UK authorities detain 1st group of migrants under plan to thwart small boats crossing from France
The migrants were detained Wednesday, the day the program came into force, and will be held at immigration removal centers until they are returned to France, the Home Office said on Thursday.
'That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organized crime gangs to go to the U.K. that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat,' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in the statement.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deal last month as the U.K. government struggles to tamp down criticism that it has lost control of the country's borders. While the pilot involves a limited number of people, U.K. officials suggest the deal is a major breakthrough because it sets a precedent that migrants who reach Britain illegally can be returned to France.
Critics say the program will do little to deter migrants because the numbers returned to France are small and loopholes in the treaty will allow many people who enter Britain illegally to remain in the country as they pursue human rights claims.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The Bank of England has left Britain open to speculative attack
On Thursday, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) lowered the UK's main benchmark interest rate from 4.25pc to 4pc. This headline borrowing cost has now been cut five times since last August, falling incrementally from its post-Covid peak of 5.25pc. Had I been one of the nine MPC members, I'd have voted to hold the Bank's interest rate where it was. This cut was a significant error, further damaging the UK's policymaking credibility. I fear it will come back to bite us. Yes, the decision was close – the committee was split five-to-four. With the economy stalled, political and media pressure to try boosting growth via cheaper borrowing was intense. Kudos to MPC members who held firm. But this rate cut was so off-beam, so difficult to justify, that the strong impression has been created, again, that the MPC as a whole, far from being a highly-expert body collectively committed to keeping inflation as close to the 2pc target as possible, is dominated by careerist operatives ultimately serving their political masters. After the Covid pandemic, the MPC made countless errors throughout 2021, waiting far too long to raise rates, oblivious to looming price pressures. Inflation subsequently hit a 30-year high, before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with related energy-price fall-out then pushing prices even higher. UK inflation, again, is high and is rising. The consumer price index (CPI) increased 3.6pc during the year to June, up from 3.4pc the previous month. Headline CPI inflation has been consistently way above 2pc since last October – and shows no sign of falling soon. The National Institute for Economic and Social Research reckons inflation will rise even more over the coming months, remaining well above 2pc throughout 2026 – driven by food, utility and transport prices. Even the Bank of England just upped its forecast, saying CPI growth will hit 4pc this autumn. Yet the MPC cut rates regardless. So why can't I find a single compelling reason in the minutes of the MPC's latest deliberations why the majority of members think price pressure will ease anytime soon, let alone fast enough to justify dropping rates, when headline inflation, on the Bank's own figures, it's about to be double the official target. Wage growth remains elevated at 5pc-plus, which will keep driving inflation. Trade tensions and other global supply chain issues pose further upside risks. Stand-offs in the Middle East and Russia/Ukraine remain highly unpredictable. We could yet endure spikes in the price of oil, gas, grain and/or fertiliser, the soaring costs of which saw inflation peak at over 11pc in the autumn of 2022. Yes, the UK economy is slowing – but the traditional view that MPC rate cuts energize household spending via lower mortgage rates is outdated. Depleted home-ownership among young adults means just a third of households have a mortgage these days – and around 90pc of those are on fixed rates. Any immediate consumption boost will be marginal. Anyway, the MPC's job is to focus on inflation. There is no 'dual mandate' to target both prices and output, as at the US Federal Reserve. That's because the pound, unlike the dollar, isn't the world's reserve currency. Since mid-June, in fact, as data showing GDP contractions in both April and May has emerged, sterling has dropped around 1.5pc against the dollar and 2.5pc against the euro. Thursday's rate cut could soon weaken the pound more, pushing up inflation via higher import prices – an ongoing danger in the UK, now a heavy net-importer of both energy and food. Following the MPC's announcement last week, the Labour party put a graph on social media showing incremental rises in the Bank of England's policy rate during 2022 and into 2023 'under the Tories', compared to five rate cuts 'with Labour' since the party took office in July 2024. 'Speaks for itself' was the headline. It certainly does – illustrating a woeful lack of judgement regarding economic policymaking. The Bank of England is supposed to be independent – and at a time when the UK's monetary policy regime is under extreme scrutiny, with financial markets already furrowing their collective brow as to why the central bank of a nation with easily the highest inflation in the G7 is cutting rates, it is deeply damaging for the Government to then claim credit for the Bank's rate cuts. On top of that, a major reason inflation remains high is the Government's own policies. Labour's higher employer national insurance contributions and above-inflation minimum wage increases have sent business costs soaring – which are being largely passed on to consumers. Far from borrowing costs coming down under Labour, as the party claims on social media, the interest rates that really count – those dictated by financial markets – have been moving entirely in the opposite direction. The UK's 30-year gilt yield was 5.32pc on Tuesday, prior to the MPC's announcement. At the time of writing, it is 5.43pc – significantly higher, despite the Bank's cut. Since last July, Government borrowing costs have gone through the roof, even though the Bank's 'policy' rate has been moved entirely in the opposite direction – a sign of growing financial instability. So the MPC's unjustified rate cut, far from lowering economy-wide borrowing costs, has pushed them up further, as financial markets sense panic amongst policymakers and dismiss official claims inflation will soon be subdued. Over the coming months, as Labour's fiscal management falls to pieces, with spending and borrowing spinning even further out of control, yields will almost certainly rise even more. And as these market rates and the Bank's policy rate continue to move against each other, the gap between them getting wider, that signals trouble, making our sovereign debt and currency more vulnerable to speculative attack.
The Guardian
4 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Staff at UK's top AI institute complain to watchdog about its internal culture
Staff at the UK's leading artificial intelligence institute have raised concerns about the organisation's governance and internal culture in a whistleblowing complaint to the charity watchdog. The Alan Turing Institute (ATI), a registered charity with substantial state funding, is under government pressure to overhaul its strategic focus and leadership after an intervention last month from the technology secretary, Peter Kyle. In a complaint to the Charity Commission, a group of current ATI staff raise eight points of concern and say the institute is in danger of collapse due to government threats over its funding. The complaint alleges that the board of trustees, chaired by the former Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr, has failed to fulfil core legal duties such as providing strategic direction and ensuring accountability, with staff alleging a letter of no confidence was delivered last year and not acted upon. A spokesperson for ATI said the Charity Commission had not been in touch with the institute about any complaints that may have been sent to the organisation. They added that a whistleblower complaint had been filed last year to the government's UK Research and Innovation body, which funds ATI, and a subsequent independent investigation found no concerns. The complaint comes after ATI, which is undergoing a restructuring, notified about 50 staff – or approximately 10% of its workforce – that they were at risk of redundancy. It claims ATI's funding is at risk, citing 'privately raised concerns' from unnamed industry partners, while warning that Kyle has made clear that future government support is contingent on improved delivery and leadership change. In a letter to Gurr this month, Kyle called for a switch in focus to defence and national security at ATI, as well as leadership changes. While the letter stated ATI should 'continue to receive the funding needed to implement reforms', it said its 'longer-term funding arrangement' could be reviewed next year. The complaint claims there has been no internal or external accountability for how ATI funds have been used. It alleges there is an internal culture of 'fear, exclusion, and defensiveness'. It also alleges the board has not provided adequate oversight of a series of senior leadership departures under the chief executive, Jean Innes, nor of senior leadership appointments, and that ATI's credibility with 'staff, funders, partners, and the wider public has been significantly undermined', as shown by the letter of no confidence and Kyle's intervention. The Guardian has also learned that ATI is shutting projects related to online safety, tackling the housing crisis and reducing health inequality as part of its restructuring, which is resulting in the closure or mothballing of multiple strands of research. The restructuring has triggered internal upheaval at ATI, with more than 90 staff sending a letter to the board last year warning that cost cuts were putting the organisation's reputation at risk. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Among the projects slated for closure are work on developing AI systems to detect online harms, producing AI tools that can help policymakers tackle issues such as inequality and affordability in the housing market and measuring the impact in health inequality of major policy decisions like lockdowns. Other projects expected to close include an AI-based analysis of how the government and media interact. A project looking at social bias in AI outcomes will also be dropped. Projects being paused include a study into how AI might affect human rights and democracy, as well as research into creating a global approach to AI ethics. A spokesperson for ATI said: 'We're shaping a new phase for the Turing, and this requires substantial organisational change to ensure we deliver on the promise and unique role of the UK's national institute for data science and AI. As we move forward, we're focused on delivering real-world impact across society's biggest challenges, including responding to the national need to double down on our work in defence, national security and sovereign capabilities.' A Charity Commission spokesperson said the organisation could not confirm or deny whether it had received a complaint, in order to protect the identity of any whistleblowers.
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Europe rallies behind Ukraine after defiant Zelensky rejects any peace plan that gives up land to Russia
European leaders have rallied in support of Ukraine after a defiant Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Donald Trump 's suggestion that a peace plan may involve giving up land to Russia. President Trump, who is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska as he seeks to bring an end to the war, has said the talks could include 'some swapping of territories'. But an angry President Zelensky hit back on Saturday, insisting Ukraine 'will not give Russia any awards for what it has done' and that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier'. Members of the so-called coalition of the willing – countries which have pledged support for Ukraine against Russia's aggression – were quick to show their support, insisting that any deal must include Ukraine and Europe, warning its security is 'at stake'. The joint leaders' statement from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said: 'We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests. 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.' The show of unity came as the UK hosted a hastily arranged meeting of national security advisers from the US, Ukraine and European countries on Saturday. The meeting at David Lammy's official country retreat, Chevening, Kent, and held with US vice-president JD Vance, was called to 'discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace'. Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday reiterated 'his unwavering support for Ukraine and its people', while France's President Emmanuel Macron said the UK and Germany were 'ready to work as productively as possible for the sake of real peace' after a call with Sir Keir and Chancellor Frederich Merz. In their call, Sir Keir and President Macron said they 'welcomed President Trump's efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine and end Russia's war of aggression, and discussed how to further work closely with President Trump and President Zelensky over the coming days'. Confirming next week's summit with the US president in Alaska, the Kremlin said Mr Trump and Mr Putin would focus on discussing options for achieving a 'long-term peaceful resolution'. President Putin is expected to use the meeting to set out his demands, including that Ukraine give up two eastern regions as well as Crimea. Announcing the talks to reporters at the White House on Friday, Mr Trump said any deal may include the 'some swapping of territories', adding: 'We're going to get some back. We're going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.' However, Mr Zelensky has rejected that notion and said his country would not violate its constitution by ceding territory. 'Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers,' he said. He also warned that any peace deal that excluded Kyiv would lead to 'dead solutions'. President Trump's decision to meet Mr Putin has fuelled fears that Ukraine could be sidelined in the efforts to end the war. But Mr Zelensky issued a staunch warning to the international community that any agreement reached without Ukraine would ultimately fail. He said: 'Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work.' After his call with Sir Keir, Mr Zelensky said the two men 'shared the same view on the need for a truly lasting peace' and on the danger of Russia's plan to reduce everything to discussing the impossible. A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'Both leaders welcomed President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end and agreed that we must keep up the pressure on Putin to end his illegal war. The prime minister ended the call by reiterating his unwavering support for Ukraine and its people.' Mr Macron insisted that 'Ukraine's future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians' and warned that 'Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake'. Kristen Michal, Estonia's prime minister, joined the chorus of support, saying she agreed 'that security decisions for Ukraine matter for everyone in Europe'. Pointing to demands for Ukraine to give up land to secure peace, she added: 'Respect for territorial integrity is the foundation of stable international relations and changing borders by force can never be accepted.' This was echoed by Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, who wrote on X: 'Any lasting settlement must respect UA's sovereignty – nothing about UA without UA. DK stands with our partners for a ceasefire built on Ukrainian strength and Western unity and resolve.' And after his phone call with Mr Zelensky, Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, said: 'We must reach a just and lasting peace that respects Ukraine's independence and sovereignty. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. We must remain united.' Russia has previously claimed four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – as well as the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. Mr Putin's forces do not fully control all land in those areas and Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the parts they still control.
