Politics

The record low turnout for parliamentary elections in Iran, which took place on Friday, is another blow to the regime’s attempts to pretend that all is well in the country. Early reports suggest a turnout of just under 41 per cent nationwide. Iranians in their millions have rejected the regime by choosing to stay at home rather than vote. The elections were never really about the final results (victory is pretty much guaranteed for the motley crew of religious hardliners and social conservatives endorsed by the ruling clerics), but about how many people would actually bother to vote. Turnout matters to the mullahs because the election process exists to give

It must be strange to be Russian and living in Serbia these days. On the one hand, Serbs are very welcoming. The country’s historic ties with Russia and their shared Orthodox faith means that most Serbs have been happy to see tens of thousands of Russians settling in their country since the start of the Ukraine war. On the other hand, if you are Russian in Serbia, you might find you are only welcome for as long as you keep your mouth shut. Once seen as a safe-haven for Russians, Serbia is cracking down on those who dare to speak out against Russia’s war in Ukraine. Most recently, Elena Koposova, who

The Prime Minister has given the following speech tonight outside 10 Downing Street. In recent weeks and months, we have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality. What started as protests on our streets, has descended into intimidation, threats, and planned acts of violence. Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveal their identity. Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with. Now our democracy itself is a target. Council meetings and local events have been stormed. MPs do not feel safe in their homes. Long standing Parliamentary conventions have been upended because of safety

When Hacked Off first launched in 2011, Hugh Grant was its lead spokesman, regularly appearing on shows like Question Time to preach the importance of press regulation. And while others like the-then DPP Keir Starmer are now less keen to talk about their role in the subsequent phone-hacking scandal, Grant remains a vocal supporter of Hacked Off. Indeed, such is his enthusiasm that the Love Actually star is tonight expected to appear at a £175-a-head fundraiser in aid of the Press Justice Project, a newly-launched charity to ‘complement’ Hacked Off’s work, as well as Yellow Press Books. An advert for the event gushes that the night will consist of ‘drinks followed by an

In order to be inclusive of as many sexual orientations and gender identities as possible, Mr Steerpike uses the acronym LGBTQIA2S. Readers won’t need to be reminded that this stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Two spirit. During a debate in the Commons this afternoon, Tory MP Alicia Kearns preferred the somewhat punchier four-letter ‘LGBT’. Her fellow MP, the Alba party’s Westminster leader, Neale Hanvey, then ditched the letter ‘T’. Kearns’ response was furious: ‘He is absolutely right but there was one digit missing from his LGBT. We do not divide the LGBT community in this place.’ Kearns then went on to accuse Hanvey of ‘suggesting