🧵THREAD (1/5): Heartbreaking as UK Government papers reveal that 2 Palestinians tragically died waiting for the Home Office to waive fingerprint rules. Why? Because there’s no functioning visa centre in Gaza ...
They were just trying to reunite with their families👇
⚠️ I've been threatened by MPs, QAnon conspiracy theorists and even a senior UN official.
But never an entire political party ...
Pick up tomorrow's paper (or online from 5am) for the deets 👇
Fun fact. He was my dissertation adviser until he said my idea - to investigate the politics of the homeless and why less than 1 percent vote in the UK - had no academic interest.
On newstands tomorrow
@ScotNational
,
@NargesMayeli
tells me of the impact a "shocking" BBC article had on her Afghan women's team's mental health, some of whom fear for their families back home.
Thank you for your bravery in speaking with me!
Mhairi Black, the SNP's deputy Westminster leader, said Boris Johnson "jumped before he was pushed", adding that "no one in Scotland will be sorry to see the back of him" ...
EXC: Rishi Sunak’s family is profiting from strong ties to the arms industry including a firm that provides parts for Israeli military helicopters.
Let me explain in the thread 🧵below 👇
🧵(!) Today, I wrote about Scotland's seemingly first-ever AI chatbot. It's like ChatGPT but with a twist – it answers in Glasgow slang, and has a brutally honest Scottish personality
⚠️ A deep dive into effectively the UK's first Super PAC Labour Together.
Nearly £2m donated since start of 24' including from hedge fund billionaire.
Lord Sainsbury's daughter Fran Perrin also a big funder and was recently made a director according to Companies House 👇
EXCLUSIVE: A secretive Labour think tank which helped oust Jeremy Corbyn has received a record-breaking amount of political donations in 2024.
🗣 "An economic strategy that protects the interests of business is not going to bring about the change that millions of people need."
Delighted to be joining the Washington
@monthly
team today as an Editorial Fellow going into what is already a tumultuous and ugly election. DM's always open for stories on politics, government et al. in the United States and abroad!
🔴The signing of a new UK/Indo-Pacific trade deal today will lead to lower whisky tariffs but could also threaten Scottish agriculture + food and drinks.
"The UK Government must not use our world class products as bargaining chips," warns
@MairiGougeon
The accounts also revealed Scottish Labour only spent £29,502 to "contribute" to 9 of their employees' salaries in 2022, with all other staff costs paid by UK Labour.
EXC: Scottish Labour only meet their financial obligations due to “financial assistance” from the UK Labour Party, newly published accounts reveal.
SNP president Michael Russell said it showed Scottish Labour “do not exist” as a party in their own right 👀
BREAKING: Four anti-monarchy protestors have been led away in handcuffs by police at King Charles's 'mini coronation' in Edinburgh.
A witness told my colleague
@xanderescribe
they were in possession of a banner saying 'F*ck the king, feed the hungry'
🎉 Buzzing to say I now work for
@ScotNational
, just as the
#SNP
leadership contest heats up. Please shoot through tips and add me to any relevant press lists: james.walker
@newsquest
.co.uk🙂
🚨 Today, I went on a mission to find Reform UK's mysterious election ghost candidates.
It was quite the experience, with a party election agent telling me he had "never met" some of them 👇
'They're paper candidates, yes' 🗳️
Come with us we attempt to track down Reform UK's mysterious ghost candidates in Glasgow ... and end up with some pretty honest answers.
🚨 A new direct ferry route from Scotland to mainland Europe is being planned.
MP
@DougChapmanSNP
said it would "boost trade, grow exports and tourism opportunities" for Scotland 🚢
NEW: The return of passenger ferry route between Scotland and mainland Europe has moved closer after an MP confirmed "high level" talks were underway with a port.
It comes after thousands signed a petition calling for the service to be reinstated.
(!) Stephen Flynn agrees, adding: "It serves as a stark reminder that we can easily rid ourselves of unelected Tory Governments, led by liars and charlatans like Boris Johnson, by voting for our independence."
🟢EXC: Plans for a hydrogen pipeline connecting Scotland to Germany are being accelerated.
Energy Minister
@GillianMSP
told me it’s a “huge opportunity”, with a report noting that Scotland could meet up to 10.5% of Europe’s low-carbon hydrogen import needs between 2030 and 2050.
Listen to Rupi's story: from his time in a prison in Romania to the streets of Britain and my argument for why we should be taking loneliness in the homeless community seriously.
Unbelievably low turn out in Glasgow North East.
It's SNP MP candidate Anne McLaughlin's seat, with an activist saying "that's where our vote has gone"
An unbelievable show of support! It comes the same day that 200 tonnes of food is urgently being shipped to Gaza as people literally starve. Donate to one of the few aid orgs still operating 👇
NEW: The National's fundraiser with Medical Aid for Palestinians has reached £60,000. Incredible support!
We are now so close to our target of £75,000.
Please donate what you can using this link 👇
🗣️'Let's have a selfie, big man. Are you still not going to take a direction from a constable in uniform?'
NEW: A journalist at The National was threatened with arrest by a police officer while attempting to cover a major protest outside a Glasgow arms factory
Full video 👇
🔴 Honestly delighted to see this petition calling for a UK Gaza family visa scheme pass 100k signatures and hope it is now debated in Westminster - as it should.
I'm also proud of our coverage of the campaign + The National's public support of it👇
🧵(1/2) As a (grateful) polyglot Scot who grew up in continental Europe, the rapid decline in language learning in Scotland really saddens me.
Scotland is an outward-facing country. We reject Brexit and destructive Tory immigration policies.
THREAD 🧵[⅕]: The National has obtained audio clips from civilians trapped in Gaza. They are harrowing and heartbreaking.
The Israel-Hamas war is devastating on both sides and it is civilians – and children – who are feeling the brunt.
Delighted to be nominated for this award recognizing reporting on refugee issues.
I only wish it didn't have to be about the tragic deaths of Palestinians waiting for the Home Office to waive its cruel fingerprint policy (story link below) 👇
Fewer than 16 per cent of adults with autism find full-time work in the UK. CubeLynx, a financial consulting startup, recognises their skillsets and offers not only jobs, but lessons in neurodiverse recruitment.
My latest
@WiredUK
.
🚨 OFFICIAL: The National's fundraiser with Medical Aid for Palestinians has reached our goal of £100,000!
A huge thank you to all who donated and shared! 🙏
The fundraiser is still open until Saturday so let's smash that goal even more. Donate here:
In November 2019, I went to a lightning strike survivors conference.
There, I learned about the long-term impact this force of nature can have - the devastating injuries and mental health struggles.
via
@narratively
There was not one MP from any party at this WM debate that didn't speak in favour of an urgent visa scheme for Palestinians to reunite with UK family members.
With Ukraine, it happened in weeks. With Gaza, the UK Government still says: "Nope".
Shameful
My investigative debut (!) for
@VICE
looks at the extra barriers that sexual assault survivors at the UN have to jump over in their search for some form of justice.
via
@vice
Proud to officially launch
@InherentMag
- a magazine dedicated to people's mental health stories and struggles. Give us a follow and give our new site a look:
🗳️ Posting up at a (so far very empty) Glasgow GE count.
I'll be keeping you up-to-date throughout the night for
@ScotNational
so keep an eye on this thread 👇
THREAD 🧵 (1/4): The National is backing a campaign calling for a UK family visa scheme for Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
A petition is just 15,000 signatures away from forcing the UK Government to consider a HoC debate on the issue.
We did it for Ukraine, why not Gaza?
🧵Glasgow GPT very much has its own personality, and told me that it is 28-years-old, from Govanhill and loves a drink at Glasgow's Admiral Bar.
On whether it support Scottish Independence: “Aye, you better believe it, pal!"
Talked to a woman on the NY subway today who is training to be a plumber. To do this, she has decided to be 'voluntarily' or 'tactically' homeless to save money. Anyone else know of or experienced a story like this, of 'tactical homelessness'?
#journorequest
#journorequests
🔴 In my latest Branch Office Updates newsletter, read about a rare intervention from a Scottish Labour MSP after Keir Starmer went one U-turn too far ...
Martin added: “It's not just Germany, who are obviously moving very fast. We've got interest in Scottish hydrogen from Belgium, from the Netherlands, from Spain – which isn’t an energy producing nation.”
Read all about the plans below 👇
EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Labour have minimal influence over UK party policy, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
🗣️: "I don’t think they do ... in terms of overall policy, the Labour Party [and Keir Starmer] have become very centralised”
Inflation remains the same despite forecasts and it's regular households who are set to suffer.
An SNP spokesperson slammed the news, saying it's clear 'Brexit and Westminster mismanagement' are trashing the UK economy.
Putin is facing a full-on armed mutiny from the well-trained Wagner mercenary group.
Reports from Russia should be taken with caution but this could be significant ...
Twitter is cracking down on QAnon accounts after an increase in online abuse from those who believe in the pro-Trump conspiracy. My recent long read with
@TheEconomist
&
@1843mag
finds out what it's like to live with one.
Twitter has announced a ban on over 7,000 QAnon accounts. What happens when you lose a loved one to the QAnon conspiracy? Last month
@1843mag
found out
🧵It has been a month since a bloody conflict erupted in Sudan between the country’s two top generals.
100s killed. Millions displaced. But coverage of Sudanese people on the ground has been scarce. Especially compared with the evacuation of mostly UK citizens last week ⬇️
@profcolinclark
@DrLConnelly
Cheers Colin. I also did a longer read on the experiment and Gypsy Traveller discrimination in Scotland more widely that you may be interested in:
(2/2) But if we want to rejoin the EU in the future and effectively so, we can't expect to just rely on English as a default.
It really is crucial that more is done. Read all about it ⬇️
NEW: The MoD have said that “over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia’s security forces… will be key to how the crisis plays out” as Wagner forces appear to be moving towards the Russian capital.
According to the lobbying registrar, AirBnB have lobbied 12 of them a combined 26 times between 2018-2023.
This includes 8 Tories, deputy party leader Meghan Gallacher (below) among them. Two Labour MSPs, one LibDem and SNP MSP Fergus Ewing make up the rest.
Boris Johnson urged Scottish nationalists today to stop "talking endlessly" about independence, despite record support for it according to recent polls.
For
@monthly
, I spoke with Scotland's former Brexit Minister, Michael Russell (
@Feorlean
).
THREAD 🧵(1 / 4): In the latest (and perhaps toughest) in my Diaries from Gaza series, a father holds up a small bag of mouldy bread he has kept for an emergency.
“I didn’t throw it away because we might need to eat it,” he said.
“Must we feed this to a child dying of hunger?”
🚨[½] My Diaries from Gaza series continues, with more absolutely heartbreaking audio.
One that hit particularly hard was mother-of-five Fidaa Al-Araj saying that her daughter told her she had one wish for her 12th birthday recently – “I just wish it won’t be my death day” …
🧵: Infosys – which was founded by Murty’s father – has a consulting arm for the aerospace and defence industry and counts one of the UK’s largest arms manufacturers in Rolls Royce as a client.
The firm's CEO also sits on Sunak's exclusive business council for 2024.
Looking for people who have had a bad experience with multi-level marketing companies (MLMs) or other pyramid scheme-related enterprises and willing to share.
#journorequest
Have a chat with a homeless person on the streets and you may be helping them from loneliness too.
This is Rupi’s story on fighting loneliness in the homeless community.
(via
@openDemocracyUK
)
After several high-profile players took their own lives, the shinty community has been challenging the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. Check out my most recent piece for
@InherentMag
!
I spoke with humanitarian organisations calling for more media + public attention on the crisis:
“I understand that publishing about evacuations of citizens of countries is important… but Sudanese people also have their own unique stories.”
I also spoke with 30-year-old Mohamed, who evacuated Khartoum to Port Sudan by car with his wife, baby son and vulnerable family members.
Stopped multiple times by paramilitary groups armed with guns, he feared for their lives...
🚨 With an election set to be announced for July, you do not want to miss out on
@ScotNational
's General Election Watch newsletter.
I'll be keeping you up-to-date as all the action and drama unfolds on the campaign trail. Sign up (for free) below 👇
🧵[5/5] I will be keeping you up-to-date in our new series, Diaries from Gaza, highlighting the civilian impact of this devastating conflict.
Link below ⬇️
🧵: The multinational IT firm Infosys counts several of the UK’s largest weapons firms as long-standing clients and partners.
AND ... it's part-owned by the Prime Minister’s wife Akshata Murty with shares worth around £700 million and dividend payouts of over £50m since 2020.
🧵: Of note, Sunak announced recently that arms firms are to be considered “ethical” to encourage private investment.
“Rishi Sunak is profiting from genocide," a
@CAATuk
spokesperson told me.
“Too many of our political elite are in the pocket of the arms trade."
In high school,
@AnatoleJenkins
wanted to be an architect. Now, instead of physical structures, he's built a human coalition from the ground-up as National Director of States Organizing for Biden’s mostly virtual campaign.
@zachharriss
interviews him here.
🧵It was founded by 28-year-old playwright David Hewitson just five days ago, and has already fielded tens of thousands of questions.
“I kinda made it as a joke... I was thinking why isn't there an AI that actually talks like a Scottish person that could wind up my pals?”
🧵: Infosys has also worked with Spirit Aerosystems for over 18 years, an aerostructures manufacturer that builds the composite fuselage for CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters – 12 of which were sold to the Israeli military in 2021.
As many tuck into Christmas leftovers and look over Christmas present hauls, the reality for children in Gaza couldn't be more different.
Habiba's wishlist is chilling 👇
(!) 🧵(1/6) Hundreds of millions of UK development aid – taxpayer money – is being spent on hospitals exploiting and detaining patients, according to a shocking new
@Oxfam
investigation👇
🚨 New investigation into Falkirk Council pension fund (and others) investing in arms firms supplying Israel.
Do council employees want their pension money to be going towards funding F-35 jets and targeting systems being used against civilians in Gaza?
EXC: A Scottish council has increased its investment in a major weapons firm supplying Israel by 1200 percent since the October 7 attacks
The rise has been branded a 'disgraceful use of public money'
Full story below ⬇️
NEW: With the gloves starting to come off, it's a good time to announce I will be taking over our General Election Watch newsletter.
For this week's edition: Genitals, cannibalism and the far-right – what on earth happened to political vetting? 👇
Another told me that the turnout in Drumchapel was as low as 20 percent ...
Pretty shocking stuff. Interesting to see whether this is a Scotland-wide trend
This year’s
#30ToWatch
Gold Winner in the International Affairs category is
@James_L_Walker
. Congratulations James! See the full list of all 30 winners at:
The overwhelming majority of Gypsy and Traveller families in south east England have no access to mains gas, meaning they're paying exorbitant prices for gas bottles with no government support
I think about this family in Gaza a lot.
Over two months ago, they were already saving up mouldy bread in case one of their children started dying of hunger.
I truly hope it hasn't led to that and the needed aid convoys start entering Gaza before it's too late...
THREAD 🧵(1 / 4): In the latest (and perhaps toughest) in my Diaries from Gaza series, a father holds up a small bag of mouldy bread he has kept for an emergency.
“I didn’t throw it away because we might need to eat it,” he said.
“Must we feed this to a child dying of hunger?”
🚨 Police Scotland have confirmed the arrest of two anti-monarchy protesters for "breaching the peace".
No confirmation yet re. more arrests, with multiple witnesses reporting seeing 4 people being led away in handcuffs. Stay updated
@ScotNational
⚠️ To note, my investigation also found that BAE Systems sat on Rishi Sunak's exclusive business council in 2023. Rolls Royce is on it this year, with the engineering and weapons firm recently announcing the MoD will fund two new submarine sites in Cardiff and Glasgow 👇
EXCLUSIVE: Scotland's largest weapons firms lobbied the UK Government more than 1000 times between 2012 and 2023
BAE Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales - firms which collectively employ thousands across Scotland - were given special access 1176 times