Author: Fatimah Idera

Dozens of Labour MPs have warned that forthcoming gender recognition guidance could trigger confusion, legal disputes and major costs for UK businesses. This was disclosed in a private letter to Business Secretary Peter Kyle, nearly 50 Labour backbenchers said companies across the country were alarmed by the expected regulations and feared a legal and compliance minefield if the draft plans go ahead. The final guidance, prepared by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has not yet been made public, but is understood to closely mirror interim advice issued after April’s supreme court ruling, which confirmed that sex in the…

Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike in November as tensions deepen between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government over pay and the growing number of unemployed doctors. The industrial action, announced by the BMA recently, will run from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November, marking one of the longest walkouts so far by resident doctors, who make up roughly half of the NHS medical workforce. The dispute centres on pay erosion and the rise in unemployment among newly qualified doctor is an issue the BMA says is worsening an already strained health…

A migrant who was removed to France under the government’s new one in, one out returns scheme has crossed back into the UK on a small boat less than a month later. Reports revealed that the man, believed to be an Iranian national, has claimed he was a victim of modern slavery in France, alleging that smuggling gangs forced him into labour, abused him and threatened his life. He said, he fled back to the UK out of fear for his safety. According to BBC, the man was first detained in the UK on 6 August and removed to France…

The UK Foreign Office has expanded its travel guidance to warn Britons about the risk of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or contaminated alcoholic drinks in eight additional countries. Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and Uganda have now been added to the advisory, following recent incidents involving British travellers. The warning already covered Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Fiji. The update comes after a string of high-profile cases, including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year. Officials caution that methanol poisoning can cause nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, blindness and, in severe cases,…

Six people have been arrested following violent scenes outside a Dublin hotel housing asylum seekers, where Irish police came under sustained attack from protesters hurling bricks, fireworks and bottles. The disorder erupted on Tuesday evening at the Citywest Hotel in Saggart. Gardaí said demonstrators tried to force their way through police lines, with some charging the cordon on horse-drawn sulkies and others wielding garden tools and makeshift weapons. A Garda vehicle was set alight, while the force’s helicopter was targeted with laser beams. One female officer suffered a foot injury and received treatment at the scene. Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly…

Two survivors of child sexual exploitation have resigned from the government’s national inquiry into grooming gangs, accusing ministers of mishandling the process and sidelining victims’ voices.

About 6,500 offenders, including rapists, killers and child sex abusers, could be eligible for early release under Labour’s sentencing reforms, according to Conservative analysis. The government had a plan to free up around 10,000 prison spaces by allowing serious, violent and sexual offenders on fixed-term sentences of four years or more to leave prison at the halfway stage, rather than at two-thirds, if they comply with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. The proposal is contained in Labour’s new sentencing bill, currently before Parliament. The Conservatives argue the changes would apply to 85% of serious offenders serving determinate sentences. These figures…

Asylum seekers are being baptised in hotel bathtubs by a Christian charity working in migrant accommodation across the UK. The practice has raised concerns that some Muslim migrants may be undergoing conversion ceremonies to boost their chances of securing asylum. Carelinks Ministries, a registered charity linked to the minority Christadelphian denomination, has travelled to asylum hotels to perform baptisms in bathrooms. The group has defended its activities, insisting that it simply baptises those who request it and plays no role in asylum applications. Several seekers who became Christadelphians after arriving in Britain have later won their claims under the European…

During his visit to the synagogue, the King met survivors, community leaders and witnesses to the incident, and was shown around the building where the attack unfolded.

Undergraduate tuition fees in England will begin rising in line with inflation from next year, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has confirmed. The move marks the end of a long-running fee freeze and comes amid mounting financial pressures across the university sector. Phillipson told MPs that maintenance loans would also be uprated annually with inflation, and that universities would eventually only be permitted to charge full fees if they demonstrate high-quality teaching. The reforms apply only to England, as higher education policy is devolved; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will continue to set their own rules. Universities have warned for years…