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Zarah Sultana starts every event she attends the same way.

She has to log the date, location and time into a little mechanical device at each destination so security teams know where she is.

That way, if any danger were to occur, her colleagues and the parliamentary authorities can send support as quickly as possible.

She’s the Labour MP for Coventry South and the youngest Muslim MP ever elected in this country and believes this is partly the reason why this year – according to parliament’s own records – she’s the most at-risk MP online.

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Since the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel, there has been a noticeable uptick in the hatred and abuse she receives online and she says, ever since she has started talking about Palestinian rights, the abuse has come thick and fast.

Often when talking about abuse, out of politeness, we risk sanitising the words that people direct towards her. So I cautiously ask her whether she would mind being open about what life is like for her on an average day.

She candidly whips out her phone and rattles off some of the types of abuse she has to deal with.

“‘You should be deported b***h,” the first one reads.

“Go home to Pakistan,” another abuser writes.

Ms Sultana speaks into a device to let security teams know where she is
Image:
Ms Sultana speaks into a device to let security teams know where she is

The last one before I stop her is the most shocking – it simply says: “Send that b***h to Palestine they are low on targets.”

I ask her why then she’s on social media at all. She insists it’s a crucial part of the job and it’s the most effective way to communicate with constituents as a young MP.

I’m accompanying her over 24 hours to see how these threats have impacted her, but in the process I’m amazed at how many security decisions she’s constantly making. She avoids public transport when she can, she’s thinking of any exits of every building she walks into in case of threats, and she is never alone on visits.

Out door-knocking with her and her team I casually mention that this is perhaps the most exposing part of being an MP.

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The Labour MP has acknowledged there is a risk when it comes to door-knocking
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The Labour MP has acknowledged there is a risk when it comes to door-knocking

It involves knocking on strangers’ doors to ask for their vote. She accepts it’s part of the job but acknowledges the risks and says there have been times where she’s not been completely sure she was on solid ground in terms of her safety.

But she doesn’t want to let that get in the way of being an MP.

MP safety is a live issue and members’ duties have become more risky for members under threat.

Two MPs who were killed in their constituencies cast a long shadow.

Ms Sultana speaks at a refugee wellbeing centre in her constituency
Image:
Ms Sultana speaks at a refugee wellbeing centre in her constituency

Jo Cox was brutally murdered in 2016 and Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed five years later.

The risks are very real to sitting members of the House of Commons and for some MPs they see that risk as too high.

Mike Freer, a Conservative MP whose office was targeted in an arson attack on Christmas Eve last year, said he would be standing down at the next election, citing safety concerns as the reason.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak railed against “extremist forces trying to tear us apart” during a Downing Street address to the nation just over a week ago.

Parliamentary authorities say that safety is fundamental to democracy and offer a range of security measures for members.

More at risk MPs are entitled to more offerings and the security minister has said private cars have been given to some female MPs significantly at risk.

Ms Sultana is now upping her security – something needed even more as she starts campaigning to keep her seat in Coventry South.

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Bitcoin to end four-year cycle, break out to new highs in 2026: Grayscale

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Bitcoin to end four-year cycle, break out to new highs in 2026: Grayscale

Bitcoin’s latest pullback may already be bottoming out, with asset manager Grayscale arguing that the market is on track to break the traditional four-year halving cycle and potentially set new all-time highs in 2026.

Some indicators are already pointing to a local bottom, not a prolonged drawdown, including Bitcoin’s (BTC) elevated option skew rising above 4, which signals that investors have already hedged “extensively” for downside exposure.

Despite a 32% decline, Bitcoin is on track to disrupt the traditional four-year halving cycle, wrote Grayscale in a Monday research report. “Although the outlook is uncertain, we believe the four-year cycle thesis will prove to be incorrect, and that Bitcoin’s price will potentially make new highs next year,” the report said.

Bitcoin pullback, compared to previous drawdowns. Source: research.grayscale.com

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Still, Bitcoin’s short-term recovery remains limited until some of the main flow indicators stage a reversal, including futures open interest, exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows and selling from long-term Bitcoin holders.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs, one of the main drivers of Bitcoin’s momentum in 2025, added significant downside pressure in November, racking up $3.48 billion in net negative outflows in their second-worst month on record, according to Farside Investors.

Bitcoin ETF Flow, in USD, million. Source: Farside Investors

More recently, though, the tide has started to turn. The funds have now logged four consecutive days of inflows, including a modest $8.5 million on Monday, suggesting ETF buyer appetite is slowly returning after the sell-off.

While market positioning suggests a “leverage reset rather than a sentiment break,” the key question is whether Bitcoin can “reclaim the low-$90,000s to avoid sliding toward mid-to-low-$80,000 support,” Iliya Kalchev, dispatch analyst at digital asset platform Nexo, told Cointelegraph.

Related: Strategy unveils new credit gauge to calm debt fears after Bitcoin crash

Fed policy and US crypto bill loom as 2026 catalysts

Crypto market watchers now await the largest “swing factor,” the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision on Dec. 10. The Fed’s decision and monetary policy guidance will serve as a significant catalyst for 2026, according to Grayscale.

Markets are pricing in an 87% chance of a 25 basis point interest rate cut, up from 63% a month ago, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool.

Interest rate cut probabilities. Source: CMEgroup.com

Later in 2026, Grayscale said continued progress toward the Digital Asset Market Structure bill may act as another catalyst for driving “institutional investment in the industry.” However, for more progress to be made, crypto needs to remain a “bipartisan issue,” and not turn into a partisan topic for the midterm US elections.

That effort effectively began with the passage of the CLARITY Act in the House of Representatives, which moved forward in July as part of the Republicans’ “crypto week” agenda. Senate leaders have said they plan to “build on” the House bill under the banner of the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, aiming to set a broader framework for digital asset markets.

The bill is currently under consideration in the Republican-led Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Banking Committee. Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott said in November that the committee planned to have the bill ready for signing into law by early 2026. 

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