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Suella Braverman has been accused of “sowing the seeds of hatred” by Sir Keir Starmer after her comments about the police and pro-Palestinian marches.

The Labour leader took aim at the home secretary after she branded pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including one which took place on Saturday in central London, “hate marches” and accused the police of “double standards” in the way they handle protests.

Sir Keir said few people in public life had “done more recently to whip up division, set the British people against one another and sow the seeds of hatred and distrust than Suella Braverman”.

Follow live: Contact lost’ with Gaza hospital – as Israel offers to evacuate babies

“In doing so, she demeans her office,” he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

Bringing the prime minister into view, Sir Keir said Ms Braverman and Rishi Sunak’s treatment of the police and protesters showed a “lack of respect for this country’s values and its principles” after the pair urged police to ban the Armistice Day demonstration.

It follows calls from numerous senior political figures for Ms Braverman to resign, after they blamed her for violence that broke out in the capital.

On Saturday, a total of 126 people were arrested in London.

Far right protesters clash with police

This included 92 people who were arrested in Pimlico, central London. The Metropolitan Police said they were part of a large group of counter-protesters who tried to reach the main pro-Palestinian march in the capital.

Police later said the arrests included a number of pro-Palestine protesters who were detained after a group broke away from the main demonstration.

The demonstrators were wearing face coverings and firing fireworks, some of which struck police officers in the face, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said.

Home Secretary to consider banning Pro-Palestine marches on Armistice Day
Image:
Suella Braverman is facing pressure to resign

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the scenes of disorder were a “direct result of the home secretary’s words”, adding that the police’s job had been made much harder as a consequence.

While shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for “calm”, with a swipe at Mrs Braverman for fuelling tensions.

“Everyone must reflect on the impact of their words and actions. It is the responsibility of all of us to bring people together over this weekend, not divide and inflame,” she posted on social media.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was one of those in attendance at the march.

Addressing crowds from on top of a fire engine near Vauxhall, he said Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman’s attempt to stop the march from going ahead has been “shamed”.

What unfolds today could impact Braverman’s position as home secretary

Ugly scenes are unfolding in Whitehall. As counter protesters make their way through London, fighting has broken out, dozens have been arrested and already the home secretary’s language is being blamed.

SNP leader Humza Yousaf posted on X: “The far right has been emboldened by the home secretary”, the London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the disorder is a “direct result of her words”.

These are not people who are shy of criticising the home secretary, but others will be making a link between Suella Braverman’s language and the images coming out of Whitehall.

In the last week, senior cabinet ministers have distanced themselves from the home secretary after she repeatedly called pro-Palestinian protests “hate marches” and accused the Met Police of playing favourites.

The Chancellor said her words were “not words I would have used”.

The truth is, it is impossible to know what would have happened if she hadn’t made those comments.

Right wing groups have been in Whitehall in previous weeks, scuffles have broken out and police have been injured. It was always likely there would be significant counter protests on Armistice day.

Suella Braverman’s words certainly don’t seem to have calmed the situation, however.

Last night. the home secretary took a more conciliatory tone, a source close to her confirmed she met the commissioner of the Met Police and emphasised “her full backing for the police”.

But more widespread trouble in the coming hours has to be seen in the political context: Number 10 is not happy with the home secretary for publishing an article without their clearance, her job remains in the balance.

What unfolds today could impact whether Suella Braverman is still home secretary this time next week.

“It seems that there’s one million of us here today in London showing our solidarity with the people of Palestine, so Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak’s attempt to stop this has been shamed for what it is,” he said.

“They should be ashamed also (of) their vote on the United Nations when they wouldn’t even support a call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Shame on them.”

Ms Braverman asserted that she had given police her “full backing” at a meeting with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on the eve of Armistice Day.

Read more:
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Suella Braverman’s long list of controversies

Despite this, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said the far-right had been “emboldened” by Ms Braverman in a post on X.

He wrote: “The far right has been emboldened by the home secretary. She has spent her week fanning the flames of division. They are now attacking the police on Armistice Day.

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Thousands gather for pro-Palestinian march

“The home secretary’s position is untenable. She must resign.”

Nine officers were injured as they prevented a crowd of mainly “football hooligans” reaching the Cenotaph, with Mr Twist calling their “extreme violence” towards the police “extraordinary and deeply concerning”.

Officers later clashed with protesters from both sides in Chinatown and Victoria station.

Mr Twist said “a week of intense debate about protest and policing” helped “increase community tensions”.

‘Rishi Sunak is responsible’

On Friday, Mr Sunak maintained “full confidence” in his home secretary, even after some ministers had already distanced themselves from her after she claimed some people were homeless as a “lifestyle choice”.

He defied calls from Labour and the Liberal Democrats to sack Ms Braverman, but there has been speculation that a ministerial reshuffle could see the home secretary moved.

Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP who has family in Gaza, said the blame for any trouble caused by far-right groups lay with Mr Sunak.

Pro-palestinian protesters march across central London
Image:
Pro-palestinian protesters march across central London

“As the police in central London work to contain the far-right, and everyone starts to blame Suella Braverman, just remember who chose to not only give her the job but also chose not to sack her,” she wrote on Saturday.

“Rishi Sunak is as, if not more, responsible for what happens today”.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn are appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips from 8.30am today.

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Crypto banking rule withdrawal by Fed ‘not real progress’ — Senator Lummis

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Crypto banking rule withdrawal by Fed ‘not real progress’ — Senator Lummis

Crypto banking rule withdrawal by Fed ‘not real progress’ — Senator Lummis

United States Senator Cynthia Lummis suggests the crypto industry may be celebrating too soon over the US Federal Reserve softening its crypto guidance for banks.

“The Fed withdrawing crypto guidance is just noise, not real progress,” Lummis said in an April 25 X post. Lummis called the Fed’s April 24 announcement — withdrawing its 2022 supervisory letter that had discouraged banks from engaging with crypto and stablecoin activities — “just lip service.”

Lummis’ tone was different from the rest of the crypto industry

Lummis, a pro-crypto advocate known for introducing the Bitcoin (BTC) Strategic Reserve Bill in July 2024, pointed out several flaws in the Fed’s announcement, even as Strategy founder Michael Saylor and crypto entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano suggested it was a step forward for banks and crypto.

Cryptocurrencies, United States
Source: Anthony Pompliano

She argued that the Fed continues to “illegally flout the law on master accounts” and still relies on reputational risk in its bank supervision practices. It comes as the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) is working on a rule to stop examiners from considering reputational risk when reviewing a bank’s operations, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

Lummis also highlighted the Fed’s policy statement in Section 9(13), which hasn’t been withdrawn, stating that Bitcoin and digital assets are considered “unsafe and unsound.”

She also reiterated many of the same staff behind Operation Chokepoint 2.0 are still involved in crypto policy today.

“We are NOT fooled. The Fed assassinated companies within the industry and hurt American interests by stifling innovation and shuttering businesses. This fight is far from over.”

“I will continue to hold the Fed accountable until the digital asset industry gets more than a life jacket, Chair Powell — they need a fair shake,” Lummis said.

Related: If Trump fired Powell, what would happen to crypto?

Custodia Bank founder and CEO Caitlin Long seemed to share a similar view to Lummis.

“THANK YOU for seeing this for what it is,” Long said.

Cryptocurrencies, United States
Source: David Sacks

However, many crypto executives praised the Fed’s announcement as a positive development for the industry. Saylor said in an April 25 X post that the Fed’s move means that “banks are now free to begin supporting Bitcoin.”

Anastasija Plotnikova, co-founder and CEO of blockchain regulatory firm Fideum, said the Fed’s decision “is a significant development, as it will simplify the path to institutional adoption.”

Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race

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SEC chair suggests ‘huge benefits’ in agency’s third crypto roundtable

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<div>SEC chair suggests 'huge benefits' in agency's third crypto roundtable</div>

<div>SEC chair suggests 'huge benefits' in agency's third crypto roundtable</div>

In one of his first appearances as the recently sworn-in chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul Atkins delivered remarks to the agency’s third roundtable discussion of crypto regulation. 

In the “Know Your Custodian” roundtable event on April 25, Atkins said he expected “huge benefits” from blockchain technology through efficiency, risk mitigation, transparency, and cutting costs. He reiterated that among his goals at the SEC would be to facilitate “clear regulatory rules of the road” for digital assets, hinting that the agency under former chair Gary Gensler had contributed to market and regulatory uncertainty. 

“I look forward to engaging with market participants and working with colleagues in President Trump’s administration and Congress to establish a rational fit-for-purpose framework for crypto assets,” said Atkins.

SEC chair suggests 'huge benefits' in agency's third crypto roundtable
SEC chair Paul Atkins addressing the April 25 crypto roundtable. Source: SEC

Some critics of US President Donald Trump see Atkins’ nomination to lead the SEC as a nod to the crypto industry, acting on campaign promises to remove Gensler — the former chair resigned the day Trump took office — and cut back on regulation. Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee questioned Atkins on his ties to the industry, potentially presenting conflicts of interest in his role regulating crypto.

Related: Atkins SEC era sparks massive industry optimism, crypto execs speak out

The direction of the SEC under new leadership

“We’ve noticed that we don’t have to be as concerned […] about being accused of things that we’re not doing, like being broker-dealers for securities,” Exodus chief legal officer Veronica McGregor, who participated in the roundtable, told Cointelegraph on April 24.”It’s just a less scary regulatory environment in general. It is, however, still unclear what the ultimate regs are going to look like for crypto.” 

The SEC crypto task force is scheduled to hold two more roundtables in May and June to discuss tokenization and decentralized finance, respectively. Commissioner Hester Peirce, who leads the task force, told Cointelegraph in March that she welcomed the opportunity to work with Atkins to “reorient the agency,” hinting at an SEC with regulations more favorable to the crypto industry.

In addition to the roundtables, the crypto task force has reported several meetings with digital asset firms to discuss various policies and considerations in developing a regulatory framework.

Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

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Nasdaq urges SEC to treat certain digital assets as ‘stocks by any other name’

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<div>Nasdaq urges SEC to treat certain digital assets as 'stocks by any other name'</div>

<div>Nasdaq urges SEC to treat certain digital assets as 'stocks by any other name'</div>

Nasdaq has urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold digital assets to the same regulatory standards as securities if they constitute “stocks by any other name,” according to an April 25 comment letter. 

The exchange said the US financial regulator needs to establish a clearer taxonomy for cryptocurrencies, including categorizing a portion of digital assets as “financial securities.” Those tokens, Nasdaq argued, should continue to be regulated “as they are regulated today regardless of tokenized form.”

“Whether it takes the form of a paper share, a digital share, or a token, an instrument’s underlying nature remains the same and it should be traded and regulated in the same ways,” the letter said. 

It also proposed categorizing a portion of cryptocurrencies as “digital asset investment contracts,” to be subject to “light touch regulation” but still overseen by the SEC.

Nasdaq urges SEC to treat certain digital assets as 'stocks by any other name'
Nasdaq’s April 25 letter to the SEC. Source: Nasdaq

Related: Certain stablecoins aren’t securities, SEC says in new guidance

Regulatory U-turn

The SEC has dramatically pivoted its stance on cryptocurrency oversight since US President Donald Trump took office in January. 

Under the leadership of former Chair Gary Gensler, the SEC took the position that practically all cryptocurrencies, with the exception of Bitcoin (BTC), represent investment contracts and therefore qualify as securities. 

This stance led the agency to bring upwards of 100 lawsuits against crypto firms for alleged securities law violations.

However, under Trump nominee Paul Atkins, who was sworn in as chair on April 21 after a lengthy Senate confirmation, the SEC has claimed jurisdiction over a narrower segment of cryptocurrencies. 

In February, the agency issued guidance stating that memecoins — if clearly identified as purely speculative assets with no intrinsic value — do not qualify as investment contracts pursuant to US law. 

In April, the SEC said that stablecoins — digital tokens pegged to the US dollar — similarly do not qualify as securities if they are marketed solely as a means of making payments.

Nasdaq urges SEC to treat certain digital assets as 'stocks by any other name'
Stablecoin market overview. Source: RWA.xyz

Integrating crypto into TradFi

In its April 21 letter, Nasdaq said existing financial infrastructure “can readily absorb digital assets by establishing the proper taxonomy and calibrating certain rules to reflect what is truly new and novel about digital assets.”

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) — a private US securities clearinghouse closely overseen by the SEC — has been laying the foundation for integrating blockchain technology into regulated financial markets.

In March, the DTCC committed to promoting Ethereum’s ERC-3643 standard for permissioned securities tokens.

Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race

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