politics

Wealth of Britain’s 157 billionaires now equal to 22% of country’s GDP

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https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2026/may/15/wealth-britain-billionaires-gdp-rich-list-inequality

One economist said there was ‘a total disconnect between macroeconomic indicators and the reality of income gains for most people’. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

This ‘ghost GDP’ shows how headline economic growth is increasingly disconnected from reality for most, says report

The wealth of Britain’s 157 billionaires is now equivalent to more than a fifth of the country’s entire GDP, according to analysis by the Equality Trust – a fivefold increase since 1990.

The charity describes the trend, based on data in this year’s Sunday Times rich list, as Britain’s “ghost GDP”: headline economic growth increasingly disconnected from everyday life.

“Every year politicians point to GDP growth as proof the economy is working. Ghost GDP shows us what that ambition has done to the rest of us because for most of us, it doesn’t feel like the economy is working at all,” said Priya Sahni-Nicholas, the co-executive director of the Equality Trust.

“Ghost GDP and the hollowed out economy it creates, tells you what the rest of us have lost as a direct result.”

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When the Sunday Times first published its rich list in 1989, 15 billionaires held a total of £27bn – about 4p in every pound of GDP at the time. Today, the Equality Trust calculates that 157 billionaires hold just under £670bn – more than 22p in every pound.

“Workers have endured the longest pay squeeze in living memory,” said Sahni-Nicholas. “But the richest 50 families now hold more wealth than the poorest 34 million of us combined.”

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Original article at https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2026/may/15/wealth-britain-billionaires-gdp-rich-list-inequality

Christopher Harborne, tycoon who gave £5m to Farage, enters UK rich list at No 6

Nigel Farage says he's too stupid to answer questions about the hit to the UK economy of his plans to suck up to the uber-rich.
Nigel Farage says he’s too stupid to answer questions about the hit to the UK economy of his plans to suck up to the uber-rich.
Continue ReadingWealth of Britain’s 157 billionaires now equal to 22% of country’s GDP

Tommy Robinson tells tens of thousands at London rally to prepare for ‘battle of Britain’

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/16/tommy-robinson-tells-tens-of-thousands-at-london-rally-to-prepare-for-battle-of-britain

Crowds near Trafalgar Square in London at the Unite the Kingdom march. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA

Turnout down at second ‘unite the kingdom’ march featuring Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate speech and flyers

The far-right activist Tommy Robinson told tens of thousands of supporters to prepare for the “battle of Britain” during a rally in London on Saturday.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, drew tens of thousands of supporters on to the streets of central London for the second year running in an event where Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate speech and flyers were distributed to the crowds.

Organisers claimed that millions had attended his “unite the kingdom” march, but police estimated the number of demonstrators to be far lower, at about 60,000. Last September’s march was attended by 150,000 people.

Crowds gathered in Parliament Square for the demonstration. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Robinson, who gained prominence as the founder of the anti-Islam English Defence League, told crowds gathered in Parliament Square that the rally was “a turning point for Britain”.

He encouraged his supporters to move beyond street protest and “fighting” and become involved in local politics before the next general election.

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Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/16/tommy-robinson-tells-tens-of-thousands-at-london-rally-to-prepare-for-battle-of-britain

dizzy: News searches for Reform councillor are also very amusing. Search by date for the most recent ones. Enjoy

Continue ReadingTommy Robinson tells tens of thousands at London rally to prepare for ‘battle of Britain’

Iran ‘remains committed to diplomacy,’ president tells pope

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers a speech during an inspection visit to the Ministry of Sports and Youth in Tehran, Iran on April 19, 2026. [Iranian Presidency – Anadolu Agency]

Iran “remains committed to diplomacy and peaceful solutions,” the country’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message to Pope Leo XIV, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

Pezeshkian also expressed Tehran’s appreciation for the Catholic leader’s “moral and logical stance on the recent military aggressions against Iran,” according to the IRNA news agency.

Iran targeted the goals of the US and Israel “within the framework of legitimate defense,” the president said, calling on the international community to “act responsibly against America’s illegal actions.”

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. In response, Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.

READ: FBI offers $200,000 reward for former Air Force operative who defected to Iran

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingIran ‘remains committed to diplomacy,’ president tells pope

Hezbollah reports 33 attacks on Israeli forces in south Lebanon

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Smoke rises from the town of Kfar Tibnit in the Nabatieh Governorate of southern Lebanon following an attack by the Israeli army on May 15, 2026. [Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency]

Hezbollah said Friday that it had carried out 33 attacks targeting Israeli forces, military positions, and vehicles in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, Anadolu reports.

The group said the attacks were carried out in response to continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and attacks on civilians and areas in southern Lebanon.

In separate statements, Hezbollah said the attacks targeted Israeli troop and vehicle gatherings in the towns of Rashaf, Qouzah, and Hadatha.

It said military bulldozers and troop gatherings in Rashaf were targeted with attack drones, rocket barrages, and artillery shelling.

Hezbollah also said Liman barracks and Kiryat Shmona barracks were targeted with drone attacks, while rocket barrages and artillery shelling targeted Israeli positions in Qouzah and Hadatha.

The group claimed “confirmed hits” in several attacks.

Earlier Friday, the Israeli army declared the northern areas of Rosh Hanikra and Achziv a closed military zone over what it described as the “security situation,” following repeated air raid sirens triggered by drone infiltrations and rocket launches from southern Lebanon.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drones, which are harder to detect, have become a growing concern for Israel​​​​​​​

In late April, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Hezbollah missiles and drones represented “two major threats” facing Israel and urged the military to develop solutions.

READ: Lebanese Red Cross says Israel killed more than 100 paramedics despite ceasefire

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingHezbollah reports 33 attacks on Israeli forces in south Lebanon

Surfers to ‘paddle out’ across Britain in protest over failing water sector

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/surfers-paddle-out-across-britain-protest-over-failing-water-sector

 People take part in a protest by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), in Falmouth, who are calling for an end to the sewage discharges plaguing the UK’s rivers and seas, May 18, 2024

SURFERS are set to paddle out across Britain’s coasts, rivers and lakes tomorrow in nationwide protests demanding an end to private ownership of the water sector.

Led by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), groups will gather at more than 50 locations for the annual protest.

Protesters in England will also oppose the Water Reform Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, which they say will entrench privatisation in law rather than reverse it.

Ministers have ruled out returning water companies to public ownership. An annual survey by the Consumer Council for Water found that trust in water companies has plunged to a new low, with most concerns centring on sewage mismanagement and soaring bills.

SAS chief executive Giles Bristow said: “The Water Reform Bill is nothing more than a whitewash, locking in a failed system that has seen pollution, shareholder profits and consumer bills soar over three decades.

“Public support for privatised water has all but vanished and while thousands take to the beaches in protest, the government is burying its head in the sand.”

Polling commissioned by SAS found that only 7 per cent of adults in England believe water companies should remain privately owned.

Some 77 per cent supported a change in operating model, with 35 per cent backing full public ownership.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/surfers-paddle-out-across-britain-protest-over-failing-water-sector

Continue ReadingSurfers to ‘paddle out’ across Britain in protest over failing water sector