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Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailPolice are investigating a post by a retired university professor calling on someone to “blow up” a Jewish Labour Movement meeting.The University of Bristol has stripped Harriet Bradley of her emeritus and honorary status, and it’s understood the University of West England has done the same.Prof Bradley, a former Labour councillor and sociology lecturer, has apologised “to all people who’ve been hurt” by the post on social media, which she later deleted.She said she deeply regretted writing the post “in a moment of anger”.The Metropolitan Police have recorded a “massive increase” in antisemitic hate crimes since the eruption of violence between Israel and Hamas militants.Avon and Somerset Police said they were investigating the post as “an incident of malicious communications”.It was in response to a meeting by the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) next month, where speakers include shadow health secretary Wes Streeting.Ms Bradley quoted that post, adding: “Somebody blow up the venue!”The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it had reported the post to counterterrorism police.But the academic admitted it had been a mistake, telling LabourList: “I would like to apologise to anybody hurt or frightened by my tweet. It was a remark made as a joke but I can see now it was a terrible mistake in awful taste.“I am of Jewish heritage, had a Jewish partner for many years and many of my extended family are Jewish.“I feel great respect for the Jewish people but I deplore what Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Force are doing in Gaza, killing and mutilating thousands of children and babies.”She said her “ill-thought joke” reflected her anger at the Labour Party’s position on Israel.“Of course I do not want to harm anyone…I repeat my apology which is sincere and hope you will make it clear that I wish no harm to British Jews.”Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire said she was putting pressure on the University of Bristol to take action.The university said: “We are deeply dismayed by the inflammatory comment on social media from a former employee who has long retired and are taking appropriate action.”On Friday, the university added: “We can confirm that we have withdrawn the Emeritus and Honorary Status of retired employee Professor Harriet Bradley with immediate effect.”The University of West England said on Wednesday that it would investigate further.A spokesman for the Community Security Trust charity said: “It is utterly shocking that anyone would make a threat like this against Jewish people, at a time when anti-Jewish hate crime is at record levels.“It’s even worse that this comes from a former councillor and academic who ought to know better.” More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailAnyone who streams or watches live programmes in Britain must pay an annual TV licence — but a debate has been rumbling for some time as to whether the fee is good value for money any longer.For the past two years the BBC’s TV licence has been frozen at £159, with an agreement it would rise in line with inflationfrom April, and in the three years after that.On Thursday, the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer confirmed the BBC licence fee will rise by £10.50 to £169.50 a year, The licence was expected to increase by 9% – which would have resulted in a hike of around £15 from April 2024.However, speaking in the Commons, Ms Frazer said the increase will instead be based on September’s consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation, which was 6.7%. This will mean an increase of £10.50 to £169.50 per year.The licence fee pays for BBC services including TV, radio, the BBC website, podcasts, iPlayer and apps. Its existence is guaranteed until the end of 2027 at least by the BBC’s royal charter, which sets out its funding and purpose.With the debate around the TV licence thrust back into the limelight, we want to know if you think the fee represents good value for money at £169.50 a year? Is the hike something you’re happy to pay for to maintain the BBC’s output?Or are you keen to see the TV licence scrapped altogether? Would you be happy to see ads on the broadcaster’s TV and radio channels if it meant the fee was axed?If you want to share your opinion then add it in the comments and we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below or by clicking here. More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailAnyone who streams or watches live programmes in Britain must pay an annual TV licence — but a debate has been rumbling for some time as to whether the fee is good value for money any longer.For the past two years the BBC’s TV licence has been frozen at £159, with an agreement it would rise in line with inflationfrom April, and in the three years after that.But on Monday morning culture secretary Lucy Frazer effectively confirmed the corporation will have to cope with a below-inflation rise amid reports Rishi Sunak wants to block the hike in the annual charge.A rise in the annual fee in line with inflation would amount to around £15, bumping the tax to £173.30. However, Ms Frazer said she was concerned this would be “high” while the cost of living crisis is ongoing.Her comments came after the prime minsister told reporters that the BBC “should be realistic about what it can expect people to pay at a time like this”.The licence fee pays for BBC services including TV, radio, the BBC website, podcasts, iPlayer and apps. Its existence is guaranteed until the end of 2027 at least by the BBC’s royal charter, which sets out its funding and purpose.With the debate around the TV licence thrust back into the limelight, we want to know if you think the fee represents good value for money at £159 a year? Is a hike in line with inflation something you would be willing to pay for to maintain the BBC’s output?Or are you keen to see the TV licence scrapped altogether? Would you be happy to see ads on the broadcaster’s TV and radio channels if it meant the fee was axed?If you want to share your opinion then add it in the comments and we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below. More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Watch as Michael Gove gives evidence to the Covid inquiry on Tuesday, 28 November. The housing secretary, who was Duchy of Lancaster during the first 18 months of the pandemic, previously told the […] More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email The average family could be expected to pay £120 more a year in council tax despite Jeremy Hunt’s plans to cut inheritance tax in half for the UK’s richest households, according to reports. […] More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Rishi Sunak’s government has been condemned over its failure to bring thousands of Afghans who worked with British forces to safety in the UK years despite repeated promises to do so. Labour’s shadow […] More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Boris Johnson asked whether Covid could be killed by blowing a hairdryer up the nose, according to his former top adviser Dominic Cummings. The theory was quickly dismissed at the time by scientists […] More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email The head of the independent watchdog for immigration has criticised the Home Office for failing to publish a promised review of the UK’s seasonal worker scheme. David Neal, the government-appointed independent chief inspector […] More