Jawad Iqbal

Jawad Iqbal

Jawad Iqbal is a broadcaster and ex-television news executive. Jawad is a former Visiting Senior Fellow in the Institute of Global Affairs at the LSE

Tuesday

Jawad Iqbal

David Cameron’s welcome return

British politics is a brutal and unsentimental place when it comes to departing prime ministers. After a few valedictory remarks at the despatch box and the odd tearful farewell, the PM heads off to Buckingham Palace to tender their formal resignation to the monarch. And that’s that – apart from the customary arrival of the Downing Street removal vans to clear away their belongings. It is an unspoken rule that no one, most of all their successors in Downing Street, is particularly keen to welcome a former prime minister back to frontline politics. That is why David Cameron’s return to government as Foreign Secretary is such a shock. It is just not the done thing.

Sunday

Jawad Iqbal

Democrats are tearing themselves apart over Israel

A month is a long time in American politics – or so it would seem judging by the growing split among US Democrats over the Israel-Hamas war. In the days immediately after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 240 hostages, Democrats across the board in America offered unequivocal support for Israel and its right to self-defence. That was then. Now, support for Israel’s actions has plunged the party into an increasingly vitriolic internal battle that is pitting former political allies against each other. The festering divisions in the American left running along ideological, generational and racial lines are set to deepen as the conflict drags on and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza escalates.

Friday

Jawad Iqbal

The pointless spectacle of the pro-Palestine march

Now that Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has defied calls to ban a pro-Palestinian march through London on Armistice Day, attention inevitably turns to what might happen on the day itself. Will there be violence? Could groups intent on causing mayhem splinter from the main protest? Will counter-protesters clash with pro-Palestinian demonstrators? How will the police maintain control of events on the ground and ensure the protest passes off peacefully?  Well down the list of questions and issues is Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, ostensibly the reason for this weekend’s public protests.

Thursday

Jawad Iqbal

How does releasing mice in McDonald’s help Palestinians?

It is hard to know what to make of the sheer mindless stupidity of some people who claim to support the cause of Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Boxes of live rodents have now been released at a number of McDonald’s restaurants, apparently as part of pro-Palestinian protests. One incident took place on Monday in Birmingham. Video footage widely shared on social media shows a man wearing a Palestinian flag on his head, carrying a box filled with mice from the boot of his car and into the McDonald’s branch in the Star City leisure complex. He tips the mice — painted the colours of the Palestinian flag — on to the floor of the restaurant. Diners flee as the mice scurry across the floor. The man appears to shout: 'Boycott Israel' and 'Fuck Israel'.

Wednesday

Jawad Iqbal

The Saudi World Cup is a new low for Fifa

Fifa, world football’s governing body, is an organisation that is devoid of anything resembling a moral compass. In its place, the organisation chases money. That is why it comes as no great surprise that Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, after Australia – the only other nation considering a bid – withdrew. In reality, Fifa did everything possible to pave the way for Saudi success. Earlier this month, it unexpectedly announced that the bidding process for the 2034 tournament would take place at the same time as the one for 2030. Fifa’s decision to bring the timetable forward by three years appears to have been made without advance notice.

Monday

Jawad Iqbal

The damning Covid inquiry testimony of Martin Reynolds

The appearance at the Covid inquiry of Martin Reynolds has been a real eye-opener in some rather unexpected ways. Reynolds was one of the most senior civil servants in Downing Street in the lead-up to the 2020 pandemic, effectively acting as the prime minister’s eyes and ears. The former principal private secretary to Boris Johnson came to public attention for issuing invitations to a lockdown-breaking party in the garden of No. 10 during the first lockdown. Reynolds' cross examination by Hugo Keith KC, counsel for the inquiry, turned into a brutal affair. Keith referred to a message on 23 January 2020, saying two people were admitted to hospital with Covid in January. A Cobra meeting was proposed, but Boris Johnson did not chair it.

Saturday

Jawad Iqbal

Will Muslim voters really desert Labour?

It was always a question of when, not if, the Labour party would start tearing itself apart over the Israel-Hamas war. The only surprise is the scale and speed with which the veneer of party unity has crumbled. It has revealed deep and vitriolic divisions between the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over his support for Israel, and the pro-Palestinian views of some of his Muslim MPs and others in the wider party. Starmer knows he has a big problem. But he doesn’t necessarily know what to do about it or indeed how best to keep a lid on it.  The internal party rift shows no signs of healing any time soon The scale of the dissent and unhappiness over the Labour leader’s pro-Israel stance appears to have taken the party high command by surprise.

Thursday

Jawad Iqbal

Is the UN’s leader trying to alienate Israel?

The Secretary General of the United Nations is conventionally thought of as the world’s most high-profile diplomat, charged with the responsibility of bringing calm and astute leadership to bear at times of war and international crisis. This is a core purpose and mission that appears to have escaped the attention of Antonio Guterres, the UN’s current chief. Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday, Guterres said the situation in the Middle East was growing more dire by the hour and urged all parties to respect and protect civilians. Fair enough and exactly the kind of thing that UN leaders are expected to say. It is what came next that has prompted an almighty diplomatic row.

Friday

Jawad Iqbal

India vs Pakistan is the world’s greatest cricket game

An India-Pakistan cricket match is always about much more than just cricket. It is a sporting rivalry and grudge match like no other, a titanic clash in which it is almost impossible to separate sport from politics. That’s why hundreds of millions of fans will be glued to their television screens for this Saturday’s match at the Cricket World Cup tournament in India. The stadium itself will be packed to the rafters, with more than 130,000 spectators lucky enough to get tickets. Some reports suggest that tickets have been selling for as much as $300,000 (£250,000) on the black market. Security will be tight, with  thousands of extra police officers drafted in — and all this for a game in the qualifying rounds of the tournament.

Jawad Iqbal

Wayne Rooney and the trouble with football’s big-name managers

Birmingham City’s new American owners are hungry for success and think Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United and England striker, is the man to deliver it. That’s why they’ve sacked manager John Eustace and handed Rooney a three and a half year contract. Tom Wagner, Birmingham's co-owner, claims Rooney will take the club on the 'next stage of our journey', after dismissing Eustace for being 'misaligned' with their ambitions. 'Wayne is a born winner,' Wagner explained. A born winner as a player, yes – as a manager not so much.  Plenty of Birmingham fans are sceptical about Rooney’s managerial track record and rightly so. In his first two jobs as manager – Derby County and DC United – he won just 38 out of 139 games (a win rate of 27.3 per cent).

Wednesday

Jawad Iqbal

Harvard’s shameful response to the Hamas attacks 

Harvard university is at the centre of an unprecedented backlash after some of its students released an inflammatory statement claiming Israel was ‘entirely responsible’ for the Hamas attacks last weekend. There was widespread criticism of the statement, with Harvard alumni and distinguished public officials from across the political spectrum expressing their outrage. This was in stark contrast to university leaders, whose response was best characterised as slow, inadequate and appeasing.  Harvard’s initial response was pathetic in every respect The public row was sparked by a joint statement, endorsed by more than 30 Harvard student bodies, saying that the Hamas attack ‘did not occur in a vacuum’ and that Israel was ‘entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.

Friday

Jawad Iqbal

What Kevin Keegan gets right and wrong about football pundits

What was Kevin Keegan, the former England and Newcastle manager, thinking when he decided to share his views on 'lady footballers' and female pundits talking about the England men’s team? Keegan made the remarks to an audience of about 250 people who had bought tickets to An Evening with Kevin Keegan OBE, an event held in Bristol.  'I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest,' he said, 'and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.

Thursday

Jawad Iqbal

The terrible loss of National Theatre Wales

National Theatre Wales (NTW), the country’s flagship English language company, has warned that it might be forced to close in six months’ time following a cut to its funding. The company has received financial support from the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) for the entirety of its existence but will no longer do so from next spring. NTW said it was 'deeply shocked' and plans to appeal against the cuts. Changing the minds of the arts bureaucrats who control the purse strings could prove a tall order, not least because artistic merit appears to count for little in a world dominated by fashionable but ultimately ill-defined targets such as 'participation' and 'diversity'.  If it goes, what will replace it? No one really knows.

Saturday

Jawad Iqbal

It’s time football scrapped the Saturday afternoon TV blackout

The Premier League needs to wake up and smell the coffee: there is nothing sacrosanct about football matches that kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, especially in an age when televised games are so ubiquitous. It is time to ditch the arcane rule that imposes a TV blackout of Saturday afternoon games – for the sake of the game as well as fans everywhere. Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, confirmed last month that its next broadcasting rights deal – due to start in the 2025-26 season – could see a big rise in live games on TV, increasing from the current 200 to somewhere in the region of 270. Yet Masters once again ruled out getting rid of the Saturday 3 p.m.

Friday

Jawad Iqbal

How many more MPs will follow John Bercow and sell out to TV?

John Bercow, the former speaker of the House of Commons and one of the most divisive figures in modern politics, has signed up to to appear in the US version of the hit series The Traitors. Anyone struggling to understand how or why probably doesn’t know that video clips of Bercow arbitrating Brexit parliamentary debates and PMQs have made him something of a cult figure in the eyes of American viewers. The show, set in a castle in the Scottish Highlands, sees players secretly divided into the 'faithful' and a smaller group of 'traitors'. The few, who cannot be trusted, have to eliminate the other contestants to win the £205,000 cash prize. No prizes for guessing which group many of his former Conservative colleagues think Bercow belongs to.

Tuesday

Jawad Iqbal

Did Indian agents kill a Sikh separatist leader in Canada?

Canada has accused India of being behind the assassination of a Sikh-Canadian citizen on its soil – an unprecedented charge to make against a democracy and fellow G7 nation. The Canadians claim to be investigating ‘credible allegations’ that Indian agents were behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot and killed in June outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia. Nijjar was long wanted by the Indian authorities, who accused him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India and had offered a reward for information leading to his arrest. The manner of his death was bound to arouse suspicions.

Saturday

Jawad Iqbal

Why Iran’s opposition failed

Today marks the anniversary of the brutal slaying of 22-year old Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s so-called morality police – a death that fuelled mass protests on a scale not seen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Yet 12 months on from what briefly looked like an unprecedented threat to four decades of theocratic rule under the mullahs, the unpalatable truth is that the protesters have failed in their attempt to bring meaningful change to Iran. If anything, the ruling mullahs look more secure than ever. Iran’s opposition forces must buck up their ideas if they are to retain any hope of toppling the regime.  It is all a far cry from the early heady days of protests last year. These followed a remarkable outpouring of public sympathy and anger at Amini’s death.

Wednesday

Jawad Iqbal

In defence of Harry Maguire

The public mockery of Harry Maguire, the hapless Manchester United and England defender, has moved from being a bit of a joke to something a little more troubling, sinister even. The abuse, ridicule and attention he gets is way over the top, and increasingly resembles a publicly-sanctioned collective humiliation of one player. The unfortunate Maguire is seen as some kind of rubber doll, to be poked and harangued by one and all, rather than an ordinary human being with vulnerabilities. He is simply expected to suck up the abuse every time he steps on the field. What’s all this howling about? It isn’t just because he isn’t much good as a defender but also reflects a nasty envy and rancour generated by the knowledge that he 'earns' millions for being useless.

Jawad Iqbal

The trouble with Angela Rayner

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, would have people believe she is made in the mould of Barbara Castle, the radical Labour minister, now seen as one of the most significant women politicians of the 20th century. When Rayner was challenged on the BBC’s Today programme that she was more often viewed as a deputy leader like John Prescott, lacking any real power, she dismissed the comparison, replying: 'I think I’m more of a Barbara Castle.' This claim comes across as historically and politically illiterate, and a touch cringeworthy. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, Rayner has a way to go before she can be spoken of in the same breath as a political giant like Castle.

Monday

Jawad Iqbal

Why were Foreign Office staff ‘in tears’ over Brexit?

Simon McDonald, the former Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, really needs to engage his brain before opening his mouth — especially when the television cameras are rolling. Lord McDonald of Salford has admitted revealing to his staff as well as ministers that he voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum. His jaw-dropping confession — effectively a public admission from a former senior mandarin that he breached sacrosanct civil service impartiality rules  — comes in a BBC documentary series on Brexit, Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos. Why on earth did he do it? His attempts at an explanation justifying this dereliction of duty reveal much about the sorry state of the civil service.