The government hopes it can start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda in a matter of “weeks”, according to Boris Johnson’s policy chief. The UK government is attempting to crack down on Channel crossings by small boats and as part of the plans, the Home Office has signed a “world first” deal with Rwanda to send
UK
Prince Harry and Meghan have flown to the UK to visit the Queen on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had not been in the UK together since they quit as senior working royals more than two years ago, are also believed to have met
The Royal Navy will take over responsibility for tackling people crossing the English Channel from today, Boris Johnson has said as he announced plans plans to fly some migrants to Rwanda. Speaking at an airport in Kent, the prime minister said: “We must ensure that the only route to asylum in the UK is asafe
The government plans to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing in an attempt to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel. Boris Johnson is set to argue action is needed to combat the “vile people smugglers” turning the ocean into a “watery graveyard” in a speech on Thursday. After the prime minister’s speech, Home
The terrorist who murdered veteran MP Sir David Amess is to die behind bars after he was sentenced to a whole-life prison term. Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday after he was convicted of murder and preparing terrorist acts. Sir David was stabbed more than 20 times during
Boris Johnson has apologised after being fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules but said he would not resign. The prime minister said: “I have paid the fine and I once again offer a full apology.” Asked if he would quit over the fine, Mr Johnson said: “I want to be able to
Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, and chancellor Rishi Sunak, have been notified that they will be issued with fines for breaking lockdown rules. The fixed penalty notices are the result of a Metropolitan Police investigation into parties in Downing Street and Whitehall in 2020 and 2021. Labour immediately called for both to the PM
Tory MP Crispin Blunt has been criticised for questioning the conviction of his colleague, Imran Ahmad Khan. Khan, MP for Wakefield, was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, and was thrown out of the Tory party following the verdict. But Mr Blunt described the conviction as a “dreadful miscarriage
A “bloodthirsty” and “fanatical” terrorist has been found guilty of the murder of MP Sir David Amess. The veteran Conservative politician was stabbed to death during a constituency surgery meeting in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October last year. Sir David, who was the MP for Southend West, suffered more than 20 stab wounds in a “vicious
The chancellor has written to the prime minister asking him to refer him to the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests to determine whether all his interests were “properly declared”. In a tweet, Rishi Sunak said he had “always followed the rules” and that he hoped the review would “provide further clarity”. In the letter Mr
Rishi Sunak and his wife have recognised her tax “situation” was “not favourable”, says a government minister – as the chancellor launched an inquiry into the leaking of details about her non-dom status. After the disclosure that Akshata Murty was “non-domiciled” in Britain for tax purposes sparked a political storm, policing minister Kit Malthouse told
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has travelled to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a “show of solidarity”. “Right now a visit of Boris Johnson in Kyiv started from one-on-one meeting with President Zelenskiy,” Andriy Sybiha,deputy head of Ukraine’s president office, said on Facebook. A Downing Street spokesperson said the PM was making the
A British man and French woman who disappeared while diving off the coast of Malaysia have been found after drifting at sea for more than two days. Fishermen spotted Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, and Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, at around 1am on Friday – a considerable distance south from where they had disappeared. “Both individuals
People who contract the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are likely to experience less severe symptoms than those with Delta, a new study has found. The research concluded that those with Omicron were less likely to be admitted to hospital and lose their sense of smell than people with Delta. Symptoms do not tend to last
The sister of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa says she will spend the rest of her life wondering how “vile animal” Koci Selamaj could carry out such a “horrific attack” on her. “How could he do that? How could he hurt my sister?”, Jebina Yasmin Islam said. “I think that will stay with me
An “evil” garage worker who attacked primary school teacher Sabina Nessa as she walked through a London park has been jailed for life. Koci Selamaj, 36, was told by a judge he will serve at least 36 years for the “savage” sexually motivated attack. His sentencing heard how Ms Nessa appeared “oblivious” as he ran
Parents in the UK are being warned to check their children for signs of hepatitis after more than 70 youngsters aged under 10 were diagnosed with the illness. Jaundice, dark urine, itchy skin, muscle and joint pain, loss of appetite and a high temperature are among the symptoms of the inflammatory liver condition. Around 60
A security guard at the British embassy in Berlin suspected of spying for Russia has been extradited from Germany and will appear in a UK court on Thursday, police have said. David Smith, 57, was arrested by German police on 10 August last year and is accused of collecting information from the British embassy in
Millions of workers will begin paying higher National Insurance contributions from today as part of a plan to raise billions for the NHS and social care. The 1.25 percentage point increase, first announced last autumn, is being introduced despite pressure for it to be put off given wider cost of living pressures – with energy,
A musician has pleaded guilty to the murder of teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod. The student, 18, went missing on the evening of 20 November and was last seen at a bus stop in Plymouth. She was due to travel to the city centre to meet friends but never arrived. Three days later, her body was discovered