Former UK Prime Minister, now UN Envoy for Global Education and WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing, always Raith Rovers.
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Charging the sick for being sick.
Mark my words: this will be end of the NHS if the Tories have their way.
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Having been promised an energy price freeze, millions will be shocked when hit with a 25% rise in fuel bills in October.
5 million kids risk being pushed into poverty, with charities having to stop feeding the hungry so they can help the starving.
We have to act.
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It’s all there in Britannia Unchained, co-authored by Liz Truss and Kwarteng: the pound can collapse, borrowing and mortgages can soar, pensioners can freeze, kids can go hungry, as long as the economy is ripe for venture capitalists freed from regulation and, ideally, tax.
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A message from Tory conference:
Don't get sick
Don't be disabled
Don’t be on low pay with kids to feed
Don’t rely on Universal Credit or public services
If you do, get ready to pay for £43bn in tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest the most.
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Britain’s poor face the worst winter in living memory.
A year ago we talked about people having to choose between heating and eating, now many can’t afford either. Basics like soap, toothpaste etc are becoming unaffordable luxuries.
And it’s only going to get worse.
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35m people – almost half the UK population – face fuel poverty in October when prices rise again.
Time’s running out to change Universal Credit in time. Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss must agree an emergency budget this week.
[Thread] mirror.co.uk/news/politics/g…
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I’ve seen a confidential document from Lynton Crosby’s lobbying firm which advises Boris Johnson to ride roughshod over every convention and standard of propriety to pack the House of Lords.
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12 years of Tory rule has made the UK the most regionally unequal economy in Europe.
To build prosperity and tackle poverty across the whole UK, we need to change not just who governs but how we are governed.
We need genuine political reform.
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I feel very strongly about this and have written for @guardian today on the importance of reform of the UK House of Lords. theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas - hope you have a peaceful and safe time. For those of you out there who are working to ensure that safety, thank you.
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A special international tribunal now taking shape in The Hague could indict President Putin for the crime of aggression.
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Today we remember John Smith who died thirty years ago. I remember being with him the night before he died when he ended his speech with "all we ask is the opportunity to serve." John's whole life was a testimony to the nobility of public service.
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If Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak don't agree an emergency budget in the next few days, Parliament should be recalled to force the changes we need.
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Keir Starmer has summed it up "today we enter the sunlight of hope". Congratulations to Keir and all @UKLabour for a resounding election victory. My best wishes to all the new Labour MPs and, above all, I congratulate the British people who have chosen not just change, but hope.
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As the Tories pander to the prejudices and hard-right agenda of Nigel Farage and his supporters, it’s become clear that what’s at stake in this election is nothing less than what it means to be British.
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But even venture capitalists know they don’t get rich on their own. Public investment - in education, infrastructure, skills, health - is vital to create growth. It’s time this government remembered that age-old truth: when the strong help the weak, it makes us all stronger.
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The United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and the entire world are joined together in mourning this evening. HM Queen Elizabeth II served this country to the last. I offer my sincere condolences to the Royal Family. May she rest in peace.
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The coming battle must be against poverty, not against the poor.
You cannot rely on a heartless government having a change of heart, but concerted action by the public can force a change of mind.
The time for action is now. Please sign the petition.
act.38degrees.org.uk/act/Uni…
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Remembering John Smith - former Labour leader, my friend, mentor and one time boss - today on the anniversary of his death in 1994. He is missed to this day by his family and many friends around the world. Photo: Daily Record
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Last year it was girls excluded from secondary school, now it is women excluded from university and girls from primary school. This is an outrage
I am calling on all who believe in equal rights to protest against the Taliban's vicious decision to deny girls and women education.
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After a summer of doing nothing the government has finally done nowhere near enough.
Things are so bad that @Human_Relief which has spent 30 years focused entirely on aid to the world’s poorest countries, has opened a food bank in Birmingham.
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Despite the repeated warnings of health leaders, our failure to put vaccines into the arms of people in the developing world is now coming back to haunt us.
We were forewarned – and yet here we are. #VaccinEquity @guardian
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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Wishing everyone a brighter 2023 after a long and difficult year - thoughts this evening with all those in tough circumstances caught up in conflicts we hope can cease and poverty we must tackle urgently.
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Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow and thank you to all of those who are working over the festive period.
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The removal of the bankers’ bonus cap, corporation tax cuts and the rejection of a further windfall tax will mercilessly underline that a winter of destitution is coming for millions not because we are a poor country but because we are an ever more unequal one.
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So sad that one of the great leaders in the fight against apartheid Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has died.
I am one of many who was privileged to count him as friend. His values will live on in the influence he has on the people he leaves behind.
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Please join me in supporting @MarcusRashford and millions of children. ~ GB.
Remember when I said I was going to need your help...
For the millions who do not have the platform to be heard.
Let's stand as a 'United' Kingdom to #endchildfoodpoverty
Sign the petition today: petition.parliament.uk/petit…
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Rishi Sunak may think raising debt is “immoral”.
Liz Truss may say higher taxes are “immoral”.
But there’s nothing moral about condemning millions of vulnerable and blameless children and pensioners to a winter of dire poverty.
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After the right turn, the U-turn. But Kwasi Kwarteng's panicked climbdown still leaves £43bn in tax cuts.
Growth won’t pay for them so spending cuts worse than austerity will - an amount equivalent to closing every English school.
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As one former Tory chair said: “Once you pay your £3m, you get your peerage”.
Johnson and Crosby have handed the next Labour Goverrmment the strongest possible case for this long overdue Lords reform. #peergate
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The reversal of the NI rise will give £1,800 to the richest and just £7.66 a year to the poor. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen as the government lavishes billions on the already wealthy at the expense of the new poor.
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I am deeply saddened by the death of Alistair Darling. I, like many relied on his wisdom, calmness in a crisis and his humour. I send my deepest condolences to his loving wife Maggie and their children Calum and Anna. He will be missed by all who knew him.
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Congratulations to my friend Mark Carney on becoming Prime Minister of Canada
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In June, Rishi Sunak gave households on universal credit £1,200 a year for fuel bills.
But he’d already taken £1,000 a year from them, whilst benefits rose by just 3.1% as inflation hit 10%. Once the October fuel bills land, this will leave them £1,450 a year worse off.
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Football should be overseen by an independent regulator who speaks for supporters and protects the long-term interests of the game.
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Thanks for all the lovely Birthday wishes. I was trying to ignore it but you've all been very kind. ~ GB
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It's no longer the welfare state that's the last line of defence but charities. And yet charities find themselves broke. Compassion isn’t running out but cash is. Churches are worried they won’t be able to afford to heat their halls for those who cannot heat their homes.
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I congratulate @MarcusRashford, not only for his degree but for standing up for millions in need.
Sparing people destitution and enabling families to both eat and have heat is a very basic investment in our nation's future.
#KeepTheLifeline
Marcus Rashford has criticised the removal of the £20 universal credit uplift, calling it “a move that could see child poverty rise to 1 in 3 children”.
He was speaking as he became the youngest ever recipient of an honorary degree from The University of Manchester.
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So sad, it is shocking and shameful that Salman Rushdie has been attacked, just wishing him well.
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Congratulations to my friend Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who has endured so much and returns ready to serve the Brazilian people now as President-Elect @LulaOficial
ALT Photo taken in 2009 Pic: Agencia Brasil
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This week, 19 Afghan women have started medical studies in Scotland thanks to the Linda Norgrove Foundation.
This Scottish initiative must be the start of a world-wide effort to end the Taliban's violation of girls' rights.
scotsman.com/news/opinion/co…
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Gordon Brown: Every family in the country owes a debt of gratitude to nurses and the best way to do this is to pay decent wages.
@theRCN #RCN2022 #FairPayForNursing
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To help pay for emergency winter help, the windfall oil and gas tax should now raise 15bn - not 5bn - and a bankers bonus levy should be introduced.
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I have argued for some time that Putin should be brought before the International Criminal Court for his war crimes. We have compelling evidence of Putin-inspired murders on foreign soil. Now he has to explain the suspicious death of an Opposition leader inside Russia. 1/2
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The plan to add at least 39 new Tory peers includes the incredible requirement that new peers sign away their right to make their own judgement and instead have to vote with the government.
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Sad to hear of the death of Manmohan Singh. I remember him as the incorruptible former Indian Prime Minister who helped the world through the global financial crisis and as a friend whose integrity could never be doubted.
ALT Photo of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown taken in New Delhi on December 14, 2008.
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April 2022 brings us the worst cost of living crisis for half a century and puts 500,000 children at risk of malnutrition and hardship.
Any caring and compassionate Chancellor would do something about this level of poverty, yet this week there was a blank page instead of action.
No parent wants children growing up without beds, without warmth, without hot food’.
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown tells #BBCBreakfast ‘something has got to be done’ to help ‘millions of people facing real hardship’.
bbc.in/37TFz4l
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It is high time that the world took the fight to Putin and his enablers.
The UK and US must act quickly both for Ukraine's sake and to honour the legacy of the Nuremberg trials when the free world stood its ground and ensured war criminals were held accountable.
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Compassion isn’t running dry but cash is.
The government must take the shame out of need, do more than just talk about being compassionate, and deliver what the welfare state was always meant to deliver: a decent minimum standard below which no one should ever fall.
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I welcome the school meals decision for England and thank Marcus Rashford and his food campaign.
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The low paid get just £550 in government help, despite facing £1,300 rise in fuel bills not to mention other costs.
Families with more than 2 children are even worse off as the flat-rate payment gives them just £2.60 a week per person for a couple with 3 kids.
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Marcus, Jadon, Bukayo: be assured that the unfair and racist abuse you have been subjected to on social media does not in any way represent the British people. You are - and will remain - role models and heroes to all the people I know #Euros2021
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So sad that after such a brave struggle Derek Draper has lost his life as a result of Covid. I will remember him as brilliant, creative and multitalented, and our thoughts are with Kate, Darcey and Billy. RIP Derek
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America leaving the WHO is a mistake. When it comes to pandemics, no one is safe until everyone is safe.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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First food banks, now bedding banks: in my time in politics, this is the worst poverty I’ve seen theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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Tragically, we are sleepwalking into the next variant. Political leaders are still not listening to the medical advice that is there - that we've got to increase vaccination, continue to test at a high level, and provide the new treatments available. bbc.co.uk/news/health-614135…
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Mourning the death of a friend, colleague and great humanitarian who never stopped fighting for social justice @JackDromeyMP, who will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with Harriet and family.
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Let me pay tribute to the perseverance, the patience and most of all the dignity of all Hillsborough families who suffered such a grievous loss.
And it is to respect and honour the memory of all who died that we need the Hillsborough Law Now.
#HillsboroughLawNow
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During a cost of living crisis, the Government is pushing millions into poverty by deducting up to 25% of their Universal Credit.
This cruel policy is making basic necessities like toothpaste, nappies, and toilet roles unaffordable for many families.
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So sorry to hear of the passing of Leo Beckett, Margaret's much loved husband of 42 years. My thoughts are with Margaret and her family.
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It is time to put Putin on trial for war crimes.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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1 million children in the UK are destitute.
The government has lost control of the cost of living crisis.
I am calling on a businesses to step in and form a 'coalition of compassion' to tackle the effects of poverty.
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I'm delighted to be working with @Keir_Starmer and @UKlabour on their new constitutional commission to look at how we devolve power, wealth and opportunity to every region and nation of the UK. The UK must reform and renew to survive.
I want @UKLabour to win power so we can push it out of Westminster and to people and communities across the country.
I’m delighted Gordon Brown has agreed to help us in this project. mirror.co.uk/news/politics/g…
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“The wilful destruction of Sure Start and the reductions of children’s benefits after 2010 has set back opportunities for millions of children’s futures. That’s why our country desperately needs a new Sure Start.”
theguardian.com/education/20…
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The plan legitimises bribery: compliant peers will be “rewarded” with lucrative envoy positions, CBEs and additional titles.
Those who don’t attend votes will be placed on a “name and shame” list.
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We need to show we can do better at assisted living for those in need of care before deciding whether to legislate on ways to die.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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Courage has defined the golden sporting career of Sir Chris Hoy and now characterises how Chris and Sarra both face their health diagnoses and embrace life. My thoughts and those of our family are with them and their family.
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Delighted to be in Leeds today as @Keir_Starmer announces Labours plan for a new Britain.
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l look forward to speaking about and supporting @UKLabour 's manifesto issued today and wish to give credit to Keir Starmer's leadership as he sets out a plan for Britain's renewal.
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Since 2010, Tory Prime Ministers have ennobled 9 former party treasurers - each of whom have donated at least £3m.
22 of the Tory party’s biggest donors have been given peerages.
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To further clean up politics, we need to:
◾️End all foreign funding of it
◾️Ban MPs’ second jobs
◾️Stop the PM being judge and jury of their own behaviour
◾️Set up an ethics commission, an anti-corruption agency and citizen juries able to scrutinise standards in public life.
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Britain cannot move forward if the six million families who can least afford it are hit so hard.
No Conservative can ever again claim we are all in this together. mirror.co.uk/news/politics/n…
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"I never thought I would see such poverty in Britain in my lifetime, but the public’s generosity is even greater" - a big thank you to everyone playing their part to help others this Christmastime.
independent.co.uk/voices/chr…
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It is worth remembering that exactly 75 years ago they opposed the introduction of the NHS, having attempted in 1944 to impose charges and private insurance.
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Great to be home in Scotland with @Keir_Starmer and @AnasSarwar to launch Labours plan for a stronger Scotland in a transformed UK.
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"From north to south a hidden poverty epidemic is spreading across the country. It is fast becoming a national emergency - this is the pandemic that no Minister ever mentions" dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott…
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Time to tax the highly profitable gambling industry to pay for action on child poverty.
Gambling will not build a Britain for the future but children free of poverty will.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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The whole of Britain should be saying this morning: what about the workers?
Do not fire your workers. Let’s find a way to keep them on - ready for the recovery.
'Act now or risk thousands of jobs losses in the fight against COV19' says Gordon Brown
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/g…
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With the UK facing a one-dollar pound, £3tn in debt and a million more unemployed, we have a government that destroys accountability, sacks trusted public servants, and lights fires precisely when and where they should be putting them out.
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Poverty for millions in Britain will last until doomsday if this Conservative government is all that confronts it.
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By rejecting a new windfall tax, the chancellor is effectively handing billions to oil and gas tycoons.
Meanwhile the typical family on Universal Credit face losses of up to £2,000 a year if, as seems possible, the government links benefits to earnings not prices.
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Cronyism, corruption, abuse of power, Baroness Mone this week and soon another tainted honours list from Boris Johnson - this has been the most scandal-ridden decade in living memory.
It’s time to replace the House of Lords with an elected second chamber.
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The media is to be distracted from this unparalleled gerrymandering with the appointment of a few controversial figures. More cover will be given by claiming all these new peers are the only way to deliver the “People’s Brexit”.
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I have sent birthday greetings to my friend Jimmy Carter congratulating him on a century of service. His life and achievements are an inspiration to the world.
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Congratulations to @Keir_Starmer and @AngelaRayner on being elected Leader and Deputy Leader of @UKlabour. This is the team needed to return Labour to power. It’s a vote for hope. It’s a vote for the future. #LabourLeadershipElection ~GB
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It is time to tackle this Government head on – and demand a new deal to stave off the worst recession in modern history and halt the coming tsunami of mass unemployment. mirror.co.uk/news/politics/g…
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Congratulations to Rachel Reeves and Darren Jones for announcing the £500 million social impact fund which will help transform children and youth services in the coming years and into which social investors may add an additional £500 million.
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I estimate that in October, 50% of children – 7 million kids - will be in households that have to do without material necessities.
If nothing’s done before another increase in Jan, the fuel poor could rise to 39m – including 4 out of 5 lone parents, pensioners and large families.
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Almost everyone in Afghanistan is heading for true poverty.
The West can act but we’re sleepwalking into the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
thetimes.co.uk/article/almos…
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Today is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau from Nazi control. It is right that the King is acknowledging the importance of this day by leading the commemoration alongside survivors. Sarah and I will never forget. #ForABetterFuture #HolocaustMemorialDay
ALT A photograph of Sarah and Gordon Brown visiting Auschwitz Birkenau in April 2009
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To give media cover for this constitutional vandalism, those behind this coup will claim – falsely – that the aim is redress the balance between the south-east, which has the largest number of peers, and the rest of England, Scotland and Wales.
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The innovation from the charity sector is astonishing (see my article).
Just as we thanked the NHS and care workers in the pandemic, we should pay tribute to the 1000s of local heroes coming to the aid of millions of fellow citizens now.
newstatesman.com/politics/uk…
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If the Tories have their way. we will see the end of the NHS. They are testing the water on private funding of the NHS with Sajid Javid writing approvingly of the £20 fee some European countries charge.
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The Sunak-Hunt budget just intensified the gap between need and provision.
The last line of defence is now not Universal Credit but the 3000+ food banks - and the fuel banks, clothing banks, bedding banks, toiletries banks, hygiene banks, furniture banks, baby banks etc.
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Brilliant speech from @Keir_Starmer today. #Lab21
This is a big moment that demands leadership.
Leadership founded on principles that have informed my life - and with which I honour where I've come from.
Work.
Care.
Equality.
Security.
They're British values.
They're the tools of my trade.
And with them, I'll go to work.
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2025 is the year to erase the stain on the world's conscience as Afghan girls and women are denied the most basic of human rights. Gender Apartheid is a crime against humanity. My article for @ProSyn
project-syndicate.org/commen…
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It’s also useful for Crosby, whose firm has had close links with the tobacco industry: the new peers are justified in the document by the Lords' refusal to vote for a “laissez-faire attitude to tobacco manufacturers and importers”.
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