The Conservative Peer who celebrated the ruling that a placard of Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman surrounded by coconuts was not a racially aggravated public order offence has resigned the Tory whip.
In November last year, Marieha Hussain had held aloft the placard at a pro-Palestine march in London - which sparked significant debate over whether the image on it had racist connotations.
Hussain was taken to court for the then-alleged offence, where prosecutor Jonathan Bryan said the word "coconut" was a well-known racial slur.
He told Westminster Magistrates' Court: "[It has] a very clear meaning - you may be brown on the outside, but you are white on the inside.
"In other words, you're a 'race traitor' - you're less brown or black than you should be."
But District Judge Vanessa Lloyd ruled the placard was "part of the genre of political satire" - and on September 13 this year, Hussain was acquitted.
Baroness Warsi, who once chaired the Conservatives, then shared a picture of her drinking from a coconut on social media - which she captioned: "This one's for Marieha Hussain. Many many congratulations."
When pressed on the image by The Economist's Shashank Joshi, Warsi replied: "If only everyone had become as vexed about the years of demonising, stigmatising and stereotyping by so many of my colleagues as they have about a poster and a rightful not guilty verdict."
And now, the 53-year-old pro-Palestine Peer - who resigned from the Cameron Government over its stance on Gaza in 2014 - has resigned her party's whip.
On social media, Baroness Warsi wrote: "It is with a heavy heart that I have today informed my whip and decided for now to no longer take the Conservative whip.
"This is a sad day for me. I am a Conservative and remain so, but sadly the current party are far removed from the party I joined and served in Cabinet.
"My decision is a reflection of how far right my party has moved and the hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities.
"A timely reminder of the issues that I raise in my book, 'Muslims Don't Matter'."
She later added: "I will not be gagged on a point of principle, and I am not prepared to play games behind closed doors.
"If Rishi Sunak's party wants to retry and replay the 'Coconut Trial' despite the acquittal of Marieha Hussain, the clear legal findings and the overwhelming expert witness testimonies, then I wish to do so publicly and transparently. It would be unfair to do this while taking the Conservative whip."
After her dual social media posts, it then emerged Baroness Warsi has been placed under investigation by the Conservative Party.
A party statement read: "Complaints were received regarding divisive language allegedly used by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.
"Baroness Warsi was informed an investigation was about to begin earlier this week."
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Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty has lashed out at Baroness Warsi after reports of her resigning the party whip and being placed under investigation came to light.
The MP for Huntingdon, who is mixed-race, wrote on social media: "As somebody who is frequently referred to as a 'coconut', 'c**n', 'Uncle Tom' or 'house n**ro' because of the colour of my skin and my political party, I'm disgusted Sayeeda Warsi chose to legitimise that type of racial slur.
"The use of these slurs is to denigrate and to isolate, to illustrate the price of dissent in order to silence opinion.
"Sayeeda knows this. As a Member of the House of Lords, she should know better."
Siobhain McDonagh accepted a £1.2 million loan from Lord Waheed Alli
GETTY
Earlier, Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh revealed she accepted a £1.2 million loan from Lord Waheed Alli to purchase a flat for her terminally ill sister, Baroness Margaret McDonagh.
The loan, declared in March 2023, was used to provide accommodation with ground floor access for Baroness McDonagh - Labour's first female general secretary and a close friend of Lord Alli for 25 years.
The Baroness, labelled a "tour de force" for the party, played a crucial role in Labour's 1997 landslide election victory.
She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2021 and died in June 2023.
Now her sister, the MP for Mitcham and Morden has shared a statement online admitting she accepted the loan.
In a post on social media, she said: "Waheed Alli was my sister's best friend for 25 years.
"Tragically she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour in November 2021 and died on 24 June 2023.
"He took every step of her last terrible journey with her."
She added: "The loan will be repaid on gaining probate on Margaret's Estate. It has been properly registered and Waheed wanted nothing other than his best friend being comfortable in the last months of her life."
When questioned about potential favours in return, McDonagh responded: "What can you give someone who has £200million and who has been a Labour Member of Parliament for 25 years?"
Armed police are set to protect key natural gas processing terminals across Britain amid fears of eco-protests and foreign attacks.
The new plans, pushed through by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, will see the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) expand its remit beyond nuclear sites to protect the terminals across Britain.
The CNC - an armed police force - will take over responsibilities from military police in April 2025.
GB News understands that the switch forms part of a long-established operational stance to ensure robust protections are in place.
John Healey with Australian deputy PM Richard Marles and US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin at the Aukus military alliance meeting
PA
Defence Secretary John Healey has dodged questions on whether the UK will "go it alone" on arming Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles without the US's consent.
Speaking to the media following high-level Aukus (Australia, UK, US) military alliance talks in London, Healey said Vladimir Putin would be the the "only person who benefits" from debates over whether Ukraine will be allowed to use the long-range weaponry.
He said: "There really is only one person that benefits from the public debate about specific capabilities, and that's president Putin.
"America has been outstanding in its leadership in support of Ukraine and the UK, providing military aid and support for Ukraine across a wide range of capabilities, and we do that for the sole purpose to help Ukraine defend itself from this illegal invasion. And we will continue to do that."
His coyness echoed comments made by Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Kyiv a few weeks ago.
Back then, a green light from the UK for Storm Shadows was on the agenda too - and though Lammy said Britain was "listening carefully", he stopped short of a public sign-off on the missiles.
He said: "We're here to listen, to understand the plan, to understand the strategy and understand the needs across a whole range of fronts.
"Yes, of course, equipment but of course energy that has been sabotaged, the support that's needed on the humanitarian front over these next few months and how we continue to mobilise the international community on Ukraine's behalf.
"So we are listening carefully and, of course, we are having discussions on a range of issues including the military equipment that Ukraine needs to win."
Prof Sir Chris Whitty speaks to the Covid Inquiry
YOUTUBE
The Government may have overstated the danger of Covid-19 to the public at the start of the pandemic, Professor Sir Chris Whitty has admitted.
Prof Whitty, appointed Chief Medical Officer by Sir Keir Starmer this year, told the Covid Inquiry that he worries about whether the Government got the "level of concern" right.
He said: "I was worried at the beginning... I still worry, actually, in retrospect - about whether we got the level of concern right.
"I think that balance is really hard, and arguably, some people would say we overdid it, rather than under, in the beginning."
Guido Fawkes reports the footage was filmed inside Lord Alli's flatX/GETTY
Sir Keir Starmer used a Labour donor's £18million penthouse to urge the public to work from home during the Covid pandemic, it has emerged.
The video was broadcast five days after the Conservative government announced new guidance aimed at limiting the spread of a new strain of COVID-19, which urged people to work from home where possible.
Political blog Guido Fawkes reports the Christmas message was filmed in Lord Alli's flat in December 2021, when Starmer was leader of the opposition.
The room was identified from the shelves behind the future PM which had previously appeared in a video from inside Lord Alli's flat.
The re-emergence of the broadcast marks just the latest political gaffe for the Prime Minister after he was forced to repeatedly defend using the flat owned by the Labour peer while campaigning to enter No10.
In his message, the Labour leader urged people to resist the temptation to go against Government guidance over the Christmas season and work from home where they can.
He said: "Of course I understand that sticking to the rules can be inconvenient, but stick to the rules we must... It would be easy to let the festivities we've all been looking forward to divert us from our national duty."
The Prime Minister's press secretary said that no Covid rules had been broken by the use of the flat for the broadcast.
Asked whether Sir Keir was "completely confident" that all the rules at the time had been obeyed, she replied: "Correct."
Shabana Mahmood plans to visit Texas later this year
PA
Prisoners could have their time behind bars reduced if they behave well and take part in workshops.
In new reforms modelled on the US state of Texas, prisoners can reduce the time they serve in jail by earning credit for good behaviour.
They also win points by participating in courses aimed at tackling the underlying causes of offending.
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to visit the US state later this year to see how Britain could emulate its success in reducing its high prison population and rate of reoffending.
Lord Brady is the longest-serving chairman of the 1922 Committee
GB NEWS
Boris Johnson "created his own problems" as Prime Minister, leading to his resignation from office, a Tory peer has said.
Following the release of his tell-all memoir, Kingmaker, former 1922 Committee chairman Lord Graham Brady shed light on his relationship with the former Tory leader, and how his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately led to his downfall.
Reform's youngest MP James McMurdock has laid into Labour after it was revealed that dozens of prisoners released early from jail were done so by mistake.
The MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock said: "I wrote to the Home Secretary before the release, urging her to protect our streets, and our taxpayer, by deporting the 10,000 foreign criminals in prison.
"Instead, we have seen dangerous criminals wrongly released onto our streets with some already re-offending.
"It's blindingly obvious that Labour are already failing to keep our streets safe.
"The Tories created this mess, and Labour have just exacerbated it.
"Only one party is serious about enforcing law and order on our streets and deporting the foreign criminals in our prisons and that's Reform."
Boris Johnson was "determined to fight on", Lord Brady said
GB NEWS
Lord Graham Brady, former chairman of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee, has revealed fresh details of Boris Johnson's dramatic U-turn during his final days as Prime Minister.
Speaking to GB News, Lord Brady recounted a meeting where Johnson was "absolutely determined" to fight on - despite mounting pressure to resign.
He said: "I don't know how this is going to end, but it's going to be messy."
Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not "ascribe a class" to himself following his Labour conference speech in which he - once again - mentioned his toolmaking heritage.
Reflecting on his speech, LBC's Nick Ferrari asked him to which class he now belonged.
The PM said: "Well, my roots are working class... But I accept, if this is what you're putting to me, that I've been able to take advantage of huge opportunities in my life.
"I'm now Prime Minister of this country. I don't ascribe a class to myself.
"The example I gave in my speech was, and this is the story we do tell, of people from a working class background like mine and plenty of other examples who have come through the glass ceiling, if you like, because of the opportunities that they have had."
Former Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale
PA
Sir Keir Starmer should strike a deal with the SNP to lay the groundwork for a fresh independence referendum, ex-Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale has said.
A report co-authored by Dugdale, who led the party from 2015 to 2017, called for an agreement based on the UK's position on Irish reunification, placing an obligation on the UK Government to allow a new independence vote if leaving the UK had "sustained" majority support.
The report said: "We should place a legal mandate on the Secretary of State for Scotland to determine when a second independence referendum will take place.
"That's not on their whim or a party political position.
If that public opinion is sustained and in support of independence, they must… give the Scottish Parliament the power to determine how that referendum would run."
