing bitterness of feeling'. No, not Robert Jenrick or Nigel Farage, but William Evans-Gordon, the Tory MP for Stepney, fulminating in 1903 against the arrival of Jewish refugees fleeing pogroms in eastern Europe. 'Not a day passes but English families are ruthlessly turned out to make room for the foreign invaders,' he told parliament. Evans-Gordon was a founder of the British Brothers' League (BBL), a powerful anti-immigration movement with the slogan 'England for the English', and the driving force behind the 1905 Aliens Act, designed to keep out Jewish refugees. Where previous arrivals had 'merged in the population', Evans-Gordon wrote in The Alien Immigrant, 'the Hebrew colony' formed a 'permanently distinct block – a race apart', refusing to 'assimilate' but coming 'like an army of locusts, eating up the English inhabitants or driving them out'. They brought with them 'colonies of foreign crime". In certain courts in London, 'English was hardly heard'. According to Evans-Gordon: 'The proportion of aliens who live by vice is inordinately high'. They indulged in 'depraved' sexual crimes, 'which, but for them, would hardly be known in this country'. Evans-Gordon's themes echo across the century. Arguments about populations being replaced, denunciations of asylum seekers as 'invaders', the insistence that migrants are unassimilable, accusations of mass criminality and depravity, are all wearily familiar. One can even hear in Evans-Gordon the contempt for what many now call the 'liberal elite'. The 'wholesale displacement of our people,' he wrote, 'is regarded with much philosophic calm by their fellow countrymen who live at a distance, whose homes have not been invaded, and who are not subjected to the daily terror of being turned into the streets.' That might have been Matthew Goodwin. It is not difficult to recognise today how this portrayal of unassimilable Jews draws on deep-rooted antisemitic tropes. It draws also upon ideas of cultural homogeneity and difference still in play today. Across the century, critics have always portrayed immigrants as destructive of local culture. Cultures, though, are not sealed containers containing a fixed essence that migrants pollute. They are porous vessels, internally conflicted, and changing over time. Nor are individuals fixed by their cultural inheritance, but can also develop and change. The Taliban has imposed upon Afghanistan deeply reactionary norms, including about the treatment of women, that draw upon one strand of Afghan culture, but which is contested by those for whom Afghan culture means something very different. Half a century ago, Afghanistan was far more liberal than it is today. It is why so many resisted the Taliban and why so many now seek to flee. British culture was far more conservative half a century ago than it is today. The social views of conservative Muslims would have, ironically, been closer to that of the British mainstream in the 1970s. Even commentators who now rail against liberalism have absorbed the liberal transformation of the past few decades and, indeed, deploy it as a weapon against migrants from conservative cultures. Cultures are not sealed containers. They are porous vessels, internally conflicted and changing over time For many critics, African and Asian migrants, and Muslims in particular, cannot be accommodated within the 'Judeo-Christian' tradition that defines the west. Yet, as Evans-Gordon's screed reveals, barely a century ago Jewish beliefs and practices were seen as being as incompatible with British values as many now deem Muslims to be. The idea of the 'Judeo-Christian' tradition is of recent vintage. It became deployed in the 1930s, particularly in America, by those attempting to build public support for the struggle against Nazism, suggesting as it did a common civilisation between Christians and Jews. From the 1950s it was repurposed as a weapon in the cold war, President Eisenhower describing 'Judeo-Christian civilisation' as the 'fundamental concept' separating America from the atheist Soviet Union. In the 21st century, especially after 9/11, the use of the concept changed again, becoming primarily a means of depicting Islam as standing outside the western tradition and, more recently, of gaining support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Jewish thought has unquestionably played an important role in the shaping of what we now call the western tradition. That was denied for much of the past 2,000 years. When finally acknowledged, it was in a distorted form, to buttress particular political projects. And both the denial and the acknowledgement became means of defining certain immigrants, previously Jews, now Muslims, as not belonging. Like many contemporary critics, Evans-Gordon elided his deprecation of immigrant culture with claims that they deprived British workers of basic material needs, from housing to jobs. Again, from today's vantage point, we can recognise the falsity of such arguments. The material deprivation Evans-Gordon described was real, but its root cause lay not with Jewish refugees but with exploitative bosses, unscrupulous landlords and indifferent politicians. What transformed working-class lives in the early 20th century was not restrictions on Jewish immigration but the growth of trade unions, an upsurge of collective action and the development of political parties and movements that challenged inequalities. Jewish workers, particularly in east London, were at the heart of these organisations and movements, helping forge solidarity across sectarian divides and in so doing renewing working-class culture. Today, as a new generation of Evans-Gordons try to colonise our attention, that is the most important message to echo across the century. Photograph by Jewish Chronicle/Heritage Images/Getty
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Yet Another Headache For Starmer As Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali Resigns. Here's Why.
Rushanara Ali, a junior minister in Keir Starmer's government, abruptly resigned from the government last night. It came just hours after the i newspaper reported that Ali, formerly the homelessness minister, had evicted tenants from her own property and then re-listed the house within a matter of weeks – for a higher rental price. While Ali insisted she has consistently followed the rules, she quit to avoid being a 'distraction' to the government. Here's what you need to know. Who is Rushanara Ali? Elected in 2010, the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney has consistently represented London's east end over her 15-year career in parliament. She was in the shadow cabinet under former Labour leader Ed Miliband, and supportedJeremy Corbyn during his own leadership race. She was appointed to be the homelessness minister under Starmer, reporting into Angela Rayner's Housing, Communities and Local Government department. For years, Ali was repeatedly elected on a very healthy majority – until July 2024, that is. Her majority of around 37,000 was eroded down to under 1,700, with many constituents choosing to support the independent pro-Gaza candidate. She has repeatedly faced pressure in her constituency over the government's position on Palestine ever since the war broke out in 2023. Ali was also a minister of building safety but was forced to give up that element of her portfolio, after she went to a conference linked to the parent company of a firm criticised in the recent Grenfell inquiry last October. Why did Ali resign as a minister? The i newspaper reported that Ali had evicted four tenants from her east London flat last November, intending to put the property up for sale, and then given them four months' notice. She was then unable to sell it and decided to rent it again within six months – this time charging £700 more, taking the total overall monthly rent to £4,000. This goes against the government's own plans to clamp down on landlords' behaviour towards tenants in its Renters' Rights Bill, which is now in its final stages in parliament. Ali herself is trying to outlaw landlords re-listing homes at higher prices within six months. The report triggered immediate backlash from homelessness charities, with London Renters Union spokesperson Sian Smith saying her response was 'indefensible' and that she 'must step down' due to this 'clear conflict of interest'. What did Ali say? Writing in her open letter to the prime minister on Thursday evening, the MP said she was resigning 'with a heavy heart' – but made it clear she believed she had acted correctly. She wrote: 'I wanted to make it clear that at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements. I believe I took my responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this.' But Ali claimed staying in her role 'will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government'. How did Starmer respond? In a rather short reply, the prime minister praised Ali for her 'diligent work' in her department, and said her work delivering landmark reforms such as tackling harassment would 'leave a lasting legacy'. 'I know you will continue to support the government from the backbenches and represent the best interests of your constituents in Bethnal Green and Stepney,' he added. How has the rest of Westminster reacted? The Conservatives were delighted, considering they had been calling for her to resign ever since the i newspaper's report. Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory chairman, said: 'It is right that Rushanara Ali has now quit the government following our calls for her to go. 'Keir Starmer promised a government of integrity – but has instead presided over a government of hypocrisy and self-service. Once again it's one rule for Labour and one for everyone else. 'With a fourth minister now having to step down in disgrace, it is clear the British public deserve so much better than the endless sleaze and scandal of this Labour government.' Liberal Democrat spokesperson said:'Rushanara Ali fundamentally misunderstood her role. Her job was to tackle homelessness, not to increase it. 'At a time of widespread political disillusionment, her actions were staggeringly irresponsible and only added insult to injury after years of delay for renters' rights reform under the Conservatives. The prime minister must appoint a new homelessness minister swiftly who will take the need to end homelessness once and for all seriously.' What does this mean for the government? This is not a catastrophic problem for Downing Street because Ali left so soon after the report first came out. But Starmer will still not be best pleased, considering this is yet another ministerial headache which tarnishes his promise to be a government of integrity. She follows a string of other ministers who have left in the last 13 months. Louise Haigh quit as transport secretary after it was revealed she had a fraud conviction from 2013, Tulip Siddiq quit as anti-corruption minister following controversy over her links to her aunt, the former prime minister of Bangladesh. Andrew Gwynne was sacked as health minister over offensive comments he made in a WhatsApp group. Anneliese Dodds quit as the international development minister over Starmer's decision to reduce the aid budget while Vicky Foxcroft quit as the Labour whip over Starmer's welfare cuts. Sue Gray also resigned as Starmer's chief of staff amid furore over her high pay and rumours of friction within Downing Street over the prime minister's freebies. But Ali's swift exit demonstrates Starmer's ruthlessness, once again. It's now painfully clear to anyone in government: slip up, and you're gone. Related... Homelessness Minister Said To Have Kicked Out Her Own Tenants, Then Hiked Up The Rent How Starmer Told His Cabinet To Stop Beating Themselves Up – Then Cracked The Whip On Rebel MPs Keir Starmer Is Right To Point The Finger Of Blame At The Tories For Afghan Data Leak Scandal
The Independent
14-06-2025
- The Independent
He's fighting to clear his name for murder he says he didn't commit. But star witness still hasn't been contacted
It has been almost 18 months since Jason Moore submitted vital new evidence to the miscarriage of justice watchdog in a bid to overturn his murder conviction - but he is still no closer to freedom. The only witness to the crime had revealed he was drunk and was not sure if he identified the right man in an astonishing admission which Moore hopes could finally clear his name after 12 years in prison for a crime he insists he did not commit. But in nearly a year and a half the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which has just been put under 'urgent review' by the justice secretary, has failed to even speak to the witness. Frustrated at the lack of action, the Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell, Bishop of Stepney, stepped in to help. When she tried to contact Abdul Ahmed, who in 2023 revealed his doubts to an investigative journalist, she found him at home after simply knocking on his front door twice, The Independent can reveal. The bishop said the failure to carry out the most basic enquiries leaves her 'seriously concerned about the ability of the CCRC to do justice for anyone' as Moore languishes in prison. 'It wasn't that difficult, I went in the morning and he was there,' said Bishop Joanne, who is backing Moore's campaign for freedom. 'It's quite incredible that no one has been persistent in doing that. He clearly lives there and has lived there for quite a while.' She said the CCRC's efforts to contact Mr Ahmed were 'not good enough' as she hit out at the review body, which has come under sustained fire for its handling of other cases, including that of Andrew Malkinson who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Last week, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood installed former victims' commissioner Dame Vera Baird as interim chair and ordered her to carry out an urgent review of the body, whose chief executive Karen Kneller has admitted she only goes to the office 'maybe one or two days every couple of months or so' while drawing an £130,000 taxpayer funded salary. MPs last month called for her step down after she was accused of misleading the justice committee as they quizzed her over the CCRC's handling of Mr Malkinson's wrongful conviction. An investigation led by Chris Henley KC found he could have been exonerated 10 years earlier if not for serious failings by the review board. He said it was 'absolutely shocking' that investigators had failed to establish contact with Mr Ahmed in 18 months since Moore's application, adding: 'Nobody should have to have to wait that amount of time.' He told The Independent the CCRC needs 'energetic, focussed and rigorous leadership' to properly investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. 'Every day when there's a lethargic approach – and there was lots of this in Mr Malkinson's case – is a day someone is losing from their life and that has to be at the forefront of the work of the CCRC,' he told The Independent. In a message from HMP Oakwood in Wolverhampton, Moore accused the CCRC's leaders of treating 'people's lives like they are toys', adding: 'To keep people in prison when you have evidence that exonerates them is a form of evil that needs to be squashed.' His sister Kirstie described the CCRC as 'shambolic' as she hit out at a string of excuses from the commissioner who is supposed to be examining his case. 'My brother's freedom hinges on the independence and diligence of the CCRC,' she told The Independent. 'They are our last hope when justice fails. Yet 18 months have passed, and the CCRC has nothing to show—no sign of a single effort, only a relentless succession of excuses. And still, Jason is the one paying the price for their weary resignation and neglect. 'To 'try' means to act—and thank God for Bishop Joanne Grenfell, who did just that. She knocked twice, and her efforts brought the witness to the door.' Moore, a former professional gambler, 53, claims he has been wrongly convicted of the 2005 stabbing of Robert Darby outside a pub in London's east end. A string of high-profile supporters, including Mr Darby's brother, Bishop Joanne and cricket legend Sir Ian Botham, have backed his bid to overturn his conviction Miscarriage of justice campaigner Lord Nicholas Monson, who has visited Moore in prison and is backing his fight, said such apathy makes it seem like the CCRC simply 'doesn't care'. 'These people are put in jobs to root out injustice and they are doing the opposite,' he added. Chairman of the justice committee Andy Slaughter welcomed the appointment of Dame Vera to carry out a 'much-needed' review of the CCRC, after the committee outlined 'strong concerns about how investigations were operating' in a report last month. A CCRC spokesperson said: "We have received an application in relation to this case and a review is underway. "We have made repeated efforts to contact all relevant parties. These efforts will continue. "It would be inappropriate for us to discuss the application further at this stage."
The Independent
01-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Texas GOP leaders defend appointee after tense exchange over diversity hiring
An appointee of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wiped away tears and gave an emotional defense of her credentials after a tense exchange over diversity hiring policies, which was later followed by the state's top Republicans rushing to support her publicly. Texas Water Board Development Chair L'Oreal Stepney, who is Black, was consoled at one point by lawmakers after the exchange Thursday with GOP state Rep. Brian Harrison, who questioned her and other agency officials over their hiring practices. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows, who are all Republicans, later issued statements of support for Stepney and her service, while other GOP lawmakers criticized Harrison over the exchange. 'While passionate and open discussion will always be welcomed, comments that demean and belittle will never be tolerated," Republican state Rep. Greg Bonnen, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, posted on X. Harrison is an outspoken critic of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in state government. He questioned Stepney and Edna Jackson, who is also Black, over a line in the agency's strategic plan that its workforce should reflect the state's growing diversity. Harrison did not directly question the credentials of Stepney or any other agency workers during the hearing. On Friday, he defended his questioning during the hearing. 'My line of questioning was perfect and professional,' said Harrison, adding that he had posed similar questions to dozens of other agency heads. 'It was Democrats on the committee who raised the issue of her qualifications. I never said a word about it.' Harrison's line of questioning prompted Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier, who is Black, to express her outrage at having 'to watch two Black women have to defend 246 years of systemic racism.' Stepney then delivered an emotional defense of her credentials to the panel. She said March would mark 33 years working for the state and listed off her two engineering degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, one in aerospace engineering and the other in civil engineering. 'It was a deep honor for me to be appointed to the board, to be confirmed by the board, and to be appointed chair,' she said. "I have always been grateful to the governor. What have I done? I have protected the drinking water supply of 31 million Texans."
