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    ‘Enough is enough’: Gary Neville attacks Boris Johnson over ‘constant mistruths’

    Pundit Gary Neville has launched an attack on prime minister Boris Johnson by calling for his resignation and saying “enough is enough” amid “mistruths”.Neville’s rant was published on Twitter in a video amid reports the PM will hold a press conference at 5.30pm to introduce more restrictions in England to help prevent the spread of the new variant Omicron.However, Neville has blasted the conference as “distraction tactics” after the reported Christmas party held at Downing Street last year was made public this week. The former Manchester United player said: “The reports emerging that Boris Johnson is going to announce a press conference at 5.30pm. The distraction tactic is now a predictable one. We’ve seen it for the last two years. This guy lacks integrity. He lies to us constantly. The mistruths that come out of number 10 are just constant. “Not only that but he’s the worst kind of leader. Someone who expects his team to go under with him and come out and lie for him. His ministers and his MPs are constantly forced to do that and enough is enough.”Neville went onto call for Johnson’s resignation, a similar call to that of the Scottish National Party leader in the House of Commons Ian Blackford at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.“It’s not even about a party or a social gathering on December 18,” Neville added. “Or a secret Santa or a cheese and wine. It’s about actually having a guy at the top of our country who believes he can take us all for a ride and laugh at us. “He does it time after time after time. This cannot be let go. Now is the time to get this guy out of number 10 and start bringing some standards back into politics.”Neville continued his criticism in a series of tweets with one saying “vile” and another reading “this guy is beyond help. It’s up to the @Conservatives MP’s to act . He’s just thrown his staff under the bus and he will throw you as well!”The ex-England player’s criticisms echo those heard at PMQs with Blackford’s being the strongest of the session.The MP said: “Tough decisions will again have to be made to save lives and protect our NHS. Trust in leadership is a matter of life and death. Downing Street wilfully broke the rules and mocked the sacrifices we have all made, shattering the public’s trust.“The Prime Minister is responsible for losing the trust of the people, he can no longer lead on the most pressing issue facing these islands.“The Prime Minister has a duty, the only right and moral choice left to him, it is for his resignation, when can we expect it?”Johnson replied: “The party opposite and the other party opposite are going to continue to play politics, I am going to get on with the job.” More

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    Azeem Rafiq: English cricket rife with racism, says cricketer as MPs told of ‘inhuman’ treatment at Yorkshire

    Yorkshire whistleblower Azeem Rafiq delivered an emotional and explosive account of his harrowing experience of racism in cricket to MPs on Tuesday, with a series of new and shocking allegations that implicate a handful of high-profile former England players.During a lengthy appearance in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee he offered up a damning, and damaging, account of his life in the English game before the publication of a written statement escalated matters even further.Over the course of what could go down as a watershed day for the sport, ex-internationals Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Alex Hales and Gary Ballance had all been subject to fresh claims of racial discrimination that paint a torrid picture of how Rafiq’s dream career turned into a battle against depression.In his published witness statement from a now-settled employment tribunal with Yorkshire, Rafiq said that Bresnan’s treatment of him led to “suicidal thoughts” in 2017, with a later apology from Bresnan described by Rafiq as “lip service”.Elsewhere he restated an existing allegation against former England captain Michael Vaughan and also aired a long list of complaints against Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon and head coach Andrew Gale. Neither of the pair are currently active in their posts, with Moxon signed off due to a stress-related illness and Gale suspended pending an investigation into an offensive historic tweet.Rafiq’s attempts to raise allegations internally at the county fell on deaf ears more than three years ago, but an independent panel was eventually commissioned in 2020 following a series of media interviews. Its report has been roundly criticised by those who have seen it – with DCMS committee chair Julian Knight deriding it as “a Venn diagram of stupidity” – and led to Yorkshire’s controversial conclusion that no staff members should face disciplinary action.Rafiq said he wished to become “the voice of the voiceless” as he reflected on cricket’s wider problems around race, making it clear that he felt the shortcomings go right to the very top.As well as going into disturbing details of his time at Headingley, the 30-year-old claimed Ballance’s derogatory use of the term ‘Kevin’ as a blanket term for all people of colour was “an open secret in the England dressing room”. He further alleged that another former England batter, Alex Hales, had named his dog Kevin because it was black.Ballance has previously admitted using a “racial slur” against Rafiq over the course of a deep friendship but the latter rejected that assertion. Instead he says Ballance coined the unwanted and offensive nickname “Raffa the kaffir” and would “constantly talk down to me and make racist jokes, designed to undermine me and make me feel small”. Examples involved references to corner shops, Sheikhs and being related to other Asian men.Ballance is accused of repeatedly calling Rafiq ‘P***’, an allegation that is also levelled individually at Hoggard, Bresnan and Gale.Hoggard is also said to have used the phrase “elephant washer”, subjecting Rafiq to such abuse “on a daily basis…all day, every day” and making players of Asian heritage sit together in the changing room. During his oral evidence, Rafiq credited Hoggard with reaching out to apologise.No such mitigation was offered for Bresnan, of whom Rafiq wrote: “Tim frequently made racist comments and was unduly harsh towards me compared to white British players, which became so unbearable that I made a formal complaint against him in 2017.”Bresnan later apologised unreservedly for “any part I played in contributing to Azeem Rafiq’s experience of being bullied” but stressed the accusation he frequently made racist comments was “absolutely not true”.Gale is also alleged to have used a variety of racial slurs as well using his leadership positions to subject Rafiq to “discriminatory treatment and bullying” which held back his career.The majority of Rafiq’s claims centre around his two stints as a Yorkshire player between 2008 and 2018, with notable exceptions for Jason Gillespie’s reign as head coach and a month-long loan spell at Derbyshire, but a graphic episode from his youth was also described.Rafiq revealed that as an aspiring 15-year-old club cricketer he had been restrained in a car and force-fed alcohol by a former Yorkshire and Hampshire player. As a Muslim this contravened his religious beliefs, though he later admitted he took up drinking at Yorkshire.“I got pinned down at my local cricket club and had red wine poured down my throat, literally down my throat,” he said.“I (then) didn’t touch alcohol until about 2012 and around that time I felt I had to do that to fit in. I wasn’t perfect, there are things I did which I felt I had to do to achieve my dreams. I deeply regret that but it has nothing to do with racism. The game as a whole has a problem, with listening to the victim. There is no ‘yeah, but’ with racism; there is no ‘two sides’ to racism.”Asked if he could identify a single individual who had stood up for him or called out acts of racism at the time, he was unable to summon a name, adding: “You had people who were openly racist and you had the bystanders. No-one felt it was important.”Expanding on Ballance’s use of the word ‘Kevin’, Rafiq explained: “Kevin was something Gary used to describe anyone of colour in a very derogatory manner. It was an open secret in the England dressing room.“Anyone who came across Gary would know that was a phrase he would use to describe people of colour. Gary and Alex Hales got really close to each other when they played for England together. I wasn’t present in that dressing room, but what I understand (is) that Alex went on to name his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black. It’s disgusting how much of a joke it was.”On England captain Joe Root’s recent assertion that he could not recall any examples of racism at Yorkshire, Rafiq found it hard to reconcile his positive view of the individual with the culture that existed during their time together at Yorkshire.“Rooty is a good man. He never engaged in racist language,” he said.“I found it hurtful because Rooty was Gary’s housemate and had been involved in a lot of the socialising where I was called a ‘P***’. It shows how normal it was that even a good man like him doesn’t see it for what it was. It’s not going to affect Joe, but it’s something I remember every day.”Former England coach and veteran commentator David Lloyd issued an apology on Twitter after Rafiq indicated he had exchanged disparaging messages about him in private. Lloyd, whose employers Sky have said they are investigating the comments, wrote: “I deeply regret my actions, and I apologise most sincerely to Azeem and to the Asian cricket community for doing this, and for any offence caused.”The England and Wales Cricket Board has appointed an independent commission for equity in cricket (ICEC), chaired by Cindy Butts, charged with examining the issue of race in the game.Its call for evidence is now open, but Rafiq was sceptical about that process, stating: “Action is needed and needed now. To be honest, we are sick and tired of these equity commissions and inquiries. Sick and tired.“All we are asking for is equality, to be treated fairly regardless of the colour of our skin or the religion we follow. It’s 2021, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation. No-one has ever been a whistleblower before, no-one has ever had the courage to come forward because of the fear of not being believed. Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes I do.“Maybe what was written for me was this. I’m a massive believer that everything happens for a reason. I hope in five years’ time we are going to see a big change, that I did something far bigger than any runs or any wickets I got.”The PA news agency has attempted to contact those involved for comment. Michael Vaughan issued a statement on Monday categorically denying accusations he had told four Asian team-mates “there’s too many of your lot, we need to do something about it”.PA More

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    Patriots deny Trump offered senator money in 2008 to drop investigation into team

    New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has denied allegations he and Donald Trump attempted to pay a US senator money in order to drop an investigation into a cheating scandal involving the team.According to a report published on Wednesday by ESPN, Trump met with late senator Arlen Specter in 2008 and offered him “money in Palm Beach” if he dropped his investigation into the Spygate scandal, in which the Patriots were disciplined by the NFL for filming a rival team’s coaching signals. Trump had not started his political career at the time and was well-known as the star of reality show The Apprentice. ESPN says Trump was acting on behalf of Kraft, a claim those close to the former president and the team deny.“This [report] is completely false,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, told ESPN when asked about the story. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.”A spokesman for the Patriots also denied the allegations to ESPN. “Mr Kraft is not aware of any involvement of Trump on this topic and he did not have any other engagement with Specter or his staff,” the spokesman said via email.Specter was senator for Pennsylvania at the time and ran as a Democrat and Republican during his political career. He was also a personal friend of Trump. Trump himself has been on friendly terms with several prominent members of the Patriots including Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and former quarterback Tom Brady. Both Brady and Belichick have distanced themselves from Trump recently. In January, following the US Capitol invasion, Belichick turned down Trump’s offer of the presidential medal of freedom.The bulk of the allegations behind ESPN’s story come from Specter’s son, Shanin. He says the reference to money was for campaign contributions rather than cash. “My father told me that Trump was acting as a messenger for Kraft,” Shanin Specter told ESPN. “But I’m equally sure the reference to money in Palm Beach was campaign contributions, not cash. The offer was Kraft assistance with campaign contributions. … My father said it was Kraft’s offer, not someone else’s.”Specter eventually ended the investigation himself after he failed to gain support from fellow senators and due to his own ill health after being diagnosed with cancer and starting chemotherapy.The NFL conducted its own investigation into Spygate and fined Belichick and the Patriots a total of $750,000 as well as docking them a first-round pick in the 2008 draft. More

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    China labels Nancy Pelosi ‘full of lies’ after call for Winter Olympics boycott

    China has labelled the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, “full of lies and disinformation” after her calls for a diplomatic boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics on human rights grounds.“Some US individuals’ remarks are full of lies and disinformation,” a foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, said on Wednesday. “US politicians should stop using the Olympic movement to play despicable political games” or using “the so-called human rights issue as a pretext to smear and slander China”, he added.Zhao hit out at the US’s human rights record, citing “the continuing spread of xenophobia, white supremacy and discrimination against people of African and Asian descent and Islamophobia”.On Tuesday Pelosi criticised China’s human rights record and urged global leaders not to attend the Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in Beijing in February.“What I propose – and join those who are proposing – is a diplomatic boycott,” Pelosi said at a bipartisan congressional hearing, adding that leading countries should “withhold their attendance at the Olympics”.“Let’s not honour the Chinese government by having heads of state go to China,” she added. “For heads of state to go to China in light of a genocide that is ongoing – while you’re sitting there in your seat – really begs the question: what moral authority do you have to speak again about human rights any place in the world?”Joe Biden’s administration has called China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority “genocide”, a charge Beijing has vehemently denied. The US president has said his administration hopes to develop a joint approach with allies on participation in Beijing’s Olympics.US legislators have been increasingly critical of China’s human rights record of late, and talk of shunning the Beijing Winter Olympics has been growing among some US allies and human rights activists since last year.The Massachusetts Democratic representative Jim McGovern has proposed relocating the Winter Olympics. “If we can postpone an Olympics by a year for a pandemic, we can surely postpone the Olympics for a year for a genocide … This would give the IOC time to relocate to a country whose government is not committing atrocities.”The Republican congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey said corporate sponsors should be called to testify before Congress and be “held to account … big business wants to make lots of money, and it doesn’t seem to matter what cruelty – even genocide – that the host nation commits.”In Britain, several MPs have joined the calls for a boycott. However, a separate online petition in February calling for the UK parliament to debate a motion that would lead to a boycott from Team GB was rejected.Washington led a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In retaliation, the Soviet bloc snubbed the 1984 Los Angeles summer Games.The recent calls for a boycott are reminiscent of the international response to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But Sarah Hirshland, the chief executive of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said past Olympic boycotts had failed to achieve their political ends.She said her organisation was concerned about the “oppression of the Uyghur population” but barring US athletes from the Games was “certainly not the answer”. More