Author: Fatimah Idera

Shabana Mahmood, newly appointed by Sir Keir Starmer as Britain’s first female Muslim Home Secretary, is set to take a harder stance on illegal migration as Labour seeks to regain public confidence on the issue. Mahmood, who previously impressed as Justice Secretary by deftly handling the prison overcrowding crisis and disputes over sentencing, has been tasked with applying the same assured, uncompromising style to immigration. Report reveals that her background and political positioning within Blue Labour make her well-placed to deliver tough messages that resonate with voters disillusioned by the government’s handling of the small boats crisis. In an interview…

Soft drink giants, including Coca-Cola and Irn-Bru maker AG Barr, have urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to scrap Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposal to toughen the sugar tax, warning it could push prices up by as much as 5%. In a joint letter coordinated by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), more than 10 leading manufacturers said the move would add £220m in costs to the industry, undermining business confidence and threatening investment. The plan would lower the sugar content threshold for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy from 5g to 4g per 100ml, meaning products reformulated to avoid the tax…

Suella Braverman has stepped up pressure on Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch by throwing her support behind Robert Jenrick’s proposal for a decade of net emigration, a policy under which more people would leave the UK than enter. The former home secretary argued that such a stance would go further than Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s net zero immigration plan, which aims to balance arrivals with departures. “Britain cannot carry on like this overcrowded, overstretched and overwhelmed,” Mrs Braverman said. Also, “the British people must come first, and that starts with reversing mass migration. Enough is enough. Only net emigration…

The UK’s equalities watchdog has submitted formal guidance on how institutions should respond to a landmark Supreme Court judgment on transgender rights, warning that it will be difficult for many organisations to translate the ruling into workable policies. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) handed the guidance to Bridget Phillipson, the minister for women and equalities and education secretary, who must now decide whether to adopt it. Sources close to the EHRC said the guidance, drawn up under outgoing chair Kishwer Falkner, is expected to mirror interim advice published in April. That advice alarmed transgender groups, as it suggested…

Angela Rayner has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister in a dramatic turn of events that has plunged Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government into its deepest crisis since taking office. Her departure follows a Telegraph investigation that revealed she failed to obtain proper tax advice when purchasing a seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex, leading to a £40,000 shortfall in stamp duty. The resignation, announced on Thursday, comes only a week after Starmer attempted to relaunch his Government with a Cabinet reset. It forces the Labour Party into an internal election for deputy leader and opens up the risk of a…

“Japa is becoming mission impossible.” This was all X user Sholzzola could type to vent his frustration after the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), announced yet another increase in passport fees—barely a year after the last hike. ‘Japa’ is  a slang term for emigrating in search of better opportunities.  The new directive, which took effect on 1 September 2025, immediately drew widespread outrage. For many Nigerians hoping to travel abroad, the news felt like yet another roadblock. Before the latest adjustment, the 32-page passport with a five-year validity had risen from ₦35,000 to ₦50,000, while the 64-page,…

Seventeen people were injured after a double-decker bus mounted the pavement and crashed outside Victoria Station in central London. The number 24 bus veered off the road near the Victoria Palace Theatre on Victoria Street at around 8:20am. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene, with roads cordoned off and the London Air Ambulance landing in nearby St James’s Park. According to police, two people were treated on site while 15 others, including the driver, were taken to hospital. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Witnesses described the terrifying moment the crash happened. Passenger Lionel Khoo, 57,…

A former Solomon Islands footballer who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl has avoided prison, instead receiving a community order. Moffat Konofilia, 48, kissed the teenager twice on the lips after telling her he had never been so close to a white woman. The assault happened in Weymouth, Dorset, on December 15, 2023, while he was living on the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge. The distressed victim reported the incident to police the following morning. Konofilia denied sexual assault but was convicted after a trial. In court, he begged magistrates not to jail him, claiming he needed to support his wife and…

A Jamaican man who avoided deportation on human rights grounds has now been ordered out of the UK after committing more crimes just days after winning his asylum appeal. Jevaughn Williams, 28, came to Britain in 2001 with his mother and was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2008. But from 2012 onwards, he began a life of crime, starting with possession of a sawn-off shotgun and later a knife offence that led to three years’ detention. Over the years, he was convicted of burglary, drug possession, and voyeurism. The Home Office first moved to deport him in 2014, but…

British billionaire trader Alex Gerko is turning heads in the tech and finance world after announcing that interns at his firm, XTX Markets, will earn an eye-watering £26,000 ($35,000) a month during their placement. The 12 to 14-week research internship, advertised on XTX’s website, is aimed at postgraduate students and could see participants pocket between $105,000 and $122,500 in total. The role, based in New York, includes a generous sign-on bonus to help with accommodation costs. XTX said it is seeking highly skilled PhD candidates in computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, or related fields, with strong research backgrounds in artificial…