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https://news.sky.com/story/row-over-new-greggs-vegan-sausage-rolls-heats-up-11597679 (https://archive.ph/5Ba6o)

A heated row has broken out over a move by Britain's largest bakery chain to launch a vegan sausage roll.

The pastry, which is filled with a meat substitute and encased in 96 pastry layers, is available in 950 Greggs stores across the country.

It was promised after 20,000 people signed a petition calling for the snack to be launched to accommodate plant-based diet eaters.


But the vegan sausage roll's launch has been greeted by a mixed reaction: Some consumers welcomed it, while others voiced their objections.

View image on Twitter


spread happiness@p4leandp1nk
https://twitter.com/p4leandp1nk/status/1080767496569974785

#VEGANsausageroll thanks Greggs
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7
10:07 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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Cook and food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe declared she was "frantically googling to see what time my nearest opens tomorrow morning because I will be outside".

While TV writer Brydie Lee-Kennedy called herself "very pro the Greggs vegan sausage roll because anything that wrenches veganism back from the 'clean eating' wellness folk is a good thing".

One Twitter user wrote that finding vegan sausage rolls missing from a store in Corby had "ruined my morning".

Another said: "My son is allergic to dairy products which means I can't really go to Greggs when he's with me. Now I can. Thank you vegans."

View image on Twitter


pg often@pgofton
https://twitter.com/pgofton/status/1080772793774624768

The hype got me like #Greggs #Veganuary

42
10:28 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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TV presenter Piers Morgan led the charge of those outraged by the new roll.

"Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Morgan later complained at receiving "howling abuse from vegans", adding: "I get it, you're all hangry. I would be too if I only ate plants and gruel."

Another Twitter user said: "I really struggle to believe that 20,000 vegans are that desperate to eat in a Greggs."

"You don't paint a mustach (sic) on the Mona Lisa and you don't mess with the perfect sausage roll," one quipped.

Journalist Nooruddean Choudry suggested Greggs introduce a halal steak bake to "crank the fume levels right up to 11".

The bakery chain told concerned customers that "change is good" and that there would "always be a classic sausage roll".

It comes on the same day McDonald's launched its first vegetarian "Happy Meal", designed for children.

The new dish comes with a "veggie wrap", instead of the usual chicken or beef option.
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It should be noted that Piers Morgan and Greggs share the same PR firm, so I'm thinking this is some serious faux outrage and South Park KKK gambiting here.
 
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Dual national rules are changing

How are passport rules for British dual nationals changing?​

Under the existing rules, a British dual national - whose other nationality is from a country not subject to a UK visa requirement - could travel to the UK using their foreign passport.
But from 25 February that will no longer be the case.
Instead, they will need to show either a British passport, or a new digital version of the certificate of entitlement to attach to their second nationality passport - and without one of them, they could face being denied the right to travel back to the UK.
Neither British passports or certificates of entitlement are automatically issued to people who obtain citizenship, which means some dual nationals have never applied for them, even if they have lived in the UK for decades.
Both documents take several weeks to obtain and there are costs too. A British passport costs around £100 for an adult, while the certificate of entitlement costs £589.
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More in the link. Can anyone spot the rug pulls and one blatant contradiction?
 
Duane Dibbley said:
Dual national rules are changing



More in the link. Can anyone spot the rug pulls and one blatant contradiction?
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Rug-pull is easy enough. Dual citizens are being fucked over without warning.

The contradiction? Anyone with indefinite leave to remain or post-EU settled status doesn't seem to be affected by this. Nor is anyone here on an asylum claim. Only dual citizens are being put through the wringer.
 
When I'm PM anyone who doesn't have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is getting deported.

My controversial take is that thicker, stodgier pancakes are a billion times better than regular pancakes. Whisk enough flour in to give it the consistancy of treacle and one pancake will put you on your back like you've just had Christmas dinner.
 
Tom Nook's Gloryhole said:
When I'm PM anyone who doesn't have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is getting deported.

My controversial take is that thicker, stodgier pancakes are a billion times better than regular pancakes. Whisk enough flour in to give it the consistancy of treacle and one pancake will put you on your back like you've just had Christmas dinner.
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What about Jock Pancakes?
 
Inje
Tom Nook's Gloryhole said:
When I'm PM anyone who doesn't have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is getting deported.

My controversial take is that thicker, stodgier pancakes are a billion times better than regular pancakes. Whisk enough flour in to give it the consistancy of treacle and one pancake will put you on your back like you've just had Christmas dinner.
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Am I doing this right?
 
Tom Nook's Gloryhole said:
My controversial take is that thicker, stodgier pancakes are a billion times better than regular pancakes.
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Wtf? Thick stodgy pancakes are regular ones. They're either thick and stodgy and kinda pseudoraw or they're french imitation bullshit. If it's not as thick as your phone then it's just simply not a regular pancake.
 
evrae said:
People consider £950/month for a mortgage fantastic? :stress:
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It'd be a phenomenal one if your lived in the South tbf
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GratsTheat783 said:
With the claims of the right's vote being split 3-ways, do you think Labour could be emboldened to call an early general election down the line?

They showcased a poll claiming 92% of people can't recognise Rupert Lowe. Not really groundbreaking news since he's kept low profile the past few months.
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The 3-way right-wing split is bad but the 3-way left-wing split (Lib Dem, Green, Labour) is just as egregious. The polling has them losing a significant chunk to the greens whilst also losing to Reform so they still have no major incentive to call one within a year.
 
Greens invading assisted living site and trying to menace the inhabitants into voting Green.

A team of Green Party activists was thrown out of an assisted living complex in Gorton and Denton after “distressing” elderly residents with their campaigning.
The party has apologised and promised to investigate the incident, which occurred last weekend at the Dahlia House apartment centre in Burnage, Greater Manchester, ahead of the by-election on February 26.
The facility is designed for retirees who wish to live independently but want shared facilities or require regular help from carers.
The Telegraph understands that a team of Green Party campaigners gained access to the complex and began door-to-door canvassing, which elderly residents found confusing and frightening.
The campaigners were ejected from the building after a resident called staff to ask for help.
Local sources said the campaigners had “distressed” vulnerable residents and that staff had since received a security alert warning about the risk of campaigners knocking on doors in the complex.
A spokesman for the Southway Housing Trust, which runs the facility, said: “We’re aware that people claiming to be political canvassers visited residents at our Dahlia House extra care apartment scheme in Burnage last weekend. They were asked to leave after concerns from residents.”
A Green Party spokesman said: “We’re looking into this and apologise for any distress caused.”

The Greens have already been accused of “dirty tricks” during the campaign after activists were reported to the police for allegedly stealing a sign from a voter’s front garden.
A Reform UK spokesman claimed the incident at the assisted living facility showed the party had “sunk to new lows” in its attempt to win the seat. “Harassing elderly and vulnerable pensioners in their care home is beyond the pale,” he said.
The Gorton and Denton by-election was triggered last month by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, a former Labour MP who faced sanction from the Commons over the release of his abusive WhatsApp messages.

It was previously a safe Labour seat, but is now the scene of a three-way race between Labour, Reform UK and the Greens.
Both Labour and the Greens claim to be the only parties that can beat Reform, which has selected Matthew Goodwin, a former academic, as its candidate.
The Green Party has selected Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, who The Telegraph revealed on Tuesday had previously criticised the constituency and described one of its main high streets as full of “money-laundering takeaways”.
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Burnham now wants councils to be able to force landlords to sell their homes. Given the push to allow charities to become landlords and Labour MPs being slum landlords in their own right that's a fairly blatant exposure of what the saviour of the Labour party has planned for the future.


Andy Burnham has called for councils to be granted special powers to force landlords to sell up.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester suggested the “radical” idea would improve standards for tenants living in poor housing conditions.
He wants private rental properties which fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard to be bought by councils through the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs).
His call to boost the powers of local government comes despite recent findings that social housing tenants “suffer from appalling housing conditions and do not have their complaints treated seriously”.
A cross-party committee of MPs found that 430,000 social homes were failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard, with conditions barely improving since the pandemic.
Mr Burnham, who was speaking at a Resolution Foundation event, said: “Homes that were taken out of public ownership have been left in disrepair and exist to make money for absent landlords, while everyone else pays the consequences.
“We should give powers and funding to councils to compulsorily purchase homes in the private rented sector that are non-decent.”
He said the poor state of rental homes harms the health of residents and “drags down the surrounding community”.

What is the Decent Homes Standard?​

The Decent Homes Standard is the minimum benchmark for the social housing sector. It is based around four principles. To pass the standard, a home must:
1. Meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing
2. Be in a reasonable state of repair
3. Have reasonably modern facilities and services
4. Provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
To pass the first criteria, a home must have no major hazards according to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, a risk assessment procedure.
The Decent Homes Standard, which is currently applicable to homes in the social housing sector, will be fully extended to private sector landlords by 2035.
The standard stipulates that homes must be safe, and of good value and good quality.
Government forecasts show that landlords face a £26.5bn bill to bring their properties up to standard before the deadline. This comes on top of the deadline to meet an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2030.
Mr Burnham, who had been expected to launch a leadership challenge prior to a failed return to Westminster, admitted his CPO plan was a “radical idea” but insisted it was necessary to tackle the so-called housing crisis.
He praised the Government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes but said it should also home in on bringing empty homes back into use.
He said: “Focus on the homes in the private rented sector that are completely neglected and unloved. Why are we allowing that?
“I would like to see the reinvigoration of local government to give them more power to go and solve things like that.”
However, councils themselves are hoarding properties at a record rate.

​


Analysis by The Telegraph found the number of vacant properties owned by councils reached an all-time high in 2025 following an eighth successive annual rise.
Ministry of Housing figures show there were 34,600 empty council houses in England last year, with a further 36,800 homes run by social housing associations sitting idle.
The Ministry of Housing said it was not considering giving local authorities CPO powers.
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Nicola Sturgeon's former husband properly flung under the bus
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell is facing a charge of embezzling £459,000 from the party over a period of more than 12 years, it has emerged.
Details of the case against Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, are contained in a copy of an indictment seen by BBC News.
According to the document, Murrell is accused of embezzling the funds between August 2010 and January 2023.
He is accused of illicitly purchasing items including luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome.

Details of the indictment were first published in the Scottish Sun.
Murrell had originally been due to appear in court next Friday for a preliminary hearing in the case, but this will now take place at the High Court in Edinburgh on 25 May.
He made no plea during an initial appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year after which he was granted bail.

Murrell was arrested in 2023 as part of a probe into the SNP's finances

Murrell was arrested in 2023 as part of Operation Branchform, a police investigation into the funding and finance of the SNP. He was charged with embezzlement in April 2024.
Sturgeon was also questioned by detectives, but police have since confirmed she is no longer under investigation.
BBC News has seen a copy of an indictment against Murrell ahead of the preliminary hearing next week.
These papers are subject to change up until the point the accused appears in court, and can be altered throughout the judicial process.
The indictment includes allegations that Murrell used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome "for your own personal use" from a dealer in Staffordshire, and that he created false documentation "to portray the purchase as a legitimate party expense".
Murrell is further accused of using £57,500 of SNP money towards the purchase of an £81,000 Jaguar I-PACE car in 2019.
It is also alleged that he falsified an invoice "in an attempt to disguise the true nature" of that purchase, and that when the Jaguar was sold in 2021, more than £47,000 was paid into his personal bank account.

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Murrell is also alleged to have embezzled £16,489 from the SNP in part payment for a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf purchased in Newbridge, Edinburgh, in 2016.
The indictment includes a list of more than 80 retailers where Murrell was alleged to have made purchases totalling more than £159,000 between December 2014 and 2022, "for your own personal use or the personal use of others".
These range from Harrods, the Royal Mint and John Lewis to Homebase and Argos.
It claims these purchases were made using credit or charge cards belonging to the SNP, and that "false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions" for the purchases had been inserted into accounting systems.
The indictment also alleges Murrell made purchases with a value of over £81,600 through online retailer Amazon in the same manner.
Murrell held the position of SNP chief executive for 22 years.
He married Sturgeon in 2010, but the former party leader and first minister announced their separation in January 2025.
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University of Sussex begging to have its status as an absolute cess pool overturned.

A ruling by an education watchdog that led to the University of Sussex being hit with a record £585,000 fine should be quashed as “unlawful”, “unreasonable” and “procedurally unfair”, a court has heard.
In a judicial review hearing before the high court in London on Tuesday, the university claimed it had suffered “severe” consequences as a result of the landmark decision last March by England’s higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS).

“The fine and the impact of the OfS’s conclusions on the university’s reputation threaten to have a significant financial impact on the university,” said Chris Buttler KC, for the university, in written submissions for the hearing.
“This case is of public importance,” he said. “It concerns the scope of the OfS’s powers, the institutional autonomy of universities to foster civility and tolerance on campus, and the reputation of one of this country’s leading universities.”
The OfS ruling against Sussex followed a three-and-a-half year investigation, triggered by concerns about student protests targeting Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor at the university, over her views on gender identification and transgender rights.
The court was told the OfS did not have jurisdiction to investigate the treatment of Stock, who resigned from Sussex in 2021 over what she called a “medieval experience” of campus ostracism and protests.
The regulator focused instead on the wording of a two-page document called the trans and non-binary equality policy statement, which Sussex argued was based on a template adopted by a number of universities, and was updated on a number of occasions.
“It [the policy statement] sought to promote the fair treatment on campus of trans and non-binary members of staff and students,” according to written submissions to the court on behalf of the university.
Stock, however, raised a grievance about the 2018 policy, the court was told in written submissions, complaining that it created a “chilling effect” and left her open to vexatious complaints when teaching and expressing her views about gender.
In March 2025, the OfS delivered its final decision, in which it found that the policy statement constituted a governing document that was in breach of public interest governance principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom.
It also found that the University of Sussex had not acted in accordance with its internal scheme of delegation when adopting policy documents, putting it in breach of conditions of registration with the OfS.
For these two breaches, the OfS imposed a fine of £585,000, which is under appeal at tribunal. “The consequence of the decision for the university has been severe,” Buttler said. “Particularly its impact on the university’s reputation as a bastion for free speech.”
The university is challenging the OfS ruling on multiple grounds. One of these, it argues, is that the trans and non-binary equality policy statement at the centre of the OfS case is not a governing document of the university, and is therefore not subject to OfS registration conditions.
It further argues that the university’s internal scheme of delegation – the subject of the second breach – forms part of its internal laws and is also outside OfS jurisdiction. The university’s lawyers also argue the OfS decision was “procedurally unfair” and its approach was “in certain respects unreasonable”.
In written submissions on behalf of the OfS, Monica Carss-Frisk KC argued that all of the university’s challenges should be dismissed. “The OfS had jurisdiction to consider all relevant matters; it conducted a careful and detailed investigation, correctly interpreting the relevant regulatory conditions and the trans and non-binary equality policy statement.”
The hearing before Mrs Justice Lieven is due to conclude on Thursday, with a judgment expected in writing at a later date.
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