Politics (Page 39)

M ore than 600 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in the highest number on a single day so far this year, new figures show. Some 616 people were detected on Sunday, according to Home Office figures released on Monday, passing this year’s previous high of 497 on Saturday April 22. It means the number of crossings in 2023 now stands at a provisional total of 8,380, down from around 10,000 at the same point last year. In total, the number who made the crossing last year reached a record 45,755, prompting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to make tackling small boat crossings a priority for his Government this year. Twelve boats were detected crossing the Channel on Sunday,Continue Reading

A lbanian migrants to the UK are unlikely to be at risk in their own country or require asylum, a cross-party group of MPs has found. However, more needs to be done to support the Albanian victims of people smuggling, especially women, the Home Affairs Select Committee said. In a report published on Monday focusing on Albania, the committee said there was no clear basis for the UK to accept thousands of asylum applications from Albanian citizens. It comes after migration data revealed more than a quarter of the 45,755 people who crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2022 were Albanian, most of whom made an asylum claim. The number of Albanians making the channel crossing in smallContinue Reading

M Ps will meet in the wake of Boris Johnson’s dramatic Commons exit to conclude their inquiry into whether the former prime minister misled Parliament over No 10 lockdown parties. The Privileges Committee has pledged to continue the investigation process after Mr Johnson stepped down as an MP and launched a scathing attack on the probe, branding it a “witch hunt”. The panel is set to meet in Westminster on Monday with a view to deciding when to publish its report. There has been speculation the seven-person committee, which is chaired by veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman but has a Conservative majority, could release its findings as soon as Wednesday. Commons aides on Sunday would only repeat the committee’s commitment,Continue Reading

The HSE has launched a major international campaign to recruit more than 400 consultants to work in Ireland, including medics who practise abroad. As the Irish Examiner reports, there has been a crisis in the profession, with the Irish Hospital Consultants Association saying that more than one in five roles were not permanently filled. However, the HSE is undertaking a publicity drive to try and find consultants to fill posts all over the country, with the hope of easing current pressures on doctors. The move will also mean a number of doctors will be rostered to work on evenings and weekends on a more permanent system. Speaking about the initiative, Anne Marie Hoey, HSE national director of HR said: “ThisContinue Reading

F ormer first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge after she was arrested as part of the police investigation into the SNP’s finances. Police Scotland said she had been questioned by detectives for around seven hours before being released without charge pending further inquiries. A Police Scotland statement said: “A 52-year-old woman who was arrested earlier today, Sunday 11 June, 2023, as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party, has been released without charge pending further investigation. “The woman was questioned by Police Scotland detectives after she was arrested at 10.09am. She was released from custody at 5.24pm. “A report will be sent to theContinue Reading

N icola Sturgeon’s resignation was a surprise to many in politics – but the events that have unfolded since she left office have come as even more of a shock. Four months after her resignation, which she insisted was “not a reaction to short-term pressures”, the former first minister has been arrested as part of an investigation into SNP funding and finances. Police Scotland said on Sunday that she is in custody and being quizzed by detectives. Her husband Peter Murrell – who was until recently the chief executive of the SNP – was arrested by police officers as part of a probe into party finances just a week after she tendered her resignation to the King. It will proveContinue Reading

Mr Johnson shocked his party by announcing his immediate departure and resignation from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat. Despite the former Prime Minister’s attack on the Privileges Committee and its upcoming report on Partygate, Mr Shapps told Sky News Mr Johnson was “perfectly entitled” to stay on as an MP but standing down was his decision. The Energy Secretary added: “I liked working with him as Prime Minister, but the world has moved on. “He is the one who’s removed himself from the current political scene, standing down as a member of Parliament.” In his resignation on Friday, Mr Johnson claimed a House of Commons inquiry was determined to find him guilty over Partygate. He then said there hadContinue Reading

Former US president Donald Trump blasted his historic federal indictment as “ridiculous” and “baseless” during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed. Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina on Saturday, he painted the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy. Mr Trump cast his indictment by the Department of Justice as an attempt to damage his chances of returning to the White House as he campaigns for a second term. “They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,” Mr Trump alleged inContinue Reading

R ishi Sunak has been urged to call a snap general election after three quick-fire MP resignations left the Prime Minister facing by-election battles on multiple fronts. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Sunak “must finally find a backbone” and send the country to the polls after the Prime Minister found himself three MPs down in the space of 24 hours. The call was echoed by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey as rival parties hope to inflict more damaging by-election defeats on the Tories. Nigel Adams on Saturday became the latest to announce he would be quitting as an MP with “immediate effect”. An ally of Boris Johnson, he followed the former prime minister and former culture secretaryContinue Reading

T he Illegal Migration Bill breaches a “number of the UK’s human rights obligations”, MPs and peers have warned ministers. Most asylum seekers arriving in the UK after the flagship legislation has been passed would have their claim “declared inadmissible”, according to a report published by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. Chairwoman Joanna Cherry MP said children were “affected by every aspect” of what Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has dubbed the Stop The Boats Bill – and vulnerable groups, including victims of trafficking and modern slavery, would be disproportionately impacted. She said the knock-on impact could be that the number of people being trafficked increases because of the Government’s proposals. The Joint Committee is urging ministers to make changesContinue Reading