MPs demand Reform suspend candidate over claims he celebrated rape of Sikh women
Labour MPs have called for a Reform UK election candidate in Essex to be suspended after he allegedly celebrated the rape of two Sikh women in the Midlands,A joint investigation by the Mirror and the anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate alleged Stuart Prior, who is standing for Reform in Rayleigh West (for Essex county council) as well as Sweyne Park and Grange (for Rochford district council), had made a string of racist comments on social media in the past few months,This included declaring white people the “master race” and calling Muslim people “rats”,Zarah Sultana, the former Labour MP and co-founder of Your Party, in a post on X in October, highlighted the rapes of two Sikh and Punjabi women in Walsall and Oldbury and said: “These horrifying attacks show how racism and misogyny feed each other – fuelled by the rise of fascism and hate,” In response, Prior, 54, is alleged to have said: “Good.
Reap it.”Two Sikh women, both in their 20s, were raped in separate attacks in Walsall and Oldbury last year.Last week, John Ashby, 32, was sentenced to life in prison for the racially motivated rape of the woman in Walsall.Prior, when approached by a reporter from the Mirror, denied that he had made the comments and that he was a racist.Four Labour MPs, Sarah Coombes, Antonia Bance, Gurinder Singh Josan and Alex Ballinger, from the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, West Midlands (in which Oldbury is situated), sent a joint letter to Reform’s leader in Sandwell, Ray Nock, calling on him to condemn the comments.
“The community in Sandwell was shaken to its core last year after a Sikh woman was raped in a racially aggravated attack.It has now emerged that a Reform candidate in Essex, Stuart Prior, has celebrated this attack,” the letter reads.“Will you, as the leader of the Reform party in Sandwell, condemn this disgusting behaviour and will you write to Nigel Farage requesting Stuart Prior be immediately withdrawn as a Reform party candidate?”The MPs also alleged a Reform candidate in Sandwell had shared “racist anti-Muslim beliefs” and called on Nock to withdraw their candidacy.The HuffPost reported in April that Jonathan James Fox had shared a post in 2019 that said: “People who eat bacon are less likely to blow themselves up.” The MPs said this was a “clear statement of hatred against Muslims”.
It comes amid growing concerns over Reform’s vetting of candidates.Last week, Hope Not Hate highlighted the views of a number of Reform candidates, including one who had called for a “white Britain” and said Keir Starmer should be shot.Farage, leader of Reform UK, previously insisted the party’s vetting processes had improved since the general election.Reform UK, in response to the letter by the Labour MPs, said the party was thoroughly investigating the allegations, and the cases involving Prior and Fox were with the party’s disciplinary team.
Jon Rahm free for 2027 Ryder Cup after striking deal with DP World Tour
Jon Rahm has revealed he has ended his dispute with the DP World Tour, which returns the Spaniard to contention for next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, but he played down the sense of golfers sharply exiting LIV. Rahm, who has been tipped to make a return to the PGA Tour, has cited tight contractual terms as a reason he and others are not completely in control of their own destiny.The abrupt exit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) from LIV – the Saudis will remove finance at the end of this year – has left the tour scrambling for alternative investment. Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are LIV’s biggest names, whom many assumed would already be glancing towards a playing future elsewhere. Rahm urged caution
Wu Yize cements China’s status as premier snooker force as younger generation takes over
Perhaps of all the noise emanating from Wu Yize’s historic victory in the World Snooker Championship final on Monday evening, it was 12 simple words from the godfather of Chinese snooker that meant the most.For the second successive year, China has a world champion in the sport the nation has taken to its heart, with Wu emulating Zhao Xintong’s win 12 months earlier by defeating Shaun Murphy in one of the great finals. But perhaps none of it would be possible without Ding Junhui laying the groundwork over the last 20 years.Ding, a beaten world finalist 10 years ago who was never quite able to take that decisive step, wrote on Weibo: “This is not just a breakthrough, rather our era is approaching now!” Gone are the days of Ding being China’s sole flag-bearer for the sport; there are now five Chinese players in the top 16.Two of them, Zhao and Wu, are in the top four, and Ding’s talk of new eras beginning for snooker feels pertinent on multiple fronts, not just for the sport in China
Ascot’s bold move in turf war leaves racing fighting to avoid constitutional crisis
The racing industry is such a broad and varied collection of professions, venues and interests that at times it can feel like the Holy Roman empire: there is always a turf war or two going on somewhere, but never to such an extent that the whole thing falls apart.Ascot’s announcement on Monday that it will quit the Racecourse Association (RCA) at the end of the year, however, feels like more than just another localised dispute. The email dropped at 9am on a bank holiday, as if to underline that the king’s track means business, and where Ascot has led, others may follow, putting the future of a trade association that dates back to 1907 in serious doubt.The spark that lit the fuse, just two months ago, was Charles Allen’s departure as chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), after a brief and ultimately fruitless attempt to impose a modern governance structure, including a fully independent board of directors, on Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport.Ascot, along with the Jockey Club, which operates major tracks including Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket, and also three key “big independent” tracks – Newbury, York and Goodwood – subsequently wrote to the RCA calling for “a formal governance review” of the Association, to ensure “significant views from key racecourses can influence outcomes”
Sabalenka believes players will boycott grand slams to ‘fight for our rights’
Aryna Sabalenka believes the top tennis players will boycott grand slam tournaments in an attempt to resolve their dispute with the four events, which they argue should provide players with a greater share of their growing revenues.“I think at some point we will boycott it, yeah,” said the world No 1 during her pre-tournament press conference at the Italian Open. “I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.”Her comments come after a group of the top 20 male and female players released a statement criticising the prize money levels offered at the French Open, which begins this month. Sabalenka argued the players should be better compensated for their influence on tournament finances
London Marathon sets record after 1.8% of UK adult population applies for 2027 race
The London Marathon has set yet more records with organisers announcing that 1.8% of the UK adult population – more than one million people – have applied to run in next year’s race.Running’s boom wasreflected in a world record 1,338,544 global application for the 2027 London Marathon – up from 1.13m for this year’s race and more than double the amount they received in 2024.The extraordinary figures were welcomed by the London Marathon CEO, Hugh Brasher, who said: “This astonishing total of more than 1
Mercedes may have won again but Miami upgrades have shaken up the F1 grid | Giles Richards
The improved form of McLaren and Red Bull in Florida suggests the 2026 title race is likely to run and runThere is a long old way to go but after Formula One emerged from its enforced early season break with an entertaining romp around the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, it indicated that there may yet be a decent tale to be told this season. One where Mercedes do not have it all their own way.Regulation changes dominated the buildup – of which more later because honestly paragraph two is too early to subject readers to the increasingly soul-destroying phrase “energy management” – but what really mattered in Miami was the sporting imperative of upgrades making a competitive difference.Mercedes had looked ominously strong with three straight wins in the opening three rounds before the five-week break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi GPs. During that time there was no little beavering across the paddock on upgrades for Miami
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