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    Second migrant deported to France under ‘one in, one out’ deal

    A second migrant has been deported to France under Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” deal after losing a High Court bid to have his removal temporarily blocked. An Eritrean man was on a flight that left Heathrow for Paris at 6.15am on Friday, the Home Office confirmed.The failed asylum seeker had said he was a victim of trafficking, but the Home Office argued that there was not enough evidence for him to qualify for modern slavery support. Mr Justice Sheldon told the High Court late on Thursday that it was “clear” that the migrant would have the opportunity to submit a trafficking claim in France. The Eritrean said he had been kidnapped and forced to work in Libya, but Home Office decision-makers said they did not believe his account. Two migrants have so far been flown to Paris under the deportation deal More

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    Voices: ‘After this latest debacle, I’m out’: Independent readers weigh in on Your Party row

    Independent readers are deeply divided on the future of Your Party after the latest row threatened to further destabilise the fledgling party.Jeremy Corbyn is seeking legal advice after co-leader Zarah Sultana sent an “unauthorised email” from Your Party’s account, inviting its supporters to become paid members.It is the latest chapter in a public spat between the co-leaders, which began when the new venture was originally announced by Sultana, who said in July she was quitting the Labour Party to co-found the new venture with Corbyn.While some expressed sympathy for Sultana, praising her initiative and frustration at what she called a “sexist boys’ club”, others argued her unilateral action showed she was a liability and too ambitious to be a team player. Several readers said the spat had already undermined confidence in the fledgling movement, with one warning it risked being “strangled at birth”.A number of commenters who have signed up to Your Party criticised the handling of membership fees, with some reporting difficulty cancelling payments and warning that their trust had already been broken.For these readers, Sultana’s move looked like poor organisation and a power grab that could sink the project.Others, however, dismissed the row as “hullabaloo” and said they were glad to see action being taken, arguing that new parties inevitably face teething problems. Some insisted the left urgently needs an alternative to Labour, warning that without a strong challenge, Nigel Farage could capitalise on disillusionment.Overall, readers were divided, torn between excitement at the promise of a grassroots socialist party and frustration at the chaos of its early days.Here’s what you had to say:Three strikes and you’re outThree times now that Sultana has done this. Firstly, she announced the new party months before its launch. Then she had the public berating of Corbyn over being too soft on the AS smears and now this. It’s clear she wants to be leader, but may have killed it off before it’s even started. I paid £2.50 for the concessionary monthly, to see how it went, and would have either stayed and paid the annual membership (£25 for concessions) after it was founded depending upon rules and policies, or I would have quit, not losing much.But had to spend 20 minutes on the phone to cancel. My bank revealed that they had many calls on the same thing, with many paying £55 (full rate). Luckily mine hadn’t gone through and was pending so it’s been stopped along with future payments.After this latest debacle, I’m out. And they’ll have to get themselves sorted if they even want me to consider voting for them. But the Greens have a new leader and they may get my vote instead.LadyCrumpsallWhat do you think – was Zarah Sultana right to go it alone, or has she damaged Your Party before it’s even begun? Share your thoughts in the comments below.We must have a new compassionate socialist partyI had an email this morning asking me to sign up for £55. I was on the point of paying up then I thought that something didn’t feel right about the email. At that point I hesitated until I worked out what was not right. I am pleased that I did.The important thing is that we must have a new compassionate socialist party in the UK, and that Starmer’s party must be kicked out.PeterLoud3A vote for Your Party isn’t a vote for anythingGiven that this party is quite likely to sink Labour at the next election, just as surely as Reform sank the Conservatives at the last, many might think that maybe Jeremy Corbyn sees it more as a ticket back into the Labour Party leadership, because why would he want to do that to the party he once led?Simple, because quite apart from anything else, he’s only lost general elections, and wouldn’t be touched by them, especially if Angela Rayner was Labour’s leader, because why would she want him back in the fold, let alone move over for him, especially if this is what he is really like?It goes without saying that Sir Keir Starmer wouldn’t have him back.A vote for Your Party isn’t a vote for anything. It’s a vote against Labour, and against the left, to help a man who has been publicly rejected and humiliated prove a personal point, but millions of voters will still do it.ppunditThere may be other splits to comeIf you look at the members of Corbyn’s “Independence Alliance” I think you can see why Sultana has called them a sexist boys’ club. One thing we know is that they voted against private schools paying VAT, which is a bit odd if they are socialists (Corbyn abstained).This split partly involves control of the membership money. There may be other splits to come.RegCostelloWe are doomedThe party that wins the next election will be the one that draws the widest spread of opinions together into a single disciplined entity. That means all members accepting that some issues will not be handled in the way we would prefer.Unfortunately in a world of social media, AI-amplified half-truths and an online life lived in blinkered micro-bubbles, we the electorate are going in the opposite direction, towards smaller and smaller issue-specific groups.And so the door is willingly opened by us to those who really shouldn’t be in charge in any scenario. We are doomed.TrueScunthorpeA Farage hissy fitBeginning to resemble Nigel Farage’s hissy fit that led to Rupert Lowe being ejected from Reform.I thought it very strange from the beginning that Sultana jumped the gun and announced that she and Corbyn were starting a new party prematurely instead of doing so in a coherent joint press conference.Just as there are a number of parties fighting viciously over who can be more anti-immigrant on the right there are a number of parties and factions on the left that are continually challenging each other to “handbags at dawn” duels.CanPeopleReallyBeThisStupidA communist futureJust think, this man could have been our PM just a few years ago.By now, we would have had 20 million migrants instead of 3 million, inflation would be running at 100 per cent, one pound would be worth about 13 cents, the country would have been paralysed by non-stop strikes, and national debt would be hitting 5x GDP. But the NHS – now stuffed to the brim with DEI commissars – would be even more the “envy” of the world than it is now. We might also have a 3-day working week, although this mostly due to power cuts, not socialist thinking.As it stands, we are on our way to a similar communist future, but fortunately in a much slower way. Pray no leftist assassinates Farage before he can reverse the ship.MooreCLanesGood on Zarah for standing on her ownI’ve joined as a member and paid up. I don’t care about what’s being said. It’s all hullabaloo. Don’t care if Jezza and Zarah have disagreed on the timing of the email. I’m glad it’s out now. Good on Zarah for standing on her own and getting something done! People will be quick to jump on the bandwagon to say “look how bad it is already” but it’s a brand new party. Something had to go awry, so get it out of the way and get this party started!DaggerzShe is a liabilityI think she is a liability, sadly, because this isn’t the first time she has just gone ahead unilaterally and done something fundamental – like launch the party – without telling Corbyn. She doesn’t appear to be a team player but one who wants to take all the decisions without consulting her colleagues.LizzieMHopes for hung parliamentI really wanted this new party to succeed, but it’s looking more and more like it’s going to be strangled at birth. I’m 65 now, and time is running out for a real change in my lifetime. I just hope that at the next election, voters split to such an extent that we have a hung parliament, and can push through PR. My expectations are low, based on experience.bloodwortCollegiate?Ye gods Zarah. I thought that the new party was supposed to be collegiate. That means that off piste announcements and actions are unacceptable.PinkoRadicalYour Party needs to get its act togetherIf this story’s true Your Party needs to get its act together.We currently have an incompetent “Labour” government – so far to the right that the Conservatives would have been to the left of it a few decades ago.There HAS to be serious opposition to this – or Farage will walk it to No. 10. We already have the Green Party, in Scotland the SNP, and in Wales Plaid Cymru. But Britain also definitively needs an explicitly left-wing party to oppose Starmer, and in so doing stop Farage from becoming Prime Minister.FoodForThoughtSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

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    Andy Burnham refuses to rule out Labour leadership bid in threat to Starmer

    Andy Burnham has moved a step closer to posing a leadership threat to Sir Keir Starmer, declining to rule out stepping down as Greater Manchester mayor early. Leaving his post would pave the way for a return to the Commons, opening the door to a possible Labour leadership challenge.He is one of the favourites among Labour MPs to succeed Sir Keir, whose dismal poll ratings have led to speculation that he could be ousted before the next general election, due by 2029.Mr Burnham said yesterday that it was his “full intention” to remain in position in Manchester until 2028, when his mayoral term ends. But significantly, he added: “If events change, I’m not necessarily going to be stuck religiously in one way of thinking.”Andy Burnham suggested someone from the North would be a good choice for Labour’s new deputy leader More

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    Donald Trump says he ‘didn’t want’ Sadiq Khan at state visit events

    Donald Trump has said he “didn’t want” Sir Sadiq Khan at events put on for his second state visit to the UK, escalating his feud with the London mayor by describing him as “among the worst mayors in the world”.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back from his state visit, the US president claimed that Sir Sadiq had wanted to attend, but “I asked that he not be there”.It is the latest in a long-running war of words between Mr Trump and the Labour mayor, who accused the American leader of encouraging divisive far-right politics around the world as he landed in Britain earlier this week.Sadiq Khan and Donald Trump have had a long-running spat More

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    Second migrant set to be deported to France on Friday under one in, one out scheme

    An Eritrean man is set to be deported to France under Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” scheme on Friday after a last-minute legal bid failed. The High Court ruling came just hours after the Home Office returned the first migrant under the deal. The Eritrean man, who has not been identified in court proceedings, is due to be deported at 6:15am on Friday. The man said he is a victim of trafficking, but the Home Office argued there was not enough evidence for him to qualify for modern slavery support. Siding with the Home Office, Mr Justice Sheldon said he did not accept the argument that the migrant “had been denied procedural fairness” due to the speed of his trafficking claim decision. “In my view, the secretary of state did have sufficient information to make the reconsideration decision,” he said on Thursday afternoon. Mr Justice Sheldon said it was open to the home secretary to conclude that the Eritrean’s account of his modern slavery “couldn’t reasonably be believed”. The judge said it was “clear” that the migrant would have the opportunity to submit a trafficking claim in France. A preliminary doctor’s report indicated that the asylum seeker could be a victim of trafficking because of the route that he took through Libya, Sonali Naik KC told the court on behalf of the migrant. The Eritrean has said that he was kidnapped and forced to work in Libya, the court heard. The Home Office said that France can consider claims from people who say they were trafficked outside of France. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said that the first removal of a migrant to France on Thursday was ‘an important first step’ More

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    UK students lack entrepreneurial drive, says Business Secretary

    Britain does not have the same culture of “entrepreneurial drive” as the US, Business Secretary Peter Kyle has said.Mr Kyle told investors that students in the UK lack the same “drive” and “vigour” of those in the States during an event in central London hosted by US AI giant Nvidia on Thursday.He was there to mark the firm’s £2 billion investment in the UK’s AI sector which was announced earlier in the day.Mr Kyle spoke on stage alongside Nvidia founder Jensen Huang and US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.He said: “I went to Stanford (University) a couple of years back and spoke to some undergraduates there.“I asked them why they chose to go to university.“Every single student in that group of 10 or 12 said because they want to set a company up – there wasn’t one that said they didn’t.“In Britain, if you went to a group of undergraduates, how big would that group have to be before you found someone that said their choice of going to university, and that choice of going to that specific university, was because they wanted to become a founder?“The entrepreneurialism simply isn’t there – the drive, the vigour.”Mr Lutnick contrasted cultural attitudes to success, adding: “In America we celebrate the entrepreneur, we celebrate success.“Europe has historically looked down on that – your participation in Europe all those years sort of convinced you to look down on it.“To build and to win and to create a trillion-dollar company you need to celebrate the building of success.“You need to have a cultural change that says we want you to win – in America we have it in our soul.“One of the reasons for the visit is for you to look at Donald Trump and get from him his love for Britain, and his advice would be follow the lead of America… your greatest friend.”Mr Lutnick also warned that nations without the capacity to build advanced technology, such as drones, risk becoming “vassal states” dependent on others for their defence.But he insisted Americans would “take care” of the UK because of their relationship.He said: “There’s an analysis that says if you can’t make drones you will be a vassal state to those who can.“You can’t have drones come into your country and expect to defend yourself unless you have the capacity to defend yourself.“One of the needs is to build sufficiently at home so we have the capacity to care for ourselves and the rest of the world.“We will take care of ourselves and, because of our special relationship, we will take care of the United Kingdom because of those things.” More

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    Trump and Starmer sign tech deal to mark ‘new era’ for UK-US relationship

    Donald Trump said a new tech deal would help the US and UK “dominate” in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) as Sir Keir Starmer hailed a “new era” for the special relationship.The US president, making an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, is determined to take on China in a battle for technological supremacy.The tech prosperity deal signed at Chequers will see US firms invest in the UK and boost co-operation on AI, quantum and other emerging technologies.Mr Trump said: “This agreement will also help America and our British allies dominate the future of artificial intelligence.”He pointed out the US is “leading China and the world by a lot” on AI.Mr Trump said the deal would “ensure our countries lead the next great technological revolution side by side”.He added: “We are committed to ensuring the UK has a secure and reliable supply of the best AI hardware and software on earth.”He said the US and UK are also working on an economic security alliance, adding “we’ll have it done very quickly”.At a joint press conference with Mr Trump, Sir Keir said: “We’ve renewed the special relationship for a new era.”He said the tech agreement signed with the US “has the power to change lives”.“It’s our chance to ensure that technologies like AI, quantum and others amplify human potential, solve problems, cure diseases, make us richer and freer, strengthen democracy not tyranny,” Sir Keir said.“This is the territory on which the future will be won.”The tech deal includes joint research programmes to develop models in areas such as biotechnology, precision medicine, cancer, rare diseases and fusion energy.Nasa and the UK Space Agency will develop AI models for space exploration, while both countries plan to co-ordinate on AI policy, exports and workforce training.The agreement further links the UK’s AI Security Institute with the US Centre for AI Standards and Innovation to promote secure AI innovation.The state visit has seen US firms commit to invest £150 billion in the UK alongside the tech prosperity agreement and co-operation on nuclear power schemes.America’s top technology companies announced £31 billion of investment, including £22 billion from Microsoft to fund an expansion of Britain’s AI infrastructure and the construction of the country’s largest AI supercomputer.Google committed £5 billion of investment, and Nvidia boss Jensen Huang hailed a “big week for AI in the UK” as the US chip giant agreed to deploy 120,000 advanced processors across the UK to help the British AI sector.But there were also signs of division between the US and UK leadership:– Mr Trump suggested military involvement in tackling the small boats crisis, warning illegal migration could “destroy” countries.– The US president acknowledged he had a “disagreement” with the Prime Minister over the UK’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state.– He urged the UK to exploit its North Sea oil and gas resources, highlighting his own “drill, baby drill” policy and dismissing wind power as a “very expensive joke”.Those moments aside, Sir Keir will be relieved the potentially awkward press conference passed without any major bust-up.One uncomfortable topic was the sacking of Lord Peter Mandelson over his ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Mr Trump was also associated.But the US president disowned the former US ambassador in response to the only question on Epstein.Asked whether he had sympathy with Lord Mandelson for being fired over his historic links to the sex offender, Mr Trump said: “I don’t know him actually”.Mr Trump spoke fondly about the transatlantic bond: “The United States and the United Kingdom have done more good on this planet than any two nations in human history.”Sir Keir said the UK and US were working together to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine.Mr Trump told the news conference he thought the Ukraine war would be the “easiest” to resolve but the Russian president had “really let me down” following a ramping up of attacks on Ukraine.The president’s helicopter carrying him from Chequers to Stansted Airport made an unscheduled landing at a local airfield due to what the White House called a “minor hydraulic issue”.A backup helicopter took him to Stansted, where he boarded Air Force One and departed for Washington. More

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    Theresa May accused of being ‘deeply insensitive’ after referring to assisted dying as ‘suicide’

    Theresa May has been accused of being “deeply insensitive” after the former prime minister referred to assisted dying for terminally ill people as suicide during a debate on the matter last week. Baroness May, one of around 190 peers with their names down to speak on the bill across a two-day debate that will resume on Friday, referred to it as an “assisted suicide bill” and said it “effectively says suicide is OK”.In a letter to the former prime minister, seen by The Independent, 13 assisted dying campaigners have denounced the language she used, saying they “listened with dismay” as she made her intervention. “We are not suicidal – we want to live, and to make the most of the time we have left with the people we love. But we are dying and we have no choice or ability to change that,” they said. Theresa May speaking about the assisted dying bill in the House of Lords More