On Monday 20 April Shabana Mahmood told “white liberal” hecklers to “f**k right off”. Under no circumstances is this acceptable. With standards in public life in the UK slipping, community cohesion disintegrating, and democratic procedures eroding, Mahmood must be held to account for her abusive language. I have written to my local north London MP, Catherine West, and local councillors, calling for an apology from the home secretary, because everybody has the right to feel safe.
The UK and EU countries who abstained when Ghana’s UN resolution was adopted may soon find it harder to sustain the same old script on reparations
Local elections have led to a surge of racism in a country that still struggles to see itself as anything other than white
On 28 March 2026, tens of thousands of people gathered in London to march against the far right.
March TOGETHER against the far right. Central London. Saturday 28 March 2026. 12pm to 6pm. Join us!
For a snapshot of the authoritarian era to which today’s launch of Unwritten Lives is a response, we don’t have to rewind too far, just to the recent past, to moments that still reside fresh in recent memory.
Ishtiyaq Shukri is the award-winning author of The Silent Minaret, I See You, and An Unwritten Life. …
See Full BioSign up for our newsletter to get notified on the latest blog posts.
Unwritten Lives uses only essential cookies required for basic functionality.
We do not use analytics, tracking, or advertising cookies.