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.

By Eniola Amadu  A federal judge in California has ruled that the Donald Trump administration acted unlawfully in attempting to end temporary legal protections for more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela who have been living and working in the United States under a humanitarian program. The decision, issued by US district judge Edward Chen in San Francisco, preserves the immigration status of roughly 600,000 Venezuelans whose protections…

By Eniola Amadu  Former US president Joe Biden has begun the process of building his presidential library in his home state of Delaware, setting up a governance board of former aides, allies and longtime friends to spearhead fundraising and planning for the legacy project. The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation last week approved a 13-member board that will steer the effort. Among them are former secretary of state Antony Blinken,…

By Eniola Amadu Former US Surgeon General Jerome Adams has urged President Donald Trump to dismiss Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, warning that his vaccine policies are “endangering America” and undermining public health. In an interview with CNN on Saturday, Adams, who served as surgeon general under Trump from 2017 to 2021, said Kennedy’s restrictions on access to Covid-19 vaccines threatened lives and placed minority communities at particular risk.…

By Eniola Amadu Labour’s largest union backer has warned that Keir Starmer is at risk of pushing workers towards Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, accusing the party of failing to protect oil and gas jobs and of watering down key pledges on employment rights. Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said Labour’s retreat on plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and “fire-and-rehire” practices had left many voters feeling “duped.” Speaking ahead…

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…

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…

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…

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…

An NHS surgeon who carried out hundreds of amputations on patients before deliberately freezing his own legs to claim insurance payouts has been jailed for fraud and possessing extreme pornography. Neil Hopper, 49, of Truro, Cornwall, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court to two years and eight months in prison after admitting two counts of fraud and three counts of possessing extreme pornography. Hopper, a vascular surgeon at the Royal…

David Lammy has been appointed Britain’s new Deputy Prime Minister in a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle triggered by Angela Rayner’s dramatic resignation over her tax affairs. The move, confirmed late on Thursday, cements Mr Lammy’s position at the heart of Sir Keir Starmer’s Government and marks one of the most significant shifts in Labour’s leadership since it came to power 14 months ago. Mr Lammy, 51, will also leave his post…

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…