β€œVote in hope” – Greens announce Sarah Wakefield as new Makerfield candidate

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

The Green Party has announced Manchester councillor Sarah Wakefield as its new candidate for the Makerfield by-election. The announcement comes after the withdrawal of Chris Kennedy from the contest. Wakefield launched her campaign by calling on voters: Don’t vote in anger, vote in hope. There’s plenty to be angry about outside of Makerfield. From the sabotage of his own party by departing MP Josh Simons and his group, to the continued red-Tory policies of Labour under Starmer, to the racism of the Reform candidate. Voters have every right to be livid. But Wakefield is right that Makerfield needs hope. So does…

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Iran condemns new wave of US strikes as peace talks hang in balance

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

Iran has slammed a new wave of US strikes in the besieged nation’s south. Meanwhile Donald Trump has demanded various countries normalise relations with Israel as a condition of ending his failed war. Yet several expert voices have said that the US has already lost the war, with Trump in no position to make demands. Middle East Eye reported: Iran’s foreign ministry accused the US of violating ceasefire agreement after Washington carried out strikes south of the country. The ministry said: Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any act of mischief unanswered and will not hesitate in defending…

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New York Mayor Mamdani successfully recovered $9m in unpaid fines from Amazon

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, alongside the City’s Commissioners in the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), has announced that his administration has managed to recover over $9m in previously unpaid fines. These fines came from idling violations committed by Bezos’ delivery vehicles and third-party contractors, and despite the Amazon’s $2 trillion valuation, the company has ignored them – until now. This serves as a timely reminder that authorities can hold dominant corporations accountable and make them pay up accordingly when political will exists. Amazon is worth $2 trillion. But it didn't deign to pay the…

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Reform’s new overtime tax policy torn to shreds

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

Reform UK unveiled an attention-grabbing new policy proposal on Sunday 24 May: Reform will scrap income tax on overtime. It's time to make work pay. pic.twitter.com/Q0luvT9WPM — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 24, 2026 The problem for Reform is that the policy has also grabbed the attention of people who think things through. Reform β€” “Avoidance opportunities” Sam Dumitriu of the Britain Remade thinktank had 5 points on the new policy: 1. This appears to be an import of Trump’s extremely dumb (but clearly popular) β€˜no tax on tips’ policy. 2. If your aim is to boost growth and incentivise work,…

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Watch: Reform’s would-be new Kirklees council leader doesn’t understand… anything much

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

Kirklees council remains leaderless after councillors were unable to choose at a meeting yesterday; Reform are the biggest party, but short of a majority. Labour was wiped out in this month’s local elections. But the meeting saw some comedy as Reform UK’s would-be leader had to admit that neither she nor her 28 councillors understood what they were voting for. Or anything else, really: @kirkleesgreenparty Councillor Sarah Wood – Reform’s choice to lead Kirklees Council apparently doesn’t understand how the Council runs #huddersfield #westyorkshire ♬ original sound – Kirklees Green Party Reform farce Wood and her party objected that the votes…

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New EHRC guidance both clarifies and complicates the legal rights of trans people

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026

There is a familiar refrain that follows my partner and I as we navigate the UK’s public bathrooms. As a gender-nonconforming couple, we’re painfully aware of the transphobic discourse that overshadows our daily lives. Approaching a set of bathrooms whilst out and about, and not wanting to draw more attention to ourselves, one or both of us will groan, before announcing with resignation: Time to do ‘gender’… It will be a situation familiar to many trans people. The so-called ‘bathroom ban’, fought for by anti-trans activists, has become notorious for making the lives of cis and trans people alike more complicated.…

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