Battle for property tycoon's millions, Tony Blair to lead Gaza, school removes book & other stories from Black, Asian & Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week - curated by Melissa Sigodo

The PM has managed to unite the nation in anger - another blow to his leadership, but does he even care?

Good morning, evening or afternoon,

Thank you for subscribing to The Source.

I saw that a few of you listened to my podcast last week and I’d love to know what you think. Do drop me a message with your feedback so I know if it is worth continuing.

Here it is in case you missed.

Otherwise, as usual, this week we were bombarded with more stories about immigration plans.

But in a turn of events, this week saw us enter a new phase were migration plans managed to seemingly unite the nation in anger as Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that we would all soon be required to have mandatory digital ID to ‘combat illegal migration.’ This digital ID would be used to prove your right to work.

FYI, there are existing checks in place to ensure that people cannot work illegally as you need to have a national insurance number, and immigrants are already required to provide a code to prove they can work as well as using digital e-visas. So naturally there are questions as to why this measure which carries risks including cyber threats and apparently won’t enhance security is being introduced.

Increasingly, it feels as though we have a leader who has no ambitions to govern past his current term. With scandal after scandal rocking those closest to him, his backfiring attempts to appeal to the right and his inability to do the basic and morally right thing with Gaza - it is clear to see that his time at Number 10 has no vision, no direction and no introspection. I know many who voted Labour cannot believe their eyes.

But as usual, I’ve collated all the news you shouldn’t have missed through the wall-to-wall coverage on immigration.

World news this week includes updates on Sudan and Congo so without further ado, here’s what you shouldn’t have missed this week.

---

News

A property tycoon McDonald Noel who died with no will, partner or children and left behind a £2.7million fortune is now at the centre of a High Court case over who should inherit his riches. Mcdonald had moved from Trinidad to London in 1960 and now a “bitter” dispute has broken out over who could take on his wealth. Read the full story by Richard Gittins at The Independent.

Politics

Plans backed by the White House which include making former Prime Minister Tony Blair the interim leader of Gaza have been branded “insane” by the Scottish National Party (SNP). The SNP’s Middle East spokesperson Brendan O’Hara also called on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “block” any bid for leadership by Blair in Gaza. Read the full story by James Walker at The National.

---

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has labelled President Donald Trump racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic when asked about the US leader’s comments where he referred to him as a “terrible mayor” as well as making unfounded claims that he wanted to implement Sharia Law. Read the full story by Sky News.

Policing

A British journalist who was hit by a rubber bullet during protests against Trump’s immigration raids in LA claims it was deliberate and is now taking legal action against the Los Angeles Police Department. Read the full story by Melissa Sigodo for The Source.

---

A woman who was racially abused and called the P-word by children on public transport says she has been left “shaken” by the incident. Sophia Choudry filmed and posted the encounter on TikTok. However, after reporting the incident to police she was told the case was closed. It was then reopened once the BBC began making enquiries. Read the full story by Harry Low at BBC.

Health

A Black Maternal Mental Health Report looking at the experiences of over 18,000 Black mothers has found that they are more than twice as likely to be hospitalised with mental illness in the weeks before and after birth. It also found that depression and anxiety “can be directly fuelled by experiences of racism, stereotyping, and microaggressions in NHS maternity care.” Read the full story by ITVX.

---

A father and daughter have written a book to raise awareness of sickle cell and to encourage Black people to donate blood. The dad Kehinde has started a charity called SickleKan to further raise awareness. Read the full story by Gem O’Reilly at BBC.

Education

Students and parents at a school in Dorset are calling for a book called The Hate U Give which was written by Angie Thomas to be added back in the curriculum after a parent complained for it to be removed. A parent who complained stated it was “teaching” their daughters that their skin colour “makes then baddies” and that it was “racist”, while a former student said the decision “didn’t match the inclusive values” the school had when she attended. Read the full story by Diane Taylor at The Guardian.

Inquiries

Axel Rudakubana, 18, who killed three girls Alice Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a dance class in Southport last year held “quite voluminous” anti-Islamist material, an inquiry has heard. At the time of the attack there had been misinformation that it was an “Islamist attack.” Read the full story by Duncan Gardham at Sky News.

Legal

The seven-year sentence of a 15-year-old boy who was found guilty of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Asian man will not be increased after an appeal for an extension was rejected. Bhim Kohli was racially abused and killed while out walking his dog near his home. Read the full story by Greig Watson at BBC.

---

A man who tortured an eight-year-old girl Victoria Climbie to death will not be released from prison. Read the full story by BBC.

Crime

A woman armed with knives who took a taxi to a hotel where she wanted to kill migrants had consumed far-right content online from figures including Tommy Robinson, a court has heard. Nina Manley was said to be drunk and high at the time told police officers she was going to “kill someone.” Read the full story by Luke Alsford at The Metro.