Buckingham Palace says French President Macron has accepted invitation for state visit in July
Charles and Queen Camilla traveled to France in September 2023 in a visit that underscored Britain's aim to bolster ties with its closest European neighbor. The trip came after years of sometimes prickly relations strained by Britain's exit from the European Union and by disagreements over the growing number of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
The underrated French city that has a ‘bit of everything' with picturesque beaches and new cheap hotels
WITH relaxing beaches and super sightseeing – plus just a two-hour flight away – Nice on France's stunning Cote d'Azur makes for an easy sunny getaway. While it may happily soak up the glamorous associations of nearby Cannes and St-Tropez, this spot on the Med needn't break the bank. 4 WHY SHOULD I GO? NICE has a bit of everything. Great food, scenery and swimming. But it never feels like you need to elbow your way through its quaint streets. It is also one of France's brightest cities, with a reported 147 days of sunshine a year making it a great choice if you want to bask in the rays while also getting a top-notch culture fix. STREETS MADE FOR WALKING? ONE of the best things about Nice is just how walkable it is, the piece de resistance being a stroll along the seafront Promenade des Anglais. As you get your steps in alongside the palm trees, look out for the iconic hotel Le Negresco, which hosted Elizabeth Taylor and The Beatles. Pack comfy shoes to walk 30 minutes up to the Colline du Chateau — a park from which you can get the best views of the city. It's smart to hop on a tram (€10, or £8.39, return) outside the airport to get into the centre after landing — it takes just over half an hour. BUCKET LIST ATTRACTIONS? THE cute Old Town comprises a series of winding alleys that have hardly changed from the 1700s and are made for wandering, complete with colourful, shuttered facades. Between the many historic squares and churches, you will find plenty of adorable shops selling handbags, jewellery and other stylish items. Or head to the flea market Les Puces de Nice, a treasure trove of affordable designer clothing. Martin Lewis gives travel advice about checking your passport Need an energy boost? Stop off at the Frisson coffee shop which serves dainty pastries and ice cream. Enjoy art at the Matisse Museum (€10, or £8.39, entry), before a free walk through the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre in the Jardin des Arenes de Cimiez. WHERE SHOULD I EAT? LUNCH on delicious Mediterranean cuisine beneath a chic, striped parasol at the laidback Hotel Amour Plage (part of Hotel Amour Nice) in a prime position on the promenade. Then retreat to the beach club's sunloungers beside the beach. 4 For a dinner you can dress up for, head to Taulissa above the five-star Le Victoria hotel. Dine on mouthwatering Provencal dishes — including plenty of fish and seafood options — with panoramic views of the city. For more of a local feel, try the friendly Rouge wine bar, whose small Mediterranean sharing plates are just as unmissable as the contents of its cellar. I FANCY A DRINK EASE into the evening with a sunset visit to Babel Babel, for a range of natural wines and a sea view. Later, Place du Pin and the adjacent Rue Bonaparte are full of bustling cocktail bars with terraces. 4 WHERE SHOULD I STAY? THE Old Town is arguably best, not only for its charm but for practical reasons too — it's close to all the key sites you'll want to visit. EasyHotel Nice Old Town has had a multi-million pound refurb, and is a stone's throw from all the action. There is an all-you-can-eat continental breakfast buffet (£10.49, per person) — including croissants, of course — and the handy option to store luggage at €5 (£4.20) per item for up to 12 hours before or after your stay.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
KEMI BADENOCH: A simple way to deter migrants? Make them wait for ten years before they can claim any benefits
The issue of immigration is a simple one for the Conservative Party: we need to crack down on it in every form, both legal and illegal. For me, this is about basic fairness. Britain today seems to work more favourably for those who jump the queue, who break the rules, who get into our country illegally but then denigrate our customs and our culture. And those of us who work hard and do the right thing, hoping one day to leave a better life for our children, are left footing the bill. The billions of pounds of taxpayers' money we are spending to put asylum seekers up in hotels, for example, is well known. Less well known, however, is the fact that low-paid immigrants and refugees who stay here for five years qualify for 'indefinite leave to remain'. This allows them to claim the same benefits British citizens are entitled to, such as social housing and Universal Credit. They become automatically entitled to make such claims regardless of whether they've paid taxes or have simply lived off the state throughout those five years. To my mind, that is fundamentally unfair to all the hard-working Brits who have dutifully paid into the system – and I'm determined to stop it. But it's likely to come as no surprise that the Labour Government has no such interest. It voted against our Deportation Bill last month, which would have introduced a strict cap on the number of newcomers to these shores, as well as doubling the time it takes for immigrants to be able to claim benefits from five to ten years. The same ten-year rule would also apply to people seeking the privilege of British citizenship, up from the current five years. And, to make sure those who come here are serious about contributing to our society, rather than just ripping it off, the Bill would have barred anyone who'd claimed benefits from getting indefinite leave to remain. It would also have given the government the power to remove settled status from those who commit any crime – preventing them from claiming that precious British passport. All in all, that Bill was designed to protect our borders and uphold fairness in our benefits system. But thanks to Labour, it was shot down. To be honest, many – if not all – of the measures it contained would probably have ended up going the same way as the former government's abandoned scheme to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda. That became bogged down in our courts and frustrated by unnamed foreign judges interpreting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Mel Stride (pictured), when he was Work and Pensions Secretary, came up with reforms to the welfare system that would have saved £5billion, but those, too, got stuck in the courts – giving Labour all the excuses they needed to quietly ditch them I have asked distinguished barrister and shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson KC (pictured), and the shadow solicitor general Helen Grant, to lead a commission to establish, once and for all, if the things that we need to do can be done if we remain a member of the European Convention on Human Rights Other potentially transformative policies of ours have floundered in similar ways. Mel Stride, when he was Work and Pensions Secretary, came up with reforms to the welfare system that would have saved £5billion, but those, too, got stuck in the courts – giving Labour all the excuses they needed to quietly ditch them. I call this lawfare – the use of litigation as a political weapon. Even if these legal activists aren't successful, the costs and delays they incur are crippling to democracy. It is turning us into a country afraid of its own shadow. This must change. I have asked distinguished barrister and shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson KC, and the shadow solicitor general Helen Grant, to lead a commission to establish, once and for all, if the things that we need to do – get control of our borders, protect our welfare system and restore fairness – can be done if we remain a member of the European Convention on Human Rights. They will get to the bottom of how we got into this legal quagmire, and the challenges to getting us out. If their conclusions are that we cannot enact reasonable policies to put British citizens first when it comes to social housing and scarce public services, then I will know that we need to leave. The commission's findings will also help me make a workable plan to get us out of the ECHR, while taking into account the need to ensure essential human rights remain protected. The greatest danger we now face is allowing lawfare to make this country less fair, less safe and less democratic. But I'm determined that, under my leadership, the Conservative Party will protect our values, our democracy, our country – and, ultimately, our people.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's tariffs will cost UK steel industry £150m
US trade tariffs have dealt a £150 million blow to the UK steel industry as a wave of cheap products driven from American shores are being dumped in Britain, senior industry figures warn. The UK risks being hit harder than other countries in the tariff chaos despite having negotiated a deal with Donald Trump on exports of steel to the US. This, steel bosses say, is because the UK does not have 'the right defences' to prevent countries such as China from flooding our market with cheap steel that would have been sold to the US. That will drive down prices and crowd out domestic British steelmakers. By contrast, EU countries have erected barriers to protect their steel industries. Trade body UK Steel said imports were 'flooding on to the UK market depressing prices' as a result of the US tariffs, which last week rose to 50 per cent for steel and aluminium from a previous rate of 25 per cent. The UK managed to avoid the higher levy after securing a last-minute exemption. But Russell Codling, commercial director at Tata Steel, told MPs urgent measures were needed to protect UK industry. He said steel prices in the UK were tanking below those in Europe following the US tariffs – a price difference 'leading to something like a £100 million- £150 million-a-year loss in the UK compared with Europe.' The UK industry is already struggling to remain profitable due to high energy costs and environmental taxes, which are heavier than those on EU manufacturers. Codling added that the UK market for foreign steel imports was 'far more free-flowing than into mainland Europe'. The latest crisis comes hard on the heels of Government intervention to prevent the country's last blast furnaces at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, from being closed by Chinese owners Jingye in April. Codling, whose firm employs 8,000 people, said the UK needed to bring in measures to shield producers against cheap imports that 'are as least as good as our trading partners around the world.' A 25 per cent levy will still apply until the Government finalises a proposed trade deal with the US which should see tariffs cut to zero. Steel exports from Britain to the US are worth £400 million a year, making it the sector's second-biggest market. But UK bosses fear the Trump administration could alter the terms of any deal before it is signed. Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, said the Government needed to take 'decisive action' to protect producers. He added: 'The EU has stepped up its trade defences, and now we must do the same.' Respected industrialist Andrew Cook warned that the dumping of cheap steel would cause 'great damage'. He said: 'China built 600 million tons of surplus steel-making capacity to dump on foreign markets. This is the main reason why Britain's steel industry has suffered so badly.' Currently, the UK sets a quota for steel imports allowed into the country tariff-free. Imports above that level incur a 25 per cent levy. But UK Steel says the quotas do not offer 'adequate protection'. The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), which monitors unfair practices, is reviewing whether the measures, which are based on EU controls from 2018, suffice. Industry minister Sarah Jones insisted the Government – which is set to unveil its £2.5 billion steel strategy later this year – is backing the industry 'to the hilt'. She said: 'The TRA has been working at pace to identify stronger measures to defend the industry.' Rajesh Nair, head of Tata Steel UK, urged Ministers to ensure the US doesn't require British exports to have been 'melted and poured' in the UK to be tariff-exempt. This process now only happens at British Steel's Scunthorpe blast furnaces. Tata, which closed its UK blast furnace last year, is having to import steel until electric arc furnace steelmaking starts in Port Talbot in late 2027, Nair said.
