UK

Tory crackdown on NHS staff from abroad will be 'final straw' for struggling care sector

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea expressed alarm over Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick's push to cap NHS and social care visas, and ban foreign care workers from bringing dependents

Calls for an overhaul of social care visas triggered warnings about the future of the stretched sector 

Tory plans to crack down on foreign health staff could prove the "final straw" for the care sector, a top union leader has warned.

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea expressed alarm over Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick's push to cap NHS and social care visas, and ban foreign care workers from bringing dependents amid a furious Tory backlash over immigration. Estimates from the Office for National Statistics this week show UK net migration peaked at 745,000 in the year to December 2022.

Ms McAnea told the Mirror: "Employers, left with no choice but to recruit foreign workers, are horrified at the Government's latest attempt to appease its right-wingers. Care staff, many of whom have sold all they own to come here, will be terrified at having to choose between their children when it's time to renew their visas. This terrible policy could well prove the final straw for the care sector."

It comes as the Government's top immigration adviser warned the idea could be “very dangerous” for the social care sector. Prof Brian Bell, who chairs the Migration Advisory Committee, said the idea risked worsening the chronic staffing shortage in the sector - and could mean “lots of people won’t get care”.

"You can’t encourage enough British people to do the work in social care because it’s so badly paid," he told the Observer. "If you make it harder for migrants to come in on the route … that might begin to reduce the number who are coming in. But I think you have to ask the question, if you do it from the migration perspective, and you achieve that policy objective, aren’t you massively harming the social care sector?”

Meanwhile, Labour sought to outflank the Tories by saying it would increase salary requirements for workers coming from overseas. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to change current rules that allow employers to pay migrant workers 20% less than the annual salary threshold of £26,200 for roles on the shortage occupation list.

Darren Jones, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said Labour would bring net migration down to a "normal level" of a "couple of hundred thousand a year".

It comes as a Cabinet minister has played down any suggestions of a split between Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly over the Rwanda deportation plan.

Mr Cleverly said the plan to ship people who arrive illegally in Britain to the African country was not the "be all and end all". However Mr Sunak stressed the importance of the scheme, which was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott insisted they were on the same page. She told Sky News: "They're both actually saying the same thing, which is that Rwanda is part of our plan. Both saying it is part of the plan, it is not all of the plan."

Without more immigrants elderly people will suffer

Dr Stella Perrott explains why migrants are the solution to, not the cause of, our failing public services

byDr Stella Perrott
26-11-2023 18:03
in Home Affairs, Politics

The NHS and social care sector rely heavily on workers from overseas.

 Image by Number 10 on Flickr, licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

On 23 November, the ONS Office for National Statistics (ONS) released provisional annual statistics for the year up to the end of June 2023. On the same day the Home Office released its quarterly immigration statistics up to the end of September 2023. Although less reliable than the ONS statistics (as they are due to be revised), the Home Office figures are up to date and so I am using them here.

While the rise in net immigration has been met with a predictable outcry from those wanting to reduce it and will be used to further criticise the Conservative government, older and disabled people who rely on care services, or patients stuck in hospitals through lack of a care package, may wish to see it rise further.
Headline figures on immigration

The September 2022 to September 2023 Home Office immigration figures broadly comprise:3,383,446 people arriving in the UK on visas (work, study, family);
112,431 people to whom the UK has offered protection (Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghan citizens) – last year these accounted for over 270,000 arrivals; and
those seeking asylum (75,340).

Some arrivals are the ‘main’ applicant and may have ‘dependents’ with them. The headline figures include dependents.

Not all of those issued with visas take them up or remain in the UK for the length of their visa. Many dual nationals will divide their time between two countries and are not full-time resident in the UK.

The number of asylum seekers is broadly in line with previous years and the numbers are small by comparison with the overall figures. The number of people offered protection is about a third of what it was the previous year, the year in which most of those fleeing Ukraine or leaving Hong Kong arrived in the UK. The big rise is almost entirely down to those arriving on visas.

Work visas

Work visas (including dependents) rose by 54% from 380,431 to 585,775. Family visas more than doubled (117%) to 82,395. This figure is expected to drop in subsequent years as most of the dependents of Ukraine and Hong Kong nationals will have arrived in the UK by then.

Study visas rose 8% (48, 315) to 643,778, but this includes short-term students who are not included in the immigration figures (only those staying more than 12 months are included). The ONS figures suggest a doubling of longer-term (degree and postgraduate) course participants from outside the UK and this is increasing net immigration. Over 90% of those coming to the UK return home at the end of their course, or within seven years if the visa is extended – despite government efforts to get them to stay.

Skilled worker – health and care visas

A total of 335,447 work-related visas were issued over the year, with a further 250,297 visas issued to dependents. The ‘skilled worker – health and care’ visas have risen 135% from 60,000 to 143,990. This rise follows the expansion of the skilled worker visa to include health and social care staff in 2021. More than half (58%) of all visas under the skilled worker scheme are for health and social care staff. There are now calls to reduce the numbers.

Prior to Brexit, EU citizens did not require a visa to live and work in the UK and it was easy for employers to employ EU citizens, most often Spanish or Polish. Since Brexit, fewer EU citizens have chosen to come to the UK. More UK citizens leave for the EU than EU citizens for the UK and net immigration now almost entirely comprises non-EU citizens.


HOME AFFAIRS
Demonising immigrants obliterates our sense of shared humanity
BYDAVID WILSON
27 OCTOBER 2023 - UPDATED ON 6 NOVEMBER 2023


The wider context on immigration


Before getting into the detail of the health and social care workforce and the need for immigration, it is worth noting that the average immigrant population of OECD countries (the most advanced economies) is 12% (though these figures date from 2015 and count only those aged over 15). The percentage rose from 9% in 2012 and is likely to be higher now. In the UK the non-UK born population (i.e. including under 16s) increased from 9% from 2004 to 14% in 2021. So, the UK is not out of step with other similar countries.

The US is the most popular country to which people migrate, receiving 39% of all migrants in 2015. Germany was second with 10% while the UK, Canada and France received between 6% and 7%. Statistics show that migrants tend to be better educated than local populations and those migrating from non-OECD countries tend to be better educated than those from OECD countries.

In the UK, research from the Migration Observatory reinforces this pattern. It notes that most immigrants are of working age and will have returned home long before they need long-term health care, and long before they cease to pay income tax.

Migrant contribution to the social care workforce

According to figures on the adult social care workforce, published on 14 November by the House of Commons library, there were 152,000 (9.8%) vacancies out of a 1.52 million workforce. Vacancy rate in the economy overall is much lower, at 3.4%. Nearly a third of social care staff leave every year and so 390,000 posts must be filled annually. Many staff are on minimum wage and zero-hour contracts. The majority are women.

From February 2022 social care workers became eligible for work visas. Increased immigration through the social care route is the government’s preferred policy, not one of reluctance, and since September 2022 it has spent £15mn on recruiting from abroad.

Employers can pay staff recruited on a care visa 20% less than the local rate (whereas in the EU it is illegal to pay differential rates). The Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the government on migration and work visas, warned that this was likely to lead to cheaper imported labour and the suppression of local wages. However, most UK employers prefer to recruit locally and, even with the wage discount, it is more expensive, to recruit from abroad. The high costs of non-UK recruitment, the continued high vacancy rates and the continued haemorrhaging of UK staff to better paying sectors suggests that the discount is not a factor in supressing wages.

But exploitation, whereby employers deduct ‘costs’ from employees, withhold wages, and overwork or threaten to report staff to immigration authorities, has become a significant problem. This was also predicted.


HOME AFFAIRS
The Home Office was left holding the Bibby – the barge was their third choice
BYNICOLA DAVID
8 NOVEMBER 2023 - UPDATED ON 10 NOVEMBER 2023


The UK’s reliance on non-UK workers

Of the adult social care workforce, 19% are non-British born (6% EU and 13% non-EU). The EU percentage has dropped from 7%. The figure for non-British born workers in adult social care is higher for London (41%) and considerably less in the North East, Yorks and Humber (6%). The biggest group of non-UK born staff is in the ‘regulated professions’ (primarily nurses) rather than general care staff. Of these, 40% are non-UK born and without them, nursing homes cannot function.

Care homes and agencies are also fishing in the same pool as the NHS – needing non-UK born staff to fill their vacancies. A House of Commons research paper indicates that 35% of doctors are non-UK born and 27.1% of nurses. Some 45% of nurses joining the profession today are non-UK born. Recent government changes to nurse recruitment are unlikely to ease this problem for a generation or more.
The contribution of immigrants

The UK population is getting older and sicker. There are fewer young people working and paying taxes to support pensions and the care of older people, and fewer young people working in low-paid care roles. Although net immigration has been about 700,000 for the past two years, the UK population grew by only 227,000 (0.34%) in 2022 and a similar amount in 2021.

According to the Nuffield Trust, 350,000 more care workers are needed by 2035 – just to meet the challenge of an aging population. There were 70,000 new immigrant recruits last year which resulted in a drop in the vacancy rate of 0.8% (from 10.6% to 9,8%) just 11,000 fewer vacancies out of a total of 152,000. Many care homes are closing for lack of staff or because they are no longer profitable, and this puts additional pressure on health services.

Immigrant workers, including care workers, tend to be younger (and so probably fitter and in better health) than their UK counterparts with few over the age of 54. In a sector such as social care, which requires hard physical and emotional labour, this is significant benefit. They are also better educated and more of them are professionally qualified or in training.

Of the 70,000 overseas social care recruits last year, 58,000 came via the social care visa. The remainder arrived in the UK through some other visa – family, protection, dependent or even student, and many Ukrainians have become care workers. So other visa sectors are also supporting social care. The turnover of those coming via international routes is much lower than for UK staff. This may be a good thing but may also reflect a level of exploitation and threats of deportation should a worker leave.

Hard choices

Social care businesses can pay care workers more, which would enable them to recruit locally and retain more staff. But it is more likely they will close (as many are doing now) as it will be impossible to raise fees sufficiently to recoup the costs. The government, in the autumn statement, indicated more cuts to public service funding in the years to come and these will further deplete the availability and quality of social care.

Yet even if the sector could increase wages, recruit 150,000 people now, and about 350,000 every year thereafter, it would exhaust the workforce in other sectors. Immigrant labour is crucial in agriculture, food processing, transport and hospitality as well as health and social care. As the population figures show, there are not enough UK workers to go round. All advanced economies are in a similar position and there is worldwide competition for labour. Proposals to force the less ‘economically active’ to become more active are unlikely to have much of an impact in terms of more people working, or for longer hours.

Migrants are the solution to, not the cause of, our failing public services. Without migrants many more people would have died in the pandemic and many older people would be suffering now and dying prematurely without care services. Migrants are keeping the NHS afloat and feeding the nation. It is time we valued and respected them.

Protests continue in defiant call for Gaza ceasefire

Hundreds of thousands take to the streets across Britain

People take part in a Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration in Glasgow. Picture date: Saturday November 25, 2023.

HUNDREDS of thousands of protesters again took to the streets of London and major cities across Britain on Saturday as public anger over Israel’s slaughter in Gaza showed no signs of abating.

Demands for a ceasefire echoed in London, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and other centres on the second day of the four-day “pause” in Israel’s attack for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

In London, police arrested 18 protesters and police were accused of using catch-all Section 12 regulations to make arrests in response to political pressure.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) director Ben Jamal said: “There has been a major political effort by pro-Israel voices, including in government, to defame the protests as hate marches.

“In response the police today imposed a ludicrous Section 12 that gave them power to arrest anyone arriving early or leaving late no matter what they were doing.”

Stop the War Coalition national officer John Rees said: “This is political policing and it’s pretty certain none of this will be applied to tomorrow’s march for Israel,” referring to today’s demonstration called by the Campaign Against Anti-semitism.

In north-west England protesters targeted branches of Barclays Bank over the bank’s financial involvement in arms firms supplying weapons to Israel.

John Nicholson of Manchester PSC said protests had shut eight branches of Barclays in Manchester, Stockport, Blackburn, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton and Altrincham.

“All the banks were shut as a result of the protests,” he said. “We will continue targeting Barclays until they disinvest.

“There’s no let-up in people’s anger at what Israel is doing to Gaza.

“What’s great is that we can still stage a national demonstration in London yet have all these protests going on away from London at the same time.”

The Manchester protesters marched from Barclays to the regional offices of Fisher German, a property company which leases premises to Israeli-own arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. A further protest took place there.

Speakers at the Leeds rally reported how 300 students had walked out of the city’s university on Friday in support of Palestine.

More than 60 doctors and health workers had also demonstrated in the city’s Mandela Gardens mourning the deaths of more than 200 medical staff in Israeli attacks on hospitals.

Protests took place across Scotland including in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Placards in Glasgow bore the words: “You can’t pause a genocide.”

The Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said: “There is a pause in the genocide but the people in Gaza are suffering unimaginable horrors.

“They still need our support.”

In Leeds around 1,000 marched.

Protester Steve Johnson told the Morning Star: "Marching from City Square through the heart of Leeds it doubled in size as people joined in, filmed and clapped us.”

Palestine supporters staged a fundraiser today in the Pennine town of Todmorden in West Yorkshire before around 100 people marched to the community’s town hall for a weekly protest.

Before the hostage and prisoner exchanges began on Friday Hamas held 240 hostages in Gaza, including women and children.

Israel holds 7,000 Palestinians in its prisons including women and children, many of them held on indefinite “administrative detention.”

Today, Israel repeated its determination to continue its air and ground attacks on Gaza when the “pause” in the onslaught ends after today, despite growing international pressure for a permanent ceasefire.

Protests are expected to continue during the week.

MORNINGSTAR 

‘Free Palestine’ chants echo through Glasgow as STUC stages St Andrew's Day march


People take part in the annual Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) annual St Andrew's Day march and rally in Glasgow, in solidarity with those impacted by racism and racial discrimination throughout Scotland. Picture date: Saturday November 25, 2023.


PETER LAZENBY

MORNINGSTAR

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2023

CHANTS of “free Palestine” echoed through the streets of Glasgow as the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) staged its annual St Andrew’s Day celebration on Saturday.

Trade unionists, anti-racism campaign groups and supporters from across Scotland marched through the city and rallied at Strathclyde University, where speakers appealed for support for Palestine and for the eradication of racism.

Scotland’s SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf said that equality is “in the DNA” of the trade union movement, while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar noted that ethnic minorities in Scotland and around the world continue to suffer racism.

In response to reports of fascist and far-right groups demonstrating in Scotland, the theme of the STUC rally was “From Erskine to Elgin: the far right is not welcome.”

Mr Yousaf denounced “horrific examples of the mobilisation of the far right” across the world and said his own family had been racially abused after the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, which left almost 3,000 people dead in 2001.

“If you had a beard or, like my sisters and my mother, you wore a hijab — my sister had stones thrown at her coming off the train,” he said.

“We were called terrorists, we were asked if we were related to bin Laden, if we were part of the Taliban.

“All of that Islamophobia that we faced, I can say that post-9/11 the days and weeks, even the months after 9/11, for the first time in my life, as a teenager, I felt like Scotland, maybe, wasn’t my home.”

Mr Yousaf, whose parents-in-law were trapped in the Gaza Strip when the Israeli military onslaught on the Palestinian enclave began after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, reiterated his support for a full ceasefire in the conflict.

Mr Sarwar told how the racism he had suffered when he was 12 years old had also been inflicted on his son, who was victimised as “the only P**i” in a local football team.

He also spoke out to demand a ceasefire, in defiance of the stance taken by British Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Both Mr Yousaf and Mr Sarwar voiced support for the family of Sheku Bayou, whose death in police custody in May 2015 is the subject of an ongoing public inquiry.

UK
London's march against anti-semitism poses difficult questions for the left


People take part in a march against antisemitism organised by the volunteer-led charity Campaign Against Antisemitism at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Picture date: Sunday November 26, 2023.

EDITORIAL

TODAY’S mass London demonstration against anti-semitism raises critical questions for the left.

It saw tens of thousands march in what has been called the biggest mobilisation of the Jewish community since the Battle of Cable Street in 1936.

Politically it looked nothing like that heroic chapter in the East End’s history. Cable Street was unambiguously of the left, organised by communist and socialist Jews. It was anti-Establishment, taking on a police-sanctioned march by Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts, and in defiance of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which advised Jewish people to stay at home.

That was obviously not the case today, on a march attended by Boris Johnson.

The charity that organised it, the Campaign Against Anti-semitism, rose to prominence as one of the most virulent opponents of Jeremy Corbyn’s socialist leadership of the Labour Party, and was criticised at the time for platforming racist voices so long as they were directed against him.

That said, the campaign clearly rejected race-baiting rabble-rouser Tommy Robinson’s attempt to associate himself with today’s demo.

And the numbers attending point to real concern among British Jews that anti-semitism is on the rise.

It is catastrophic for the left, which has always led the anti-racist struggle, if Jewish communities do not trust it to defend them against anti-semitism.

It opens up space for cynical Tories like Johnson to pose as opponents of anti-semitism to advance reactionary political agendas.

And it facilitates a very traditional divide-and-rule tactic turning minority communities against each other. Campaign Against Anti-semitism chief executive Gideon Falter must be accused of this for remarks which echo Suella Braverman’s efforts to smear Palestine solidarity demos as anti-semitic: “We have witnessed mass criminality, including glorification of terrorism, support for banned terrorist organisations such as Hamas…”

Britain is not alone in facing this dilemma. This month the French left was split on how to respond to a national demonstration called against anti-semitism by leading figures in the French state, in which the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen took part.

The French Communist Party marched, holding that opposition to anti-semitism was non-negotiable and should not be conceded to the right. Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed did not, arguing that the demo was an attempt to conflate anti-semitism with opposition to Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and whitewash the French government’s appalling record of Islamophobic racism. Both had a point.

We must reject any hierarchy of racisms. The oppressed and dispossessed deserve justice, and silence in order to avoid offence is cowardice. Attitudes like that of Margaret Hodge, who once claimed there was a “fine line” between support for Palestinian national rights and anti-semitism, are a dereliction of duty.

We should also oppose those smearing Muslims as anti-semitic, a tactic deployed by the right to justify racist immigration and policing policies in the name of opposition to racism.

But the left must also work to earn the confidence of Jewish communities that we will not tolerate any expression of anti-semitism.

That does not mean failing to challenge malicious accusations like so many levelled at Corbyn and his supporters.

It does mean calling out conspiracy theories, rejecting any conflation of Jewish people with the actions of the state of Israel, and confronting those who from ignorance or prejudice perpetuate tropes about Jews’ supposed financial or political influence.

It means rebuilding a mass anti-racist movement with prominent Jewish voices alongside those of black and other oppressed minorities. Jews have among the proudest histories of socialist internationalism.

Only if our anti-racism is comprehensive and consistent can we reclaim leadership of a struggle against anti-semitism that ruling-class and state actors misrepresent for their own ends. The profile of today’s march suggests this will not be easy, but it must be done

MORNINGSTAR CPGB

Pro-Palestinian Jews distance themselves as tens of thousands join ‘march against anti-semitism’


People take part in a march against antisemitism organised by the volunteer-led charity Campaign Against Antisemitism in central London. Picture date: Sunday November 26, 2023.


BERNY TORRE

MORNINGSTAR
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2023


A MARCH against anti-semitism that drew tens of thousands was denounced last night as a “march against Palestinian freedom” by pro-Palestinian Jews.

Celebrities and politicians joined large crowds in the demonstration in London, including Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, former prime minister Boris Johnson, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat.

English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, 40, was also present, though was arrested close to the Royal Courts of Justice and escorted away by police, with organisers having made clear in advance that he was not welcome.

Jews for Justice for Palestinians executive member Richard Kuper told the Morning Star: “We support those who will be attending out of a genuine concern for anti-semitism. But this march is not a march against anti-semitism.”

He said the charity that organised the march, Campaign Against Anti-semitism (CAA), “has unceasingly demonised the marches of protest against Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza.

“Its march today is in effect a march against Palestinian freedom, using Jewish safety as the pretext,” he added.

“Those who identify Israel’s war on Gaza as a war on behalf of Jews worldwide — and the leaders of British communal institutions often do just this: eliding the distinction between Jews and zionists — are guilty of encouraging the very elision they rightly deplore when Jews are attacked as responsible for Israel’s actions.”

Over 200,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched from Park Lane to Whitehall to demand a permanent truce in Gaza on Saturday.

CAA chief Gideon Falter claimed: “Week after week, central London has become a no-go zone for Jews,” though Jewish organisations have been prominent on the Palestine solidarity demos.

“This is why today’s march, drawing over 100,000 people in the largest gathering against anti-semitism since the Battle of Cable Street a lifetime ago in 1936, was so important.”

But Na’amod, a movement of British Jews against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, said it could not attend yesterday’s march “in good faith, because we know this march is not just about anti-semitism.

“It’s clear from the event description that CAA have organised this march in response to the huge weekly ceasefire demonstrations in London,” it said.

“There are many laudable, beautiful ways of showing solidarity with Jews facing anti-semitism. These do not include smearing those mobilising for a ceasefire and Palestinian freedom — Jewish and non-Jewish — as inherently anti-semitic.”

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal added: “The truth is, it is a march against Palestinian rights and pro the maintenance of Israel’s system of apartheid.”

100,000 attend UK’s largest protest against antisemitism since Battle of Cable Street

Boris Johnson is among the high-profile figures at the gathering and speakers include Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and immigration minister Robert Jenrick

By JEWISH NEWS REPORTERNovember 26, 2023, 

The march is led by Eddie Marsan, Rachel Reilly, Vanessa Feltz, Maureen Lipman amongst others - Anti-

semistism protest march. Credit: Guy Bell/Alamy Live News

An estimated 100,000 people attended a march against antisemitism in London from the Strand to Westminster.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson was among the high-profile figures joining the demonstration, a day after crowds also gathered in the capital to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.\

Those who addressed the marchers included Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and immigration minister Robert Jenrick, as organisers claimed the pro-Palestinian rallies in recent weeks had made the capital a “no-go zone for Jews”.

The start of Sunday’s march saw English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, arrested by police after he tried to join marchers.

Organisers called the rally the largest gathering against antisemitism London had seen since the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, when hundreds of thousands of people blocked a planned march by Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists through an area populated by many Jewish families.

It was organised by the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism amid fears about rising antisemitic incidents sparked by the crisis in the Middle East.

Sir Ephraim told the crowd: “Since October 7 we have witnessed here in the UK an alarming rise of antisemitism, but we will not be intimidated.

Participants marching from the Strand to Westminster.

“We call for a strengthening of community cohesion and we will forever be proud to champion the finest of British values. So with regard to the poisonous spread of antisemitism, what should the response of the British people be?

“Number one, call it out when you see it. Number two, call it by what it really is – Jew hatred. Number three, be vigilant and report every incident. Number four, we must arrest every single perpetrator and bring every single one of them to justice.”

Tracy-Ann Oberman (left) and Rachel Riley take part in a march against antisemitism.

Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, told marchers that since the deadly incursion by Hamas into southern Israel, antisemitic crime “has surged in this country by over 1,000%”.

“Demonstrations marched through our cities, marched through our capital, where people glorify terrorism, where people incite racism against Jews.

“And indeed, as we saw yesterday, yet again, carrying placards showing a Star of David thrown in the bin with a caption that says ‘please keep the world clean’, messaging that would not have been out of place in 1930s Germany, it is appalling.”

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday for the latest demonstration, demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, with some demonstrators accusing Israel of committing genocide and others chanting “from the river to the sea”.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick speaks at a rally against antisemitism.

There were 18 arrests over the course of the day for a range of alleged offences, including suspicion of inciting racial hatred and suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

Organisers Stop the War coalition said those at the now-regular marches have “clear anti-racist foundations” and oppose both antisemitism and Islamophobia. It had asked anyone attending Saturday’s rally to “respect these clear anti-racist principles, including in any signs or placards they choose to bring to the march”.

Johnson compared antisemitism with “an old spore of a virus”.

“Whatever the rights and wrongs of what Israel has done, or is doing, I think that the antisemitism that we’ve seen in some of these marches around western Europe and further afield has really confirmed for me the absolute necessity, the human necessity, for Israel to exist,” he told GB News.

Seen among the many banners were some that lightened the mood.

Jenrick, who said he was at the march to represent the Government, spoke from the stage to warn that “enough is enough”.

He said antisemitism was a “stain on our country, it is moral decay”.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat was among celebrities including Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rachel Riley and Robert Rinder at the march.

People waved Israeli and Union flags and placards reading “Never Again Is Now” and “Zero Tolerance for Antisemites”.

There had been fears that Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League, could disrupt the protest, with organisers making clear that he would not be welcome.

Police said a 40-year-old man had been arrested close to the Royal Courts of Justice, from where the demonstration began on Sunday.

Robinson had previously been seen among the crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police during ceasefire protests held on Armistice Day.

In a statement, the Met said the organisers had “been clear about their concerns that the man’s attendance, and that of those who were likely to accompany him, would cause fear for other participants.

“The same view has been voiced by others.

“As a result he was spoken to and warned on more than one occasion that his continued presence in the area was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others.

“He was directed to leave the area but refused to do so.”

It comes as the Israeli military said that 14 Israelis and three foreign nationals have been released from captivity in Gaza, on the third day of a four-day truce.

Among those reunited with their family on Saturday was nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, who was among those abducted by the Palestinian terror group during the deadly Hamas attack on 7 October.

Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners. All are women and minors.

 

United against anti-Semitism: Thousands march in London with Boris in attendance and Tommy Robinson arrested

26 November 2023, 18:36 | Updated: 26 November 2023, 19:53

Hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London to demonstrate against anti-Semitism. Picture: Getty/Alamy

 By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Around 60,000 people have marched through central London to demonstrate against anti-Semitism, with Boris Johnson, Vanessa Feltz and Rachel Riley in attendance.

The 90-minute march started at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London and was the biggest protest against anti-Semitism since 1936.

Speaking at the march, the former prime minister said: "It's very sad that this march has to take place at all. What we're all doing here is showing solidarity with Jewish people, and that is necessary."

He was joined by his wife Carrie and their young baby Baby Frank Alfred Odysseus.

Meanwhile, Jewish actress Maureen Lipman told the Mail: "It's been an amazing turnout. It's great to come and show support. We don't want to be here for why we are here, but we have to be here.

"As the Jewish community, we're in shock. There has been a terrible reckoning, it has frightened all of us."

Boris Johnson at today's march against anti-Semitism. Picture: Alamy

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out. Picture: Getty

Tommy Robinson was arrested after being warned against attending by the march's organisers.

The English Defence League founder was escorted away by more than a dozen police officers after arguing with them for around 10 minutes.

There had been fears that Mr Robinson could disrupt the protest - organised by charity Campaign Against Antisemitism - after he was previously seen among the crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police on Armistice Day.

Police confirmed a 40-year-old man had been arrested close to the Royal Courts of Justice, from where the demonstration began on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, the Met said: "We have been in frequent contact with the organisers of the march in recent days.

"They have been clear about their concerns that the man's attendance, and that of those who were likely to accompany him, would cause fear for other participants.

"The same view has been voiced by others.

"As a result, he was spoken to and warned on more than one occasion that his continued presence in the area was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others.

"He was directed to leave the area but refused to do so."

Read more: Half of British Jews 'considering leaving the UK' amid 'staggering' rise in anti-Semitism

Read more: BBC staff 'barred from joining march against anti-Semitism' over impartiality rules

At the end of the protest, a second man was arrested for shouting anti-Semitic abuse.

The Met said at 6pm: The March Against Antisemitism has concluded.

"As the crowds left along Whitehall, a man was heard to make antisemitic comments. He was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.

"In total, there were two arrests during today’s operation."

It came one day after pro-Palestinian crowds also gathered in the capital to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

A truce between Hamas and Israel is still holding, with the release of a third group of hostages and Palestinians from Israeli prisons coming late on Sunday.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat also joined celebrities including Tracy-Ann Oberman and Robert Rinder at the march.

Tracey-Ann Oberman (left) and Rachel Riley take part in a march against anti-Semitism. Picture: Alamy

It comes after engagement manager for Campaign Against Antisemitism Binyomin Gilbert told LBC News a survey had found half of British Jews have considered leaving the UK amid a "staggering" rise in discrimination.

Nearly 70 per cent of Jews in the UK have also held back from showing visible signs of being Jewish, findings showed.

It follows a multi-pronged attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage.

There have since been weekly pro-Palestine rallies in London, in which Campaign Against Antisemitism says there have been "genocidal chants, Hamas-style headbands, antisemitic placards and calls for jihad".

"We have seen a 1300% increase in anti-Semitism," Mr Gilbert said.

"And this is staggering. And in fact I can release to you today the results of a survey of British Jews, which has shown us that 69%, nearly 70% of British Jews are saying that they are now less likely to show visible signs of their duties.

"It also shows us that half of British Jews have considered whether they need to leave the UK due to anti-Semitism."

He said "there's a lot of fear and concern" for British Jews at the moment.

Addressing the pro-Palestine marches through the capital, Mr Gilbert said: "What we've seen is large scale marches week after week.

"In fact, there were protests happening before Israel had retaliated in the streets of London.

"And we have seen in those marches, calls for intifada, we've seen support for organisations that want Jews dead."

He went on: "When we have racists turn up at our rallies, we pull them out.

"When we have people turn up in our rallies who want to try and manipulate and politicise anti-Semitism and cast one minority group against another, we have been unequivocal."

He said he is confident there will not be violence but "positive displays of the Jewish community and its allies standing up and saying this is what British values mean".

UK
Telegraph sale: Don’t get ‘sentimental,’ UK minister warns, as Tories fear UAE buy-up

Minister seeks to allay Tory concerns ahead of a major investment summit on Monday.

There are mounting calls for the government to intervene in the proposed acquisition of the 200-year-old Conservative Party staple on press freedom grounds 

| Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

BY STEFAN BOSCIA
NOVEMBER 26, 2023 

LONDON — Britain’s investment minister warned critics of a controversial attempt to sell the Daily Telegraph newspaper to a fund backed by the United Arab Emirates not to get “sentimental about some of our so-called treasured assets.”

Amid mounting calls for the government to intervene in the proposed acquisition of the 200-year-old Conservative Party staple on press freedom grounds, Dominic Johnson told POLITICO the U.K. needs to remain an “open economy.”

And he suggested he would not oppose the sale of a national newspaper to the UAE as long as the proper “judicial processes” are followed.

Lloyds Bank has agreed to a deal involving the effective takeover of the Telegraph and the Spectator — another favorite of grassroots Conservatives — by Redbird IMI, an investment vehicle controlled by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund.

The deal has sparked fierce resistance from some Conservative MPs concerned about the right-leaning newspaper’s editorial freedom. They point to the UAE’s poor domestic record on press freedom.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said last week that she was “minded” to intervene in the takeover by launching an official review by two watchdogs, but no final decision has been taken.

Johnson, who will welcome senior figures from the UAE and other Gulf states at Monday’s Global Investment Summit in London, said “the UAE is a first class and extremely well run country” and that he had “always been immensely impressed by the caliber of leadership there.”

“My view is that we remain an open economy and it’s very important we remain an open economy if we’re to have the wealth and investment to power this country,” he said.

“My formula is always to revert to ‘what is going to make this country richer and more prosperous and secure?’”

“We can be quite sentimental about some of our so-called treasured assets,” Johnson added. “The reality is that media and information has moved on and clearly most of us today don’t buy a physical newspaper or necessarily go to a traditional news source.”

Monday’s Global Investment Summit brings together chief executives of some of the largest financial firms on the planet, including J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Blackstone.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other ministers will spend the day trying to sell Britain as an investment destination to the private sector, while also trying to close multi-billion-pound investment deals with foreign countries.

“I want to use the investment summit to showcase the U.K. in terms of science and technology leadership, to do deals and use it as a fulcrum point to generate many millions of pounds worth of investment into the U.K. ... and expose all my colleagues to the investment needs of the top 200 business people in the world,” Johnson said.

Academic tortured in UAE calls for delay to sale of The Telegraph


Patrick Sawer
Sun, 26 November 2023 

Matthew Hedges warned The Telegraph could lose its independence - Christopher Pledger for the Telegraph

A British academic jailed and tortured in the United Arab Emirates after being falsely accused of spying has criticised the bid by an Abu Dhabi-led investment fund to buy The Telegraph.

Matthew Hedges, who was sentenced to life in jail in November 2018 after being arrested at Dubai airport, before being eventually released later that month, called for the UK Government to delay the proposed deal.

The RedBird IMI investment fund planning to take ownership of The Telegraph and The Spectator is led by the former CNN chief Jeff Zucker and mostly funded by Abu Dhabi royalty, whose city is the capital of the UAE.


Writing in a letter to this newspaper Mr Hedges said: “It is entirely correct and appropriate that the Government should issue a public interest intervention notice delaying the proposed deal by UAE based RedBird IMI to purchase The Telegraph.”

He added: “As a victim of torture at the hands of the UAE, simply for undertaking legitimate academic research, I personally attest to the UAE’s disregard for human rights. It would be inappropriate to surrender a trusted media outlet to a foreign state who does not themselves respect freedom of speech.”

Mr Hedges said the proposed deal was intended to increase the UAE’s “political leverage and influence” and should be stopped in order to defend British democracy.

“These titles will lose their independence. If you’re funded by a foreign state you don’t want to bite the hand that feeds,” he told BBC Newsnight on Friday.

The academic was falsely accused of spying for MI6 after being arrested at Dubai airport in May 2018, as he tried to leave the UAE.

It took a month following his arrest before Mr Hedges was even granted a meeting with a British consular officer.

During the first month of detention, Mr Hedges, who completed his PhD at Durham University, suffered prolonged interrogation and torture at the hands of the Emirate’s security services, who accused him of spying for the British government.

Earlier this year the Parliamentary Ombudsman recommended that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) apologise to Mr Hedges for failing to protect him from torture after he was arrested and pay him £1,500 in compensation.

In a statement, the UAE government said: “Mr Hedges received entirely proper care and treatment.

“He had bedding, reading materials, a television, access to family, consular officials and lawyers and extensive medical care. He was never subjected to, or threatened with, either torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of any sort.”

UK

Two in five female transport workers suffer sexual harassment at work, RMT survey finds


Passengers board a train at Kings Cross station in London


TWO in five female public transport workers have been sexually harassed at work in the last year, an RMT survey has found.

The union surveyed 1,400 women workers across rail, bus, metro and passenger ferry.

It found that 40 per cent of women public transport workers said they had been sexually harassed at work in the last year.

Nearly seven in 10 of those affected did not report the incidents, with the most common reason being that they did not think their complaint would be taken seriously.

More than 80 per cent of women also said that sexual harassment on public transport is becoming more of a problem, with some sharing disturbing testimony of the abuse.

One said: “I have had numerous men stroke my bum as they pass by and that’s in the day.

“Of a night when they are drunk, it’s worse — I’ve had a group of men grab me and say ‘come on love, sit on my knee’.”

Another added that harassment included “cat-calling, touching, staring, unwanted uncomfortable conversation, unwanted ‘compliments’ and people taking pictures of me without my permission.”

A third said: “Sexually aggressive, explicit language as a form of intimidation is a frequent thing.”

A fourth said: “I have had many comments made to me, one which has stuck with was: ‘You look amazing in that uniform, but I think you would look better out of it’.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “On the International day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, this survey shows employers have much more to do in the public transport industry — and the authorities in wider society — to tackle misogyny and harassment against women.

“It is clear that more staffing and reducing lone working will help make our members feel safer.”

Amazon hit by 'Black Friday' strikes in Europe
LONDON

November 26 2023 

Amazon was hit by strikes at various locations in Britain, Germany and Italy during the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza as workers demand higher wages and better working conditions.

Haberin Devamı

More than 1,000 workers went on strike at an Amazon hub in Coventry, England, which employs 2,300 people and supplies other warehouses.

In Germany, the industrial action called by Union Verdi began overnight on Nov. 23, affecting five out of the U.S. e-commerce giant's 20 logistics sites in Europe's biggest economy.

Workers at the Amazon hub in Castel San Giovanni, between Piacenza and Milan, joined the strike.

In Britain, the GMB union said Amazon has refused to talk to the workers.

Workers want their pay to rise from 12 pounds ($15) per hour currently to 15 pounds per hour.

In Germany, Amazon said workers already had a "fair wage and good additional benefits."

Starting wages are at 14 euros ($15.30) and above per hour, the company said, higher than Germany's minimum wage of 12 euros.

In Italy, the union complained about "unacceptable" pay increases as well as a failure by Amazon to raise the amount of meal vouchers and a lack of attention to health issues, among other reasons.

The actions in Italy coincided with a strike called across the whole of northern Italy against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's budget.

In Spain, one-hour work stoppages are planned for "Cyber Monday" and the following day, according to the CCOO union, which pointed to poor working conditions and "persistent problems" with human resources at the company's Spanish sites.

In France, there were no strikes at any Amazon facilities, according to the company.

Black Friday ,

Russia wages electronic warfare ‘using UK-made tech’, Ukraine dossier claims

Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Sun, 26 November 2023 

Photograph: Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images

Many of the countries that have sanctioned Russia over the war in Ukraine need to take urgent action to disrupt the supply of technology for its electronic warfare campaign, according to a new report.

The dossier compiled by Ukraine and circulated to the major countries which have imposed sanctions identifies key Russian firms involved in the development and production of electronic military equipment. It says the UK and other countries have not yet sanctioned some of the firms involved.

It identified what it claims is technology made by British firms in some of the advanced electronic equipment engaged in the conflict, and says more effective action is required to block the use of foreign components.


The report states: “The effectiveness of Russian electronic systems largely depends on access to imported components that are widely used in the production of such systems ... Specific steps should be taken immediately to reduce the Russian military-industrial complex’s capability.”

Related: Russia launches most intensive drone attack since invasion began, says Ukraine

Senior military commanders in Ukraine are concerned at recent advances by Russia in the electronic warfare battle. In a recent article in the Economist, Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, wrote: “[Electronic warfare] is the key to victory in the drone war.

“Russia modernised its [electronic warfare] forces over the past decade, creating a new branch of its army and building 60 new types of equipment. It outdoes us in this area: 65% of our jamming platforms at the start of the war were produced in Soviet times.”

The new Ukrainian report says that, in addition to jamming equipment, electronic intelligence systems can detect drone launches and predict possible military action. Specialised radar equipment can be used to track drones.

Eight key Russian firms are involved in the production of electronic warfare, the report says. They include the entities Strela Research and Production Association, Protek Research and Development Enterprise and Radioelectronic Technologies Concern, which it says have not been sanctioned by the UK.

It also names components from British firms which it says have been found in Russian electronic warfare. The companies involved say they have ceased all trading with Russia.

According to the report, transistors from Semelab Ltd, which has its registered office in Woking, Surrey, and is owned by TT Electronic Group Holdings, were found in equipment to block radio-controlled devices and communication on the battlefield. Power supply equipment from XP Power, which has its HQ in Singapore and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, was found in mobile short-range radar. And parts allegedly manufactured by Golledge Electronics, based in Ilminster, Somerset, were found in a direction-finding system.

A spokesperson for TT Electronics said: “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TT Electronics has adopted a total prohibition on all sales to any Russian entities. Due to the nature of international supply chains, once a product is sold it may then be sold on many times prior to its end-use. Such onward sales and end-use are not within the manufacturer’s control.

“TT Electronics acts in compliance with all export control laws and regulations and operates a detailed export control compliance programme.” The relevant components cited in the report are not designed for military use.

XP Power said it had a small distributor in Russia which it ceased trading with in 2022. It said the parts identified in the report were manufactured by a partner and supplied before the Ukraine invasion.

The company said: “XP has done no business in Russia since February 2022 and operates in full compliance of the sanctions.”

Golledge Electronics said it stopped all business with its Russian distributor in February 2022. It said it had not supplied any components to the Russian distributor since 2021, and since 2016 every shipment was subject to clearance by the UK government. The firm said it was unlikely the components identified in the report were genuine since the marked code number “does not tally with any Golledge product”.

The report says sanctions should be imposed on the Russian firms identified. It also proposes a “unified database of components” identifying the technology which the Russian military is using in its electronic warfare equipment.

Officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office say they have prohibited the exports and supply to Russia of thousands of products, banning all items found on the battlefield. The UK recently acted to disrupt a covert procurement network used by Russia to acquire critical western technology.

Ecuador's newly sworn-in president repeals guidelines allowing people to carry limited drug amounts

A statement from Noboa’s office announcing the move argued that the old guidelines “encouraged micro-trafficking” and characterized them as a “harmful element for Ecuadorian society.” 

MICRO; TEENY, TINY, LITTLEST, ETC

Associated Press
Sat, November 25, 2023

National Assembly President Henry Kronfle places the presidential sash on President Daniel Noboa after he was sworn-in as the country's new president, during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Diego Montenegro) 

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Less than 48 hours into his term, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa on Friday repealed controversial guidelines established by the country’s left a decade ago that eliminated penalties for people found carrying illegal drugs under certain amounts.

Noboa’s decision fulfilled a campaign promise to fight drug trafficking. Consequences of the illegal trade, particularly cocaine, have kept Ecuadorians on edge as killings, kidnappings, robberies, extortion and other crimes reached unprecedented levels.

A statement from Noboa’s office announcing the move argued that the old guidelines “encouraged micro-trafficking” and characterized them as a “harmful element for Ecuadorian society.” 

Noboa also directed the ministries of interior and public health to develop “coordinated information, prevention and control programs on the consumption of narcotic and psychotropic substances” and to offer treatment and rehabilitation to “habitual and problematic occasional users.

The guidelines were adopted in 2013 during the presidency of Rafael Correa under the argument that illegal drug use was a public health problem and users should not be sent to prison. The quantities used in the guidelines attempted to differentiate drug consumption from drug trafficking.

Under the parameters, an individual could carry for personal use up to 10 grams of marijuana, 2 grams of cocaine paste, 1 gram of cocaine, 0.10 grams of heroin and 0.04 grams of amphetamine.

The guidelines were highly criticized from the start by Ecuador’s right, and in general, the country’s conservative society.

It remained unclear how Noboa’s decision will be implemented. His predecessor, President Guillermo Lasso, announced in January 2021 his own decision to eliminate the parameters, arguing that they affected “young people and children,” but it was never implemented.

In addition, a ruling from Ecuador’s Constitutional Court orders judges to distinguish between consumers and traffickers when determining possible punishments. Without the guidelines, however, it is unclear how they will make the distinction.

Noboa was sworn in to office Thursday after defeating Luisa Gonzalez, a Correa mentee, in a runoff election Oct. 15. His term will run only through May 2025, which is what remained of Lasso’s tenure. Lasso cut his term short when he dissolved the National Assembly in May as lawmakers pursued impeachment proceedings against him.

Under Lasso’s watch, violent deaths in Ecuador soared, reaching a record 4,600 in 2022, which was double the number from the year before.

The spike in violence is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Mexican, Colombian and Balkan cartels have set down roots in Ecuador and operate with assistance from local criminal gangs.