UK Politics

The UK’s borders chief was unable to answer when asked by MPs to name any way in which Brexit has helped “control our borders”. Martin Hewitt, the new border security commander, said he did “not immediately” have an answer to the question. The pro-Brexit campaign promised that the UK could “take back control” of its borders, but since then the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats has not decreased. As the number of crossings hit a record high last month, US president Donald Trump even advised Sir Keir Starmer to “call out the military”. Border security commander Martin Hewitt rejected the idea it was a ‘fool’s errand’ to go after smuggling gangs More

Sir Keir Starmer is doing “everything in his power” to ensure supporters of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv can support their team at its match against Aston Villa next month after an initial ban. The prime minister has rounded on Birmingham City Council’s decision to ban Maccabi fans from the fixture, despite fears of violence if the away supporters are allowed to attend. Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted around the Europa League match between Dutch club Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam last year.Keir Starmer says Birmingham City Council’s advisory group has made ‘the wrong decision’ More

When voters in Caerphilly in south Wales go to the polls later this month, it will be about far more than one seat in the Senedd, Wales’s devolved parliament.Caerphilly, a postindustrial town just north of Cardiff, has long been considered safe Labour territory. But in recent years, economic upheaval and social change have made once rock-solid seats like these far less predictable.The contest is therefore not just about who wins a single seat, but what kind of Wales will emerge from a period of upheaval. Will it be one clinging to the certainties of its industrial past? Or one looking toward Plaid Cymru and the prospect of Welsh independence as the political voice for such unease? Or, alternatively, will it turn to the populist right?What happens here could indicate whether Labour’s hold on the Welsh valleys is starting to loosen, and whether new political forces are taking root. It’s a local contest with national stakes.Labour remains Wales’s dominant political force, but the past 18 months have been turbulent. Mark Drakeford’s retirement as First Minister was followed by Vaughan Gething’s brief and troubled leadership.Caerphilly Castle is the second largest castle in the UK More

With Labour’s second autumn Budget fast approaching, speculation about further tax rises has grown rife. The chancellor may need to find at least £22bn next month, pre-Budget research from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found, as rising borrowing costs and weak growth forecasts drastically reduce her room for manoeuvre.Making matters more tricky for the Treasury is Labour’s continued commitment not to raise taxes on “working people” – meaning no increase to the headline rates of income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions.With these three largest bases of tax revenue closed off, the chancellor has fewer places to look to raise revenue, making it more likely she will pick from a diverse range of taxation tweaks.Changes to how property and capital gains are taxed have now been forecast by many economists, but some have also predicted that changes to pension policy could make an appearance.Pre-Budget research has found that the chancellor may need to find at least £22bn next month More

With Labour’s second autumn Budget fast approaching, speculation about further tax rises has grown rife. The chancellor may need to find at least £22bn next month, pre-Budget research from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found, as rising borrowing costs and weak growth forecasts drastically reduce her room for manoeuvre.Making matters more tricky for the Treasury is Labour’s continued commitment not to raise taxes on “working people” – meaning no increase to the headline rates of income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions.With these three largest bases of tax revenue closed off, the chancellor has fewer places to look to raise revenue, making it more likely she will pick from a diverse range of taxation tweaks.Changes to how property and capital gains are taxed have now been forecast by many economists, but some have also predicted that changes to pension policy could make an appearance.Pre-Budget research has found that the chancellor may need to find at least £22bn next month More

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has postponed a decision on whether to grant China permission for a new London “super embassy”.The planning decision for the proposed site near the Tower of London was called so ministers would make the final decision and was expected on 21 October.But the deadline for the housing and planning secretary, Steve Reed, to make the decision has been pushed back to 10 December, amid mounting pressure on the prime minister over his approach to China. Keir Starmer is already under pressure over his approach to China More

The Green Party is now neck and neck with Labour, a new poll has shown, as the party climbs in the polls following the election of Zack Polanski – but both are lagging behind Reform UK. A new poll, conducted by FindOutNow, put Nigel Farage’s party on 32 points, a fall of two points since this time last month. The Conservatives are on 16 points, having seen no change since last month. Following closely behind are both Labour and the Greens, with Labour having seen its approval rating fall by one point, while the Greens have surged by three points in Mr Polanski’s first month as the party’s leader. Leader Zack Polanski told the Green Party conference: ‘The alarm bells of authoritarianism are ringing’ More

The head of MI5 has said “Chinese state actors” present a national security threat to the UK “every day” and he admitted he was frustrated by the collapse of the case against two alleged Westminster spies. Sir Ken McCallum set out how the Security Service carried out an operation against a threat from China within the last week amid growing questions around the failure to prosecute.In a speech at MI5’s London headquarters, the service’s director general said that the UK needed to “defend itself resolutely” against China while also being able to “seize the opportunities” having a relationship with Beijing brings.“The UK-China relationship is, by its nature, complex, but MI5’s role is not: we detect and deal, robustly, with activity threatening national security,” Sir Ken said.He highlighted attempts by China to carry out “cyber espionage”, “clandestine technology transfer”, efforts to “interfere covertly in UK public life” and the “harassment and intimidation of opponents” including pro-democracy activists.“When it comes to China, the UK needs to defend itself resolutely against threats and seize the opportunities that demonstrably serve our nation,” he said.It was a choice for ministers to decide where the balance lies, he said, “informed by expert security advice”.Asked if he was frustrated by the collapse of the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, he said: “Of course I am frustrated when opportunities to prosecute national security-threatening activity are not followed through, for whatever reason.”Sir Ken’s comments came after it emerged the government’s deputy national security adviser had repeatedly described the “threat” posed by China in witness statements, published on Wednesday night, amid the extraordinary row over the collapse of the case.A key allegation against the government was that it refused in its evidence to the CPS to describe Beijing as a threat to Britain’s national security. MI5 chief Ken McCallum says he is ‘frustrated’ by the case collapsing More