Author: Darren Smith

Failed asylum seeker families living in taxpayer-funded accommodation will be offered payments of up to £40,000 to leave the United Kingdom voluntarily, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced, with those who refuse facing forced removal. The scheme, unveiled by Mahmood in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank on Thursday, offers up to £10,000 per person, capped at four members per family. Families will have seven days to accept the offer before the government moves to remove them compulsorily. The Home Office estimates that if the trial — expected to target around 150 families — proves…

Lewis Hamilton has called for African nations to reclaim control of their land and natural resources from Western countries including Britain, France, Spain and Portugal, while also vowing to remain in Formula 1 until a grand prix is held on the African continent. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion said he had been “fighting in the background” for six or seven years to bring a race to Africa. “I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there,” he said. “I’m chasing them — when…

A 15-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being stabbed inside a Nottingham school on Thursday afternoon, with a second boy of the same age arrested at the scene shortly afterwards. Nottinghamshire Police were called to Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology on Dunkirk Road in the Dunkirk area of the city at 1.36pm. The injured pupil was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre, where his condition is described as serious. The second 15-year-old was detained at the school in connection with the incident. Police confirmed that both boys were known to each other prior…

A major oil refinery in Bahrain has been struck in an Iranian drone attack, triggering large fires and sending columns of smoke into the sky above the Gulf state, as Iran escalates its campaign against energy infrastructure across the region in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes that killed its Supreme Leader. Bahrain’s government confirmed that a facility in the Maameer area had been targeted, with the attack damaging a unit of BAPCO Energies’ refinery — a site with a maximum production capacity of 267,000 barrels of oil per day and storage capacity for up to 14 million barrels. Footage from…

The government has launched an independent review into how schools and colleges in England handle antisemitism, appointing former senior education official Sir David Bell to lead the inquiry as figures show school-related antisemitic incidents have reached double their pre-2023 levels. The Community Security Trust recorded 204 school-related antisemitic incidents in 2025 alone, while over a fifth of British Jewish parents report their children have experienced antisemitism at school, on their way to or from school, or in the immediate vicinity. A separate NASUWT survey found that 51 per cent of Jewish members had experienced antisemitism in the workplace in the…

Harry Maguire faces a significant threat to his England career after a Greek appeals court upheld his conviction for assault and bribery stemming from a 2020 incident on the island of Mykonos, ending a six-year legal effort to clear his name. The Manchester United defender, who was not present at the hearing, had his original 21-month suspended sentence reduced to 15 months and 20 days, accompanied by a €1,500 fine. While his legal team cannot lodge a further appeal against the conviction itself, they retain the option to challenge specific points of law before a higher court. The ruling carries…

The head of the Iranian unit responsible for plotting the assassination of President Donald Trump has been killed in US strikes, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced, describing the killing as a deliberate and targeted outcome of the ongoing military operation against Iran. Speaking at a press conference, Hegseth confirmed that American forces had tracked down and eliminated the individual leading the plot against the President. “The leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed,” he said. “Iran tried to kill President Trump. And President Trump got the last laugh.” Hegseth did…

The chief executive of the Police Federation of England and Wales has been arrested on suspicion of corruption following an investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing at the organisation, GB News sources have confirmed. Mukund Krishna, who is reported to earn upwards of £700,000 a year, was detained by officers from the City of London Police alongside two other senior figures within the federation. The arrests took place on Wednesday as part of a series of coordinated raids on premises across Wales, Somerset, London and Surrey, carried out simultaneously to arrest suspects and gather evidence. The Police Federation of England and…

Counter-terrorism police have arrested three men on suspicion of spying for China, with one of those detained understood to be the partner of a sitting Labour MP, according to the BBC. The arrests, which took place across London and Wales, were carried out under the National Security Act as part of a Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism investigation. The three men, aged 39, 43 and 68, are all currently being held in custody. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers conducted searches at the properties where each of the men was arrested, with additional searches also carried out at locations in London, East…

A pharmacy manager who lied about his age to groom an underage girl on Snapchat before sexually abusing her has been sentenced to an extended nine-year term at Bradford Crown Court, with seven years to be served in custody and a further two on licence. Shahzad Hussain, 27, of Browsholme Street, Keighley, was found guilty following a trial of six offences relating to sexual activity with a child, all committed in 2022. Recorder Richard Paige imposed the extended sentence on the grounds that Hussain posed a serious risk of harm to children. He must also register as a sex offender…