Charlie Alford

Police charge Reform councillor over ‘Nigerian community’ comments

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:29 July 2026
Post last modified:29 July 2026

Northumbria Police have charged Reform councillor Glenn Gibbins. Gibbins attracted attention over his comments relating to Nigerian people, with this controversy having now led to the police’s involvement: BREAKING: A Reform UK councillor in Sunderland has been charged with posting a grossly offensive comment after writing in 2024 that Nigerians should be melted down to fill in potholes pic.twitter.com/hNcf8QUIQk — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 29, 2026 Reform’s Glenn Gibbins Gibbins successfully ran to become a Reform councillor in May this year. Reform subsequently suspended Gibbins while they investigated the controversial comments, reinstating him in June. Now, Northumbria Police have released the…

Labour and Reform dodge Manchester mayoral election community hustings

Post author:Cameron Baillie
Post published:28 July 2026
Post last modified:28 July 2026

With days to go in Greater Manchester’s historic mayoral by-election, both Labour and Reform candidates stand accused of dodging multiple community hustings. One was a hustings organised on 26 July by the Forum of Muslim Organisations (FMO). Then there was the Mill hustings on 27 July. Another was hosted by grassroots community power organisation ACORN, which hosted its cost-of-living and housing hustings on Tuesday 28 July alongside GM Immigration Aid Unit, and the GM Coalition of Disabled People. There was also an LGBTQ+ hustings, where an audience member at ACORN’s hustings pointed out that “the millionaire parties” failed to show up. Before…

Community Barometer sets out blueprint for high street recovery

Post author:The Canary
Post published:16 July 2026
Post last modified:16 July 2026

The 2026 Community Barometer report is the first major report into the health of the high street that focuses on putting place first. The Association of Convenience Stores launched the report, which highlights the use of the ‘Makerfield Test’ as a means to deliver good growth on high streets. The ‘Makerfield Test’ is the idea that a policy must work for somewhere like Makerfield or the government ditches it. There is a stark contrast in the report between the high streets that people feel are getting better and those that are getting worse. Across the UK, only Greater London emerged as…

Exclusive: Unite tells Community members ‘cancel fuel poverty protest with Greenpeace’

Post author:Cameron Baillie
Post published:26 June 2026
Post last modified:26 June 2026

Unite Community (UC), set up by then-general secretary Len McCluskey, is the Unite union’s section for unwaged people — and Unite’s most politically active. But members and officials feel marginalised by new general secretary Sharon Graham. They resent the union’s interference in their political activities, and have now been told they can’t participate in a climate protest. Probably because of who created it, and its campaigning focus, ‘workplace-only’ Graham was planning to wind down Unite Community and merge it with the retired members’ section. Graham U-turned on the plan after Skwawkbox exposed it — but the interference continues. Graham is currently…

Hunger striker nears 130 days in defence of Athens Prosfygika community

Post author:The Canary
Post published:12 June 2026
Post last modified:13 June 2026

Aristotelis Chantzis has entered the 130th day of a hunger strike in defence of the Community of Squatted Prosfygika in central Athens, as concerns continue to grow over plans to evict residents and redevelop the historic neighbourhood. The second hunger striker, Suzon Doppagne, who joined the protest in solidarity on 1 May, is approaching 50 days of her hunger strike. More members of the community, some of them with serious health problems, have also announced plans to join the hunger strike. The protest comes in response to a redevelopment plan approved by the regional government of Attica in June 2025 that…