Philip Read

"I don't blame jury trials at all." That's the verdict of Sir Brian Leveson - Chair of the Independent Review of Courts - when I asked why trials are taking so long. So why is David Lammy and the Government scrapping jury trials for so many?

Lammy says his attack on jury trials is needed for efficiency. Today Sir Brian Leveson blew that excuse apart. Labour are attacking this ancient English right for ideological reasons. We will fight them every step of the way.

Sir Keir Starmer has said it is Ed Miliband’s decision whether Britain drills for oil and gas in the North Sea, claiming he has no power in the matter. dailysceptic.org/2026/03/25/sta…

5 years ago today, hundreds of Islamists gathered outside Batley Grammar School after a teacher showed a picture of the Prophet Muhammad in a lesson. He was threatened & forced into hiding. 5 years on he is sadly STILL in hiding. This is appalling. We must fight for free speech.

So this is the sequencing: a) 11 September, Mandelson resigns b) 11 September - 13 October, No.10 start putting together strategy for dealing with Tory demand for messages between Mandelson/McSweeney c) 20 October, McSweeney reports phone stolen. All messages reportedly lost

The moment you finally realise you’re leading the most authoritarian government in our country’s history: 1️⃣ Introducing an official definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” that silences legitimate criticism of religion — 18 years after Parliament abolished such laws. 2️⃣ Removing the right of most defendants to have a jury trial, in the biggest assault on English liberty in over 800 years. 3️⃣ Requiring pub landlords to monitor customers’ private conversations to protect staff from remarks, comments, or jokes they may find “offensive”. 4️⃣ Clamping down on lawful social media posts, arresting an Irish comedian for gender-critical tweets and even threatening to ban access to X in the UK. It’s not a great look, is it, Prime Minister…

Everything Cabinet Minister Reed says is in this interview is untrue. Everything.

A quite appalling question from Ed Balls. His own? Or in a brief prepared for him by some intern? Either way a terrible question.

With war in Europe and the Middle East, Labour can’t even say whether they will publish the Defence Investment Plan this week. This is a farce - total weakness from Starmer when we urgently need rapid rearmament. telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/…

Ed Miliband has a cult-like conviction in his own climate ideology. He is incapable of admitting that he is wrong – even with mountains of evidence stacking up against him. As the world gets more dangerous, his anti-North Sea fanaticism is making Britain weaker and poorer. Unfortunately, as more and more people sound the alarm, Miliband only becomes more convinced by his own righteousness. Today, the Conservatives will force a vote in Parliament calling for the emergency approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea – two fields that could be up and running by the end of the year. Turning our backs on domestic gas that could heat millions of homes would be madness in normal times, but it is sheer lunacy in the midst of a gas supply crisis. In government, I legislated to protect North Sea oil and gas licences and I approved Rosebank, even though I was told it would have put my own personal security at risk from climate extremists. It was controversial at the time, but to say times have changed would be an understatement. From the wind lobbyists at RenewableUK to the chair of Great British Energy - Miliband’s “clean energy” propaganda outfit - the head honchos of the green lobby say we should drill. The great and good of the Labour Left, from the Tony Blair Institute to the unions and Ed Balls, say so, too. The relative geopolitical stability we have had for most of my adult life is not something we can bank on in the years ahead. We need to pass on a country to the next generation that is strong and prosperous. That means making economic decisions based on rationality, not ideology. The North Sea is a blessing for our economy. When gilt markets are charging you a premium because they think we’re borrowing too much and earning too little, it is incumbent on the Exchequer to make the most of all growth opportunities we have. It is a blessing for our energy security, with the gas making up half of our domestic supply. But it is also a blessing for our environment, as the North Sea is much cleaner than importing LNG from abroad. However, for Miliband to admit this would expose the intellectual fraud at the heart of our net zero climate policy. Miliband’s agenda rests on the absurdity that carbon emissions only matter if they happen domestically. It incentivises the replacement of British industry with dirtier imports from abroad. The fact that North Sea gas displaces dirtier LNG doesn’t matter to our climate bean counters because foreign LNG imports aren’t counted in our domestic emissions targets. This is Net Zero irrationality in a nutshell. Fewer jobs in Britain for more carbon in the atmosphere – and yet to the religiously fervent, they will argue that this is Britain’s example of climate success. This is fantasy thinking we cannot afford. We must fast-track Rosebank and Jackdaw and lift the onerous bans and taxes on the North Sea to back Britain’s energy security. Kemi Badenoch knows it and Keir Starmer knows it. Unfortunately, so far, only one of them has had the courage to say so.

Well done @Keir_Starmer

The Free Speech Union is bringing a judicial review against Communities Secretary Steve Reed, challenging his decision to impose an official definition of ‘anti-Muslim hostility’ (Islamophobia). This is a Muslim blasphemy law by the back door, which will silence legitimate criticism of Islam and prevent people from speaking out on issues such as the grooming gangs scandal. The proposed definition is vague and subjective, and liable to be weaponised to shut down lawful debate about Islam, Muslims, and Islamic practices and history. Adopting such a definition — let alone appointing an Islamophobia ‘Tsar’ — breaches the ‘occupying the field’ doctrine in public law. Our lawyers have sent a Pre-Action Protocol letter setting out why the definition is unlawful, and have asked the Government to pause both its rollout and the appointment of the ‘Tsar’ until the case is resolved. Judicial reviews against Secretaries of State are costly, but this is a fight we must win. Blasphemy laws were abolished by Parliament in 2008 — let’s keep it that way. Read our letter and support our crowdfunder 👇

Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister Resigns Triggering Political Crisis over Chagos order-order.com/2026/03/20/mau… via @guidofawkes

The official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as “anti-Muslim hostility” — and the appointment of an Islamophobia tsar are a direct threat to our freedom of speech. Despite vocal opposition from other faith groups and moderate Muslims, the Government has pushed ahead with publishing an official definition of anti-Muslim hostility. For decades, Labour has assumed the Muslim vote was a Labour vote — but the party now recognises it has a problem. In 2024, several Labour candidates were ousted in traditionally safe seats by pro-Gaza independent MPs, while a number of now senior ministers came dangerously close to losing their seats. This trend has continued, most recently highlighted in the Gorton and Denton by-election, where The Muslim Vote directed supporters to back the Green Party candidate. With a difficult set of local elections around the corner, Labour is desperate to retain power. The definition — and the appointment of an Islamophobia tsar — look like a desperate and cynical ploy to hold onto votes, even if it means undermining the right to freely and legitimately criticise religion. Read more below 👇

Rachel Reeves praises Canada and Norway for increasing their oil and gas production… …whilst BANNING new production in Britain. Labour support foreign oil and gas industries more than our own.

What about emails. Where are they.

The rules were broken. Mandelson should have been dismissed for gross misconduct. Yet, to try and save their skins the Government gave him a pay-out to prevent reputational damage. It’s there in black and white in their own letter.

🚨 Rachel Reeves is hiking fuel duty — while wasting billions on Ed Miliband’s mad net zero plans. It doesn’t make sense. Motorists face a double whammy: Rising petrol prices. Higher taxes. Time to axe the fuel duty increase!

MANDELSON LATEST The Prime Minister has lied and lied … … EITHER he didn’t do his job properly OR he is hiding key documents from Parliament The coverup is becoming the crime

The Government has withheld the questions the Prime Minister put to Peter Mandelson, and his answers, prior to him being appointed as our ambassador to the United States. Today, I asked the Government to release that document, given there appear to be no statutory bars to release the document.