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As the government looks for new ways to tackle illegal migration, Sir Keir Starmer is considering the rollout of digital ID cards.The prime minister has not said whether the cards would be compulsory, but has confirmed that ministers are examining how the technology could be used to limit illegal working – one of the so-called “pull factors” drawing people across the Channel in small boats.Similar systems are already in place across Europe. Estonia issues every citizen with a digital ID number, while France argues that the UK’s lack of such checks makes it easier for asylum seekers to enter the shadow economy. Supporters, including the Tony Blair Institute, claim a national scheme would prevent benefit fraud, close loopholes exploited by gangs, and make it harder to forge documents.But critics warn the policy risks creating a “dystopian nightmare”, with campaigners such as Big Brother Watch saying ordinary people would be forced to prove their identity simply to go about daily life. They argue digital IDs would not stop small boat crossings and would instead punish law-abiding citizens.So, is a national digital ID card the answer? Would it help tackle illegal migration and fraud, or does it threaten to erode civil liberties and privacy?We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below – we’ll feature the most compelling responses in the coming days. More

Millions of parents in the UK will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week from Monday as a government-backed scheme is expanded.Working parents of children between nine months and four years old are now eligible for the full 30 hours. This is up from 30 hours for just three- to four-year-olds and 15 hours for all other children.The government said the scheme will save working parents an average of £7,500 a year in childcare fees.Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Giving every child the best start in life is my number one priority, which is why we are delivering on our commitment to provide hundreds of thousands of children with 30 hours of government-funded early education. “Whether it’s to save up to £7,500 a year, support parents to get back to work or reduce the pressure on grandparents who so often have to step in, the benefits are widespread.”Millions of parents in the UK will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week from Monday More

A Reform UK-led council is taking down the display of St George’s Cross and the Union Flag across Durham over concerns for public safety. Durham County Council said it had noticed an increased number of flags across the county that it believed were compromising public safety for both drivers and pedestrians. It said other displays, such as painted markings on the roads, roundabouts and zebra crossings, had also been noticed. It has warned residents not to hang flags in areas that may obstruct visibility for drivers or pedestrians, or in locations where they are poorly secured. In a statement on Friday, the council said: “While we understand and respect the community’s desire to express national pride, celebration, or remembrance, it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety.“Yesterday we were left with no choice but to remove bunting across a road at New Brancepeth, following a risk assessment. The rope involved was so strong that, had a high-sided vehicle driven into it, the poles it was attached to could have been pulled down.” The council said that initially it would only be removing displays that were a hazard to the public More

Watch As Court Rules On Whether Asylum Seekers Can Be Removed From Epping Hotel – BBC NewsThe Home Office has won its appeal against a High Court ruling temporarily banning a hotel in Epping from housing asylum seekers. Three senior judges in the Court of Appeal announced their decision just 10 days after the High Court imposed the temporary injunction on The Bell Hotel in Essex, following unrest. Lord Justice Bean told the Court of Appeal that the High Court was “erroneously flawed” in grant Epping council an injunction against use of the hotel. Quashing the injunction, he said: “We grant permission to appeal, both to Somani and to (the Home Office). We allow the appeals and we set aside the injunction imposed on 19 August 2025.”The Home Office had argued that banning the hotel from housing asylum seekers would set a dangerous precedent for other councils to follow suit, leaving “asylum seekers potentially living destitute in the streets”. Lord Justice concurred with this argument. The decision is likely to meet backlash from both Nigel Farage’s Reform and the Conservatives, who have been outspoken in opposition to Labour’s plan to slowly phase out the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. Labour ‘using courts against the British public’, Tories claimShadow home secretary Chris Philp has accused the government of “using the courts against the British public”.He added: “The government even brazenly said in court that the rights of illegal immigrants were more important than the rights of local people.” He accused Labour of being “too weak” to take action over rising number of small boat crossings.The home secretary had argued at the Court of Appeal that the Epping hotel injunction should not be allowed to stand because it would disrupt her statutory duty to house vulnerable asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.The Court of Appeal operates independently from the Labour government. Tom Watling29 August 2025 15:49Today’s ruling ‘disregards the impact on communities’, Staffordshire Council Council saysStaffordshire County Council, which has previously threatened to bring similar legal action over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, has said today’s ruling “disregards the impact on communities and services across our county and the country”.Ian Cooper, leader of the Reform-led council, added: “While the control and protection of our country’s borders is a national issue, we have made it clear to government that the ongoing use of hotels for the purpose of asylum is unacceptable and poses a risk to local communities as well as to those being housed in hotels.“Community cohesion is a core priority for Staffordshire County Council and the continued use of these hotels threatens to undermine this goal.”Tom Watling29 August 2025 15:41Farage blames ECHR for Epping ruling Nigel Farage has claimed the European Convention on Human Rights has been “used” by the Government “against the people of Epping”. The Reform UK leader said: “The Government has used ECHR against the people of Epping. Illegal migrants have more rights than the British people under Starmer.”He did not specify which part of the case he was referring to, and the Court of Appeal judge that overturned the temporary ban on housing asylum seekers in The Bell Hotel in Epping ruled that arguments about a “hierarchy of rights” were “unattractive”.The Home Office’s lawyers had argued “the relevant public interests in play are not equal”, referring to Epping’s interest in enforcing planning control on the one hand, and the Home Secretary’s duty which comes from UK obligations under the ECHR on the other.However, Friday’s ruling says: “Any argument in this particular context about a hierarchy of rights is in our view unattractive.”Tom Watling29 August 2025 15:35Epping council vows to continue fight against use of The Bell hotel for asylum seekersEpping Forest District Council have said their fight will continue after the Court of Appeal overturned an injunction banning asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in the area.In a statement issued following the ruling, the council said: “We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of today’s hearing. “While Epping Forest has brought the wider asylum seeker debate into sharp national focus, the concern and motivation of Epping Forest District Council throughout has been the wellbeing of our local residents. Where we had clarity and resolution, we now have doubt and confusion.”They added: “This is not the end of the matter. While the Court of Appeal has lifted the temporary injunction, the case for the final injunction is still to be heard. Our battle on behalf of our residents will continue. A few weeks from now we will be back in court where we trust the strength of our case will still prevail.”They urged the government to “take responsibility for the events that have taken place in Epping over the past six weeks – for the trauma and disruption brought upon our community”.Tom Watling29 August 2025 15:29Home Office minister defends appeal saying hotels must be closed in ‘controlled and orderly way’Following the Court of Appeal’s decision, Dame Angela Eagle MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum has said that the government “will close all hotels by the end of this parliament”. She explained: “We appealed this judgment so hotels like the Bell can be exited in a controlled and orderly way that avoids the chaos of recent years that saw 400 hotels open at a cost of £9m a day.“The number of hotels has almost halved since its peak in 2023 and we have brought down costs by 15 per cent saving £700m and putting us on track to save a billion pounds a year by 2028-29.”She added that the department was “working hard to relieve pressure on the system” by tackling criminal gangs who facilitate small boat crossings.Holly Bancroft, Social Affairs Correspondent 29 August 2025 15:20Jenrick issues statement on Court of Appeal hearing Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, who attended protests outside The Bell Hotel, has issued a statement on the Court of Appeal ruling overturning the temporary ban on housing asylum seekers at the Epping establishment. You can read it, in full, below.Tom Watling29 August 2025 15:13Home Office ‘cutting local people out of the loop’, says James CleverlyResponding to today’s Court of Appeal ruling, senior Conservative James Cleverly suggested that the Home Office was cutting local people out of the loop.The shadow local government secretary said: “I’m sure that Yvette Cooper and the Home Office officials think this is good news. It really isn’t.“Cutting local people and their elected representatives out of the loop isn’t a good look.” Sir James Cleverly said the Court of Appeal ruling should not be celebrated (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Carrie Johnson has shared a series of photos of her husband Boris Johnson and their four children enjoying a summer getaway in Greece. Pictures show the former prime minister playing with his daughter Romy, who was born in 2021, near the seaside. Captioned ‘Our favourite place’, other photos showed the mother-of-four tanning, eating out with friends and their three eldest children playing on the beach.Boris Johnson has been pictured playing with his daughter while on holiday in Greece More

The UK government’s borrowing significantly undershot expectations in July, reaching just £1.1 billion, offering a welcome reprieve for Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the autumn budget approaches.This figure, confirmed by the Office for National Statistics, marks the lowest July borrowing total in three years and represents a £2.3 billion reduction compared to the same month last year. The improved performance was largely attributed to a surge in tax receipts, driven by increased self-assessed income tax and national insurance payments.Economists had widely predicted a higher July borrowing figure of £2 billion, making the actual outcome a positive surprise. Despite this monthly improvement, the cumulative borrowing for the first four months of the financial year stands at £60 billion, an increase of £6.7 billion over the corresponding period last year.Rob Doody, ONS deputy director for public sector finances, said: “Borrowing this July was £2.3 billion down on the same month last year and was the lowest July figure for three years.“This reflects strong increases in tax and national insurance receipts.“However, in the first four months of the financial year as a whole, borrowing was over £6 billion higher than in the same period in 2024.”The Office for National Statistics said the figure, which was £2.3 billion less than the same month a year earlier, is the lowest July borrowing figure for three years More

Radical new ways to tax property are reportedly being considered by the Treasury ahead of the next autumn budget as chancellor Rachel Reeves looks to bolster public finances.Plans to overhaul stamp duty and council tax, as well as a “mansion tax” to cover the sale of high-value homes, are all on the table, sources have said in recent days.Ms Reeves is understood to have asked officials to calculate how these new “proportional” taxes would work in the UK, all of which would aim to target wealth more directly. The overhaul would see a national property tax replace stamp duty on owner-occupied homes. Council tax could also be replaced with a local property tax, helping to boost ailing local authority finances.Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asked officials to calculate how a new ‘proportional’ property tax would work in the UK More

Independent readers are divided over the High Court ruling that asylum seekers must be moved out of The Bell Hotel in Epping, with many seeing it as a fraught and short-term fix to a wider housing and migration crisis.Many argued the judgement sets a dangerous precedent, effectively rewarding protests and unrest by closing hotels, and leaving asylum seekers displaced without proper alternatives. Others warned that the decision risks emboldening far-right groups, who would see disruptive tactics as a way to influence local planning and policy.But some commenters backed the court’s decision, saying local people had been ignored for too long while their towns and services absorbed sudden changes without consultation. “Ordinary UK citizens are sick of being ignored while resources are stretched thin,” said one reader, echoing widespread frustration that communities feel powerless over decisions made in Westminster.Meanwhile, however, several readers stressed that immigration is essential to the UK’s economy, especially in an ageing society, while others called for safe and legal asylum routes to end the small boats crossings. Critics of Reform and Nigel Farage accused them of exploiting the crisis for political gain, while pointing out that both Tory and Labour governments had failed to address the backlog.Here’s what you had to say:This is no victory for EppingThe government are now actively fast-tracking migrants from hotels to HMOs all across the country. As a landlord with two of these types of property, the temptation of a lease from Serco is getting far too hard not to take.I approximate that landlords will get an extra £2,000–£5,000 per year to lease to the government. Not only that, you don’t have to ever find a tenant or look after the property as Serco completely take over the management and maintenance duties.These properties have a great value to society, as they are frequently used by split families, where fathers can’t afford a full-price rent or mortgage. These places give them time to get back on their feet and live well, whilst paying maintenance. Also, young single people who don’t have a strong family network – it’s their only way to afford any accommodation. These people are being squeezed out as more properties are turned over to the government. 227detiusOrdinary UK citizens are sick of being ignoredPeople in towns like Epping are exhausted. They never asked for their local hotel to be turned into an asylum hostel, never got a say, and yet they’re the ones left living with the consequences – rising tension, fear, and the sense their community is being changed without their consent.Ordinary UK citizens are sick of being ignored while resources are stretched thin and foreign nationals are prioritised over them. This isn’t about hate – it’s about fairness, safety, and respect for the people who actually live here. The High Court ruling is a rare moment where local voices have finally been heard, and many feel it’s long overdue. RFAThey are asylum seekers, not migrantsThey are asylum seekers and cannot be called migrants. I have seen some people in hotels where they seem lost. What they need is a place to sleep and be able to eat their nation’s dishes, and hotels are not aware of what food they eat. On top of that, hotels hire people who speak their language to learn their taste.If they can buy stuff themselves, that will reduce costs for government considerably. Once their case is finalised, they can start work and won’t be a burden to government. TotiCallingThe far-right create the problems they rail againstSo, right-wingers who voted in a right-wing party to stop asylum seekers being housed in run-down empty homes across the country that locals didn’t want to live in, and house them in hotels instead, have won a victory against the policy they created. It’s endless.The far-right create a problem, then rail against it, then by their actions create a new problem that they then blame on others and rail against that.If the UK stops accepting asylum seekers, which is what the anti-immigrant groups want, countries that border conflict zones may also reject their international obligation, leading to many times more asylum seekers heading to the UK where they will just go underground and untracked. It could also potentially damage our relationships with trading partners that do take asylum seekers and undermine our moral position that supports our global trading and strategic interests.But hey, why look at potential problems when you can raise a pitchfork and kick off. BrotherCheFarage is stirring up the crisisProfessional agitator Farage is stirring up the crisis for political gain! Reform has NO policies but “stop the boats” – a problem Labour inherited from the Tories. However, it seems the right-wing media are pushing Farage and Reform as they are the party of the establishment, who would deregulate Britain – only an advantage for the richest few.The small boats crisis also, as giving Farage a single-issue rhetoric, masks the large legal migration that happened under the TORIES – and we are not told how large it is now! MintmanQuestionable judgementA questionable judgement. It says to local communities if you don’t want these asylum hotels/refugees in your communities, you can protest on the grounds it might make it unsafe for your children on their way home from school, and you get the council to shut them down. You just have to make a fuss on behalf of your children. chrishPlaying a very dangerous gameThe left-wing political establishment is playing a very dangerous game, bringing people into the country in this way and planting them in the middle of settled communities – and at great expense. The political establishment might think they are provoking the far-right, but in reality they are provoking ordinary people, many of whom have fallen on hard times. If they carry on like this, it could get very ugly. MarkReform don’t do solutionsI see Reform claiming credit for this judgement.I don’t see any practical solutions from Reform as to how to tackle this problem. In fact, it seems Reform don’t do solutions.While the number of asylum seekers held in hotels etc is now one for Labour to solve, it should be remembered who was responsible for this backlog to build – the last government. JRileyImmigration is here to staySome people blame Tony Blair for embracing a policy of high immigration. However, the truth is that during the Blair years, net migration was generally small but increased to between 200,000 and 300,000 per year in 2004 (Migration Policy Institute). However, in the post-Brexit years net migration rose to between 600,000 to 900,000 per year (ONS).The UK is a rapidly ageing country and cannot function without immigrants. So, immigration is here to stay and people should be grateful for that, especially pensioners and those on benefits, because immigrants pay taxes that allow the government to pay pensions and benefits. Pomerol95Kicking the can down the roadSo the far-right start to riot, and their targets are punished and moved away? Makes sense. I’d rather we get rid of the far-right that are ruining the town.Good job on kicking the can down the road a bit. BobertsonIf you don’t like immigration, don’t cheer invasionsA large proportion of recent asylum seekers come from countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya – all countries which have been reduced to ruin by invasions which most of these people enthusiastically supported. If you don’t like immigration, don’t vote for people like Tony Blair or Lord Snooty Cameron, don’t cheer on “Our Boys” when they go rampaging around the world! enviousSafe routes are neededGenuine refugees need SAFE routes that the last Tory government took away, and a reintroduction of such routes would probably eliminate the small boats problem. Christopher1959Some 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