Author | Lightnews

Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 1d

Stephen Parkinson, DPP, had decided Sept 3 to drop the case. Only senior civil servants could be informed (incl Powell). Not clear when Starmer + Cooper were told (and doesn't look like they could intervene) - case was publicly dropped Sept 15.

Future questions best directed at Parkinson...

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 1d

Tory spy case accusations backfiring...

Rishi Sunak was sent a copy of first witness statement in the spy case says Jonathan Powell + Matthew Collins. Powell says he 'played no role' in subsequent evidence when in govt

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Reposted by Dan Sabbagh

Josef O'Shea @josefoshea.bsky.social · 9d

Jimmy Buffett's deathless 'It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" ?

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 9d

Waiting for the Collins statements due at about 5pm from No10

We've gone from Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 through The Who's 5.15 to....

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Reposted by Dan Sabbagh

David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 10d

For 28 years, NPR’s Tom Bowman has held a Pentagon press pass.

Today, he is handing it in.

Opinion: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon press pass

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scen...

www.npr.org

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 10d

So Nо10 will publish the Collins witness statements in the China spy case. Clearly Downing St is confident of its position.

Looks like the defence will be that Collins could not go beyond first witness statement, given under the Tories

The "substantive evidence" was given in Nov 2023, Starmer says

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 11d

An Iranian designed Shahed 136 drone is unveiled at the Speakers House in parliament. It has been decommissioned, guests are assured...

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 11d

*Three* witness statements were provided to the CPS for the China 'spy' trial by Matthew Collins, UK dep NSA, Ruth Anderson tells the Lords. None sufficient to allow the trial to go ahead though

Michael Gove asks if the Collins statements will be made public. Anderson ducks the question

Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 17d

Why did the CPS think it was reasonable to charge Cash and Berry with spying in April 2024 but said it had to drop them in Sep 2025 b/c of a ruling in another spy case

On any reasonable reading that judgment is lowering or widening the definition of enemy...

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 21d

Manchester synagogue terrorist was bail for alleged rape at time of the attack

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Manchester synagogue terrorist was on bail for alleged rape

Exclusive: Jihad al-Shamie had been under investigation over alleged sexual attack earlier this year, sources say

www.theguardian.com

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · 25d

UK has deployed counter drone systems to Denmark ahead of this week's EU and EPC summits in Copenhagen, defence sec John Healey says at a Labour conference fringe

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 19

Do you have information of interest to MI6? Now they are advertising that you can contact them securely online (what used to happen before?)
Instructions at the end + let's hope they have a good spam filter...

youtu.be/xkOUH8d8UQY?...

MI6 - SecurelyContactingMI6 - Introducing SILENT COURIER

YouTube video by MI6 - Secret Intelligence Service

youtu.be

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 12

Met police operating live facial recognition outside Brixton tube. Three people picked up since 11.30 a sergeant tells me

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Reposted by Dan Sabbagh

Henry Dyer @direthoughts.com · Sep 11

British_political_decision_making_V3(FINAL)_USETHISONE.png

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 11

You'd have thought this would have happened earlier...

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Reposted by Dan Sabbagh

Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 @reshetz.bsky.social · Sep 10

If nato’s interception ratio is 4 out of 19, can you imagine how they would handle an average night in Ukraine with 700 air targets in the span of 5 hours

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 10

Nineteen Russian drones cross the border into Poland says PM Donald Tusk as Warsaw asks for consultation with Nato allies. Meanwhile a Russian diplomat tells the RIA accusations of an incursion "groundless". No doubt Donald Trump will know who to believe...

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Tusk warns prospect of military conflict ‘closer than at any time since second world war’ amid Russian drone incursion – follow live

Tusk says the first signals from Nato members show the understanding of how serious the situation is

www.theguardian.com

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 9

War is not abstract. There are killers and victims. They all have names. They all have lives. This story cites two IDF snipers and the four Palestinians shot dead on one day, some trying to retrieve the bodies of other victims. Not easy reading --->

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich

Five-month investigation reveals how four members of one family were shot and killed in a single day and highlights a pattern in which Israeli troops target unarmed civilians

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dan Sabbagh

Secret Squirrel @secretsquidgle.bsky.social · Sep 9

This is correct. UK, Qatar and US Marine core + most of EU use probe. USAF (mostly) and IDF use flying broom.

It’s physically impossible for the UK to refuel an Israeli Aircraft

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_...

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 9

No RAF involvement in refuelling Israeli jets that bombed Qatar. The RAF Voyager nearby was engaged in exercises with the Qataris. Brit sources say that UK refueling method (probe and drogue) is incompatible with Israeli fighters

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 8

Obviously that's £5.1m....

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Dan Sabbagh @dansabbagh.bsky.social · Sep 8

Boris Johnson earned £5.1 in speech fees after leaving govt yet claimed £182k of taxpayer cash for staff, leaked files suggest. Nice work if you can get it. Extraordinary from Guardian Investigations --->

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...