Author: welland2

BBC ‘bias’ in Gaza conflict


Report reveals in detail how the BBC has misreported the conflict

July 2026

The BBC is widely trusted. It promotes itself as an independent media organisation dedicated to giving fair balanced news and comments about what is happening in the world. A report by the Centre for Media Monitoring analysed the BBC’s output on the Gaza conflict and found it to be anything but balanced. Indeed it concluded that the ‘BBC is systematically biased against Palestinians in Gaza war coverage‘. They echo conclusions by Peter Oborne in his book Complicit [OR Books, 2025] who was extremely critical of their reporting of the conflict.

Not that these conclusions are new. Tom Mills in his book The BBC: Myth of a Public Service [Verso, 2016] concluded that it has ‘always sided with the elite‘. Despite the constant accusations by right-wing media interests for its left-wing bias, in fact he argues ‘its journalism has overwhelmingly reflected the ideas and interests of elite groups‘.

Gaza coverage

CfMM analysed thousands of BBC pieces as part of its research and came up with 4 main conclusions:

  • Palestinian deaths are treated as less newsworthy. Despite there being 34 times more deaths among Palestinians, the BBC gave Israel deaths 33 times more coverage.
  • BBC used emotive terms 4 times more for Israeli victims, applied ‘massacre’ 18 times more to Israeli casualties, and used ‘murder’ 220 times for Israelis in contrast to once for Palestinians. We have noted that the word ‘hostage’ was applied (correctly) for those seized by Hamas after the October 7th massacre, but the word ‘prisoner’ is used for those seized by Israel and held without trial and tortured. Prisoner implies some kind of due process has taken place which it hasn’t.
  • BBC presenters shut down genocide claims in over 100 documented instances whilst making zero mention of Israeli leaders’ genocidal statements, including Netanyahu’s biblical Amalek reference. The moment an interviewee mentions the G word, a BBC person will immediately interrupt and say that there has been no conclusion to the claims despite the massive evidence to the contrary and blatant statements by Israeli politicians to that effect.
  • The BBC interviewed significantly fewer Palestinians than Israelis (1,085 v 2,350) on TV and radio, while BBC presenters shared the Israeli perspective 11 times more frequently than the Palestinian perspective (2,340 v 217). The interviews themselves are often weak and unchallenging.

The full report is available here.

Reasons

We can only speculate on the reasons for the bias. One is the myth of BBC independence. This much touted merit is not always true. The Board is appointed by Government ministers and the organisation is under constant funding threats. The Charter is up for renewal soon in 2028.

A second aspect is the charge of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is of course to be condemned but it has become a cover for any and all criticism of Israel. When Amnesty and Human Rights Watch published their reports on Israel’s Apartheid policy for example, the immediate and knee-jerk response was the charge of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel. It has led the BBC we would argue to an approach of extreme caution and nervousness.

The policy of balance is also a factor. Balance does not always mean equal. This arose with debates about climate change. A scientist would be interviewed with facts and data followed by a denialist such as Lord Lawson. They received equal coverage even though Lawson was not a scientist and seldom had any evidence to support his views. Viewers were left confused. Scientists gradually refused to be interviewed. The BBC has now stopped doing this (after many protests) although it should be stressed scientists are not always right and should be challenged: but challenged by someone competent.

The tragedy is that there are many Jewish people in the UK who are concerned about the extreme violence and genocide taking place in Gaza and the increasing tide of violence against Palestinians living on the West Bank. On a recent Any Answers programme, two Jewish men phoned in with their views. They did not fit the narrative as expected and the presenter was audibly disconcerted and tried vainly to counter their views. The grim future of Israel is discussed in the Jewish academic Omar Bartov’s book Israel: What Went Wrong? [Fern Press, 2026].

Does it matter?

It matters because the BBC is a trusted source much needed in these days of mis- and disinformation and torrid material being produced by X and other online outlets. Generally, they perform well despite attempts at coercion and control. One has only to spend 10 minutes watching GBNews to witness what low standards mean.

It matters because they have a role in shaping public opinion. People were rightly angry at the seizing of hostages by Hamas and the frequent bulletins about the negotiations to secure their release increased that anger. The almost complete absence of reporting by the BBC of the seizure by Israel of medical staff and their incarceration, torture and sometimes death in an underground prison weakens their claims to be impartial.

It matters because this public opinion shapes political opinion and policies. The almost total failure by the BBC to report the hundreds of RAF overflights for example means a large chunk of British society is unaware of this help and other more covert help by our government for the regime. It means the government can continue selling arms with impunity thus playing a part in increasing the destruction of Gaza. It means the incarceration of those who support the Palestinian cause is made that bit easier because they have been labelled the ‘bad guys’. It means politicians like David Lammy can make provably misleading statements about reducing arms sales without being challenged. [David Lammy left government as this post was being written].

It matters because the distortion of language: for example selective use of words like ‘massacre’ and ‘hostage’ as we have noted above, means trust in the BBC is eroded.

The BBC fails to mention when interviewing various members of parliament, whether they are members of one or other of the Friends of Israel groups nor asks how much they have received for visits to the country. It does not ask them leaving the viewer or listener left in the dark. [To be fair, neither does the BBC nor other broadcasters ask interviewees if they are a member of one or other of the think tanks with their undeclared funding].

The organisation needs to shake off its fear of being called anti-Semitic and provide proper and balanced reports.

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The vigils continue


Vigil number 137 held on July 18th

We continue to hold vigils in Salisbury’s market place on Saturday evening. Last Saturday was the 137th such event. Thinly attended this time but we were briefly joined by 26 Brazilian students which was a delight.

We continue because the situation in the Middle East gets no better. We await how the new prime minister handles the situation in Gaza but he has already apologised for the party’s response and approach to the conflict which was very damaging. Sir Keir Starmer was so desperate to lay the ghost of ‘anti-Semitism’ that his response to Israel’s violence and destruction of the territory was distorted. Now David Lammy has made statements about the mistaken approach but it has to be noted that there was little sign of this up till now. He did not feel the need to resign.

Dr Hussan Abu Safiya

The UN said in a report last month:

“The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel expresses its grave concern at credible reports that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor and Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, has been subjected to continued and severe abuse since his detention by the Israeli authorities in December 2024.

“The Commission calls for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of Dr. Abu Safiya and of all medical personnel held in arbitrary detention by Israel. It also urges the Israeli authorities to provide immediate independent medical care for Dr. Abu Safiya.

“The continued arbitrary detention of Palestinian medical personnel and the severe mistreatment they are subjected to are deplorable and flagrant violations of international law. The actions of the Israeli Prison Service guards towards Palestinian detainees raise grave concerns of violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes. Dr. Abu Safiya’s medical condition is the direct result of these actions. The Commission underscores that persons deprived of liberty are protected against murder, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and sexual violence”.

He is held in an underground prison.

Israeli forces now occupy 65% of the Gaza strip in contravention of Trump’s peace plan. The number of Palestinians killed is 73,770 of whom 20,000 or more are children. The total is likely to be much higher with thousands buried and unaccounted for under rubble. 1,144 have been killed since the ceasefire in October.

Sources: Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, Copilot Search, UN,

Image courtesy Peter Gloyns

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Britain’s support for the arms trade


The UK hosts a major international arms fair

July 2026

UPDATE: Journalists attending the Fair from Declassified and Byline Times faced threats from the personnel on the Elbit Stand and other Israeli weapons stands. We are grateful for Salisbury Concern for Israel Palestine for bringing this link to our attention.

The UK is an enthusiastic supporter of the arms trade, organising a fair at Farnborough ever other year in Hampshire. A thousand firms will attend and the ‘strategic sponsor’ is Barclays. It is curious to note in passing that the bank was founded by two Quakers and their early history was supporting Quaker businesses in the New World. Now they are supporting weapons firms. One of their values is ‘[being] passionate about leaving things better than we found them‘. One wonders what someone who has had a weapon dropped on them or a limb blown off feels about this value?

The firms themselves supply weapons to a range of conflicts around the world including the genocide in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Some of UK weapons find their way to Sudan via the UAE one of our largest customers. Our old friends Elbit Systems are in evidence as well as Rafael, Israel’s largest missile maker.

Government support

The fair depends crucially on British government support which includes a dedicated arms sales unit in government, organisation of the fair, providing insurance cover in case firms do not get paid and finally, ready access to ministers and civil servants through what is called the ‘revolving door’. This is the highly dubious process by which ex ministers, former civil servants and ex military officers secure lucrative consultancy work or directorships with the firms to help lobby for their activities.

The insurance is provided by Exports Credit Guarantees and the amount may surprise readers. A total of 20 countries have defaulted on payments: some you might expect like Iraq, Cuba and Serbia because of conflicts, but others include Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina. The total is just under £3 trillion which is added to the national debt. It is worth pondering this for a moment because one of the hotly disputed political debates at present is over the welfare bill and some politicians and pundits are arguing for it to be cut to enable tax cuts. The quite staggering level of funding support for arms companies is never mentioned by these same politicians. Three trillion is £3,000, 0000, 000, 000. This figure may be an underestimate because the report makes clear some data has been lost.

Discovering quite what is being exported is not easy. The government likes to claim it has a robust arms sales policy but the facts seem to suggest otherwise. One has only to look at the countries to which we sell to see that ‘robust’ is not a word one would use. It issues what are called Standard Individual Export Licences [SIEL] of which there were 10,400 in 2025. The problem is approximately half of sales are under ‘open license’ making the reporting unreliable.

Ministers cannot always be trusted. David Lammy MP said in parliament that sales to Israel were being reduced once the destruction of Gaza became too great to ignore. Later analysis of Israel’s import data showed sales by the UK had in fact increased.

When we speak of arms sales, the photographs often show fighter jets, missile systems and other items of large scale military kit. We must not overlook that it is the millions of small weapons such as rifles, machine guns, grenades and so forth which cause so much damage to ordinary people. It is these weapons which kill and maim especially women and children.

Our continued support for the likes of Elbit Systems who make the drones which have killed many and made the lives of the people of Gaza such a misery, is shaming. Huge efforts have been made to stamp down on protests and hundreds of protestors have been arrested and gaoled.

There will be much glad-handing at Farnborough and no doubt a minister will speak about the contribution to our economy and jobs created. But we cannot escape the plain fact that this is an industry who’s products are designed to kill people. It could be argued that we need to defend ourselves and our partners in NATO for example. While that may be true, firms are busy supplying weapons to unstable, undemocratic and often brutal regimes who are using them to inflict misery on millions of people. Few questions are asked and the notion of a ‘robust regime’ is for the birds. The revolving door is alive and well – a process so steeped in corruption it is astonishing it has survived so long.

Sources: CAAT, SIPRI (Sweden), MoD, Barclays Bank, Salisbury CND

Picture: Dorset Eye

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British woman tried on an American base


US force personnel being tried on their bases for crimes they committed off base and off duty

July 2026

The rape, drugging and strangulation of a British woman by a US pilot may have gone completely unnoticed. Sarah Steele, an academic, had a relationship with a US air force pilot during which violence was used and she alleged he had unprotected sex without her wishes. She had a drug etizolam in her blood stream. This is an increasingly popular date rape drug especially when combined with alcohol.

Those who followed the Brexit arguments a decade ago will recall that one of the arguments used by those wishing to leave the European Union was a desire to ‘take back control’ and the related issue of sovereignty. These arguments persist today with a desire for the UK to leave the European Convention. There an almost uncountable number of articles to this effect.

Yet here we have a serious and significant breach of UK sovereignty with a British woman having been savagely raped, being tried by American men on an American base in front of an American colonel with a stars and stripes flag behind him. Apart from the Guardian newspaper – the only journalists to be present – none of those same newspapers who relentlessly disparaged the EU were present. There is little sign of them having followed the story up either. Could it be possible that as many of them are American owned they have declined to soil their pages with the story?

Primitive treatment

The treatment of Ms Steele was primitive by UK legal standards. Apart from the whole thing being run by men and colleagues of the airman accused (who declined as was his right to give evidence) the Americans imported a particularly aggressive lawyer for cross-examination. His name is Tim Bilecki. He specialises in courts marshals and flies around the world defending servicemen. There are pages and pages of encomia on line (we gave up after 8 pages of them).

In court he accused her of being a ‘sex obsessed liar’. He said she was financially motivated and had fabricated the allegations as part of an elaborate scheme to win compensation. The cross-examination lasted hours and was distressing she reported. The gravity of the offence should have attracted a sentence of around 5 years maybe more. The jury decided on 6 months and he has been dismissed from the service. Another quirk is that at the time of this trial, juries could decide on sentencing in American court proceedings (in some states). That has now ended.

He can appeal but an added twist is that the appeal will take place in Maryland. Can we guess the result of that appeal?

The question has to be – who on earth in Cambridgeshire police agreed to cede jurisdiction to the Americans? The offence took place against a British woman off base. It is not the only such case. The government is looking into the circumstances of this case and others so we must hope for a more robust response in future. And where are our media when it comes to shining a spotlight on this behaviour? With threatened takeover of more of our TV networks by US companies, it is a warning that the lack of reporting of outrageous cases such as this is a real prospect. Justice must not only be done but must manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done. Not hidden away on a US base.

The whole question of these bases came into the spotlight with the attack on Iran. Sir Keir Starmer is said not to have allowed our bases to be used for American aggression. As President Trump is no longer interested in NATO, what future for their bases on British soil?

NOTE: We normally cross check stories to seek multiple sources and differing points of view. We have been unable to do this with this post because of a complete absence of coverage by British media apart from the Guardian to whom we are grateful.

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Death penalty in Florida


Should Florida become known as the ‘Death State’ in place of the Sunshine State?

July 2026

Two more executions are scheduled for same day – July 28th – in Florida as Governor Ron DeSantis pursues his mania for the policy. DeSantis said he believes the death penalty could be a “strong deterrent” to crime. “My view is it’s an appropriate punishment for the worst offenders,” he said. The evidence does not support his statement. Indeed the Death Penalty Project concludes:

‘Overall, homicide rates have been declining since the early 1990s across all US states. And increasing rates of homicide have not followed in those states which have abolished the death penalty during the past two decades. In fact, over the last 20 years, homicide rates in US states which retained the death penalty have been higher than those without it.

‘One study found that between 1974 and 2009, 447 executions occurred in the state of Texas, 13 occurred in California and none occurred in New York, yet rates of homicide followed similar patterns of fluctuation throughout this period across all three states, clearly influenced by factors other than punishments.’

‘Aping the President‘

Florida executed more than ever before in 2025. The State accounts for 40% of all executions in the US, a shocking statistic. The increase in the national statistic is almost entirely due to this one state. One commentator reflects in a Tampa Free Press article that DeSantis is aping the President “it matters to the President [Trump] so it matters to them.” It has also been suggested that the execution spree is part of the Governor’s desire to become the president at the end of President Trump’s term of office.

One of those due to be executed at the end of the month is 80 years old, Dominick Anthony Occhicone and his attorneys say he is in their opinion, too old to be executed.

There are still 246 individuals on death row in the state.

If these executions proceed, Florida will carry out two executions in a single day — the first time this has happened in the modern era of Florida’s death penalty. That fact alone should stop us in our tracks.

Amnesty opposes the use of use of the penalty in all circumstances. It is not a deterrent. It perpetuates violence. Mistakes cannot be rectified (and there have been 30 exonerations in this state alone). The US is the only state in the Americas continuing to execute its citizens.

Another case

Another truly shocking case involves a man called Eddie Suggs who is on death row. Reading the astonishing story you learn that the evidence is so weak and flawed it’s a wonder that the case ever came to court. But he may lose his life. There is a petition to sign and we’d be grateful if you’d add your voice.

Sources: Death Penalty Information Center, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Florida Today, Tampa Free Press, AP News.

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Horror of underground prison


Israel’s underground prison – Welcome to Hell

July 2026

Rakefet Prison is not well known among the British public and has not appeared in many news broadcasts. It is an underground prison situated not far from Tel Aviv.    It was designed to hold dangerous Israeli prisoners but was closed on humanitarian grounds. Prisoners were kept underground never seeing sunlight.

It was reopened by Ben Gvir to house Palestinians with 7 times the numbers it was designed for. The appalling conditions are described in considerable and gruesome detail in a report by the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem.     Called ‘Welcome to Hell’ it describes the continuous beatings – sometimes leading to death – the poor food, lack of medical attention, atrocious conditions with men packed into airless underground cells in suffocating conditions. Dogs are used to intimidate them. ‘Trophy’ footage was posted by an IDF soldier which has caused outrage around the world.  It reveals a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner secured to a pole.

Children held

Deaths are not investigated and bodies are buried in numbered graves.  There are around 3,500 held elsewhere in ‘administrative detention’ including 200 children.  No charges are brought. B’Tselem explains what this means:

“In administrative detention, a person is held without trial without having committed an offense, on the grounds that he or she plans to break the law in the future. As this measure is supposed to be preventive, it has no time limit. The person is detained without legal proceedings, by order of the regional military commander, based on classified evidence that is not revealed to them. This leaves the detainees helpless – facing unknown allegations with no way to disprove them, not knowing when they will be released, and without being charged, tried or convicted”. [B’Tselem]

Considerable attention was paid to the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th with frequent media reports on the numbers held, negotiations for their release and footage of their release when they happened.

By contrast, of those held underground in Rakefet or elsewhere in detention, there has been almost no media coverage.  Indeed, few will have heard of Rakefet. Israel is behaving in the manner of some barbaric state with no human rights laws or meaningful legal system. And it doing so in almost complete media silence. It continues to receive uncritical support from the Labour government, up until now at least as we await what the new prime minister will do.  The House of Commons is packed with around 200 ‘friends of Israel’ parliamentarians who seemingly are unconcerned at the beatings, deaths, torture and the barbaric prison conditions in this prison.

Image shows a dog entering a cell.

The RAF flew hundreds of missions over Gaza as part of the UK’s support for the Israeli government.  The numbers vary but it was at least 600 according to various reports.

Most people in Britain who followed the news would have known the tally of hostages held and those released after the horrific October 7th massacre.  There was considerable coverage and many interviews of family members for example.   It received an appropriate level of media attention in view of the tragic events which took place after the horrific attack.                                

Doctor held without trial almost unrecognisable

One person held in Rakefet is Dr Hassan Abu Safiya.  He has been held in the prison since December 2024. He was seized allegedly for being a member of Hamas but since Hamas runs the health authority in Gaza this is meaningless. A lawyer visiting him says he is almost unrecognisable ‘suffering severe injuries to his head, eyes and neck while struggling to breathe in the Rakefet interrogation facility’.                                

Image of the Minister of National Security Mr Ben Gvir who allegedly shouted abuse at those held in Rakefet.

The UN Special Rapporteur criticised the BBC for presenting unproven Israeli military claims about him. This follows the journalist Peter Oborne’s criticism of the BBC’s coverage (and other media) in his book Complicit as disgraceful.

Thus we have two worlds where the horrific attack by Hamas is given massive coverage including false claims of beheading by several of our leading newspapers, whereas the torture, underground confinement without trials, and murder of Palestinians is met with near total silence by that same media. And 200 of our MPs are members and supporters of these dreadful actions including the MP for Salisbury Mr John Glen. We can only hope that the new prime minister Mr Andy Burnham will end Britain’s craven and shameful support given to this dreadful regime and the genocide it has unleashed.

ADDED 15 JULY. Rape of flotilla women in Israeli prison alleged.

Criticising Israel is not anti-Semitic.

Sources include: Ground News, Guardian, Haaretz, B’Tselem, IDF photos,

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Key highlights from July 2026 meeting minutes


Lots of interest in this month’s minutes and newsletter

July 2026

We are pleased to attach our July minutes and newsletter with thanks to several group members for their contributions. There are pieces on the refugee situation which continues to resonate in the British political scene but often with little attention to the facts. Few would know from the media and politicians that the number of boat crossings have declined for example.

As we have pointed out in a previous post, we now report on British human rights following successive government’s introduction of ever more restrictive laws on assembly and protest.

There is a summary of the death penalty noting that the Restore party wants to see the penalty brought back in the UK. This coincided with the conditional pardon offered to Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain.

There is a report on social media statistics noting that views to this site are at significantly higher level than last year but that most come from outside the UK. High numbers from China are a surprise but very welcome.

There is no meeting in August and the next time we meet is on September 10th.

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Will the UK’s attitude to Israel change?


Will the new prime minister really make significant changes?

Vigil #136

July 2026

Questions, questions, which are posed following the near certainty of Andy Burnham becoming the new prime minister of Britain and his stated apologies for the UK’s uncritical support of Israel and its genocidal actions in Gaza. It is one thing to offer Israel support and sympathy after the horrific attack on October 7th but quite another to continue to offer such support while the destruction of Gaza took place including the near total demolition of medical facilities, schools and other public facilities. The deliberate killing of children, over 20,000 so far – not as an accidental consequence of military action but as a matter of stated policy – is unsupportable yet our nation has continued to support it.

We noted in a previous post that Mr Burnham waited until he had the succession in the bag so to speak, before making this announcement and wondered if this was because he was mindful of the huge number of MPs who are members of a Friends of Israel group – 69 of whom are in his own party and over 200 in the House of Commons as a whole – as well as the powerful influence Israeli lobbying has over our media including the BBC. If this is correct, the question becomes will he be able to follow through? If he did not feel comfortable with promising a reset because of fears of a lobbying backlash, how likely is it he can withstand this influence and lobbying once he gets into No 10?

It is to be questioned how an MP and more particularly senior ministers – which includes shockingly, Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and David Lammy – be members and act impartially as a minister. Whom do they serve? A question asked of the Salisbury MP, Mr John Glen a ‘proud’ member of the much larger Conservative Friends of Israel, which he said was unworthy of an answer. Sir Keir’s support which emerged when he made the quite disgraceful comment that Israel was justified in cutting off water and power to Gaza, led in part to his defenestration as prime minister.

Vigil 136

Picture courtesy of Peter Gloyns

About 30 attended the latest vigil on a hot evening. Quite a lot of support and thumbs up signs and passers by taking pictures, One offensive gesture noticed. Recognition was again quite high. No sign of Mr Glen and no mention of the vigil in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal.

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Andy Burnham’s Apology: A Shift in Labour’s Gaza Stance?


Andy Burnham apologises for Labour’s stance on Gaza

July 2026

In numerous posts we have commented on the war in Gaza and more recently in Lebanon, and noted the shameful approach by the British government under Sir Keir Starmer the departing prime minister. We commented on the arms sales which continued despite the terrible events, the diplomatic support for Israel, the hundreds of overflights of Gaza by the RAF, the continued support for Elbit Systems and prosecution of those who call out this support and call for the recognition of Palestine.

It now seems that the likely new prime minister, Andy Burnham (image: Middle East Eye), has recognised these errors and has announced that the party ‘didn’t get it right’ and ‘we need to do better’. If this is carried through into policy then it will be very welcome. What no one has picked up in the media is the timing of this announcement which came on the day that nominations closed for the leadership election. Could this be a fear of the hundreds of MPs who are members of the Friends of Israel groups?

Sir Keir Starmer alienated many of his supporters by his approach to Israel. His statement that Israel had every right to cut off water and power shocked many and attempts to back track never really healed the damage. It showed a politician desperate to shake off the ‘anti-Semitic’ criticism more or less at all costs. Many were doubly shocked because of his human rights background. It was one of the factors which led to his defenestration. Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic.

We have to be wary of course since many politicians make statements like this. He has to face a massive and well funded lobby in parliament, a media much of which is supportive of the Israelis and a BBC which even today (10 July) was quibbling on the Today programme whether it is a genocide or not because it hadn’t been legally decided yet.

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Ruth Ellis pardon


Ruth was the last woman to be hanged in Britain

July 2026

Ruth Ellis was hanged in Holloway Prison in 1955 and was the last woman to receive this punishment. Hanging was abolished in 1969 but the execution of Ruth Ellis was one of the events which led to its abolition. The last execution was in 1964, that is 70 years ago. This week Ellis was given a conditional pardon by the government. The application was brought by four of Ellis’s grandchildren who said her action was profoundly shaped by domestic abuse, trauma and circumstances that were never properly recognised at her trial. It is likely that if her life of abuse was made known to the jury it is likely she would have been convicted of manslaughter.

The desire to restore the penalty emerges from time to time and ‘bring back hanging’ appears in some interviews especially after a terrible murder or a terrorist attack. A minor British political party, Restore, is campaigning for its return but it is not a policy of the major parties. The Daily Telegraph does not agree that she has been pardoned reflecting perhaps its older readership’s views about the penalty.

Amnesty believes it is wrong in all circumstances and campaigns for its abolition around the world. The US is the only country in the Americas to retain it in some states at least and in Florida, there has been an increase under Governor De Santis, it is suggested as part of his campaign to be President. Support in the States is slowly diminishing reflecting the views of younger Americans. China is the world leader in executions carrying out more than the rest of the world combined although exact figures are not known as they are a state secret.

There are many problems with the penalty the most obvious being that mistakes cannot be rectified once the execution has happened. And there are mistakes often because exculpatory evidence is sometimes withheld by police. Frequently, the defence is poor or because a key witness can lie to save their own skin. There is considerable racial bias. It does not deter crime as is often claimed: there are no significant differences in crime between states with the penalty and those without. It is very expensive especially in the US where prisoners live for years on death row waiting results of appeals. It is a barbaric practice and simply perpetuates the cycle of violence.

Each month the Salisbury group publishes a report on the use of the penalty around the world.

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