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    Reform UK conference – live: Nigel Farage to give speech after Tice defends leader’s absences from parliament

    Farage says there’s some truth in Trump’s claim Haitian migrants are eating petsYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefReform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to deliver a keynote speech at the party’s conference in Birmingham. Mr Farage is expected to announce plans to “democratise” the party structure after he “relinquished” control of the company by giving up his majority shareholder position.It comes Richard Tice has defended Mr Farage’s attendance record in parliament. The Party’s deputy leader claimed “no one works harder than Nigel Farage.” Mr Farage has spoken seven times in parliament since he was elected.“As leader, you’ve got a huge job because you’re campaigning everywhere,” he said. “You’re sorting out the professionalisation with the chairman and so we’re sharing and sharing alike and that’s an important part of it.“You can’t be everywhere all the time. It’s really difficult. But let me tell you, no one works harder than Nigel Farage.”Mr Tice also defended his party leader’s frequent trips to the US, supporting his “friend” former president Donald Trump. Mr Farage has visited the US three times since being elected as the MP for Clacton, including attending the Republican national convention in Milwaukee two weeks after the election.Show latest update 1726818114Reform UK conference: Key timings to keep an eye onHere are some key timings to keep an eye on this afternoon during the Reform Party Conference in Birmingham:3pm: Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth3:15pm: Chief whip Lee Anderson 3:30pm: Deputy Leader Richard Tice 3:45pm: Zia Yusuf, Reform Chairman4pm: Grand finale speech from party leader Nigel FarageJabed Ahmed20 September 2024 08:411726844124’I want my country back’, says Lee AndersonSpeaking to the Reform UK conference, Lee Anderson said it was a “disgrace” for children to be “taught they could be a different gender”.Opening his address on the main stage, Mr Anderson was met with loud applause. He told the audience: “I want my country back.”The MP for Ashfield continued: “I remember a time when our children went to school and they were taught how to read and write and become good citizens. They were not taught they could be a different gender.“They did not have to sit down and listen to a six-foot-five drag queen read stories to them.“This has been happening under our watch in this country. It is an absolute disgrace.”( More

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    David Lammy considers plans to evacuate Britons from Lebanon as Israel conflict escalates

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentDavid Lammy is looking at contingency plans to evacuate UK nationals from Lebanon as tensions rise in the Middle East. The foreign secretary has already urged Brits to leave the country amid the conflict with Israel.Ministers are keen to avoid a repeat of the chaotic scenes three years ago when as Britons attempted to flee Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the country.Mr Lammy has urged people to leave Lebanon “while commercial options remain” warning that the situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.On Friday Hezbollah launched more than 140 rockets into Israel in the wake of fresh airstrikes on southern Lebanon by the Israeli military – with Beirut warning the conflict is spiralling out of control.Smoke rises from Beirut southern suburbs, Lebanon More

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    Watch live: Nigel Farage addresses Reform UK conference in Birmingham

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWatch live as Nigel Farage addresses the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham on Friday, 20 September.The party secured five seats at this year’s general election and is expected to say it plans to win the next time the country goes to the polls.Deputy leader Richard Tice, chairman Zia Yousuf and MPs Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock are also set to speak.The two-day conference is set to be the largest the party has ever held, Reform UK said.The party now claims to have more than 70,000 members and has said this year’s ticket sales are more than four times 2023’s figures.Ahead of his speech, party leader Mr Farage has said he is “relinquishing” control of the party as he gives up his majority shareholder position.Reform UK Ltd is a registered company, unlike most other political parties, and was previously registered as the Brexit Party from 2018-2021.Companies House lists Mr Farage and Mr Tice as persons with significant control, with Mr Farage currently owning more than 50 per cent of shares. More

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    What to expect from Reform UK’s party conference

    Reform UK kicked off its annual conference, set to be the largest the party has ever held, in Birmingham on Friday, 20 September.The party now claims to have more than 70,000 members and has said this year’s ticket sales are more than four times 2023’s figures.Reform UK shot to prominence after securing five MPs at the last general election, including leader Nigel Farage – who announced he is “relinquishing” control of the party and giving up his majority shareholder position just one day ago.Here, The Independent political correspondent Millie Cooke details what to expect from this afternoon’s conference. More

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    Reform UK conference merch from Save Britain caps made in China to £35 ties signed by Richard Tice

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe Reform UK merchandise stand at their Birmingham conference is offering a wide range of items for sale – from ties signed by Richard Tice to caps emblazoned with “Let’s Save Britain”.The caps – that were manufactured in China – are on sale for £20.T-shirts, manufactured in Bangladesh and emblazoned with with the Reform UK logo, are on sale for £15, while beanie hats can be purchased for £20.The Reform UK merchandise stand at their Birmingham conference More

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    Reform voters are outliers who have ‘starkly’ different views about immigration than rest of the country

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentReform voters are outliers who have “starkly” differently views about immigration than the rest of the population, according to new research.They are the only group where most of those surveyed feel no sympathy for people making the dangerous Channel crossing in small boats and who oppose resettlement schemes like Homes for Ukraine.And they are also the only group who feel migration is not talked about enough and should be the number one priority for the government, the Immigration Attitudes Tracker from British Future and pollster Ipsos shows. Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “Reform UK and Nigel Farage provide a political voice for the section of the public with the toughest views on immigration – but to say they speak for the British public on the issue would simply be mistaken. Most people don’t share Nigel Farage’s views and don’t trust him when he talks about immigration.“Reform voters are outliers on immigration: they think differently to the majority of the public. Winning back their votes is a challenge for the Conservative Party, but a risk too.”Nigel Farage More

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    Rachel Reeves under pressure to axe winter fuel cut after £10billion Bank of England windfall

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentRachel Reeves is under increasing pressure to scrap her plan to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners after being handed a £10bn budget boost by the Bank of England (BoE).The chancellor has been urged to use the extra cash to row back on the plans, which will come as part of a series of possible spending cuts and tax rises planned by Ms Reeves for the October Budget.Ms Reeves was handed more room for manoevre as a result of a BoE decision to slow the pace of its quantitative tightening programme, which would reduce losses to the Treasury from bond sales.Chancellor Rachel Reeves hosted a reception in Number 11 Downing Street for female business leaders (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

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    Voices: Independent readers question Italy’s Albania scheme – but still want Starmer to act on migration

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefSir Keir Starmer has set tongues wagging this week, after apparently showing “great interest” in Italy’s controversial scheme to send migrants to be processed offshore.It came as the country’s leader Giorgia Meloni defended her deal with Albania, brushing aside humanitarian concerns as “completely groundless”.Sir Keir has not ruled out a similar scheme in the UK and said he would employ “British pragmatism” when it comes to solving the small boats crisis, after a summit with Ms Meloni in Rome.When we asked for your opinions, some readers argued for outsourcing migration processes, suggesting it could streamline operations. However, questions were also raised about the cost-effectiveness of offshoring versus improving domestic processing. While some proposed setting up processing centres in other countries, others argued for investing in safer migration routes and expediting claim processing as a more effective approach.There was also strong support for stricter domestic policies. Suggestions included limiting government services to UK citizens and denying settlement to illegal entrants. Critics argued that current policies are too lenient, with concerns about the UK’s capacity to handle rising numbers of migrants without overburdening infrastructure.Here’s what you had to say: Round tripsJust process applications in France. Anyone crossing would be easily and legally returned to the processing center.That would immediately reduce the market for dinghy rides by 80-90 percent as that’s the number the Tories home office said were legit.And, as the Dublin Accord proved, not many would be willing to pay for the trip knowing it was a round trip.Ron‘Why not?’They’ve outsourced everything else so why not migration? Bit of a surprise that the big four consultancy firms haven’t been given massive contracts to do a feasibility study on this.captaintripps‘Just do it’Amnesty International urge “…take leadership instead”. What on earth does that mean? What do they propose in practical terms?Also why, when both the Rwanda plan started to deter illegals and the Albanian plan has reduced Italy’s influx by 60 per cent is it still questioned whether offshoring works º of course it bloomin’ well does. Just do it.BayLeafLabour’s ‘open-door’ stanceWe could easily implement laws that would make the UK less attractive to illegal migrants. First, restrict government services exclusively to UK citizens. Second, ensure that anyone entering the country illegally is permanently denied the right to settle. These are practical measures that could be enacted quickly to send a strong message and deter illegal migration. However, I suspect a Labour government would likely avoid these steps due to their open-door, ideologically driven stance on immigration.AndrewAndrew‘Now is the time for action’The UK population has increased considerably over the past few years.The infrastructure has not increased at the same rate – housing, schools, hospitals, etc.Forget colour, ethnicity and religion. The UK cannot support thousands of illegal immigrants year after year, it’s called illegal for a reason. The simplest way to stop it is to return all to their country of birth. No more boats, then work on the legal route of considering asylum cases.The world is changing and year on year migration and illegal immigration to Europe and the UK will increase until the UK is on its knees and anarchy will prevail.Time for the UK government to realise that now is the time for action as it will only get worse, a small island has limited capacity and we are going downhill fast. Tell the PM to take a walk through towns and cities all over the UK where non-UK citizens have taken over and turned the areas into ghettos, putting your hand over your eyes and crossing your fingers doesn’t work.BBWIs it worth the money?Does the UK have big problems sending failed asylum seekers back to safe countries? If so, would spending a load of money setting up accommodation and a processing centre in another country sort it?Italian staff travel to Albania (not that far from the east coast as it happens) and get better pay for being there than equivalents assessing non-safe country migrants back home.If an asylum seeker proves their point (on exceptional grounds like female mutilation risk or persecution for being gay) then they are transferred to Italy. If they don’t Italy sends them back to a safe country – Italy lists 22 such countries. None of them are in the UK’s top five arrivals list.Took quite a while for the Albanian courts and parliament to agree to the Italian deal – and the government say one deal is enough.So should the UK just be better at processing claims, rather than copying the Italian’s not-cheap scheme?avidmidlandsreader‘Stop dangling the carrot’Stop dangling the carrot and they will stop coming, they look on the UK as Eldorado, with everything paid for, a nice hotel room and money to spend, stop giving it and they will stop coming. Asylum means reaching the first safe country you reach, how many countries have these gone through to get to Eldorado?Lubilu‘Invest in safe routes instead’That’s disturbing, Italy investing in the UK in their arms manufacturing company Leonardo, while Starmer invests in Meloni’s “Rome Process” scheme in Albania for “irregular” migrants. That’s an appalling, sick exchange and says a lot about Starmer. Why not just cut to the chase and invest in safe routes, fasting processing of claims and clearing the backlog?!Benitas‘Austerity at home and war abroad’Without any social programme to offer the working class, capitalist parties across Europe are seeking to build constituencies based on the xenophobic nationalism associated with the fascist right: austerity and repression at home, imperialism and war abroad.sinisterfootwear‘Does he know what he is doing?’Millions were thrown against Rwanda and now Albania millions more, does he know what he is doing?WorkerSome of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original articles here and here.All you have to do is sign up, submit your question and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More