33 h. ago Milestones of Belonging: From asylum seeker to civil servant in Scotland

Too often, the public conversation about refugees is dominated by fear or numbers

Events

44 h. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s spending review: the chancellor tightened belts and loosened seams | Editorial

The government offers capital investment and fiscal prudence but real-terms department cuts and grand promises could strain political credibilityBrexit’s ghost haunts a Labour spending review intended to lay the foundations for a second term. Its headlines echo the twin themes of the referendum campaign: control immigration, fund the NHS. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she would end the use of hotels for asylum seekers “in this parliament” saving £1bn a year, while NHS spending will rise by 3% a year. Ms Reeves framed it as a politics of security and compassion. Yet it reads as Brexit’s populist promises, filtered through Westminster orthodoxy.The risk is that this is all slogan and very little solution. The asylum savings are speculative, and the annual increase in NHS budgets is below its historical average. There are also real-terms cuts or essentially flat budgets for key departments such as transport, education and local government. The Home Office faces cuts deeper than a...

Politics

45 h. ago Immigration officers intensify arrests in courthouse hallways on a fast track to deportation

Large-scale arrests outside immigration courts have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants who are accustomed to remaining free while judges grind through a backlog of 3.6 million cases

Events

45 h. ago Growing proportion of aid budget to be spent on asylum hotels next year

Hotel accommodation for asylum-seekers strips money from the aid budget and threatens the health of people seeking safety, charities warn

Economics

48 h. ago Reeves says use of hotels for asylum seekers to end ‘in this parliament’ – UK politics live

Chancellor delivers spending review, claiming asylum move will save £1bn and says health spending represents a record cash investmentSpending review: key points at a glanceGreen party MPs and activists joined a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealth Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago Asylum seeker hotels to be scrapped by end of Parliament, announces Chancellor

Cost of asylum accommodation set to be more than three times higher than previously estimated - at £15.3 billion over 10 years

Politics

49 h. ago Spending Review 2025 LIVE: Rachel Reeves pledges billions more for NHS and social housing... but Met police cash row looms

Chancellor announces extra £29 billion per year for the NHS and vows to end use of asylum seeker hotels

Economics

49 h. ago Rachel Reeves vows to end use of 'costly' hotels to house asylum seekers

The Chancellor said migrants would be moved out of hotels by the time of the next general election, due in 2029.

Society

50 h. ago Reeves says use of hotels for asylum seekers to end ‘in this parliament’ and NHS spending to rise 3% a year – UK politics live

Chancellor claims asylum move will save £1bn and says health spending represents a record cash investmentSpending review: key points at a glanceGreen party MPs and activists staged a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the Chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealthSenior SNP figures held a secret meeting on Monday night to discuss removing John Swinney as party leader, The Herald has learned, following last week’s defeat in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection.One of the 25 attendees said the first minister had two weeks to come up with a new strategy on independence — or risk facing a leadership...

Politics

50 h. ago Government to end use of hotels for asylum seekers – Chancellor

Rachel Reeves set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers billions of pounds.

Politics

50 h. ago Rachel Reeves reveals hotels WON'T be used to house asylum seekers

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told MPs that asylum hotel use will end by the end of this Parliament, which she said will save British taxpayers around £1billion a year

Society

66 h. ago Petition to stop asylum seekers receiving benefits smashes huge new milestone

The petition, which was set up by Bob Clements, has been signed by more than 350,000 people. It calls for the Government to stop providing financial and other support to asylum seekers

Events

3 d. ago London council faces £5m shortfall as ministers fail to provide funds to house 3,000 asylum seekers, says MP

Commentary: Over the centuries, different groups have made London their home – making London the vibrant city that it is today

Politics

5 d. ago Two illegal migrants evade border checks before being discovered on school coach returning from France

Pair were only discovered when luggage compartment was opened at a UK service station

Events

5 d. ago Asylum seeker 'who recruited child soldiers' wins appeal to stay in Britain despite being refused refugee status in France because he's an alleged war criminal

The Sri Lankan, who remains unnamed after he was granted anonymity, faces claims he 'enlisted children under the age of 15' to separatist terrorist group Tamil Tigers.

Events

5 d. ago Scott Morrison sought advice to obstruct Nauru asylum seekers from accessing abortions, documents reveal

Advocate claims Abbott government was concerned asylum seekers and refugees were using medical transfers as a back door to get into AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastScott Morrison overrode medical advice in the case of an asylum seeker in offshore detention trying to access an abortion, and had previously sought advice that would effectively prevent access to terminations entirely, ministerial advice reveals.Documents released under freedom of information laws show Morrison, in 2014 as immigration minister, had sought advice to deny the transfer of women to a hospital on the Australian mainland to access termination services before 20 weeks’ gestation. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Government stalling in efforts to cut foreign aid spent on asylum seekers

The government has been accused of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, with aid organisations claiming ministers are in danger of a ‘reckless repeat’ of the previous Conservative government

Politics

6 d. ago Home Office plans to spend £2.2bn of foreign aid on asylum support this year

International rules allow countries to count first-year costs of supporting refugees as overseas development assistance.

Economics

6 d. ago Labour struggling to slash 'unsustainable' foreign aid spending on asylum hotels, despite vow to end practice

The Government is spending £2.2 billion of overseas development funds to house migrants

Events

6 d. ago Labour is still spending £2.2bn a year of foreign aid on UK hotels for asylum seekers

Figures released by the Home Office show Labour only managed to reduce its spending on official development assistance between 2024/25 by around £1million.

Economics