Politics

More than 115,000 asylum seekers will be trapped in “permanent limbo” by the end of the year as a result of the government’s flagship Rwanda plan, according to a detailed study by the Refugee Council. The effect of the Rwanda plan will push the already struggling UK asylum system into “meltdown”, the council’s chief executive

The morning after the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson pledged to people in the North East who had voted Conservative for the first time that he and the party would “repay your trust”. That year was the Brexit election, and the Conservatives ultimately won because they and Mr Johnson were trusted to “get Brexit done”

Rishi Sunak warned the world is now “more volatile and dangerous” than at any time since the Cold War, as the prime minister embarked on a trip to Poland and Germany to discuss the threat of expansionist Russia and refocus the world’s eyes back on to Ukraine. Speaking to journalists on the flight over to

Immigration enforcement staff have had their leave cancelled as the government hopes its plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda will become law this week. Speaking to Sky News, Lucy Moreton from the ISU, the union for borders, immigration and customs, said the staff who will be expected to arrest and remove people still

The Home Office has promised to close 150 migrant hotels by May after figures showed aid spending on asylum seekers in the UK rose to £4.3bn in 2023. The department said the number of people staying in taxpayer-funded accommodation had dropped from 56,000 in September to fewer than 20,000 people currently as part of a drive

Online comments made by Harry Potter author JK Rowling have not been recorded as a non-crime hate incident, Police Scotland has confirmed. It comes after the force said no further action would be taken over social media posts made by the writer in response to Scotland’s controversial new hate crime laws. A non-crime hate incident

The Archbishop of Canterbury will use his Easter sermon to say the church is not party political after facing criticism over his high-profile condemnation of the government’s controversial Rwanda deportation scheme. Justin Welby will tell the congregation on Sunday that Anglicans are “all different” in their politics, as he urged “love-in-action” to help those caught

Scotland’s controversial new hate crime laws have come into force. The new measures aim to tackle the harm caused by hatred and prejudice but have come under fire from opponents who claim they could stifle free speech and be weaponised to “settle scores”. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into force on

A former ethics adviser to Boris Johnson broke the rules in the House of Lords by “assisting an outside organisation in influencing” government officials at the Ministry of Defence, a watchdog has ruled. A report from the Lords Commissioner for Standards said Lord Geidt – who advised the former prime minister between April 2021 until

The Home Office gave out 275 certificates of sponsorship for care workers after “forged” documents were used to make an application, a damning report into the department has shown. The probe, by the former borders and immigration inspector David Neal, claimed the Home Office had a “limited understanding” of the care sector after it was

The Home Office granted 275 certificates of sponsorship for care workers after “forged” documents were used to make an application, a damning report into the department has shown. The probe, by ex-borders and immigration inspector David Neal, claimed the Home Office had a “limited understanding” of the care sector after it was added to the

When David Cameron was prime minister, Oliver Dowden was one of his backroom fixers, first at Tory HQ and then in 10 Downing Street. From his early days as a Tory researcher he’s been known as “Olive” because of an office typo. But it’s a nickname that’s stuck, even now he’s deputy prime minister. Politics

China “state-affiliated actors” have been blamed by the government for two “malicious” cyber attack campaigns in the UK. Making a speech in the Commons, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed the two incidents involved an attack on the Electoral Commission – responsible for overseeing elections and political finance – in 2021, and targeted attacks against

Home Secretary James Cleverly used a private chartered flight to visit Rwanda at a cost of £165,561.53 to the taxpayer, government documents have revealed. The latest transparency data from the Home Office showed Mr Cleverly took the flight in December last year as he headed to Kigali to sign a new treaty with the African

Tory MPs trooped purposefully through the voting lobbies on Monday night to knock down all the Lords’ amendments which had threatened to rip the Rwanda bill to shreds. It was without the drama of the last vote in January, when three Tory figures resigned their posts and dozens signed amendments to toughen up the bill.

The House of Commons has rejected the House of Lords’ first attempt to amend the Safety of Rwanda Bill – with the legislation sent back to the upper chamber. A total of 10 amendments were put before MPs, but Conservatives voted each of them down. Among the changes proposed by peers was scrapping the government’s

Humza Yousaf has insisted the Scottish government is “absolutely on track” to meet its target to increase residential rehabilitation places for drug users, as he said he was “devastated” by the latest increase in deaths. Data released on Tuesday showed 1,197 people died as a result of suspected drug use last year – up by

The first minister of Wales has said Boris Johnson was like the “absent manager” of a football team in the early days of the pandemic. Mark Drakeford criticised the former prime minister during his evidence to the UK COVID public inquiry. He said Mr Johnson was “not taking it seriously” and was deliberately unclear about

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said alleged comments made about Diane Abbott by a Tory donor were “racist” – but that there should be “space for forgiveness”. Ms Badenoch is the first cabinet minister to use the term to describe Frank Hester’s reported remarks about the former Labour MP, after government ministers including Graham Stuart

A Conservative minister appeared to rule out a May general election this morning – while a Labour frontbencher bet £10 with Sky News presenter Kay Burley that a vote would take place that month. Speculation about the date of the general election is continuing to swirl, with the latest possible date of a vote being