UK Politics

MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in a historic step that will usher in the most far-reaching change to reproductive rights in decades. After an emotional and impassioned debate in the House of Commons, MPs voted by 379 to 137 in favour of the reform. They overwhelmingly backed an amendment by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to remove “the threat of investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment” of any woman who acts in relation to her own pregnancy.The reform is designed to protect women while retaining penalties for abusive partners or medical professionals who terminate a pregnancy outside the current framework of the law.During the debate, MPs had argued that the UK’s “Victorian” abortion law was “increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls”. Under the current law, abortion in England and Wales is a criminal offence but is legal up to 24 weeks, with the sign-off from two doctors. It is also allowed under limited circumstances after this time, including when the mother’s life is at risk. Women can also be prescribed medication to end a pregnancy at home if they are less than 10 weeks pregnant.Campaigners had called for a change in the law More

The vote to decriminalise abortion will herald the largest changes to the law on terminations in decades. The changes are designed to ensure women cannot be prosecuted for terminating their own pregnancy at any stage. While access to abortions is generally available in practice, this legal aspect imposes unnecessary stigma, restricts autonomy, and risks criminalising women and healthcare providers, campaigners say.Removing abortion from criminal law allows it to be treated like any other healthcare issue – governed by clinical guidance, not courts.This decision aligns England and Wales with countries like Canada, New Zealand, and parts of Australia, which have seen improved access and no increase in abortion rates – only safer outcomes.( More

Sir Keir Starmer has signalled a new hardline approach to tackling illegal immigration by limiting visas for countries which did not do enough to tackle the irregular migration crisis, like taking back failed asylum seekers.The prime minister revealed the plans on Tuesday after holding talks about illegal migration at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alberta, with French president Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.The readout from the meeting with President Macron talked about “innovative approaches” to be adopted to stop small boats crossing the Channel.Some 16,545 people have crossed in small boats so far in 2025 according to Home Office figures, a 45 per cent increase on the same period in 2024 and higher than at the same point in 2022, the overall record year for crossings. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit on Tuesday More

Keir Starmer has revealed why he rushed to pick up Donald Trump’s papers during one of the most talked about moments of the G7 summit in Canada. The prime minister and US president were announcing the implementation of their US-UK trade deal after holding a bilat at the summit in Alberta when the wind caught the papers, sending them to the floor.It prompted a swift response from Sir Keir, who stooped down and collected the bundle, before handing them back to Trump. US President Donald Trump, left, holds the UK-US trade deal document with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (PA) More

The failure of officials to collect ethnicity data on grooming gangs which abused children has been a “bloody disaster”, the author of a damning report into the scandal has said. Baroness Casey told MPs that information on perpetrators is “incomplete and unreliable”, as she hit out at what she described as a “public irresponsibility”. Statistics had been “half” collected, she told members of the Commons Home Affairs committee, adding: “That’s a bloody disaster, frankly.” Baroness Louise Casey appeared before MPs More

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to keep “tightening the screws” on Vladimir Putin as he announced a raft of fresh sanctions on dozens of new Russian finance, military and energy targets. The prime minister is piling fresh pressure on the Russian war machine and seeking to win further backing from G7 leaders at a key summit in Canada. After repeated refusals from Putin to engage in peace talks, and fresh Russian strikes on Kyiv on Tuesday, the PM said his sanctions will “choke off his ability to continue his barbaric war” in Ukraine. Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters while travelling to Canada for the G7 summit (PA) More

President Trump brandished his trade deal with the UK at the G7 meeting in Canada, announcing he had finally signed it after weeks of wrangling – then promptly dropped it on the ground.Keir Starmer was quick to respond to the US president’s clumsiness, bending down to pick up the precious agreement, set to protect auto industry jobs in Britain.The whole thing could be seen as a metaphor for how the Republican sees these kinds of deals – and continues to treat them.Because there is a sting in the tail to what the two men signed in Alberta. Whopping tariffs of 25 per cent remain on British steel – one of the industries that can least afford them. And the prime minister now faces a race against time to try to get rid of them, before they cripple an already beleaguered industry. The US president sent shockwaves through the global economy when he announced his steel tariffs – and then, a few weeks ago, plans to double them. US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer More

The author of a damning report into grooming gangs has revealed she found the word ‘Pakistani’ “tippexed out” in archive files about child victims. Louise Casey, whose national audit on grooming gangs was published on Monday, said “do-gooders” had covered up information on race and ethnicity believing that otherwise “all the racists are going to be more racist”. Speaking to Sky News after the publication of her report, she said: “I was following through on a children’s file in archive and found the word ‘Pakistani’ tippexed out.Baroness Casey’s report was described as ‘damning’ More