UK

Keir Starmer has been urged to tackle a “dangerous brain drain” harming the UK economy just days before next week’s make-or-break Budget after official figures showed the number of Britons leaving the UK is far higher than previously thought. A total of 257,000 British nationals are now thought to have left the country last year – 180,000 more than the initial estimate of just 77,000, according to the statistics, which also revealed net migration reached a new record high. In the three years between the end of 2021 and the end of 2024, a total of 344,000 more Brits emigrated than previously thought, after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) updated its methodology. The extent of people leaving the UK comes as a blow to Sir Keir just a week before his government’s crucial Budget, amid claims Downing Street is panicking to save his premiership. More Brits left the UK than previously thought, new figures show (Alamy/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Cabinet members against talking “about ourselves” after civil war and a series of Budget leaks rocked the government.The prime minister told ministers that “distractions” in recent weeks meant the government’s focus had “shifted from where it mattered most” and called for unity after an extraordinary briefing spat suggesting Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting a leadership bid.It comes after a chaotic series of briefings last week, in which the PM was said to be ready to defend any leadership challenge, and after the government U-turned on its apparent plans to increase income tax at the Budget later this month, as Rachel Reeves looks to plug the gap in the public finances. A readout of the cabinet’s weekly meeting issued by Number 10 on Tuesday said: “The prime minister opened cabinet by setting out the importance of the government’s mandate to renew the country. “He said distractions meant our focus shifted from where it mattered most – working every day in the service of the British people. Health Secretary Wes Streeting looks on as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech (Leon Neal/PA) More

Shabana Mahmood tells Nigel Farage to ‘sod off’ as she defends asylum reformsNigel Farage has backed Shabana Mahmood’s asylum crackdown after the home secretary told the Reform UK leader to “sod off”.Mr Farage told a central London press conference on Tuesday: “Rhetorically we would agree with a lot of what the Home Secretary said.”He also quipped it might have been a pitch by Ms Mahmood to be the “next defector” to his party.His comments come after the home secretary told both Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson to “sod off” when Sky News highlighted that the Reform leader said it seemed as if she was “auditioning” for a place in his party, while the far-right activist pledged support for her plans.Meanwhile, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lord Dubs, a Labour peer who arrived in the UK as one of 600 Jewish children rescued from the Nazis, accused Ms Mahmood of “using children as a weapon”.Ms Mahmood faces backlash from Labour MPs over her sweeping reforms to the asylum system, which will see the government overhaul human rights laws in a bid to ramp up deportations.The home secretary’s plans have been labelled “repugnant” by her colleagues on the backbenches, and she has been accused of “chasing Reform”.Home Office ready to ‘disrupt and degrade’ against Chinese espionageThe Government said it would robustly defend the UK’s national security and democracy.Home Office minister Dan Jarvis said his department would “stand ready to … disrupt, degrade and protect against the dangerous and unrestrained offensive cyber ecosystem that China has allowed to take hold”.Mr Jarvis said the recent Cyber Security and Resilience Bill would provide safeguards and he did not rule out sanctions as a penalty against those involved in spying.MPs heard that China is the UK’s third largest trading partner as the minister said it was in the UK’s “long-term strategic interest” to trade and work with China on shared interests, including the environment, research and crime.However, he added: “We will always, always, challenge any country, including China, that attempts to interfere, influence or undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions, and we will take all necessary measures to protect UK national security. “That is why we have taken the action today and I am clear that further steps can absolutely be taken. Disrupting and deterring China’s espionage activity wherever it takes place, updating our security powers to keep pace with the threat, helping those who work in politics to recognise, resist and report the threat, and working with partners across the economy to strengthen their security against the threat.“Our strategy is not just to co-operate. We will engage China where necessary, but we will always act to defend our interests and challenge where our values are threatened.”Bryony Gooch18 November 2025 14:45’Perfectly reasonable’ to pay migrant families denied asylum to return to home countries, Cabinet minister insistsIt is “perfectly reasonable” to pay migrant families who have been denied asylum in the UK to return to their home countries, a Cabinet minister has said.Steve Reed would not be drawn on how much the Government might offer, telling Times Radio: “We will consult on that.”The Housing Secretary continued: “I think it’s perfectly reasonable to give people financial support to make the journey back to their home.“In the long run, it’s cheaper for the British taxpayer to do that.“We need to look at the overall cost of the Tory asylum-seeking system that we inherited.”Mr Reed stressed that families would not be separated as he defended the plans.“We cannot have a system that incentivises people to put their children on boats like that. We know that we need more safe and legal routes so that families who have the right to come here and seek asylum can get into the country, but we can’t continue to allow incentives to exist that result in children drowning in the Channel.”Tara Cobham18 November 2025 14:30Iain Duncan Smith: China should be on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration schemeA list of threats posed by China makes a mockery of the country not being on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs), a Conservative MP has said.Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who is a co-chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, listed a series of ways Beijing has posed a risk.Addressing ministers, he said: “Bringing forward this whole issue, the China espionage case, following on from the collapse spy case.Sir Iain Duncan Smith took part in a protest over the plans for the embassy in February (PA/Jordan Pettitt) More

“If we fail to deal with this crisis, we will draw more people down a path that starts with anger and ends in hatred,” declared home secretary Shabana Mahmood, after her overhaul of asylum policy in the UK was unveiled.Following days of speculation, the sweeping reform of the system was presented to MPs on Monday, with the measures set to make the country’s asylum rules among the toughest in Europe.Ms Mahmood told the Commons it was the “uncomfortable truth” that the UK’s generous asylum offer was drawing people to its shores, and for British taxpayers the system “feels out of control and unfair”.But Ms Mahmood faces a significant backlash from Labour MPs on the plans – although enough Tory MPs offering to back the Bill would squash a backbench rebellion in a vote.People thought to be migrants attempt to board a small boat in France – where many wait the opportunity to travel across the English Channel to the UK More

Shabana Mahmood has told Nigel Farage to “sod off” after he accused her of copying his policies on curbing illegal migration, even making a tongue-in-cheek offer to her to join his party. The home secretary responded angrily to a series of jibes by the Reform leader in response to her controversial new proposals, telling Sky News: “Nigel Farage can sod off. I am not interested in anything he has to say.”Ms Mahmood gave the same response when challenged about her proposals being backed by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, saying: “He can sod off too.”Home secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs the UK is an ‘open, tolerant and generous country’ More

Almost a quarter of Labour voters (23 per cent) think the prime minister should quit now and let the party elect a new leader, a new poll has shown, in a damning verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. A further 22 per cent think he should stand down at some point before the next election – meaning that in total almost half of all Labour voters want Sir Keir out of No 10 before the next election. The YouGov survey of 2,100 people saw just a third (34 per cent) say he should continue to lead the Labour Party into a general election. The polling was conducted on November 12 and 13, amid furious briefing from Downing Street with health secretary Wes Streeting being accused of plotting to oust the prime minister. A new poll has shown that almost half of Labour voters want the PM out of No 10 before the next election More

Labour’s move to toughen Britain’s asylum rules has landed with a thud of uneasy acceptance among Independent readers. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has insisted the system is “broken” and in urgent need of order – and many commenters said Labour is simply confronting political realities that can’t be ignored any longer, even if the tone made some uncomfortable.But that reluctant support was matched by flashes of frustration. A smaller, outspoken group fear the party is drifting too close to the Reform playbook, especially after the government revealed plans to overhaul human rights laws and change how the ECHR is interpreted to make deportations easier. For these readers, proposals to limit rights to family life, speed up removals and even bar certain countries from UK visas risk validating the narratives Labour once resisted and chips away at the party’s values.What united readers was not a single viewpoint, but a shared sense of wrestling with the trade-offs. Some saw the move by Labour as necessary reform, while others saw a worrying shift to the right – with many left wishing the choices weren’t quite so stark.Here’s what you had to say:Grasp the nettleAny endorsement from [Tommy] Robinson is not a good look. However, the asylum/immigration nettle has got to be grasped (it should have been done years ago) and all credit to Mahmood for doing so. Immigration numbers, both legal and illegal, over the last decade have been far too high and need curtailing. Those Labour backbenchers complaining should represent the majority of voters’ wishes who, along with the NHS and the cost of living, continually put ‘immigration’ at the top of their concerns.Noverngit1Copying Reform’s playbookWhen you’ve got the likes of Tommy Robinson, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch supporting your asylum policy, you seriously need to take a step back and question what on earth you’re playing at.In post-Brexit Britain it’s very hard to see how anyone – especially anyone from the Labour Party – can out-do Farage on his cruel plans for asylum seekers, and yet here we are.Copying Reform’s playbook allows Farage to own the issue because he’ll drive the debate further to the right and, in doing so, he’ll take the Labour Party with him.Labour’s harsh and vindictive policy on asylum seekers will gift the far right the advantage and it’ll leave the party looking cruel and incompetent in the process.Big mistake, because Labour cannot out-Farage the far right and it’ll only be their downfall if they try.AmyTalking toughThe hope for a reasoned debate on immigration and asylum has gone. I think we are at a point where any party that does not talk tough on immigration knows that it has no chance at the next election. Labour are in the unfortunate position of being in charge when the music stopped, so more than simply talking tough (and probably failing to deliver on most of it), they have to actually do something.Stanley OliverThe ECHR protects everybodyThe ECHR protects everybody in the UK and beyond. It gives the right to privacy, the freedom of expression, to assembly, to free and fair elections (sadly nothing about democratic elections), the right to life, right to a fair trial, to belief, and so many others. You remove these rights from one, you remove them from everybody.As for interfering in the courts, what chance does anybody have of a fair trial if the home secretary is interfering? This is the reason why we need the European Convention/Court of Human Rights. Would you trust a far-right politician with your rights? The ECHR is the last resort and is neutral, rather than government ordering judges.LadyCrumpsallThese policies are eminently sensible. Young men arriving illegally by small boat, seeking asylum from France! We shouldn’t really be paying for their food, board and mobile phones with limited taxpayer resources.Skilled migration through legal routes is something very different, and we shouldn’t be deporting migrants who positively contribute.TradehunterMany are not against helping those in needMany, perhaps most, are not against helping those in need (like Afghan women judges, doctors and teachers) but want to be able to do so in accordance with certain criteria: numbers limited to those readily assimilable, those genuinely in need, ability to make a net contribution, willingness to adapt etc. This is not far right or intolerant, but reflects a love of country, community and humanity.BruxelloisWe have to do somethingThere has to be a deterrent, particularly for those coming on the boats. Whilst these are strong measures, as long as they are implemented fairly I think it is a good thing. We have to do something – doing nothing isn’t an option.MarkieWhy vote for a party cosplaying Reform?Emulating the ultra-right has not brought voters back to Labour-like parties anywhere in Europe, neither has holding on to neo-liberal economics. Both have only estranged voters from the left, while gaining no votes from the right who can get those policies even more extreme somewhere else. Why would you vote for a party cosplaying Reform (or the Tories when right-wing economics is your choice) when you can vote for the real thing?Gom JabbarA chance to do something worthwhileA good Labour MP supports measures which will stop Reform getting into power, because if they reject all measures, that will surely happen. There is a chance to do something worthwhile without going all Reform and therefore keeping open the chance of re-election.For instance, I would favour more returns (how are Germany happy to send folk back to Afghanistan when we aren’t?) and blocking all legit migrants from countries which won’t agree to a returns policy (the ruling classes in those countries will fall in line). There are others which aren’t evil and in total might stop the far right deciding the issue. Pragmatism doesn’t look abundant with Labour MPs though – look at welfare reform.MasterofnothingA whole lot of greyAs I see it, this is going too far (especially with the 20 years to become citizens/settled).However, we also have a big issue in that too many people see everything as black and white, when there is a whole lot of grey here. We need to accept non-perfect compromise as being reality.It’s not “welcome everyone who crosses” but neither is it “deport all the foreigners”.I think that Labour are at least trying to address this.Does it go too far in places? I think so, yes. But is it better than doing nothing? Definitely.On the ‘return hubs’:This is nothing like Rwanda. Rwanda was sending everyone away. This is sending away people who aren’t seeking asylum/refugees. That seems reasonable to me (especially once formal routes to apply are set up).Someone182The narrative has been overtaken by far-right liesI rather reluctantly agree with the hardening of the rules because the narrative has been completely overtaken by far-right lies and half-truths. The volume of irregular migrants staying in the UK, be it by boat or by overstaying, is around 400,000 over the last four years. While violent crime is at its lowest in over 20 years and forecast to be even lower this year, all the fear-mongering by the right wing is just that. They are using the issue as a divisive tool to split society.I know a couple of friends who have been ‘informing’ me of ‘facts’ they got on social media, and I then go away and check with Gen AI. It is half-truths deliberately twisting the issue to something negative. Negative social media threads that are enraging people are completely everywhere. This is against a group who are one of the most vulnerable in the UK.Migration does put pressure on the UK, especially as migrants are not allowed to contribute to society while waiting to be processed. And the Boris wave of legal migration puts pressure on housing and schools. It has come down by around 50 per cent recently. The real questions are: why did that huge wave not provide any growth? The huge damage of Brexit and the massive profits taken away from the UK are not benefiting the public. How can we reverse that?TheframeHumane mannerShabana Mahmood’s proposed amendments to the ECHR will be a positive step in the right direction. These changes, once they become effective, will not prevent genuine asylum seekers from receiving the long-term protection they need. It is of vital importance that the UK officials who deal with immigration do not lose their sense of fairness and compassion when processing applicants.Of equal importance, the facility to remove applicants who do not fit the necessary criteria – especially those from criminal or terrorist backgrounds – will be made much easier. I really hope that the forthcoming laws will operate in a humane manner too.JanetCSome 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