Markus Andrews

The UK could suspend visas from countries that do not “play ball” and agree to take back migrants, the new home secretary has said as she set out her hardline approach to tackling illegal immigration. On her third day in the job, Shabana Mahmood said she would do “whatever it takes” to stop small boat crossings. She also hit out at the “utterly unacceptable” number of migrants arriving in the UK on dinghies, after the number of Channel crossings this year passed 30,000 in record time. Ms Mahmood said she had been discussing the suspension of visas with the UK’s “Five Eyes” allies, as she met Donald Trump’s secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem and counterparts from Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Migrants on a small boat in the channel More

Technology platforms are to be compelled by law to proactively find and stop content promoting self-harm to adults as well as children, in a bid to boost online safety.The change to strengthen the Online Safety Act will make clear to social media companies that it is not optional as to whether to take quick action on protecting users from “toxic material”, the new Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said.She said such content is so harmful that it can be “the difference between life and death”.The change – legally requiring tech firms to prevent such content from appearing in the first place, rather than simply reacting to it – is expected to come into effect this autumn and will mean that encouraging or assisting serious self-harm will be treated as a priority offence.The Molly Rose Foundation – set up by bereaved father Ian Russell after his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life, having viewed harmful content on social media – welcomed the strengthening of the Act.Andy Burrows, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Coercing and grooming young people to harm themselves is now at the frontline of self-harm risks online and presents a growing and sadistic threat to children.“Molly Rose Foundation has long called for self-harm offences to be considered a priority harm under the Online Safety Act, so we strongly welcome the Government’s action in the face of this rapidly increasing threat.“Ofcom must now act swiftly and robustly to better respond to the threat of online self-harm offences otherwise the most vulnerable children will continue to be exposed to truly despicable yet preventable harm.”Echoing this, the Samaritans said communications regulator Ofcom must “use their powers to hold platforms to account so we can save more lives lost to suicide”.Ms Kendall said: “This Government is determined to keep people safe online. Vile content that promotes self-harm continues to be pushed on social media and can mean potentially heart-wrenching consequences for families across the country.“Our enhanced protections will make clear to social media companies that taking immediate steps to keep users safe from toxic material that could be the difference between life and death is not an option, but the law.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned not to water down Labour’s workers’ rights bill after Angela Rayner was forced to quit over her tax affairs. As they gather for the TUC conference in Brighton, unions are piling pressure on the prime minister to uphold the package of stronger protections for workers amid pressure from business to rethink some measures. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of one of the UK’s biggest unions, Unite, hit out and accused Labour ministers of “saying different things to different” people on the future of the government’s flagship plans on Monday. UKHospitality, which represents pubs, bars and restaurants, is to write to all ministers demanding changes to the package, including watering down day one protection from unfair dismissal.And, as pressure on the government ramps up over the measures, supporters of the employment rights bill fear Ms Rayner’s departure leaves it at risk. Justin Madders, the junior minister who was co-architect of Labour’s so-called new deal for working people was also sacked in Sir Keir’s emergency reshuffle last week. Angela Rayner’s departure raised fears about her package of stronger workers’ rights More

Norwegians headed to the polls Monday in the main day of voting for a new parliament, after a campaign in which the future of a wealth tax that dates to the late 19th century has been a central issue.About 4.3 million people in the Scandinavian nation are eligible to vote for the new 169-member parliament, or Storting. A close outcome is expected between a center-left bloc led by the Labor Party of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and a right-wing bloc.Official results are expected Tuesday, and they are likely to be followed by weeks of negotiations to build a coalition and agree on Cabinet positions before King Harald can swear in a new government. The result isn’t likely to have major implications for Norway’s foreign policy. The country is a stalwart member of NATO and a strong supporter of Ukraine’s defense against Russia, with which it has a border in the Arctic north. It isn’t a member of the European Union but has close economic ties with the 27-nation bloc.Norway is one of the richest countries in the world. It has a generous welfare state, sits on billions of barrels of oil and gas, and has one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, worth around 20 trillion kroner ($2 trillion). Gross domestic product per person is the sixth-highest in the world, one place above the U.S., according to the International Monetary Fund.It is also one of the world’s most egalitarian countries, sharing its wealth much more evenly than many others. Labor wants to keep the wealth tax that has been a mainstay of Norwegian policy since 1892 — a levy of up to 1.1% on assets and shares worth more than 1.76 million kroner (around $176,000), though there are various reductions and discounts. Labor says that scrapping it would cost 34 billion kroner ($3.3 billion) per year.Of its rivals on the right, the Conservatives want it reduced and the Progress Party of Sylvie Listhaug, which calls for lower taxes and more immigration controls, wants it scrapped.Polls have shown Listhaug’s party ahead of the Conservatives, led by former Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who were the senior partner in the last center-right government from 2013 to 2021. It has been bolstered by an energetic social media campaign, driven by youthful influencers who have inspired younger voters against the wealth tax. More

Labour government ‘moving forward with strongest team’ following Cabinet reshuffle after Rayner resignationSir Keir Starmer has completed his reshuffle of junior ministerial ranks as the home secretary is hit with an immediate crisis after Channel crossings hit 30,000.The prime minister completed the reshuffle in a bid to harden his immigration policy amid rising numbers of crossings in the Channel.Shabana Mahmood 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.The defence secretary John Healey confirmed to Sky News that he has placed military planners into the Home Office to scout out military facilities, after an estimated 1,000 people arrived in the UK by small boat over the course of Saturday.Starmer moved quickly to appoint David Lammy deputy prime minister while Yvette Cooper has been moved from home secretary to take up a new role as foreign secretary, with justice secretary Shabana Mahmood replacing her at the Home Office.Starmer appointed ­’Blairites’ to key rolesSir Keir Starmer has appointed ­“Blairites” to key roles in a cabinet ­reshuffle and handed the main economic departments to ministers on Labour’s reforming right flank, the Times reported.The new housing secretary, Steve Reed, told civil servants to “build, baby, build” to kick-start growth.Peter Kyle, appointed business secretary, is expected to focus on overhauling burdensome regulation, as Labour aims to cut costs on business by 25 per cent.Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 03:30Recap: Channel crossings pass 30,000 arrivals in record timeSome 1,097 migrants crossed the Channel in 17 boats on Saturday, bringing the total in 2025 so far to 30,100, Home Office figures show.It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 30,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.Last year, the figure was not passed until October 30 and in 2023 it was never reached as crossings totalled 29,437 for the whole year.In 2022, the number was reached on September 21.Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 03:00Housing Secretary vows to ‘build baby build’Angela Rayner’s replacement as Housing Secretary has vowed to “build baby build”.Steve Reed has pledged to boost housebuilding amid concern in government that the economy is not growing quickly enough.The Housing Secretary has identified that there are believed to be up to 1.4 million homes that have been granted permission but have not yet been built, the Telegraph reported. Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 02:30Sirens blare as emergency test alert sent to phones across UKRebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 02:00Emily Thornberry tells Keir Starmer to ‘stop making mistakes’Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by senior Labour figures to stop making mistakes.Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, who confirmed she is considering running for the role of deputy prime minister, said further mistakes from Starmer could lead to having to “hand our country to [Nigel] Farage”.Thornberry told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “Domestically, things just don’t seem to be working … People hear about the mistakes. And the question is, why are we making these mistakes?“We can’t afford to keep doing this, because we’ve gone from having the fantastic gift from the British public of a huge majority to now being at 20 per cent in the polls, and we will have in the next election the biggest fight of our lives coming against Farage. And the last thing we want is to go from a position where it was thought we would be in for two terms, to hand our country over to Farage.”Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 01:30Brian Cox slams ‘bully’ Nigel Farage in scathing rant on ‘misinformed’ Reform UK leaderBrian Cox slams ‘bully’ Nigel Farage in rant on ‘misinformed’ Reform leaderBrian Cox has slammed Nigel Farage as a “bully” who is “misinformed” in a scathing assessment of the Reform UK leader. Appearing on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Scottish actor said that he is “dazzled by the way a lot of people have been seduced by him”. Mr Farage’s party is currently 10 points ahead in the polls, according to Techne UK. He said that Mr Farage, who was interviewed by Kuenessberg earlier in the episode, was a “bit of a bully”. He said: “You can tell by the way he conducted that interview with you thought a lot of it was badgering. I just don’t trust the man.” Slamming Brexit, Mr Cox also said that he believes there has “never been a more positive time to be in Europe” due to the ongoing Ukraine war.Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 01:02New home secretary hit with immediate crisis as small boat Channel crossings top 30,000Rebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 00:30Watch: Reform UK sings national anthem as Andrea Jenkyns takes the leadReform UK sings national anthem as Andrea Jenkyns takes the leadRebecca Whittaker8 September 2025 00:00Recap: Reform UK’s biggest weakness is government inexperience, Farage saidReform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party’s biggest weakness is “experience at government level”.He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that Nadine Dorries “brings us the one commodity we’re very short of and that’s experience at government level”.Mr Farage said: “That is our biggest weakness. You could ask me lots of questions about policy and personnel and all the rest of it, but if you ask me, how are you going to do this? I can’t really give you an answer, because I haven’t got anybody in the senior team that’s ever been there before.“Nadine came yesterday. She’s the first, and there will be others.”Rebecca Whittaker7 September 2025 23:31Healey dismisses suggestion Lammy is preferred candidateOn Sunday, John Healey dismissed the idea that former foreign secretary David Lammy’s appointment as Deputy Prime Minister meant he was the Prime Minister’s preferred candidate for the job.“They’re two separate jobs, two very important jobs. The deputy leader of the Labour Party is an important job and an important vote for Labour Party members,” he told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.Meanwhile, Andy Burnham backed Louise Haigh, who resigned as transport secretary last year after it emerged she had previously been convicted of a fraud offence, or former Commons leader Lucy Powell.Ms Powell was sacked as part of Sir Keir’s Cabinet shake-up this week while Ms Haigh left Government in November after it emerged she had admitted to incorrectly telling police a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.Rebecca Whittaker7 September 2025 23:00 More

Britain’s leading former Paralympian turned House of Lords peer has revealed she has been sent abusive emails accusing her of being “responsible for people dying in pain” amid her opposition to the assisted dying bill.Crossbench peer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is among those expected to speak in a historic debate on Friday as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returns to parliament.A long-time campaigner on the rights of disabled people, she said that while it has been difficult to read some of the correspondence directed at her on what is a divisive issue, she accepts it is “part of the job”.The interview comes as Sir Keir Starmer is facing a severe warning from Labour grandees in the House of Lords who have joined a high powered cross-party group demanding more time for the assisted dying debate.Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson revealed she has been sent abusive emails accusing her of being ‘responsible for people dying in pain’ More

Shabana Mahmood has hit out at the “utterly unacceptable” number of migrants arriving in the UK in small boats after the number of Channel crossings this year passed 30,000 in record time.The newly appointed home secretary has been hit immediately with the scale of the crisis she has inherited just 48 hours after taking over from Yvette Cooper.The worst ever figures recorded in a single year to this point have underlined why Sir Keir Starmer felt he needed a clearout of ministers from the Home Office and a new team put in place, with Labour trailing Reform UK by 10 points in the polls.The news that the 30,000 mark has been hit earlier in a single year under the Labour government’s watch will only add fuel to Nigel Farage’s push for power as he completed a exuberant party conference in Birmingham over the weekend.Shabana Mahmood will host her Five Eyes counterparts More

The contest to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader is expected to become a “referendum” for Labour members on Sir Keir Starmer’s government, senior party figures have told The Independent.With anger about the attempted welfare cuts and Middle East policy in particular, as well as the added threat of Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party emerging, Sir Keir appears set to be faced with a serious internal challenge as a result of Ms Rayner’s enforced departure.One senior figure to hint at the difficulty for the party leadership of the contest ahead was Andy Burnham, who said Sir Keir’s government needs “a reset”, and urged the PM to use Labour’s deputy leadership contest as a discussion on the future of the party. The Greater Manchester mayor said the prime minister must listen to and respect Labour MPs more and called on his Downing Street operation to be “less factional and more pluralistic”. Starmer and Rayner led Labour into the 2024 general election More