“Pressure is mounting for a chief constable to be sacked over banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending an Aston Villa match, as senior Tories said his position was now ‘untenable’. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was among the voices calling for Craig Guildford to step down or be removed after evidence emerged surrounding the decision to stop fans of the Israeli football team travelling to Villa Park in November. Newly published documents show West Midlands Police (WMP) was warned that locals in the majority Muslim community had planned to ‘arm’ themselves if Maccabi fans showed up – evidence that Mr Guildford has been accused of ‘hiding’. Gathered intelligence also showed ‘local hostility towards the visitors based on their nationality’. On Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch called on the chief constable to resign. She wrote on X: ‘West Midlands Police capitulated to Islamists and then collaborated with them to cover it up. They knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match, and their response was to blame and remove Jewish people instead. We have had enough of this in Britain. The Chief Constable’s position is untenable. The British police serve the British public, not local sectarian interests.’ – Daily Mail
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> Yesterday:
“Pubs face a new assault under Labour’s plans to cut the drink-driving limit. Ministers are considering toughening the rules in England and Wales, and could align them with Scotland where one drink can put a driver over the limit. Their proposal, to be announced on Wednesday, is the latest move by the Government to threaten pubs, following an increase in business rates, the rise in the minimum wage and the increase in employers’ National Insurance, which have brought some pubs to the brink of closure. The new measure will particularly impact rural premises, which rely on customers driving. The Telegraph is launching a campaign to save our pubs, calling on Labour to stop its assault on Britain’s locals and to cut tax and red tape. On average, one pub closed each day in 2025 and almost 2,000 have closed for good over the past five years.” – Daily Telegraph
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“Britain and France have formally committed to deploying troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal after President Trump agreed to defend Kyiv in the event of a future attack by Russia. Sir Keir Starmer said that an end to the four-year conflict was “closer than ever” after he signed an agreement for British forces to operate on Ukrainian soil in “military hubs across the country”. Under the plan British and French forces will help to train the Ukrainian army and oversee the construction of “protected facilities” to store weapons and military equipment that could be used to support Ukraine’s defence. The US has agreed to provide a security backstop to deter future Russian attacks and “defend” Ukraine. It said it would lead high-tech monitoring of any front line in Ukraine using sensors, drones and satellites to assess violations. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, said that the US was prepared to step in and defend Ukraine in the event of Russian attacks… However, there is little sign that President Putin is prepared to agree to any deal that would see European troops on Ukrainian soil or give up on his territorial demands to take land currently controlled by Kyiv.” – The Times
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