Author: James Carter

Pakistan is facing the prospect of a UK visa ban after government figures revealed that only a fraction of failed Pakistani asylum seekers were successfully returned to the country last year, with the Home Secretary now issuing a direct warning to Islamabad to cooperate or face consequences. Of the 10,638 asylum claims lodged by Pakistani nationals in the UK last year — more than from any other single country, and double the figure recorded in 2023 — just 4.1 per cent were returned, according to Home Office data. The total number of Pakistani asylum seekers now accounts for one in…

Senior Russian official Dmitry Medvedev has issued one of Moscow’s starkest warnings yet over the escalating Middle East conflict, cautioning that a third world war could erupt at any moment and that any nuclear exchange it produced would dwarf the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945. Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, made the remarks in an interview with state news agency TASS, in which he also accused US President Donald Trump of making a “gross mistake” by authorising strikes on Iran. “By his decision, he put all…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing scrutiny over her repeated association with a Leeds community figure who has been accused of sharing conspiracy theory videos about the September 11 attacks and appearing alongside individuals with alleged extremist links. Arshad Khatana, vice-chairman of Leeds Council of Mosques and a member of the Jamia Masjid Ghousia in Armley, is said to have been photographed with Reeves on at least two dozen occasions, including at his Yorkshire home, according to Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick. The controversy centres on a number of posts and associations linked to Khatana. In 2019, he shared a…

Britain’s asylum system is set to undergo one of its most significant structural changes in decades, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirming that refugee protection will no longer be granted on a permanent basis for those who claim asylum from today. Under the new framework, adults and accompanied children granted asylum will receive an initial 30-month period of protection, after which their circumstances will be formally reviewed. Those who continue to face genuine danger in their country of origin will have their protection renewed. However, refugees whose home nations are subsequently deemed safe will be expected to return. Mahmood framed…

British financial markets opened sharply lower on Monday morning as the outbreak of war in Iran sent shockwaves through global trading, driving down the pound, airline stocks and banking shares while pushing oil prices and defence stocks significantly higher. The FTSE 100 fell 0.9 per cent to 10,810.50 within minutes of the 8am open, pulling back from Friday’s record close of 10,910.55. By 8.14am, sterling had also weakened, dropping 0.94 per cent against the US dollar to trade at 1.3354. The sell-off follows Saturday’s outbreak of hostilities after Israeli and US forces carried out strikes on Iran under what has…

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been shown a photograph of a body claimed to be Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Israeli officials stating he was killed in Saturday’s airstrikes on his compound. Public broadcaster Kan reported: “Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei’s elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound.” Channel 12 stated: “A photo of the body was shown to Netanyahu and Trump.” There has been no confirmation of Khamenei’s death from Tehran. Iranian authorities have not responded to the Israeli claims or released any statement regarding the Supreme Leader’s status. Netanyahu…

Sir Keir Starmer has joined French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes “in the strongest terms” whilst urging against further escalation after Britain played no role in US-Israeli attacks on Tehran. The three leaders issued a joint statement declaring: “Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.” The statement followed a Downing Street emergency Cobra meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, with the UN Security Council also scheduled to meet later today. The…

Keir Starmer has insisted he will “fight on” following Labour’s catastrophic defeat to the Greens in Gorton & Denton, as Angela Rayner demanded the party become “braver” in a call for change that stopped short of urging him to quit immediately. The Prime Minister played down the loss as a “disappointing” setback for a government in “mid-term” when asked on a London visit if he had contemplated resigning. He stated: “I will keep on fighting for those people for as long as I’ve got breath in my body. I will also fight against the extremes in politics on the Right…

A Bangladeshi court has issued an Interpol Red Notice for Labour MP Tulip Siddiq after sentencing the former anti-corruption minister to four years in prison for corruption charges. Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Mohammed Sabbir Faiz issued the order today following a petition by Bangladesh’s corruption watchdog. The commission’s Assistant Director A.K.M. Mortuza Ali Sagar sought the red notice order through Interpol to facilitate Siddiq’s arrest. The MP for Hampstead and Highgate, who lives in the UK and continues to represent her north London seat in Parliament, stated: “This whole process has been flawed and farcical from the beginning to…

Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed he passed information to Scotland Yard that led to Lord Mandelson’s dramatic arrest at his £7.6 million Regent’s Park home on Monday afternoon, despite the Labour grandee dismissing the flight risk claim as “complete fiction.” The Commons Speaker told MPs this morning he received “relevant” information and alerted police “in good faith” that Lord Mandelson might flee to the British Virgin Islands, adding: “It would not be appropriate to make any further comment.” Lord Mandelson’s passport was confiscated by police according to BBC reports, with detectives imposing bail conditions including a ban on travelling out of…