Ian Birrell
@ianbirrell.bsky.social
Foreign correspondent, columnist, campaigner, co-founder Africa Express, citizen of the world and a bit more besides…
Reposted by Ian Birrell
Sergei Belyakov, a graduate of the FSB Academy, helped Epstein obtain an invitation letter from Vympel veterans. For more about Belyakov, read this investigation from the Dossier Centre (a non-profit investigative body founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky) dossier.center/jeffreyepste...
Jeffrey Epstein’s Russian Connection:
Billionaire's ties with FSB Academy graduate revealed
dossier.center
February 5, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Sergei Belyakov, a graduate of the FSB Academy, helped Epstein obtain an invitation letter from Vympel veterans. For more about Belyakov, read this investigation from the Dossier Centre (a non-profit investigative body founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky) dossier.center/jeffreyepste...
Reposted by Ian Birrell
He listed the Moscow-based group "Vympel" as his inviting organisation. This is the name of a special FSB unit that conducts counterterrorism operations, whose leader is FSB veteran and KGB Colonel Sergei Shestov
February 5, 2026 at 11:45 AM
He listed the Moscow-based group "Vympel" as his inviting organisation. This is the name of a special FSB unit that conducts counterterrorism operations, whose leader is FSB veteran and KGB Colonel Sergei Shestov
Reposted by Ian Birrell
According to this report in Novaya Gazeta, Epstein received a Russian visa at the invitation of FSB veterans through his contact Sergei Belyakov novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...
Эпштейн получил российскую визу по приглашению ветеранов ФСБ — Новая газета Европа
В 2011 году, заполняя заявление на российскую визу, Джеффри Эпштейн указал в качестве приглашающей организации московскую МОО «Вымпел». С этим названием в России на тот момент существовала только Ме...
novayagazeta.eu
February 5, 2026 at 11:45 AM
According to this report in Novaya Gazeta, Epstein received a Russian visa at the invitation of FSB veterans through his contact Sergei Belyakov novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...
Are western governments actively facilitating money laundering? My @spectator review of @oliverbullough.bsky.social’s excellent new book spectator.com/article/are-...
Are western governments actively facilitating money laundering?
On the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, there is a two-storey factory churning out a vast number of dollar bills every day for the United States Federal Reserve. When Oliver Bullough visited, he counte...
spectator.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Are western governments actively facilitating money laundering? My @spectator review of @oliverbullough.bsky.social’s excellent new book spectator.com/article/are-...
According to this report in Novaya Gazeta, Epstein received a Russian visa at the invitation of FSB veterans through his contact Sergei Belyakov novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...
Эпштейн получил российскую визу по приглашению ветеранов ФСБ — Новая газета Европа
В 2011 году, заполняя заявление на российскую визу, Джеффри Эпштейн указал в качестве приглашающей организации московскую МОО «Вымпел». С этим названием в России на тот момент существовала только Ме...
novayagazeta.eu
February 5, 2026 at 11:45 AM
According to this report in Novaya Gazeta, Epstein received a Russian visa at the invitation of FSB veterans through his contact Sergei Belyakov novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...
'The U.K. economy would be smaller, its debts larger and taxes higher within 15 years if immigration were to end, said the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.'
www.wsj.com/economy/glob...
www.wsj.com/economy/glob...
Without Immigrants, U.K. Economy Would Be Smaller, More Indebted, Says NIESR
The U.K.’s leading economic research body also said it expects inflation to settle at the Bank of England’s 2% target later this year.
www.wsj.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:31 AM
'The U.K. economy would be smaller, its debts larger and taxes higher within 15 years if immigration were to end, said the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.'
www.wsj.com/economy/glob...
www.wsj.com/economy/glob...
Reposted by Ian Birrell
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
February 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
So it cost £50,000 - paid by an Iranian-born billionaire - for Nigel 'man of the people' Farage to 'put the global elites on notice' at Davos.
February 4, 2026 at 6:51 PM
So it cost £50,000 - paid by an Iranian-born billionaire - for Nigel 'man of the people' Farage to 'put the global elites on notice' at Davos.
Reposted by Ian Birrell
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
Brilliant, incensed piece by Marina Hyde on all those powerful men who helped a wealthy paedophile despite his sickening crimes against young women www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It’s the Epstein files deja vu: how many more powerful men knew about his crimes, and helped him out anyway? | Marina Hyde
I’m sorry, but this is not just a political scandal. Time to refocus on the horrific mistreatment of women and girls, and the role of these ghouls, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Brilliant, incensed piece by Marina Hyde on all those powerful men who helped a wealthy paedophile despite his sickening crimes against young women www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"You are a controversial figure' said convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to Peter Mandelson
February 3, 2026 at 11:11 AM
"You are a controversial figure' said convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to Peter Mandelson
Reposted by Ian Birrell
Ian Birrell: a Labour Government headed by a human rights lawyer wants to protect councils that fail to meet their legal responsibilities to some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people…by ending the right of parents to challenge wrongful decisions archive.is/2026.02.01-190808...
February 2, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Ian Birrell: a Labour Government headed by a human rights lawyer wants to protect councils that fail to meet their legal responsibilities to some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people…by ending the right of parents to challenge wrongful decisions archive.is/2026.02.01-190808...
Reposted by Ian Birrell
Is this really why Labour MPs think they were elected: to strip some of the most vulnerable children in the country of their right to a decent start in life?
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
Parents of SEND children should fear what Starmer is planning
This Government seems intent on shredding the rights of the vulnerable
inews.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 7:27 AM
Is this really why Labour MPs think they were elected: to strip some of the most vulnerable children in the country of their right to a decent start in life?
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
Reposted by Ian Birrell
"A Labour Government headed by a human rights lawyer wants to protect councils that fail to meet their legal responsibilities to some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people. It wants to do so by ending the statutory right of parents to challenge wrongful decisions made by faceless officials."
Is this really why Labour MPs think they were elected: to strip some of the most vulnerable children in the country of their right to a decent start in life?
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
Parents of SEND children should fear what Starmer is planning
This Government seems intent on shredding the rights of the vulnerable
inews.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 9:37 AM
"A Labour Government headed by a human rights lawyer wants to protect councils that fail to meet their legal responsibilities to some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people. It wants to do so by ending the statutory right of parents to challenge wrongful decisions made by faceless officials."
Want to read diverse voices and commentary from across the political spectrum rather than just one tribal perspective? Try The i Paper for just £20 a year. Offer ends tonight at 11:59pm.
inews.co.uk/subscribe?ut...
inews.co.uk/subscribe?ut...
February 2, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Want to read diverse voices and commentary from across the political spectrum rather than just one tribal perspective? Try The i Paper for just £20 a year. Offer ends tonight at 11:59pm.
inews.co.uk/subscribe?ut...
inews.co.uk/subscribe?ut...
Is this really why Labour MPs think they were elected: to strip some of the most vulnerable children in the country of their right to a decent start in life?
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
Parents of SEND children should fear what Starmer is planning
This Government seems intent on shredding the rights of the vulnerable
inews.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 7:27 AM
Is this really why Labour MPs think they were elected: to strip some of the most vulnerable children in the country of their right to a decent start in life?
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
My @theipaper.com column on looming SEND reforms inews.co.uk/opinion/pare...
Reposted by Ian Birrell
What is the point of Kemi Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it repels millions of moderate voters and simply pastiches Nigel Farage's Reform? My @telegraph.co.uk column www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
Kemi is wrong – the Tories are lost without a Left
What is the point of Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it simply pastiches Reform?
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 5:04 PM
What is the point of Kemi Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it repels millions of moderate voters and simply pastiches Nigel Farage's Reform? My @telegraph.co.uk column www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
What is the point of Kemi Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it repels millions of moderate voters and simply pastiches Nigel Farage's Reform? My @telegraph.co.uk column www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
Kemi is wrong – the Tories are lost without a Left
What is the point of Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it simply pastiches Reform?
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 5:04 PM
What is the point of Kemi Badenoch’s brand of conservatism if it repels millions of moderate voters and simply pastiches Nigel Farage's Reform? My @telegraph.co.uk column www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
How many times will we hear about these appalling medical scandals, dead or damaged patients, whistleblowers ignored, arrogant doctors, blinkered managers, talk of lessons learned and ending the NHS culture of cover up?
January 29, 2026 at 10:24 PM
How many times will we hear about these appalling medical scandals, dead or damaged patients, whistleblowers ignored, arrogant doctors, blinkered managers, talk of lessons learned and ending the NHS culture of cover up?
These figures expose a lethal scandal taking place in plain sight but ignored due to societal prejudice: four in ten deaths of people with learning disabilities are avoidable, double the number of other citizens.
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
January 29, 2026 at 10:12 AM
These figures expose a lethal scandal taking place in plain sight but ignored due to societal prejudice: four in ten deaths of people with learning disabilities are avoidable, double the number of other citizens.
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
A minister once explained to me how this is done: at an agreed point, the British delegation raises human rights so they can claim to have done so while the Chinese team ostentatiously turns away or ignores them. Then they get back to business..
NEW: Keir Starmer says he’ll “raise the issues that need to be raised” on human rights with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as he arrives in Beijing for first trip to country by UK leader in 8 years.
January 28, 2026 at 9:45 AM
A minister once explained to me how this is done: at an agreed point, the British delegation raises human rights so they can claim to have done so while the Chinese team ostentatiously turns away or ignores them. Then they get back to business..
A very disturbing proposal being floated by the government: stop SEND parents from appealing education, health and care plan refusals since councils lose 99% of cases
inews.co.uk/news/educati...
Just as before the woeful budget, ministers are testing lots of dreadful ideas. Prepare for the worst
inews.co.uk/news/educati...
Just as before the woeful budget, ministers are testing lots of dreadful ideas. Prepare for the worst
Parents of SEND children face being blocked from EHCP appeals
Ministers are seeking to curb the sharp rise in tribunal challenges - where parents win 99 per cent of cases
inews.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 9:36 AM
A very disturbing proposal being floated by the government: stop SEND parents from appealing education, health and care plan refusals since councils lose 99% of cases
inews.co.uk/news/educati...
Just as before the woeful budget, ministers are testing lots of dreadful ideas. Prepare for the worst
inews.co.uk/news/educati...
Just as before the woeful budget, ministers are testing lots of dreadful ideas. Prepare for the worst
Reposted by Ian Birrell
Amazing fact that shows the reality of Reform UK: There are now more members of Liz Truss’s disastrous cabinet in Farage’s party than in the Conservative Party.
January 27, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Amazing fact that shows the reality of Reform UK: There are now more members of Liz Truss’s disastrous cabinet in Farage’s party than in the Conservative Party.
Amazing fact that shows the reality of Reform UK: There are now more members of Liz Truss’s disastrous cabinet in Farage’s party than in the Conservative Party.
January 27, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Amazing fact that shows the reality of Reform UK: There are now more members of Liz Truss’s disastrous cabinet in Farage’s party than in the Conservative Party.
Reposted by Ian Birrell
Trump’s ICE spreads mayhem and misery – and sounds a dark warning for Europe. My @theipaper column inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
Trump's ICE spreads mayhem and misery - and sounds a dark warning for Europe
This is another glimpse of what happens when fear and loathing of migrants curdles into toxic tribalism
inews.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Trump’s ICE spreads mayhem and misery – and sounds a dark warning for Europe. My @theipaper column inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...