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Covid restricted Keir Starmer from setting out vision for UK, says Labour

Labour supported government in pandemic and did not play party political games, says shadow home secretary
Labour has been unable to set out its vision for the country because of the pandemic, the party’s shadow home secretary has said, with the party braced for further knife-edge results over the weekend.
Important mayoral elections could provide further difficult results for the Labour leader but the party is hoping for narrow victories in the west of England mayoralty and the West Yorkshire mayoralty, expected on Sunday.
Labour is expected to fail to defeat the West Midlands Conservative mayor, Andy Street, after significant Conservative gains across the region. A Labour source said the contest was “not looking good”. The Tories now have majorities on Dudley and Walsall councils and have increased their majority in Redditch.
But Labour has had one of its best ever results in Wales, taking the Rhondda seat from the former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood and seeing off massive Conservative challenges in north-east Wales seats like Delyn, Clwyd South and Wrexham, and south Wales seats of Newport West, Gower and Bridgend.
“Given that at the beginning of the campaign polls put us 10 points behind and on course for our worst ever seat tally, this is a remarkable turnaround, and shows the strength of the Welsh Labour campaign,” a party spokesman said.
Sadiq Khan is also expected to comfortably win the London mayoral election, though Labour sources played down expectations of a first-round victory, saying that many Londoners had felt emboldened to put smaller parties as their first preference votes because of his expected win.
“It is still very early in the day but it is looking promising at this stage,” a London Labour source said. “However, we remain extremely cautious because there has been a national swing to the Conservatives in this election and it’s only five years since London had a Tory mayor.”
There were further difficult results for Labour in the north of England on Saturday, with 15 new Conservative councillors elected in Rotherham, after the South Yorkshire town elected its first ever Rother Valley Conservative MP in 2019.
Speaking on Saturday after punishing results on Friday across the north of England and the Midlands, including the loss of the Hartlepool byelection, the shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said the pandemic had “restricted the opportunities” for the Labour leader, Keir Starmer.
“At a point of national crisis, yes, of course, you criticise the government when it was appropriate to do so, but it was also appropriate to do things like support the government on the furlough scheme or support the government on its public health messaging and not, for party political reasons, try to create confusion around that,” he said.
“What that has also meant is that it’s restricted the opportunities for Keir to set out his vision.”
Thomas-Symonds said there would be a significant policy review within Labour, “economically setting out the difference that we will not go back to the insecure economy of the past and reimagine our economy … And also make sure we are changing our party so that our party is connected in communities up and down the country – that is the challenge and we are determined to do it.”
Despite challenges for the Conservatives in Wales and some parts of the south of England, as well as the expected SNP dominance in Scotland, senior Conservatives have said they now believe the realignment of politics across much of the north of England and the Midlands is such that Johnson could spend a decade in power.
The Queen’s speech, which will take place at the opening of parliament on Tuesday, will set out 25 bills, including major planning reform.
The environment secretary, George Eustice, said Labour had taken voters for granted, but also acknowledged the party was capitalising on pushing through Brexit and the vaccine rollout.
“When it comes to the really big breakthrough in the Hartlepool byelection and the election of Ben Houchen as well
“I think the Brexit decision and the wrangling over that in recent years has focused minds in that they have questioned whether the Labour party was really in touch with their priorities. And, of course, the rollout of the vaccine has been successful and I think people feel positive and that they can see a way out of this terrible pandemic we have been enduring.”
source: Jessica Elgot
Levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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