#WeStandTogether: Defiance following the Westminster terror attack

The British Parliament is returning to business today following yesterday's terrorist attack, at the heart of our democracy in London.

Addressing the House of Commons, Prime Minister Theresa May gave a message of defiance, saying the country was "not afraid"in the face of terrorism.

Overnight six raids were carried out in London and Birmingham, resulting in eight people being arrested in connection with the Westminster investigation.

It has been confirmed that the car which was used to run down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was rented from a branch of Enterprise Car Rental on Stratford Road in Shirley, Solihull.

Solihull is a town in the West Midlands, which neighbours Birmingham.

In total 4 innocent people were killed yesterday, along with the attacker who was shot dead by police. It is thought that 40 people were injured, many of them with "catastrophic injuries".

Tributes have been paid to the police officer who was killed, when the attacker tried to enter the Parliament building. PC Palmer was not armed, but he still put himself in danger to protect the public, and in the end sadly paid the ultimate price.

PC Keith Palmer was a husband and father, he was 48 years-old and had been a serving officer for 15 years. Before becoming a police officer he had previously served in the armed forces.

PC Keith Palmer RIP

Prayers and a minutes silence were held outside Metropolitan Police HQ, Scotland Yard, this morning in PC Palmer's honour.

The Prime Minister also recognised his bravery, as did the Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn, and all of the other MP's speaking in Parliament.

The Defence Minister Michael Fallon has said that Westminster security will be reviewed following yesterday's attack.

Meanwhile Brendan Cox the husband of MP Jo Cox, who was stabbed and killed last year said now was not a time for further division in our society. Referring to a lot of the far-right rhetoric which has accompanied this incident, with many yet again blaming every single Muslim and practicer of Islam for the atrocity.

Cox said: "Yesterday's killer is no more representative of Muslims, than Jo's killer representative of Yorkshire people".

I have had many heated discussions with such people since yesterday afternoon, and all the far-right are doing is playing into the hands of the terrorists. The terrorists want our society to divide and they want hate to win.

I have been accused of excusing what the terrorist did yesterday, just because I chose to defend the vast majority of Muslims in this country, who are decent, sane citizens, and had no part in yesterday's horrible act of hatred.

I stand with the victims but I also stand with those who the far-right try to persecute. Hate, whether that be the act of violence yesterday, or the racist rhetoric which proceeded it, will never win.

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news and updates - @SamWiseSW

Pride in London theme for 2017 announced

Pride in London have announced that the theme of this years Pride parade will be "Love Happens Here".

Organisers say they want to emphasise "hope, acceptance, activism, and love" of the capitol while also drawing attention to ongoing struggles for LGBT rights, adding there is "still work to do".

It's different to what some Pride events in the United States are doing this year, with many going with a protest theme, aimed at the continuing resistance against the Trump Administration.

Homosexuality was only decriminalised in the UK 50 years ago but struggles continue. For example same-sex couples in Northern Ireland still don't have the same rights as the rest of the UK.

Pride in London said via their website:

Organisers predict this years parade on July 8th could be the largest ever and are calling on the LGBT community to send in person stories, using the hash tag #LoveHappensHere.

A spokesperson said: "We're asking each and every one of you to show the world that London is open, and that Love Happens Here".

Find out more about this years Pride in London - prideinlondon.org

UK Government won't make 'gay cure therapy' illegal

It seems the UK government won't be looking any further (or at all) into the possibility of making 'gay cure therapy' illegal.

A petition has been signed by 33,000 people asking for the process to made criminalised.

The creator of the petition, Mollie Mantle says "This therapy often includes electric shocks, counselors encouraging suicide, and damaging ideology linking LGBT identities to sexual abuse from family members in early years".

The UK government says British medical bodies already strike off anyone who practices 'gay cure' therapy, which they see as a sufficient deterrent.

Here is the full response from the Department for Health:

Of course though the government response does condemn the practice, it does not go as far as campaigners would like, in terms of making it a criminal act to offer such 'therapy'.

George Michael's boyfriend kept in the dark about the funeral

The boyfriend of the late George Michael appears to have been left in the dark, and blocked from the singer's funeral plans.

Fadi Fawaz says he knows nothing about it after reports that the family have excluded him from any discussions about it.

He told The Sun in response to a question about when the funeral would be held: "I can't give you an answer, everything is being kept quiet."

George Michael died on Christmas Day last year.

Earlier this week tests confirmed he died of natural causes. The coroner said his death was caused by dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.

The news of the actual cause of George Michael's death came after weeks of tabloid speculation, that drug use had been the cause. Which was nothing new for the tabloids, when the singer was alive they seemed to thrive off any gossip about the star. Especially if it gave them an opportunity to be homophobic.

On hearing the news of George Michael's cause of death Fawaz simply tweeted "F**K YOU", referring to the tabloid reports that had come in the wake of the former Wham! singers death.

He later posted a black and white picture of him and George during happier times.

Speaking further about George's death, Fawaz said "People can die at any age, people die at three years old, five years old, it's something we can't control can we".

He added: "This week was a relief for me, because at least I'm not doubted. And that's incredibly important for me because can you imagine how it feels that people would doubt my love for him? It's horrible".

George Michael's cousin Andros Georgiou has gone as far as to say Fadi Fawaz is banned from attending the funeral, saying: "He is not welcome, the family hate him. Heaven help him if he turned up".

Georgiou has also claimed Fawaz wasn't really George Michael's boyfriend.

The coroner has said there will be no inquest or any further enquiries into George Michael's death, and that the family have requested the media and public to respect their privacy at this time.

BAFTA 2017: The Results

The British Academy Film Awards 2017 have taken place in London tonight with 'La La Land' among the big winners of the night.

Here are the results:

Rising Star Award: Tom Holland

Best British Film: 'I, Daniel Blake'

Best Film: 'La La Land'

Best Actress (in a leading role): Emma Stone for 'La La Land'

Best Actress (in a supporting role): Viola Davis for 'Fences'

Best Actor (in a leading role): Casey Affleck for 'Manchester by the Sea'

Best Actor (in a supporting role): Dev Patel for 'Lion'

Best Foreign Language Film: 'Son of Saul'

Best Director: Damien Chazelle for 'La La Land'

Best Special Visual Effects: 'The Jungle Book'

Best Sound: Arrival

Best Makeup: 'Florence Foster Jenkins'

Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan for 'Manchester by the Sea'

Best Documentary: '13th'

Best Adapted Screenplay: Luke Davies for 'Lion'

Best Editing: John Gilbert for 'Hacksaw Ridge'

Best Film Music: Justin Hurwitz for 'La La Land'

Best Costume Design: Madeleine Fontaine for 'Jackie'

Best Cinematography: Linus Sandgren for 'La La Land'

Best Production Design: Anna Pinnock and Stuart Craig for 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'

Academy Fellowship Award: Mel Brooks

Thousands across the UK protest Trump's travel ban

Tonight I attended an anti-Donald Trump protest in Birmingham City Centre, after the US President hit a new low over the weekend, putting into place a travel ban.

You can get a real sense of the scale of the protest by checking out my Periscope video which I did whilst I was at the demonstration - HERE

Hundreds attended the Birmingham protest, with thousands of others attending protests across the UK, including in Scotland, Wales, London, Manchester, Bristol, Oxford and many other locations.

After just over a week in office Trump barred citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In response a petition was started calling on the UK to cancel Donald Trump's state visit set for late this year, the petition has got 1.5 million signatures in just a couple of days.

But the British Prime Minister Theresa May has refused to back down over the issue, saying the invitation for Trump's visit still stands, leading many to label her "Theresa the appeaser".

Earlier in the day May had said she was "very happy" to extend the invitation to Trump on behalf of the Queen.

As a British citizen I am disgusted that our Prime Minister would display such weakness, putting worries over trade deals ahead of standing up for our values. May is ignoring the outrage of the British public and coming across as nothing more than a weak leader, valuing Trump more than the British citizens who she should be serving.

Following the huge response to the petition, which is now the 2nd most signed petition on the Parliament website, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was called to the House of Commons.

Johnson delivered a statement to the Commons in which he seemed to say it was okay because it would make no difference to any British passport holder, going on to say that the ban was temporary. Yes he called it "divisive" on Sunday, but his words are cheap, what we need is actual action.

The tactic seemed to be to play down the significance of the executive order, in an attempt to cover up the cowardice of the British government over the entire situation.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper blasted him, saying his statement was "not good enough", adding "for the sake of history have the guts to speak out".

Meanwhile Green MP Caroline Lucas also weighed in, after Johnson claimed Theresa May was the first world leader to condemn the travel ban, a claim Lucas called "fake news", as May took two days to come out and condemn the ban, and even then her statement was extremely weak.

The Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron attended a protest outside Downing Street commenting "tonight we are all united in saying that the red carpet should not be rolled out for Donald Trump on a State Visit to Britain. It would be utterly wrong to do so just days after his closing of US boarders to refugees and speaking out in favour of torture".

I went to the protest in Birmingham as I am sick the pathetic attempts at condemnation on the part of my government, I want the sane people of the United States to see that we stand in solidarity with them. On the whole the British people do not agree with Trump, our special relationship is with the American people, not the Trump administration.

The former US President, Barack Obama also hit out today, saying he "fundamentally disagrees" with discrimination.

I just hope the pressure is kept on Donald Trump and the worldwide voice of condemnation is heard loud and clear, and is heard even though some of us may be thousands of miles away from the White House.

George Michael dies at the age of 53

In another 2016 shocker, music legend George Michael has died at the age of 53, his publicist has confirmed.

In a statement his publicist said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period".

The stars family have asked that their privacy be respected at this time and no further comment is expected to be made at this stage.

Thomas Valley Police said South Central Ambulance Service attended a property in Goring in Oxfordshire at just before 2pm this afternoon, and have confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances, though the cause of his death remains unexplained.

George Michael launched his career in the 1980's as a member of Wham! who had many hits including Christmas favourite 'Last Christmas', which has become an essential festive pop track enjoyed year after year.

Wham! also had huge hits with the likes of "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" and "Freedom"

As a solo artist George Michael was considered to be a legend of the music industry, he was a gay icon and came out publicly as gay in 1998.

The announcement of his death has come as a huge shock with celebrities and fans taking to social media to express their shock and sadness.

George Michael sold over 100 million albums and 'Freedom' is one of my personal favourite songs...

Tributes have been pouring in since the news broke just after 11pm (UK time), Elton John said: "I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family, friends and all of his fans."

Ellen DeGeneres joined the tributes on Twitter, posting: "I just heard about my friend George Michael's death. He was such a brilliant talent. I'm so sad."

It comes during a year which has seen the death of many high profile figures such as Prince, David Bowie and Mohammad Ali.

Here are a couple more tributes to the late star...

I'm sure more information around the stars death will emerge in the coming days, for now we will just reflect on an incredible career, a music industry icon and a gay icon.

Carrie Fisher stable in Intensive Care following heart attack

UPDATE 27/12/2016 6PM (GMT) - Carrie Fisher has died at the age of 60. Statement from her family says she died at 8:55am this morning.

UPDATE 25/12/2016 8PM (GMT) - Carrie Fisher's mother Debbie Reynolds tweeted to thank fans and friends for all the support they have shown Fisher since Friday, adding that Fisher was in a stable condition and would give further updates when more was known:

Many have said they feel better with this latest update but I would air on the side of caution, Fisher's brother Todd said she was stable on Friday after initially going into hospital, so it could be said that we don't know anything more. Hopefully this is good news and more positive updates will start to emerge in the coming days. 

Original article:

Carrie Fisher is "stable" in hospital according to her brother Todd Fisher following a heart attack on board a flight from London to Los Angeles.

When the news started coming in last night my heart sank, at the thought of such a beloved icon being taken from us, "2016 strikes again" I thought to myself!

The 60 year-old was given CPR by passengers, after Fisher went into cardiac arrest just 15 minutes before the flight arrived at LAX.

The pilot on board the flight radioed the tower to say they had an "unresponsive" passenger on board.

Fisher played Princess Leia in the the three original Star Wars films and recently reprised her role last year in 'The Force Awakens'. Her daughter Billie Lourd and dog Gary were seen at the Hospital shortly after Fisher arrived.

Carrie had been in the UK promoting her new book and appeared on the Graham Norton Show recently, she'd also been in the UK filming for a new Channel 4 sitcom.

As of 9am GMT there have been no further updates on her condition but there has been an outpouring of support from fans on Twitter, including her Star Wars co-stars Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, and Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca...

You know as if this year could get any worse, Princess Leia was nearly taken from us. 

How iconic she is to Star Wars was shown by the number of messages I got from people telling me of the news, anyone who loves Star Wars as much as I do has great love and admiration for Carrie Fisher.

Lets hope she makes a speedy recovery!

YouTuber claims he was kicked off a Delta Flight for speaking Arabic

(Update: December 22nd 00:49am GMT - Since this posting Delta has since said that upon investigation they believe Adam Saleh and his friend were in fact shouting and being disruptive on the flight, according to "multiple passenger statements", which were collected when the flight arrived at its destination. Mr Saleh is yet to comment on this claim from Delta, and did tweet to say he had further video which showed what happened before they were escorted off the aircraft)

Delta Airlines have come under fire today, after a man posted a video on social media, claiming he was removed from a Delta flight for speaking one word of Arabic.

In the video posted at 11:20am (GMT), the man, Adam Saleh, begins filming as a flight attendant, and what appear to be airport ground staff begin to start escorting him off the flight.

It appears he is travelling with his friend from London to New York City.

Saleh has got over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube and over 260,000 followers on Twitter.

The video shows other passengers on the plane, waving and saying bye as the pair are escorted to the exit of the aircraft, Saleh responds to them by calling them racists and repeating that he was being kicked off for speaking a word in a different language...

A fellow passenger who overhears what has been happening proceeds to rise from his seat and question the flight staff, saying it made him feel sad that the pair were being kicked off the flight for the reasons being claimed by Saleh.

Hours later Delta airlines began to respond on Twitter, as concerned frequent flyers of the airline, and people who had been disturbed by what was being claimed during the video, began to ask questions around why this had happened.

Delta says they take allegations of discrimination very seriously and would be "conducting a full review to understand what happened".

The airline also say they booked Adam Saleh and his friend on another flight, however according to Saleh on Twitter at 2:02pm (GMT) he had booked himself on a flight to New York with a different airline, after having to be checked by security for a second time.

Here's more of a sense of what Delta have been saying via Twitter today:

Delta has been essentially copying and pasting the same response to everyone who enquiries about it, and they won't answer any questions when they receive replies wanting further information.

The claims have caused an absolute storm on Twitter, with the initial video getting over 100,000 views since it was posted. Some have started posting parts of the Delta terms of conditions, one section of which states they don't refuse travel on the basis of "Race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry".

Many have also cited the fact that in November, a supporter of Donald Trump started being offensive towards women on a flight calling them "Hillary bitches" and being generally offensive, yet Delta did absolutely nothing in this instance.

In terms of Delta's response to Saleh's claims, it hasn't exactly been swift, making only extremely vague statements about passengers "expressing discomfort" as the reason behind the two men being removed from the plane, which could mean absolutely anything.

If that discomfort was based solely on the fact these men spoke a few words in a foreign language, some serious questions need answering, because that is nothing more than blatant discrimination.

Delta need to act swiftly because with the power of social media, this could be massively damaging to the companies reputation, the hash tag #BoycottDelta has already started doing the rounds on social media and as the news spreads, I think it will only continue to gain speed.

Families of Stephen Port's victims to launch legal action against Met Police

The families of the four men murdered by serial killer Stephen Port are preparing to take legal action against the Metropolitan Police, who are accused of making repeated failures in its investigations.

Port, was sentenced to life in prison last month after being found guilty of murdering Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor, who he had met on the gay dating app Grindr.

The 41 year-old lured the men to his house, before drugging them with GHB (also known as liquid ecstasy) and sexually assaulting them, between June 2014 and September 2015.

Timeline of events...

Port was charged with perverting the course of justice for filing a false report after the first death in June 2014, when he told police he found Anthony Walgate's body lying unconscious in the street, when in fact it was uncovered he had hired him via a gay escort service.

But despite Port being known to police, officers did not make any connection to the deaths of Gabriel Kovari and Daniel Whitworth, who were killed within DAYS of each other in August 2014.

No murder investigation took place, with police treating the two deaths as "unexplained" but no suspicious.

Over the course of months, Mr Kovari's former roommate John Pape, raised concerns over a possible link between the deaths, but the Met said they were not treating the deaths as suspicious, dismissing Pape's concerns.

In March 2015 Port was jailed on the perverting the course of justice charge associated with the first murder, but after being released killed his fourth victim, Jack Taylor in September 2015.

The Met Police finally took action and launched a murder investigation, arresting Port on suspicion of murder in October 2015, the Met then referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Families level criticism at police failures...

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC Jack Taylor's sisters Donna and Jenny felt it was obvious that Stephen Port had taken Jack's life, but felt "the police didn't do their jobs, with any of the families", adding "As far as we're concerned, they have played a massive part in Jack's death because if they had done their jobs properly, Jack would still be here".

Anthony Walgate's Mum Sarah Sak said she couldn't help but think that the case would have been treated differently if the victims had been female.

You can hear what the families had to say on Victoria Live - Here

To me the families deserve nothing more than an inquiry and detailed answers, as to why the Met Police failed in such a profound way, despite the glaring connections staring them in the face and constant calls of family and friends to look deeper into the case, rather than boxing it off as not being suspicious in the first instance.

I think it also has to be looked at, as to if the sexuality of these men had anything to do with the shambles of an "investigation", lets hope that answers are uncovered, for the sake of the grieving friends and family of these young men, whose lives were cut tragically, and needlessly short.

The IPCC investigation is ongoing.

Lib Dems fined over Election spending

The Liberal Democrats have been hit with a £20,000 fine from the Electoral Commission for failing to declare all their spending during the general election campaign last year.

A total of 307 payments amounting to £184,676 were found to be missing from the party's spending return.

The commission has now referred the matter to the police to see if any criminal offences have been committed, the Lib Dems however have said human errors and failures of process were to blame.

The Metropolitan Police have been notified that the campaigns officer, Tim Gordon, may have committed a criminal offence IF he knowingly signed a false declaration on spending. BUT no charges have been brought and it appears there is no specific evidence at this stage to suggest Mr Gordon was reckless in any way.

Speaking to Adam Boulton on Sky News Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, accepted the decision of the commission, saying the party was "Working with the Electoral Commission processes and practices so that nothing like this happens again."

When asked if the party could afford the fine, Farron said "we have the money".

Meanwhile a Lib Dem spokesperson said the mistakes had been caused by issues with a small number of local accounting units.

Bob Posner, director of political finance at the Electoral Commission said "this is an experienced party that failed to meet the basic requirements of the law, and cases like this undermine voters' confidence in our political finance system".

Posner said this was the reason why the commission had decided to heap the highest possible fine on the party, however the commission has also called for an increase to the maximum penalty to further deter political parties from bad practice.

As a member of the Lib Dems paying a monthly direct debit to the party, this news has really disappointed me. I'm sure the party haven't purposely done anything wrong, so I am giving those in charge the benefit of the doubt, so hopefully upon further investigation it will be found that no criminal wrong doing has been committed.

But lets hope this acts as a wake up call and the party gets its act together going forward.

Furthermore it should be noted that other party's are hardly perfect when it comes to this, in October, Labour was fined £20,000 for failing to declare all of its general election expenses, which included a 8ft stone tablet (awful idea), that had Ed Miliband's key pledges carved on it.

Liberal Democrats WIN Richmond Park

Sarah Olney, who only joined the Liberal Democrats in 2015

The Liberal Democrats have pulled off a stunning victory in the Richmond Park by-election, defeating Zac Goldsmith, who resigned as a Conservative MP over the government's decision on a third runway for Heathrow Airport, triggering the by-election.

Goldsmith ran as an Independent candidate, and at the 2015 general election won the Richmond constituency by a 23,000 vote majority. The Conservatives, along with UKIP and the Greens didn't field a candidate.

So, Sarah Olney is Richmond Park's new Member of Parliament, after campaigning on Heathrow but also on Brexit, using to her advantage the fact that around 70% of people in Richmond voted to remain in the European Union, whereas Goldsmith was a leave campaigner.

Olney got 20,510 votes, beating Zac Goldsmith with a majority of 1,874 with the former Conservative MP getting 18,683 votes.

Things began looking good for the Lib Dems just before 1am on Friday morning, as the ballot papers began to be counted and many on the ground started to realise how close it was between Olney and Goldsmith, just from looking at the ballots stacked on the tables.

Shortly after 1am, Lib Dem opposition leader on Richmond Council Gareth Roberts said he was "cautiously optimistic", meanwhile Labour supporters on the ground started to say they believed Olney had won by around 2,000-4,000 votes over Zac Goldsmith.

As 2am began to approach, Sky News decided to call the by-election for Olney, saying it was clear she had won.

Over the past few weeks the Lib Dems have thrown everything at this by-election, with hundreds of supporters canvassing Richmond, and key party figures joining the effort, including leader Tim Farron and former leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Sarah Olney becomes the Lib Dems ninth MP in Parliament, following the parties disastrous general election last year, in which they lost most of their seats, Olney will also be the only female Lib Dem Member of Parliament.

Richmond Park By-election facts:
Turn out of voters: 53.6%, down from 76.5% at the general election in 2015.
Labour achieved just 1,515 votes loosing their deposit.

Leadership. Commitment. Impact: the continuing fight

December 1, World AIDS Day, the day millions of people around the world come together in solidarity, to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS and to remember those who have died as a result.

After over 30 years fighting the virus, an estimated 90,000 people live with HIV in the UK, with 6,000 new cases diagnosed every year, and it appears that even after three decades of campaigning and raising awareness, many key myths about HIV are still widely believed.

A study by YouGov shows that almost a third of people in Britain think you can catch HIV by sharing a toothbrush with someone who is infected. The study also suggested that one in 10 people believe the virus can be transmitted through sharing scissors at the hairdressers.

In response to the findings, leading sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust said they show the "inaccurate myths", that remain believed by some.

Chief executive of the charity Ian Green said: "we've come a long way since the AIDS crisis first emerged, when the nation was gripped by panic and fear", adding "It's not over. While science has moved on, we can see today that inaccurate myths from the 1980s are still deeply entrenched in society".

The charity say that these myths create a stigma towards those who are positive.

I recently watched a film on Netflix called 'Holding the Man', which is based on a true story and addresses the AIDS crisis in the 1980's, capturing the horror as gay men died in huge numbers, and governments failed to act, even after years of countless deaths, the youth of an entire community were left to die.

Speaking recently English comedian and activist, Stephen Fry, illustrated this horrific time in the history of the gay community saying "we saw our friends, lovers and families die", adding "a generation of friends were lost and bright, beautiful lights were snuffed out before their time. As a community, we are still recovering from that awful time".

Just by reading those words from Fry, I actually tear up at the thought, and I am so greatful I did not have to suffer such loss.

'Holding the Man' is set in Australia and focusses primarily on a gay couple, together since their school days, and how they both contract the virus. It's an absolutely heartbreaking watch but shows how far things have come in terms of treatment, and attitudes towards the virus.

Recently NHS England lost a legal battle to fund the HIV preventative treatment PrEP, with the High Court ruling that they should fund PrEP, after the NHS said they would not fund it (Click Here for more information).

This years theme for World AIDS Day is 'Leadership. Commitment. Impact', highlighting the need for further action and commitment to fighting the virus around the world.

I believe today is a time for remembrance as well as a time for recognition of the fight which still lies ahead, to bust the myths, and hopefully one day eradicate the virus from the face of the planet.

Decision Time: Richmond Park

Tomorrow the people of Richmond Park, in south west London, have a decision to make as they go to the polls to vote for who they want as their next MP.

The by election was triggered, after Zac Goldsmith, who represented Richmond Park as a Conservative MP resigned his seat, after the government's decision to back a third runway at Heathrow Airport, which would have a significant impact on Richmond, as the constituency is located under one of Heathrow's main flight paths.

At the General Election in May 2015, Goldsmith won the seat with a sizeable majority of 23,000 votes, and on Thursday he will be running as an Independent candidate. Goldsmith has said he wants the by election to act as a referendum on Heathrow in order to send a message to the government.

The Liberal Democrats got 11,389 votes in 2015, but with their candidate Sarah Olney, the party, led by Tim Farron, are hoping to get another MP returned to Parliament, which would bring the number of Lib Dem MP's to nine.

The Lib Dems suffered a loss of 49 seats at the general election last year, which meant they were demoted to the fourth largest party in Parliament behind the SNP.

At the EU Referendum in June the borough of Richmond voted heavily to remain in the European Union, with 69% voting to remain, compared to 31% of voters who voted to leave. Liberal Democrats believe this gives them a distinct advantage over Goldsmith, in that they can oppose Heathrow, but also be the party who oppose Brexit, whereas Goldsmith campaigned to leave the EU.

Since the referendum result Lib Dem Leader Tim Farron has said many times, he wants his party to be the one standing up for the 48% of the country who voted remain. They're also the only party calling for a 2nd referendum on the terms of Brexit, arguing the country voted leave based on a number of lies peddled by the leave campaign. Both Olney and the Labour candidate Christian Wolmar have said they would vote against Brexit in Parliament if they were to be elected.

Campaigning in Richmond Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commented on opposing Brexit in Parliament saying "I want to leave in a way that is least damaging to future generations".

The basic principle of this pledge, is that yes, the majority of people who voted, voted to leave the EU, but what is being argued is that people didn't realise the implications that such a result would truly have on the country. I have certainly spoken to a number of people who voted leave who say they're are regretting their decision. I truly think if the referendum was held again tomorrow, the remain campaign would win by a sizeable margin.

This is where I believe Goldsmith's down fall will be in winning over Richmond Park, yes he's against Heathrow, but this by-election is about a lot more than that.

The Conservatives have decided not to stand another candidate, meanwhile there were initial calls for Labour to stand aside to give the Liberal Democrats more of a chance at defeating Zac Goldsmith, calls which were dismissed by the party.

Meanwhile Green Party MP and co-leader Caroline Lucas has endorsed Sarah Olney rather than standing a candidate, much to the displeasure of some Green Party members.

The Lib Dems have thrown everything at the campaign effort in Richmond, with countless supporters canvassing the streets and the likes of Nick Clegg, Tim Farron and former Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable campaigning.

The vote is tomorrow. The result is expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

Full list of candidates:
Independent - Zac Goldsmith
Monster Raving Loony - Howling Laud Hope
One Love - Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir
Liberal Democrat - Sarah Olney
No label - David Powell
Christian Peoples - Dominic Francis Stockford
Independent - Fiona Syms
Labour - Christian Wolmar

New UKIP Leader elected

The UK Independence Party finally has a new leader, after its second leadership election of 2016. Earlier this year Diane James, was supposedly elected, until it was found that she hadn't submitted her documentation correctly, submitted her resignation and Nigel Farage was made interim leader until a second leadership contest could be held held.

This morning the result of that contest was announced and Paul Nuttall is now the new leader of UKIP, elected with two thirds of the vote from party members.

As the news was announced the key question that came to my mind was "is Nuttall on par or worse than Nigel Farage?", it's UKIP after all so the thought that he might not be as bad never crossed my mind. I'm sure UKIP will offer us the same divisive rhetoric blaming foreigners for everything, that we have become used to.

For starters Nuttall has in the past made some pretty disgusting comments. He once called for people who are HIV positive to be banned from entering the country, citing that 60 countries currently bar people who are HIV positive from entering.

Nuttall has also condemned plans for LGBT sex and relationship education in schools saying it would put the "innocence" of children at risk, adding that LGBT education would "confuse and worry these little children". He also once said that UKIP was the "natural home" for Catholic voters, angry over same-sex marriage.

Perhaps strangely, despite his clear prejudicial views, Nuttall named Peter Whittle, an openly gay man, as his deputy, which is usually used by the pro-UKIP crowd to say it proves Nuttall couldn't possibly be homophobic - his record tells a different story.

As difficult as it is to say, this rhetoric of division, appears to be resonating with voters who feel the "establishment" doesn't represent them, so they vote for these extreme parties as a protest vote, this can be seen through Brexit and Donald Trump being elected US President.

It is a complete nonsense as Donald Trump is establishment to the core, he's a multi-billionaire who owns hotels and casinos for christ sake. Farage is no better. Last week he attended a party at the Ritz to celebrate Brexit, just weeks after standing in a gold plated lift in Trump Tower, boasting about how he and Donald had stuck it to the establishment. More like lied and conned the public into doing something in their interest, rather than something to benefit the people of the countries they claim to care about.

But it does scare me that parties with these views can gain power, based on nothing more than hate and trying to divide the public. Luckily UKIP only has one MP, Douglas Carswell, who may be going back to the Conservatives anyway, so they're not exactly going to win a general election anytime soon, but in the political climate we're living in never say never.

This year undoubtably has been a good one for the far right, and that may continue into 2017, with right wing candidates in France doing well. The favourite to be the next French President Francois Fillon, has said he wants to ban gay couples from adopting, Fillon won the centre-right conservative primary last night.

But Fillon is by no means a dead certainty to win. Nothing is a certainty these days. The far right Front Nationale leader Marine Le Pen, who has even more extreme views such as putting a complete stop to immigration, could pull off a surprise win, following in the footsteps of Mr Trump.

Uncertain times! I just pray that the Liberal movement, of tolerance and respect for all will have a glimmer of hope and deliver the Liberal Democrats a new Member of Parliament, as Sarah Olney aims to become MP for Richmond Park. The by election is taking place there on Thursday.

Armistice Day: Prince Harry Leads Tributes

Armistice Day has been marked with a 2 minute silence across the UK. Prince Harry lead the commemorations to remember those service men and women killed in action, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The Prince joined hundreds of veterans and serving members of the armed forces for a military parade. Arboretum has been a national site of remembrance since 2001.

Elsewhere the first in line to the throne, the Prince of Wales will attend a service in Bahrain, where he'll lay a wreath and meet senior military representatives and UK veterans working in the Middle East.

It's an annual day of remembrance which marks the moment conflict stopped at the end of World War One, at 11am, on the 11th hour of the 11th month - November 11th 1918.

Why November 11?

• The Allies and Germany signed an armistice in France at 5am on November 11 1918, six hours later, the conflict stopped
• In 1919 King George V announced that a two-minute silence would be observed, the silence continues to be observed every year

The commemorations will continue on Sunday (Remembrance Sunday) with further ceremonies taking place across the country, including a gathering of senior political, Royal and military figures at the Cenotaph in London.

Controversy

This years Armistice has been met with controversy over footballers being allowed to wear poppy armbands during matches.

England face Scotland tonight in a World Cup Qualifier and FIFA have said this is forbidden due to their rules on "political statements".

Players have said they will go against the ban and wear the poppy armbands anyway, earlier this week at Prime Ministers Questions, Theresa May said the ban was "utterly outrageous".

The Football Associated of England and Scotland have said they will support the players and allow them to wear the armbands, despite it being considered a breach of the rules. The FA said they are willing to face punishment, though they have insisted it won't come to that.

So though it might make for a good headline, this "ban" isn't as extreme as it might seem, with punishment extremely unlikely.

Furthermore I would say that just as people should not be stopped from wearing poppies, neither should people be criticised or labelled selfish for not wearing one, it is a personal choice.

Last month journalists including The Mirror's Kevin Maguire were attacked on social media for not wearing a poppy for TV appearances, despite it not even being November, the time they're traditionally worn.

NHS England Lose PrEP Appeal

Judges have today told NHS England that they have the legal power to commission PrEP, a HIV prevention drug which many have labelled "a game changer", in terms of the fight against the condition.

Key facts:

• PrEP is short for pre-exposure prophylaxis.
• It involves people who are HIV negative but at high risk of infection taking the nti-retoviral drug Truvada.
• Truvada has been shown to reduce the risk of infection among at risk people by 90%.
• It takes one week of taking the pill to build up maximum protection and costs £400 a month per person.
• Each year 4,000 people in the United Kingdom get HIV.

The Supreme Court decision means the NHS are ordered to cover the costs of providing PrEP to thousands of people who are at risk of contracting HIV because their partners have the virus.

The Government had appealed against an earlier High Court decision to force the NHS to fund the treatment for 10,000 people.

Controversially the NHS have claimed that funding PrEP would mean not being able to pay for nine other treatments, including a drug for Cystic Fibrosis and hearing implants for deaf people.

The Chief Executive of the National Aids Trust, Deborah Gold has said she is delighted to have been "vindicated by the court second time", adding that "PrEP works, it saves money, and most importantly it has the power to prevent HIV acquisition for thousands of people."

Campaigners took to social media to welcome today's decision, including Greg Owen, the Co-Founder of iwantprepnow.co.uk

Others used the moment to say they felt (like many campaigners) do that the initial stance by NHS England was homophobic.

 

One of the main focusses by campaigners has also been to point out the cost savings that the drug will bring, as mentioned it has been proven to reduce infection by 90%, which campaigners say will save the NHS money.

Health Campaigners have advised people to be cautious about PrEP, saying that the drug, whilst it is a major breakthrough should not take precedent over safe sex measures, such as using condoms.

Tunisia Attack: Remember The Victims But Don't Forget The Past

At 12 noon today the United Kingdom fell silently as we remembered the victims of last Friday's terrorist attack in Tunisia, as innocent sunbathers (many of them British) were shot dead as they tried to enjoy a perfect summers day. ISIS are believed to be behind the atrocity which has once again sparked a debate about whether we should do more militarily to fight back.

The same offensive rhetoric has been replayed on a daily basis for the past seven days, many right wingers utilising this incident to promote their racist view points. I think it is clear that this act of terror was not on behalf of the entire Muslim community, but many try to label that as being the case. ISIS have a warped ideology and represent a tiny minority of Muslim people, it angers me when I hear the branding an entire community based on the actions of a minority.

Furthermore the conversations towards the end of the week has been focused more and more on military action, with the prospect of the government going to the House of Commons to get a mandate to extend airstrikes to Syria. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said yesterday that it was "illogical" that the UK had joined airstrikes in Iraq, but not joined the likes of the United States and Arab nations with airstrikes in Syria.

As the day came to a close yesterday, unsurprisingly the events which occurred in Tunisia and the rhetoric surrounding airstrikes was top of the agenda on BBC Question Time. One member of the audience really caught my attention, his viewpoint in a nut shell was the following:

"We need to bomb because we need to do something"

To me as a Liberal and as someone with common sense, it seems utterly idiotic and nothing more than a knee jerk reaction to a terrible tragedy. I can understand the gentleman's anger but this suggestion just appears to be completely pointless. If we spend millions of pounds worth of tax payers money and blow up a convoy of ISIS trucks for example, will that make us any safer here in Britain? Of course it won't. Will that make Britons visiting other seaside destinations overseas any safer? Of course it won't. It is simply pointless.

Then there is the matter of Britain's past interventions in the Middle East. Have people forgotten about Iraq? A campaign which was meant to last months, extended to last over a decade. Is that really what we want all over again, boots on the ground and more innocent lives lost. And when we look back at the Iraq invasion of 2003, even without mentioning the fact that it was illegal, what exactly has been achieved by that intervention, have we stopped terrorism? All that's happened is the further loss of innocent lives.

I am thankful that the hunger to commit to airstrikes and put boots on the ground is mostly non-existent, among sensible thinking people in this country, but there still exists this idea, mostly on the right side of the political spectrum, that we need to take military action because we simply just "need to do something" in retaliation for what happened in Tunisia. This view pays no attention to what has come before, which I find completely ill-informed and dangerous.

Russell Brand this week said the minute of silence to remember the victims of the Tunisia attack was "bullshit". For all I understand where Brand was coming from, I think his rant was out of place. Making a political point out of a minutes silence. The silence was for the victims, it shouldn't be hijacked as a political football. Lets remember the victims, but of course we must also remember the past, otherwise we are just stuck in a cycle when it comes to the Middle East. Attack, followed by years of intervention, followed by another attack, followed by more intervention, it's a cycle that will never stop.

Will we ever defeat ISIS and other radical/warped ideology? Probably not in fairness. There will always be those out there who just want to hurt and kill, that's always been the case and I fear it always will. The best way I believe to fight it is to fight it with education, fight against the ideology, if we can convince just a handful of people to get educated and prevent them from being radicalised, we have done more than any amount of bombing could ever achieve.

-Sam