Author: Fatimah Idera

Baroness Harriet Harman has said Labour’s next deputy leader must be a woman. Her comments come as the party prepares to replace Angela Rayner, who resigned last week after an investigation revealed she had underpaid stamp duty on a house purchase. Harman, who was deputy leader from 2007 to 2015, told BBC Radio that the role should go to a woman outside London. Labour MP Lewis Atkinson also backed the idea, saying the party must represent all regions of the UK. The National Executive Committee confirmed that nominations will open on Tuesday and close Thursday evening. A hustings for MPs…

Steve Reed, the newly appointed Housing Secretary, has vowed to launch one of the most ambitious housebuilding drives in UK history, pledging to pull every lever to meet Labour’s target of building 1.5 million homes during this Parliament. In his first meeting with civil servants since taking over from Angela Rayner, Reed declared his mantra would be build, baby, build, signalling a proactive approach to tackling the country’s worsening housing crisis. “We are moving into the next stage of unleashing one of the biggest eras of building in our country’s history,” he told officials. Despite the bold pledge, the construction…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled plans to boost the UK economy by creating thousands of new jobs in the defence sector, as part of a broader strategy to drive national growth. Defence Secretary John Healey is set to launch the Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) on Monday, backed by an initial £250 million investment. Central to the plan are new defence growth deals to be rolled out across key regions of the UK, including Plymouth, South Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Government ministers estimate the strategy could generate demand for up to 50,000 new defence jobs…

Emily Thornberry, member of parliament of the United Kingdom, is preparing to run for Labour’s deputy leadership, setting up a possible challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s authority. Thornberry, who was left out of Starmer’s Cabinet despite serving as shadow attorney general in opposition, said the role needs someone with skills and experience. She accused the Prime Minister of becoming isolated and failing to listen to MPs. Her move follows Angela Rayner’s resignation on Friday after it emerged she had underpaid stamp duty on a house purchase. Rayner also stepped down from her government roles, triggering a wide-open contest for her replacement.…

The United Kingdom government is considering ways to limit how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is applied, in an effort to toughen its stance on illegal immigration. Defence Secretary, John Healey said ministers want to tighten the interpretation of the ECHR, especially rules linked to family life, which are often used to stop deportations. The move comes after Shabana Mahmood became Home Secretary in a reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation. Sources say Mahmood is prepared to take a tougher approach than her predecessor Yvette Cooper, even describing her style as start with the unthinkable and work backwards. Last…

Migrants currently housed in United Kingdom (UK) hotels will soon be moved into military barracks under plans due to be announced within weeks.

At 15:00 BST, millions of phones across the UK will sound a loud siren and vibrate for about 10 seconds as part of a national emergency alert test. The alerts are designed to warn people of life-threatening events like severe weather or terror attacks. Messages will appear on compatible 4G and 5G phones, but not if devices are off, on airplane mode, or only connected to Wi-Fi. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden urged people not to panic, calling it just like a fire drill to check the system works. The service is accessible for deaf and blind users and…

Keir Starmer has tightened his grip on government with a sweeping reshuffle of junior ministers, a move that has sidelined key union allies and fuelled fears over the future of Labour’s flagship workers’ rights package.

Lucy Connolly is set to speak on the final day of the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham. The 42-year-old childminder was released from prison last month after serving part of a 31-month sentence believed to be the longest handed down in Britain for a single social media post. She had pleaded guilty after posting a comment in the aftermath of the Southport attack which wrongly claimed the killer, Axel Rudakubana, was an illegal immigrant. The tweet, which also called for mass deportation and incendiary action against asylum hotels, was deleted after three hours but had already been viewed more…

A Liberal Democrat councillor has been suspended after posting a threatening image aimed at a gender-critical woman, sparking claims of two-tier policing in the trans rights debate. Ian Bristow, who represents Berkhamsted Castle on Dacorum Borough Council, tweeted a picture of a girl pointing a gun with the words: “Shut the f— up, Terf.” The post was directed at Natalie Bird, a gender-critical activist previously barred as a parliamentary candidate in 2018. The message drew condemnation after author JK Rowling highlighted it as evidence of policing double standards. She contrasted Bristow’s treatment with that of comedy writer Graham Linehan, arrested…