Belfast knife attack victim lost his left eye, court told, as suspect named as Hadi Alodid – UK politics live
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
Ayoub Khan (Ind) asked Starmer to condemn MPs who “seek division to further their political ambitions”. He went on:
Individuals … are fuelling hate against citizens of our own nation and causing hardworking, upstanding people to be afraid for their safety because of the colour of their skin.
Starmer said the fear felt by some communties was “very real”, and that is why the violence should be condemned.
Gavin Robinson, the DUP leader, said the knife attack in Belfast on Monday night was “medieval”. He condemned the disorder in Belfast last night. But he said people were right to be concerned about the asylum system, and he said the accused had passed thorough two safe countries before arriving in Belfast.
Starmer thanks Robinson for appealing for calm in this situation. And he said he was glad that he would he having a meeting with Robinson after PMQs to discuss this further.
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.
