Banning vape shops won’t fix scuzzy high streets Opinion Andy Burnham’s plans to revamp high streets by cutting down on vape shops aren’t ambitious enough, says Joseph Dinnage Andy Burnham is taking his hand to cleaning up Britain’s high streets. Commenting on the degradation of our urban centres, Burnham said that many areas have been “hollowed out”, and that the high streets we grew [...]
Mahmood unveils refugee sponsorship route as asylum bill faces Labour test Politics Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled plans for businesses and universities to sponsor refugees to come to Britain, as she seeks to shore up support for a wider asylum overhaul expected to face resistance from parts of Labour. The Home Office said it would introduce new “capped safe and legal” routes from later this year, [...]
Businesses face new ‘right to work’ compliance burden as gig economy checks loom Business The UK government is moving to extend mandatory ‘right to work’ checks to cover individuals hired under a ‘worker’s contract’, in a move to address gaps in the law in the gig economy. The Home Office launched a consultation last week as it seeks to clamp down on illegal working. As a result, for the [...]
Tories pledge creation of US-style deportations force October 5, 2025 The Tories will pledge to create a new “Removals Force” tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year as part of plans to end irregular migration into the UK. Tory plans announced on Sunday would see the Removals Force given £1.6 billion and “sweeping new powers” including the use of facial recognition without warning to spot [...]
Does Reform have any policies? September 8, 2025 A new format for its conference suggests Reform is thinking seriously about policy, not just personality, says Emma Revell It’s not uncommon for me to spend a September day on a crowded train full of awkward-looking men in suits (and occasionally some women too). But last Friday’s journey was a little different. Instead of heading [...]
Home Office to crack down on promoting small boat crossings online August 3, 2025 Anyone who advertises small boat Channel crossings or fake passports on social media could face up to five years in prison under new plans. Ministers are seeking to create a new offence under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament, to widen its scope to tackle illegal entry to the UK. [...]
UK government to sanction companies driving illegal migration July 22, 2025 The UK government is set to introduce a new sanctions regime targeting people smuggling gangs and rogue companies driving illegal migration as part of efforts to curb small boat crossings and stop modern slavery in the UK. In new reforms unveiled by the Foreign Office, individuals and companies responsible for irregular migration will see their [...]
Brussels’ tobacco ban risks fuelling illegal immigration June 28, 2025 A proposed EU tobacco tax hike risks fuelling organised crime, illicit trade, and people smuggling across Europe and into the UK, says Tom Pursglove Recent headlines suggest that up to 50,000 illegal migrants could cross the Channel this year – a figure that provokes a palpable sense of dread amongst the British public. People have [...]
The real reason young Albanians like me are coming to the UK illegally June 4, 2025 Growing up in Kukes in northern Albania, one of the poorest places in Europe, Gezim Hilaj watched as most of the young people he knew crossed to the UK in small boats. Here he argues that Keir Starmer’s return hubs won’t stop more Albanians doing the same In 2019, while I was studying hard to [...]
Firms will have to ‘train British workers’ under immigration plans May 8, 2025 UK firms will reportedly have to train British workers if they wish to hire staff from abroad as part of government efforts to lessen the economy’s reliance on mass immigration. Firms have lowered expectations for investment in training, according to a number of recent surveys, given the UK’s bleak economic outlook for the year ahead. [...]