Iam pleased that the government has decided to implement my recommendations on providing a definition of anti-Muslim hostility.
In taking evidence, the working group charged with developing a new, non-statutory definition of that hostility was left in no doubt that the casual abuse and harassment of entirely law-abiding Muslims, seeking to live their lives in harmony with their neighbours and contribute to the life of our country, has increased and is increasing.
Anyone looking at social media will also see that this has developed online into repulsive generalised vilification. The divisions and damage which this risks engendering in our society are not a matter that can be ignored.
"On its own, a definition does not in itself solve the problem it is identifying. But it does provide a focus on the issues that need to be tackled."
Dominic Grieve on defining anti-Muslim hostility in law ⬇️
11.03.2026 15:43
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Icannot imagine how Charlotte Nichols felt standing up in Parliament and explaining to a room full of her colleagues – not to mention the watching world – that she had been raped.
It must have taken serious courage for the Warrington North MP to waive her anonymity and share that she had been attacked at a work event, subsequently waiting 1,088 days to go to court.
"As Nichols put it: 'Don’t say that this Bill helps deliver justice for rape victims, until it actually, materially does.'"
Claire Cohen on Charlotte Nichols' bravery in addressing the defects in David Lammy's jury reform bill ⬇️
11.03.2026 15:39
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What may we expect from the first tranche of what will soon enough come to be called “the Mandelson files”?
The answer will be lots of embarrassing gossipy stuff about how Peter Mandelson came to be appointed as the British ambassador to Washington in December 2024.
The slightly longer, more disappointing one is that they won’t tell us much of substance that we did not already know.
"Can we trust these papers, emails and the like, and the redactions they’ll contain? I’d say yes, and much more than if they had been filtered by the cabinet secretary and ministers, perhaps including Starmer himself, as seemed to some to be the initial intention."
Sean O'Grady on Mandelson ⬇️
11.03.2026 15:36
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So, Zack Polanski wants to reintroduce dog licences. You’ll have heard all the barking. And I’m not just talking about the pets.
The Conservatives’ shadow environment secretary, Victoria Atkins, promptly slammed the Greens for “wanting to put dog owners on a very expensive lead” and “making dog ownership unaffordable”. Making it unaffordable? I laugh in pet insurance claims! If the Tories want to get dog owners up in arms, arguing against dog welfare isn’t it.
"Most dog owners would rather go without than let their pets suffer. What a shame that most politicians can’t say the same of the people they represent."
Read @katbrownwrites.com on the Tory howls over the Green Party's policy to reintroduce dog licenses ⬇️
11.03.2026 15:25
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Poor Mr Chalamet has fallen foul of the first rule of Oscars season, says Jack Burke: that at some point, someone will say something stupid – and be vilified for it 👇
10.03.2026 12:17
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"Things really haven’t been this bad since the 2008 financial crisis, and the risk for pubs and hotels is that their cheaper energy contracts will now be ripped up and renegotiated by suppliers within weeks", says James Moore for @theindependent.bsky.social 👇
09.03.2026 14:28
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"I adore the silly, mischievous, girl-power image of English Heritage giving Raye’s mysterious ex a middle finger, blocking him on WhatsApp, and setting up alt accounts to keep an eye on whose DMs he’s sliding into on Insta" - Victoria Richards for @theindependent.bsky.social 👇
09.03.2026 13:51
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"Asking visitors to the UK to pay more will turbo-charge our ailing cultural institutions – which is why the money must be kept from being frittered on pot-holes and council pension pots", says Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A Museum
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09.03.2026 13:43
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"Washington may hope airstrikes and overwhelming force will bring Tehran to heel. But history suggests wars between democracies and ideological regimes rarely end so neatly", says Mark Almond 👇
09.03.2026 13:41
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EDITORIAL: Both Donald Trump and Tony Blair have said that Keir Starmer should have engaged more with the US in its attack on Iran, but he will find favour with the public for concentrating solely on Britain’s national interest - @theindependent.bsky.social View
09.03.2026 11:04
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