UK Politics

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Even the boss of Britain's wind farm trade body tells Miliband he should allow more North Sea oil and gas production​

The wind fam trade body has urged Ed Miliband to allow more North Sea drilling to boost homegrown energy.

Tara Singh, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said the crisis in the Middle East demonstrated how vulnerable Britain was to energy price shocks.

She said that the UK would be 'stronger, safer and less exposed if it produces more home-grow energy of every kind'.

Britain would still need fossil fuels 'for the foreseeable future,' she added, so it was 'entirely sensible' to dig for oil and gas in the North Sea.

Her intervention will infuriate the Energy Secretary Mr Miliband who has so far resisted pressure to expand licences for North Sea drilling.

He reiterated his dedication to green power over the weekend as said the 'one lesson' from the Iran crisis was the need to go 'further and faster' on 'homegrown clean power'.

Since last July, Labour has largely banned licences for new drilling and expanded a 78pc windfall tax on producers.

Opponents of Mr Miliband's approach include Labour's union backer, Unite and the GMB Union, as well as Sir Tony Blair's think tank.

Even boss of wind farm body tells Miliband to drill the North Sea

Tara Singh, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said the crisis in the Middle East demonstrated how vulnerable Britain was to energy price shocks.

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Romanians 'claiming record number of student loans in a suspected fraud', probe suggests​

Romanians are allegedly claiming a record number of student loans in what is a suspected widespread fraud.

They reportedly claim more than four times as many £13,000 loans as any other nationality and come in second to the 1.1million Brits who have taken on student debt to go to university.

The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson reportedly acknowledged the figures were 'disproportionate', having previously vowed that there would be a crack down on the franchised colleges where most of these cases are said to be enrolled.

There are said to be 78,325 Romanians claiming loans in 2023/24, a figure which has tripled in five years from 25,046 in 2019/20.

Romanians are entitled to loans in the UK if they have lived in the country for a minimum of three years or if they have EU settled status.

But The Telegraph reports that there is evidence of multi-million pound fraud in relation to certain courses at colleges which are 'over-represented' by Romanians and could be linked to organised crime.

The National Audit Office (NAO) had previously highlighted that there was suspected fraud at franchised colleges, where lower grades are typically required to enter and is usually privately run but will offer courses for established universities.

The spending watchdog wrote in their 2024 report: 'Over the past five years trend data show that, at franchised providers, detected fraud cases have increased faster than the proportion of SLC-funded students.'

Romanians 'claim record number of student loans in a suspected fraud'

Romanians reportedly claim more than four times as many £13,000 loans as any other nationality and come in second to the 1.1million Brits who have taken on student debt to go to university.

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Criminal migrant is allowed to stay in Britain after fighting deportation by arguing his son disliked foreign chicken nuggets​

A migrant who fought deportation by arguing his son disliked foreign chicken nuggets has won the right to stay in Britain.

The case of convict Klevis Disha, 39 – who entered Britain illegally under a false name and lied in a failed asylum claim – sparked outrage when it emerged a year ago.

Critics cited it as a stark example of abuse of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Home Office talked tough, pressing to have him expelled – which should have been a formality as he was jailed for two years in 2017.

But despite the outcry he has won his appeal against removal.

His barrister Richard McKee successfully argued it would be 'unduly harsh' for his son, 11, to have to join his father in Albania, or be left in Britain without him.

Disha was 15 in 2001 when he 'entered the UK illegally as an unaccompanied minor', judges were told.

Two days later he made an asylum claim on the basis of political persecution. He stated, falsely, that he had been born in the former Yugoslavia in 1986. It also appears he gave a false name.

Disha's asylum claim was refused nine months later with 'the Home Secretary not being satisfied he had a well-founded fear of persecution'.

Criminal allowed to stay in UK by arguing son disliked foreign nuggets

The case of convict Klevis Disha, 39 - who entered Britain illegally under a false name, and lied in a failed asylum claim - sparked outrage when it emerged a year ago.

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QUENTIN LETTS: Believing that our priggish PM is not a bluffing liar is getting harder​

Prime Minister's Questions has become farcical. Owing to Sir Keir Starmer's non-answers it is now as pointless as the human coccyx, the pelvic bone on a whale, or a drying-out clinic in Mecca. PMQs has become a vestigial curio, a relict of primitive days when voters expected PMs to answer questions.

Sir Keir has abandoned those sweet assumptions. For the second week running – last week on petrol tax, now on the Mandelson scandal – his evasions were absurdly obvious. He just took the mickey. There was barely even a pretence of transparency.

Asked A or B, he replied about Z. Opponents put their questions. Sir Keir danced back to the despatch box and as good as burst into The Goons' Yin Tong Song. Anything other than having to address the sticky details of l'affaire Mandelson.

Everyone knew he was squirming. It was manifest he was snagged on dishonesty's barb. Soon the House was laughing at him. Even Labour backbenchers were unable to keep a straight face. I saw new boy Jacob Collier from Burton and Uttoxeter wreathed in disbelief. Ditto York's Rachael Maskell. A Leftie up in the gallery next to me gurgled in mockery.

Kemi Badenoch had gone straight for the PM's throat. Last week Sir Keir had tried to 'avoid scrutiny' by releasing Mandelson documents moments immediately after PMQs. She was not going to let him get away with that. Did he speak personally to Peter Mandelson about Jeffrey Epstein?

Sir Keir muttered something about 'process' and made a hurried apology for the Mandelson appointment. He then started shouting at Mrs Badenoch about the Iran war.

Mrs Badenoch repeated her question: 'Did he speak to Peter Mandelson?' Sir Keir said that Lord Mandelson 'was asked questions'. Blinking angrily, he added: 'But what about her judgement? She wanted to rush into a war!' That went on some time.

QUENTIN LETTS: It's harder to believe our PM is not a bluffing liar

Owing to Sir Keir Starmer's non-answers, Prime Minister's Questions is now as pointless as the human coccyx, the pelvic bone on a whale, or a drying-out clinic in Mecca. It has become farcical.

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Nigerian migrant who raped 19-year-old girl was not deported after previous sexually-motivated attack 'to protect his right to family life'​

A probation report from October 2023 assessed him as a low risk for reoffending, noting his positive engagement with support services.

In September last year, Oladele dragged a 19-year-old woman into the woods as she walked home from a night out in Wrexham, before violently raping her.

After the terrifying ordeal he told her, 'this will teach you a lesson not to trust strangers'.

He was convicted last Friday and told he faces a lengthy prison term.

The Home Office said this was an 'absolutely horrific case' and that the defendant had successfully appealed a deportation order after the first offence to remove him from the country.

Oladele argued he had never visited Nigeria and would be a 'complete outsider' there.

His partner also testified she would not relocate with him if he were deported.

Tribunal Judge James A Simpson acknowledged the 'strong public interest' in deporting foreign criminals who commit serious offences.

But he concluded the case was 'finely balanced,' ultimately ruling that Oladele's rehabilitation and lack of ties to Nigeria were sufficiently compelling to outweigh the deportation order.

Migrant who raped girl was not deported after previous sexual attack

Nigerian national Gift Oladele, 24, was found guilty last week of raping a 19-year-old woman in woodland, near Wrexham last September.

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LAWLESS LONDON

Moment foul-mouthed youths spark terrifying brawl on Elizabeth line train after middle-aged passenger asks them to stop vaping​

Youths spark brawl on tube after passenger asks them to stop vaping

Video footage showed commuters trapped on the Elizabeth line carriage travelling through a tunnel before the brawl spilled out onto the platform at Stratford in East London.

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Nigel Farage blasts council that offered staff counselling over his visit to their city: 'These are pathetic, weak people who don't understand democracy. They should all be sacked'​

Council workers in Leeds have been offered counselling in a ‘safe space’ to deal with the stress of a visit by the Reform UK leader.

And tonight Nigel Farage, who is visiting the city next week as part of a local election campaign, called for those involved to be sacked, branding them ‘pathetic, weak people’.

Staff working at Labour-led Leeds City Council have been offered the ‘safe space’ in which to talk if they feel upset about Mr Farage’s visit.

John Ebo, the council’s head of human resources, said: ‘No doubt you will have picked up in the news that Nigel Farage and Reform are holding an event/rally.

‘I am mindful such events impact on colleagues, and would ask that we enable safe space conversations for colleagues such as the Wellbeing network chats.’

The email was forwarded to the council’s Race Equality Staff Network, with an extra warning: ‘Be vigilant if you are in the city centre that day.’

Mr Farage, has vowed to tackle ‘institutional Left-wing bias’ among the ‘blob’ of the civil service, local authorities and schools.

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘These are pathetic, weak people who don’t understand democracy. They should all be sacked.’

Nigel Farage blasts council that offered staff counselling

Nigel Farage ,who is visiting the city next week as part of a local election campaign, called for those involved to be sacked, branding them 'pathetic, weak people'.

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UK has no defences to stop Iranian missiles and would be forced to rely on US and Europe to stop them as it's revealed they can now hit London​

Britain would be forced to rely on American missile defence systems stationed in Europe if Iran launched a rocket attack on the UK similar to the one attempted on Diego Garcia this weekend.

The warning came after Tehran fired two ballistic missiles on Friday night towards the base in the Indian Ocean, which is jointly operated by the US and the UK.

The island lies 2,360 miles from Iran, well beyond the 1,240 miles which was thought to be the outer limit of the regime’s reach.

It potentially puts Paris, 2,609 miles away, and even London – 2,750 miles – within Iran’s range if, as some strategists fear, the country uses its Simorgh space launch technology to extend its missile range. RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus is just 1,000 miles from Tehran.

Steve Prest, a retired Royal Navy commodore, said: ‘Ballistic missiles are space rockets. They launch, they go really high up and they come down really fast. If you’ve got a space programme, you’ve got a ballistic missile programme.’

In a ballistic attack, defence experts say Britain would be forced to rely on American SM-3 defence systems stationed across Eastern Europe, or the Patriot missiles used by the Germans, to intercept rockets.

The attempted strike on Diego Garcia came as Sir Keir Starmer extended permission for the US to use British bases to launch attacks on the Strait of Hormuz to protect shipping from Iranian assaults.

Neither of the missiles fired at Diego Garcia hit their target, with one believed to have been shot down by a US warship’s SM-3 interceptor and the other failing in flight.

UK has no defences against Iran missiles that can hit London

The warning came after Tehran fired two ballistic missiles on Friday night towards the base in the Indian Ocean, which is jointly operated by the US and the UK.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

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Thought policing is so much easier and less intimidating​

Gang of 'feral' youths ramp up reign of terror on quaint market town: Balaclava-clad thugs threaten utility workers in latest violent disorder​

Balaclava-clad thugs threaten workers with knives in quiet market town

Ashton-in-Makerfield has been thrown into turmoil as it continues to be blighted by gangs of 'feral' youths terrorising residents and turning the high street into a 'no-go zone'.

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Race tsar hits out at woke ideology that led to workers refusing to section Nottingham triple killer because he was black​

The Government's former race tsar has hit out at the woke ideology that led to mental health workers deciding not to section a killer paranoid schizophrenic - because he was black.

Lord Sewell, who led a landmark race report in 2021, said 'diversity, equity and inclusion' (DEI) drives were warping decision-making by some professionals.

And he also hit out at a culture of 'white guilt' which had made people 'too frightened' to 'state things that are obvious', and stopped organisations adopting his report's recommendations.

He was speaking as an inquiry continues into Valdo Calocane, who fatally stabbed 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, as well as Ian Coates, 65, in Nottingham in 2023.

Last month, it emerged mental health workers had decided not to section Calocane following a violent incident in 2020.

It is thought they feared it might be racist, after consulting research that said there was an 'over-representation of young black males in detention'.

Despite this, he was detained on four other occasions before he eventually went on his killing spree.

Lord Sewell referred to the case during an event at the Centre for Social Justice on Tuesday night to mark the fifth anniversary of his report, which examined whether Britain was institutionally racist.

Race tsar hits out at woke ideology exposed in Calocane case

Lord Sewell, who led a landmark race report in 2021, said 'diversity, equity and inclusion' (DEI) drives were warping decision-making by some professionals.

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Afghan asylum seeker jailed for raping girl, 12​

An asylum seeker who

1. abducted and
2. raped a 12-year-old girl

has been given (only) a 16-year sentence.

Afghan asylum seeker jailed for raping girl, 12, in Nuneaton

The sex attack carried out by Ahmad Mulakhil in Nuneaton in July last year led to protests.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

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NIGEL FARAGE: How Britain's democracy is rotting from within​

For years, Great Britain has prided itself on the legitimacy and fairness of our elections. Our political masters love to bleat that we boast the gold standard of electoral systems, unlike so many other countries.

But take a long hard look under the bonnet of our clapped-out democracy and pretty soon you will discover such lofty sentiments are in fact utter nonsense.

Far from a beacon of decency and integrity, the system is instead rife with corruption, intimidation, bribery and abuse on a quite epic scale.

For some time now I have argued there is something fundamentally wrong about the way British elections are conducted.

Ever since 2015, in fact, it became clear to me that electoral fraud was commonplace in many of our cities, especially prevalent among those with large Pakistani and Kashmiri communities. The Electoral Commission, which is supposed to be in charge of monitoring these things, paid little attention. The police even less.

Naturally, my political opponents accused me of sour grapes. Voters, meanwhile, remained largely indifferent.

That was until last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, where electoral cheating was so prevalent and so flagrant that evidence of wrong-doing in our system has now become utterly irrefutable.

The Green Party’s victory, beating Reform UK by 4,000 votes, exposed several gaping flaws in our procedures which unless urgently addressed threaten to turn our elections into a worldwide laughing stock and a national disgrace.

NIGEL FARAGE: How Britain's democracy is rotting from within

UK's electoral system was once envy of the world. But it's now in grave peril thanks to 'family voting', mass postal ballots and bizarre anachronism of allowing Commonwealth citizens to vote.

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Dramatic moment migrant mugger is arrested after quick-thinking victim took his photo​

This is the dramatic moment a migrant mugger is arrested after his quick-thinking victim took a photo and showed it to police.

Sudanese refugee Hamdan Khowjsly held Ashley D'Souza at knifepoint and stole a gold chain worth £700 in London's Oxford Street.

But Mr D'Souza managed to take a photo of Khowjsly, 21, and he was caught walking along the street with his accomplice Mohammed Adam, 22, just minutes after the robbery.

In the clip two police officers are seen jumping out of a van and chase after Adam, while Khowjsly tries to discreetly walk away. But he is pushed up against a railing and arrested.

Both men needed Sudanese interpreters as they appeared at Southwark Crown Court and were convicted of robbery and carrying a blade in a public place.

Prosecutor Sarah Memmi said the men robbed Mr D'Souza at around 2.30am on July 26 and said: 'He felt someone violently grab the collar of his t-shirt.

'He felt terrified, and felt if he fought back he would be attacked. As his attackers ran away, Mr D'Souza followed them, taking pictures on his phone.

'Officers noticed [the defendants] a few minutes later, wearing balaclavas dark clothing and carrying carrier bags. They approached the two men as there had been reports of several robberies in the area.'

Moment migrant mugger arrested after quick-thinking victim took photo

This is the dramatic moment a migrant mugger is arrested after his quick-thinking victim took a photo and showed it to police.

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ANARCHY IN - ANARCHY OUT

Met blame parents for Clapham mob chaos as six teen girls are arrested over Easter 'linkups'​

More than 300 teenagers gathered on the Clapham Common baseball courts before swarming the High Street to steal from shops, attack police and fight amongst themselves - as terrified families barricaded themselves inside supermarkets.

Six teenage girls, including two aged 13, have been arrested for offences including theft and assaulting an emergency worker.

The Met said four police officers and one member of the public had been assaulted, as they promised a 'zero tolerance' over the Bank Holiday weekend, including the use of dispersal orders.

Met blame parents for Clapham mob chaos as six teen girls arrested

Hundreds of teenagers descended on the plush district of south-west London last night as part of an Easter holiday 'linkup' promoted on social media.

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Starmer uses Trump's abuse to signal he'll move UK closer to EU as President hurls fresh insults and tells Britain: 'you don't even have a navy'​

Sir Keir Starmer signalled a fresh push to unwind Brexit today as Donald Trump ramped up his abuse of Britain.

The President said the UK 'doesn't even have a navy' as he accused Sir Keir of only caring about building 'windmills'.

He also dismissed Nato as a 'paper tiger' and said America leaving the military alliance was now 'beyond reconsideration'.

But at a Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister swiped that Iran is 'not our war' and insisted he was giving 'calm leadership' despite 'pressure' from the White House.

He also declared that he is mounting a new drive to cosy up to the EU with 'closer economic cooperation and closer security cooperation', revealing a summit would be held soon on a 'more ambitious' relationship as Transatlantic ties fray.

Sir Keir refused explicitly to repeat Labour's pledge not to rejoin the bloc's customs unions, although he did say the manifesto stands.

The PM - himself a strident Remainer who previously campaigned for a second referendum - has been under massive pressure from his own side to restore links with Brussels. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for rejoining the EU to be in the manifesto for the next general election.

The Tories accused Sir Keir of trying to 'blame Brexit' instead of 'fixing the mess he's created'.

Sir Keir was updating the country on the Government's response following the latest brutal barbs from Mr Trump.

He also highlighted that the energy cap is keeping domestic bills down for the next three months - while refusing to make any commitments to further support.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle toured broadcast studios earlier, insisting there is no sign of fuel shortages despite alarming rises in pump prices.

However, there are calls within the Government to do more to prepare the public for the pain to come.

Fears are mounting of shortages as Iran maintains a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and the US president swings wildly between saying the war will end soon and threatening escalation.

Around a fifth of the world's oil supplies usually run through the channel, meaning there are huge knock-on effects for products such as fertiliser and aluminium.

2 + 6 + 7 + 5 = 0 + 1 + 3 + 1

On another tense day for the world:

• Rachel Reeves has reiterated that only poorer households would get any energy bailout, and played down the prospect of fuel duty cuts;
• The Chancellor has said she is 'angry' about 'what Trump's done in the Middle East', saying it is causing 'hardship' for Brits and the UK did not want 'any part of it';
• Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is hosting an international summit tomorrow aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, although Sir Keir stressed there is no prospect of UK patrols while the war is on;
• The food industry has cautioned that inflation could head towards double digits by the end of the year;
• The boss of Ryanair has warned of jet fuel disruption from next month unless the war ends soon;
• The PM has been accused of 'misusing the King' by allowing his US State Visit to go ahead;
• Around 1.3million more UK households are facing a jump in their mortgage costs following the economic 'shock', according to the Bank of England.

Starmer uses Trump's abuse to signal he'll move UK closer to EU

Donald Trump said the UK 'doesn't even have a navy' as he accused Keir Starmer of only caring about building 'windmills'.

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Energy Prices Down, Standing Charges Up | What's Really Happening?​

 

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2 years ago 👇 as of 1 April 2026

 

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Teen, 19, bravely waives her anonymity to reveal horrific sexual assault by Iranian migrant who arrived in Britain on small boat​

Teen waives her anonymity to reveal horrific sexual assault by migrant

Oliwia Zawislak, 19, had left a night out early as she was working the next day when Iranian migrant, Abdolrahman Banafsha, approached her on August 31 last year

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Migrants Twisted Rape Claim: Rape Is Sex
A failed asylum seeker accused of taking part in the gang rape of an unconscious drunk woman told a jury 'rape is sex' as he was quizzed on his understanding of consent.

Asylum seeker accused of gang-raping woman claims 'rape is sex'

Egyptian Karin Al-Danasurt (pictured) said he filmed his two friends raping the woman, who cannot be named, on Brighton beach after his asylum application was rejected.

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