Starmer’s Classroom Class War

Labour has been accused of taking its class warfare into schools with plans to means-test funding based on parental income, in a move that could punish hard-working families.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will publish a schools white paper aimed at revamping special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and halving the attainment gap.

A central aspect of the proposals would involve reforms to how £8 billion in funding is targeted, with household income rather than whether a child receives free school meals used to allocate it.

Labour’s new disadvantage funding formula would also consider where a child lives, as well as how low parental income is and how long this has been the case.

Following a punitive tax assault on private schools, the Conservatives have denounced the ideas as being a part of Labour’s class warfare.

Tory shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: ‘Every child deserves to receive the support they need. But it is wrong to narrow the disadvantage gap by dragging everyone down.’

Yesterday, Ms Phillipson was forced to deny she was a ‘class warrior’ as she promised to ‘come down hard on those who are profiting from the system’.

Speaking to Times Radio, she said: ‘We’ve seen a big expansion, for example, in private equity, in specialist schools, where the quality is often very, very variable, where the costs are high.’

Asked if she sees herself as a ‘class warrior’, she responded: ‘No, I don’t. I’m really ambitious for every child in our country, regardless of background.’

Ms Phillipson has claimed the new funding formula is a ‘golden opportunity’ to cut the link between background and success. She will outline reforms that will see mild special needs cases dealt with in school after the spiralling number of children with behavioural conditions such as ADHD nearly bankrupted councils.

The SEND reforms will also see education, health and care plans (EHCPs) reassessed once children reach the end of primary school from 2029.

Under the proposals, students with less complicated and serious needs, such as autism and ADHD, will reportedly no longer be considered suitable for EHCPs after the number of children with a SEND plan skyrocketed from 240,000 to 639,000 in a decade.

All teachers will be trained to teach SEND children, and mainstream schools will receive a percentage of £4 billion in funding to help them support children with special needs in the classroom.

Numerous children have to go to specialist schools, and some of them are a long way away, and the parents of those children would be devastated if their children lost their places at their school, but this means testing will hurt hard-working people who work but just cannot afford to self-fund.

Sadly, it appears to be that there are so many so called ‘able people’ who don’t seem to have the capacity to learn and understand about ‘diagnosis’, and about the amazing SEN children who learn differently and would also like to achieve in life – but if it’s not happening to them it doesn’t exist, until it does happen to them, then it does!

There are people out there who are peddling myths about this children, and they have no idea. To be honest, it would be more cost-effective to heighten people’s awareness of SEN support and learning because, clearly, some people are not that smart, and what we need in the classroom is well-trained teaching staff and adequate support for children with a diagnosis.

It seems that there is a specific group of people who are jealous that another group can get support for their diagnosis. If a child or person has been diagnosed with a condition by a professional, then they have been diagnosed; it’s as straightforward as that – I just don’t comprehend why ‘able-bodied’ people are so envious of disabled people, because if the shoe were on the other foot, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge.

The Tesla Model S Driver Who Crashed Into A Woman While Reaching For His Phone

Tesla has been forced to fork out almost $250 million to the family of a woman who was killed when a Model S vehicle struck her and her boyfriend while on Autopilot. 

Naibel Benavides Leon, who was 22, died from the crash, while her partner, Dillon Angulo, suffered severe injuries during the impact in Key Largo, Florida, in April 2019. 

The driver, George McGee, confessed that he was leaning down to pick up his phone before the electric vehicle crashed into the couple’s parked car. 

However, McGee said his 2019 Tesla Model S was in ‘Autopilot’ mode, and the car’s feature failed to brake before the fatal collision. 

Benavides Leon’s family sued Tesla and the driver, but their case was consolidated with a criminal indictment in 2024 and subsequently moved to federal court for trial by jury. 

The trial marked a setback for Elon Musk’s vision of advancing self-driving cars and contributed to a precedent for holding vehicle manufacturers accountable. 

Jurors ruled in favour of the family last August, but attorneys for Tesla filed a motion for a new trial, claiming there was not enough evidence to support the assertion that the car’s Autopilot function caused the crash. 

However, US District Judge Beth Bloom supported the jury’s decision on Friday, awarding $200,000,000 to be divided between Angulo and Benavides Leon’s family, with an added $19,470,000 to Benavides Leon’s family, and $19,470,000 to Angulo.

Bloom said the evidence presented in last year’s trial supported the jury’s decision that Tesla was in part at fault for the crash. 

The judge’s decision has finally closed the years-long case that has haunted a bereaved family since the devastating accident.

The horror evening unfolded when Benavides Leon and Angulo pulled over on the side of the road to watch the stars near Key Largo, Florida, on April 25, 2019. 

McGee was driving his Tesla, and video footage from the car’s front camera showed him blowing through a red light at nearly 70mph. 

McGee then crashed into the couple’s parked vehicle, throwing Benavides Leon 75 feet. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Angulo broke numerous bones and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He attended the trial against Tesla and stepped into the courtroom with a limp. 

In a 60 Minutes interview from October, Angulo recalled the brutal moments of the crash. 

In the end, it was the driver’s fault because autopilot does not imply that the driver should not have constant control of the vehicle; however, it is down to the company as well because they made the vehicle and it was their design, which undoubtedly still has some bugs in it, and automation is certainly not fool proof, and will always need some form of control.

If a product is advertised and it doesn’t do what it was advertised to do, then that suggests the company lied. After all, ‘Red Bull’ was sued because it didn’t give people ‘wings’, but then you’re dealing with a nation that wore face masks because they were told to. Sheep follow sheep!

Cars should invariably be driven by people. Even driverless trains have someone keeping an eye on them in case something goes seriously wrong.

Equipment goes wrong, and when all is said and done, it is just a piece of equipment, and please tell me a piece of equipment that hasn’t gone wrong at some point, but then everybody wants to take zero accountability, and nobody, no matter what type of car it is should be looking for their phone while the car is in motion.

She Became One Of The World’s Richest People – But There’s A Catch

A woman has become the wealthiest person in the history of the world, in theory, but can only spend her money on two things.

Sophie Downing, from Nottingham, was given what she thought was a voucher worth £10 for 200 Degrees Coffee for Christmas. But when using it to purchase a matcha latte last week, she found the balance was much higher – in fact, it was more than £63 quadrillion.

That’s 63 followed by 15 zeros, or a thousand trillion. It means that in theory she is 100,000 times richer than her closest competitor – the somewhat impoverished Elon Musk – but she can only spend the money on coffee and croissants.

Put into perspective, the balance is also 670 times the total of the world economy, but Ms Downing is keeping her feet on the ground. “I thought it was really funny. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” she told NottinghamshireLive.

The 29-year-old first used the gift card at the 200 Degrees coffee shop in Flying Horse Walk, Nottingham, during her lunch break on February 12, and that was when it became apparent that something was amiss with the balance.

“The guy at the till was really confused. His face was just like what?” she remembered. “This massive number came up on the till. He said, ‘I’ve never seen it before, but it’s fine for you to keep it’. I didn’t clock it until he gave me the receipt. I thought, ‘surely not, that’s actually crazy’.

When Ms Downing, the owner of the hair removal company Secret Sugar Club, used the gift card a second time on Tuesday, she discovered the amount remained in the tens of quadrillions.

Since then, she has decided it is best not to keep using the card, although she says that 200 Degrees has not raised the issue with her. She joked that she could have gone in and bought everything from the shop.

“Maybe they have scanned the wrong thing. It looks as though they have scanned the barcode, which has turned into the balance,” she said. “I could go in and clear everything off the shelf, but I don’t want to take the mick. It would be better if it was a different gift card.”

This was clearly a technical error, which could happen to any one of us. At least she can have a coffee and a croissant every day now because the voucher credit will last for an extremely long time – it’s a pity she can’t cash it up for actual money, but then she could always invite Elon Musk out for a coffee.

Police At Andrew’s Home

Police have been seen at Sandringham, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is staying and celebrating his 66th birthday.

Six unmarked police cars arrived at King Charles’ Norfolk estate just after 8 am this morning. It is not known at this stage why they are attending.

Onlookers said the group of eight people were in plain clothes ‘but appeared to be police officers’.

 

They parked close to Prince Philip’s former home, Wood Farm, where Andrew has been exiled. One man seemed to be holding a police-issue laptop.

A convoy of vehicles was then photographed departing. 

Andrew, who turns 66 today, is staying at Sandringham after being evicted by his older brother from Royal Lodge in Windsor following the Epstein saga.

Police popped up at Sandringham as Sir Keir Starmer declared ‘nobody is above the law’ in the UK, and nine UK police forces consider whether to launch inquiries into Epstein-related allegations, including human trafficking and sexual assault. 

Andrew is yet to be spoken to by detectives, who are assessing a range of allegations related to sex trafficking and misconduct in public office and sex trafficking. But his brother, King Charles, said he stands ready to help the police with their inquiries.

The Queen’s second son may have passed sensitive information to Epstein in his position as a UK trade envoy. There are also claims he may have smuggled a woman into Buckingham Palace who may have been trafficked into Britain on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ jet.

Any misconduct is denied by Andrew.

Several police forces are understood to be looking into allegations around trafficking that have appeared in the enormous number of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein in the UK.

In a statement, the Met said it had ‘not identified any wrongdoing’ but was conducting ‘initial enquiries’ into these specific allegations.

The shamed former Prince has been banished to a remote cottage, Wood Farm, on the edges of the Sandringham estate.

Wood Farm, the property where his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, spent much of his final years, is concealed from public view about 300 yards down a private driveway in Wolferton on the edge of the Norfolk estate.

However, it has now been reported that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

It is said that the Queen’s second son may have passed sensitive information to Epstein in his role as a UK trade envoy, and there are assertions that he may have smuggled a woman into Buckingham Palace who may have been trafficked into Britain on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ jet.

Andrew will undoubtedly have access to the greatest solicitors, but I’m sure he’s sweating a little right now. Let’s be clear on this, Keir Starmer said ‘No one is above the law’, unless you include illegal immigrants, because they definitely appear to be.

The Queen paid millions to try to make the story go away, but it never did, so that was money down the drain. Andrew should have been cut off a long time ago and made to fend for himself. However, nothing has actually happened yet, but it was lovely of the police to have popped round to wish Andrew a Happy Birthday, and of course, it’s not just about Andrew, what about the many others that are on these files?

Since Epstein was a businessman, he would have had a lot of contacts with other rich individuals, but this does not imply that everyone was aware of or participating in the sordid actions.

If the man has done something criminal, he should be prosecuted, but so should all the billionaires and oligarchs who had an association with Epstein.

Following his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest today, the King issued a statement.

“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.

What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.

In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.

Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.

As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.

Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all. Charles R.”

TFL Advert Banned

A Transport for London advert showing a black man and his white friend pestering a white girl on a bus has been banned for ‘reinforcing negative racial stereotypes’.

The Facebook advert was removed after just one complaint from a viewer, who said it was irresponsible, harmful and offensive due to how it portrayed black teenage boys. 

The brief clip revealed a black male verbally harassing a young girl. He was accompanied by a white male friend, who sat down close to the victim, boxing her in’.

The advert was released as part of TfL’s new ‘Act Like a Friend’ campaign that encourages people to intervene safely if they see sexual harassment or hate crime on the network. 

TfL told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that both characters intimidated the victim and displayed offensive behaviour.

The advert was one of three made for social media, which had been cut from a two-minute ‘Act Like a Friend’ film.

The two other cut-downs featured a white male perpetrating a hate crime against a black woman and a white male committing a hate crime against another white male.

TfL said that a typical member of the Facebook audience would have been served any combination of the campaign adverts three times.

It is also estimated that the chance of a person seeing only the cut-down that was the subject of the complaint is about 2 per cent.

To ensure they were representative of London’s population across all of their campaigns, TfL said they used a bespoke casting diversity tracker. 

The ASA said it was possible to see the advert in isolation.

ASA said: ‘We understood there was a negative racial stereotype based on the association between black males, including teenagers, and threatening behaviour. We assessed whether the advert reinforced that stereotype.

‘The ad showed a black teenage boy verbally harassing a white girl. While the white male friend was shown in the ad and the two-minute film, the ad did not show him as jointly intimidating the victim. 

‘The only aggressor in the ad was the black teenage boy.

‘Although we understood that TfL had intended to present a range of diversity and scenarios across their campaign, we considered the ad, when seen in isolation, had the effect of perpetuating a negative racial stereotype about black men as perpetrators of threatening behaviour.

‘On that basis, we concluded that the ad featured a harmful stereotype, was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.’

The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in the form complained about, adding: ‘We told TfL to ensure that future ads were socially responsible. We also told them to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes and causing serious offence on the grounds of race.’

A TfL spokeswoman said: ‘Our aim is to ensure that our advertising reflects London’s diverse population and does not perpetuate any stereotypes, just as we ensure that our services are as fair, accessible and inclusive as possible.

‘We’re sorry that this social media advert – a shortened version of the full two-minute advert that includes a diverse range of ethnicities – falls below our usual high standards when viewed in isolation.

‘While very few people will have seen this shortened advert in isolation, we are committed to upholding the ASA’s standards for all of our campaigns and are no longer using this shortened advert in our ongoing campaign to encourage people to support other passengers targeted by hate crime, sexual offences and harassment on our transport network.’

The whole point of these ads is to brainwash people – all the ads that you see are a form of brainwashing – subliminal messaging, and as George Orwell said, ‘The further society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.’

The harassment of women in the UK is typically from men. Still, of course, Sadiq Khan will tell you it’s not true to cover up his own failings, and God forbid anything resembling a possible truth is exposed, but then the regime doesn’t like it when reality is reflected in the media.

Unfortunately, sexism is a genuine issue, and any male who takes advantage of a woman should be jailed. It seems that you can say the reverse of what is true, but not what is true.

The problem is that a guy can no longer speak to a woman without it being seen as harassment or abuse. As a result, people avoid talking to one another or are constantly watching each other out of concern for possible legal repercussions.

New Passport Rules Coming Into Force Next Week

New passport rules could see British children born abroad refused admission to the UK. 

For the first time, dual citizens – including children and babies – will have to show a passport for flights, ferries or trains into Britain or pay for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to the tune of £589.

The rules will come into force from as early as February 25, sparking backlash from Britons overseas who have been left blindsided by the shift in border controls.

All people born abroad to a UK parent are automatically eligible for dual citizenship that cannot be renounced until turning 18, but that will require them to either get a British passport or pay the £589 charge for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to travel to the UK.

The changes for Britain’s dual citizens are coming into force as part of the Home Office’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) programme.

Under the new rules, visitors from countries that did not previously require visas to travel to Britain will need to obtain ETAs before entering, including Canada and France. Additionally, it has been warned that there will be knock-on effects for British dual citizens.

Anyone travelling to the UK must prove permission to enter, with airline, ferry, and train firms able to deny boarding if the correct documents are not provided.

The changes that come into force from next Wednesday, February 25, specify that dual citizenship Britons have to show a valid UK passport or certificate of entitlement when arriving in the country.

That is because British and Irish nationals are exempt from ETAs. In the past, they would have been able to travel with non-British passports and use other documents to back up their citizenship if required.

Dual nationals include UK-born people who have acquired nationality from another homeland, those who naturalised or registered as British later in life and people who have been dual nationals since birth.

The Home Office’s new rules mean a British couple’s 10-month-old baby could be ‘turned back at the border’ when they leave for New Zealand in two weeks.  

His grandmother told The Times: ‘We’ve sent off an application with all the documentation requested, but have received a reply saying “you need to send his NZ passport as well”. 

‘We’re not going to do that because then he certainly won’t be able to travel, with no passport at all.’

The family has attempted to get through to the Home Office – but they ‘don’t have lines that deal with this’. 

The grandmother added they have also been to the High Commission in New Zealand, but they were ‘told to go away’ because ‘they don’t deal with this’.

It’s funny how Labour’s policies are making it harder for British citizens who have every right to enter the UK, while illegal migrants can enter the country from France with ease and receive free housing, food, and pocket money—all at the expense of taxpayers.

Our government are making it difficult for British people to return to the UK, while they merrily give away properties to those who despise this country, but then it’s also a cash and grab by our government.

It’s actually not funny anymore because our government are crushing hard-working British people while they carry on with this gentle approach when it comes to migrants entering the UK – the whole thing is crooked.

Britain has always been one of the countries which allowed people with more than one citizenship to enter with any valid passport. Now they pester people about their plans and connections to the country under the disguise of needing to know if they will attempt to access public funds, instead of accepting valid passports for entry at ports.

This probably makes sense to most people, but strictly speaking, a passport is a passport, and nobody should be delayed trying to get back for emergencies or funerals, et cetera.

Nearly 11,000 youngsters as young as four have been suspended

Thousands of children as young as four have been suspended for attacking teachers, as shocking statistics reveal record violence in classrooms.

Soaring numbers of reception-age children – the youngest year group in schools – have been sent home for out-of-control behaviour, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation.

As well as launching attacks on teachers, children aged just four and five have also been suspended for fighting with fellow students, bullying, and even sexual wrongdoing and bringing weapons to school.

There were almost 11,000 suspensions involving children in reception in England in the 2023-24 academic year, almost double the 5,993 recorded in official figures two years before.

The data, released by the Department for Education under a Freedom of Information request, included 4,500 suspensions for attacking teachers and another 2,367 for attacking a fellow student.

Again, figures – which are the latest available – had almost doubled in just two years, highlighting the rapidly declining level of conduct among the very youngest in the school system.

More and more children were also suspended for persistently disrupting classes, with numbers increasing from 1357 to 2427, while an additional 808 were sent home for making threats and for verbal abuse, increasing from 531.

In the past three years, there have also been 51 cases where reception pupils were sent home for having a weapon, 39 where they were suspended for sexual misconduct and even 14 suspensions for racism.

The figures also show that expulsions among four and five-year-olds have hit record levels, with 124 permanently excluded, almost twice the previous figure of 67.

The mushrooming violence and bad conduct back up concerns expressed by numerous teachers over how increasingly ill-prepared today’s school starters are, with children starting school without being toilet-trained and addicted to screens.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he believed that ‘many children are arriving in reception who struggle with communication and self-regulation, which can result in very challenging behaviour’.

One teacher, who works at a school in the North West but wishes to remain nameless, said: ‘We have a reception class of 25, but six are still in nappies.

‘The kids are dirty. Their clothes are filthy. It is lazy parenting. And these parents are letting them get addicted to screens too.’

Christopher McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, also blamed poor parenting and said ‘compulsory classes in parenting for some mums and dads may be the only way forward’.

It’s obvious that their parents are the source of this conduct, and violent children generally come from violent homes, and that hitting or even punching is the norm, so it’s not surprising that numerous children lack the social skills that are needed to exist, but instead they are smug, confrontational, entitled, unreasonable, slothful and lacking self-discipline, but also the liberal experiment of teachers treating pupils like they are friends and no discipline for bad behaviour failed spectacularly. No surprise there then.

Poor or absent parenting is failing these young children before they even start out in their young lives. Years ago, young children wouldn’t be able to start reception class until they were out of nappies, so where is the parenting? And I’ve witnessed that some parents don’t even bother to talk to their children; they’re too occupied looking at their phone screens.

Gentle parenting was never a good thing. Tough love is the way to go. I received it, and it did me no harm, and it seeded good values from an early age.

The trouble is that teachers have no authority to discipline children these days, and this is what happens, but they simply suspend the child, who is usually happy to be out of school – it’s like giving out candy to a child.

Jewish People Are Targeted Because Of Their Religion

Online users have commended Matt Lucas for his composure during an altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator on the London Tube.

The British comedian, 51, was followed and filmed by Thomas Abdullah Bourne, a convert to Islam who uses the social media handle ‘White British Muslim’.

The clip starts by showing Mr Lucas, sporting a black jacket, red jumper and white cap, riding an escalator in a Tube station.

As he discovers he is being filmed, the Little Britain star tries to block his face with his right hand.

Mr Bourne then yells, ‘Free Palestine. Free Palestine, Matt Lucas’ to the celebrity comic.

After getting off the escalator at the top, Mr Lucas acknowledges his pursuer, asking: ‘Hi, how are you?’

Mr Bourne responds, ‘You don’t like what I’m wearing, do you?’ – a reference to the ‘keffiyeh’, the traditional, black-and-white chequered cotton scarf that has become a sign of Palestinian solidarity for numerous Western activists.

Rather than engage in debate, Lucas merely replies: ‘No, I have no comment about it either way.’

The activist then asks him: ‘You’ve got a problem with Palestinians, Matt?’

Mr Lucas replies just ‘No’ before trying to force the camera out of his face. 

Mr Bourne responds, ‘Don’t do that, don’t grab my stuff’ before Mr Lucas walks away, with the protester mumbling ‘Zionist’ to the camera. 

The activist’s exact motivation for targeting Mr Lucas is unclear, although many internet users have suggested that it has to do with his Jewish ancestry.

Mr Lucas was a signatory to the ‘No Hostage Left Behind’ open letter in October 2023, marking the release of two American and two Israeli hostages, but has not been a significant verbal presence on the conflict.

The missive also thanked then US President Joe Biden for his ‘unshakable moral conviction, leadership, and support for the Jewish people’ in Israel’s fight against Hamas.

Despite his parents’ Orthodox Jewish heritage, Mr Lucas grew up in a Reform Jewish home.

However, he has described himself as an ‘atheist’ and ‘fairly secular Jew’ in the past. 

Several members of the comedian’s mother’s family escaped Nazi Germany just before the Second World War. 

Mr Lucas was shocked to discover that one of his relatives was mentioned in Anne Frank’s diary when he participated in the BBC’s genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are?

To find out more about his German-born Jewish ancestry, the comedian, who gained notoriety as George Dawes on the bizarre Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer film Shooting Stars, travelled to Amsterdam.

Since they essentially need to be that radical to establish their belonging to their new group, white Islamic converts appear to be worse, but they love a convert. The shameful thing is that they’re treated as cannon fodder.

These white converts are absolutely fanatical, and quite intimidating, and they appear to be growing in numbers.

They want a vehicle to justify the venom they possess, and the convenient vehicle is the jihadist psyche.

This was indeed harassment, and an arrest should have been made. If the boot had been on the other foot, then someone would have already been in the slammer, but Matt Lucas presumably didn’t want to make a scene; he’s too nice for that.

Just imagine for one second that someone did this to a Palestinian with a headscarf – can you imagine the response, the rioting, the ongoing news articles? The Labour MPs would be falling over each other. These fools have now been encouraged, just as we all expected they would be.

Sadly, it only becomes harassment if the person feels harassed and makes a complaint. Matt Lucas didn’t even look slightly phased, and was certainly not reducing himself to the other person’s ideals. He just went on his way. Good on Matt – he ignored the bell.

Flipping Heck! Generation Z And Pancake Day

It’s a custom that dates back centuries, celebrating a pivotal point in the Christian calendar and bringing delight to generations of children – and adults.

However, it now seems that Pancake Day is the latest custom to be under threat, with most young Britons admitting they’re too scared or too lazy to make and flip a pancake themselves.

As many of us prepare to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, a study has revealed that three in five young Britons have never flipped a pancake.

And a fifth admit they have no idea how to make one from scratch.

Almost half of Gen Z say they are not even sure why pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday.

It’s not just the younger generations, either – many people of all ages admit they don’t feel confident making them.

Nearly a quarter of Britons claim they have dropped a pancake onto the floor or hob while trying to flip it, and more than a third acknowledge they have burnt one while cooking. Many are choosing to completely opt out as a result.

A shocking eight in ten Britons say they will not toss a pancake on Shrove Tuesday this year, according to the poll of 2,000 Britons commissioned by Lyle’s Golden Syrup – and just three in ten plan to make them from scratch on the day.

Pancake Day has been celebrated in Britain for hundreds of years, celebrating Shrove Tuesday, when people were forgiven – or ‘shriven’ – of their wrongs on the last day before the start of Lent. 

As many gave up what were seen as indulgent foodstuffs for the ensuing 40 days leading up to Easter, pancakes were an excellent way to use up eggs, butter and fats from the store cupboard.

The first recipe to be written down in English appears in a cookbook published in 1439, and a host of traditions have grown up around the festival, with pancake-tossing races being held in numerous towns to this day.

In France, which shares the custom of using up rich foodstuffs before Lent, Tuesday is known as Mardi Gras or ‘Fat Tuesday’.

While Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are evidently less likely to wield a frying pan themselves, many say they will mark the occasion by exploring playful new food trends.

Three in ten plan to treat themselves to pancake-inspired goodies from cafés, restaurants and coffee shops, such as pancake-syrup flavoured coffee or pancake-inspired sweets, ice cream and milkshakes.

Sadly, the UK has become a predominantly Islamic country, so pancake day is irrelevant, and ultimately it will die out altogether, along with Christmas and many other Christian traditions.

The supermarkets went crazy last year putting out Eid and Ramadan items, but there was scarcely any talk of Shrove Tuesday or Easter.

Every tradition is going now. The young generation has no idea about our history and heritage. All they care about is Love Island, TikTok or what the latest trainers are, extremely sad indeed.

Sadly, with Gen Z, if it doesn’t arrive by Just Eat or Deliveroo in a plastic tub that goes in the microwave, then they don’t have a clue what it is or what to do with it – do they even know what a frying pan is?

For fear of offending individuals of various religions, our children are no longer even taught about British customs in schools, and of course there’s no time because the teachers are too busy teaching them how to speak our language, go to the toilet, take a turn, play a game, hold cutlery as parents have now decided it’s not their job to be a parent.

A Total Of 70 Boat Migrants Will Receive Compensation

More than 70 small boat migrants have landed a taxpayer-funded windfall after the High Court ruled the Home Office acted unlawfully by taking their mobile phones on arrival in Britain.

The controversial policy, introduced during a surge in Channel crossings in 2020, saw asylum seekers searched, and their mobiles and SIM cards seized, with data in numerous cases said to have been fully downloaded.

According to reports, devices were frequently kept for three months or more, and some were never given back.

Judges later discovered the approach breached the European Convention on Human Rights, opening the door to compensation claims that could ultimately cost millions.

So far, 32 asylum seekers have obtained payouts totalling £210,800 – the equivalent of £6,587.50 each. 

An additional 41 cases remain unresolved. If they are paid at the same pace, the bill will increase to £480,887. 

At the time of the ruling, it was said that 1,323 migrants could potentially seek damages, fuelling fears the final cost could reach as high as £8 million.

A Freedom of Information response revealed the Home Office has already spent £735,000 contesting the case, according to The Sun.

It confirmed that of the £210,800 paid out, £163,900 accounted for ‘pure compensation costs’, while a further £46,900 was paid under Calderbank offers – confidential ‘without prejudice’ agreements – covering both compensation and legal costs without distinction.

The legal battle arises from a judicial review launched in November 2020 by three asylum seekers, identified only as HM, MA and KH.

The High Court heard that almost 2,000 phones were taken between April and November 2020 under what was described as a blanket policy.

Until July 2020, all seized devices and SIM cards were subjected to full data downloads.

After that date, downloads were restricted to cases where a ‘person of interest’ had been identified on a boat.

In January 2022, the matter came before the High Court, with judgment handed down two months later. 

Lord Justice Edis said then-Home Secretary Priti Patel accepted that the ‘blanket seizure policy… was not in accordance with the law’.

The judges discovered that seizing phones interfered with migrants’ rights to family and private life under the ECHR and that phones and PINs were taken ‘without any lawful authority’.

In their written order in October 2022, the judges ruled: ‘The Mobile Phone Policy was unlawful because it was unpublished.’

I’m at a loss for words since this will now infuriate every taxpayer.

This is absurd, these migrants are entering the UK illegally, and Labour are spending taxpayers’ money like there’s no tomorrow. Where are the human rights of the British people? Only our government would compensate someone attempting to illegally invade because they have all their priorities wrong, and the British people deserve better.

For goodness sake, they’re coming here illegally, with no papers and don’t even get investigated. Our taxes should be going to what is essential and enhancing our quality of life, those in true need, not filling the pockets of opportunists arriving on our shores. Perhaps we British people should be reimbursed for all the crime they are bringing to our shores. No, I didn’t think so!

Their illegal entrance to the UK should not have been compensated, and they should not have been permitted to claim anything once they were here. If our government keep giving, they will just keep coming, and all of this compensation money should have gone straight towards the cost of them being here and what it incurs. None of them should get a penny of it, and British taxpayers should get their money back that has gone on these migrants.

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