Latest news with #APPG
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour's obsession with ‘Islamophobia' will put more girls in danger
Labour politicians are frantically trying to convince us that they take the grooming gangs scandal seriously. I do hope they'll forgive my cynicism, but I don't believe a word of it. Because, whether they realise it or not, their Government will soon be giving grooming gangs a huge helping hand. Here's how. On Monday – the very same day that Sir Keir Starmer finally bowed to pressure to hold a national inquiry – the Government's 'Islamophobia Working Group' quietly sent out an email to unidentified figures, inviting them to help it in its efforts to draw up a new official definition of 'Islamophobia' – which it will ultimately present to ministers to consider. We'll just have to wait and see what definition this group comes up with, but we'd better hope it's not the same as the one advocated by Islamophobia Defined, a 2018 report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims. That report stated that 'age-old stereotypes and tropes about Islam', such as 'paedophilia' and 'Asian grooming gangs', serve to 'heighten vulnerability of Muslims to hate crimes'. But hang on just a moment. Are 'Asian grooming gangs' really no more than a 'stereotype'? And, if so, does that mean that even talking about the grooming gangs scandal is Islamophobic? At any rate, you may or may not be astonished to learn that that 2018 report was endorsed by local authorities in various parts of the country – including Oxford, Newcastle and Calderdale in West Yorkshire – where 'Asian grooming gangs' had previously operated. You may also be fascinated to learn that the report carried an approving foreword by the then Conservative MP Dominic Grieve – who is now the chairman of the aforementioned 'Islamophobia Working Group'. A group which, incidentally, contains Baroness Shaista Gohir, who in 2013 wrote a report arguing that the 'media coverage being given to British Pakistani offenders' was 'disproportionate', and that this was helping to 'fuel racism and Islamophobia'. To be clear: I'm not complaining that the 'Islamophobia Working Group' contains the wrong people. I'm complaining that it exists at all. Because there's a serious risk that introducing a new official definition of 'Islamophobia' will help grooming gangs evade justice in future. Put it like this: the police's treatment of previous victims was often disgraceful – as the national inquiry, we must hope, will fully lay bare. Future victims, however, may be scared to even report the crime for fear that they themselves will be arrested. They'll be understandably worried that, armed with a new definition of 'Islamophobia', police will charge them with peddling racist 'tropes'. As a result, these future victims may stay silent. Labour's obsession with 'Islamophobia', therefore, will put more British girls in danger, and that obsession is widespread enough on the Left as it is. In April 2023, Suella Braverman – the then Tory home secretary – wrote an article for a newspaper in which she said the grooming gangs were 'groups of men, almost all British-Pakistani'. For this she was furiously condemned by self-proclaimed anti-racists. Nick Lowles, the chief executive of Hope not Hate, declared that 'child sexual abuse has long been a trope' deployed by 'the far Right in their Islamophobic narratives about the Muslim community'. By 'singling out British Pakistani men', he went on, Mrs Braverman 'irresponsibly stirs up hate'. I've no doubt that saying this made Mr Lowles feel wonderfully noble and righteous. But, as Baroness Casey put it this week, in her excoriating new report on the grooming gangs, many organisations turned a blind eye to the mass rape of children by British Pakistani men 'for fear of appearing racist'. Bearing that in mind, what do we think will happen once Labour brings in a new definition of 'Islamophobia'? Will such organisations be more likely to speak up in future? Call me a pessimist, but I have a funny feeling that they won't. In fact, I think they'll be even less likely than ever. All of which is why Sir Keir Starmer must urgently drop this idiotically misconceived venture. We already have laws against racial discrimination. There is no need to add special protections for one group in particular. Especially when they might inadvertently help to protect not just ordinary, innocent Muslims, but child-rapists. The Government's job is to prevent such scandals from happening, not prevent them from being exposed.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK politicians propose ban on pimping websites
A ban on pimping websites has been proposed by MPs, as part of measures designed to rewrite legislation regulating the sexual exploitation of women. Campaigners say ordering a woman to be sexually exploited has become as straightforward as ordering a takeaway online, with the proliferation of websites that allow buyers to browse images and videos of women, and refine their search by postcode. A group of 59 cross-party MPs have signed an amendment to the crime and policing bill, to be debated on Wednesday, which would make it a criminal offence to 'enable or profit from the prostitution of another person, including by operating a website hosting adverts for prostitution'. The all-party parliamentary group on commercial sexual exploitation has published research saying that the ease and speed with which pimps and traffickers can now advertise their victims to potential customers has 'turbo-charged the sex trafficking trade'. The committee has warned that regulation of the sex trade has not kept pace with technological developments. It said browsing commercial websites has replaced picking women up on street corners or consulting phone box advertisements. A report from the Home Affairs Committee concluded in 2023 that 'websites advertising prostitution significantly facilitate trafficking for sexual exploitation'. The Home Office has acknowledged that these websites 'are the most significant enabler of sexual exploitation linked to trafficking'. Three amendments tabled by the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi together set out a new approach to regulation of commercial sexual exploitation, and also propose making it an offence to pay for sex and the decriminalisation of victims of commercial exploitation. In a Commons speech last week, Labour's Tracy Gilbert read out reviews of women posted on pimping websites by men who pay for sex. 'No smile, her atrocious English made the interactions even more impossible,' one reviewer stated. 'This was a very sub-standard service from someone who is not interested in providing customer satisfaction,' another review stated. 'Men who buy sex review women as if they are reviewing an Xbox game,' Gilbert stated, adding that the quoted feedback represented just a handful of the approximately 28,000 reviews left on one sex buyers' website. Kat Banyard, senior programme manager at UK Feminista, said the amendments, each of which had been backed by more than 50 MPs, represented the biggest show of support for legal reform on this issue in a generation. 'The commercial sexual exploitation of women is taking place on an industrial scale in the UK, and successive governments have failed to confront it. Websites hosting prostitution adverts operate openly and freely, functioning as massive online brothels, and the men who order women from these sites and pay to exploit them enjoy impunity. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Meanwhile, women exploited through the sex trade can themselves face criminal sanctions for soliciting. Our laws on sexual exploitation are unjust and, fundamentally, totally ineffective at preventing it.' She said the proposed reforms 'would finally shift the burden of criminality off victims of sexual exploitation and on to those who perpetrate and profit from it'. Banyard said: 'Jurisdictions that have already adopted this approach, including France, Ireland, Norway and Sweden, show demand can be reduced, traffickers can be deterred and attitudes towards sexual exploitation can be transformed.'
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Royal Ascot ready to roll with MPs worried future of racing is ‘on the line'
Hundreds of staff were putting the finishing touches to Ascot racecourse on Monday ahead of the five-day Royal meeting. The champagne is on ice, a variety of crustaceans have been plucked from the seabed and transported to Berkshire and the famous grey horses that lead the royal procession are ready to be harnessed. The most valuable, historic and glamorous show on turf is good to go. So it was a little jarring, to say the least, to spend an hour on Monday lunchtime in the company of assorted heavy-hitters from the racing industry and a pair of racing-friendly MPs from either side of the House, hearing warnings of a 'triple whammy of challenges' that, according to a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Racing and Bloodstock which was published on Monday, 'present no less than an existential threat to the sport.' John Gosden, who will saddle the hot favourite Field Of Gold in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes, the feature event on Royal Ascot's opening day, was among them. There were almost certainly things he would rather have been doing on the eve of the biggest meeting of the year, but he was keen to voice his support for the findings of the report, entitled 'Securing Racing's Future: The Threat to British Horseracing'. 'We are liable to be actually brought down by this,' Gosden said. 'Here, we have a gene pool of the thoroughbred that is by far superior to anything else in the world, and yet, we are going to blow it down the river. [And] what makes me beyond angry is that it's never grasped how important we are internationally.' The report was co-produced by Dan Carden, the Labour MP for Liverpool Walton, and Nick Timothy, a Conservative whose West Suffolk constituency includes Newmarket, the joint-chairs of the APPG, but claims cross-party support for its concerns from both Liberal Democrat and Reform MPs. In addition to a Treasury proposal to equalise the rate of duty payable on betting on sport with what is currently a higher rate for casino-style gaming products – which could reduce racing's attractiveness as a betting medium for both operators and punters – the MPs' report highlights the issue of 'financial risk' checks on gamblers and an ongoing impasse over reform to the Levy system, which returns money to racing from off-course gambling, as the other components of its 'triple whammy'. 'The government needs to carefully consider the unintended consequences of its decision in all of these areas,' the report warns. 'It is no exaggeration to say that the future of Britain's biggest sport is on the line.' It was a sobering way to start Ascot week, but the report will form the basis of the British Horseracing Authority's response to the Treasury's proposals in a consultation process which is due to end on 21 July. And the serene self-confidence of the Royal meeting, with everything in its allotted place and, for the most part, just as it was two centuries ago will offer at least some reassurance as worries about what the future might bring are parked for the next five days for a celebration of the best of British racing. The Breeders' Cup in America has more Grade One races. Arc weekend at Longchamp has the richest event of the season and half a dozen Group Ones on a single afternoon. But neither can boast the variety or depth of quality that comes as standard at Royal Ascot, where the daily feature events at 4.20pm are joined by historic handicaps like the Wokingham and Royal Hunt Cup, where fields of up to 30 horses charge down the straight mile. Cheltenham's festival in March is often seen as a more competitive meeting overall, but the average SP of the winners has been higher at Ascot in recent seasons. It is a meeting that sets its stall out from the start, with a Group One at the top of the opening day card and two more in quick succession, and does not, by any reasonable assessment, have a single afternoon that ranks as either superior or inferior to the rest. Contrary to popular belief, in fact, Ladies' Day on Thursday – when the Gold Cup, first run in 1807, is the feature event – has never been marketed as such by the track itself. And while other tracks struggle to shift tickets for their main events, Ascot is trying to find space to accommodate nearly 400 visiting executives from tracks around the world, eager to find out for themselves how Britain's top racecourse seemingly goes from strength to strength. Without the grass-roots industry to support it, of course, the top of the pyramid would soon topple. So this week's Royal meeting, with the King and Queen in attendance for most or all of the days and horses drawn from around the world to compete, is a timely reminder that there are still some things that Britain does quite well and also, perhaps, that you do not know what you've got 'til it's gone. It adds an extra dimension to the St James's Palace Stakes when the three major Guineas winners from Newmarket, the Curragh and Longchamp are in the field and Epsom's loss is very much Royal Ascot's gain following the late scratching of Ruling Court, the 2,000 Guineas winner, from the Derby 10 days ago. Ruling Court was half a length in front of Field Of Gold at Newmarket but John & Thady Gosden's colt was finishing best of all after allowing Ruling Court to get first run, and subsequently trounced his field in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh. The market for Tuesday's feature race on day one at Royal Ascot very much takes the view that Field Of Gold was unlucky at Newmarket, and he is odds-on to reverse the form with Ruling Court. Aidan O'Brien's Henri Matisse (4.20), meanwhile, is third-favourite among the principals, despite having won the French 2,000 Guineas – around a right-handed bend on good-to-firm ground – with something to spare. O'Brien has two stable companions in the field to ensure a strong pace, the race should set up ideally for Ryan Moore's mount as a result and a price of around 7-2 looks more than fair for Henri Matisse to give his trainer a record-extending 10th win in the race. Royal Ascot 2.30 The first four home in the Lockinge Stakes renew rivalry in the traditional opener to the meeting and Notable Speech, fourth at Newbury but less than three lengths behind the winner, could find the most improvement back on a fast surface. Royal Ascot 3.05 Twelve of the 21 declared runners for the Coventry Stakes arrive here unbeaten, and American Gulf, who was well-backed before a decisive debut win at Windsor, could spring a minor surprise at around 10-1. Royal Ascot 3.40 Last year's winner Asfoora arrives without a prep run this time around and is blinkered for the first time but she has won off a break in the past and is an obvious pick on last year's form. Royal Ascot 5.00 All the focus is on Willie Mullins's Reaching High in the royal colours, but his stable companion Poniros, the 100-1 Triumph Hurdle winner in March, is potentially very well handicapped returning to the Flat and the booking of William Buick suggests he is far from just a second-string. Stratford-On-Avon 2.05 Market House 2.40 Duel Au Soleil 3.13 Alshadian 3.50 Carigeen Kampala 4.30 A Dublin Job 5.10 Fillyfudge Thirsk 2.15 Royal Fixation 2.50 Ghaiyya 3.23 Blue Anthem 4.00 Captain Vallo 4.40 Blue Rc 5.20 Golden Rainbow 5.50 Jojo Rabbit Royal Ascot 2.30 Notable Speech (nb) 3.05 American Gulf 3.40 Asfoora 4.20 Henri Matisse 5.00 Poniros 5.35 Ecureuil Secret (nap) 6.10 Charlus Southwell 5.25 Frostmagic 5.55 Keldeo 6.30 Your Love 7.00 Irish Dancer 7.30 Panelli 8.00 Time Allowed 8.30 Petra Celera 9.00 Loch Leven Beverley 6.15 Command The Stars 6.45 Forest Caper 7.15 Dumfries 7.45 Freddy Robinson 8.15 Little Ted 8.45 Triple Force Royal Ascot 5.35 This is a significant step up for Ecureuil Secret after a convincing handicap success at Epsom's Derby meeting but he already looks like a much-improved performer after being gelded over the winter. Royal Ascot 6.10 Willie Mullins is going for a hat-trick in this 14-furlong handicap and while the lightly raced Charlus was beaten out of sight on his latest start in the Triumph Hurdle, he showed distinct promise in four starts on the Flat for Jean-Claude Rouget in France.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Horse racing risks being DESTROYED if Reeves pushes ahead with tax raid on online gambling, MPs warn
HORSE racing risks being destroyed if Rachel Reeves pushes ahead with a tax raid on online gambling, MPs warned today. Senior Labour and Tory politicians urged the Chancellor not to whack up betting levies. They say it could wipe out 'one of the crown jewels of UK sport and culture'. The Treasury is considering a new flat-rate remote betting and gaming duty, under which horse racing bets would be taxed at the same rate as online gaming and slots — despite being less profitable. Such a move would discourage bookmakers from promoting the sport, leading to fewer bets, it is claimed. In a new report, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock said the tax would bring job losses and economic pain for towns such as Doncaster, Cheltenham and Newmarket. Labour MP Dan Carden said: 'I'm calling on the Government to secure a fair funding model, protect jobs and allow horse racing to thrive for future generations.' And Tory MP Nick Timothy added: 'Horse racing is one of the crown jewels of British sport and culture. Nobody will forgive ministers if their decisions lead to its decline.' The MPs' concerns are backed by voters, with polling for the APPG showing two-thirds see horse racing as key to the identity of race meeting towns. The racing sector contributes £4.1billion to the economy and supports more than 85,000 jobs. 1
Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Times
Tax changes ‘threaten future of horse racing'
The future of British horse racing is at risk unless the government urgently rethinks new gambling policies, according to a cross-party parliamentary group. In a report released on Sunday night, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Racing and Bloodstock warned that a combination of tax changes, strict affordability checks designed to stop problem gambling and a failure to reform racing's main funding system could cause lasting damage to one of the UK's most popular sports. The APPG, made up of MPs and peers, is not a parliamentary select committee. All funding comes from within the racing industry, with the British Horseracing Authority leading on organisation as the secretariat. Racegoers at Aintree during Grand National week this year MICHAEL STEELE/GETTY IMAGES Horse racing supports more than 85,000 jobs and contributes in excess of £4 billion a year to the economy, according to a House of Commons Library report. It is Britain's second largest spectator sport after football, with high-profile events such as Royal Ascot this week. In April, the Treasury launched a consultation process calling for stakeholders in the sport betting sector to submit their views on how best to consolidate the current three-tier system for remote gambling to create a single tax, called the Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. Betting companies currently pay different tax rates: the Remote Gaming Duty, set at 21 per cent of operator gross profits; the General Betting Duty, which is set at 15 per cent; and the Pool Betting Duty at 15 per cent of net stake receipts. The consultation process runs for 12 weeks until July 21. The APPG claims this could raise the cost of betting on racing, pushing gambling firms toward more profitable, but riskier, online games such as slots and roulette, potentially meaning less investment in racing and a push away from a relatively low-risk form of gambling. Racing gets a chunk of funding from a special tax called the Horserace Betting Levy so some betting profits are reinvested in the sport, but the APPG says the government has not updated it, so it is not keeping up with what other countries give their racing industries. Dan Carden, Labour MP for Liverpool Walton and co-chair of the APPG, said: 'The message from this report is clear: British racing needs this Labour government to be on its side. Racing is part of our national story and its enjoyment and support extends all the way from rural to urban working-class communities.' Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: 'The cultural, social and economic value of racing is huge for towns and rural areas across Britain. It is those communities that will suffer the job losses, the decline in community pride and the loss of identity that will come if racing is allowed to fail.' A government spokesman said: 'We recognise the huge importance of horse racing to the British sporting calendar and the significant contribution it makes to the economy every year. 'We have recently launched a consultation on the tax treatment of remote gambling and are actively engaging with the sector, so are grateful to the APPG for their contributions and will consider the report fully.'
