“The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice!” Thanks to all of you who reached out with your feedback on the first ITK. Unfortunately, it hit a lot of junk inboxes. Well, call us Count Binface, kings of the trash! A mixed-emotion week, with horrific attacks on UK politicians, footballing successes, and a big week for Northstar with several pieces of content dropping last week, go check the socials for all of that.

Also, respond to this email with any opinions or thoughts, help us make it less likely this goes into your spam. 🙏 We hope you are well, warm, and wiser by the end of the read…

On Thursday 9 July, Ann Widdecombe was found dead with serious injuries at her home in Dartmoor. Quickly rumours began to swirl around the circumstances of her death, with Police then confirming they were investigating as a possible attack on her at around 1230 the previous day. She had been scheduled to attend a television interview but did not respond to several calls and messages. A 26-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of murder in Newton Abbot but was released without charge and ruled out of the investigation. Police subsequently arrested a 28-year-old British man in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Saturday 11 July. He remains the principal suspect, and officers say they are not currently looking for anyone else.

In an increasingly heated political environment in the UK, Widdecombe’s death and the discussion around its circumstances have revived questions around politically motivated violence in the UK. Widdecombe was a former Conservative minister and spokesperson for Reform UK. She had defended Nigel Farage in a TV interview on the morning of the alleged attack, but at present police say there is no evidence of terror or political motivation. Widdecombe was, however, a controversial figure; she had argued against abortion, opposed equalising the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual relationships, and converted to Catholicism in a form of protest against the Church of England’s ordination of women. On account of this reputation, many still view the likely motivation of her alleged attack as political.

It is just over 10 years since the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was MP for Batley and Spen, and it does not feel like we as a country ever took her death seriously among the regularity of other forms of political violence we observe in the UK.

Takeaway: We seem to always dismiss each incident as isolated, but a collection of isolated events with a plausible causality (political polarisation and popular immiseration) does denote a trend.

Nigel Farage has been forced into a fight with the only politician that talks more rubbish than him! We reported last week that the MP for Clacton had resigned under pressure concerning disclosure of millions of “gifts” in an attempt to reaffirm his local mandate. His attempt to frame the by-election as “the people versus the establishment” has had the rug pulled out from under it as the main parties have refused to play in the mud. Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and Restore Britain have declined to stand candidates. This has paved the way for Count Binface to mount the most significant opposition to Farage. Binface is the satirical alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey: a supposed intergalactic warrior who campaigns wearing a bin-shaped helmet and uses deliberately absurd policies to mock British politics. He says his role is to celebrate and demonstrate the peculiar openness of British democracy.

Farage is looking to pitch popular public battles framing himself as the people’s champion but this has seemingly backfired and could get spectacularly worse. A month out from the vote, Count Binface is polling well, owing to the centralisation of the anti-Farage vote in one candidate.

We don't love polling chat too much, but we will keep you up to date as we build up to the third headline by-election of the year. It’s still far out but we think the Count is Bin it to win it!!!

Restore Britain’s leader Rupert Lowe appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to defend his insanely fictitious Grooming Gang Report, attack immigration with the usual fear-mongering, and argue that Britain’s gun laws are excessively restrictive and that legitimate shooters are being unfairly targeted. While explaining why most handguns were banned in the late 1990s, Lowe said the change followed “a murder up in Dunblane”. When Rogan questioned whether he meant just one murder, Lowe repeated: “One murder.”

This has sparked outrage because, in reality, the 1996 Dunblane massacre was Britain’s deadliest mass shooting. A gunman entered Dunblane Primary School and murdered 16 children, aged five and six, and their teacher, Gwen Mayor. Fifteen children and three adults were also wounded. The subsequent Snowdrop Campaign and Cullen Inquiry contributed to Parliament banning most privately owned handguns in 1997. It is often the xenophobia that catches the attention from the far-right but this displays the wider framework of post-truth opportunism and insincerity that produces their worldview.

The wider concern here is how we can compete with a media landscape in which the most popular podcast in the world, supported by the richest man in the world, uncritically platforms the ultra-wealthy bigot at the head of one of the most dangerous political movements in the world, who the richest man in the world also supports. It can feel despair-inducing but this is what Northstar is trying to build against, so please spread the word!

Marine Le Pen has confirmed that she will run for the French presidency for a fourth time after an appeals court shortened the public-office ban imposed over her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds. The same ruling sentenced her to a year of home detention under electronic monitoring.

Le Pen has appealed to France’s highest court, temporarily suspending the ankle-tag requirement while judges consider the case. She has already launched a campaign website and announced that she will campaign as a “pair” with 30-year-old National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, whom she says she would appoint prime minister. The court is expected to rule before voting begins in April 2027.

Northstar Note: Noah used to live opposite the Brixton probation centre, high chance he brushed shoulders with a future PM, it seems

With the progression of the England Men’s team to the Semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, more people are discussing whether, on balance, football provides a benefit to social cohesion.

On the one hand, many will argue that there are benefits in terms of health, community building, entertainment, and the expansive economy built around the beautiful game. Even on the NPS World Cup Special, we looked at how football has become a quasi-religion for many.

On the other hand, some say the commercialisation of football has turned the game into a vehicle for marketisation and wealth extraction. Be it gambling, alcohol, or the culture of drugs associated with spectatorship, it seems there are sinister forces circling the pitch. Moreover, the misogyny and racism that have long plagued football culture make it difficult for many to get involved with blind optimism.

Let us know what you think! We are ambivalent, enjoying many aspect of the World Cup, but also struggling to escape the creeping feeling that the game is increasingly gone.

Spotlighting stories beyond the imperial core

Eight months after the Rapid Support Forces captured el-Fasher, Sudan may be approaching another entirely predictable atrocity. The UN documented more than 6,000 killings during the first three days after the city fell, while some researchers believe the eventual death toll may have reached tens of thousands. Around 150,000 residents remain unaccounted for.

The RSF is now tightening its grip around el-Obeid, a strategically important city of nearly 600,000 people connecting central Sudan with Darfur and the country’s south. Many of its residents had already fled violence elsewhere. After roughly 18 months of siege-like conditions, the city is facing drone attacks, soaring food prices and shortages of electricity and clean water.

We discussed on the Northstar Politics Show earlier this month how David Lammy had been briefed on the likely eventualities in El-Fasher. Once again, we have clear projections ahead of time around the outcomes in el-Obeid so it is imperative that we speak loudly and clearly about the need for our countries to leverage what they can against the bloodshed.

The temporary pause in the US-Iran war appears to have unravelled. Washington has launched another major bombing campaign against Iranian military infrastructure, with strikes reported around the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask, as well as Qeshm Island. US Central Command says it has hit more than 300 targets across several nights.

Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones at American military facilities across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan, while renewing its claim that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The US insists shipping can continue through waters controlled by Oman. Both sides are therefore not only exchanging attacks but competing to decide who controls one of the world’s most important energy routes.

This enflamed stalemate could be looked back on by future historians as a pivotal step in the US’ recession from indisputable global hegemon. The inciting of the Islamic Republic has led to not only a global image weakening but also a material loss of control of the global economy from the US. This is very much history being solidified in real time.

Germany’s upper parliamentary chamber has backed proposed legislation that could make publicly denying Israel’s right to exist or calling for its abolition punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine. The proposal would apply where such speech is considered capable of encouraging antisemitic violence or arbitrary acts. It must still pass through the Bundestag before becoming law.

On the one hand, this is outrageous: when people question Israel’s right to exist in good faith, they highlight the constitutional framework of the zionist apartheid state which outlines its existence as a colonial settler state. The reframing of this as an attack on the existence of Jewish people in the region is the cynical counter-argumentation that allows the present genocide to be perpetuated. On the other hand, we must think about the context that Germany is working from.

It often seems that German interaction with the Israeli projects resembles a self-therapising practice of post-holocaust world-building, with little capacity to recognise its role in facilitating a genocide in the present.

A brief explainer on a concept, term or interesting corner of our world

It seems that the people of Makerfield have functioned as a presidential electoral college, being privileged to appoint the next PM of the UK. How does this work and does Burnham have a mandate to govern?

Unlike the US, where power is vested in the individual President as head of state; in the UK the PM functions as the leader of the dominant party in the legislature (parliament,) under the head of state, the monarch. British voters elect MP’s not the PM directly, who then needs to command the confidence of the House of Commons.

When a governing party replaces its leader, the new leader can become prime minister without a general election. Burnham would therefore have a constitutional mandate, although people can still question whether he has a sufficient political mandate for major changes. Calling an election would be a political decision, not a constitutional requirement.

He is, however, politically and conventionally bound to govern in accordance with the mandate upon which the current Government was elected. As such, if he wanted to radically revise his plan of governance, he would likely call an election to refresh the mandate on new ground.

Some links to beat the brain rot.

Gary Stevenson travels across Britain examining the widening wealth gap, speaking to struggling workers, economists, multimillionaires and billionaires. At the heart of the documentary is his argument that the super-rich must be taxed before they come to own almost everything.

Jeremy Corbyn sits down with Northstar Politics to reflect on his political career, the state of the left and the international crises shaping our present moment. There may also be some important discussion of jam.

Our very own SeanRamiz on each and every platform will be offering a lecture series in collaboration with Young Muslims in Politics over the next few months, not one to miss!