Newslinks for Thursday the 1st of May 2025

Badenoch criticises IOPC decision to pursue policeman who shot gangster Chris Kaba

“The armed Scotland Yard officer who was cleared of murdering a violent gangster in south London now faces a gross misconduct disciplinary hearing over the shooting and could be sacked. Sgt Martyn Blake shot dead Chris Kaba in Streatham in September 2022 after Kaba drove at officers in an attempt to smash his way out of a police roadblock. The highly trained firearms specialist has been told he must appear before a hearing accused of gross misconduct following a review of the case by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said: “Heroes like the police officer who shot Chris Kaba are all that stand between us and the predators, thieves and maniacs. But because our society has gone mad, instead of a commendation, that police officer was put on trial for murder. I said at the time it was a disgrace and so did many others. The over-interpretation of guidelines to the point where no one is able to do their job properly will harm policing and deter good people from taking up this difficult job.” – Daily Telegraph

• Kemi Badenoch demands Labour ‘get a grip’ after watchdog probe into Chris Kaba officer – Daily Express
• Backlash as officer cleared of Chris Kaba murder faces misconduct hearing – The Times
• Fury as police marksman who was cleared of murdering violent gangster Chris Kaba now faces gross misconduct hearing – Daily Mail
• Met officer cleared of murdering Chris Kaba to face misconduct proceedings – Guardian
• Outrageous. ‘Vindictive, pernicious & driven by agenda’ – Met cops’ fury as officer cleared of murdering Chris Kaba faces new probe – The Sun
• Police Scotland attacked for going to Swinney’s ‘anti-Reform’ event – The Times

Comment

• The Chris Kaba misconduct case doesn’t make sense – Danny Shaw Spectator

No 10 accuses Blair of disrupting Labour’s local election campaign with Net Zero swipe

“Tony Blair has been forced by Downing Street to row back from his criticism of the government’s net zero strategy after furious Labour politicians warned he had given a boost to Tory and Reform sceptics on the eve of the local elections. Climate experts also accused the former prime minister of granting political cover to fossil fuel interests and weakening momentum behind the UK’s legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Senior No 10 officials called the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change [TBI] after he claimed the plans were “doomed to fail”, to urge it to address the fallout. The Guardian understands that Keir Starmer has not spoken to his Labour predecessor directly but furious government insiders said that Blair had undermined Starmer on a key issue, at a crucial moment. One Downing Street insider said: “Tony fucked up.” Another said: “He has completely lost his touch.” – Guardian

• No 10 fury as Blair disrupts election campaign – The i
• Why Ed Miliband’s toxic rivalry with Tony Blair could prove his downfall – Daily Telegraph
• Miliband’s days could be numbered as Starmer refuses to defend him – Daily Express
• Now Unions reject Ed’s Green lunacy: Unite warns Labour’s Net Zero plan will become ‘millstone’ as No.10 refuses to guarantee Miliband will keep his job – Daily Mail
• Unite urges Labour to heed Tony Blair’s warning on net-zero plans – The Times
• Miliband not safe as Labour civil war breaks out over net zero – Daily Telegraph

Comment

• Tony Blair has finally done Britain a favour – Henry Hill Daily Daily Telegraph
• Tony Blair’s climate realism is too little, too late – Harry Phibbs CapX
• Mark my words, Miliband has a shot at becoming PM – Tom Harris Daily Telegraph
• Why Net Zero hits Brits in the pocket, bankrupts the nation but barely does anything for the environment – Rod Liddle The Sun

>Today

Blair backs Badenoch on Net Zero – and then gives a perfect case study in why policy doesn’t change

Labour and Tories brace themselves for bad election night with Reform wins

“Reform is poised to sweep to victory in two major mayoral contests today, as a former Labour adviser warned that Sir Keir Starmer’s party is ‘toast’ in local elections. Polling yesterday suggested Nigel Farage’s party is on course to have two mayors, in Lincolnshire and Hull, with Labour pushed into third place in both. Bookmakers have also installed Reform as odds-on favourites to seize one of Labour’s safest parliamentary seats in Runcorn and Helsby in a by-election. Voters go to the polls today in 23 local authority areas and six mayoralties in England in the biggest electoral test since the general election. Polls suggest both Labour and the Conservatives are likely to be punished by disillusioned voters.” – Daily Mail

• New wave of tactical voting to ‘stop Reform’ and hamper Farage in elections – Guardian
• Conservatives blame betting scandal for expected local election wipeout – Daily Telegraph
• Labour could be about to pay a high price for underestimating the Greens – The i
• The 5 key moments that prove today’s local elections are not boring – and could be start of a political earthquake – The Sun

Comment

• What Reform gets wrong about Britain. The electorate is remarkably moderate – Chris Clarke Unherd

Reeves investigated by Parliamentary watchdog over free theatre tickets

“Rachel Reeves is being investigated by Westminster’s standards watchdog for declaring free theatre tickets three months late. The standards commissioner is looking into why the chancellor failed to report the donation to the register of members’ interest in the required timeframe. Reeves and three of her family were also given free tickets by the National Theatre to a show on December 27 last year, thought to be a performance of the children’s favourite, Ballet Shoes. These were worth £276. The National Theatre gave her two tickets on March 15 last year to Nye, a play about Aneurin Bevan, the Labour politician and founder of the NHS, worth £265.69. Both gifts were only registered last month. Rules for MPs state that they must declare any hospitality within 28 days of receiving it.” – The Times

• Rachel Reeves under investigation by parliamentary watchdog – FT
• Reeves facing questions over late declaration of theatre tickets – The i
• Reeves investigated over free theatre tickets in blow to Labour on eve of elections – Daily Express
• A problem Labour can’t solve is set to harm them in the local elections – Trump – The i

Trump signs mineral deal with Ukraine while Russia still refuses to budge over peace

“The United States and Ukraine have signed a contentious rare earth minerals deal after weeks of wrangling. The deal will allow the US to exploit Ukraine’s natural resources, including aluminium, graphite, oil and natural gas. The Trump administration said Russia should see it as a signal that Washington is committed to supporting a free Ukraine. The deal comes after The Telegraph reported that Donald Trump had dropped his demand to force Volodymyr Zelensky to hold elections that could oust him as part of a peace deal. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary and one of the main architects of the deal, said it was “historic”. – Daily Telegraph

• US and Ukraine sign natural resources deal – FT
• Ukraine signs Trump’s minerals deal in huge step toward peace agreement – Daily Express
• Art of the deal. US & Ukraine finally ink critical mineral deal months after horror White House row left alliance in tatters – The Sun

Mahmood accepts some human rights judgements from immigration courts cause concern

“Human rights claims in the immigration courts ‘do not always stand up to scrutiny’, the Justice Secretary has admitted. Shabana Mahmood defended the Government’s decision to launch a review of the use of the controversial ‘right to private and family life’ – under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights – in immigration cases. The measure has been used repeatedly over the last 20 years by foreign nationals to dodge deportation after committing horrific crimes in Britain – including manslaughter and rape. Ms Mahmood told Parliament’s joint committee on human rights that some Article 8 claims in the immigration courts ‘raised questions’ about the operation of the law. She said: ‘I don’t think it’s a responsible attitude of the Government, and certainly not a Government that supports the Convention and Human Rights Act and our human rights-related arrangements in this country, to simply adopt a position of “there’s nothing to see here” and look the other way.’ She said” – Daily Mail

• Fiend Caged. Migrant who arrived in UK on small boat raped woman as she left nightclub then fled towards his asylum seeker hotel – The Sun
• Questioning gender ruling is unacceptable, says justice secretary – The Times
• Reform candidate calls for ‘gunfire’ at migrant boats – The Times
• Back on the Streets. Notorious Rotherham grooming gang rapist could be freed early for ‘good behaviour’ after bid to move from jail – The Sun

Poll suggests MPs may be cooling on assisted dying bill

“The assisted dying bill may no longer have the backing of enough MPs to pass into law, according to a new poll. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, tabled by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, will return to the House of Commons this month for its third reading. MPs will be asked to vote on amendments and it will be sent to the House of Lords if it passes. However, a new survey of 103 MPs by the pollster Whitestone Insight, commissioned by the anti-euthanasia group Care Not Killing, suggests that more MPs now oppose the bill than support it. The legislation was backed by 330 to 275 MPs in a historic vote in November, but since then critics say its safeguards have been watered down. The poll, carried out in March and April, asked MPs how they intended to vote at the third reading. Forty-two per cent said they would vote against, 36 per cent said they would vote for, 13 per cent were undecided, 5 per cent planned to abstain and 8 per cent preferred not to say.” – The Times

News in brief

• The radical barristers who really lay down the law in Britain – Ross Clark Spectator
• Economic freedom will die without its champions – Eliot Wilson CapX
• Jess Phillips’s grooming gangs admission comes far too late – Iram Ramzan Unherd
• Don’t cry for Argentina – Barry Norris The Critic