BURSTIn today’s newsletter: New home secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced proposals to further curtail pro-Palestine Action protests – but what do they mean, and will they work?
Good morning. In 2014, a backbench Labour MP named Shabana Mahmood lay on the floor of her local Sainsbury’s in protest against the sale of products made in illegal Israeli settlements. A week later, she spoke to crowds at a Free Palestine protest in Hyde Park, of the “compassion and humanity expressed for the people of Gaza … from every race and every religion.”
Compare and contrast with the 2025 Shabana Mahmood, now home secretary, whose new policies could see people arrested for the very same actions. She has just announced a fresh tranche of anti-protest policies that would allow police to re-route, and potentially shut down protests which repeatedly take place in the same area because of their cumulative impact.
UK news | Neighbours of the Manchester synagogue attacker reported concerns to police about him and a family member being “radicalised” and attempting to “preach” the Qur’an to local children, the Guardian has been told.
Gaza | International activists, journalists and lawyers deported from Israel after attempting to breach the 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza as part of a humanitarian flotilla have alleged being subjected to brutal physical and verbal abuse by Israeli forces during their detention.
Politics | The finances of one of Nigel Farage’s key confidants are being examined by the UK’s tax and revenue authorities amid questions over his income from wealth and business activities, the Guardian understands.
US news | The US supreme court has declined to hear an appeal from Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell of her sex trafficking conviction. Maxwell in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and related crimes.
France | The country’s political crisis has deepened after the new prime minister dramatically resigned within hours of appointing a government. Sébastien Lecornu, the third prime minister in a year, quit hours before his first cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon.
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