Ex-Tory member sues party over suspension for criticising Israel
A former Conservative member, whose grandfather was the archbishop of Jerusalem, is suing the party after he was suspended for making critical remarks about the state of Israel,Bruce MacInnes was told by Tory party officials that his “repeated allegation that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine” constituted “allegedly antisemitic”, “discriminatory” and “insensitive and highly offensive” language, which resulted in his suspension from the party last year,MacInnes, who says he did not initially know about the disciplinary proceedings despite the party claiming they had emailed him, is bringing legal action against the party for £30,000 in the high court for breach of contract and discrimination based on belief,The row has raised questions over freedom of speech within the party and has drawn criticism from former foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan who described the party’s treatment of MacInnes as “McCarthysim built on ignorance”,A member since 2018, MacInnes had often shared his views on the political situation in the Middle East on a WhatsApp group with other members.
He felt qualified to do so, given his family’s longstanding links with the region,Two of MacInnes’s ancestors were Anglican bishops in Jerusalem and his grandfather, Campbell MacInnes, was archbishop for 13 years until 1969,MacInnes’s father, David, was born in Jerusalem, and MacInnes considers the region “part of my own history”,But shortly before leadership contest between Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick in October 2024, he found his party membership was no longer active,Upon enquiring after the ballot slip that would allow him to vote in the leadership contest, which he was yet to receive, MacInnes discovered he hadbeen suspended six months prior for antisemitism.
The party’s governance team had decided, without his knowledge, that MacInnes had expressed views on Israel’s war in Gaza that were “allegedly antisemitic”.The row centres on messages sent after 7 October, when MacInnes, who had been a member of the Lambeth & Southwark Conservative party WhatsApp group for a few years, thought other members’ understanding of the history of the region was misguided.“It’s a feature of the public discourse that the conflict is routinely portrayed inaccurately,” MacInnes told the Guardian.He began to express views in the group that were critical of Israel and its supporters, until one was censored.It mentioned “Israel’s pivotal role in the massive destruction in Lebanon … between 1978 and 2000”, and was removed because, according to the group’s admin, “it may have breached the group use guidelines”.
MacInnes reposted the content of the message and a few hours later was removed from the group entirely for a “cooling off period”.When he asked for an explanation he was told the “repeated allegation that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine” had been a factor.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionMacInnes, who says he had been discussing the International Court of Justice’s ruling in respect to the South Africa claim, which had been found four days earlier to have a plausible case for genocide, replied to the administrator: “Is it really offensive in your view for a member of this group to highlight or support the findings of the International Court of Justice?”The issue was escalated to the Conservative party’s central members governance team which claimed to have sent MacInnes emails in relation to the matter – however he claims none of these emails were received.MacInnes said was also attempting to make contact with the party: “I was repeatedly emailing the party at the time to ask what had happened to the referral to the member governance team but they didn’t respond.” He also emailed the local party chair but received no reply.
In the meantime, an anonymous complaint appears to have been lodged against MacInnes and in April the party’s panel of the social media complaints rules upheld the grievance and imposed a six-month suspension and social media and inclusion training.MacInnes did not know any of this until October, did not see the emails until 4 November and says no training has been offered.The Conservative disciplinary procedure has previously been accused of being used to silence criticism, with the case echoing that of former foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan, to whom MacInnes went to for advice.Duncan, like MacInnes, was the subject of an anonymous complaint of antisemitism for comments he made on LBC before being cleared and believes the investigation was a “political decision” for his criticism of lobby group, Conservative Friends of Israel.Duncan told the Guardian: “Everything Mr MacInnes said [in the WhatsApp group] was entirely reasonable and historically accurate.
” He added: “We are seeing a vicious revival of McCarthysim built on ignorance, and intended to suppress all support for Palestinian justice.”MacInnes is awaiting a court date and has already spent nearly £30,000 in legal fees, about the same he is suing for.“It’s quite likely that even if I win it will still cost me a substantial sum of money,” he says.“I’m doing it because I believe … our right to free speech is being eroded.”The Conservative party was approached for comment.
India rejoice in first Women’s World Cup triumph as South Africa fall short
Final: India, 298-7, beat South Africa, 246, by 52 runsShafali and Deepti shine as Navi Mumbai rejoicesAt last, 50 years on from their debut on the world stage, India’s dream came true: a maiden World Cup win, in front of a deafening full house in Navi Mumbai, as they defeated South Africa by 52 runs.Laura Wolvaardt struck a magnificent century, going back-to-back after her winning effort in the semi-final, but while she finished the tournament with a run-tally of 571 – the most by any woman in a World Cup – the ultimate prize belonged to India.There were two history-making heroes for India. The first was the unlikely figure of Shafali Verma, playing in this match only due to the ankle injury sustained by Pratika Rawal in the group stages, but who chimed in here with 87 from 78 balls and two wickets.Then, just as this final threatened to become a nail-biter, Deepti Sharma – who herself had contributed 58 runs with the bat – bowled the perfect yorker to bowl Annerie Dercksen, and followed it up with the key scalp of Wolvaardt as Amanjot Kaur ran round from deep midwicket to take a diving juggle-catch
Henry Pollock can be spark England need but maybe someone should have a word | Robert Kitson
The sporting gods can sometimes be mischievous. Steve Borthwick’s vision of rugby heaven is a cohesive team that consistently delivers without huge amounts of fuss and squeezes the life out of opponents like a white-shirted python. Control, physicality, tactical acumen and work rate will forever be more central to his vision of Test match success than individual front-page razzle-dazzle.And what happens? With almost comic timing the door to the England dressing room has been flung off its hinges by a 20-year-old rock star forward with the ability to transform games on his own. Henry Pollock has now scored three tries in 61 minutes of international rugby, is all over social media and already has half the rugby world itching to punch his lights out
If the Dodgers are bad for baseball, why was the World Series so much fun?
The repeat champions’ vast wealth means they can stockpile talent unimaginable to other teams. But it’s undeniable that the results are hugely entertainingA unicorn led off the game with a single and then trotted out to the mound to pitch the bottom of the first. Another pitcher won Games 2, 6, and 7 of the World Series, throwing 17.2 innings along the way. A catcher set a record, squatting behind the plate for 74 Fall Classic frames and ultimately ended the series by hitting the final go-ahead home run
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood give England a lift after epic ODI failure
And so to Australia. On Sunday Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and other members of England’s Ashes squad arrived in Perth, some flying from the white-ball tour of New Zealand and others from England with the Lions. The full group will not assemble for another week, with the players and coaches involved in the 3-0 one-day shellacking by the Black Caps now scattering for some much-needed decompression. There will be a lot of English accents on Kiwi golf courses over the next few days.One can only hope they strike that kind of white ball a little more cleanly than the ones with which New Zealand’s bowlers have been torturing them of late
Blue Jays reflect on cruel Game 7 loss to Dodgers: ‘I cost everybody a World Series’
The Toronto Blue Jays have reflected on their agonizing loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series.The Blue Jays looked set to win their first World Series since 1993 when they entered the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead. But with one out, and Toronto’s Jeff Hoffman facing the Dodgers’ No 9 hitter, Miguel Rojas, the reliever threw a hanging slider which Rojas launched for the tying home run. Will Smith then hit the winning home run in the 11th inning off Shane Bieber, the first time the Dodgers had led all night.“It sucks,” Hoffman said after the 5-4 defeat
India defeat Australia by five wickets: third men’s Twenty20 international – as it happened
Thanks for following along as India defeated Australia by five wickets in the third T20 to level the series. We’ll be back on Thursday for the fourth of the five games… but before then, here is the full report from the match in Hobart.Australia were in the unfamiliar position of batting first but failed to put enough runs on the board in conditions that suited the chasers. Tim David and Marcus Stoinis were the only Australians to put the pressure back on the bowlers, though the hosts will hope to recall Glenn Maxwell for the fourth T20 in the five-match series on Thursday. Mitch Marsh is talking to Fox Sports…We felt we were 20 short so we’ve got to find a way to get more runs
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