Portrait of the week: gambling politicians, gender rows and a free Julian Assange 

Home

The Conservative party withdrew its support from two parliamentary candidates, Craig Williams (who was parliamentary private secretary to the Prime Minister) and Laura Saunders, both of whom the Gambling Commission had been investigating after allegations that bets had been placed on the date of the election. Two Conservative party workers and six policemen were also alleged to have been involved, one of the policemen being under criminal investigation. Others remained under investigation. Labour suspended a parliamentary candidate of its own, Kevin Craig, after being told the Gambling Commission was investigating him betting on failing to win the seat, which he now might. The candidates’ names would still appear on ballots as standing for their parties. Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, admitted to three bets, one winning him £2,100, but said: ‘I have never, on any occasion, broken any Gambling Commission rules.’ In six days to 24 June, 588 migrants arrived in small boats.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies said that the next government could ‘raise taxes by more than they have told us in their manifesto. Or implement cuts to some areas of spending. Or borrow more and be content for debt to rise for longer. What will they choose? The manifestos have left us guessing.’ Lenders such as NatWest, Barclays and HSBC reduced their mortgage rates. Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, said that ‘the ever eastward expansion’ of Nato and the EU provided President Vladimir Putin with a reason to give the Russian people for invading Ukraine. J K Rowling, commenting on transgender policies, wrote: ‘Labour remains dismissive and often offensive towards women fighting to retain the rights their foremothers thought were won for all time.’ Manchester airport was hit by cancellations after a big power cut. England fans expressed disappointment with their team’s performance in the Euros.

Most popular

Terry Barnes

Many Australians are revolted by Julian Assange’s return

Julian Assange, whose WikiLeaks organisation released thousands of secret documents, flew to a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory, after making a plea of guilty to one count of espionage on the US indictment against him, for a sentence of ‘time served’ – the five years he has spent in a British jail. He was then freed to go to his native Australia. Emperor Naruhito of Japan made a state visit to Britain with Empress Masako, who wore a mask in the open carriage with the Queen because of an allergy to horses. The Princess Royal spent a few days in hospital with concussion after being hit on the head by a horse. Junior doctors went on strike.

Abroad

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that 63,000 men in full-time religious study must not be exempted from military service. Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s Prime Minister, said he expected the ground operation in the Gazan city of Rafah to be completed soon. The United States told Lebanon that Hezbollah was wrong to think that America could stop Israel from invading if the militia continued its attacks.

Ukraine said it had destroyed a facility on the Sea of Azov storing Iranian-made drones. In a separate incident debris from a Ukrainian missile was blamed for killing four on a beach in Crimea. Russia made its eighth attack on the Ukrainian power network in three months. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s former defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Ukraine. Gunmen killed 20 in attacks on two churches and two synagogues in Derbent and Makhachkala in the Russian republic of Dagestan. An estimated 1,300 pilgrims died on the Hajj during temperatures in the forties at Mecca. Zermatt in Switzerland was cut off by floodwaters that tore through the town.

The Conservatives narrowly took Toronto-St Paul’s from the Liberals in a by-election, an upset for Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. Louisiana passed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom that receives state funding. Lithium batteries exploded in the Aricell factory at Hwaseong city, South Korea, starting a fire that killed 23 people. China’s lunar probe returned to Earth with the first ever samples from the far side of the moon. CSH