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Fury as boss of Keir Starmer's 'viper's nest' union - the GMB - 'bullied and harassed' female staffers and even told one: 'We've got better lawyers than you' By IZZY LYONS and TOM KELLY Published: 17:00 EST, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 17:05 EST, 24 November 2024 e-mail View comments The head of Sir Keir Starmer ’s union is embroiled in allegations of harassing and bullying women. Former senior officials claim the GMB – one of Labour’s biggest backers which boasts the Prime Minister among its 500,000-plus members – is a ‘vipers’ nest’, and workers’ subs are ‘used like confetti’ to fight complaints. General secretary Gary Smith, who endorsed Sir Keir for PM, was allowed to run for the role despite four counts of bullying and harassment against a female union rep being upheld in their entirety by an internal GMB investigation in 2020. After securing the £148,000-a-year job, Mr Smith was secretly recorded warning a female employee ‘we’ve got better lawyers than you’ after she brought a sexual harassment claim against another official. Mr Smith admitted that the man the woman had complained about was ‘a scumbag who abused you’, but added: ‘Once you get into a fight with a big organisation, yep, we are going to come out swinging, and we’ve got better lawyers than you, and they’ll be more expensive. That’s just what happens. ‘You put a gun on the table... people just start shooting back.’ The woman signed a settlement agreement with a confidentiality clause before eventually leaving the union. ‘[They] crush anyone who tries to speak up,’ she said. The GMB says Mr Smith’s comments in the recording were taken out of context and that an independent barrister investigated the employee’s experience and found she was ‘politically motivated’ against Mr Smith. GMB head Gary Smith has been accused of harassing and bullying female staff members in the union Sir Keir Starmer with GMB general secretary Gary Smith at the Union's 2023 congress. Details of the PM's membership of the union emerged in the list of ministers' interests published this month Details of Sir Keir’s membership of the GMB emerged in the list of ministers’ interests published this month. It’s not clear why the former human rights lawyer joined the general industry union, but it is likely a nod to his late father’s factory job as a tool-maker. The GMB, which donates more than £1 million to Labour every year, is the UK’s third-biggest union with members from a wide range of industries, including the NHS, social care, retail, schools and local government. Many are in low-paid jobs. The Mail has spoken to numerous former and current GMB workers who likened the union to an ‘old men’s club’. Anne Chandler, an official who claimed she was forced out in 2022 after 25 years, said the GMB was ‘riddled with sexism’. Ms Chandler, 69, lodged a bullying complaint in 2021 against two male colleagues who hatched a ‘wholly inappropriate’ plan to sack her. Her complaint was upheld. The probe found that the two senior male figures told Ms Chandler’s new boss: ‘Your first job will be to sack Anne Chandler.’ In a letter to Ms Chandler, the regional GMB secretary who carried out the investigation admitted: ‘The fact that the two senior organisers are men seeking to influence a third male senior organiser against a woman officer colleague is deeply concerning.’ The two men were disciplined but remain working in the GMB. Ms Chandler said she felt like she had no option but to retire five years earlier than planned, adding: ‘In the end, the pressure became so bad... I just bit the bullet and said, I can’t do this any more. The whole process of the bullying was dreadful, and I’ve witnessed bullying and harassment throughout the organisation.’ Anne Chandler, 69, an official who claimed she was forced out in 2022 after 25 years, said the GMB was ‘riddled with sexism’ A GMB union stand set up during industrial action outside an Amazon warehouse in Coventry in March A female rep in the GMB, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions, said the union was full of ‘scared people’ who were ‘frightened of being suspended if they say anything’. Another, who has worked in the union movement for three decades, said: ‘The amount of fear from people is just horrible.’ Our shocking exposé comes after a damning 2020 report into the GMB concluded that ‘bullying, misogyny, cronyism, and sexual harassment were endemic’, and branded the union ‘institutionally sexist’. Karon Monaghan KC’s investigation found the GMB was a ‘hostile environment’ for women and said a ‘complete transformation’ in culture and practices was required. When Mr Smith was elected general secretary in 2021, he promised to implement the recommendations of the Monaghan Report in full and was even described as its ‘moral compass’. But members say the situation is worse under him. Paul Maloney, a former regional secretary who worked for the union for 40 years, hit out at Labour’s close affiliation with the GMB. He said: ‘It’s not very ethical that [Labour] are saying we stand for what’s right, and yet we take money from an organisation that will keep doing wrong from within and punishing women.’ A current female rep criticised the use of expensive lawyers such as top firm Carter-Ruck. ‘My members are paying for that,’ she said. ‘They are cleaners and low-paid workers – why should they be paying for Carter-Ruck?’ A spokesman for the GMB said: ‘We categorically deny claims of a bullying culture and do not recognise our union in the accounts of these former members of staff. ‘We now have clear, comprehensive and transparent procedures to fully investigate and effectively deal with any allegation of bullying, sexism or harassment. ‘We do not use non-disclosure agreements and staff leaving the organisation are asked to sign standard settlement agreements, similar to those used by virtually every organisation across the public and private sectors. ‘It is untrue to suggest Anne Chandler was compelled to leave GMB after she chose to retire two years ago. She voluntarily chose to withdraw complaints raised at an Employment Tribunal and has taken no further action.’ Mr Smith and the Labour Party were approached for comment but did not respond. Labour Keir Starmer Share or comment on this article: Fury as boss of Keir Starmer's 'viper's nest' union - the GMB - 'bullied and harassed' female staffers and even told one: 'We've got better lawyers than you' e-mail Add comment
Russian food inflation remains rampant, with butter prices rising 30% since December last year. Sunflower oil and vegetables are among the other items seeing ongoing price rises. Russia's central bank last month hiked interest rates to 21% — their highest level in over 20 years — but the high rates have shown few signs of dampening inflation so far. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russia has exchanged "butter for guns," as the country's leadership has deflected blame for price rises onto "unfriendly" countries. A break-in at a small food store in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg wouldn't usually make headlines around the world, but this time was different. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are CCTV footage from the store, Dairy Place, in early November appears to show the door being smashed and one person rushing over to empty the cash register. The other person makes a beeline for the fridge, plundering 20kg of butter from the chiller , Russian media reported. The owner of the store said on Telegram that the heist showed butter was now like "gold," according to a Google translation. CNBC could not independently verify the footage. Dairy Place is not the only victim of butter thefts, with a recent spate of similar incidents prompting some stores to lock the product in containers. A standard 200g stick of butter now costs around 200 rubles , or almost $2, with prices up 30% since December 2023, according to data from state statistics service Rosstat. The theft of such a basic product has drawn attention to rampant price rises in Russia. "The cost of basic foods has been growing for the last three years. It is getting worse day-by-day and sped up, especially this year," Stanislav, a Moscow resident, told CNBC. Money Report European stocks set to start the week higher as global markets rally China's central bank keeps medium-term loan rate unchanged amid yuan weakness "It depends on the type of food, of course. Some prices of goods go down, for example, buckwheat. It had a higher cost in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now it is three times lower. But this is the single example of a price decrease. All other food prices are growing. I think it is about 10%–40% per year," he added. Russia's annual inflation rate came in at 8.5% in October, well above the central bank's target of 4%. It prompted the bank last month to raise interest rates to 21% — their highest level in over 20 years — and a further hike is expected in December. High interest rates have shown few signs of dampening price growth so far, with food inflation in particular keenly felt by shoppers. Dairy products, sunflower oil and vegetables (especially potatoes, with prices up 74% since December last year) are among the items seeing ongoing upticks in price , according to weekly data from statistics service Rosstat , as demand outstrips supply. Anton Barbashin, a Russian political analyst and editorial director of the journal Riddle, said price rises were inescapable for most citizens, telling CNBC that "literally half of all Russians spend most of their earnings on food, so they feel inflation the most." "Product inflation is now the greatest driver for inflation, as such. So prices for basic goods, food and other personal items are increasing the most," he noted. "So far, the strategy for most Russians has been to downgrade their consumption patterns, opt for lower-quality goods. Postpone any long-term purchases. However, this stress is not spread out evenly. Moscow is still barely feeling the troubles. The most hit are [people in] the smallest towns and rural areas," he noted. Inflationary pressures in Russia, and indeed throughout Europe, have been exacerbated by Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine, with food costs rising as a result of supply and labor shortages, higher wage costs, sanctions and increased production costs. These have accompanied Russia's shift to a war-orientated economy since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with a massive increase in state defense spending and domestic production of military hardware taking priority over agricultural production. The Russian economy has fared better than expected since the start of its invasion of its neighbor, with the International Monetary Fund expecting it to grow by 3.6% this year. Russia's leadership has looked to dodge criticism for the price rises, blaming "unfriendly" countries (that is, Ukraine's allies) for the conflict, sanctions and supply shortages. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russia has exchanged "butter for guns," as he defended higher defense spending. "To say we spend too much money for guns and forget about butter — this is not so. I would like to underscore that all, exactly all the earlier announced plans of development and achievement of strategic objectives and all the social commitments assumed by the state towards the population — all of them are being performed to the full extent," Putin said at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in October, TASS news agency reported . While many Russians have linked the war and inflation, it's risky for ordinary citizens to openly criticize the invasion — or "special military operation" as Moscow describes it — as any perceived "discrediting" of the army can be punished by up to five years in prison. Stanislav, who preferred not to give his surname given the risks associated with criticism of the war, said he knows that the price rises are linked to the invasion of Ukraine, but said he doesn't have "too many conversations with other people because it is dangerous to say something true in Russia." "Smart people ... understand what is happening with the economy, but most people accuse foreign 'unfriendly' countries [of being to blame for the price rises]. This official term 'unfriendly country' is often used in bills and propaganda," he said. Despite deflecting responsibility for price rises away from itself, and the war, the Kremlin has nonetheless looked to reassure the public it is acting on product shortages. Last year, a shortage of eggs — and price rises of more than 40% — prompted the government to remove import duties on the product . The administration said it would buy eggs from "friendly" countries and, in the first quarter, Russia imported 235 million eggs from Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Russian media reported. This October, the government said it would monitor butter prices and would support a "systemic increase in production" as the dairy industry continued to struggle to meet demand. Russian analyst Anton Barbashin, who no longer lives in the country, noted that Russia's propaganda machine means there is little sign of mass discontent with the government or president over stubborn inflation. "It has always been a great accomplishment of the Kremlin to separate the issue of Putin's policies and individual struggles of the Russians," he said. "Naturally, it is not a universal rule, but so far we're not seeing these struggles translate into blaming the president or the war." He said that, so far, propaganda was keeping mass dissatisfaction at bay, and some Russians just think, "it is war and war is costly." "But the speed of economic change in Russia is increasing, so we might expect [an] increase of those who want this war to end," he said. "We shouldn't also discard that [the] Kremlin is blaming Western activities and sanctions for economic issues in Russia, offering an easy target for Russians to blame." Also on CNBC UBS: 4 Fed rate cuts to come and slash exposure to European markets Debt brake reform is possible, German finance minister says Economic uncertainty in Germany remains high, BCG partner saysThe latest international test results have some good news for New Zealand primary school science teachers. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study ( TIMSS ) data show average performance of Year 5 students is trending upwards. For Year 9 science, overall results hold steady. Administered once every four years, TIMSS is one of the few checks New Zealand currently undertakes to measure progress towards equity and excellence in education. These new results are based on data from 2023. New Zealand is very much in the middle of the pack among other countries, though. There’s a worrying gap emerging between the achievement of Year 9 boys and girls. And the gap in results for students from different socioeconomic statuses remains a problem. In 2023, 71 education systems participated in the study. While it’s great news that the average science performance of Year 5 pupils has increased compared to 2019, 21 countries (out of 58) performed better than our Year 5s in science. And 16 (out of 43) performed better than our Year 9s in science. In both cases, students achieved better average scores in Australia, England, Ireland, the United States, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Macao and the Republic of Korea. New Zealand still has work to do to compete favourably internationally. At the same time, current intersecting social and environmental crises globally demand the country carefully examines the role of school science education in contributing to the future. The socioeconomic gap As well as enhancing New Zealand’s performance relative to other education systems, work is still needed to address issues of socioeconomic inequity across our education system. Year 5 students from more economically affluent backgrounds achieved better on TIMSS, on average, than students from more economically disadvantaged backgrounds. New Zealand has one of the largest differences in achievement between those who are more economically disadvantaged than those who are economically affluent – only six countries have bigger differences. Importantly, there are low performers and advanced performers within each socioeconomic group. In other words, students can excel no matter what their economic background – and they can also not achieve. However, the risk profile for not achieving changes with economic advantage, as shown for Year 5 students’ science achievement. This is particularly problematic, given 21% of our students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. System insights As well as assessing students’ abilities in relation to knowing, applying and reasoning in science, TIMSS collects a host of other data. While the New Zealand education system needs to be more equitable and to perform better internationally, the vast majority of primary school teachers are expected to be generalists. This means they teach across all curriculum areas while working with diverse student needs. According the TIMSS data, fewer Year 5 students in New Zealand are taught by a teacher with a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in primary education with a specialisation in science – 11% of New Zealand students compared to the international average of 31%. In addition, just 28% of Year 5 teachers in New Zealand report regularly using scientific concepts to explain phenomena (28%), well below the international average of 49%. Curriculum refresh The findings emerging from TIMSS – both heartening and concerning – are particularly salient in light of the recently paused development of the new science curriculum. The next international benchmarking New Zealand will be involved in is the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment ( PISA ). This study assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds from 81 countries. The PISA 2025 Science Framework is already available, identifying five broad topics that will be used in the assessment. These are health and disease, natural resources, environmental quality, hazards, and frontiers of science and technology. How these themes – and eventual results – will guide future curriculum changes in science remains to be seen. But regardless of the paused curriculum refresh, it’s clear there is more work to be done on science education in New Zealand.Republic Services Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors despite daily gains
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After a recount in House District 57 was finalized earlier this week, Democrat Scott Rosenzweig maintained his lead over incumbent Rep. Marty Malone, R-Pray, ultimately winning with three fewer votes than originally tallied. The initial vote tally had Rosenzweig ahead by 20 votes. After the recount, Malone gained two votes in Park County while Rosenzweig lost one, making the final difference a mere 17 votes. The Gallatin vote counts remained the same. The final vote count was 3,802 to 3,785 in favor of Rosenzweig. House District 57 occupies parts of Gallatin and Park Counties, stretching from east Bozeman, up past Clyde Park and all the way out to Cooke City, but excluding downtown Livingston. The district was redrawn as a part of the once-in-a-decade redistricting process to account for population changes and this was the first time the new district was on the ballot. After a recount in House District 57 was finalized earlier this week, Democrat Scott Rosenzweig, pictured, maintained his lead over incumbent Rep. Marty Malone, R-Pray, ultimately winning with three fewer votes than originally tallied. This was the only recount in the state this cycle and they are generally rare for legislative races in Montana. State code stipulates that the state will pay for the recount if the margin of victory is equal to or less than 0.25%. Candidates can request a recount if the margin is between 0.25% and 0.5%, but they have to fund the effort. If the original margin following Election Day was 19 instead of 20 votes, the state would have had to pay, but that singular vote pushed the margin to 0.26%, requiring the candidate to foot the bill. Malone said he has not yet received a final cost for the effort, but believes it will come out to roughly $5,200. He had supporters and other legislators contribute money to help pay for the effort which included hiring an attorney. Marty Malone Both men won in their home counties, but Rosenzweig's lead in Gallatin proved too wide for Malone to overcome. Rosenzweig is a resident of East downtown Bozeman and received roughly 2.5 votes in Gallatin County for Malone's one. Malone, a resident of Pray, received 2,891 votes compared to Rosenzweig's 1,766 in Park County. "I intend to represent everyone who did or did not vote for me or did not vote [at all]," Rosenzweig said following the recount. The Associated Press originally called the race the morning after election day for Malone, but later retracted its call. Roughly 99.9% of the race calls AP issued were accurate in 2024. "Accuracy is paramount to everything we do at AP and we regret the error," a spokesperson for the outlet said in an email. This race was always projected to be one of the closest of the cycle, something that Rosenzweig, a former satellite communications executive, told residents while door knocking. Many residents that Rosenzweig spoke to were not aware of the deep purple hue of their home district or that the boundaries had changed. The Democrat, who had a paid staffer from the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee assigned to his race, said he knocked over 2,000 doors. Montana legislative candidates burn shoe leather to reach voters Residents of Bridger Canyon, the road that connects downtown Bozeman to the Bridger Bowl ski resort, said they had not had any political canvassers come by that cycle, even in a year when door knocking appeared to reach a fever pitch in Montana . "It's the short strokes," Rosenzweig said between doors on a bright summer evening. "It still actually seems to matter." When Rosenzweig told him he was a Democrat canvassing, one resident said "Cool! Like Baucus," referring to Montana's longest serving Senator, Democrat Max Baucus. Another resident thanked him for showing up. What residents in House District 57 were acutely aware of was skyrocketing property taxes. Rosenzweig said property taxes was the topic he heard about most on the doors. Voters cast their ballots inside the Gallatin County Courthouse Bozeman, Mont., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tommy Martino) Rosenzweig had a permanent smile plastered across his face, even as he tells voters about his plan to lower their property taxes. "We need to balance things so that property tax homeowners only experience relatively minor increases," Rosenzweig said. He wants to see the Legislature do this by not shifting the tax burden too heavily on any one class of property whether its residential, commercial, agricultural or otherwise. "Everyone should handle a reasonable increase," Rosenzweig added. "What happened last year was not reasonable." He has been assigned to the House appropriations committee. Malone served two terms in the statehouse and was vice chairman of the agriculture committee in the 2023 session. Before that he worked as an MSU extension agent. He blamed his loss on redistricting and late night new voter registration in Gallatin County. "I didn't make the district, I'm just running in it," Rosenzweig said earlier this year. ‘Rock bottom’: Where do Montana Democrats go from here? In a year where Democrats lost resoundingly statewide, often by double digit margins, the party hung their hat on some key legislative wins. Rosenzweig's victory in House District 57 is another big win for the party. "As Mr. Tester said, he's gonna go home and farm and I guess I'll go home and ranch," Malone said. Victoria Eavis is a reporter for the Montana State News Bureau. She previously worked for the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming, covering state politics and Liz Cheney's fall from power. She can be reached at victoria.eavis@helenair.com . Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. State Bureau Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Injuries not slowing down Cavaliers, who face dinged-up Nuggets
A judicial magistrate in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Sudhnoti district on Monday remanded two suspects into police custody for a week following their arrest in a case of allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a married woman. A first information report (FIR) was filed at Baloch Police Station on Saturday under Sections 292 (obscene material), 322 (manslaughter), 384 (extortion), and 489-Y (related to harm to privacy of and reputation) of the Azad Penal Code as well as section 10(3) of the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979. Complainant Arshad Mahmood, a resident of Kehala village currently working in Saudi Arabia, reported that he was informed by his brother-in-law on November 15 about his wife’s sudden hospitalisation due to a critical health issue. He said that hours later, he received another call from his brother-in-law about her death and returned home the following day for her burial. He said that while investigating the circumstances surrounding his wife’s sudden death, he discovered that two men had developed illicit relations with his wife over the past two months. According to the FIR, the accused recorded compromising footage of the woman during video calls and used it to blackmail her into giving them money and other valuables. Mahmood said that his wife handed over more than Rs3 million to the suspects, including Rs976,000 from selling her jewellery. Despite meeting their repeated demands, she continued to face blackmail and threats, ultimately leading her to consume poison, he said, urging strict legal action against both suspects and any accomplices. Baloch Station House Officer (SHO) Waqar Azeem told Dawn.com that both suspects were apprehended the same night after police used local intelligence and technology to track their whereabouts. He said preliminary investigation revealed that the first suspect, a neighbour of Mahmood, had allegedly shared the woman’s contact details and other information with the second suspect, asking him to trap her to fulfil their demands. SHO Azeem said the second suspect reportedly initiated contact with the victim and recorded compromising video calls, which he later used for extortion and exploitation. He added that on October 19, the second suspect impersonated a third blackmailer, using an unknown SIM card and a local dialect to demand Rs2m, threatening to leak the footage if his demands were not met. Azeem said that under duress, the woman sold her jewellery and handed over Rs 976,000 to the second suspect, who kept his face hidden, at Kehala Chowk on October 20. Days later, continuing to impersonate a third party, he demanded an additional Rs1.5m, which the woman was unable to arrange, the SHO added. Azeem said that unable to fulfil the demands, the woman sought financial help from relatives under the pretext that her husband needed the money in Saudi Arabia and allegedly died by suicide when her efforts failed. The SHO said the police had recovered incriminating evidence, including the compromising material, from the suspects’ mobile phones and booked them under the FIR’s sections. “More disclosures will come up during further investigation, on the basis of which we will definitely ensure justice for the victim and her family,” the SHO said.Wake up the Ghosts! Texas, Texas A&M Rivalry That Dates to 1894 Is Reborn
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic converted 11 of 15 from the free throw line and scored 20 points as California held off a late rally to post an 83-77 win over Sacramento State in the Cal Classic tournament on Sunday. Cal came into its tournament without three starters, Jovan Blacksher Jr., DJ Campbell and BJ Omot and the Golden Bears earned back-to-back wins over Air Force and the Hornets. Stojakovic scored a career-high 21 points and freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson stepped up with career-best 23 points against the Falcons. Against Sacramento State, Wilkinson came off the bench to score 16 points. Sacramento State took an early 12-7 lead after Emil Skytta hit a pair of free throws five minutes into the game, but Wilkinson hit back-to-back buckets and Stojakovic drew a foul on a three-point attempt and hit all three foul shots to take a 14-12 lead and the Bears pulled away to take a 40-33 lead at intermission. Julian Vaughns knocked down a trey three minutes into the second half to pull Sacramento State even at 43 and his free throw put the Hornets in front. Ryan Petraitis and Wilkinson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Cal up 51-47 and the Bears never trailed the rest of the way. Petraitis finished with 13 points, five assists and three steals for Cal (5-1). Joshua Ola-Joseph and Mady Sissoko each added 10 points. Jacob Holt scored 25 points with eight rebounds, two assists and a steal to lead Sacramento State (1-4). Vaughns scored 18 points and EJ Neal added 16. The game was just the third meeting between schools separated by roughly 80 miles, and first since 1992. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Any Texas or Texas A&M player has heard the lore of the rivalry between the two schools, a grudge match that dates to 1894. But for more than a decade — two generations of college football players — that's all it has been: Ghostly memories of great games and great plays made by heroes of the distant past. That changes this week when one of college football's great rivalries is reborn. Third-ranked Texas (10-1, 6-1) and No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) meet Saturday night for the first time since 2011, with a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game on the line . “Guys that have been in my position and bleed burnt orange, they have not gotten to play this game,” said Texas fourth-year junior safety Michael Taaffe, who grew up in Austin. “Remember them when you step on Kyle Field.” For Aggies fans, who have carried the misery of Texas' 27-25 win in 2011, getting the Longhorns back in front of a frenzied crowd in College Station is a chance for some serious payback. “I was born and raised an Aggie, so I’ve been dreaming about playing in this game my whole life,” Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III said. Zuhn played high school football in Colorado, but his parents and grandparents attended A&M. At SEC media days back in August, Zuhn said his family would turn Texas gear upside down in stores. He keeps a picture of a longhorn in his room, hanging upside down, of course. “It should be the most amazing atmosphere that I’ve ever experienced,” Zuhn said. "I can’t wait for that, and I feel bad for Texas having to play in that." Texas players said they are ready. “That place is going to be rocking,” Texas senior cornerback Jahdae Barron said. “It's good to go on the road and play in hostile environments.” The Longhorns have overcome big and loud road crowds before. They won at Alabama in 2023. They won at Michigan and Arkansas, another old rival, this year. The Longhorns have won 10 in a row on an opponent’s home field. “When the hate is on us, we love it. We enjoy it,” Taaffe said. But some former Texas players say the current group has faced nothing like what awaits them in College Station. Playing at Texas A&M is more than just noise and a lot of “Horns down” hand signals. The “Aggie War Hymn” fight song calls for Aggies to “Saw varsity’s horns off." Beating Texas is their passion, said former Longhorns All-American offensive lineman Dan Neil, who won at Texas A&M in in 1995. He calls that win one of the best of his career. “I was done showering and getting ready to leave, and their fans were still standing outside the locker room screaming and throwing things,” he said. “The (Texas) players have no idea what they are walking into. They have no clue. No one on that team has walked into that stadium in burnt orange.” The rivalry broke up when Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. The Aggies have twice finished tied for second but have otherwise found little success there. Texas is in its first year in the SEC and has smashed its way to the top. Texas is the only SEC team with one loss this late in the season, which would make beating Texas that much sweeter for A&M. “The hype is definitely saying it's a rivalry. History says it's a rivalry, but for us, it's the football game we have this week,” Texas senior center Jake Majors said. “It's important for us to not let the environment, the game, get the best of us. ... I get to go out there and play not only for me and my team, but for the guys who came before me, so that's a true honor to have.” Even though the game hasn't been played since 2011, there has always been an element of the rivalry simmering under the surface, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. Elko is in his first year as the Aggies' coach, but he was the Texas A&M defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher from 2018-2021. “Even though it hasn’t been played, it just doesn’t feel like it’s ever really left the fabric. I really don’t think it’s as removed from the psyche as maybe it feels,” Elko said. “I think our kids are very much aware of what this is all about.” Rieken reported from College Station, Texas. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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