
Suspended Labour MP ‘can't promise' Starmer he won't rebel again
The MP for Alloa and Grangemouth was suspended alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchcliff and Rachael Maskell on Wednesday (16 July).
They led a backbench rebellion over planned welfare cuts.
Mr Leishman's office confirmed he had had the whip 'temporarily suspended'.
On whether he would rebel again, Mr Leishman told LBC on Wednesday evening: "I can't give [Sir Keir Starmer ] that promise… we don't know what's going on down the line."
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The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour
People smuggling arrests by the UK's organised crime agency have fallen under Labour, despite Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to "smash the gangs", as the number of small boat migrants arriving since he took charge soars past 50,000. The latest National Crime Agency (NCA) data shows 192 people were arrested for organised immigration crime in the year to April – down 16 per cent from 229 under the Tory government the previous year. Labour has faced growing criticism over its failure to cut the number of people making the perilous crossing, with education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith admitting the figures were 'unacceptable'. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the latest arrest figures proved 'it's never been easier to be a people smuggler', while former home secretary Chris Philp said they proved Starmer's big talk about smashing the gangs has been an 'abject failure'. It comes as the government ramps up its efforts to tackle the issue amid growing public anger, which has sparked a series of violent protests outside migrant hotels across the country. The prime minister has adopted a hardline approach on immigration, with a string of new measures announced, as he tries to win back voters and fend off the surge in popularity from Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Earlier this year, Yvette Cooper announced an extra £100m to tackle people-smuggling gangs, including 300 more staff at the NCA ' focused on intelligence targeting crime gang members'. And last week, Sir Keir confirmed that the first migrants had been detained under the new 'one in, one out' swap deal between the UK and France – although none have yet been sent back to Europe. The Home Office has also expanded its 'deport now, appeal later' scheme, which sees foreign criminals deported before their appeals have been heard. Despite the fall in people smuggling arrests last year, the NCA said it has "dedicated more resources than ever before' to tackling the threat from organised immigration crime. NCA acting deputy director Dan Barcroft said: 'Arrests on their own are not the only way to judge impact. We have also achieved record numbers of disruptions against people smugglers – 347 last year, up almost a third - each of which will have removed, prevented or reduced a criminal threat.' 'Arrest figures may fluctuate, but over the last four years the NCA has been involved in more than 900 arrests relating to organised immigration crime in the UK and overseas.' The Home Office told The Independent that further people smuggling arrests have been made by Immigration Enforcement and police forces, but refused to share any details. A spokesman said: 'We are taking firm and targeted action to dismantle the organised criminal networks responsible for dangerous small boat crossings – networks that put vulnerable lives at risk and undermine border security.' Reacting to the figures, Mr Jenrick said: 'Starmer said he'd smash the gangs but arrests of people smugglers are down and record numbers of migrants have crossed this year. For all of Starmer's talk, it's never been easier to be a people smuggler.' A Labour MP on the right of the party told The Independent they were 'frustrated' by the government's pace of action. They said: 'The public think we're basically not doing anything and don't believe smashing the gangs will make any material difference. And so far, their suspicions are being borne out by the facts. We have to move heaven and earth to get and show we have control.' Over the past decade, the NCA has been involved in over 2,200 arrests linked to immigration crime in the UK and overseas, with a 93 per cent conviction rate. While the figures do not exclusively cover small boat migration, a large proportion of such crimes involve bringing people across the Channel. This includes arrests across the people smuggling operations chain, from those who supply small boats to lorry drivers illegally ferrying migrants. The NCA told The Independent it is currently leading 91 investigations into organised immigration crime. Despite lower arrest numbers, the NCA said its increased disruptions 'reflect a move towards taking the fight to gangs upstream, focusing on the highest harm networks, and hitting them where the impact on their business will be greater'. One such example last month saw the NCA and Bulgarian law enforcement seize 25 inflatable boats set for use by people smugglers crossing the Channel. Sunder Kutwala, director at the British Future thinktank, said the government's best shot at tackling the problem is to scale up the one-in-one-out deal with France to 500 or 1,000 people a week. 'If [people smuggling] is a lucrative business, and the barriers to entry are pretty low and the cost of getting your dinghy slashed is quite low – or getting low-level operatives arrested is low – you'll always get new entries to the market' he told The Independent. 'The government has now got a shot at establishing the returns deal and, with enforcement, it looks more viable than any of these offshoring models [like Rwanda]. If I was the government, I would [scale up] quickly not slowly.' The number of migrants crossing into the UK by small boats is up 47 per cent from the same time last year, at record levels. Fourteen people have already died this year trying to cross into the UK, with the highest on record (73) last year, and a woman, 30, died on Monday while trying to board a boat attempting to make the crossing to the UK from Dunkirk. The Mayor of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, said that the situation "can't stand much longer". He called for the creation of a "legal immigration route to the UK" saying "our coastline is a daily witness to an absurd, ineffective and terribly cruel management of the migration crisis".


The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Anti-JD Vance van drives around Cotswolds as US Vice President holidays in village
An anti- JD Vance van displaying an altered image of the US vice president has driven around a village in the Cotswolds, where the 41-year-old and his family are reportedly holidaying. Footage shared by political campaign group Everyone Hates Elon on Tuesday (12 August) shows the vehicle, which features a bald Vance, driving through Charlbury. The group claim that the doctored picture, which is a popular meme online, got a tourist banned from the US after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) found the image on their phone. The CBP has denied this. Referencing the alleged incident, the group said: 'This image got a tourist banned from the US. JD Vance said the UK has no free speech, so today this van is following him on his quiet British holiday. How's that for free speech, JD?'


Daily Record
29 minutes ago
- Daily Record
'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone
Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes in four Scottish cities as "little more than cash cows" in a blistering statement. A row has broken out after a Reform UK politician urged Renfrewshire Council to rule out ever introducing congestion charges or a low emission zone (LEZ). Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes as "little more than cash cows" and said the local authority "must have no part in this" in a blistering statement. But the elected member for Renfrew North and Braehead has been accused of "hyperbolic word salad" on an issue that was settled almost two years ago. In September 2023, the SNP administration confirmed it was not considering the introduction of an LEZ in Paisley or any other part of Renfrewshire at a full council meeting. Councillor McGuire, who defected from Labour to Nigel Farage's Reform in June, said: "Scotland's four main cities already have LEZs in place and their experience should be a warning. "These schemes have acted as little more than cash cows, generating income for councils while hitting those who can least afford it. "People on the lowest incomes, who are far more likely to drive older vehicles, have been penalised simply for trying to get to work, take their children to school or care for relatives. "Renfrewshire must have no part in this. A congestion charge or LEZ in our towns would be a hammer blow to local households and businesses. We are a working community that depends on accessible, affordable transport. "Many residents travel across Renfrewshire for work, education, and caring responsibilities, while small enterprises rely heavily on vans and cars to serve customers and move goods. "Imposing extra charges on them is not just unreasonable, it risks undermining our local economy and making it harder for people to live and work here." He added: "The SNP-led Renfrewshire Council must act now to rule out – clearly, unequivocally and permanently – ever introducing either a congestion charge or a low emission zone in our area. "Residents deserve certainty, not the constant threat of new charges hanging over them." Councillor Jim Paterson, SNP convener of the planning and climate change policy board, claimed Councillor McGuire was "trying to raise his profile" with the comments. The elected member for Renfrew South and Gallowhill said: "Another day, another fabricated outrage from Councillor McGuire. "The position of the SNP administration and indeed Councillor McGuire on this issue was settled in 2023 when the Conservative group called on the council to rule out establishing any form of LEZ in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire for the duration of this council term. "The SNP position along with a Labour amendment was agreed then by the vast majority of councillors which stated that the council would not consider the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ/ULEZ) in Paisley or any other parts of Renfrewshire. That position remains unchanged. "Councillor McGuire, like his newfound political hero Nigel Farage, may like to trade in misinformation but to imply that there has been any change to the agreed position of 2023 is just nonsense and to suggest there is a 'constant fear' hanging over residents is just hyperbolic word salad from a councillor desperately trying to raise his profile to secure the top spot in his party's internal list for Holyrood 2026."