British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan had their upcoming concert in Tilburg, Netherlands, canceled after frontman Bobby Vylan made inflammatory remarks about slain American activist Charlie Kirk. The cancellation follows a firestorm of criticism over comments made during a performance in Amsterdam, where Vylan appeared to mock Kirk just days after his assassination.
Danny Kruger, Member of Parliament for East Wiltshire, has formally left the Conservative Party and joined Reform UK in a significant political move. Speaking at a Reform press conference alongside Nigel Farage, Kruger said it was “personally painful” to depart after more than 20 years in the Conservatives, but insisted the party has become a hollow institution unable to offer a viable alternative.
Bill Maher closed out Friday’s Real Time by making a case for protecting free speech—even when it’s uncomfortable. He argued that while flag burning might offend many, criminalizing it undermines a core American value. He also warned that censorship and punishment of speech could make the U.S. resemble the U.K., where people reportedly face arrests for contentious social media posts.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the country's ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, after emails exposed the official's connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan says he is ready to leave Britain for good, claiming police are working hand in hand with transgender activists and that free speech is collapsing in the country. Instead, the Irish comedy writer says he hopes to settle in the United States to escape what he described as “nut-jobs.”
The collapse of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has thrown Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government into turmoil, sparking speculation about whether it can survive its full term or will face an early election. Rayner, once one of Labour’s few popular figures, resigned after revelations she underpaid taxes on her £800,000 second home, dealing a heavy blow to the party.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared that Britain’s Labour government is in “deep crisis” and predicted it would not last a full term, telling supporters that his party must prepare to take power as early as 2027. Speaking at Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, Farage addressed party members just hours after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned, calling it the clearest sign yet of fractures inside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has delivered a major blow to Britain’s ruling party, announcing her defection to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Dorries, who served as Culture Secretary under Boris Johnson, declared in a Daily Mail column that the “Tory Party is dead” and that only Farage has the answers to the crises facing the country.
