Jill Rutter @jillyrutter.bsky.social 🇬🇧🇺🇦

I asked AI to replace the low-rise buildings on this declining high street with @OS_Architects mock up. Imagine the increased footfall in the shops and the al fresco dining. That’s before you even consider the improved aesthetics. Visions of a better Britain. 🇬🇧

Another woman's life entirely avoidably marred by stranger rape because we chose not to deport this man after his first offence (trying to rape a woman walking to the optician one morning in broad daylight) x.com/DailyMail/stat…

BREAKING Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Met police, has criticised Zack Polanski after he appeared to condemn police officers for allegedly “repeatedly and violently’” kicking a man suspected of stabbing two Jewish men while they attempted to detain him He has accused him of fuelling tensions and undermining confidence in the police ‘I am disappointed because it is this kind of inaccurate and misinformed commentary - with its associated casual disregard for the incredibly challenging and dangerous work police officers do for the public - that is contributing to the rising tensions we are seeing in society and undermines officer confidence to act’ He says the officers ‘are nothing short of extraordinary’ and that without their intervention lives would have been lost. He says the man ‘continued to pose a clear threat’ and they feared that he was ‘concealing an explosive device’ ‘Apprehending violent and dangerous criminals is a full contact and messy task which may appear shocking to observers with little experience of policing in the real world’

The Palestinian cause has a flag and watermelons as symbols. It's time to ban the red triangle of Hamas here too. It was used by fighters to mark targets and is associated with support for a violent terrorist group.

We'll get the usual statements of condemnation after Golders Green. But the simple truth is that for years we've had weekly marches through central London in which anti-Semitism has openly flourished. And the Government had stood back and done nothing.

Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, exist roughly 7 million Israelis and 7 million Palestinians - who are simply not going anywhere. Any political framework that refuses to acknowledge this basic demographic reality is doomed to fail.

As a Palestinian who has spent decades in public life working toward a better shared future, I opposed Hamas’s actions on October 7 and said so clearly and publicly. I have also witnessed, with grief, the suffering of my people in Gaza throughout this war.  Yet I have felt a personal moral responsibility to engage with the pain on all sides – including reaching out to Israeli victims in moments of profound loss. It is precisely because of this that I say: this moment matters. The proposal on the table is not perfect. It is not complete. But it is real. And in a conflict where missed opportunities have defined the past, dismissing a real opening because it does not meet maximal expectations is a familiar and dangerous mistake. The task now is clear: deploy the NCAG on the ground, establish enforcement authority, support a phased and verifiable disarmament process, and stabilize Gaza’s economy and institutions. If we say no to this, we are not holding the line – we are gambling with the lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike. History will not judge us by the demands we made, but by the opportunities we recognized – and the ones we chose to ignore. My oped in @Jerusalem_Post

Exclusive from @MaxKendix * A deep dive into the explosion of independent candidates at the local elections on May 7, who pose a significant threat to Labour and have some particularly toxic messaging * The number of independent candidates has almost quadrupled since the last set of relevant elections from 2022, from 328 to 1,263 * Independents are favourites to take control in Redbridge, east London, and to form the biggest group on Bradford's council. They will also make breakthroughs in areas like Birmingham, Blackburn, Burnley, Oldham, Rochdale, Kirklees and Newham * Here's Oliur Rahman, an independent candidate in Newham, on Labour candidates: “They are [like] rats that come out when they smell the food,” he continues. “As soon as they smell the election they come out of their holes, knocking on doors … As soon as the election is over they will go back to their holes and you will never see them again.” * In Redbridge, independent candidate Vaseem Ahmed called on voters to 'punish the politicians and the party that have abandoned us on the altar of Zionism'. 'We need to shame our Labour councillors, especially the Muslim ones' * Ibrar Ali, standing as a candidate in Bradford, said in response to the assassination of Iran's ayatollah in February that Labour was 'fully supporting the killing of Iranians' * In Birmingham, there is the Independent Candidates Alliance, which is run by Akhmed Yakoob — a lawyer with a large TikTok following — who has been charged with money laundering, which he denies. He was arrested in March on suspicion of racially abusing a police officer, and was released on bail. He has claimed his arrest was unlawful. * One of the Alliance’s candidates is Shahid Butt, who was found guilty of a plot to blow up the British consulate in Yemen in 1999. He told the BBC the charges were fabricated and he was tortured into a confession * Amer Khan, another candidate in the city, has admitted being part of a group filmed punching and kicking a resident while delivering leaflets in 2022 * There is some national co-ordination. A discreet network of grassroots campaign groups is helping independents succeed. One such group that has emerged in recent months is Vote Palestine, which has vowed to “put Palestine on the ballot”. * The campaign group has designed a three-part “Palestine pledge” aimed at pointing voters towards candidates who have endorsed it, vowing to “stand against genocide and ethnic cleansing”. More than 1,000 Green candidates have signed up, as have more than 200 independents. * Electoral Commission fears over deepfakes. “The threat has traditionally been linked to attempts by foreign states, but because the technology has moved so far, so fast, the barrier to generating these is basically zero. Anyone can do it,” Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive, said thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

Just one in six failed asylum seekers removed from UK #Echobox=1777234044" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

Exactly this. This 17-year-old pleaded guilty to trying to burn down a synagogue only to be sent home with bail conditions apparently so lax that he could go straight to a Jewish school and send details of its security measures straight to Iran’s IRGC, which still hasn't been proscribed. With bail conditions this lax, I doubt anyone thinks that this arsonist will get a custodial sentence. That’s amidst Iran seeming to run a campaign whereby it pays minors to commit arson attacks on the Jewish community in return for cash. If teenagers are being offered serious money to attack British Jews and the sanction is, well, basically nothing, are we surprised that this is happening? And pity the counterterrorism police who have to scour the country for these arsonists only to have them let straight out again. No wonder Britain has now leapt up to the number one spot as the epicentre of activity for Iran-linked terrorists outside of the Middle East. What is the Government doing other than telling us that they’re “absolutely appalled”? Iran must be laughing at us. This will escalate. They will kill.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust have given Spinwatch - Miller's outfit - £215,000 over the years. Other funders include Lush, MEND, Cordoba Foundation, Friends of Al Aqsa & Network for Social Change JRCT aims to promote rights & justice for minorities experiencing racism!

The 17-year-old boy who on Saturday broke a London synagogue’s window and then lit and threw a fire bomb through it, has pleaded guilty to arson. District Judge Nina Tempia freed the synagogue arsonist on bail, allowing him to walk free from the court. Why? “I didn’t know it was a synagogue… I genuinely thought it was an empty building” the boy claimed, in a prepared statement read to the court. Look at the photo – architectural menorah relief sculpture, Hebrew writing – and ask yourself if that’s likely to be true. Besides, which buildings is it OK to throw firebombs through the window of?

Tonight in Jaffa, the Rana Choir — Muslim, Christian, and Jewish women singing together — performed at the 21st Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony. This annual ceremony brings together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in the conflict.

In the wake of the deeply distressing arson attacks over the weekend we have been in Westminster to ensure the voices and concerns of our community are heard at the highest levels. Across a series of back-to-back meetings, we engaged with Ministers and Shadow Ministers alongside partners from the Community Security Trust and the Antisemitism Policy Trust. These discussions focused on the fear, anger, and uncertainty being felt across our community, heightened not only by the attacks but also by the ongoing protests and marches which continue to leave many feeling vulnerable in their own cities. Amongst many other conversations, we have worked cross party and met the Minister for Online Safety and AI, Kanishka Naryan MP, Government Whip Christian Wakeford MP, Conservative MP and Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani MP and Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Max Wilkinson MP. We have been clear about what is required to restore confidence and safety. This includes renewed calls for the IRGC to be proscribed, decisive action to tackle the appalling levels of antisemitism online, and the immediate implementation of the latest strategy that we consider to be robust, well-developed as government strives to combat extremism in all its forms. Our Chair, Mark Adlestone has written his thoughts on the latest policy announcements that can be seen below. jewishnews.co.uk/the-government… We also made clear that our community cannot be expected to respond to rising threats simply by retreating behind ever higher walls or increasing security measures alone. Safety must be guaranteed through action, enforcement, and leadership and not by placing the burden solely on those at risk. This is an issue that must be addressed by the whole of society. In addition, we briefed MPs ahead of the parliamentary debate on the recent antisemitic attacks. While words of solidarity are appreciated, we have emphasised that they must now be matched with concrete measures to ensure Jewish people can live safely, openly, and without fear. We will continue to engage at every level to advocate for our community and push for the action this moment demands.

NEW: After years of tension and outright rows between the government and ICIBI, new border watchdog chief John Tuckett is taking a “critical friend” approach to the role — the chief inspector baulks at the term “inspection” — the small boats problem is “like a mutating Covid virus” – as soon as that route is tackled, “the illegal migrants will just find other ways of coming across” — discusses his background as a submarine commander politicshome.com/news/article/c…

We now begin the Candlelighting Ceremony Thousands @yellowcandleUK candles have been distributed. Please light your candles and post a picture of your lit candle on social media and caption it with @yellowcandleuk @yomhashoahuk and #yellowcandle

The frustration of the squeezed middle is palpably rising and the risk of blunt UC cut offs for support whether for day trips, energy bills or pension credit for winter fuel allowance is that you actually end up undermining support for social democratic principles.

Lovely piece by @Chris_EvansMP on the story of the elite England football players who fought in World War One: politicshome.com/opinion/articl…

@DarrenJohnson66 @lewishamlabour @ZackPolanski Allowing Bernard Mani to stand in Forest Hill is particularly grim. He has consistently argued that Oct 7 was a false flag operation.

@lewishamlabour @ZackPolanski I was once proud to represent the Greens on Lewisham Council for 12 years. Now it's just a home for cranks, conspiracists and extremists #VoteLabour

@ZackPolanski - you’ve chosen this man to represent the Greens in Lewisham. He represents everything Lewisham isn’t. Do you condemn Bernard Mani's views, yes or no?

@JackTShaw I can remember the damage of the 1985 rate capping rebellion, particularly in Lambeth and Liverpool. Neil Kinnock's famous quote "the grotesque chaos of a Labour council hiring taxis to scuttle round a city, handing out redundancy notices to its own workers"

I applaud Green candidates pledging to explore inventive ways of running public services, but setting an illegal budget is - as the name suggests - illegal. Councillors cannot simply jettison their responsibilities. I'll write about local election pledges in my next Substack!