Markus Andrews

David Lammy has insisted that despite experiencing horrendous prejudice while growing up, he does not believe Britain is a racist country and hit out at those who “would have us believe that we are more divided than we really are”.Writing exclusively for The Independent to mark Black History Month, the justice secretary described how he was spat at as a young boy for being Black, and said he was “terrified” of the skinheads who “patrolled our neighbourhoods, spreading their hate”.But he insisted his experiences of efforts to combat division have shown him Britain is not a racist country and is instead a nation of people “determined to play their part in putting it right”.Arguing that most people want to live in a “tolerant society”, Mr Lammy lashed out at Reform, warning the party’s worldview is counter to Britain’s true spirit. He highlighted comments made last weekend by Reform’s Runcorn MP Sarah Pochin, who told Talk TV that seeing Black and Asian people in adverts made her angry, warning that such remarks were becoming “normalised” and marked a return to “flagrant racism”. While Ms Pochin has since apologised, Labour ministers have said she was only sorry “for saying the quiet bit out loud”.Deputy prime minister David Lammy More

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has become the latest major international institution to announce plans to close its headquarters in the UK because of Brexit.The group, which represents the global private sector in travel and tourism and has been based in the UK since it was founded, is set to relocate to mainland Europe to benefit from “lower operational costs and EU single market access”, its chairman has said. Manfredi Lefebvre added: “Brexit is one of the main factors in our decision to potentially move our headquarters beyond the UK. The benefits of a European head office include lower operational costs, EU single market access and recruitment flexibility of a multilingual talent pool.“The high standard of research services our members, governments and the stakeholders around the world receive will continue to be at the forefront of our work and we are confident we will attract high-quality talent in the wider European market, for all of our services to members globally.”The decision comes after the board of the WTTC endorsed a plan to move, with Switzerland, Italy and Spain among the likely destinations.The move comes after chancellor Rachel Reeves blamed the country’s latest economic woes on the ongoing impact of the decision to leave the EU.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has already calculated that Brexit will have a long-term reduction in GDP by 4 per cent to the UK.WTTC chairman Manfredi Lefebvre More

Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether he will stick to his manifesto promise not to raise taxes, fuelling speculation that the government will row back on the pledge at next month’s Budget.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch asked the prime minister on Wednesday whether he stuck by his pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing the prospect of tax rises or spending cuts as she looks to balance the books at the November Budget. Answering Ms Badenoch during Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM pointed to some economic figures, before saying that “the Budget is on 26 November and we will lay out our plans”. He added: “But I can tell the House now that we will build a stronger economy, we will cut NHS waiting lists and deliver a better future for our country.”Kemi Badenoch during PMQs on Wednesday More

The attorney general has hit out at “disgraceful allegations” made towards the prime minister and national security adviser following the collapse of the China spy case, and admitted he is “extremely concerned” about the impact the case will have on public trust in national security. Lord Richard Hermer told a parliamentary committee that suggestions that “politicians had somehow improperly interfered in this case to stop a prosecution” were made “without evidence”. MPs and Lords took evidence from the attorney general and Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones on Wednesday as part of their investigation into the collapse of the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry.MPs and Lords took evidence from the attorney general on Wednesday More

Reform MP Lee Anderson has admitted to previously “gaming the system” to help people secure benefits. The Ashfield MP made the revelation during a press conference, explaining his past role at the Citizens Advice Bureau before entering politics.“Before I came into politics, I worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau,” he said. “We used to fill the form out for clients … I can tell you now, we were gaming the system.” Mr Anderson described the process as “a competition” between the adviser and the Department for Work and Pensions.He said he knew advisers at the organisation who had “a 100 per cent hit rate” on benefits forms and could get “the fittest man in Ashfield” onto the personal independence payment (PIP).The Ashfield MP told a press conference that he worked at the Citizens Advice Bureau before entering politics More

Britain’s minister for the Middle East has pushed the case for Sir Tony Blair to be part of the board running Gaza after the second phase of the peace deal is agreed.With concerns still high that the fragile ceasefire may not hold between Hamas and Israel, minister Hamish Falconer has hailed the qualities of the former prime minister in an exclusive interview with The Independent.The minister, whose portfolio also covers North Africa and plays a significant role in the migrant crisis, denied Keir Starmer’s decision to slash international aid has fuelled the illegal flow of people to Europe and the UK.Hamish Falconer (centre) visits a migrant processing centre in Algeria More

A BBC journalist has been barred from leaving Vietnam and subjected to multiple days of interrogation, the BBC has said as the country’s top leader arrived in the UK for an official visit.The broadcaster alleges that officials stopped its journalist – a Vietnamese citizen who lives and works in Thailand – from leaving the country, seized her passport, and subjected her to interrogation.The British government is being urged by friends of the journalist to pressure Vietnam’s Communist Party general secretary To Lam, who is scheduled to meet prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, to secure her release.Friends hope her case can be raised by the British prime minister during his meeting with the Vietnamese leader.The journalist, who works for the BBC’s Vietnamese Service, had returned to her home country in August to renew her passport. “One of our journalists has been unable to leave Vietnam for several months as the authorities have withheld their ID card and their renewed passport,” the BBC said on Tuesday in a statement.The local police allegedly held her reissued passport and interrogated her for five days over her work. “We are deeply concerned about our journalist’s wellbeing and urge the authorities to allow them to leave immediately, providing them with their renewed passport so they can return to work.”The journalist, who does not want to be named, was “shaken” by the gruelling interrogation and pressured into acknowledging 18 articles that she had published, The Times reported, citing her friends.During Mr Lam’s visit, both nations are expected to raise their ties to a strategic comprehensive partnership, according to British officials. However, Mr Lam’s visit appears to have been eclipsed by yet another glaring example of the clampdown on press freedom in Vietnam. “When you undertake that degree of interrogation, and when you’re singling out specific articles that they’ve forced her to acknowledge, I think they’re preparing for an arrest,” said Phil Robertson, a human rights campaigner in Bangkok.To Lam, the general secretary of the Communist Party, is currently visiting the UK More

The government will fail to meet its target of building 1.5m homes by the end of the decade, house builders have warned in a letter to the budget watchdog – a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves ahead of what is expected to be a difficult budget in November. In a letter to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Home Builders Federation (HBF) – the representative body of the home building industry in England and Wales – said that its forecasts for economic growth from house building were too optimistic. The organisation’s chief executive, Neil Jefferson, said the OBR’s numbers would only be achievable if ministers gave more help to first-time buyers to stimulate demand and slashed planned taxes on new homes, which he said were making many sites “unviable”.He said: “The OBR’s forecasts for housing supply were ambitious. The numbers are only achievable in the right policy environment.”Construction on new homes More