Eco-terrorist who planted explosive in Edinburgh tourist hotspot jailed

Ross Hunter
Thu, 5 October 2023 

The explosive device was found in a cardboard in Princes Street Gardens in 2018

AN eco-terrorist who was radicalised on online forums and then planted a potentially explosive device in one of Edinburgh’s tourist hotspots has been jailed for more than eight years.

Nikolaos Karvounakis was handed an eight-year and four-month prison term at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday after planting the explosive in Princes Street Gardens on January 11, 2018.

It was found by members of the public inside a cardboard box which had been left in a shelter.

Lord Braid said the device had a chance of detonating despite being wired in a way as to not explode when opened.

Inside the box was a pipe containing 58 nails, 27 of which were cut in half.

The National: Nikolaos Karvounakis was handed an eight-year and four-month prison term at the High Court in Edinburgh

Karvounakis was acting on behalf of the International Terrorist Mafia – a Mexican eco-terror group – which the court was told he has now distanced himself from.

COMPLETELY PHONEY GROUP- I MEAN REALLY, ROFLMAO

The court heard he will “regret” his actions for the rest of his life.

During the 22-minute hearing, Lord Braid said had the device exploded “serious injuries could have been caused to multiple victims”.

When discovered, the device caused huge disruption in the city centre as emergency services rushed to seal off the scene.

The 35-year-old, who was present in court, admitted making and planting the device at a hearing earlier this year. He was told had he not pleaded guilty, he would have faced a decade behind bars.

About a month after the device was found, Karvounakis contacted a newspaper journalist, sending a photo of it and describing himself as a “lover of nihilist, anti-political violence”.

An earlier hearing was told detectives had discovered he bought the parts used in the device from DIY stores and over the internet, and that he closely followed an instructional video to construct it.

The court was told the fuse was not connected, but Lord Braid said the device could have been viable with the potential introduction of a hot filament.

Counter-terror police eventually arrested Karvounakis on June 15, 2021 at North Bridge in Edinburgh.

In mitigation, John Scullion QC stressed the device was not intended to detonate.

Scullion told the court: “The accused accepts full responsibility for his actions. He regrets what he did and will regret it for the rest of his life.”

He added his client was “anxious to stress” he has changed since the offence and is “not the same person he was in 2018”.

At the time, the court was told, Karvounakis was experiencing a “difficult period in his personal life” and had “struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem”.

The lawyer said Karvounakis had spent “increasing time on forums, eventually speaking to people with extreme views” that he would then go on to gain approval from.

Passing sentence, Lord Braid said the eight-year, four-month term would be backdated to August 2 2021, and the former Greek serviceman would be on the counter-terror list for the next 15 years.

Council staff who responded to the discovery of the device found a black pipe, wiring and battery taped to the inside of the box. They called police who sealed off the area and a controlled explosion took place.

Stephen McGowan, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “If this device had detonated, serious harm could have been done. Nikolaos Karvounakis put members of the public in danger through his reckless actions and this was wholly unacceptable.

“COPFS has a duty to keep the people of Scotland safe and we are committed to working with other agencies to ensure those committing offences under the terrorism legislation are brought to justice.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Houston, the head of Police Scotland’s counter-terrorism unit, said: “The sentencing of Nikolaos Karvounakis is the culmination of a four-year investigation.

“Police Scotland counter-terrorism investigators worked with colleagues both in the UK and Europe, and the subsequent conviction and sentencing is testament to the dedication of law enforcement and partners that they were able to piece together the actions of this individual.

“His sentencing today highlights the continuous collaborative work being undertaken by Police Scotland, prosecutors and other key partners to keep our communities safe from the threat of terrorism, which won’t be tolerated in civilised society.

“We will continue our partnership work to identify and protect anyone who feels vulnerable to being influenced into carrying out these types of offences.”

All charges against Artemis Parissi, 32, of Edinburgh, in the case were dropped by the Crown Office.

A REAL BRITISH ECO TERRORIST WHO WENT TO JAIL

Why there is no real difference between a Terrorist Organization and an Organized Crime faction, just a matter of interaction towards the State (st-andrews.ac.uk)

UK

‘I was chased down the street for wearing heels’: Trans people on the surge in hate crimes

Maira Butt
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Members of the trans community have expressed fear and upset at their experiences of a less tolerant Britain (Getty Images)

The number of hate crimes recorded in England and Wales has fallen for the first time in a decade. But transgender hate crimes have gone in the opposite direction, surging by 11 per cent in the past year.

The Home Office reported there were a total of 4,732 recorded hate crimes motivated by transgender hate last year, with its own report suggesting the issue being “heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media” may have contributed to the rise.

The new statistics come a fortnight after a report published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) said Britain is now less tolerant of transgender issues.

Only 30 per cent agreed a trans person should be permitted to change the sex on their birth certificate, compared to 53 per cent in 2019. In that year, 82 per cent described themselves as “not at all prejudiced” against trans people — a figure which has dropped sharply to 64 per cent this year.

“It doesn’t surprise me in the least,” said jane fae, a trans woman in her 60s, who prefers not to capitilise her name. “We’ve now had five years of a concerted onslaught by politicians and much of the mainstream media. If any minority were demonised constantly for five years you’d expect their popularity to wane a bit.”

fae, a writer and campaigner who transitioned in her 40s, told The Independent she’s experienced increasingly hostile attitudes over the years. She cites a study showing an exponential increase in trans coverage correlated with transphobic crimes.

“I know trans people who’ve been living a quiet life for years with no issue and have gone swimming recently and been beaten up in the locker room,” she added.

jane fae - writer, campaigner and Chair of Trans Media Watch and Director at TransActual (jane fae)

Dylan Davies, 24, was bullied after coming out as trans. He feels polarising content on social media is also to blame.

“People jump on bandwagons they don’t understand,” he told The Independent. “People will turn anything into a trans issue. I’ve even seen memes blaming the XL bully dogs issue on trans people.”

Davies says it’s affected his mental health and confidence to leave the house. “It makes me feel isolated, like there’s all these people outside who don’t want me to exist.”

Dylan Davies, 24 (Dylan Davies)

The threat of violence is far from hypothetical for 32-year-old Nick Cherryman, also known as drag performer Ibi Profane. They recall an instance of being aggressively heckled and chased down the street by a group of male scaffolders — for wearing heels.

“I reported it to the police, because I wanted it to be included in hate crime stats. The policeman said: ‘Sounds like they were just having a laugh, mate’.

“Thankfully, a gay officer rang me back to apologise. He understood.”

The officer contacted the scaffolders’ employer to warn them should future behaviour lead to an arrest.

Cherryman, who describes themselves as “bolshy” and “resilient”, says the threat of aggression is always there, no matter how confident you are. “It also depends on how well you can pass. Being a trans person is a life of tension between people who accept you and people who don’t.”

Nicky Cherryman, 32 - PhD student and drag performer also known as Ibi Profane (Nick Cherryman)

Dr Kamilla Kamaruddin, 61, a GP in transgender healthcare and clinical lead for the East of England Gender Service, feels the demographics of survey participants needs to be interrogated. “The younger generation are much more inclusive. They don’t bat an eyelid when it comes to trans issues. Older people tend to be a bit more sceptical.”

Dr Kamaruddin, who left Malaysia due to hostility, feels her experience in the UK has been good overall, with patients and staff being very supportive and responsive to her transitioning. However, she has noticed a pattern of increased anxiety and isolation in her patients while working with them to receive gender-affirming care.

fae says the mental health impacts on trans people are acute and, although they are often told they are brave, she says they are more often desperate.

Kamilla Kamaruddin, 61, GP in Transgender Healthcare & Clinical Lead East of England Gender Service (Kamilla Kamaruddin)

“I spent my whole life feeling like an outsider,” she said. “Like there was something about me that didn’t fit into life, community, civilisation... you name it.” She says that transitioning gave her a clarity she’d not experienced before. “The run up to transition had been a long walk in the wilderness, and I felt like I was rejoining society.”

Davies agrees, “All we’re trying to do is be ourselves. I feel like this is who I’m meant to be. Even with the transphobia, the hate and the massive waiting lists, it’s still the best thing I ever did.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “There is no place for hate in our society, it does not reflect the values of modern Britain, and we remain committed to ensuring these abhorrent offences are stamped out.

“We are pleased there has been an overall reduction in hate crimes recorded by police, and the numbers of sexual orientation, race and disability hate crimes all fell. But any instance is one too many.

“We expect the police to fully investigate these hateful attacks and make sure the cowards who commit them feel the full force of the law.”

Caitlyn Jenner says she would not feel safe using men's toilets

Sky News
Updated Wed, 4 October 2023 


Caitlyn Jenner has said she would not feel safe using men's toilets and finds women's toilets to have a "much better environment".

Jenner, who came out as a trans woman in 2015, said she has been using women's toilets for eight years and has "never had a problem", when speaking to Sky News on The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee.

"It is a much better environment in the ladies room, but I treat it with respect," she said. "I go in there, I do my business and I get the heck outta there." (sic)

The 73-year-old, who is best known as an Olympic gold medallist turned reality TV star, with her connection to the Kardashians, went on to say that she wouldn't feel safe using a men's toilet.

"Would I feel more safe going into the men's room, looking like this?

"I don't think that would be a good idea, for my safety. I treat it with respect, that's by far the most important thing," she said.

Jenner's comments come after the UK government confirmed in August that it is working to reverse the "rise in gender-neutral toilets" as part of its wider efforts to protect single-sex spaces.

New regulations brought in by the government means that all new non-domestic public and private buildings will be required to provide separate single-sex toilets for women and men and/or a self-contained, private toilet as a minimum.

At the time, Kemi Badenoch, minister for women and equalities, said the move towards gender-neutral toilets had removed women and girls' fundamental right to privacy and dignity.

"These proposals will ensure every new building in England is required to provide separate male and female or unisex facilities and publish guidance to explain the difference, protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of all," she said.

What is the current law in the UK?

Currently in the UK, transgender people can be excluded from using single-sex services such as toilets in certain scenarios, for example to prevent trauma and enable privacy.

"A sufficiently good reason" must be demonstrated by an organisation for doing so, a failure of which would be deemed unlawful, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states.

Going one step further, Ms Badenoch wrote to the EHRC in April, asking for its advice to change official wording in the Equality Act from just "sex" to "biological sex", which she described as a "technical and contested area of law".

In response, the parliament's human rights watchdog said the amendment would result in "greater legal clarity" around women-only spaces, hospitals and access to sport.

The recommendation was met with anger from the LGBTQ+ charity, Stonewall, which said the move would "risk opening yet another chapter in a manufactured culture war that will see little benefit to women, cis and trans alike".

Jenner has previously spoken about her views on transwomen taking part in sports, claiming that individuals who were born male should not be allowed to compete in girls' sports teams.

Reiterating her stance to Sky News on Wednesday, she said: "In swimming, trans women should not be competing in women's sport, that's the bottom line."

She added that when she was at the height of her sporting career, she "wouldn't have transitioned".

UK

LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

Rise in hate crimes against trans people could be fuelled by politicians, Home Office admits

Holly Bancroft
Thu, 5 October 2023

A rise in hate crimes against transgender people may have been fuelled by politicians’ comments, the Home Office has admitted.

Transgender hate crimes rose by 11 per cent in the year to March 2023, to their highest rate since the figures were first recorded in 2012. Recorded crimes increased from 4,262 in 2022 to 4,732 this year, while religious hate crimes were also up by 9 per cent.

A Home Office briefing outlining the statistics, published on Thursday, highlighted for the first time the potential link between MPs’ remarks and the rise in recorded incidents. It said: “Transgender issues have been heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in these offences, or more awareness in the police in the identification and recording of these crimes.”

The impact of comments made by politicians was not included in the reasons given for transgender hate crimes the previous year, when incidents were instead attributed to heavy discussion on social media.

Describing the Home Office figures as “distressing”, Tory MP Elliot Colburn, who is the vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on hate crime, said it was time for the government to take the lead on the issue in a more respectful way in order to “end the toxicity”.

Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said that politicians need to be able to talk about issues of national importance, and that the subject of trans rights needs to be discussed “frankly and politely” to avoid it leading to hate crimes.

The revelation comes after a Tory party conference at which there was a strong focus on the trans debate, and months after Rishi Sunak was accused of weaponising trans issues. And Labour has not escaped criticism on the issue, as a row continues within the party over its position on trans rights.

Mr Sunak was criticised for comments he made in his conference speech on Wednesday, in which he said: “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be – they can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.”

Six cabinet ministers also used their conference speeches to raise transgender issues. Home secretary Suella Braverman criticised “gender ideology”, describing it as one of the “highly controversial” ideas being “presented to workforces and the public as if they are motherhood and apple pie”.

Conservative London Assembly member Andrew Boff was ejected from Ms Braverman’s speech after he objected to her comments, saying: “There’s no such thing as gender ideology.”

Rishi Sunak used his conference speech to criticise a lack of ‘common sense’ in the public sector (EPA)

Speaking to reporters after he was removed, Mr Boff said: “It is making our Conservative Party look transphobic and homophobic. Our party has a proud record of standing up for LGBT+ rights, and she is destroying it.”

Health secretary Steve Barclay, meanwhile, insisted that the Tories “know what a woman is” as he announced that trans women would be banned from women-only NHS hospital wards.

Britain’s first openly transgender MP, Conservative Jamie Wallis, told The Independent that Mr Barclay should solve problems “which actually exist”. He said there was “no evidence of even a single complaint about the presence of trans women in particular spaces”.

Sir Keir Starmer has faced backbench opposition within his own party after he said that “99.9 per cent of women” do not have a penis. He was criticised by Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who suggested that his comments had left many in the party “livid” and that there were concerns that his stance risked rolling back women’s rights.

Andrew Boff accused Suella Braverman of making the Tory party look ‘transphobic’ (PA)

Shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds sparked debate within the party as she vowed to protect single-sex spaces and said that gender recognition without a medical diagnosis is not the “right way forward”.

The number of overall hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales has fallen year on year for the first time in a decade.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said that the stats showed there had been an overall reduction in hate crimes recorded by the police, and that the numbers of crimes relating to sexual orientation, race and disability had all fallen.

“Whilst the increase in transgender hate crime may be due to a genuine rise, the biggest driver is likely to be general improvements in police recording,” they added.

A total of 145,214 offences were recorded in the year ending in March 2023, down 5 per cent from 153, 536 in the previous 12 months. The majority of hate crimes were racially motivated, accounting for two-thirds of offences.

Some 41 per cent involved violence, and 51 per cent were public order offences. And religious hate crimes increased, rising 9 per cent year-on-year.

Two in five religious hate crime offences were directed against Muslims, and around one in six were directed against Jews.

It comes as the percentage of violent offences is on the rise, with violent crimes having made up only 30 per cent of reports in 2014-15.

The recorded rise in transgender identity crimes comes after a nationwide survey found that British people are growing less accepting of transgender people.

The new statistics come a fortnight after a report published by the National Centre for Social Research found that Britain is now less tolerant of transgender issues.

Only 30 per cent agreed that a trans person should be permitted to change the sex on their birth certificate, compared to 53 per cent in 2019. In that year, 82 per cent described themselves as “not at all prejudiced” against trans people – a figure that has dropped sharply to 64 per cent this year.

Mr Colburn, who has previously urged his party to stop “demonising” trans people, told The Independent: “These statistics make for depressing reading. Hate crime, attacking someone for nothing else than who they are, is heinous. It’s sadly not surprising to see the increase.

“The government has itself identified in their data report that the harmful rhetoric around trans people has no doubt contributed to this rise. It’s time to lead from the front, end the toxicity, and find a more respectful way forward.”

Sir Jacob said: “Politicians must be able to discuss issues of national importance freely. The questions around trans rights and the balance required to protect women are important and need to be discussed frankly and politely.” Such a discussion would not lead to hate crimes, he added.

Becca Rosenthal, national hate crime lead at charity Victim Support, said the rise in transphobic hate crime was “extremely concerning”. “We know that transphobic hate crime is seriously underreported – and transgender victims who we support tell us that hostility towards the community is getting worse,” she added.

Robbie de Santos, from charity Stonewall, said that many political leaders “are filling the public domain with toxic language that dehumanises LGBTQ+ people and legitimises violence”, adding: “The UK government failed to implement any sort of strategy that responds to their own statistics and reports.”

And Green Party peer Natalie Bennett told The Independent that the trans debate had been dominated by an “absolutely disgraceful level of dog-whistle politics” instead of the “sober, careful, sensible, caring discussion we should have”.

She said: “If we are going to see, over the next 15 months, the government seeking to make the election a culture war, then I very much fear that there will be many people at risk from that – and certainly trans people will be among those who suffer in those circumstances.”

Danny Harry, star of TV dating show I Kissed a Boy, said a recent incident at King’s Cross station, in which he was followed and surrounded by men using offensive slurs against him, was not isolated.

“For so many people in my community, it is so much worse,” he said. “Many political leaders are fuelling the flames of homophobia in this country, and warping the facts to create a false narrative that puts a target on the backs of the most vulnerable.”

UK

LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

Exclusive: Gay couple viciously attacked by gang armed with ‘wooden panel with nails in’

The attack in east London on Sunday comes as latest figures reveal there are more than 24,000 hate crimes a year against people because of their sexual orientation.

Emily Cleary
Updated Thu, 5 October 2023 

Callum Griggs was subjected to a homophobic attack in east London on Sunday. (Brad Balueta/X)

A gay man was hospitalised after a gang attacked him in broad daylight as he walked past shops with his partner.

Callum Griggs was kicked and punched by the gang on Chadwell Heath High Road, east London, at 5.30pm on Sunday.

He was walking with his partner, Brad Balueta, when they were targeted by a gang of six or seven youths who began to taunt them.

Balueta, 24, told Yahoo News UK: "I had spotted them and had put my head down. I am aware of situations and hoped we could just walk past, but they began to fire homophobic slurs at us, calling us 'batty boys' and 'fags'.

"Callum calmly asked them what they said, and one told him he knew where he lived, then named the street, and told him, "I will kill you".

"I am out and proud but in all my life I have never felt so scared. He clearly knew where my boyfriend lived, and was very aggressive."

Balueta said the gang were aged around 18 to 20 years old and were standing outside a fast food shop. Balueta said they began to jeer each other on, and that one grabbed a wooden panel with nails in.

He said: "He started waving it around, and near Callum's face. They seemed to feed off each other and got more aggressive."

Brad Balueta, left, and Callum Griggs, right, were targeted on the street in east London. (Brad Balueta)

As the situation escalated, the couple saw people inside shops watching, but no one came to their aid.

Balueta said: "It is all a bit hazy after that - one of them went for Callum, he grabbed his shirt then another sucker-punched him in the back of the head.

"I was terrified, they were piling on to him and it was three on one. They were punching and kicking him.

"So many people were staring but nobody came to help."

The attack lasted several minutes before the group fled, with one laughing as he shouted at Griggs: "I've got your blood on my hands."

Two women in a passing car saw Griggs's injuries and stopped to help. They took the pair home where they called police.

Griggs, a 23-year-old teaching assistant and sports coach, was told to go to hospital and call back on his return.

'People did nothing'

After 13 hours at A&E undergoing treatment - Griggs suffered a gash in his eye that needed glued back together - the pair returned home and called police again.

Balueta says they were told they would receive a visit at 2pm on Monday, but no one arrived. They were then told officers would visit later that day, then on Tuesday, but said nobody came to take statements until Wednesday morning.

"We wanted to go public because so many people just watched and did nothing," said Balueta.

"This has been happening to our community for years and is still happening in front of our very eyes today.

"Verbal or physical, homophobia and transphobia is a real thing, it needs to be called out."

Jon Cruddas, the local Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, told Yahoo News UK he was "saddened" to hear about the attack.

He said: "I was saddened to hear about the recent violent hate crime in Chadwell Heath which was reported on social media.

Labour MP Jon Cruddas told Yahoo News UK he will speak to the local authority and police to ensure the incident is investigated. (Getty Images)

"It is appalling that prejudices like this are still affecting our community. I will be making representations to both the local authority and police to seek assurances that this will be investigated, and that all efforts are being made to support the LGBT community who may feel vulnerable following this incident.

"There is no place for homophobic hate in modern Britain."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told Yahoo News UK they could not comment on the incident at this time.

Homophobic attacks in Britain

The government has revealed that there are more than 24,000 hate crimes per year against people because of their sexual orientation.

Home Office data published on Thursday showed that in the year to March 2023, the most recent period for which data is available, there were 24,102 hate crimes against people in Britain because of their sexual orientation.

Although this was a slight drop from the previous year, it is more than 10,000 more than were reported in year year to March 2019, and does not include figures from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Transgender hate crimes increased by 11% on the past year to 4,732 offences.

Robbie de Santos, director of external affairs at Stonewall, told Yahoo News UK: “As a survivor of a violent attack myself, I know the awful reality behind these rising numbers.

"What concerns me even more is that political leaders haven't acted seriously or quickly enough. Instead many of them are filling the public domain with toxic language that dehumanises LGBTQ+ people and legitimises violence.

"The UK government failed to implement any sort of strategy that responds to their own statistics and reports. We need a strong and committed leadership that moves away from divisive distractions and instead addresses the real problems of people in this country.

"We shouldn't be treated like second-class citizens.”

I Kissed A Boy’s Dan opens up on homophobic attack: ‘It was a very scary experience’

Dale Fox
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Dan Harry says he was the victim of a homophobic attack (Image: BBC)

I Kissed A Boy star Dan Harry has opened up about being subjected to a homophobic attack, adding he has partnered with Stonewall to encourage LGBTQ+ people to report such incidents.

The alleged attack took place last year at King’s Cross St. Pancras Tube station in London. Dan said a group of males verbally abused him and threatened to push him onto the tracks.

“I saw a group of three guys probably in their 20s spot me as I was walking onto the Tube station platform,” Dan told Attitude. “They followed me onto the platform, surrounded me, and threatened to push me onto the tracks in front of the train, while asking if I was gay and calling me slurs.

“They were nudging me closer to the edge of the platform as I was trying to just ignore them with my earphones in. As the train was approaching, I ran to the opposite end of the platform and got on the furthest carriage that I could. As the train then departed, and stopped at each stop, I could hear them walking down the platform checking each carriage for where I was. I remember by the third stop they were at my carriage and started shouting slurs at me through the carriage doors.”
“No one spoke or said anything or even asked if I was OK”

The reality star expressed his astonishment that nobody on the train offered to help during the alleged incident.

“The carriage I was on was busy with other people, and I will always remember that everyone just stared at me and watched the situation, but no one spoke or said anything, or even asked if I was OK.”

Almost one year on, Dan has been left with bad memories of what he says took place. “It was a very scary experience and I will always think about it when I’m standing on a Tube platform.”

Dan has since partnered with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall as part of a campaign to encourage people to report LGBTQ+ hate crimes. This comes after a Home Office report found that only around 1 in 10 such crimes are reported.

“In the face of rising hate crimes, I want to stand up for my community who are under attack every day,” Dan said in a seperate news release. “What happened to me on the Tube platform … was not an isolated incident. For so many people in my community, it is so much worse.

“That’s why I’m partnering with Stonewall to demand change. We can’t face this battle alone; rather, we must tackle it together as a community. I want everyone enduring hate crimes to know you’re not alone.”
How do I report a hate crime?

You can report a hate crime by calling 101 or visiting the Stop Hate Crime website. You should call 999 if you’re reporting a crime that’s in progress or if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Stonewall has also launched the Zoteria app, which it says can be used “to flag hate incidents, either against themselves or on behalf of someone else, and access support from LGBTQ+ charities”.

The post I Kissed A Boy’s Dan opens up on homophobic attack: ‘It was a very scary experience’ appeared first on Attitude.

LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

Hate crimes against transgender people hit record high in England and Wales

Michael Goodier
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock

A record number of hate crimes were committed against transgender people last year in England and Wales, even as racist and homophobic hate crimes recorded by police fell for the first time on record.

In the year ending March 2023, 4,732 hate crimes against transgender people were recorded – a rise of 11% on the previous year. The Home Office report said that comments by politicians and the media over the last year may have led to an increase in these offences.

Rishi Sunak’s keynote speech to the Conservative conference seemed to argue that transgender identities were not valid. “A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense,” he said.


The number of racist hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales fell for the first time on record – driven by a decrease in racially aggravated public fear, alarm or distress offences.Interactive

Figures released by the Home Office show there were 101,906 racist hate crimes recorded in 2022-23 – down 6% from 2021-22. However, the figure was still higher than the 90,909 recorded in 2020-21.

Homophobic hate crimes also fell by 6% over the last year to 24,102 – the first fall since March 2013 – while disability hate crimes fell by 1%.

However religiously motivated hate crimes rose last year by 9% – with a record 9,387 documented in the year to March. Two in five religious hate crimes were against people perceived to be Muslim, while one in six were against people perceived to be Jewish.

Just 7% of all hate crimes were dealt with by a charge or court summons – down from 9% in the year ending March 2022. There was an increase in cases where victims did not support police action as well as cases where no suspect was identified.

Transgender- and disability-based hate crimes were less likely to result in a charge or court summons than hate crimes based on a person’s race, religion or sexual orientation.

Since 2011-12, the number of hate crimes recorded by police has more than tripled. However, police forces have made large improvements in how they record crime over the last decade, and have also improved their identification of what constitutes a hate crime – meaning the rising figures may not truly reflect a rise in actual hate crimes taking place over that period.

The Home Office said the overall fall in the figures could be linked to interim guidance published last year which “may have led to greater scrutiny of the threshold of what constitutes a criminal offence of public fear, alarm or distress”.

However its report noted: “Transgender issues have been heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in these offences, or more awareness in the police in the identification and recording of these crimes.”

The LGBTQ+ group Stonewall criticised political leaders for not having acted “seriously or quickly enough” against hate crime, adding that “many of them are filling the public domain with toxic language that dehumanises LGBTQ+ people”.

Leni Morris, the CEO of the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop, said the figures did not reflect what the charity had seen in its services.

She said: “In the last year alone we have seen a 65% increase in LGBT+ victims of hate crime coming to us for support.

“These figures have never captured the true picture of hate crime in this country. The government’s own research shows that over 90% of anti-LGBT+ hate crimes go unreported – this is a case of poor data not reflecting reality.

“We believe this reflects a decrease in trust of police and the criminal justice system, and fewer victims coming forward to formally report what has happened to them.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “There is no place for hate in our society, it does not reflect the values of modern Britain, and we remain committed to ensuring these abhorrent offences are stamped out, which is why we have a robust legislative framework to tackle it wherever it is found.

“These statistics show there has been an overall reduction in hate crimes recorded by police, and the numbers of sexual orientation, race and disability hate crimes all fell.

“Whilst the increase in transgender hate crime may be due to a genuine rise, the biggest driver is likely to be general improvements in police recording.”

The Home Office said that any instance of hate crime was “one too many” and that it expected the police to “fully investigate” all such incidents and “make sure the cowards who commit them feel the full force of the law”.

Hate crimes against transgender people hit average of 13 a day


Martin Benham
Thu, 5 October 2023 


Crimes motivated by hatred of transgender people that were reported to police rose to a record high last year despite a five per cent fall in the overall number of hate crimes, official figures revealed on Thursday.

Home Office statistics show that 4,732 hate offences targeting transgender people were reported to forces in the 12 months to the end of March.

The total — which amounts to an average of 13 transgender hate crimes a day — was up 11 per cent on the previous year’s tally.


The Home Office said that one potential cause of the rise might be greater police awareness of the problem and better recording of offences.

But it said an alternative explanation was that “transgender issues have been heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media over the last year” and that this “may have led to an increase in these offences”.

The rise in recorded offences involving transgender hate was nearly matched by a nine per cent increase in crimes motivated by hatred of a person’s religion.

That took the annual total to 9,387 offences with Muslims accounting for the largest number of victims, followed by Jewish people.

Offences motivated by race hatred accounted for the largest overall number of hate crimes, with 101,906 over the year. The tally represented seven out of 10 of all hate crimes but was down by six per cent on the previous year.

Thursday’s Home Office publication says the fall was “driven by a decrease in racially or religiously aggravated public fear, alarm or distress offences”.

It adds that the decline might have been result of new College of Policing guidance on non-crime hate incidents, leading police to alter how they decide what constitutes a race-hate offence involving fear or distress.

Victims of race hate crimes are split almost equally between white, black and Asian people, though the document points out that the white category includes people from overseas subjected to xenophobic crimes.

Meanwhile, a campaigner for a women’s organisation says she was bitten and had clumps of her hair ripped out by another woman during a racist attack on the Tube.

Selma Taha, from Southall Black Sisters, said she and two friends had been on the Northern line from Camden Town to King’s Cross on Friday night when one of her friends was nearly hit by the alleged attacker’s suitcase.

When they asked her to move the suitcase, Ms Taha claims the woman used racist language including calling them “slaves” and made monkey noises. The situation developed into a physical confrontation, Ms Taha said, telling the BBC: “She went for my hair. She bit me through my clothes. I could feel burning and was screaming, ‘She’s biting me’. I thought she would come away with flesh in her mouth.”

She later attended hospital where she was given a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

A woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and a racially-aggravated public order offence, and was released on bail while enquiries continue.

Ms Taha said she had submitted a complaint to the Met’s directorate of professional standards saying an off-duty police officer on the train did not intervene quickly enough.

SCOTLAND
Starmer’s hopes of becoming PM boosted after winning key by-election


Kate Devlin and Adam Forrest
Fri, 6 October 2023 



Keir Starmer’s hopes of winning the keys to No 10 at next year’s general election have been boosted after winning a “seismic” victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.

Polling guru Prof John Curtice said the 20 per cent swing from SNP to Labour was a “remarkably good result” that put Sir Keir’s party on course to be the “dominant” force in Scotland again and win a majority in the Commons.

Labour has been confident it would take the Scottish seat from the SNP after the disgraced former MP for the area Margaret Ferrier broke lockdown laws to travel from London to Glasgow with Covid.

Bur victory was seen as a crucial step prove the party was on course for victory next year, and avoid tough questions at its party conference which opens this weekend in Liverpool.

In the end, the party’s candidate Michael Shanks won over 17,000 votes, out of a total of 30,000 cast – a remarkable 58 per cent of votes cast. The result marks a 20.4 per cent swing to Labour from the SNP.

Sir Keir hailed the victory as a “seismic” result, which he said sent a “clear message” that it was “time for change” across the country.

“I have always said that winning back the trust of people in Scotland is essential,” said the Labour leader. “Tonight’s victory is the culmination of three and a half years of hard work and humility on that journey.

Sir Keir added: “Voters across Scotland and across Britain want a government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country.”

Prof Curtice told BBC Scotland News said the “remarkably good result” was “well above the kinds of swings we’ve seen in the opinion polls in Scotland”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (right) with winner Michael Shanks (PA)

The elections expert said: “That means the Labour vote in the constituency is almost as high as it was in 2010 before the tsunami that swept the Labour party from virtually every constituency in Scotland.”

Prof Curtice added: “If this kind of swing were to be replicated across Scotland as a whole you’d be talking about the Labour Party quite clearly being the dominant party north of the border.”

The election expert also told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland that wins on that scale historically “on course for victory in a general election” he said – adding that you “cannot ignore the direction of travel”.

Labour hopes to win around 15 to 20 seats in Scotland at the next election, up from their current haul of just one. They had held the seat in 2010, but it flipped to the SNP in 2015 on a wave of support for the party in the wake of the independence referendum.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar added that the “seismic” result had sent a very clear message – that people are “sick of two tired, failing, incompetent governments”.

He added: “They’re desperate for a fresh start, they’re desperate for a change. Scotland will lead the way in delivering a UK-wide Labour government”.

The new MP for the area, Mr Shanks, said: “People need change from governments that have too often been distracted... People are once again listening to the Scottish Labour Party,” he said, adding: “Change is possible.”

Embarrassingly for the Scottish Conservatives, candidate Thomas Kerr lost his deposit – winning just 1,192 votes. He said tactical voting “squeezed” Conservative votes since the party’s base wanted to “send a message” to the SNP.

SNP leader Humza Yousaf said the “collapse in the Tory vote, which went straight to Labour” was a significant factor, adding: “We lost this seat in 2017, and like 2019 we can win this seat back.”

The SNP’s deputy leader Keith Brown also said: “It’s Sir Keir Starmer’s pro-Brexit Labour party that benefitted from support from Tory voters.”

Moment Labour's Michael Shanks wins the Rutherglen by-election (PA)

Mr Yousaf has failed to connect with voters in the way ex-leader Nicola Sturgeon once did. Labour’s hopes were boosted when Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned as part of a police investigation into her party’s finances.

There was widespread outrage when Margaret Ferrier breached strict Covid regulations by travelling from Westminster to Scotland after she tested positive for the virus.

She was kicked out of the SNP, who called for her to resign her seat. Ms Ferrier resisted but was eventually ousted when a so-called “recall” petition was supported by her constituents.

Prof Curtice has said Labour would achieve “job done” if it turned a 10-point SNP lead in 2019 into a 10-point Labour lead.

“If it were to be much more than that, then this really would be potentially quite a spectacular result, and we’d be asking ourselves whether the Labour Party really could compete with the SNP to become the largest party in Scotland,” he added.

The Scottish Conservatives came in third place, polling ahead of Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate Gloria Adebo and Scottish Green Party candidate Cameron Eadie who secured 895 and 601 votes respectively.

Out of an electorate of 82,104, some 37.19 per cent turned out to cast a vote in the by-election, despite earlier fears that issues with voter ID and poor weather conditions impacted turnout.

SCOTLAND

Sir Keir Starmer hails ‘seismic’ win for Labour in Rutherglen and Hamilton West


Katrine Bussey, PA Scotland Political Editor
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a “seismic result” for Labour after his party overwhelmingly won Scotland’s first recall by-election.

Labour candidate Michael Shanks won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat after securing more than twice the votes of his SNP rival Katy Loudon.

The result will pile more pressure on SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf – who has seen his party’s fortunes decline in the polls in the wake of the ongoing police investigation in SNP finances.

The by-election was called after a recall petition against Margaret Ferrier, who had won the seat for the SNP in 2019 with a majority of 5,230.

Ms Ferrier however had the SNP whip removed after breaching Covid rules in 2020, and after remaining as an independent MP was suspended from the House of Commons, resulting in the recall petition.

Thursday’s by-election saw the SNP’s majority overturned by Labour after Mr Shanks won 17,845 votes, well ahead of the 8,399 votes returned for Ms Loudon.

After securing more than 58% of the votes cast Mr Shanks now has a majority of 9,446.

Sir Keir hailed that as a “seismic result” adding that voters in the constituency had “sent a clear message” that it is “time for change”, and that people “believe that this changed Labour Party can deliver it”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (centre) campaigned in the constituency with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (Left) and newly elected MP Michael Shanks. (Robert Perry/PA)

He added: “I have always said that winning back the trust of people in Scotland is essential.

“Tonight’s victory is the culmination of three and a half years of hard work and humility on that journey.

“I am grateful to everyone who has put their faith in us today – we will work every day to repay it.

“Voters across Scotland and across Britain want a government determined to deliver for working people, with a proper plan to rebuild our country.

“They want to move on from two SNP and Tory governments that offer only more division, more chaos and more infighting.”

The Scottish Conservative’s came in third place, with Thomas Kerr polling 1,192 ahead of Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate Gloria Adebo and Scottish Green Party candidate Cameron Eadie who secured 895 and 601 votes respectively.

A total of 30,531 votes were cast in the by-election, with turnout standing at 37.2%, well below the 66.5% turnout in the last general election.

Mr Yousaf, who made frequent visits to the constituency during the election campaign, stressed his party was facing “some very difficult circumstances”.

But he said the buck would stop from him if his party failed to hold on to the seat, and afterwards he conceded it had been a “disappointing night” for the SNP.

He posted on X that “circumstances of this by-election were always very difficult for us” with Mr Yousaf adding the “collapse in the Tory vote” had gone straight to Labour, saying this was a “significant factory” in the result.

SNP leader Humza Yousaf said it was a ‘disappointing’ result for his party and candidate Katy Loudon. (Jane Barlow/PA)

But the SNP leader added: “We lost this seat in 2017, and like 2019 we can win this seat back.

“We will reflect on what we have to do to regain the trust of the people
of Rutherglen & Hamilton West.”

Prior to the by-election Labour had just one MP in Scotland. with the party now hoping the result in Rutherglen and Hamilton West will be a springboard for the next general election, expected to be held sometime next year.

Mr Shanks said afterwards it was the “honour of his life” to be elected as MP for the area.

Speaking at the count in Hamilton he said: “The message from tonight is a resoundingly clear one – we have had more than enough of managed decline, more than enough of division, more than enough of distracted, chaotic government.”

Mr Shanks added the result showed that “there is no part of this country where Labour can’t win”.

He declared: “Labour can kick the Tories out of Downing Street next year and deliver the change people want and this country so badly needs. Tonight is one part of that journey.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar meanwhile said: “This is an absolutely extraordinary result, a seismic result and I think this will send shockwaves through the SNP and a historic moment in Scottish politics.

“I think Scottish politics has fundamentally changed tonight. The people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West have demonstrated that Scotland are sick of two failing governments. They want the incompetence, chaos and the division to come to an end.”

He rejected the idea that the win was fuelled by turmoil within the SNP, adding the result was “humiliating” for Mr Yousaf’s party.

However he said the significant swing to his party was “even beyond our expectations”.

UK

Labour seeking to delay antisemitism leak lawsuit until after election

Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Labour is seeking to delay until after the general election a court case against five former staff alleging they leaked a report concerned with the party’s handling of antisemitism complaints, as its costs were said to have apparently soared to £1.4m.

The lawsuit concerns the 2020 leak of an 860-page document that claimed factional hostility towards Jeremy Corbyn contributed to the party’s ineffective handling of such complaints.

Proposing a trial date no earlier than 28 February 2025, almost five years after the leak, the party has claimed it would be “unfair and inappropriate” to have to go to trial while it runs a general election campaign.

But the alleged leakers, who deny responsibility, have suggested Labour wants the delay to avoid “embarrassing or uncomfortable” publicity during the election period. In their skeleton argument, for a hearing that took place on Tuesday, they said Labour had already spent £1.397m on the case and is proposing to spend a further £868,000.

The report, which leaked days after Keir Starmer became leader, was compiled in connection with an investigation by the equalities watchdog into allegations of antisemitism within Labour.

It included details of staffers’ private conversations expressing antagonism towards Corbyn and his allies and bemoaning Labour’s better than expected performance in the 2017 general election, and racist and sexist WhatsApp messages.

Nine people who were identified in the report as having made complaints about antisemitism began legal action against Labour for failure to protect their data and invasion of privacy. Labour then brought a case against the five alleged leakers – Corbyn’s former chief of staff Karie Murphy, his former director of communications Seumas Milne, Georgie Robertson, Laura Murray and Harry Hayball.

Three independent investigations – one by the Information Commissioner’s Office and two commissioned by Labour – were unable to establish the source of the leak.

The nine claimants recently discontinued legal proceedings against Labour but the party is maintaining its action against the alleged leakers, while requesting a delayed timetable.

In written arguments, Anya Proops KC, acting for the party, said: “It would be unfair and inappropriate to contrive matters in this litigation so that in effect [Labour] was having to contend with preparing for/running a trial at the same time as it was running a general election campaign.”

The five former staff oppose Labour’s proposed timetable and say it was previously agreed that the nine-day trial would take place either towards the end of summer next year or at the beginning of autumn.

Their lawyer, Jacob Dean, said in written arguments that they “have a justifiable and well-grounded concern that [Labour’s] wish to postpone the claim until after the election is in fact heavily influenced by a desire to avoid, during an election period, litigation which will bring the Labour party into the public eye in ways it might find embarrassing or uncomfortable, but which it has chosen to bring.”

To illustrate the effects of such a delay he read extracts from witness statements provided by Robertson and Hayball.

Robertson said: “Having the false allegations that the party makes in this claim hanging over me is taking a significant toll. My priority now is to see these proceedings through to their conclusion so that my reputation can be restored, and I can move on with my life.”

Hayball said the suggestion by Labour that he and the other alleged leakers would not suffer prejudice from the proposed delay “beggars belief, and betrays a remarkable lack of empathy or understanding on the part of the party for the toll which this matter is taking on me”.

Labour accused of trying to delay lawsuit against former employees over fears of election clash

Sky News
Updated Thu, 5 October 2023




The Labour Party has been accused of attempting to delay a high-profile trial against five of its former employees because the case could prove to be "embarrassing" ahead of the next general election.

The party is currently engaged in a protracted legal wrangle with five former employees whom it has accused of leaking a controversial report into how antisemitism complaints were handled under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

It can also be revealed that to date, Labour has spent almost £1.5m on the ongoing legal action, which is currently going through the High Court.

Court documents seen by Sky News also reveal that Labour expects to spend a further £868,000, which could take the party's own legal costs to the region of £2.4m.

It has previously been reported that the Labour Party could face a legal bill of between £3m and £4m if it loses the case and taking into account the combined costs for both sides.

Party sources have recently expressed concerns that such a costly legal case could dent the party's election fund, with one member of the party's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), telling The Guardian in August that costs were "spiralling out of control".

New blow to HS2 - as polling reveals how well Sunak's conference speech went down - politics latest

The source said Labour should be "questioning this monumental waste of members' and affiliates' money pursuing what appears to be a pointless political vendetta".

"Candidates will be up in arms that we are gambling with the party finances needed to win their seats," they added. "We need to have a laser focus on getting the Tories out."

However, in September it was revealed that the party had secured a record level of funding between April and June this year, totalling almost £7.5m - just shy of the Tories £10m.

The latest figures show the party has received £11.9m in donations so far this year.

The revelations come just days before senior Labour figures and activists gather in Liverpool for the party's annual conference and when it enjoys a near 20-point lead over the Conservatives in the polls.

The court action against the five ex-employees - including Mr Corbyn's former chief of staff Karie Murphy and his former director of communications Seumas Milne - was triggered after an internal report into the party's handling of antisemitism complaints was leaked to the media in 2020.

The 860-page report contained a number of damaging claims, including that factional hostility towards Mr Corbyn contributed to "a litany of mistakes" that hindered the effective handling of complaints.

The investigation, which was completed in the last month of Mr Corbyn's leadership, claimed to have found "no evidence" of antisemitism complaints being treated differently to other forms of complaint, or of current or former staff being "motivated by antisemitic intent".

The report also contained thousands of private WhatsApp communications between former senior party officials that were often derogatory about Labour staff, members, and Corbyn-supporting MPs.

The party has accused the five former employees, which also include Georgie Robertson, Laura Murray and Harry Hayball, of leaking the confidential report to undermine the party, which they deny.

At a recent hearing in the High Court, the party requested that the trial be postponed until after the next general election, which is expected to be held in either the spring or autumn of next year and cannot be held any later than January 2025.

The five claim that the party's wish to postpone the case until February next year at the earliest "is in fact heavily influenced by a desire to avoid, during an election period, litigation which will bring the Labour Party into the public eye in ways it might find embarrassing or uncomfortable, but which it has chosen to bring".

Witness statements by Mr Hayball and Ms Robertson that were read out in court were critical of attempts to delay the trial, with the latter arguing that the legal proceedings had already put her life "on hold".

"I am very anxious that the longer I am out of work, and therefore the bigger the gap in my CV, the harder it will be to attain employment, especially in a competitive field, even once my name has been cleared of the Labour Party's serious allegations in these proceedings," her witness statement read.

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In response, the Labour Party's lawyers argued that the five could obtain "a major tactical advantage" if the trial date coincided with the general election.

"It would be unfair and wrong in principle to place the defendant [the Labour Party] in a position where it was required to prepare for and conduct a trial in this very complex and weighty litigation... whilst also having to perform its vital constitutional role of contesting a general election," they said.

"It cannot effectively do both of these things at the same time."

A Labour spokesperson said: "The party has conducted a wide-ranging and appropriately thorough investigation following the leak and is confident of the case it has presented to the court."

UK

Sir Keir Starmer criticises PM for failing to mention cost of living crisis as families struggle to get baby formula

Sky News
Updated Thu, 5 October 2023 


Sir Keir Starmer has criticised Rishi Sunak for failing to address the rising cost of living in his party conference speech after Sky News revealed how families are struggling to afford baby formula.

The Labour leader was asked if he would commit to more support for struggling families after the report, which found that formula milk was being rationed by baby banks to cope with a surge in demand.

Sir Keir said the development was a "terrible story" in the ongoing crisis, which he described as the "single most pressing issue of our time".

He criticised the prime minister for failing to adequately mention the impact that the cost of living crisis has had on households across the UK.

"I'm pretty astonished that in an hour-long address yesterday, the prime minister didn't address the cost of living crisis," Sir Keir told reporters.

"He says that the last 30 years have been a failure and that we need change.

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"He's right about that, but he can't be the change because he's been the nodding dog nodding through the decisions that he now says were part of that failure.

"The change we need is a change from the Tories, not more Tories."

Data from First Steps Nutrition shows average prices of baby formula have risen 24% over the past two years.

The issue has become so severe that there have been calls for a price cap to help families who are struggling to feed their children.

In May, Sky News revealed the desperate measures parents are taking to feed their babies due to the rising costs - including stealing formula or watering down milk or substituting condensed milk for formula.

One mother, 23-year-old Kayla from Swindon, told Sky News "it is literally a milk crisis" as she accused the government of "not listening".

A government spokesperson said: "We recognise the impact that rising prices are having at home, which is why halving inflation is our top priority and why we are providing significant support worth on average £3,300 per household.

"This includes uplifting benefits and delivering direct cash payments, while also delivering a record cash increase to the National Minimum Wage."

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They said the value of Health Start - a programme that entitles women who are 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four to help to buy healthy food and milk - had risen from £3.10 to £4.25 per week.

"Eligible children aged under one can each receive £8.50 in total per week, a rise from £6.20 a week," they added.

In his conference speech, Mr Sunak made reference to the rising cost of living in the context of his desire to halve inflation.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper also criticised the prime minister's conference speech, saying he had "nothing new to say on the big issues facing families, from the cost of living crisis to local health services that have been run into the ground".

 Labour leader Starmer: I can't commit to reversing HS2 decision

Reuters
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Britain's Labour Party holds annual conference, in Brighton


LONDON (Reuters) - British opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said on Thursday he could not commit to reversing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel part of the HS2 high-speed rail project if he wins an election expected next year.

Sunak on Wednesday scrapped the northern leg of the costly project and pledged to invest billions of pounds in local rail and road links instead, saying it was more suitable for a post-pandemic world.

Business groups and trade unions criticised the decision to cut in half Britain's biggest infrastructure project, warning the move would hit productivity, cause job losses and put more lorries on the roads.

"I can't stand here and give a commitment to reversing that decision. They have taken a wrecking ball to it," Starmer told reporters when asked what Labour would do.

Sunak's Conservatives, who have been in power since 2010, are badly lagging Labour in opinion polls, with a Savanta poll published on Wednesday giving Labour a 19-point lead.

In a separate interview with ITV, Starmer said Labour had wanted HS2 in full but that the government was now about to cancel contracts and release land it had bought for the project.

Starmer said he would work with regional leaders to ensure there are sufficient transport links between and within cities.

"Wherever there are projects that the government has announced it's going to do, then we'll obviously continue with them, that's very, very important," he told ITV.

HS2 was designed to connect London with major cities in central and northern England. But costs soared to over 106 billion pounds ($129 billion), according to a 2020 estimate, from the 56 billion pounds forecast in 2015. The eastern link to Leeds had already been scrapped.

($1 = 0.8216 pounds)

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)