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Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has been sacked as shadow education secretary

It's after she shared an article on social media containing an "anti-Semitic conspiracy theory".

The Manc The Manc - 25th June 2020
Wikimedia Commons

Leader of the Labour Sir Keir Starmer has sacked Rebecca Long-Bailey this afternoon after she shared an article on social media containing an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory”.

Ms Long-Bailey was serving as the Shadow Education Secretary and has been the Labour MP for Salford and Eccles since 2015.

She had retweeted an interview with actor and Labour supporter Maxine Peake earlier today, but had later denied on Twitter to be endorsing such aspect of the article.

https://twitter.com/RLong_Bailey/status/1276112455891070978?s=20

A spokesperson for the Labour leader said in a statement: “This afternoon Keir Starmer asked Rebecca Long-Bailey to step down from the shadow cabinet.”

“The article Rebecca shared earlier today contained an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.”

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“As leader of the Labour Party, Keir has been clear that restoring trust with the Jewish community is a number one priority.”

Anti-Semitism takes many different forms and it is important that we all are vigilant against it.”

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Ms Long-Bailey has taken to Twitter this afternoon to respond in a series of tweets:

More to follow.

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All students in England to be offered the chance to do a new Ukrainian GCSE

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Classroom

All students in England are soon to be offered the chance to do a new Ukrainian GCSE.

Said to be part of the UK’s ‘enduring support’ for the Ukrainian community and continued commitment to stand with Ukraine and its people, young people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will now have the opportunity to study for a new Ukrainian GCSE, the Government has announced.

While the qualification will be open to all students, it marks a ‘particularly significant’ milestone for Ukrainian children and young people living in the UK.

It’s hoped that the introduction of the new GCSE will help Ukrainians to preserve a vital connection to their language, culture, and identity.

It’s also hoped that it’ll open pathways to future education and employment for all pupils.

In line with the other modern foreign language GCSEs that are currently on offer, the qualification will assess listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, while also recognising the cultural and historical contexts that shape the Ukrainian language.

Examination board AQA will now begin the next phase of development, bringing together language and subject experts to design what will be a ‘high-quality’ qualification reflecting the richness of Ukrainian language and culture.

Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, commented: “As they build their lives here in the UK, it is right that Ukrainians and their children should have every opportunity to maintain that connection to their heritage and to be proud of who they are.

“This new qualification is available to all pupils and will give them the chance to develop their language skills and celebrate Ukraine’s rich culture and history, while also opening pathways to future study and employment and strengthening our partnership with Ukraine.

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“Through that enduring partnership, we are building the lasting ties between our countries that will see the young minds of the future move forward together, and foster connections that transcend borders.”

The Ukrainian GCSE is expected to be available for first teaching from September 2028 – with first assessments taking place in 2029.

Featured Image – Taylor Flowe (via Unsplash)

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More arrests made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at Greater Manchester uni

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Further arrests have been made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at a university in Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that two people have been arrested as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the University of Greater Manchester – formerly the University of Bolton – between 2014 and 2025.

Two warrants were executed yesterday morning (4 November 2026) – one in Bolton, and another in South Yorkshire.

Subsequently a man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by the abuse of position, while a man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by false representation.

The arrests come, as mentioned, as part of an ongoing investigation.

GMP’s Major Incident Team opened a fraud and bribery investigation a year ago after it received allegations from The Mill, and a subsequent report from Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel.

Since then, detectives have been working closely with the Crown Prosecution (CPS)’s Serious Economic Crime team, and are said to have been making ‘painstaking’ enquiries to independently compile evidence that is ‘impartial’ and ‘robust’.

“We’re exploring evidence indicating over £1 million’s worth of fraudulent activity. As part of our enquiries, we’re probing around 60 transactions and investigating more than a million emails,” GMP said in a statement.

Detective Inspector Matthew Donnelly, from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, added: “This remains a complex and extensive investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and financial misconduct at the University of Greater Manchester.

“The offences for which these individuals have been arrested on suspicion of are serious and include allegations of fraud, witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice and money laundering.

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“Any actions that seek to interfere with, influence or undermine the integrity of a police investigation will not be tolerated.”

He concluded: “I would urge anyone who has information which may assist our investigation to come forward and speak to us.”

Featured Image – UoGM (via Facebook)

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