Operation Fearless has flooded Handsworth with racist policing, stop-and-search and immigration enforcement, tactics which since the 1980s have only served to deepen inequality in our community. Police brutality has already been officially reported since the Operation began. Hotspot policing is a tried, tested, and failed tactic that those living in Handsworth for decades are all too familiar with: In the 2000s, when stop-and-search was expanded in Handsworth, did that stop the decline of our communities? Did increased police powers in 2022 stop the selling off of our community centres? The closing of our A&E units? The selling off of our council homes? Or are things worse than ever as a result of decades of cut services and criminalisation of those at the receiving end of those cuts? Crimes of desperation are symptoms of deprivation. If you treat these symptoms as criminal offences, rather than addressing the root cause, it just traps vulnerable communities in cycles of fines, criminal records, and marginalisation, blocking access to housing and employment. As we heard on 23rd May, at the Stop Operation Fearless protest, the Handsworth community is already aware of all this. It’s no surprise that countless homeless people have been harassed by the police as a result of Operation Fearless. No surprise that asylum seekers and migrant workers have reported that they are scared to walk the streets due to the immigration raids of the Operation. And no surprise that residents report the parks empty, and report disgust at the brutality they’ve witnessed from the police. The one thing Operation Fearless does, however, is provide councillors and MPs with neatly packaged short-term statistics for their reports while turning a blind eye to the long-term deepening of poverty caused by Operation Fearless, which cost nearly £1 million. This is money that could have gone to any of the underfunded medical centres in the area, such as Orsborn House, an already ragged safety net for mental health, without which the slope into homelessness becomes a pipeline. You cannot police away poverty. Black and Asian people are the first to be targeted by stop-and-search, while the most vulnerable amongst us such as asylum seekers and migrant workers bear the brunt of the violence of immigration enforcement, largely unseen and unheard. Yet, Labour boasts about their record levels of deportations since being in power, over 60,000. All the while, the drivers of poverty are left untouched, and in fact are deepened by criminalisation. We have to counter the lie that more police equals safer streets. The police are institutionally racist and sexist, as evidenced by the multiple counts of sexual abuse of women by West Midlands Police officers, reports spanning decades on the police's treatment of trans people, and the violent brutality shown by police when defending racist groups like Britain First. From Paddy Hill, to Satpal Ram, to Kingsley Burrell, to Marcus Meade, it is clear that 'safety' is the last thing that comes from 'more bobbies on the beat. The police's role is to protect private property and the needs of capital, and in times of crisis it becomes necessary for them to ramp up their violence against working class people to maintain the capitalist status quo. Handsworth has long suffered poverty caused by underinvestment, insecure housing, collapsing public services, the hostile environment and unemployment, which all come together to create conditions in which people can be exploited into the worst paid jobs. When migrant labour is not needed by the economy, they are violently expelled. When the consequences of these conditions show up in our neighbourhoods, those responsible, the British state, send police instead of resources, showing what they think of us. So let’s loudly let the West Midlands Police, Your Party director Ayoub Khan MP, and Labour, Green & Independent councillors Shuranjeet Singh, Ed Freshwater and Rinkal Shergill who support Operation Fearless know what we think, just like we did on 23rd May! Sign as an individual or get in touch to lend your organisational support below. STOP OPERATION FEARLESS NOW! Organisation Signatures as of 25.06.26 Regularise Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! Birmingham Life of a People Project Indian Workers' Association (GB) Birmingham Queers For Palestine India Labour Solidarity Young Struggle Birmingham Kashmir Diaspora UK

Keir Starmer has just resigned. This means a Labour Party leadership election will begin on 9 July, and by September the UK will have a new Prime Minister. That’s if anyone stands against Andy Burnham. When they walk into No.10 on day one, we want a message from our movement waiting on their desk— signed by as many of us as possible— making it impossible to ignore the change this country needs. Will you add your name?

Too often, fans who are under a certain height are left straining to see the stage, as they’re blocked by taller people in front of them. Despite paying for tickets that cost upwards of £60, shorter individuals (like myself!) are left feeling excluded from the full experience. This is not only frustrating, but it limits our ability to enjoy the music, the performance, and the overall atmosphere of the event. We believe that concert-goers who are 5'4" or shorter should be given the option to sit or stand in a designated section where their view is unobstructed, ensuring that we can all have an equal opportunity to enjoy the show. As someone who’s on the shorter side, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone to concerts and found myself standing behind a 6-foot-plus person, straining to catch a glimpse of the stage. It’s incredibly frustrating to pay top dollar for a ticket, only to be left squinting at the back of someone’s head for the entire show. It’s not just about the view—concerts are about experiencing the music and the energy of the crowd. But when you can’t see past someone’s shoulders, it completely kills the vibe. I’m not asking for special treatment, but why not create a space where shorter people can actually enjoy the show too? I know I'm not the only one who’s felt this way. If you’re shorter and have had the same issue, share your story and let’s work together to make sure concerts are a better experience for everyone—no one should have to sacrifice their view just because they’re not tall enough.

Those who are care experienced have often had multiple adverse childhood experiences (known as ACE’s). Typically, the higher the number of ACEs, the greater the incident of negative outcomes which can include: poor outcomes in education, early involvement with the criminal justice system and homelessness as well as many others. Shocking studies have shown that children in care are much more at risk of interacting with crime by the age of 24 than their peers. National figures indicate that over half (52%) of care experienced children had been convicted of a criminal offence by the time they had turned 24 compared with only 13% of those who had not been in care. Only 15% of pupils who had been looked after for 12 months or more in 2019 had progressed to higher education by age of 19.  However the progression rate for all other pupils is more than three times higher at 47%. Additionally, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ending homelessness reported that ‘one third of all care leavers became homeless in the first two years immediately after they left care and 25% of homeless people had been in care at some point in their lives. By making care experienced a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, it would ensure care experienced children could not be discriminated against and help businesses, employers and public services to put in place better support systems.

It allows everyone to see different genres of films and enjoy a day/night out. Including people with additional needs.

New data from the High Pay Centre shows that the median FTSE 100 CEO now earns £4.58 million a year – 122 times more than the typical UK worker, with some, like Tesco’s CEO, paid 431 times more than their median employee. Pay at the top has reached record levels for the third year running, while most employees see little growth in their wages. This extreme pay gap is unfair, widely unpopular, and damaging to our economy and society.  This proposal builds on our earlier pay ratios research and offers a simple, evidence-based step to tackle extreme inequality and promote a fairer economy. The pay gap between CEOs and their employees has spiralled out of control. In 2023/24, 18% of FTSE 350 companies reported a CEO-to-median employee pay ratio of over 100:1, while 5% reported ratios over 200:1. Incredibly, some CEOs earned more than 600 times their workers. But polling by the High Pay Centre and Survation shows that 63% of people believe CEOs should not earn more than 10 times their low- and mid-level employees. This reveals a stark gap between public expectations and reality. CEO-to-worker pay ratios are published, but this has not reduced the gaps. High Pay Centre analysis shows pay ratios have remained largely unchanged over five years. Research shows that the UK has some of the worst levels of income inequality in Europe, and that vast pay gaps damage morale, reduce trust, and lower workplace satisfaction. At a time when millions face rising costs and stagnant wages, this level of inequality is not just unfair — it’s socially and economically damaging. A 10:1 ratio would incentivise higher wages at the bottom, rein in excessive rewards at the top, and help rebuild a sense of fairness.

Millions of us still use cash – and we should all have the right to. But more and more places are going card-only, leaving people locked out.  Cash is a lifeline, especially for the most marginalised of us: older people, refugees, the homeless, and those escaping abuse. We didn’t choose to go cashless – big banks and card companies are pushing it. But our money system should work for people, not just for profit. The Government has already protected access to cash but now it’s time to protect our ability to use it. We need the Government to mandate cash acceptance right across the country so no matter what shop, supermarket, or pub you want to pay in, they have to accept the cash you give them. Add your name to #KeepCashAlive and share the petition today.

UK public services need funding.  The royal family don't pay tax like the rest of us.  The situation is clearly unfair.  The UK government should change the tax laws.

Taxation benefits the country as a whole, and we all contribute. It sends a poor message when the rich and powerful are given exemptions that are not available to us all. These exemptions are given to people who need them the least.

I'm starving

To seek equality for all. To address an injustice created by a law seeking to allow for equality. To address the law which states one cannot discriminate between a civil union and marriage when the consequences are felt globally, not locally. Equality Campaigners, Human Rights, Democratic Processes, Injustices created when new laws made, lobby groups, individuals, companies,

Equal pay at this top tier is an essential material and symbolic step towards gender equality. Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman has won the Euros with England and will lead them into Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. She guided the Netherlands to victory at the Euros in 2017 before taking them to the World Cup final in 2019. The men's England football manager Gareth Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Russia, the quarter-finals of Qatar 2022 and the Euro 2020 final, but has yet to win a trophy with England. Southgate is reportedly paid £5m a year, a significant uplift on Wiegman’s supposed £400,000 salary. An FA representative stated “If we take money from one area it then has to come off another,” he said. “I can’t tell you the list of great ideas we get every week for things, some of which are in women’s football, some are in para football, some of which are men’s football, some of which could be building more pitches for kids." The FA should take this essential material and symbolic step towards gender equality, by taking the money to pay Wiegman equally from Southgate's salary. This would leave each manager with roughly £2.7m a year salary plus bonuses. Wiegman and the Lionesses represent the frontline of excellence in women's sport, and sport as a whole. Wiegman is the more successful manager. At least she deserves pay parity with the men's.