Markus Andrews

Sir Keir Starmer’s foreign aid cuts have put Britain’s international reputation and credibility at risk, the government has admitted. The prime minister’s decision to slash development spending from 0.5 per cent of GDP to 0.3 per cent – around £6bn – has sparked alarm among leaders in Africa and around the world, a Foreign Office document has revealed. Responses to David Lammy’s “new approach to Africa” consultation show among high commissioners and ambassadors in 51 countries – including 40 in Africa – concerns were raised about the implications of international aid cuts “on the UK’s reputation and credibility”. Keir Starmer cut international aid spending to boost the defence budget More

The father of Molly Russell has warned “sticking plasters” will not be enough to strengthen online safety measures after the Technology Secretary indicated he was considering an “app cap” for children.Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter took her own life after viewing harmful content on social media, urged the Prime Minister to “act decisively” in toughening legislation to protect young people online.It comes after Cabinet minister Pete Kyle signalled he was looking at measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew.Mr Russell, who is chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation set up in his daughter’s memory, said: “Every day the Government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we’ve seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech.“Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the Prime Minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job.“Only a stronger and more effective Online Safety Act will finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety.”The Online Safety Act has passed into law, and from this year will require tech platforms to follow new Ofcom-issued codes of practice to keep users safe online, particularly children.Hefty fines and site blockages are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules, but many critics have argued the approach gives tech firms too much scope to regulate themselves.Mr Kyle was asked on Sunday morning whether he would look at limiting the time children spend on social media to two hours per app after the Sunday People and Mirror reported the measure was being considered by ministers.“I’ve not been able to talk publicly about what the Labour approach is because we have the legacy legislation that has to go through first,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show.“This year we’ve had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms otherwise there’ll be criminal sanctions against them.“And in this time, I’ve been looking very carefully about what we do next.”Pressed on whether he was looking at an “app cap”, Mr Kyle said: “I’m looking at things that prevent healthy activity, I’m looking at some of the addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones.“I’m trying to think how we can break some of the addictive behaviour and incentivise more of the healthy developmental… and also the good communicative side of online life.” More

The UK has paid migrants £53 million to leave the country over the past four years, The Independent can reveal. Under a voluntary return scheme run by the government, migrants can receive up to £3,000 as an incentive to return to their home country, as part of what are known as “assisted returns”. They also have their flights paid for as part of the deal. Assisted returns have been on the rise in recent years, with 2,179 people travelling home this way in 2022 compared to 6,799 people in 2024. Between 2021 and 2024, 13,637 people have taken an assisted return, according to Home Office data. In the UK, a person can qualify for this money if they are returning to a developing country, are a failed asylum seeker, are a confirmed victim of modern slavery, are sleeping rough or have a medical condition. In 2024, over half of the foreign nationals who accepted assisted returns were from Brazil, with 3,573 taking up the offer. The second highest nationality was India, with 915 people returning in 2024, and then 271 going back to Honduras. The Home Office said assisted voluntary returns are more cost effective than funding accomodation for those awaiting enforced deportaiton More

No decision will be taken on the winter fuel allowance until the Autumn budget – dispelling speculation that the government would make an announcement on it at next week’s spending review. Sir Keir Starmer last month announced his intention to give more people access to winter fuel payments, just months after Labour decided to means test the previously universal payment. But weeks later, chaotic government messaging had left millions of pensioners with no idea what the changes will look like or when they will be announced. Asked about the changes, Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, told Sky News: “These issues are going to be dealt with in the run up to the autumn where these decisions are going to be taken and announced. “But this is a spending review that’s going to set the overall spending constraints for government for the next period, the next three years.” Pressed on whether that means no details will be unveiled on winter fuel next week, the technology secretary said: “I think what you’re going to see is the overall spending constraints and allowances for each government department, and then each department is then going to start talking about how it’s going to allocate those.” Last week, Rachel Reeves confirmed the expected U-turn on the controversial cuts would be in place for this winter, meaning that the government will be faced with a scramble to get the changes rolled out between the October budget and the winter months. While the chancellor had previously confirmed that they would not set out how the changes would be paid for until the autumn, there was a growing suggestion from the government that details on who the changes would affect could be set out at next week’s spending review. Peter Kyle told Sky News that details won’t be set out until the budget More

The government is struggling to cut the amount of money from the foreign aid budget it spends on asylum seekers in the UK, new figures show. Home Office figures show the department expects to spend £2.2bn of overseas development assistance (ODA) this financial year, of which £2.1bn is expected to be spent on asylum support. The predictions for this year are only slightly less than the £2.4bn spent in 2024/25. Official development assistance (ODA) – which was slashed earlier this year to 0.3 per cent of GDP to pay for a boost to defence spending – is used to promote the economic development and welfare in developing countries around the world. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper appeared before the Home Affairs committee on Tuesday (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More

Zia Yusuf has announced he is returning to Reform UK – just 48 hours after quitting as the party’s chair. The businessman, who said his decision to leave was an error that came as the result of exhaustion, will take up a new role in the party following peace talks with leader Nigel Farage. While his formal title has not been decided, he is expected to lead Reform’s Elon Musk-inspired Doge unit, modelled on the Department of Government Efficiency set up by Donald Trump in the US. Reform’s Doge UK team was set up to identify spending cuts in councils the party now controls and was formally launched this week.Mr Yusuf will also oversee some aspects of policymaking, fundraising and media appearances for the party. A new party chair is expected to be appointed next week and a deputy chair will be hired too.Zia Yusuf says many party members want him to stay More