Le previsioni sul mondo dei media online sono pessimiste e preoccupanti, visto lo scenario di un calo delle visite su Internet di oltre il 40% nei prossimi tre anni e una conseguente difficoltà di sostenibilità economica. Ci sono grandi testate che dimostrano di essere già ampiamente in sofferenza: il Washington Post ha comunicato ai suoi dipendenti l’avvio di un piano di “riassetto strategico”. Tradotto: verrà eliminata tutta la sezione sportiva e il numero di giornalisti inviati all’estero. “Le azioni che stiamo intraprendendo includono una riorganizzazione strategica con una riduzione significativa del personale. Le azioni sono per metter al sicuro il futuro”, ha detto Matt Murray, il direttore esecutivo del quotidiano di Jeff Bezos (nella foto) annunciando i cambiamenti durante una riunione Zoom. A riferirlo è una persona che ha ascoltato la chiamata ma non era autorizzata a parlare con i media, e che ha poi parlato a condizione di rimanere anonima. Il numero totale dei licenziamenti non è stato annunciato durante la comunicazione. Il reparto contabilità del giornale sarà chiuso, mentre il reparto notizie dell’area di Washington e lo staff di redazione saranno ristrutturati, ha aggiunto Murray rivolgendosi ai membri dello staff. Le misure erano attese da diverse settimane, da quando era trapelata la notizia che il Post aveva comunicato ai suoi giornalisti sportivi che avevano organizzato la copertura delle Olimpiadi invernali in Italia che non sarebbero stati inviati. Dopo che la notizia è diventata di dominio pubblico, il Post aveva fatto marcia indietro e ha dichiarato che avrebbe inviato un numero limitato di giornalisti. Se il Wp si prepara a un corposo ridimensionamento, al New York Times il modello digital incassa ottimo risultato sul fronte digitale. Secondo i dati diffusi dallo stesso quotidiano, nel 2025 sono stati aggiunti 1,4 milioni di abbonati, di cui 450mila nell’ultimo trimestre. In totale sono 12,78 milioni: il Ny Times è quindi sulla buona strada per raggiungere l’obiettivo di 15 milioni entro la fine del 2027. Parte dell’aumento è dovuto alla formula dell’abbonamento famiglia, introdotta lo scorso settembre, che consente a quattro persone di condividere un account. In crescita anche gli abbonamenti a più di un prodotto. Il quotidiano offre anche giochi, ricette di cucina, sport, tra l’altro. Il fatturato per l’ultimo trimestre del 2025 ha superato 802 milioni di dollari, un 10,4% in più rispetto all’anno precedente, ma sono anche saliti i costi di gestione, 10,5% in più pari a 640,7 milioni. Il fatturato per gli abbonamenti digitali è aumentato del 9,4%, pari a 510,5 milioni e sono aumentati anche gli introiti da pubblicità, +24,9%. In calo invece l’edizione cartacea, con un meno 2%: nel 2025 gli abbonati sono stati 570mila, l’anno precedente erano invece 610mila. Al momento il quotidiano ha in cassa 1,2 miliardi di dollari tra contanti e titoli negoziabili. L'articolo Washington Post elimina la redazione sportiva e taglia i corrispondenti. New York Times: quasi 13 milioni di abbonati digitali proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

A Hungarian court on Wednesday sentenced German national Maja T. to eight years in prison on charges related to an assault on a group of right-wing extremists in Budapest two years ago. The case attracted national attention in Germany following the extradition of the defendant to Hungary in 2024, a move which Germany’s top court subsequently judged to have been illegal. Politicians on the German left have repeatedly expressed concern over whether the defendant, who identifies as non-binary, was being treated fairly by Hungary’s legal system. Hungarian prosecutors accused Maja T. of taking part in a series of violent attacks on people during a neo-Nazi gathering in Budapest in February 2023, with attackers allegedly using batons and rubber hammers and injuring several people, some seriously. The defendant was accused of acting alongside members of a German extreme-left group known as Hammerbande or “Antifa Ost.” The Budapest court found Maja T. guilty of attempting to inflict life-threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. The prosecution had sought a 24-year prison sentence, arguing the verdict should serve as a deterrent; the defendant has a right to appeal. German politicians on the left condemned the court’s decision. “The Hungarian government has politicized the proceedings against Maja T. from the very beginning,” Helge Limburg, a Greens lawmaker focused on legal policy, wrote on X. “It’s a bad day for the rule of law.” The case sparked political tensions between Hungary and Germany after Maja T. went on a hunger strike in June to protest conditions in jail. Several German lawmakers later visited to express their solidarity, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Hungary to improve detention conditions for Maja T. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s illiberal government is frequently accused of launching a culture war on LGBTQ+ people, including by moving to ban Pride events, raising concerns among German left-wing politicians and activists over the treatment of Maja T. by the country’s legal system. Maja T.’s lawyers criticized the handling of evidence and what they described as the rudimentary hearing of witnesses, according to German media reports.

Italian MEP Roberto Vannacci on Tuesday formally broke with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party, capping weeks of internal turmoil and exposing a widening rift on Italy’s right. “I’m chasing a dream, and I’m going far. National Future,” Vannacci, who was Salvini’s deputy, wrote on X. He confirmed plans to move ahead with a new political project to the right of the League, called National Future. The split followed a League federal council meeting and a late-night face-to-face between Salvini and Vannacci on Monday that failed to heal the divide between League moderates, led by Salvini, and Vannacci’s extremists. Vannacci led a faction of the party that had openly challenged policies of the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, including its support for Ukraine. In his announcement, Vannacci drew a sharp ideological line, rejecting what he called a diluted right. “My right is not an à la carte menu … and above all it’s not moderate,” he wrote, describing it instead as “true, coherent, nationalist, strong, proud, convinced, enthusiastic, pure and contagious.” In response, Salvini wrote on X : “Angry? No, disappointed and bitter.” The message was also circulated in the party’s internal WhatsApp channels to confirm the break. The League leader stressed that the party had embraced Vannacci when others shunned him, offering him broad electoral opportunities and senior roles. “Being part of a party, a community, a family means not only receiving but work, sacrifice and above all loyalty,” Salvini wrote, adding that recent months had been marked by “rows, problems, tension” and signs of potential splinter movements. The split raises fresh questions about Vannacci’s political future, after the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament removed him from its ranks. In a statement shared with POLITICO by League officials, the group said his departure from the League party made his continued presence incompatible with the group’s political structure, while stressing that cooperation with Salvini’s League remains unchanged at European level. It is also unclear how many lawmakers will follow Vannacci. All eyes are now on several Italian MPs close to him — including Domenico Furgiuele, Rossano Sasso and Edoardo Ziello.

Partecipare a una manifestazione insieme ad altre 50mila persone significa essere conniventi con le centinaia di persone che hanno aspettato la fine del corteo per commettere azioni violente anche nei confronti delle forze dell’ordine? E’ la tesi di Bruno Vespa che ha contestato l’adesione al corteo di Torino nell’intervista al leader di Europa Verde Angelo Bonelli durante 5 Minuti, su Rai1. Bonelli ha risposto alla contestazione, respingendola. “I disordini erano largamente prevedibili” sottolinea il conduttore. “Allora il ministro Piantedosi doveva tutelare tutti gli altri manifestanti pacifici” ha risposto il deputato di Avs. Questa che segue è la trascrizione dell’intervista Vespa – I disordini di Torino erano largamente prevedibili, tanto è vero che tra tutti i partiti di sinistra soltanto Avs ha deciso di partecipare. Posso chiederle perché? Bonelli – Ci sono state 50mila persone a Torino che pacificamente hanno manifestato per chiedere più spazi sociali. Vespa – Quindi hanno sbagliato gli altri di sinistra a non partecipare? Bonelli – Non so gli altri perché non hanno partecipato, ma 50mila persone non sono responsabili di quel manipolo di teppisti e criminali che io mi auguro vengano immediatamente assicurati alla giustizia. Vespa – Onorevole Bonelli, era largamente prevedibile, lo sapevano tutti. Lei sa bene come finiscono questi cortei. Bonelli – Se era largamente prevedibile, allora qualcuno a partire dal ministro dell’Interno Piantedosi doveva tutelare i manifestanti pacifici. Vespa – Quindi è colpa di Piantedosi se è successo quel che è successo? Bonelli – Non sto dando la colpa a Piantedosi, ma non è nemmeno colpa di chi ha partecipato pacificamente. > La mia intervista con Bruno Vespa a Cinque minuti pic.twitter.com/E3kAcVytQI > > — Angelo Bonelli (@AngeloBonelli1) February 3, 2026 Vespa – Allora: Marco Grimaldi è il vostro vice capogruppo alla Camera, Alice Ravenale è la vostra capogruppo alla Regione Piemonte, Sara Diena è il capogruppo di Alleanza Verde Sinistra e Sinistra Ecologista in Comune. Allora, se voi, come mi pare di capire, non vi dissociate politicamente dalla loro partecipazione, siete di fatto conniventi e siete di fatto… la prego di consentirmelo, anche oggettivamente responsabili in parte politicamente di quanto è successo. Bonelli – Ma guardi, questa sua affermazione è estremamente grave, è molto grave perché chi manifesta pacificamente non può essere responsabile delle azioni di chi ha pianificato a insaputa dei manifestanti pacifici azioni criminali. Francamente io respingo fermamente questa sua affermazione. Io penso che ci sia un diritto, un dovere di tutelare chi manifesta pacificamente. Se è vero che era largamente prevedibile, ripeto, chi aveva il potere, il dovere di fermare quei teppisti criminali, che sono nostri nemici, li doveva fermare. Vespa – Ma le pare normale che nessuno abbia visto niente? Su 50mila persone nessuno ha denunciato nessuno? Posso ricordare che all’inizio degli anni Settanta il Partito Comunista italiano ebbe delle oscillazioni, delle tolleranze. Poi a un certo punto capì e si fermò. Ecco l’assassinio di Guido Rossa, un eroico sindacalista comunista che denunciò un compagno terrorista e per questo fu ucciso. Chi sa deve denunciare, perché nessuno ha visto niente? Bonelli – Ci sono tanti filmati di manifestanti che hanno denunciato quello che stava accadendo, però a questo punto se la mettiamo in questi termini facciamo un passaggio indietro nel tempo: 2020-2021 manifestazioni fatte da Forza Nuova e sovranisti a Roma, messa a ferro e fuoco: blindati bruciati, agenti feriti, c’erano esponenti di destra, anche di chi oggi è in maggioranza, che oggi puntano il dito. Vespa – Lei sa che chi ha attaccato la Cgil è stato arrestato. Bonelli – Però io penso che il diritto di manifestare pacificamente va sempre tutelato. E qui c’erano 50mila persone che hanno manifestato pacificamente. Per noi quelli che hanno fatto quel lavoro là sono dei teppisti criminali. Puntare il dito su una forza politica che è pacifica, democratica, mi scusi Vespa, io lo trovo inaccettabile. Vespa – Ma senta, abbia pazienza, quindi significa che è tutto normale. Bonelli – Tutto normale? Ma non mi pare per niente. Vespa: Scusi, tutti i cortei di Asktasuna sono tutti finiti male. Tutti quanti e non c’è nemmeno stato uno che non sia finito male. Bonelli: Guardi, chi ha sfasciato deve pagare, questi sono per noi nostri nemici, teppisti e criminali. Il punto però che va difeso, chiedere più spazi sociali, rivendicare questo e manifestare pacificamente è un diritto, significa non piegarsi alle ragioni dei violenti. Vespa: Senta, suo padre, so che ha 102 anni, auguri, ed è carabiniere. Posso chiedergli come gli ha raccontato questa storia? Bonelli: Come gli ho raccontato questa storia? Insomma, papà è papà, proprio perché papà ha 102 anni ed è dei carabinieri, ho una grande stima nei confronti delle forze dell’Ordine. Vespa – Ma ha apprezzato? Bonelli – Cosa ha apprezzato? Non ha apprezzato come non ho apprezzato io quello che è accaduto, ma siccome, visto che lei parla di mio padre, mio padre sa che io sono una persona perbene, noi siamo persone perbene e rivendichiamo con onore e dignità l’aver diffiso il diritto di manifestare di queste persone rispetto a una destra che sulla sicurezza in questo paese non sta facendo nulla e utilizza questi fatti come uno strumento politico di propaganda. Accadeva nel 2021 quando Giorgia Meloni diceva: bene ci sono degli infiltrati, che cosa fa il ministro degli interni per fermarlo? Oggi lei al governo non ha fatto nulla per fermarlo. Vespa – Quindi è colpa del ministro dell’Interno se è successo questo. Bonelli – Io sto dicendo che stiamo parlando di responsabilità politiche. Lei mi ha accusato di responsabilità politiche e io le respingo fermamente. L'articolo “Siete oggettivamente responsabili”, “Quello che dice è grave, lo respingo”: il faccia a faccia Vespa-Bonelli sui fatti di Torino proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Il pane quotidiano della destra ha un fornaio di riferimento: Mediaset. E’ da Cologno Monzese che Retequattro, l’hub giornalistico della famiglia Berlusconi, impasta, sforna e sfama il grande universo della maggioranza utilizzando, per le esigenze di governo, la cronaca, specialmente quella nera, nel verso solito di ciò che piace alla gente che alla destra piace. Il nemico di oggi sono i teppisti vestiti di nero, gli sfasciavetrine, i super violenti dei Black bloc, che ora vengono rubricati, facendo due salti in padella, terroristi tout court, e comunque tristi fiancheggiatori della sinistra, figli illegittimi della colpevole politica incestuosa del Pd con i gruppi eversivi. “Eversione rossa”, e il prezzo è giusto. Ma la pietanza della casa, il piatto forte nel menù, restano i reati predatori, con l’immigrato irregolare – preso singolarmente o in gruppo – protagonista assoluto dello scandalo quotidiano. Spiega Massimiliano Smeriglio, assessore alla Cultura di Roma, il politico che studia con più attenzione gli elementi dell’egemonia culturale della destra: “Non sono più gli intellettuali ma i conduttori di talk a dettare la linea e imporre un discorso pubblico a volte violento con un piglio da squadrismo mediatico, indicando nemici, a volte immaginari, su cui scagliare le paure e il rancore degli italiani”. Gli irregolari che vagabondano, i maranza delle periferie, gli sbandati, in genere ex detenuti dalla pelle nera, e soprattutto gli islamici sono il fondale davanti al quale Paolo Del Debbio (Dritto e rovescio) illustra con successo attraverso un linguaggio decisamente appesantito da parolacce, delle quali invece fa meritoriamente a meno Mario Giordano che Fuori dal coro destina due orette alla settimana allo sviluppo dell’amore assoluto degli italiani: la casa. Storie di chi occupa illegalmente, delle vittime, sempre italiani brava gente, e dei carnefici, spesso stranieri e spessissimo piuttosto stronzi. E’ sempre la magistratura, di diritto o di rovescio, a trovarsi arrostita, disposta sulla brace delle domande disperate e sempre senza risposta: perché si delinque? Perché non si va in carcere? Perché la polizia è in difficoltà? Discorsi che porterebbero dritto a Carlo Nordio, il ministro della Giustizia che – riformando il codice – ha imposto ai magistrati di avvertire gli inquisiti dell’arresto imminente, e alla fucina ipergarantista che spesso occupa gli studi della terza trasmissione retequattrista: la Quarta Repubblica di Nicola Porro. Il piglio liberale di chi tira il filo per lungo. Si parte spesso da Pericle ma poi si finisce dalle parti di Capezzone. L'articolo Dai maranza ai magistrati, il pane quotidiano della destra ha un fornaio di riferimento: Retequattro | L’analisi proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s national security adviser, who resigned on Saturday over his messages to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, said he feels like a “fool” after reading them again. “When I read those messages today, I feel like a fool. It was a private conversation, let’s be honest, who would be happy if the whole nation were reading their messages? At the very least, I exercised poor judgment,” Miroslav Lajčák, who served as Slovak foreign minister in multiple Fico governments between 2009 and 2020, told Radio Slovakia on Monday evening. In the newly released files, Epstein bantered with Lajčák about women while discussing Lajčák’s meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The exchanges also show Lajčák suggested a meeting between Fico and Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, which he refuted in the radio session. “This meeting did not happen … nor did I organize it,” Lajčák said. Lajčák denied any wrongdoing but subsequently resigned, saying he wanted to prevent political blowback on Prime Minister Robert Fico. He went on to say that he “does not recall and therefore cannot confirm or deny the authenticity of the texts.” According to Lajčák, Epstein was a well-known figure accepted among high-profile politicians, and he looked at him as a “valuable contact that could open a lot of doors.” “But that does not absolve me of responsibility,” he said. “I showed poor judgement and inappropriate communication. Those messages were nothing more than foolish male egos in action — self-satisfied male banter,” he added, refering to conversation about women. Lajčák added that his communication with Epstein was limited to words, not actions. “There were no girls … the fact that someone is communicating with a sexual predator does not make him a sexual predator,” he said, condemning the crimes that came to light after Epstein’s arrest in 2019. The messages were included in Friday’s release by the U.S. Justice Department of investigative materials related to Epstein. 

French authorities searched Elon Musk’s social media platform X’s French offices on Tuesday as part of a criminal investigation into its Grok AI chatbot, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a post on X. France opened an investigation last month following the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok on X, following up on a previous probe into the chatbot’s antisemitic outbursts over the summer. Owner Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for “voluntary interviews” on Apr. 20, the prosecutor’s office said in a press release. “At this stage, the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French law, insofar as it operates within the national territory,” it said. A recent study estimated that Grok could have produced up to three million sexualized images in 11 days in January, including 23,000 of children. The European Commission has also opened a new probe under the EU’s online platforms rulebook, and has said it is exploring a ban on apps under the AI law. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday’s search was conducted by its cybercrime unit, together with the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol. The investigations range from sexually explicit deepfakes, aiding the distribution of child sexual abuse material to the dissemination of Holocaust-denial content, the office said. X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

ROME — Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini faces a battle to save his far-right League party from electoral oblivion. The party’s internal crisis exploded into public view last week after Salvini’s maverick deputy, Roberto Vannacci, an ex-general and defender of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, threatened to form a splinter party to the right of the League called National Future. Salvini seeks to play down the split with his No. 2, but Vannacci’s move revealed starkly how the League — a key part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing ruling coalition — risks disintegrating as a political force before next year’s elections. Current and former party members told POLITICO that Salvini’s rift with Vannacci had exposed a deeper and potentially devastating factional struggle at the heart of the party — between moderates and extremists, and over whether the League should return to its roots ad seek northern autonomy from Rome. In the short term, weakness in the League could bring some relief to the Atlanticist, pro-NATO Meloni, who is prone to irritation at the anti-Ukrainian, Kremlin-aligned outbursts of Salvini and Vannacci, who are supposed to be her allies. In the longer term, however, the party’s full implosion would potentially make it harder for her to build coalitions and to maintain Italy’s unusually stable government. PUBLIC FEUD The tensions between Salvini and Vannacci became impossible to disguise last month. On Jan. 24 Vannacci registered a trademark for his new National Future party. He later distanced himself from an Instagram account announcing the party’s launch, but hinted on X that he could still turn to social media to launch a party when the time was ripe. “If I decide to open such channels, I will be sure to inform you,” he said. By Jan. 29 Salvini was in full firefighting mode. Speaking before the stately tapestries of the Sala della Regina in Italy’s parliament, he insisted there was “no problem.” “There is space for different sensibilities in the League … we want to build and grow, not fight,” he added, vowing to hold a meeting with Vannacci to set the relationship back on course. Many in the League are more hostile to Vannacci, however, particularly those alarmed by the former paratrooper’s placatory language about Mussolini and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. A powerful bloc in the League that is more socially moderate — and deeply committed to northern autonomy — is pressing for Salvini to take the initiative and fire Vannacci, according to two people involved in the party discussions. Daniele Albertazzi, a politics professor and expert on populism at the University of Surrey, said a schism looked imminent. “[Vannacci] is not going to spend years building someone else’s party,” Albertazzi said. “It’s clear he doesn’t want to play second fiddle to Salvini.” FROM ASSET TO LIABILITY Vannacci emerged from obscurity in 2023 with a self-published bestseller “The World Back to Front.” It espoused the Great Replacement Theory — a conspiracy that white populations are being deliberately replaced by non-whites — and branded gay people “not normal.” More recently he has stated he prefers Putin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vannacci emerged from obscurity in 2023, with a self-published bestseller “The World Back to Front.” | Nicola Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images Albertazzi said Vannacci was positioning himself on the extreme right. “You can see it even in the typography of his symbol [for National Future], which evokes the fascist era,” he said. Salvini originally identified the military veteran as a lifeline who could reverse the League’s flagging fortunes. Salvini had early success in transforming the League from a regional party “of the north” into a national force, and it won a record 34 percent of the Italian vote in the 2019 European elections. But by 2022 things were souring, and support collapsed to about 8 percent in the general election. Vannacci was brought in to broaden the party’s appeal and shore up his own leadership. The gamble initially paid off. In the 2024 European elections, Vannacci personally received more than 500,000 preference votes — roughly 1.5 percent of the national total —validating Salvini’s strategy. But Vannacci has since become a liability. He was responsible for a failed regional campaign in his native Tuscany in October and has flouted party discipline, building his own internal group, opening local branches and organizing rallies outside the League’s control, operating as “a party within a party.” In recent interviews Vannacci has increasingly flirted with the idea of going solo with his own party. For the traditional northern separatist camp in the League, Vannacci has gone too far. Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto regional assembly, a towering figure in northern politics, and three other major northern leaders are now demanding privately that he be expelled, according to two League insiders.  “His ideas are nationalist and fascist, and have never been compatible with the League,” said a party member, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive internal disputes. “The writing is on the page. Since the first provocation it has been clear that it is only a matter of when, not if, he starts his own party.”  An elected League official added: “Now if he gets votes it’s Salvini’s fault for giving him a ton of publicity. No one had heard of him before. He basically won the lottery.” Attilio Fontana, a senior League official who is president of the Lombardy region, said Vannacci’s actions raised questions for Salvini. “I think that if inside the party there are differences, that can enrich the party. But creating local branches, holding demonstrations outside the party, registering a new logo and website, this is an anomaly … these are issues that [Salvini] will be looking at,” he told reporters in Milan on Friday.  EVERY VOTE COUNTS There’s no guarantee any party Vannacci launches will be a success. Three leaders in his “World Back to Front” movement — seen as a precursor to his National Future party — quit on Friday, issuing a statement that described a lack of leadership and “permanent chaos.” But his party could upset the political landscape, even if he only peels off relatively minor support from the League. Meloni will have a close eye on the arithmetic of potential alliances in the run-up to next year’s election, particularly if left-wing parties team up against her. Giorgia Meloni will have a close eye on the arithmetic of potential alliances in the run-up to next year’s election. | Simona Granati/Corbis via Getty Images Polling expert Lorenzo Pregliasco of You Trend, which is canvassing a potential new party led by Vannacci, said it had a potential electorate on the right of the coalition of about 2 per cent,  among voters who had supported [Meloni’s] Brothers of Italy, League voters and non-voters with an anti immigrant, anti-political correctness stance, who are attracted by Vannacci’s outspokenness.  The potential party “poses some risks for Meloni and the coalition … It’s not a huge electorate but in national elections two points could make the difference between winning and not winning, or winning but with a very narrow majority that could mean you were not able to form a government.”  Vannacci “has been clever in putting himself forward as a provocative opinion leader and converted this into electoral success … He has the potential to be a strong media presence and central to political debate.” The northern separatist Pact for the North movement, led by former League MP Paolo Grimoldi, said Salvini’s reputation was now damaged because of the faith he put in Vannacci. While Salvini could resign and support an alternative figure such Zaia as League leader, this was extremely unlikely, Grimoldi told POLITICO. “If not, there aren’t tools to get rid of him before the next election,” he added.  “The result will be political irrelevance and electoral defeat [for the League].”

LONDON — Britain’s pubs are in distress. The beer-loving Nigel Farage has spied an opening. The Reform UK leader and his chief whip Lee Anderson are set to unveil a raft of new policies Tuesday meant to support struggling publicans — and punch a Labour bruise. It comes days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves — under pressure from a highly-organized pubs industry — was forced to U-turn on plans from her budget and announce a three-year relief package for the U.K.’s ailing hospitality sector. Farage isn’t alone — the government’s other rivals are setting out pub-friendly policies too, and are helping to push the plight of the British boozer up the political agenda.  But it’s the latest populist move by the right-wing outfit, whose leader often posts pictures from the pub on social media and has carefully cultivated an ale-drinking man-of-the people persona, to capture the attention of an electorate increasingly soured on Labour’s domestic efforts. ‘GENUINE PISS ARTIST’ Reform will on Tuesday lift the lid on a five-point plan to “save Britain’s pubs,” promising a slew of tax cuts for the sector — including slashing sales tax VAT to 10 percent, scrapping the employer National Insurance increase for the hospitality sector, cutting beer duty by 10 percent, and phasing out business rates for pubs altogether. The party will also pledge to change “beer orders” regulation, which sees large pub companies lock landlords into contracts that force them to buy beer from approved suppliers at much higher prices than the open market. Reform says the plan would be funded through social security changes — reinstating a two-child cap on universal credit, a move the party claims would save around £3 billion by 2029-30. “Labour has no connection to how real life works,” Farage said earlier this month as he lambasted government plans to lower the drink drive limit. One of the British pub industry’s biggest names thinks Farage could have a genuine opening with voters on this front. The Reform boss has “got the massive advantage in that he’s a genuine piss artist,” Tim Martin, the outspoken owner of the British pub chain JD Wetherspoons, said. “He genuinely likes a sherbet, which, when it comes to pubs, people can tell that, whereas I don’t think [they do] with the other party leaders,” he said. The pub boss recounted watching as Farage “whacked down two pints and had two cigarettes” ahead of an appearance on BBC Question Time in which Martin also featured, as other politicians hovered over their briefing notes. The dangers of upsetting the pub industry have not been lost on Labour’s political opponents. | Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images Green MP Siân Berry is less impressed with Farage’s pub shtick, however. She accuses him of “playing into a stereotype of pubs as spaces for older white men to sit and drink.” “Most people who run a pub business these days know that it needs to be a family space,” she said. SHOW US THE POLICY Either way, Farage is exploiting an opening left by Labour, which riled up some pubs with its planned shake-up of business rates. “When the Labour government came in, the pub industry was already weak — and they piled on more costs,” said Wetherspoons’ boss Martin. Since Labour won power in 2024 Reeves has also hiked the minimum wage employers must pay their staff, increased employer national insurance contributions, and raised beer duties. While the industry cautiously welcomed Reeves’ business rate U-turn last month, they say there’s still more to do. “This will make a significant difference, as three quarters of pubs are now going to see their bills staying the same or going down,” Andy Tighe, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA)’s strategy and policy director, said of the U-turn — but “it doesn’t solve everything,” he added. “For most operators, it’s those big sorts of taxes around business rates, VAT, duty, employment-related taxes that make the real difference, ultimately, to how they think about the future,” he said.  A U.K. Treasury spokesperson said: “We are backing Britain’s pubs — cutting April’s business rates bills by 15 percent followed by a two year freeze, extending World Cup opening hours and increasing the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million to help venues. “This comes on top of capping corporation tax, cutting alcohol duty on draught pints and six cuts in interest rates, benefiting businesses in every part of Britain,” they added. ALSO PITCHING The dangers of upsetting the pub industry have not been lost on Labour’s political opponents. Politicians of all stripes are keen to engage with the industry, Tighe says. “Pubs matter to people and that’s why I think political parties increasingly want to ensure that the policies that they’re putting forward are pub-friendly,” he said.  Polling found that nearly half (48 percent) of Farage’s supporters in 2024 think pubs in their local area have deteriorated in recent years. | Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images The Tories say they will abolish business rates for pubs, while the Liberal Democrats have pledged to cut their VAT by 5 percent. The Greens’ Berry also wants to tackle alcohol advertising which she says pushes people to drink at home. “A pub is a different thing in a lot of ways, it is more part of the community — drinking second,” the left-wing party’s representative said. “I think the evidence base for us is not to be anti-pub, but it might be against advertising alcohol.” Industry bigwigs like Martin have consistently argued that pubs are being asked to compete with supermarkets on a playing field tilted against them.  “They must have tax equality with supermarkets, because they can’t compete with supermarkets, which are much stronger financial institutions than pubs,” he said, citing the 20 percent VAT rate on food served in pubs — and the wider tax burden pubs face.  GLOOMY OUTLOOK The plight of the local boozer appears to be occupying British voters too. Polling from the think tank More in Common conducted in August 2025 found almost half of Brits (44 percent) go to the pub at least once a month — and among people who voted Labour in 2024 that rises to 60 percent. The same polling found nearly half (48 percent) of Farage’s supporters in 2024 think pubs in their local area have deteriorated in recent years — compared to 31 percent of Labour voters. “Reform voters are more likely than any other voter group to believe that their local area is neglected,” Louis O’Geran, research associate at More in Common, said. “These tangible signs of decline — like boarded up pubs and shops — often come up in focus groups as evidence of ‘broken Britain’ and drive support for Reform,” he added.  The job now for Farage, and his political rivals, is to convince voters their local watering hole is safe in their hands.

A group of researchers is suing Elon Musk’s X to gain access to data on Hungary’s upcoming elections to assess the risk of interference, they told POLITICO. Hungary is set to hold a highly contentious election in April as populist nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces the toughest challenge yet to his 16-year grip on power. The lawsuit by Democracy Reporting International (DRI) comes after the civil society group, in November, applied for access to X data to study risks to the Hungarian election, including from disinformation. After X rejected their request, the researchers took the case to the Berlin Regional Court, which said it is not competent to rule on the case. DRI — with the support of the Society for Civil Rights and law firm Hausfeld — is now appealing to a higher Berlin court, which has set a hearing date of Feb. 17. Sites including X are obliged to grant researchers access to data under the European Union’s regulatory framework for social media platforms, the Digital Services Act, to allow external scrutiny of how platforms handle major online risks, including election interference. The European Commission fined X €40 million for failing to provide data access in December, as part of a €120 million levy for non-compliance with transparency obligations. The lawsuit is the latest legal challenge to X after the researchers went down a similar path last year to demand access to data related to the German elections in February 2025. A three-month legal drama, which saw a judge on the case dismissed after X successfully claimed they had a conflict of interest, ended with the court throwing out the case. The platform said that was a “comprehensive victory” because “X’s unwavering commitment to protecting user data and defending its fundamental right to due process has prevailed.” The researchers also claimed a win: The court threw the case out on the basis of a lack of urgency, as the elections were well in the past, said DRI. The groups say the ruling sets a legal precedent for civil society groups to take platforms to court where the researchers are located, rather than in the platforms’ legal jurisdictions (which, in X’s case, would be Ireland). X did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment on Monday.