Labour wants ‘stronger’ relationship with France, says Starmer September 19, 2023 Labour would seek a “stronger” relationship with France if elected into power, leader Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Border security top of agenda at Montreal summit, Keir Starmer says September 16, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer said protecting the UK’s borders is an “acute security concern” as he arrived in Canada for a summit of political leaders. The Labour leader is set to declare people smuggling, terrorism, climate change and weakening democracy the four major threats to western countries during the latest in a series of engagements on [...]
Keir Starmer plans anti-terror style crackdown on small boats – and more EU co-operation after Brexit September 14, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer insisted closer cooperation was needed with the European Union (EU) on the small boats crisis in the face of claims he would hand control of immigration policy back to Brussels. The Labour leader indicated he could be prepared to do a deal with Brussels which would see the UK take a quota [...]
A Stoke Newington gelato serves up a reminder that immigration makes London tick September 6, 2023 An 8pm queue for a Stoke Newington gelato joint may not be an obvious starting point for a column about the City’s competitiveness, but start there we will. Every evening, especially in this welcome burst of long-overdue sunshine, there is a line at least 10-or-so outside of Romeo & Giulietta. Amongst the families bribing small [...]
Asylum backlog reaches new record high August 24, 2023 The UK’s asylum backlog has hit a new record high, with 80 per cent of people waiting longer than six months for an initial decision. Home Office figures show a total of 175,457 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2023. This is [...]
More than 130 leaks in Westminster buildings – but not THOSE kind of leaks…. August 18, 2023 More than 130 sewage leaks have sprung up in government buildings over the last year, new data has revealed. The majority of the 138 leaks were at Ministry of Defence (MoD) buildings, with 102 incidents at sites including Royal Naval airbase Culdrose, Cornwall and RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire. The Liberal Democrats, who obtained the information via [...]
How is Sunak doing on halving inflation, cutting NHS lists and stopping boats? August 16, 2023 In January, Rishi Sunak unveiled the vision for his government. Five pledges; five clear goals; five ambitions for his ministers. His aim was clear: be seen as an effective, solutions-focused administration and, hopefully, reap the electoral rewards. “No tricks, no ambiguity; we’re either delivering for you or we’re not,” he vowed. Eight months in, and [...]
Immigration minister Jenrick denies abandoning briefcase on train July 31, 2023 Immigration minister Robert Jenrick is facing claims that he left his ministerial briefcase unattended on a train. The Sun newspaper reported that witnesses had seen the Home Office minister leave his red box unattended for at least four minutes. A spokesman for the minister strongly denied any suggestion that the politician had abandoned the box. [...]
UK firms looking to India for growth despite trade deal delays July 20, 2023 A host of UK firms are looking to expand their operations in India despite delays to the UK-India trade deal. India is now considered a core international growth market for UK mid-market firms, according to a survey of a survey of just over 600 medium-sized UK firms by accountancy firm Grant Thornton. Just over 70 [...]
UK to issue visas for foreign construction workers to fill job shortages July 17, 2023 Carpenters, bricklayers and roofers are among migrant workers who will be allowed to apply for work visas and get a discount on fees in a bid to fill UK job shortages. The Home Office said it was “temporarily easing visa restrictions” for a string of construction roles by adding them to the shortage occupation list. [...]