Author: James Carter

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez has drawn fierce criticism after admitting that international rescue teams were pulled away from ongoing earthquake recovery operations to attend a formal government ceremony — with survivors still trapped beneath collapsed buildings and the death toll rising past 1,400. Rodríguez herself confirmed the decision in a public statement, saying: “We wanted to pull them away from their vital tasks to say thank you.” The admission has sparked outrage in Venezuela and internationally, with critics describing the event as a cynical propaganda stunt that sacrificed precious time in the critical window for finding survivors alive. The…

Andy Burnham has announced plans to establish a prime minister’s office in Manchester if he becomes Prime Minister, describing it as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain” designed to redistribute power and resources across the entire country rather than simply the North. The Labour leadership frontrunner confirmed that a “No 10 North” would be based in Manchester but stressed its purpose would extend far beyond the region. “It will only be based here,” Burnham said, “but its job would be to make power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England and yes, into…

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is to create a new independent appeals authority to dramatically accelerate the processing of asylum cases, tackling a backlog of more than 150,000 people waiting for their claims to be heard in what amounts to the biggest shake-up of the immigration appeals system in a generation. The Independent Immigration Appeals Authority, due to be operational by late 2027, will replace the existing system with a single appeal route, cutting off the ability of those whose claims have been rejected to lodge successive further claims as a means of delaying removal. At present, the average time to…

Immigration Minister Mike Tapp has publicly apologised after posting and rapidly deleting a tweet in which he appeared to compare pressure from his boss, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, to his experiences fighting the Taliban. Tapp, a former soldier and MP for Dover and Deal, posted on X words to the effect of “I’ve seen off the Taliban and taken out terrorists. Country first, always,” in an apparent response to what he described as “attempted intimidation” from Mahmood. The post was deleted almost immediately, but not before it had been seen and shared widely online. In a subsequent apology posted on…

Nationwide has cut its mortgage rates for the third time in a month, offering some of the most competitive deals currently available in the market, as brokers warn borrowers to lock in rates now before geopolitical uncertainty and a change of Prime Minister unsettle financial markets. Britain’s biggest building society has reduced rates by up to 0.25 percentage points across deals for first-time buyers, home movers and those looking to remortgage, building on cuts of up to 0.28 per cent made early last week. The latest reductions leave Nationwide offering a market-leading two-year fixed rate of 4.19 per cent for…

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to sack her migration minister Mike Tapp after he breached the ministerial code by writing an unauthorised newspaper article pushing for migrant care workers to be given special exemptions from her immigration overhaul. Tapp, who serves as the MP for Dover and Deal, penned the piece for The Times without authorisation, arguing it was his “strong belief” that migrants should not face extended periods before being granted permanent settlement in Britain. The article directly contradicted the direction of Mahmood’s immigration reforms and publicly aired internal government policy discussions without permission. A Whitehall insider told…

Savers who keep cash inside stocks and shares ISAs will be hit with a 22 per cent tax charge on any interest earned, under sweeping reforms to the ISA system confirmed by the Treasury — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the savings industry. The plans, details of which were revealed in a document obtained by the Financial Times, form part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s broader overhaul of the ISA system, designed to push more money into investments and away from cash savings. At last year’s Budget, Reeves reduced the annual cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000…

Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party and estranged husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has been jailed for five years and three months after embezzling more than £400,000 of party funds over more than a decade. The 61-year-old pleaded guilty last month to the offence at the High Court in Edinburgh, where he was sentenced today. Murrell stole the funds between August 2010 and October 2022, using the money to purchase a range of personal items including a motorhome, a luxury fountain pen and video games. The case represents one of the most significant…

Andy Burnham is on course to become Britain’s next Prime Minister without a contest after Wes Streeting dramatically withdrew from the Labour leadership race and threw his full weight behind the former Greater Manchester mayor, hours after Sir Keir Starmer’s emotional resignation outside Downing Street. Streeting, the former Health Secretary, said he had “spoken at length with Andy in recent days” and was convinced he “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions and that he can win the fight of our lives against the force of nationalism.” Calling for a coronation…

Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, setting out a timetable for a leadership contest that will see a new Labour leader in place before Parliament returns in September. In a statement, Starmer said he had informed the King of his decision to resign and had asked Labour’s National Executive Committee to establish a timetable for a leadership election. Nominations will open on 9 July and close on 16 July, before the summer parliamentary recess, ensuring a new leader is in place when Parliament returns in the autumn. Before announcing his…