Author: Miles Donavan

Starmer has been criticised for imitating Nigel Farage and Enoch Powell in his immigration speech today Labour’s white paper, ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ was published today. Keir Starmer gave a speech in Downing Street this morning, which has come in for heavy criticism from backbench MPs, charities and unions.  First, here’s a summary of the changes included in the speech:  The government is planning to double the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five years to 10 years. Exceptions could be made for  “high-contributing” professionals such as doctors and nurses, who could be allowed to…

There have been reports of overcrowding, bed bug infestations and a lack of privacy in Clearsprings accommodation. Graham King, whose firm Clearsprings Ready Homes holds £1bn in Home Office contracts to house asylum seekers, has now become a billionaire. King, who has previously donated money to the Conservative Party, has received complaints from residents in Clearsprings accommodation over overcrowding, bedbugs, substandard food, and a lack of privacy. Last year, the companies’ profits rose to £91 million, from £62 million the year before. The Times noted that King made his debut on the Rich List only last year when he appeared…

The Economist has called Farage’s economic plans “a disaster” Over the weekend, Nigel Farage used a double-page spread in the Daily Mail to set out his “manifesto” for Reform UK, which has been described as “every bit as unhinged and unserious as you’d expect”. The proposals include raising the income tax threshold to £20,000 and abolishing inheritance tax on estates under £2 million. Other policies included abandoning net zero in favour of “drill baby drill”, and creating a minister for deportations. An X user remarked: “Nigel Farage has released Reform UK’s ‘manifesto’ via the Daily Mail, and it’s every bit…

Andrew Bailey has called for the UK to “rebuild” its trading relationship with the European Union. Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England governor, has called for the UK to “rebuild” its trading relationship with the European Union, urging that everything possible be done to strengthen long-term trade ties. His comments follow this week’s UK-US trade deal, which Bailey hopes will be the first of many steps toward easing global trade tensions. In an interview with the BBC, Bailey described reversing the decline in UK-EU trade since Brexit as “beneficial,” noting the importance of a closer relationship with the bloc. “It…

Trump’s proposal, would potentially make Rwanda the first African nation to accept third-country deportees from the US. Donald Trump is reportedly exploring plans to deport migrants from the US to Rwanda, the New York Times (NYT) has reported. The proposal appears to borrow directly from Britain’s highly controversial Rwanda asylum scheme, one that the NYT notes has drawn intense domestic and international criticism. Images of former UK home secretary Suella Braverman grinning during a tour of Rwandan detention facilities continue to haunt many observers. Braverman infamously described the prospect of deportation flights to Rwanda as her “dream” and “obsession.” In…

Worryingly, it’s often the mad-as-a-hatter crowd who go the distance in politics, just look at Donald Trump. No, this isn’t a headline from Texas or Alabama, it’s straight out of the Telegraph. In what feels like a direct knockoff from Trump’s culture war playbook, Reform has announced that councils under its control will now be banned from flying anything other than the Union Jack or St George’s Cross. Party chairman Zia Yusuf declared that ‘no other flags’ would be permitted on flagpoles, balconies, reception desks, or council chamber walls. That includes flags traditionally flown on commemorative days, like the Pride flag,…

You might expect that with an India trade deal having been seen as one of the crown jewels of post-EU independence, the pro-Brexit media would be celebrating its arrival after more than three years of negotiations across successive governments. Rather than celebrating what looks to be a landmark UK-India trade agreement, the right-wing press have instead used the moment to ramp up anti-immigrant sentiment and, naturally, attack Labour. Headlines across the conservative media on May 7 homed in on a specific clause in the agreement, framing it as a betrayal of British workers — a tax exemption when Indian workers…

“Faragemania simply cannot last – these European elections will be the crest of his power,” declared author and broadcaster Steve Richards in 2014. He was wrong, of course. ‘Faragemania’ hasn’t just lasted, it’s mutated, rebranded, and returned with a vengeance. Like a recurring rash, Farage keeps coming back, louder and more emboldened each time. Now, after seven failed attempts, he’s finally in Parliament and his party just dominated the local elections, winning the most votes, the most seats, and overall control of most councils. A man once dismissed as fringe now dominates the political conversation and poses a real threat…

“It’s a damning reminder of the deep inequalities women in the North continue to face in health, in work, and in opportunity.” Women living in the North of England are missing out on a staggering £158 million in wages every week compared to their counterparts in other regions. They are also more likely to be out of work due to disability or long-term illness, according to alarming new research by Health Equity North. The findings confirm that regional inequality remains entrenched, and in many cases, is getting worse. Northern women work longer hours for lower pay, are more likely to…

We need a National Care, Support and Independent Living Service Social care and support is in crisis – that is agreed across the political spectrum. The Casey Commission is Labour’s response. Its timescale may be too long, but we still need to ensure that it takes a holistic and radical approach. This is the transformation in social care we need, based on the programme drawn up by the End Social Care Disgrace campaign. The country needs a National Care, Support, Independent Living Service (NaCSILS) which is funded through Government investment and progressive taxation and free at the point of use.…