UK Politics

Conservative politician Norman Tebbit, a key ally of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in her free-market transformation of Britain, has died at the age of 94, his family said Tuesday.Tebbit’s son William said he died peacefully at home late Monday. No cause was given.Tebbit was known for his role tackling the power of Britain’s trade unions during the 1980s, and for his socially conservative and free-market views.He was famed for suggesting the unemployed should get on their bikes to look for work, and for what became known as Tebbit’s “cricket test” – his 1990 assertion that immigrants could not truly be British until they cheered for England at cricket, rather than India, Pakistan or the West Indies.Current Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Tebbit was “an icon in British politics.”“He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives,” she said. “He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised.”A political bruiser known for no-holds-barred attacks on the opposition, Tebbit was nicknamed the “Chingford skinhead” by opponents. Michael Foot, who led the Labour Party in the 1980s, called him a “semi-house-trained polecat.”However, even Tebbit’s critics praised his stoic response to the Irish Republican Army bombing of Brighton’s Grand Hotel during the Conservative Party conference in 1984. Five people were killed in the bombing, an attempt to kill Thatcher. Tebbit was seriously wounded and his wife Margaret was paralyzed from the neck down.Elected to the House of Commons in 1970, Tebbit served as employment secretary and trade secretary under Thatcher. In 1985 he was appointed chairman of the Conservative Party, helping Thatcher win a third straight election victory in 1987.The same year, he stepped down from the government so he could spend more time with his wife. In 1992 he was appointed to the House of Lords, Parliament’s unelected upper chamber.He continued to speak out, especially on Britain’s increasingly close relationship with Europe, about which he was skeptical. He was a prominent advocate of Britain’s departure from the European Union, an issue that divided his party and the country.After a 1998 peace accord ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, many former militants entered politics, But Tebbit did not forgive. When the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness — who had become deputy first minister of Northern Ireland — died in 2017, Tebbit expressed hope he was “parked in a particularly hot and unpleasant corner of hell for the rest of eternity.”Margaret Tebbit died in 2020. Tebbit is survived by two sons and a daughter. More

Trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries by some of Britain’s greatest detective fiction writers helped foster Bridget Phillipson’s love for reading, she has revealed.Writing for The Independent, the education secretary told how she could not get enough of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books or the mysteries in Agatha Christie’s Hercules Poirot.It comes as Ms Phillipson announced that next year will be the National Year of Reading in the UK to encourage a love of books among children.The education secretary enjoyed reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books as she grew up More

Millions of phones will receive emergency alerts on 7 September in the second national test of the warning system. Smartphones will vibrate and sound a 10-second siren at 3.00pm on the Sunday in a test of the alert, which is designed to warn of nearby threats such as extreme weather or terror activity. Even phones on silent mode will light up during the alert, while a message will be displayed on the screen showing it is a test. Emergency alert message on a phone More

Mobile phones will ring out with an alarm this September as the Government tests its emergency alert system.The emergency alert system will be tested at around 3pm on September 7, in its second ever nationwide drill.The first time the system was tested was in April 2023, but some mobile phone users warned their devices did not sound, with the problem traced to specific networks.The emergency alert is used to warn if there is a danger to life nearby, in instances like extreme weather.During the test, the UK’s approximately 87 million mobile devices will ring out with a high pitched alarm and vibrate for approximately 10 seconds, while a message will appear on the screen making it clear the alert is only a test.The system has already been used in several scenarios – including storms, flooding and in one case when an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered.Ahead of the national test, ministers are spearheading a public awareness campaign to ensure people understand when it is taking place.It will also aim to draw attention of the test to vulnerable groups like those facing domestic abuse, who may have secret mobile phones which they want to remain hidden from their partners.People who find themselves in this situation are being told to consult details about opting out from alerts on gov.uk, the Government website.Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is the Cabinet Office minister who has taken charge of efforts to boost national resilience against crises.Speaking as the Government announced the test is to take place, he said: “Emergency alerts have the potential to save lives, allowing us to share essential information rapidly in emergency situations including extreme storms.“Just like the fire alarm in your house, it’s important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it.”Some five alerts have been issued since the system was first created.These included when 3.5 million people across Wales and the South West of England received an alert during Storm Darragh in December 2024, which went on to kill two people.Localised flash flooding in Cumbria and Leicestershire, and the discovery of a Second World War bomb in Plymouth in February 2024, also triggered the alert for nearby residents.Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City Council, said the alert “proved to be an invaluable tool during the Keyham bomb operation”.She added: “This was the first time the system had been used in a real emergency, and it played a vital role in helping us safely evacuate over 10,000 people and coordinate a complex, multi-agency response.”Other countries, including Japan and the USA, also regularly test their emergency alert systems.On Tuesday, Mr McFadden will also unveil a new resilience action plan, which includes advice for how the British public should prepare for emergencies.Ministers will also publish an update on how they are implementing the 2023 Biological Security Strategy, aimed at preparing for future pandemics. More

The most high-profile billionaire Labour party donor has revealed he is “increasingly nervous” about the direction Keir Starmer’s government is taking.John Caudwell – who switched allegiance from the Tories – also hit out at Labour’s winter fuel payments cut “fiasco” as well as the welfare rebellion, declaring that the party has done a bad job at telling the right story to the electorate.The Phones 4u founder – who has a fortune of £1.58bn but has promised to give away more than 70 per cent of it – warned a wealth tax would be “very destructive” to growth, as he called on ministers to do more to bring investment into the UK.The 72-year-old’s comments come as Sir Keir is reportedly facing another rebellion from his backbenchers over reforms to support for children with special needs in England, just days after he was forced into the humiliating climbdown on benefit cuts.Mr Caudwell was previously a Tory backer for many years, donating £500,000 to the Conservatives ahead of the 2019 general election, making him one of the party’s biggest donors. But for last year’s election, he pledged to vote Labour for the time ever.The Phones 4u founder has a fortune of £1.58bn but has promised to give away more than 70 per cent of it More

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a fight to salvage his much-vaunted deal with France to return illegal migrants and halt the increasing crossings of small boats across the English Channel.With Emmanuel Macron arriving on Tuesday for a three-day state visit, there are concerns the prime minister’s “one in, one out” agreement is close to collapse.It is understood that Sir Keir had hoped the agreement would be the centrepiece of the French president’s state visit, but it has stalled amid opposition from other EU countries. Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus wrote to the European Commission over the proposals, fearing it could see asylum seekers returned to their shores instead.It is understood that migration will be front and centre of talks between Sir Keir and President Macron in Downing Street on Wednesday, with discussions over “returns hubs” and new tactics by French border police expected to feature heavily on the agenda. Officers were seen last week slashing inflatable boats with knives to prevent them from leaving French shores.Downing Street insists the deal is not dead, but admitted the picture is “complex” as Britain is on course for a new record in illegal crossings.Keir Starmer with Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Canada last month More

Sir Keir Starmer is in a race against time to put the UK-US deal on tariffs on steel into practice, as Britain could be slapped with 50 per cent tariffs in less than 48 hours. The UK has already managed to negotiate a deal with the US that eliminates the threat of tariffs to British car and aeroplane manufacturers, but levies on steel have been left standing at 25 per cent rather than falling to zero as originally agreed.The failure to secure a reprieve for the industry leaves open the threat that the current 25 per cent tariff rate could rise to 50 per cent after the July 9 deadline.US president Donald Trump is reportedly stepping up pressure on countries who could soon be subject to the tariffs, urging them to negotiate trade deals (Kin Cheung/PA) More

David Lammy has launched an independent inquiry into the way the Foreign Office officials handled the death of Harry Dunn in an accident involving a member of the US intelligence community.The 19-year-old was killed when a car driven by Anne Sacoolas hit his motorcycle near the exit to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019.Ms Sacoolas, who was the wife of a CIA operative working near the airbase, was allowed to leave the country with claims that she was covered by diplomatic immunity. Requests for extradition were initially rejected by the first Donald Trump administration, although the president met Dunn’s parents.Harry Dunn was killed in a road crash in August 2019 (Family handout/PA) More