Politics (Page 61)

R ishi Sunak said the UK and Rwanda were “leading the way” on global migration challenges during his meeting with the president of the east African country. The Prime Minister welcomed fellow leader Paul Kagame in Downing Street and posed for photos before they made their way into the building for bilateral talks. The visit of Mr Kagame is part of a host of one-to-one discussions Mr Sunak is holding as world leaders and their representatives descend on London for the King’s coronation on Saturday. The UK has agreed a multimillion-pound partnership with Rwanda designed to tackle the number of small boats of migrants coming to Britain via unauthorised routes. The £140 million deal will see some migrants who enter unlawfullyContinue Reading

F ormer US president Donald Trump has said he is cutting his trip to Ireland short so he can return to “confront” his accuser in a New York civil rape case, which he described as a “political attack”. Mr Trump said he would “probably attend” the hearing as he spoke to reporters while golfing at his resort outside the village of Doonbeg, Co Clare. His visit to Scotland and Ireland has coincided with the second week of a civil trial in Manhattan over accusations, denied by Mr Trump, that he raped former magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996. Mr Trump said he has been “falsely accused”. I’m going back to New York. IContinue Reading

Former US president Donald Trump has said he is cutting his trip to Ireland short so he can return to “confront” his accuser in a New York civil rape case, which he described as a “political attack”. Mr Trump said on Thursday he will “probably” the ongoing civil trial in New York where he is accused of rape and defamation, repeating his denials of the allegations during a visit to his golf resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare. Writer E. Jean Carroll (79) says Mr Trump (76) raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, and then tarred her reputation and career by lying about it online. “I will probably attend (the trial) and I thinkContinue Reading

H ere is a guide to when to expect the key results and events after polls close in the local elections on Thursday. All declaration times are estimates and could change. – Thursday, 10pm: Polls close in the 230 local authorities across England holding elections. Counting begins for 64 councils. – Friday, from 12.30am: First results expected. Hartlepool is a target for Labour and the Conservatives, with both parties hoping to make enough gains to take overall control. The result from Castle Point will be an early test of the fortunes of independent candidates, who currently have a majority on the council. Sunderland will provide a measure of Labour’s popularity in one of its traditional heartlands. The result of theContinue Reading

T he local elections will mark the first time it has been compulsory for all voters in England to have to show photo identification when arriving at polling stations. The much-criticised change was piloted regionally before the national roll-out for Thursday’s elections. Those turning up at polling stations will be required to show a form of photo identification, such as a passport, driving licence or blue badge. Other forms of identity that will be accepted include biometric residence permits, defence identity cards, and national identity cards issued by the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Critics of the move argue it could deter young people and ethnic minorities from voting. The Government bore full responsibility for making sure that everybodyContinue Reading

S ir Keir Starmer has been accused of being “shifty” over questions about Sue Gray and has been urged to “fess up” about when contact with her about a top Labour job was first made. The Opposition leader has repeatedly refused to disclose the timeline of the talks held with the partygate investigator about her becoming his chief of staff. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said Sir Keir was “avoiding the question” when it came to divulging when the job offer was made to the former senior civil servant. The comments came after Sky News reported that the Labour leader initiated contact with Ms Gray about the position in October, at least four months before her appointment was announced. IContinue Reading

Former US president Donald Trump has said Ireland has done a good job “luring” US companies to the country. He was speaking to reporters after his arrival at his golf course outside the town of Doonbeg in Co Clare. He was greeted by a line of staff at the hotel and a display of Irish music and dance. Speaking to reporters, he said the staff had “done a great job” and the course had “become a big success”. Asked by reporters if he would prefer to see the corporation tax being paid by US companies in Ireland, instead being paid in the US, he said: “I won’t answer that question in your country, a lot of people would say yes.Continue Reading

A pub has closed a month after its collection of golliwogs was seized by police, amid a boycott by suppliers. Five officers removed a collection of the dolls – based on 18th century minstrels and now regarded as racist caricatures – from the White Hart Inn in Grays, Essex, on April 4 after a hate crime allegation. The pub’s leaseholders, Benice Ryley and her husband Chris, reportedly closed the pub to customers from Monday night amid the fallout from the well-publicised dolls row. I feel gutted, totally and utterly gutted In an interview with Thurrock Nub News, Mrs Ryley said “I’ve had enough”, claiming Carlsberg and Heineken had told the pub to stop selling their lager and that maintenance firmContinue Reading

L abour leader Keir Starmer has accused the Government of “economic vandalism” in a fiery PMQs showdown before Thursday’s local elections. Sir Keir said by the end of this year there would be nearly two million home owners paying the price because of the Tories had “crashed the economy last Autumn”. The Prime Minister, in response, said while Labour had failed home owners, the Conservatives “were delivering for them”. It comes as the shadow chancellor has accused the prime minister of playing a “political gimmick” with the investigation into Sue Gray’s switch to a senior Labour role. Rachel Reeves told Times Radio that Mr Sunak had a “political vandetta” against Ms Gray, and he was “supposed to be moving onContinue Reading

The chief executive of the Irish Council for Social Housing, Donal McManus has called for regulation of the planning system to speed up the process which is holding up “hundreds” of building projects. Ms McManus told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that if the process was streamlined “it could speed up” the building of social homes. Social housing bodies will surpass their targets in 2023 and will do so again in 2024, he said. There were a number of schemes in the pipeline, but it takes years for a home to get through the process from a site being identified to completion, he explained. Land needed to be secured now for such projects, he urged. The Land Acquisition Fund should beContinue Reading