News- UK

UK asylum detention: top civil servant says 'all options on the table' Matthew Rycroft tells MPs civil service is considering all ways to improve migration systemThe top civil servant at the Home Office has said “all options are on the table” for the migration system, in response to reports officials were asked to consider proposals to hold refugees in offshore detention centres, including remote islands in the south Atlantic.Matthew Rycroft, the department’s permanent secretary, said the Cabinet Office would lead an inquiry into the leak of documents that revealed officials were asked to consider “possible options for negotiating an offshore asylum processing facility similar to the Australian model in Papua New Guinea and Nauru”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: No 10 explores sending asylum seekers to Moldova, Morocco and Papua New Guinea Documents seen by Guardian suggest Foreign Office officials are pushing back at proposals for processing claims in detention facilities overseasAustralian-style offshore asylum plan is driven by No 10Downing Street has asked officials to consider the option of sending asylum seekers to Moldova, Morocco or Papua New Guinea and is the driving force behind proposals to hold refugees in offshore detention centres, according to documents seen by the Guardian.The documents suggest officials in the Foreign Office have been pushing back against Number 10’s proposals to process asylum applications in detention facilities overseas, which have also included the suggestion the centres could be constructed on th...

Biden tells white supremacist groups to 'cease and desist' after Trump's debate 'embarrassment' – live Biden calls Trump’s performance a ‘national embarrassment’Debate commission calls for ‘additional structure’ for futureAnalysis: first debate a humiliationAthletes dismayed by Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacySign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter 6.53pm BST Before the Commission on Presidential Debates released its statement on the structure of the debates, Joe Biden said the commission should find a way to allow candidates to provide full answers without interruption.“I just hope there’s a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the question without interruption,” Biden told reporters in Alliance, Ohio. 6.32pm BST The...

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson denies people are confused about local lockdown rules News updates: PM rejects Starmer remark about widespread confusion; Speaker criticises government’s handling of emergency powersRebel Tory MPs fail in bid to get more of a say on Covid restrictionsHalf of coronavirus fines go unpaid in England and WalesSouth Wales hospital cancels most operations after Covid outbreakAlmost half of UK office staff returned to desks before new adviceGlobal coronavirus updates - live 12.52pm BST Here are some extracts from Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s statement at the start of PMQs.The way in which the government has exercised its power to make secondary legislation during this crisis has been totally unsatisfactory.All too often important statutory instruments have been publis...

Britain offers EU fishing concession as part of Brexit sweetener Exclusive: Three-year transition period for European fishing fleets among proposals in negotiating paper Britain has offered a three-year transition period for European fishing fleets to allow them to prepare for the post-Brexit changes as part of an 11th-hour deal sweetener.The catches of EU fishermen would be “phased down” between 2021 and 2024 to offer time for European coastal communities to adapt to the changes. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump plunges debate into chaos as he repeatedly talks over Biden Trump refuses to denounce white supremacist violence as candidates throw insults and tempers flareThe first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden deteriorated into an ugly display of contempt on Tuesday night, as the president relentlessly interrupted and attacked his Democratic rival during clashes over the coronavirus pandemic, race, the economy and the future of the supreme court.Over the course of an extraordinarily combative and chaotic 90-minute performance, a fitting coda to what has been one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in recent memory, Trump interjected so frequently that Biden at one point lost his patience and snapped: “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential. Continue readi...

Wednesday briefing: 'Shut up man' – angry debacle as Biden and Trump clash Moderator loses control amid interruptions and president’s spurious claims … law-breaking Brexit bill clears House of Commons … singer Helen Reddy diesHello, Warren Murray with interesting scenes to bring you. Continue reading... Go to Source

Internal market bill passed by Commons despite Tory concerns Fears of a backbench rebellion prove short-lived as bill goes through to House of LordsA controversial government Brexit bill that breaches international law has safely passed its final House of Commons hurdle, despite continued serious doubts among a number of Conservative MPs about the plan.The internal market bill, which primarily sets out technical post-Brexit details involving the devolved nations, also gives ministers the power to unilaterally rewrite elements of the withdrawal agreement with the EU. It passed its third reading on Tuesday night by 340 votes to 256 and will now go to the House of Lords. Continue reading... Go to Source

Care home coronavirus outbreaks cast doubt on official PHE data Exclusive: Largest provider says 70 of its homes have had outbreaks, with 20 in the last fortnightCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s largest care home provider has had Covid outbreaks in 70 of its facilities, prompting questions about whether official figures on the virus’s return to social care may be too low.As care leaders issued fresh warnings about testing delays, HC-One said it had closed one in five of its 329 homes because of outbreaks and that 20 homes had seen new outbreaks in the last fortnight. Continue reading... Go to Source

Presidential debate: Trump and Biden ready for first TV showdown – live First of three presidential debates tonight in ClevelandDebate offers Trump chance to yank 2020 race his wayCoronavirus rates on the rise again in New YorkFaulty ballots sent to an unknown number of Brooklyn votersSign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter 12.53am BST We’re closing down this blog, but Joan E Greve and I will be covering the presidential debate tonight. Follow along here. 12.38am BST A federal appeals court upheld a ruling – contested by Republicans - that extends the deadline for counting absentee ballots in Wisconsin. The decision means that ballots postmarked by 3 November will be so long as they arrive before 9 November. The Republican National Committee and state Republican l...

Whitehall 'infantilised' by reliance on consultants, minister claims Exclusive: leaked letter from Lord Agnew to senior civil servants demands they rein in spending A £56m bill and rising …Whitehall has been “infantilised” by an “unacceptable” reliance on expensive management consultants, a government minister has claimed in a leaked letter.Lord Agnew, the cabinet and Treasury minister, wrote to senior civil servants two weeks ago demanding they rein in spiralling costs paid to private firms and stop “depriving our brightest [public servants] of opportunities to work on some of the most challenging, fulfilling and crunchy issues”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Debate offers Trump chance to yank stubbornly stable 2020 race his way Presidential candidates to face off for first time in Cleveland and for Biden no news would be good newsAfter months of anticipation, Donald Trump and election rival Joe Biden were scheduled to meet on a debate stage for the first time in Cleveland on Tuesday night, in what could be Trump’s last best chance to turn the presidential race his way and win re-election. Related: US presidential debate: all you need to know about the face-off in Cleveland Continue reading... Go to Source

Tory council leader condemns PM's 'unacceptable' Covid restrictions Exclusive: Boris Johnson faces broadside from Bolton on day he got north-east rules wrongCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has come under stinging attack from a Tory council leader over the “sheer unfairness” of regional coronavirus restrictions, as the prime minister faced ridicule for muddling new lockdown rules.David Greenhalgh, the council leader in Bolton, one of the UK’s worst-hit areas, said government handling of the measures was “breeding resentment” among “red wall” voters who switched to the Conservatives in December’s general election. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit: Brussels rebuffs new UK proposals on state subsidies Paper on guarantees for struggling companies still leaves major gap with EU positionBoris Johnson has been rebuffed by Brussels after making an eleventh hour attempt to break the Brexit logjam with new proposals on limiting state subsidies to ailing British companies.As the latest week of negotiations began, EU sources welcomed the UK’s effort to make a compromise with a submission of a new round of “negotiating papers”, but warned that a large gap remained between the two sides. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK imposes sanctions on Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko Asset freeze and travel ban come with censure of regime’s ‘thuggery’ against its peopleThe UK has imposed sanctions on the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, his son and six other senior government officials judged to be responsible for rigging the August presidential poll and suppressing subsequent street protests.The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, announced the sanctions on Tuesday in coordination with a similar move from Canada. “We will hold those responsible for the thuggery deployed against the Belarusian people to account and we will stand up for our values of democracy and human rights,” he said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Global coronavirus deaths pass 1m with no sign rate is slowing Johns Hopkins University data points to rises in countries that seemed to have slowed spreadCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of people who have died from Covid-19 has exceeded 1 million, according to a tally of cases maintained by Johns Hopkins University, with no sign the global death rate is slowing and infections on the rise again in countries that were thought to be controlling their outbreaks months ago.The milestone was reached early on Tuesday morning UK time, nine months since authorities in China first announced the detection of a cluster of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The first recorded death, that of a 61-year-old man in a hospit...

One million coronavirus deaths: how did we get here? Milestone is known toll of months of Covid pandemic that has changed everything, from power balances to everyday lifeThough an inevitable milestone for months, its arrival is still breathtaking.Deaths from Covid-19 exceeded 1 million people on Tuesday , according to a Johns Hopkins University database, the known toll of nine relentless months of a pandemic that has changed everything, from global balances of power to the mundane aspects of daily life. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tory rebellion over Covid laws set to be thwarted despite rising anger Commons Speaker not expected to allow vote on amendment that would give MPs say on future lawsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA Tory rebellion over coronavirus laws is set to be thwarted this week despite mounting anger over fines and rules brought in with minimal notice and a lack of parliamentary scrutiny.New measures for England came into force on Monday including a ban on mass singing in pubs, £1,000 fines for falsely reporting that someone must quarantine, and a £4,000 first-time fine for those deemed “reckless” for coming into contact with large numbers of people when they should be self-isolating, for example by going to an office. They were published on Sunday evening, hours before...

Lockdown tightened in north-east England as Covid-19 infections rise For first time since pandemic began it will be illegal for people from different households to mix in pubs and restaurantsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNearly 2 million people in north-east England face being fined up to £6,400 if they mix with other households indoors in a significant extension of the government’s lockdown powers.For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, it will be illegal for people in part of the UK to meet people they do not live with in pubs, bars or restaurants. Continue reading... Go to Source

Covid-19 tests that give results in minutes to be rolled out across world Global initiative will supply 120m rapid antigen tests to low- and middle-income countriesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTests for Covid-19 that show on-the-spot results in 15 to 30 minutes are about to be rolled out across the world, potentially saving many thousands of lives and slowing the pandemic in both poor and rich countries. In a triumph for a global initiative to get vital drugs and vaccines to fight the virus, 120m rapid antigen tests from two companies will be supplied to low- and middle-income countries for $5 (£3.90) each or even less. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump 2016 campaign 'targeted 3.5m black Americans to deter them from voting' Secret effort allegedly focused on 16 swing states, several narrowly won by Trump after the black Democrat vote collapsedDonald Trump’s 2016 US presidential election campaign has been accused of actively seeking to deter 3.5 million black Americans in battleground states from voting by deliberately targeting them with negative Hillary Clinton ads on Facebook.The secret effort concentrated on 16 swing states, several narrowly won by Trump after the black Democrat vote collapsed. Continue reading... Go to Source

'My gentle giant': Matiu Ratana's partner says policeman shot dead touched many lives Su Bushy paid tribute to Met Police sergeant who was ‘my partner, friend, confidant, and soul mate’. The partner of Matiu Ratana, the police officer who was killed at a south London station, has paid tribute to the man she described as a “gentle giant” who had touched many lives.“There aren’t really any words for how I am feeling right now about the loss of Matt; about losing someone I loved and was so close to in such a tragic manner,” said Su Bushy, who was with the Metropolitan Police sergeant for five years. Continue reading... Go to Source

Labour MP Claudia Webbe charged with harassment CPS says MP for Leicester East has been charged with offence of harassment against a femaleThe Labour MP Claudia Webbe has been suspended from the Labour party after being charged with harassment of a woman over a period of nearly two years.The MP for Leicester East insisted she was innocent after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said she was accused of carrying out the offence between September 2018 and April 26 this year. Continue reading... Go to Source

New York Times publishes Donald Trump's tax returns in election bombshell Paper details $750 federal income tax payments in 2016, 2017Information ‘does not reveal unreported Russia connections’Trump’s taxes: key findings from the New York Times reportDonald Trump, a self-proclaimed billionaire, paid only $750 in federal income taxes in the year he was elected US president, according to a stunning New York Times investigation that could shake up the presidential election. Related: Trump says overturning Roe v Wade 'possible' with Barrett on supreme court Continue reading... Go to Source

Too many children are being tested for Covid, says leading expert Schools should be ‘almost the last places to close’, lead author Prof Russell Viner says Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Too many children are being tested for coronavirus because of an understandable but misplaced concern about school outbreaks, a leading scientist has said, as a study shows they are about 40% less likely than adults to be infected.Prof Russell Viner of UCL and Great Ormond Street children’s hospital, the study’s lead author, is calling for schools to be kept fully open in light of the findings, because of the serious harm done to children by classroom closures. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tory councillors in revolt over plans to accelerate housebuilding In survey across Conservative heartlands six out of 10 believe reforms will make planning less democratic Sussex new town plans anger local ToriesA growing rebellion among Conservative councillors is threatening government plans to accelerate housebuilding in England with six out of 10 believing reforms will make planning less democratic.A survey across Tory heartlands has revealed party representatives are baulking at ministers’ plans to sharply increase housing targets in electoral strongholds like Hampshire and Surrey and are rejecting attempts to cut planning committees out of routine decision-making. Continue reading... Go to Source

Suspect in killing of Croydon police officer named Met chief pays tribute to Matiu Ratana as suspected culprit remains in hospital in critical conditionThe suspect in the fatal shooting of a custody sergeant at Croydon police station on Friday is 23-year-old Louis de Zoysa, sources have told the Guardian.He remains in hospital in a critical condition, and so cannot yet be questioned, the Metropolitan police said on Sunday, after the force’s chief commissioner, Cressida Dick, paid tribute to the fallen officer. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ancient sculpture put up for auction in UK to be returned to Iraq Archaelogists say Sumerian plaque dating from around 2400BC may have been lootedAn ancient sculpture is to be returned to Iraq after it was secretly smuggled out of the country and offered for sale in the UK – only to be seized by the Metropolitan police.The previously unknown Sumerian temple plaque, dating from about 2400BC, is being repatriated with the help of the British Museum, which first tipped off the police after spotting its planned sale in 2019. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump says overturning Roe v Wade 'certainly possible' with Amy Coney Barrett – live Senate minority whip says Democrats can only slow nomination by ‘days’Amy Coney Barrett: what will she mean for women’s rights?Biden hopes for repeat of 2012 as Trump debate nearsRecipe for chaos: election threatens to snap US societyRobert Reich: Trump Nation has already secededSign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter 6.41pm BST I’ve said this before and I’ll no doubt say it again, but if there is going to be a #ButHerEmails hashtag for this election, it should be #ButTheJudges. The Trump administration has not just appointed (probably) three supreme court justices – it has appointed around 200 federal judges, a hugely consequential achievement with the power to shape US society fo...

Regular UK lockdowns could help control Covid, says Sage expert Strategy of repeated ‘circuit breakers’ would reduce total number of cases, according to leading scientific adviserCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne of the government’s scientific advisers has said repeated “mini lockdowns” could be effective as a tool to bring Covid-19 cases under control.The suggestion from Professor John Edmunds, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), comes amid growing evidence the virus’s prevalence is growing among older, more vulnerable people. Continue reading... Go to Source