UK

Blocked Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen confirms she will stand as independent

Sky News
Wed, 5 June 2024 




Faiza Shaheen, who was blocked from representing the Labour Party in the general election, has announced she will stand as an independent.

Ms Shaheen, who initially won the Labour nomination for Chingford and Woodford Green, was dropped as a candidate for the London constituency after she allegedly liked a series of social media posts that downplayed antisemitism accusations.

Yesterday she announced she had resigned from Labour, whom she accused of embodying a "hierarchy of racism".


She said she was weighing up whether to stand as an independent in Chingford, and on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed that decision.

In a post on social media, she said voters in her constituency felt "disenfranchised by Labour's decision to remove me", adding: "I feel it would be impossible for the party to win here without a local candidate, rooted in the community, and that such a voice is vitally needed."

Former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen announces independent run for parliament

James Moules  

5th June, 2024

Former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen, who was barred from standing following a probe into her social media use, has announced she will run as an independent in the general election.

Shaheen, who was due to stand for Labour in Chingford and Woodford Green, yesterday announced her resignation from the party claiming she had faced “unfair treatment”.

She has now announced her bid to stand in the same constituency as an independent.

In a statement posted on social media, she said: “I am standing here to win, to beat the Conservatives, to finish what we started.

“I am standing to give a voice to my community – the community that made me and put their faith in me.”

READ MORE: Shaheen: Deselection shows members ‘mean nothing’ as she quits Labour

Chingford and Woodford Green in north London is the constituency of former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith – but is widely seen as a target for Labour.

Shaheen contested the seat for the party in 2019, coming within three percentage points of beating Duncan Smith.

Shama Tatler has since been selected to fight the seat for Labour in this year’s general election.

She posted on X (formerly Twitter): “On July 4, Chingford and Woodford Green faces a simple choice. Change with Labour, or five more years of Tory failure and chaos.

“We need less rhetoric, and more results. Time to get on with the job.”

A Labour spokesperson previously told LabourList regarding their candidate selections: “We have selected a fantastic group of candidates in place for the General Election on Thursday 4 July.

“They will be campaigning across the country to bring Labour’s message of change to voters.

Now Faiza Shaheen resigns from Labour

LABOUR HUB EDITO

“Former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen, who was barred from standing for Chingford and Woodford Green last week, has resigned from the party,” reports Labour List. “In a statement posted on social media, Shaheen described her deselection as ‘cruel and devastating’ and claimed she had face ‘unfair treatment’ by the party.”

“Just two days after learning of my removal, Labour imposed a new candidate, someone not known or supported by most local members with no links to our community,” Faiza Shaheen said in her resignation statement. “Today’s national executive committee was the last chance for the party to recognise its mistake. Unfortunately it failed to do so.”

Her statement concludes: “I will be deciding my next steps and will make an announcement tomorrow.”  It can be read in full here.

Earlier today, seven Slough councillors were reported to have resigned from the Party over the treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen and the Party’s position on Gaza. The councillors at Slough Borough Council said arguments over whether the Abbott and Shaheen could stand for election highlighted “institutional racism” in Labour.

Responding to Faiza Shaheen’s resignation, a Momentum spokesperson said: “Once again, Keir Starmer’s hyper-factional war on the left has created an almighty mess for Labour. In Faiza Shaheen Labour had a respected, popular, local candidate democratically selected by local Party members. But instead of supporting her, Starmer’s allies decided to purge this campaigner against inequality on spurious grounds and parachute in one of their own clique from outside the constituency. Outrageously, the grounds cited to block Faiza included her discussion of her own experiences of Islamophobia within the party, in a textbook case of institutional racism. Whatever comes next, Keir Starmer owns it.”

The group tweeted: “Labour looked set to win this seat off the Tories, replacing Iain Duncan Smith with a respected campaigner on inequality, a popular local candidate. But once again, Party came before country for Team Starmer.”

Today’s National Executive Committee did, however, endorse Diane Abbott, following a huge campaign in her support, which forced an important climbdown from Labour’s leadership. Others on the left, who many feared might be blocked unfairly by the leadership, were also endorsed, notably Apsana Begum, who was  confirmed as Labour candidate for Poplar and Limehouse after local members wrote to the NEC yesterday demanding the Party confirm her candidacy.

JUNE 4, 2024

Image: Faiza Shaheen. Author: FromMorningToMidnight, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

UK

Overnight poll shows Starmer beat Sunak on every issue during TV debate

The survey paints a very different picture to the narrative doing the rounds that Rishi Sunak came out on top following the debate.


by Jack Peat
2024-06-05

THE GENTLEMAN ON THE LEFT IS WEARING AN OFF THE RACK SUIT,
THE GENTLEMAN ON THE RIGHT IS CLOTHED BY KINGSMAN OF SAVILLE ROW


An overnight Savanta poll has revealed that Sir Keir Starmer bested Rishi Sunak on every single issue discussed on last night’s live TV debate.

The leaders of the two main parties clashed in their first debate on the General Election campaign, arguing over issues including tax, the NHS, immigration and the cost of living in a debate that at times seemed bad-tempered, as the two men were repeatedly told to stop talking over each other.

In his opening pitch to voters on ITV, the Prime Minister sought to draw dividing lines with Labour as he claimed the party would “raid” pension pots and hike taxes.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir questioned the timing of the July 4 vote, arguing Mr Sunak had called a summer polling day because he “knows” inflation and energy prices will take a turn for the worse in winter.

The Labour leader mockingly dubbed the Prime Minister “the British expert on tax rises” after Mr Sunak’s repeated insistence that Sir Keir would raise the burden.

A snap poll carried out by YouGov appeared to suggest Sunak had come out on top following the debate – if only by a marginal amount.

But new research carried out by Sevanta overnight suggests the Labour beat his opponent on every issue discussed, painting a very different picture.

Savanta said that on the issues, its survey respondents gave Sir Keir wins on immigration (45 per cent to 37 per cent for Mr Sunak) and on defence and security (43 per cent to 41 per cent).

The Labour leader was well ahead on the NHS and public services (63 per cent versus 25 per cent), plus the economy and cost of living (52 per cent to 36 per cent).

“According to our overnight panel, Starmer wins on the detail, but Sunak is much closer in the most important ‘who won the debate’ metric,” Savanta’s Political Research Director Chris Hopkins said.

“Presentationally, it felt like the Prime Minister had the upper hand at times – in particular towards the end of the debate – and although our figures suggest he lost narrowly, he probably still outperformed expectations,” he said.

Sir Keir also beat the PM on every personality-based question posed by Savanta, including: who came across as most honest (54 per cent to 29 per cent), who gave the most thoughtful answers (53 per cent to 35 per cent) and who remained the calmest (51 per cent to 36 per cent).

‘STOP LYING’ trends on social media following Tory’s tax claim

The £2,000 tax claim has been likened to promises of £350 million a week for the NHS trotted out by Vote Leave in the Brexit referendum.

by TLE
2024-06-05 12:53
in Politics



The first leader’s debate of the General Election has been marred by accusations of untruthfulness after the Conservatives claimed a Labour government would lead to a tax rise of £2,000 for every working household.

Rishi Sunak repeatedly claimed Labour’s spending plans would result in tax rises on working households during ITV’s head-to-head debate with Sir Keir Starmer.

However, it has emerged a senior official at the Treasury warned the Conservatives not to say civil servants were behind their central claim, raising questions over its credibility.

The figure has been calculated on the basis that there is a £38.5 billion “black hole” in Labour’s spending plans, which is the equivalent of £2,094 for each of the 18.4 million working households in the UK.


But it is based on a number of assumptions and spurious calculations, with the number being compared to the £350 million a week pledge made by Vote Leave during the Brexit referendum.

Following the live TV debate, ‘STOP LYING’ has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) as a number of people blast the use of misleading figures.

Here’s a feel of the reaction so far:

Related: The new 350 million a week? Tories £2k tax claim gets shredded

We fact checked the ITV election debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, from taxes to immigration - here's what you need to know

By Alexander Brown
Published 5th Jun 2024, 


The leaders of the UK’s two biggest political parties, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer clashed on Tuesday night.

Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak clashed over the economy, immigration and the NHS in a feisty first TV general election debate.

The Prime Minister attacked Sir Keir over tax rises, while the Labour Leader ridiculed Mr Sunak over NHS waiting lists. Both men made a series of claims about their own credentials and each others, with varying relationships with the truth. Here are some of the claims, and how they stack up.


Tax

Both leaders made a series of questionable claims on Tuesday evening.

Far and away the most tetchy argument was Rishi Sunak’s claim that under Labour there would be “£2,000 higher taxes for every working family”. The Prime Minister said this was based on independent analysis of Labour's spending plans by the civil service.

However, it is not true, doesn’t come from independent analysis, and the Prime Minister and his ministers were warned about this days ago.

On Wednesday morning, it emerged the chief Treasury civil servant wrote to Labour two days ago saying the Conservatives’ assessment of their tax plans "should not be presented as having been produced by the civil service".

The government also say the figure relates to a £38.5 billion “black hole” in Labour’s finances, but this is based on a lot of assumptions. While the full Labour finances are not yet worked out due to a lack of manifesto, it is not verifiably true, and does not come from an independent source.

For his part, the Labour leader claimed there have been 26 tax rises under the Conservatives, but given they’ve gone up and down hundreds of times, it’s unclear where this figure came from.

Sir Keir also claimed it was Tory policy to get rid of National Insurance altogether, costing £46bn. While it would cost that, the Prime Minister has not said he’d do this in the next parliament, it’s instead a “long-term ambition”.

NHS waiting lists


One of the more uncomfortable moments for Mr Sunak was a debate about NHS England waiting lists, with the audience openly laughing at him when he insisted they were going down.


However, he’s not necessarily wrong. Non-emergency waiting lists are falling month on month, which suggests it’s true. But the total figure of more than 350,000 is still higher than the equivalent period from a year before. Last September, waiting lists rose to a peak of nearly 7.8 million.

It’s also 600,000 higher than when Mr Sunak became Prime Minister. So the truth supports both arguments, which isn’t helpful.

Immigration


Discussing migration, the Prime Minister claimed small boat arrivals are down a third over the past 12 months. While that's true year on year, they're actually up 38 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Defence

One area where we can say with certainty if something is accurate was Mr Sunak’s claim Labour hasn’t matched the Tory pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).In actuality Labour has said this, with the only difference being the pledge is “as soon as resources allow”, whereas the Conservatives have promised to deliver it by 2030.

ENTRAPMENT

U.S. Lawmakers Urge Biden to Rescue 'Hostage' Binance Exec From Detention in Nigeria

House members urged "immediate action" in the case of Binance exec Tigran Gambaryan, arguing that his "health and well-being are in danger."

By Stephen Graves

Jun 5, 2024

Binance head of financial crime compliance Tigran Gambaryan. Image: Binance

U.S. lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to take up the case of an American Binance executive detained in Nigeria.

In a letter sent to the White House, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens, House members including Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged "immediate action" in the case of Tigran Gambaryan, arguing that his "health and well-being are in danger."

Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen who heads up Binance's financial compliance unit, has been detained in Nigeria since February and faces charges of money laundering to the tune of $35 million.

In the letter, the U.S. House members describe the charges leveled against Gambaryan as "baseless," arguing that they constitute a "coercion tactic by the Nigerian government to extort his employer." Following the charges, Gambaryan should be considered a "U.S. Citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government,” under the terms of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.A

Gambaryan has been held in the "notorious Kuje Prison, known for its harsh conditions," and denied access to his legal team without the presence of Nigerian government officials and armed guards, the letter notes. In a "deeply disturbing" recent development, the letter notes that Gambaryan collapsed in court and was subsequently hospitalized, but that the prison has failed to fully comply with the court order and that he has not received adequate health care.

The letter, signed by 16 members of Congress, urges that Gambaryan's case be transferred to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, arguing that, "Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preserve his life."

Gambaryan and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla were detained in February after traveling to Nigeria at the invitation of the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to discuss Binance's activities in the country.

 

EBay to drop American Express over ‘unacceptably high fees’

5 June 2024, 17:54

Ebay-American-Express. Picture: PA

Online merchants have become increasingly combative with payment processors in recent years over the fees they charge to accept payments.

Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online.

It is a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards.

But it is not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx’s business practices by walking away, most notably the warehouse chain Costco nearly a decade ago.

“After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally, effective August 17, due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions,” said eBay spokesman Scott Overland.

Mr Overland said that eBay customers have become aware of new ways to pay for items, making payments more competitive than ever before, and AmEx was no longer a necessary partner for eBay.

After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally, effective August 17, due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions

EBay spokesman Scott Overland

EBay has increasingly been offering customers buy now, pay later options on purchases through Apple Pay, PayPal and other companies like Klarna and Affirm.

“We know that the vast majority of eBay customers are willing to use alternative payment options to continue enjoying buying and selling on our marketplace,” Mr Overland said.

Online merchants have become increasingly combative with payment processors in recent years over the fees they charge to accept payments.

Amazon had a similar fight with Visa in the UK roughly two years ago, where Amazon threatened to drop Visa as a payment acceptance type over what it also called high fees.

Visa and Amazon eventually resolved their differences and there was no disruption of service.

Like other payment processors, AmEx takes a percentage of each transaction a merchant processes on their network.

We find eBay’s decision to drop American Express as a payment choice for consumers to be inconsistent with their stated desire to increase competition at the point of sale

Adam Isserlis, AmEx

The fee varies by industry, and the fees that the largest merchants pay are typically a closely guarded trade secret.

The National Retail Federation says the average fee to accept a credit card is roughly 2% but can be as high as 4% on premium rewards credit cards like AmEx.

In a statement, American Express says that eBay’s cost to accept AmEx cards is “comparable to what eBay pays for similar cards on other networks” and that AmEx cardmembers typically spend double at eBay than on other networks.

“We find eBay’s decision to drop American Express as a payment choice for consumers to be inconsistent with their stated desire to increase competition at the point of sale,” said Adam Isserlis, a spokesman for AmEx.

AmEx has been on an aggressive campaign, under its current chief executive Steve Squeri, to be a more universally accepted payment option across all merchants in an effort to combat the negative image that AmEx is less accepted and only available for its cardmembers for travel, dining, high-end shops or in dense urban areas.

AmEx says its cards are now accepted at 99% of the places that Visa and Mastercard are accepted in the US, a metric it achieved in 2019.

But there have been setbacks along the way.

When Costco announced it would drop American Express in 2015, it was a major blow to AmEx since Costco represented roughly 10% of cardmember loans. It was also one of AmEx’s most prominent partnerships.

Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods estimate that eBay may represent roughly 0.5% of AmEx’s worldwide network volume and it is unlikely that AmEx will move much on pricing with eBay.

By Press Association