Politics

Based on the 1951 Convention on Refugees, anyone who has a well-founded fear of persecution can claim asylum in the UK, be that based on their race, religion, nationality, sexuality or other reason. They must be in the UK to do so. A record 111,084 people claimed asylum in the UK in the latest year…

Women and children would be detained and deported under Nigel Farage’s plans to stop small boat crossings in the Channel. Addressing a news conference in Oxford, Mr Farage admitted that the question of “how we deal with children is much more complicated”, but insisted: “Women and children, everybody on arrival will be detained.” Politics latest:…

Nigel Farage has said he would scrap the UK’s human rights law to enable the mass deportation of illegal migrants, as the government reportedly prepares to send more than 100 small boat arrivals back to France. Writing in The Daily Telegraph ahead of a speech later today, the Reform leader said the Human Rights Act…

Hundreds of shoplifting cases have gone unsolved every day, with the number of unsolved incidents rising by more than 40,000 over the past year. New figures show that 289,464 cases of shoplifting were shut by police without a suspect in England and Wales in the year to March 2025, according to House of Commons library…

Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure over the small boats crisis after protests outside asylum hotels continued over the bank holiday weekend. A poll suggested that voters believe the prime minister is failing to grip the problem, despite his government setting out measures to speed up removals. It comes as Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer…

Passengers could be banned from causing a “nuisance” by playing loud music on public transport under proposals to change the law set out by the Tories. The Conservatives said there should be “swift justice for those who make people’s lives a misery” by playing music loudly on buses and trains, and that they would introduce…

Curbing the power of judges in asylum cases to tackle the migrant hotel crisis is a typical Keir Starmer response to a problem. The former director of public prosecutions would appear to see overhauling court procedures and the legal process as the answer to any tricky situation. Yes, the proposed fast-track asylum appeals process is…

Criminals face being banned from pubs, sports grounds and concerts under new government plans to give judges powers to pass tougher community sentences. The new measures, which would apply to people in England and Wales, “should remind all offenders that, under this government, crime does not pay”, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. Offenders’ freedom could…

Criminals serving a community sentence face being banned from pubs, concerts and sports grounds under new government plans to give judges powers to pass tougher community sentences. The new measures, which would apply to people in England and Wales, “should remind all offenders that, under this government, crime does not pay,” Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood…

A weekend of protests and counter-protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers began last night, with dozens expected today. Saturday is set to see more demonstrations across major towns and cities in England, organised under the Abolish Asylum System slogan, with at least 33 planned over the bank holiday weekend. The protests are expected in Bristol,…