Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said she would go further than Nigel Farage in tackling illegal migration, insisting that women and children who arrive unlawfully should also be deported. Speaking to the media, Mrs Badenoch said creating exceptions for women and children would risk opening up loopholes that traffickers and economic migrants could exploit. “We have said that if you come to our country illegally, then you will be deported,”…

A senior Reform UK figure has banned party councillors from speaking to a major local newspaper, drawing criticism from journalists and free speech advocates. Mick Barton, the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, has instructed all 41 Reform UK councillors not to engage with the Nottingham Post or its online platform, Nottinghamshire Live, unless in emergency circumstances. The restriction also applies to BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporters affiliated with the publication. The…

By Eniola Amadu  Britain, France and Germany will begin the process of reimposing United Nations (UN) sanctions on Iran, accusing Tehran of breaching the 2015 nuclear agreement meant to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. The three European powers, collectively known as the E3, met with Iranian officials on Tuesday in a last attempt to preserve diplomacy before their legal ability to trigger the “snapback” of sanctions expires in mid-October.…

A senior Labour MP has called for Attorney General Lord Hermer to be removed from his role, criticising both his appointment to the House of Lords and his influence over key government decisions. Graham Stringer, a veteran MP and former leader of Manchester City Council, said Lord Hermer lacked the democratic legitimacy required for such a powerful position. Stringer argued that the Attorney General should sit in the House of…

By Eniola Amadu Democratic candidate Catelin Drey scored a major upset in Iowa yesterday, defeating far-right Republican Christopher Prosch in a special election for the state senate. The win flips Iowa’s District 1, previously a Republican stronghold, and marks the second Democratic gain in the chamber this year. Drey, a 37-year-old marketing executive and founder of Moms for Iowa, secured 55% of the vote to Prosch’s 44%, a swing of…

Nigel Farage has claimed the Scottish Conservatives could face a total electoral wipeout at next year’s Holyrood elections, following the high-profile defection of Tory MSP Graham Simpson to Reform UK. At a press conference in Edinburgh, Farage welcomed Simpson as the first Reform MSP under his leadership and said the defection marked the beginning of the Conservatives’ decline not just in Scotland, but also in Wales and northern England. “I…

A teenage girl who stabbed three people at a Welsh school had previously been considered for referral to the UK government’s anti-extremism programme Prevent, according to a new safeguarding report. The 13-year-old, who expressed interest in Adolf Hitler, war memorabilia, and weapons, attacked two teachers and a fellow student at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, in April 2024. She had earlier been found carrying a knife on school grounds,…

The fertility rate in England and Wales has reached a record low, marking the third consecutive year of decline, according to newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In 2024, the total fertility rate which represents the average number of live children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime fell to 1.41, down slightly from 1.42 in 2023. This is the lowest figure since records…

The gap in transport-related carbon emissions between the UK’s richest and poorest is on track to grow significantly by 2035, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Currently, the most affluent individuals produce 10 times more emissions from domestic travel than the least affluent. If current government policies remain unchanged, that disparity is expected to rise to 13 times within the next decade. The IPPR…

Scotland has introduced water restrictions for the first time due to a prolonged dry spell that has pushed river levels to critical lows. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) announced restrictions in Ythan (Aberdeenshire) and North Fife after both regions reached significant scarcity status which is the highest level of alert. This follows over 30 days of very low water levels in local rivers. The measures limit water abstraction and…

The Labour government is facing criticism for allegedly neglecting British tech companies while seeking to position the UK as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). Newly formed government working groups had set up to address growing concerns over AI’s impact on copyright laws which come under fire after it emerged that just one UK tech company, AI video startup Synthesia, was invited to participate. In contrast, the attendee list…

Fraudsters in Ghana are deliberately targeting British women in online romance scams, claiming their crimes are a form of retribution for colonial exploitation, new research has revealed. Accra, the capital of Ghana, has become a hub for cybercrime networks known as Sakawa Boys. These gangs impersonate white men on Facebook often posing as soldiers, bankers or government officials to lure affluent Western women into relationships. Over months, victims are persuaded…