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Court told victim in Belfast knife attack lost his left eye, as suspect named as Hadi Alodid
Hadi Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put put to him through an Arabic interpreter as he appeared in court charged with attempted murder following the Belfast knife attack, the Press Association reports.
The 30-year-old, with an address at Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning.
He is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday, with threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.
He appeared in court via videolink and made no reply to the charges when they were put to him through the interpreter.
The victim of the stabbing lost his left eye in the attack, the court was told.
Key events
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asked Starmer to rule out cuts to the health budget to fund extra investment in the armed forces.
Starmer said he was running the CPS when the Lib Dems were in coalition, and he says he won’t take lectures from them on austerity.
Davey condemned Elon Musk for his posts on X encouraging disorder in Northern Ireland, and he said these platforms were not free speech “if it is controlled by tech billionaires”. He called for a crackdown.
Starmer said the government would crack down on people spreading division.
Badenoch claimed Starmer was too weak to cut benefits spending.
He is scrabbling around for a legacy, but isn’t it the case that the real legacy will be a bloated welfare state and the weaker armed forces?
Starmer said that when the Tories were in office, they did not reform welfare or invest in the armed forces.
He went on:
Every week [Badenoch] reminds us why the British public [voted the Tories out]. She knows that we’re turning the country around. Growth is up. She doesn’t want to talk about that. Interest rates are down. She doesn’t want to talk about that. Immigration is down, after she’d cheerlead for it to go up. And the NHS waiting lists of coming down for fastest rate for 17 years. I’m going to keep fighting for the people who elected a Labour government and sent us here two years ago.
Badenoch said Starmer did not rule out tax rises.
The reason the prime minister is in business is because he maxed out on spending in his first two budgets. That’s why the benefits bill is set to rise to about £200bn by the end of the decade.
He has things go wrong way round. He has a benefits plan until 2030, but no defence investment plan.
Starmer defended his defence record.
We are not going to take lectures on defence from the party opposite after what they did to the armed forces.
Nor are we going to take lectures on the economy, which they crashed and we’ve had to pick up.
Starmer avoids question about higher defence spending will be funded
Badenoch mocked Starmer about not having authority.
He is the prime minister now. At least I think he is. Should I be calling Andy Burnham instead to ask these questions?
So he is the Prime Minister, and the reason that he’s dithering was because he doesn’t know where the money is coming from. The military is waiting. The bond markets are watching. He has only three options.
Starmer could cut spending, borrow more, or put up taxes, she said.
We know the chancellor wants to put up tax to pay for it. Will the prime minister rule out raising taxes?
Starmer did not answer the question, but he attacked the Tories’ record.
Can I remind the House when they left office, 47 out of 49 major defence contracts were delayed or over budget. That is what we are fixing. You can’t just scrub away and forget.
I know they want to forget the last 14 years in power … That’s why they’re sitting over there.
Badenoch claimed there was “total paralysis” in govenrment over defence spending.
Starmer repeated his point about defence spending going up.
Badenoch asked if the PM was commited to investing £28bn in the defence investment plan. It has been reported that the PM won’t give the military chiefs all they are asking for.
Starmer said the government was “working through the details to make sure that we get this right”.
He said defence spending had gone up to 2.6% of GDP.
Under the last govenrment, it fell, he said.
And we’ve also given our armed forces the biggest pay rise in over 20 years. That’s Labour making investment to safeguard our national security.
Kemi Badenoch started by saying people had a right to be angry about the Belfast knife attack. She asked what the government was doing to keep people safe. And she asked when the defence investment plan (DIP) would be published.
Starmer said the DIP would be published before the Nato conference next month.
Melanie Ward (Lab) said 32 British charities are funelling money to Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land. She asked what the government would do to stop that.
Starmer said the government would look at strengthening sanctions. He went on:
British businesses should have no economic involvement in illegal settlements.
And let me just say, the situation across Palestine remains desperate, and the UK will continue to lead efforts to prevent human suffering and get aid in and preserve the viability of a two state solution.
Starmer says violence in Belfast 'totally unjustified'
Keir Starmer starts by paying tribute to the three people killed in the Royal Navy helicopter crash last week.
And he pays tribute to a former No 10 driver who has died.
Turning to Belfast, he says people are sickened by the attack.
People are rightly sickened by the horrific attack on Monday night in north Belfast.
As you have just said, the man arrested has been in court in Belfast this morning and charged.
I want to thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other first responders and members of the public who responded with such bravery. And our thoughts are with the victim.
But let me be clear, the acts of violence and arson that followed are totally unjustified.
This morning I spoke with the first minister, the deputy first minister and the chief constable and the secretary of state for Northern Ireland is meeting leaders in Belfast today.
We are united in calling for calm.
He ends urging people to support the police.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, tells MPs that charges have been brought in relation to the Belfast stabbing, and so the case is sub judice. He asks MPs not to discuss the details of this case. And he says charges may be brought in relation to the rioting last night.
Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
PMQs is about to start.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
Labour rejects Tice's explanation as to why Farage avoiding holding press conferences
At one point earlier this year Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, seemed to be holding press conferences every week. But, as the Labour party points out, he has now gone 50 days without holding one. When he has taken questions from journalists, he has often ended up sounding tetchy and evasive in response to queries about his undisclosed £5m gift from Christopher Harborne and how he paid for his £1.4m house.
At the Reform UK news conference this morning, my colleague Rowena Mason asked Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, asked why Farage has given up holding press conferences.
In response, Tice joked about Farage used to do so many “you got bored of them”, and he claimed the party wanted to show it was not a one-man band.
Labour has posted a clip of Tice’s reply on social media, with this comment.
Richard Tice’s smirk at the end of this answer says it all.
Not even he believes his excuse for @Nigel_Farage not giving a press conference in the last 50 days.
We all know there are (£)5 million reasons why he hasn’t...
John Swinney and other Scottish party leader condemn racist disorder in Glasgow
Severin Carrell
Severin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor.
Scottish political leaders have angrily condemned the “racism, hatred and intimidation” seen in Glasgow last night (see 9.51am), with Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, describing the protestors as “scumbags”.
John Swinney, the first minister, posted on X the scenes on Buchanan Street, which included apparent assaults and abuse of two black men, and in Edinburgh and Ayr were “unacceptable”.
He said:
Scotland is a welcoming nation and those who choose to make their lives here are valued members of our communities. Racism, hatred and intimidation have no place in Scotland. We must stand against it.
Greer, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, said:
From what I heard from people in Glasgow yesterday, you had grown men walking down Buchanan Street screaming at anyone who wasn’t white, including children who were not white, screaming at them, ‘send them home’.
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, who has repeatedly encountered racist and nativist abuse, said:
The attack in Belfast was shocking and those responsible must face the full force of the law.
People have the right to raise legitimate concerns, but violence, racism and disorder have no place in Scotland and only serve to divide our communities. We are strongest when we stand together.
Here is more video from the rioting in Belfast last night.
There will be two urgent questions in the Commons after PMQs.
After 12.30pm, a Home Office minister will respond to an urgent question from Claire Hanna, the SDLP MP, about the rioting in Belfast.
And, after that, a defence minister will respond to a UQ from James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, about the defence investment plan.
Judge warns anyone taking part in further disorder in Belfast should 'expect to go to prison'
A Belfast judge has warned that anyone who plans to take part in further disorder in Northern Ireland should “be prepared to go to prison” and said the courts “won’t tolerate” any attacks on emergency services, the Press Association reports. PA says:
After refusing bail for a man charged with attempted murder in a stabbing incident preceding riots and violence in Belfast, judge Stephen Keown commended the emergency services who came to the aid of the victim.
Speaking at Belfast magistrates’ court this morning, he said that the court’s thoughts were with the victim, the members of the public who intervened and the emergency services who went to the victims’ aid.
He said those members of the public, the police and the emergency services should be commended.
He said that emergency services who had helped the victim now coming “under attack is something the courts won’t tolerate”.
He noted that there is a call on social media for men aged over 18 to close streets, wear dark clothes and to be prepared to fight and be arrested.
He said that anyone involved in attacks on the community and members of the community can “also expect to go to prison, and that message should be sent out loud and clear”.
Police 'strongly' opposed to bail for Belfast knife suspect, court told
A detective told Belfast magistrates’ court today that Stephen Ogilvie, the man injured in the stabbing attack on Monday, had lost his left eye, the Press Association reports. PA says:
She also told the court that the defendant said “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead” while in hospital receiving treatment for a hand injury and told medical staff “I will kill you”.
The detective told the court that at 10.30pm on Monday police received report of a serious assault in the Kinnaird Avenue area. She said they found the defendant armed with a knife at the scene and removed him from on top of the victim.
She said the victim has lost his left eye, and has deep cuts to his head, face and back.
As PA reports, the detective also said the police were opposing bail because there was a fear it would lead to “significant public disorder” if the accused, Hadi Alodid, was released due to “strong public feeling” about the incident. PA says:
Police said they “strongly” opposed bail on the grounds that Alodid is charged with an “extremely serious offence” that has “garnered serious media attention”.
The detective said if further offences were committed they would be “serious and unpredictable in nature”, and said the applicant is from Sudan and has links outside of the jurisdiction.
She also told the court he may fear for his own safety or fear a possible long custodial sentence.
The defendant made no reply.
District judge Stephen Keown said the risks were “far too great” and would be “unmanageable by any bail conditions”, and refused bail due to the risk of reoffending, risk of harm to the public, risk of public disorder and risk of flight.
He is next due to appear in court in four weeks’ time.
Belfast knife attack suspect remanded in custody for four weeks
Hadi Alodid has been remanded in custody at Belfast magistrates’ court for four weeks after being charged with the attempted stabbing murder of Stephen Ogilvie, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife, the Press Association reports.
Tice rejects as 'outrageous' suggestion that Farage's 'pure cold rage' statement may have encouraged rioting
At his press conference, Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, condemned the violence in Belfast last night as “utterly unacceptable”. He said:
Lawful protest is of course something that is a vital part of a democracy, but everybody has to understand that there is a huge difference between expressing one’s concern for what is going on lawfully, peacefully, respectfully, and violence, criminal activities, sort of the fires we saw last night, damage to public property – totally and utterly unacceptable.
But, in response to a subsequent question, Tice got angry when asked by a Channel 4 News reporter if the rioting in Belfast last night may have been related to Nigel Farage urging people to react last week with “pure cold rage” to the murder of Henry Nowak.
Tice said that claim was “absolutely ridiculous” and “outrageous”. When the reporter tried to press on with his question, Tice said that he had given his answer and that it had been “a revolting accusation to make”. He added: “And you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Farage made his statement on Tuesday morning last week. That night a protest in Southampton culminated in violence.
