The Birmingham Six

Craig Guildford has not resigned, so Shabana Mahmood, Wes Streeting, and at least implicitly Keir Starmer, can all suck it up. As can Nick Timothy and, since she has brought that fresher straight in as Shadow Justice Secretary, Kemi Badenoch.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mahmood regally announced that Guildford had lost her confidence, which he did not need. He can be sacked only by Simon Foster, whose own position the Government is abolishing. On Wednesday evening, the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv went on a racist riot, because of course they did. The AI thing was regrettable, but the ban on Maccabi fans, only from Villa Park, was in itself correct.

Reform UK's six MPs are the most that it has ever had, and one third of those were elected as Conservatives. But properly coordinated as it will be, the combined efforts of the Independent Left and of the Workers Party are set to deliver six MPs in Birmingham alone in 2029, now that Mahmood has lost Labour her own and four other seats, including that of her Home Office underling Jess Phillips, while ruling out its recapture of a sixth. Nationally, we are already on course for 15 to 20, so that should be seen as a floor, not a ceiling.

In Birmingham, there are strong local candidates in place, one of whom won in 2024 while the rest came very close. But any of them might become unavailable, and in the meantime there will be local elections. Elect the striking bin workers or their union reps and other active supporters. Elect Guildford, whether to the council or to Parliament. And if at all possible, elect to Parliament at least one of the triumphant hunger strikers, not the first to have been victorious, but the first to have been so without loss of life.

Four of the Five Demands were granted by Mahmood's avowed political heroine on 6 October 1981, and by 1983 even the right not to do prison work had been conceded. Now Elbit Systems has lost its two billion pound contract to train 60,000 British troops per year. Elbit's export licences will be disclosed, national leaders of prison healthcare will be meeting the strikers, Heba Muraisi should be going back to HMP Bronzefield, Teuta Hoxha will be meeting the head of the Joint Extremism Unit that classified as terrorists these remand prisoners charged only with non-violent offences, and withheld books and mail have been handed over, complete with at least one formal apology. Now bail these formidable operators, and get them into office.