76 m. ago We criminalise the political stunt at our peril. It is a crucial art form that is impossible to ignore | Mark Borkowski

At the same time as we applaud the suffragettes and the likes of Peter Tatchell, Britain is losing the right to protestMark Borkowski is a crisis PR consultant and authorWe must ask ourselves: how would the heroic suffragettes or the remarkable Greenham Common women be regarded if active today? The answer is simple: they would be locked up. Just as they were locked up then. A century ago, women chained themselves to railings, set fires, endured prison and changed the world, and we celebrate their victories without thinking too hard about their methods. Yet today’s laws would criminalise them on sight.Last month, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, wore a commemorative sash celebrating the suffragette struggle. Yet this is the same Yvette Cooper presiding over an age of repressive laws and mass arrests. It’s a paradox: we laud the rebels of the past while shackling the rebels of the present.Mark Borkowski is a crisis PR consultant and author. His BBC Radio 4 Archive on 4 documentary, ...

Politics

3 h. ago ‘Liam Gallagher is funnier than most standups!’: Is comedy the new rock’n’roll – or vice versa?

Oasis’s tour gobbled up Edinburgh audiences while fringe comics put on shows about Britpop and Arctic Monkeys. The music industry and the funny business could be more entwined than ever‘Comedy is the new rock’n’roll!” This line, variously attributed to a defunct listings mag, a member of the Comedy Store Players and Janet Street-Porter, became common currency in the 1990s, when comedy gatecrashed arenas with Newman and Baddiel’s maiden Wembley gig in 1993. Had the art of making people laugh eclipsed – in size, public enthusiasm, cultural cachet – the art of making people groove?It feels like a quaint conversation in light of the arrival of Oasis’s mega-tour in Edinburgh this month, which triggered panic among standups at the gazumping of their fringe audience. But has comedy returned to playing second fiddle to its sexier, better-loved big brother? Or are such distinctions meaningless in a cultural landscape unrecognisable from the 1990s? Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Shower gel ad gets UK ban for suggesting black skin is problematic

Watchdog says television advert for Sanex fed negative stereotypes and was likely to cause serious offenceA television advert for Sanex shower gel has been banned in the UK for appearing to suggest that black skin is “problematic” and white skin is “superior”.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) acted after investigating two complaints that the Sanex fed negative stereotypes about people with darker skin tones. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Garden expert debunks common myth confusing Brits during UK heatwave

There's a myth going around warning gardeners to avoid one specific task - however an expert has debunked the myth and given advice on what you should do instead

Politics

3 h. ago 'Botox bandits' who nearly blinded Scots among 900 cosmetics complaints to watchdog

Horror cases revealed by Advice Direct Scotland include a woman who was left with eye damage and another unable to drive after being injected by rogue practitioners.

Politics

3 h. ago Expert reveals the 7 most luxurious cruise ships in the world including one UK brand

Luxury cruising has become synonymous with opulence and service, and these ships are some of the most expensive in the world - but they offer something a little bit special

Politics

5 h. ago One summer mistake that could cost drivers their insurance, warns expert

With Britain having continuous heatwaves, motorist are being urged to ditch one common trick that could see insurance claims rejected should thieves strike when they're not looking

Events

5 h. ago Fears new Labour property tax will hit the hardest workers, as Rachel Reeves's minister refuses to rule out controversial new levy to replace stamp duty

Labour vowed before the last election that it would 'not increase taxes on working people', ruling out rises in National Insurance, income tax or VAT.

Politics

6 h. ago Labour's war on Middle England: Rural areas could foot the bill to pay for Rayner's reforms of council tax

Households in the countryside will reportedly be charged at unfairly high levels to pay for residents of cities under the Communities Secretary's 'fair funding' plans.

Economics

7 h. ago Disabled Labour MP is facing travel spend probe by Commons expenses watchdog over taxi use

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) announced on Tuesday it had opened an investigation into whether Kate Osborne breached spending rules.

Economics

7 h. ago That didn't take long: Labour now as unpopular as Tories were on the eve of wipeout

Just over a year after handing him a landslide win, only 13 per cent of Britons now approve of the Prime Minister's record in office, YouGov polling found.

Politics

7 h. ago Labour's migrant hotels policy is in disarray: Asylum seekers are stunned as Epping Council wins legal battle to move them out

The High Court ruling gives The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, just 24 days to close after it became the focus of violent protests.

Events

7 h. ago Shower gel advert banned for depicting black skin as 'problematic' and white skin as 'superior' by advertising watchdog

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ad after investigating complaints that it perpetuated a 'negative and offensive racial stereotype'.

Events

8 h. ago Worrying number of pubs and restaurants that have put prices up revealed

Tax increases announced by Labour to tackle a hole in the public finances have led to price increases and job cuts throughout the hospitality sector, say bosses, as they called for help from the Chancellor

Politics

8 h. ago Government strikes returns deal with Iraq in latest bid to deter small boats

The agreement signed during a visit to the UK by Iraq’s deputy prime minister will allow for the ‘swift’ return of failed asylum seekers.

Politics

8 h. ago Sanex shower gel ad banned for stereotype that black skin is ‘problematic’ – ASA

The watchdog said the ad was likely to reinforce the offensive racial stereotype that black skin was problematic and that white skin was superior.

Events

8 h. ago Reeves explores reform to capital gains tax on expensive houses

UK Treasury considers overhaul of property levies as ministers confront a hole in the public finances of at least £20bn 

Economics

10 h. ago Federal prosecutors launch inquiry into Washington DC police over allegedly fudged crime statistics

Move comes after Donald Trump posted on social media about US capital’s ‘fake crime numbers’Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Washington DC police systematically manipulated crime statistics to make the city appear safer than it actually is.The probe, anonymous sources tell the Washington Post, NBC News and Fox News, being conducted by the US attorney’s office for the District of Columbia under Jeanine Pirro, is the latest escalation between the Trump administration and DC officials over federal control of local policing. Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago Swinney says SNP majority at Holyrood could make second referendum a ‘reality’

John Swinney said the 2011 election, where the SNP won a majority, leading to the 2014 independence referendum, had set a ‘precedent’.

Politics

11 h. ago Expert reveals common kitchen spices that can kill most viruses and cure colds

Herbalist Simon Mills said there are a few common kitchen spices that can combat everything from a common cold to cardiovascular problems.

Events