Starmer’s reshuffle continues after minister says asylum seekers could be moved to barracks

Sir Keir Starmer joined King Charles at church in Scotland .

The prime minister and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer were pictured arriving at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral on Sunday morning.

Prayers were said for the Duchess of Kent and to mark the third anniversary of the King’s Accession.

More than 30,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year, after 1,097 arrived on Saturday, Home Office figures show.

Siren sounds blared from mobile phones across the country in a test of the national emergency alert system.

At around 3pm on Sunday, mobiles connected to 4G and 5G networks vibrated and sounded for about 10 seconds in the second test of the system – after the first in 2023.

The vibrations and sirens lasted for about 10 seconds.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will host counterparts from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to discuss border security on Monday as her first major engagement in her new role.

Ms Mahmood said: “Rebuilding our reputation on the world stage is how we tackle serious organised crime and secure our borders.

“We have already reset our relationship with the EU, struck a people smuggling deal with the G7 and operationalised a first-of its-kind returns agreement with France. Today, we will agree new measures to protect our borders with our Five Eyes partners, hitting people smugglers hard.

“The Five Eyes might be drawn from different corners of the globe, but we are united by our alliance. As the security threats we all face become more complex and span continents, we are stronger and safer together.”

Asylum seekers could be temporarily moved to military sites after Sir Keir Starmer told his new-look Cabinet to “go up a gear” amid rising numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel.

“I think you’ll start to see Keir Starmer insist that dealing with the small boats, solving the illegal immigration crisis, is part of the jobs of the whole of Government, not just the Home Office,” the Defence Secretary, John Healey, told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show.

He said part of this would involve looking at moving asylum seekers into “temporary” accommodation on military sites, but did not confirm a date for when such transfers might take place.

Sir Keir Starmer has continued his major reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation as housing secretary and deputy prime minister.

Here are the latest appointments:

• Chris Elmore MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
• Satvir Kaur MP as Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.
• Josh Simons MP as Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.
• Josh MacAlister OBE MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education.
• Olivia Bailey MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education.
• Blair McDougall MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade.
• Kate Dearden MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade.
• Kanishka Narayan MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• Anna McMorrin MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Wales Office.
• Matthew Patrick MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office.
• Katie White OBE MP as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero.

Janet Daby MP, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Justin Madders MP, Gareth Thomas MP, Feryal Clark MP, Fleur Anderson MP, and Dame Nia Griffith DBE MP have left the Government.

Scottish Conservatives deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Labour are in complete meltdown and their integrity is in tatters after only 14 months in government.

“Ian Murray’s sacking was entirely in keeping with the chaos that surrounds Keir Starmer’s shambolic Government.

“The fact Ian Murray has now had to be shoehorned into a junior ministerial role after such backlash is systematic of the weakness of Keir Starmer and his long list of U-turns.

“The uninspiring appointment of Douglas Alexander, who is nothing more than a yes man for Labour, will mean more of the same broken promises.”

The new Scottish Secretary says he is “looking forward to being Scotland’s voice” in Westminster after his predecessor, Ian Murray, lost his position in Friday’s reshuffle.

His replacement Douglas Alexander spoke on BBC One’s The Sunday Show, where he discussed his new role and his plans.

He told host Martin Geissler: “I’m looking forward to being Scotland’s voice at the Cabinet table, making sure not just that I’m speaking up for Scotland, but that my Cabinet colleagues understand the importance of Scotland to their work.”

Read the full article here: