Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Stephen Timms MP plans to meet his attacker

Stephen Timms MP plans to meet his attacker

A Labour MP has said that he would welcome the opportunity to meet the woman who stabbed him in 2010 as part of a “restorative justice process”, The Guardian reported. 

East Ham MP Stephen Timms has said that he had received a letter from Roshonara Choudhry apologising for having stabbed him several times at a constituency surgery, the report added.


Currently, Choudhry is serving a life sentence for attempted murder.

After the killing of the Conservative MP Sir David Amess last October, Timms spoke of wishing to meet his attacker face-to-face before she was released from prison.

“I’ve recently had three letters from her which the police have given to me. I wasn’t aware of their existence until the police gave all three of them," Timms said in an interview to GB News.

“They were written over a period, I think. And in the third of them she says she’s sorry about what happened. So we’re in a restorative justice process at the moment which may lead to me meeting her at some point before she’s released from prison.

“And I’d welcome that if that opportunity does arise. We’ll have to see whether it does or not.”

According to the MP, Choudhry had been “radicalised” and the event  “strengthened” his relationship with Muslim constituents, who offered support in the aftermath of the attack.

Timms, who was a Treasury minister under the New Labour government, said he thought Choudhry was coming to shake his hand before the stabbing, and “wasn’t sure she succeeded” until he lifted his shirt in the men’s toilets and saw “quite a lot of blood”.

The injuries were “life-threatening but not imminently life-threatening”, he was told by doctors.

Timms also spoke about the “terrible loss” of his fellow Labour MP Jo Cox, murdered in 2016, and Amess’s killing.

According to Timms, it was important that MPs continued to remain accessible to their constituents in spite of the security risks they face.

“If we were to disappear behind some barriers, I think that would be a real loss to democracy in Britain," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

In a Commons debate last year where MPs paid tribute to Amess after his death, the MP said he would like to meet his attacker face-to-face in order to forgive her.

More For You

Minouche Shafik

Shafik served as deputy governor for markets and banking at the Bank of England between August 2014 and February 2017.

Reuters

Starmer appoints Minouche Shafik as chief economic adviser in reshuffle

Highlights:

  • Minouche Shafik named chief economic adviser to Keir Starmer.
  • Darren Jones moves into Downing Street role; James Murray replaces him.
  • Wider reshuffle includes changes in Starmer’s private office and communications.
  • Appointment comes ahead of a budget expected to include further tax rises.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as his chief economic adviser. The appointment comes as he looks to strengthen his team ahead of what is expected to be a difficult end to the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi putin

Before their formal meeting, Putin offered Modi a ride in his Aurus limousine.

X/@narendramodi

Six key takeaways from the SCO summit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Modi pressed for ending the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, reaffirmed India’s long-standing ties with Russia, and discussed trade and border issues with Xi.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghanistan earthquake

Afghan volunteers and Taliban security personnel carry an earthquake victim evacuated by a military helicopter from the Nurgal district of Kunar province onn September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, thousands injured

A MAJOR rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks destroyed homes in a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, according to Taliban authorities.

The quake struck just before midnight and was felt as far as Kabul and in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ganpati festival

The Ganpati festival celebrates Ganesha as the god of new beginnings, and the god of wisdom and intelligence. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Hindu community centre in London damaged in fire after Ganapati Visarjan event

A HINDU community centre in east London caught fire on Saturday evening, causing major damage to the building. The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road in Ilford, which had been decorated for a Ganapati Visarjan event attended by members of the Hindu community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi ,Xi & Putin

Narendra Modi talks with Vladimir Putin and Xi jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Getty Images

SCO declaration slams Pahalgam attack, calls for united action on terror

Highlights:

  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
  • Leaders call for justice for perpetrators of attacks in Pahalgam and Balochistan.
  • Declaration criticises Israeli military strikes in Gaza causing civilian casualties.
  • SCO stresses UN’s central role in global counter-terrorism strategy.

THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

Keep ReadingShow less