Mahmood’s small boats warning, Green party Zionism vote and questions over early prisoner release
This week saw Shabana Mahmood’s comments on abuse of women arriving on small boats, the Green party vote equating Zionism with racism, questions over tagging of early-released prisoners, a court ruling on Gaza family reunions, new data on child-on-child sexual offences, scrutiny of Nigel Farage’s £5m gift, and reports of record assaults on trains.
The stories that drew the most attention
| Story | Comments | Reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Nearly all women arriving on small boats have been raped, says Shabana Mahmood | 0 | |
| Green party votes to adopt policy that equates Zionism with racism | 0 | |
| UK justice secretary unable to say how many early release prisoners have been tagged | 0 | |
| As it happened: Israel condemns Green party passing ‘Zionism is racism’ as a ‘stain on history of UK’ | 0 | |
| Nigel Farage questioned by standards commissioner over £5m gift | 0 | |
| Thousands of child-on-child sexual offences reported at schools in England and Wales | 0 | |
| Court quashes block on mothers and children in Gaza joining families in UK | 0 | |
| ‘The violence is off the scale’: staff and passengers at risk as assaults on trains in Great Britain soar to record high | 0 |
What it adds up to
Shabana Mahmood said in an interview that nearly all women trying to reach the UK in small boats from northern France have been raped on their journey, and warned that people traffickers decide who comes to the UK. She also said far-right, balaclava-wearing activists would kill her or force her out of the country if they took power. A separate immigration ruling found that the Home Office had applied its "unsafe journeys" policy unlawfully when it blocked mothers and children in Gaza from joining family members in the UK.
At home, a Guardian investigation reported thousands of child-on-child sexual offences in schools in England and Wales, averaging nearly five sexual crimes a day against under-13s between 2021 and 2025. The Green party voted to adopt a policy equating Zionism with racism and calling for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, a move opposed by most of its MPs and expected to face a legal challenge, and which drew condemnation from Israel. Justice secretary Alex Norris said it was too soon to say how many of about 700 prisoners released early this week had been fitted with tags. Nigel Farage was questioned by the standards commissioner over whether he should have declared a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Rail staff and passengers described rising abuse and assaults on trains, as reports said incidents had reached a record high.
What to watch next week
Next week, attention is likely to focus on any legal challenge to the Green party’s new policy on Zionism, further clarification from the Ministry of Justice on tagging of early-released prisoners, and any follow-up to the court ruling on Gaza family reunions and the reported levels of abuse in schools and on the railways.