Author: Fatimah Idera

A Reform UK-run council where the party sought to pilot drastic cost-cutting plans is going to have to raise council tax, a cabinet member has admitted. Services at Kent county council were already “down to the bare bones”, said Reform’s cabinet member for adult social care, Diane Morton. It makes Kent the latest local authority controlled by Nigel Farage’s party to signal its intention to raise council tax. “We’ve got more demand than ever before and it’s growing,” Morton said, “We just want more money.” Morton said she believed the local authority would raise council tax by 5% the maximum…

Nursing leaders have warned that the NHS and social care could cease to function under Labour’s proposed immigration rules, describing the policy as divisive, xenophobic, and ignorant. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) criticised the plan, which would double the time foreign workers must wait before applying for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years and bar them from claiming benefits such as child support, housing allowance, or disability aid during that period. RCN General Secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger said the proposal panders to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and ignores the essential role of migrant health workers. “Health…

Foreign nationals denied access to benefits under new Conservative welfare proposals would have the option of returning to their home countries, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said. Speaking ahead of his address at the Conservative Party Conference on Monday, Stride defended the party’s plan to save £47 billion a year from public spending, with £23 billion coming from cuts to welfare. The proposed reforms include restricting social security payments to UK citizens only, a move that would exclude long-term residents with indefinite leave to remain. In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Stride said: “If they’ve come from…

Hundreds of international students left in limbo after University College London (UCL) exceeded its visa allocation have now been cleared to take up their places following successful negotiations with the Home Office. The students, many from China, were initially told to defer their studies until next year after UCL ran out of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) documents electronic certificates required for student visa applications. The shortage followed what the university described as an extraordinary surge in demand for places this academic year. In a statement, UCL confirmed that the Home Office has now granted additional CAS numbers, allowing…

The Conservatives have called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to come clean over the collapse of the high-profile China spy prosecution, demanding full transparency about the government’s role in the decision. The case against two men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, accused of passing confidential reports on UK-China policy to Beijing, was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) ruled it no longer had sufficient evidence. It was reported that Jonathan Powell, Starmer’s national security adviser, told a Whitehall meeting the government could not describe China as an enemy in court, a move that led to the CPS withdrawal.…

Mahmood

The Conservative Party has announced ambitious plans to remove 750,000 illegal immigrants from the UK within five years, unveiling a tough, Trump-style approach to immigration enforcement as its annual conference begins in Manchester. Under the proposals, anyone entering the UK without permission would be banned from claiming asylum. Those whose claims are rejected would no longer be able to appeal decisions in the courts; instead, appeals would be handled internally by Home Office officials. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC that migrants should “go back to where they came from” or be sent to other safe countries. The plan…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to unveil a series of planning reforms before the upcoming budget to stimulate Britain’s sluggish economic growth. British sluggish economic groReeves to unveil planning reforms The changes aim to simplify the process for developers to build houses and infrastructure, potentially boosting the economy by around £3 billion annually. However, there is internal disagreement within the government over how radical the reforms should be. The package targets improving private sector confidence, which recently hit a record low, according to the Institute of Directors. Alongside these planning reforms, ministers are also working on a separate nature bill…

Every Police Force in the UK now has a dedicated officer tasked with protecting journalists from threats and violence, the government has confirmed. Known as Journalist Safety Liaison Officers (JSLOs), these officials form part of an enhanced partnership between the police, government, and media organizations aimed at safeguarding the press, who increasingly face harassment both online and in person. Media Minister, Ian Murray emphasized the importance of the move, saying, “Too often, media men are put in harm’s way while fulfilling their vital role of delivering accurate news to the public. It is only right that they feel supported and…

The number of migrants packed onto small boats crossing the English Channel has reached record highs, with some vessels carrying over 120 people far above previous averages. Analysis by Nationalnews reveals that on four separate days since mid-August, boats carried an average of more than 80 people. The highest single-boat figure was 125, recorded last Saturday, surpassing the previous records of 106 in August and 98 in October 2024. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, under pressure to deliver on his promise to smash the gangs, has ramped up efforts to dismantle people smuggling operations. His government has signed a deal with…