Politics (Page 22)

A sylum seekers are being removed from the Bibby Stockholm barge due to the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply. The Home Office has said it is removing all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel, docked in Portland Port in Dorset, this week as a “precautionary measure”. It said that no migrants have fallen sick or developed Legionnaires’ disease, which is a serious type of pneumonia, and that they are all being provided with “appropriate advice and support”. The disembarkment comes only four days after the first 15 asylum seekers boarded the barge. As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertakenContinue Reading

S adiq Khan has issued a stark warning that London house building could “grind to a halt” in a “perfect storm of pressures” without an extra £2.2bn in Government funding. In a letter to Housing Secretary Michael Gove on Friday, Mr Khan called on the Government to stump up £2.2bn to deliver 35,000 affordable home starts by March 2026, or face developers downing tools across the capital. It comes amid warnings that national house building could fall to the lowest level since World War II because of high interest rates and building cost inflation – a trend City Hall said was already taking root in London. “The city has reached crisis point in relation to housing affordability and homelessness pressures,”Continue Reading

S everal migrants have been rescued from the English Channel as the number of people crossing on small boats in the last five-and-a-half years appeared to reach 100,000. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which aided the UK Coastguard with the search and rescue operation, said lifeboats from Dover, Ramsgate, Dungeness and Littlestone were called out on Thursday morning. The Home Office confirmed 17 individuals were rescued from the water who had gone overboard and said they were all recovered safely and have been taken ashore for routine health and safety checks. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper thanked the RNLI on Twitter for “today’s vital rescue operation to save lives”, adding: “Appalling that criminal smuggler gangs are getting away withContinue Reading

T he UK has sanctioned Lebanon’s former central bank governor, according to a statement. Britain, the US and Canada have announced coordinated designations against Riad Salameh and his three associates for allegedly diverting 300 million dollars (£235 million) for personal gain, the Foreign Office said. Mr Salameh, who has repeatedly denied charges of corruption, is facing a criminal investigation for alleged financial crimes including illicit enrichment and embezzlement. Riad Salameh and his close associates have stolen from people of Lebanon and deprived them of resources crucial to its economic and social stability First appointed as governor of Lebanon’s central bank in 1993, Mr Salameh was initially credited with bringing stability to the country’s economy. But he has since been blamedContinue Reading

S enior ministers are reportedly split over whether the UK should ditch its commitment to an international human rights agreement that underpins the country’s duty to help migrants. Newspaper reports suggest that at least eight Cabinet ministers are among the senior Tories prepared to put leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) at the heart of the Conservatives’ next election campaign if deportation flights are blocked by the courts. The Daily Telegraph reported that up to a third of the Cabinet will join other Conservative MPs in backing the move, in a bid to tackle small boats crossing the English Channel. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick had hinted on Wednesday that the Government could pull out of the agreement, whichContinue Reading

D iane Abbott has been criticised after saying migrants who drowned off Italy have “indeed f***** off” in a now-deleted tweet. The independent MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington tweeted “These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea,” as she shared a news story about the disaster in the Mediterranean. The post was a response to a comment made by Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party, who earlier this week said asylum seekers complaining about being moved on to an accommodation barge should “f*** off back to France”. Tory former minister Brendan Clarke-Smith tweeted: “And to think that Sir Keir Starmer campaigned for this person to be made our Home Secretary. “WeContinue Reading

A fresh row erupted on Wednesday over Susan Hall’s selection as the Conservatives’ candidate for mayor as they launched a probe into their party in the capital. The internal review will focus on the “structures, processes and organisation of the Conservative Party in London”. Senior Tories immediately piled pressure on party chairman Greg Hands to ensure that the inquiry covers the selection process to choose their London mayoral candidate. The revelation by LBC Radio of the review reignited the furore over the controversial selection of Ms Hall, who has voiced pro-Trump and pro-Brexit views, to be the Tory challenger against Sadiq Khan. One London Conservative said the probe threatened to “chop off at the knees” her mayoral campaign. The reviewContinue Reading

S NP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn will be campaigning in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency ahead of a by-election there. Mr Flynn will be in Cambuslang on Wednesday, alongside the SNP’s candidate Katy Loudon. A date has not yet been set for the by-election, which will be closely fought by Labour and the SNP. It was triggered by a successful recall petition for Margaret Ferrier, who was suspended from the House of Commons for breaching coronavirus rules in 2020. Ms Ferrier, who has sat as an independent since having the SNP whip removed, has confirmed she will not be running again in the seat near Glasgow. Ahead of the visit, Mr Flynn hit out at Labour’s stance on Brexit.Continue Reading

H aving spent at third of her life at Westminster “turns my stomach”, the SNP’s depute leader in the House of Commons has said. Mhairi Black announced last month she will stand down at the next election, saying Westminster is “one of the most unhealthy workplaces you could ever be in”. Speaking at an In Conversation With… event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ms Black said: “It’s a human decision rather than a political one. I want to enjoy my life when I realised that I’ve now spent a third of my life in Westminster, it’s just – it makes my stomach turn.” Responding to questions from event host, journalist Graeme Spiers, where he said she was seen to “thrive”Continue Reading

S adiq Khan on Tuesday accused the Government of stoking “division and hate” after a foul-mouthed attack by a leading Conservative MP on asylum seekers. The London Mayor spoke out after Justice Secretary Alex Chalk defended the remark by Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who said that any asylum seekers unhappy at being relocated to a barge off Dorset can “f*** off back to France”. Mr Chalk said his Conservative colleague had used “salty” language in expressing the “righteous indignation” of the British public, insisting that asylum seekers should make their case in France rather than crossing the Channel. “We’re a country that believes in fairness and playing by the rules and those who don’t play by the rules …Continue Reading