Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Birmingham LGBT row: Labour MP Roger Godsiff reported to chief whip

A LABOUR MP will be "reminded of responsibilities" after he told parents protesting against LGBT classes outside a primary school in Birmingham that they were right and they had a “just cause.”

A video circulated on social media shows Roger Godsiff telling parents they had a "just cause" and that he would "continue to fight their corner."


Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner on Saturday (8) said she has reported Godsiff's "discriminatory and irresponsible" comments to chief whip Nick Brown.

A Labour spokesperson said Godsiff will be "reminded of his responsibilities as an MP" by Brown.

"The Labour Party has long supported and campaigned for LGBT inclusive education in schools. There is not only a moral imperative, there is also a legal requirement and schools must comply with the Equalities Act. There is no justifiable reason to stop the teaching of these issues."

In the video, Godsiff is seen telling the protesters that they have a just cause.

"If I had the opportunity of rolling the clock back I would do exactly the same thing again. Because I think you have a just cause and I regret the fact that it hasn't been reciprocated by the head teacher."

He asked demonstrators to "consider calling the protest off" as he said they had made their point, but added it would be their choice to do so.

He said: "I will continue to try and fight your corner because you're right. Nothing more, nothing less. You're right."

"I will continue to try and work to bring a resolution to this dispute but also to ensure that the school teaches the Equality Act in the same way it is being taught at all the other primary schools - where there isn't a row."

Earlier, Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, said he would be tabling a formal complaint to the party about Godsiff.

In a series of tweets, he said: "This made me feel sick to my stomach.

"One of my own Labour colleagues stood with people who have peddled hatred and bigotry on school gates, intimidating pupils, teachers and parents."

More For You

uk weather

Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled

Getty Images

Cooler conditions bring relief as UK heatwave ends

Key points

  • UK's second heatwave of 2025 ends with cooler temperatures setting in.
  • Tuesday recorded the year’s highest temperature at 34.7°C in London.
  • No return to heatwave conditions forecast for early July.
  • Showers expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with drier weather ahead.

UK heatwave fades as cooler weather returns

Following a stretch of record-breaking heat, the UK has now entered a cooler phase, with no heatwave conditions forecast for the first half of July. This change comes after Tuesday became the hottest day of the year so far, with 34.7°C recorded in London’s St James’s Park.

However, the high temperatures that marked the start of July have now given way to more comfortable conditions. In many parts of the country, temperatures have dropped by more than 10°C, bringing relief from the extreme heat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Families slam Hancock's 'insulting' care home defence at Covid inquiry

Matt Hancock arrives ahead of his latest appearance before the Covid-19 Inquiry on July 02, 2025 in London, England.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Families slam Hancock's 'insulting' care home defence at Covid inquiry

BEREAVED families have condemned former health secretary Matt Hancock as "insulting" and "full of excuses" after he defended the controversial policy of moving untested hospital patients into care homes during the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Speaking at the Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday (2), Hancock described the decision to discharge patients into care homes as "the least-worst decision" available at the time, despite the devastating death toll that followed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer has said the NHS must 'reform or die' and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Starmer outlines 10-year NHS reform strategy

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a 10-year strategy aimed at fixing the National Health Service (NHS), which he said was in crisis. The plan seeks to ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals and shift care closer to people’s homes.

The NHS, which is publicly funded and state-run, has faced difficulties recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to experience annual winter pressures, repeated waves of industrial action, and a long backlog for elective treatments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Reeves-Getty

Starmer and Reeves during a visit to Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy on June 23, 2025 in Nuneaton. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Reeves ‘going nowhere’, says Starmer after tears in parliament

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”, after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as questions were raised about her future.

Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her face during Prime Minister’s Questions, after Starmer did not confirm whether she would remain chancellor until the next general election, expected in 2029.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh begins trial over slain student activist

Chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus , prays at Abu Sayeed’s grave

Bangladesh begins trial over slain student activist

BANGLADESH opened on Monday (30) the murder trial of student protester Abu Sayeed, whose killing last year escalated demonstrations nationwide that ultimately ousted then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sayeed died aged 23 in the northern city of Rangpur, the first student demonstrator killed in the police crackdown on protests.

Keep ReadingShow less