12 h. ago Cooper accused by Labour MP of ‘scapegoating’ migrants over asylum plans

Kim Johnson called for ‘more humane policies’, such as safe routes for migrants, as she criticised the Government’s plans.

Events

15 h. ago Voices: Yvette Cooper’s plans to fix the asylum system won’t work

After a summer of spiralling migrant numbers and protests outside asylum hotels, the home secretary has returned to the Commons with tougher new restrictions – but Labour looks like it’s playing catch-up to Reform, says Emily Sheffield

Events

16 h. ago Voices: Yvette Cooper’s raft of ideas to fix the asylum system don’t hold water

After a summer of spiralling migrant numbers and protests outside asylum hotels, the home secretary has returned to the Commons with tougher new restrictions – but Labour looks like it’s playing catch-up to Reform, says Emily Sheffield

Events

20 h. ago UK Government to address the nation after weekend of fury across country

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will address MPs this afternoon about Labour's plans to deal with immigration as one minister hinted at reforming the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Politics

21 h. ago Yvette Cooper faces MPs over asylum hotel chaos: Home Secretary will claim Labour's borders plan is working in statement TODAY despite mounting fury

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement as the Commons returns from a torrid summer dominated by questions over immigration.

Society

30 h. ago Crossings of small boats to UK in August fall to lowest since 2019

Home secretary to hail decline as evidence that Labour’s plan to ‘smash the gangs’ is having effect

Politics

30 h. ago Small boat crossings to UK in August fall to lowest level since 2019

Home secretary to hail decline as evidence that Labour’s plan to ‘smash the gangs’ is having effect

Politics

66 h. ago Labour must act to close asylum hotels or face Reform poll gains, ex

Charlie Falconer says government was right to challenge Epping hotel ruling but now has to ‘move forward’A former Labour justice secretary has warned that Reform UK will continue to rise in opinion polls unless the government moves faster to close hotels housing people seeking asylum.On Friday, the government won a court of appeal challenge against an injunction by Epping Forest district council that would have resulted in 130 asylum seekers being moved out of the Bell hotel. In recent weeks the hotel has become the focus of repeated protests, some of which have been orchestrated by far-right extremists and have turned violent. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago SNP Social Justice Secretary says Labour and Tory welfare cuts are election 'dividing line'

EXCLUSIVE: Shirley-Anne Somerville said the SNP will not cut benefits or restrict eligibility.

Politics

5 d. ago Now ANOTHER former Labour home secretary says Britain should 'decouple' from the ECHR to help tackle Channel migrant crisis as pressure piles on Keir Starmer

Jack Straw, who was Labour home secretary between 1997 and 2001, warned the ECHR was being 'misused' in some legal cases to prevent migrant deportations.

Events

6 d. ago Nigel Farage vows to deport 600,000 asylum seekers if Reform UK wins power as he warns Channel migrant 'invasion' is a 'threat to public order'

In a speech in Oxfordshire this morning, Mr Farage unveiled his party's 'Operation Restoring Justice' proposals to tackle the Channel migrant crisis.

Events

7 d. ago 'She's never here': Three homes Deputy PM Rayner accused of neglecting her constituency address as 70ft trees overshadow neighbours

Neighbours (pictured) in the Greater Manchester town she represents say they no longer see Labour's Housing Secretary.

Culture

7 d. ago Labour's Starmer faces growing pressure over small boats crisis

This year has witnessed a record 28,288 individuals making the crossing of the English Channel in small boats

Events

7 d. ago British citizens to be 'prioritised over foreigners' under Nigel Farage's plan to scrap the Human Rights Act to deal with Channel migrant crisis

Nigel Farage is this week set to unveil his proposals for mass deportations of asylum seekers who come to the UK on small boats.

Events

8 d. ago ‘We cannot do it the way our fathers did’: farmers across Europe struggle to adapt to the climate crisis

As wildfires rage in southern Europe and crop losses only set to increase in the coming years, producers are getting creative to beat the heat“I’m not ready to change jobs,” says Stellios Boutaris, a wine producer with vineyards in Naoussa and Amyndeon in northern Greece, as well as on the island of Santorini. But, he adds, “we cannot do it the way our fathers did.”Boutaris is determined to keep producing in the region and keep the family business going but says “the curve is not looking good” as the climate crisis puts pressure on producers across the Mediterranean. Continue reading...

Society

9 d. ago Lord Blunkett says Starmer should suspend ECHR to deport thousands of rejected asylum seekers and 'get a grip' on migrant crisis

The ex-Labour home secretary urged ministers to take the 'radical' step as fury grows over the use of nearly 200 hotels to house 32,000 asylum seekers at taxpayers' expense

Events

1 week ago Closing asylum hotels must be orderly, Cooper says amid Government legal bid

The Government will seek to appeal against the High Court’s refusal to allow it to intervene in the case, and then further appeal against the ruling.

Politics

1 week ago Migrant returns deal struck with Iraq in latest bid to deter small boat Channel crossings

The agreement signed during a visit to the UK by Iraq’s deputy prime minister will allow for the ‘swift’ return of failed asylum seekers.

Economics

2 w. ago The Labour right wants Wes Streeting in No 10. Why? What does he really stand for? | Oliver Eagleton

The way the health secretary has overseen the NHS give clues as to what a Streeting premiership might look likeOliver Eagleton is the author of The Starmer Project: A Journey to the RightJust over a year after Keir Starmer entered Downing Street, his political survival already looks uncertain. Perennially indecisive, unpopular with the public and unable to pass major legislation without rebellions, the prime minister has reportedly been put “on notice” by senior figures within his party. Speculation about a potential successor is mounting.What would Labour’s dominant faction – the neo-Blairite right – look for in a candidate? Their best bet would be an effective operator who doesn’t carry too much political baggage, a decent communicator, free of Starmer’s stumbling reticence, and a committed partisan of their cause: namely the free market and a strong state. They need someone who will go on the offensive for these values, rather than offering the bland apologetics that we have seen...

Politics

2 w. ago Labour needs to ‘pick things up’ after a ‘tough’ first year, says Sadiq Khan – UK politics live

London mayor says he has ‘confidence we will turn it round’ as he addresses audience at Edinburgh fringeThe former home secretary Jack Straw has urged Labour not to panic about the threat of Reform, who are riding high in the polls as Nigel Farage capitalises on the “small boats” and asylum backlog issue. Here is an extract from the write up of the interview he gave to the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Jessica Elgot:In an interview with the Guardian, he praised Starmer’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state after an ultimatum to Israel – but defended the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, saying he would also have proscribed the direct action group Palestine Action.The British political veteran said he believed Starmer and his cabinet were “head and shoulders” above opposition politicians and would reap the rewards of a gradual improvement in the economy and public services, which would not come immediately. Continue reading...

Politics