News

David Lammy, prominent black MP and Chair of Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral nomination campaign, has given a significant boost to David Miliband’s fight for the Labour leadership today with his endorsement.

Writing in the New Statesman Lammy outlines why he’s backing the older of the two Miliband’s currently battling it out to be leader and what he thinks it means for the future of the party:

While the Labour leadership race heats up and heads toward the ballot there is one candidate who has not become so embroiled in the punch and judy style political sideswiping that was almost inevitably going to define the Labour leadership campaign final days.

That candidate is Diane Abbott.

Conservative party ‘high flyer’ Edward Hallam was relieved of his post as Conservative Future National Campaigns Co-ordinator after a foul-mouthed expletive-filled facebook posting about Labour leadership contender Diane Abbott.

Hallam called the MP a

foul, ignorant, conceited c***" saying "She'll make a great Labour leader.

She's a poisoned well, her policies are hate and bile, and she's intellectually illiterate with a chip on her shoulder.

In an explosive article Lee Jasper questions the Government´s comittment to race equality, arguing that if the present changes in a consultation go through local authorities and other public bodies will have less obligation to tackle race inequalities that persist.

Jasper argues that hard fought battles that were gained after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry will be rolled back.

We, of course, urge you to get involved in this important debate.

By Simon Woolley

Alongside the Labour leadership election this September, Labour party members in London will be voting for their London mayoral candidate. The main contenders are Ken Livingstone - former two-term London mayor and Oona King - former MP for Bethnal Green & Bow.

A special event, chaired by Lambeth Councillor Florence Nosegbe, was held in Brixton last Wednesday where the public were given the opportunity to meet Oona King and hear why she was running for the candidacy. Former OBV alumni James Odoi writes about his experience of day.

Acclaimed rapper and aspiring Haitian President Wyclef Jean will not be allowed to stand as a candidate in the Haitian elections, due to take place in November.

The decision is final and was made by the Haitian Electoral Council.

With ballot papers due to arrive on party members’ doormats from September 1st, the five candidates of the Labour party leadership election have upped their game.

They have been darting about to communicate to Labour members – including 30,000 new joiners – their visions for the party and reasons why they should be its next leader. There are now just four weeks left until voting closes on September 22nd.

After Barack Obama’s historic election, there were significant voices on both sides of the Atlantic who talked about a post-racial world; a place in which the colour of one's skin, or the religion one practiced would no longer hold any negative connotations in this brave new world.

Russia 2018 World Cup bid was at the centre of a growing race controversy as the scale of racism and racist attacks in the former Soviet Union threatened to derail their bid to host the World Cup.

In May 2006 Amnesty International reported that racism in Russia was ‘”out of control”.

The greatest human catastrophe that is climate change will hit the world's poorest continent, Africa, the worst, according to the African Development Forum.

The organisation of church leaders, that works to encourage a more substantial reaction among African and Caribbean Christians to climate change, will host a summit to equip delegates with the information needed to create eco-friendly congregations.