4 h. ago Reform vow to set up ministry for migration staffed only by civil servants who believe in secure borders

A Reform UK government would only allow civil servants who 'believe' in secure borders to work in a new ministry to tackle migration, Richard Tice announced today.

Politics

4 h. ago Reform would only have believers working on migration policy in new ministry as Right unites on path to leave ECHR and Braverman calls for judges to be political appointments

A Reform UK government would only allow civil servants who 'believe' in secure borders to work in a new ministry to tackle migration, Richard Tice announced today.

Events

15 h. ago The Climate Diplomat by Peter Betts review – the most important person you’ve never heard of

A British civil servant’s revelatory account of negotiations to avert climate catastropheWhen it comes to the climate, Peter Betts is one of the most important people you’ve probably never heard of. If the world does manage to avoid the worst ravages of global heating, it will be thanks in part to the countless late nights he spent in windowless rooms, arguing over the placement of commas in impenetrable legal text.Betts would probably have disagreed. He disliked ostentation and grand statements, preferring to get on unfussily with his job – for years, he was the UK’s main negotiator on climate, and leader of the EU’s team on the 2015 Paris agreement. Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Warning! The rightwing junktanks behind the Tories’ worst disasters still have the keys to No 10 | George Monbiot

Who is running the government’s ‘growth school’ for civil servants? The answer surpassed my worst fearsForgive me if I’ve got this wrong, but I seem to recall the country voting the Tories out last year. Part of the reason, if I remember correctly, was their staggering incompetence and insouciance, epitomised by Liz Truss’s mini-budget. That catastrophe was, like Truss’s political career, formed and steered by the neoliberal junktanks of Tufton Street.But now I begin to doubt my recollections. We booted them out through the front door, right? Yet they still appear to be in the house. Perhaps they came round the back. After taking an interest in the Department for Business and Trade’s “growth school” speaker sessions for civil servants, I sent a freedom of information request. Given that Keir Starmer, like Truss, has placed his growth “mission” at the centre of policy, and that this department is responsible for delivering it, the instruction given to its officials is crucial to the ...

Events

3 d. ago UK tourists visiting Europe issued warning over major passport changes arriving next month

Anyone travelling to an EU country will have their fingerprints and photo taken as part of new border security rules from next month

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3 d. ago Kristi Noem joins 'Five Eyes' ministers at border security meeting in London

Interior and security ministers from the "Five Eyes" alliance of the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand have met in London to discuss border security and migrant-smuggling gangs

Politics

5 d. ago Shabana Mahmood expected to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels to barracks

New home secretary is expected to unveil plans to use military sites as Labour seeks to harden immigration policyShabana Mahmood is expected to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks as Labour seeks to harden its immigration policy amid rising numbers of crossings in the channel.The new home secretary is reportedly set to announce the use of Ministry of Defence sites to house people after a wave of protests outside migrant accommodation over the summer. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Donald Trump axes security aid to Europe's frontline against Russia in shock move

The US is dramatically phasing out crucial security assistance programmes for European armies stationed along Russia's menacing border, as Donald Trump aggressively pushes the continent to cough up for more of its own defence.

Events

7 d. ago Israeli military database indicates only a quarter of Gaza detainees are fighters

Elderly woman with Alzheimer’s, medical workers and children among 6,000 Palestinians heldOnly one in four detainees from Gaza are identified as fighters by Israel’s military intelligence, classified data indicates, with civilians making up the vast majority of Palestinians held without charge or trial in abusive prisons.Those jailed for long periods without charge or trial include medical workers, teachers, civil servants, media workers, writers, sick and disabled people and children. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Number of Whitehall civil servants working from home increases sparking backlash

Twelve Government departments reported a drop in office attendance, while only five saw an increase

Events

1 week ago Labour is accused of failing to end Whitehall WFH culture after drop in civil servants at office

Average occupancy across all ministries fell from 75 per cent in March to 72 per cent in June, official data shows.

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1 week ago ‘I completely get it’ – Starmer insists he wants to empty asylum hotels faster

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to the BBC about his desire to grip the small boats crisis, as Yvette Cooper is set to unveil reforms to border security.

Events

1 week ago Ministers committed to ECHR, No 10 says, ahead of border reforms announcement

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will unveil reforms to the border security and asylum system on Monday.

Politics

1 week ago Home Secretary to set out border security and asylum reforms

Yvette Cooper will say the Government’s overhaul of the ‘broken’ asylum system will contribute to ending the use of asylum hotels.

Events

1 week ago All but one EU states demand Russia ‘stop the killing’ in Ukraine as Zelenskyy urges Monday deadline for Putin meeting – Europe live

EU member states, except Hungary, sign joint statement calling out Russia’s disregard for international lawEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is in Latvia today, and has been speaking to the media in the last few minutes.Speaking alongside Latvia’s prime minister Evika Siliņa, she praised the country’s work on becoming “a true drone and anti drone powerhouse” in Europe, contributing to Nato’s security in the region bordering with Russia.We know that Europe is only safe if the eastern border is safe.“The risks your country and the other Baltic States warned us about, unfortunately, have materialised. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is now in its fourth year, Putin is a predator, Putin’s proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber-attacks, [and] the weaponising of migrants is another example.” Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Who are the top aides Keir Starmer has sacked in the last year as Nin Pandit leaves

A string of high-profile sackings and resignations has marked Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first year in power, culminating in the recent departure of his top civil servant

Politics

2 w. ago Nin Pandit: Keir Starmer replaces top civil servant in Downing Street team

Keir Starmer is reportedly replacing the top civil servant in his Downing Street office. Nin Pandit, the PM's principal private secretary, runs the Mr Starmer's team at No 10

Politics

2 w. ago Immigration advocates alarmed over detention of Daca recipient: ‘No legal basis’

Border patrol agents arrested Catalina Santiago, granted temporary protection as a Dreamer, on 3 AugustCatalina “Xochitl” Santiago had already made it past the security line at the El Paso airport when two border patrol agents called her in for questioning and whisked her away to an immigration detention center.Nearly a month after her arrest, she and her family still aren’t clear why she is detained. Santiago is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program – which has allowed her to legally live and work in the US. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Nigel Farage to set out his plans for mass deportations of illegal migrants

In a speech this morning, the Reform UK leader will vow that - if he becomes PM - all those arriving in Britain on small boats will be detained and then deported.

Events

2 w. ago License plate camera company halts cooperation with federal agencies among investigation concerns

A company that installs license plate-detecting cameras to aid law enforcement has halted operations with federal agencies because of ongoing concerns among officials in Illinois and elsewhere

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