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Rishi Sunak is “not interested in pursuing a deal with Ireland on returning asylum seekers to the UK.Downing Street has said the UK government has said it will not take back those who cross into Ireland until EU asylum rules change.The UK prime minister told ITV News: “We’re not interested in that. We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from.”It comes after Ireland announced legislation to return a rising number of asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland. More

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride appeared to suggest some people who were labelled as having “serious mental health conditions” were simply struggling with the “ups and downs of life” during a live interview on Monday (29 April).Mr Stride’s comments come after prime minister Rishi Sunak announced a clampdown on “sicknote culture” last week, with changes to the way people are signed off sick.Mr Stride told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We all have challenges in our life“Work being right at the centre of people’s lives is something that is really good for mental health.” More

John Swinney has said that he is giving “very active consideration” to being SNP leader after Humza Yousaf announced his resignation on Monday, 29 April.The first minister’s statement came after days of political turmoil following his decision to end the Scottish government’s powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens last week.Mr Yousaf quit his position in an emotional speech to avoid being ousted by his opposition in a vote of no confidence.Former deputy first minister Mr Swinney said his decision would be based on doing “the right thing by his family and his party.” More

Humza Yousaf’s decision to resign as Scotland’s first minister is “bizarre”, Alba Party’s Ash Regan MSP hs said.Ms Regan told Sky News is “bizarre” Mr Yousaf has quit, rather than working with her and her party to survive a potential no-confidence vote.Mr Yousaf announced he was stepping down during an address at Bute House, Edinburgh, at midday today (29 April), just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.As he choked up, the 39-year-old thanked his “wonderful” wife and “beautiful” children for supporting him throughout his time in office. More

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the Scottish people are “being fundamentally let down” as he called for a general election to end the “chaos”.Humza Yousaf quit as Scottish first minister on Monday (29 April) in an emotional speech to avoid being ousted by his opposition in a no confidence vote.Mr Yousaf announced he was stepping down during an address at Bute House, Edinburgh, at midday today, just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.Speaking to Sky News today, Sir Keir said: “It’s absolute chaos from the Scottish Parliament and SNP.” More

Humza Yousaf fought back tears as he announced his resignation as Scottish first minister on Monday (29 April).Mr Yousaf announced he was stepping down during a press conference at Bute house in Edinburgh, just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.The 39-year-old said: “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.”Mr Yousef then became emotional when speaking about his family, saying: “It takes its toll on your physical and mental health; your family suffers alongside you.” More

Rishi Sunak poured himself a “£900 cup of coffee” in a bizarre attempt at a TikTok trend to highlight the National Insurance cut about to kick in.The trend sees social media users write hidden messages on a clear mug, pouring milk into the drink to reveal the text.Mr Sunak’s £900 written on the cup appeared to refer to the government’s claim that the cut will save the average worker earning £35,400 more than £900 a year when combined with a cut in the autumn statement.According to fact-checking charity Full Fact, the IFS calculates that an employee on an average wage of £35,000 will lose more than £500 due to personal tax threshold freezes since 2021. More

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has welcomed calls for Humza Yousaf to resign, describing how he tore up a relationship “based on trust and mutual respect” in ending the powersharing deal last week.The first minister is reportedly considering stepping down, sources close to Mr Yousaf cited by the BBC and The Times have indicated.Speaking on Monday, 29 April, the MSP for the Lothian region said: “I think [resigning is] the right thing for him to do.“We’d worked together really well… in a relationship based on trust and mutual respect and to tear that up suddenly was, was a poor decision.” More