I faced the threat of jail for exposing ministers' secret £7bn migration scheme…and saw first-hand the sinister steps the Government took to mislead the public, by SAM GREENHILL
The High Court judge, Mr Justice Chamberlain, appeared genuinely incredulous. He had just been informed that His Majesty's Government was preparing to actively deceive Parliament.
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BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
UK backs joint call for Israel to allow foreign media in Gaza
The UK is among 27 countries backing a statement calling for Israel to allow immediate independent foreign media access to Germany, Australia, and Japan have also signed the text released by the Media Freedom Coalition - an intergovernmental group which advocates for the rights and protection of journalists statement also condemned attacks on journalists, saying those working in Gaza must be journalists have been banned by Israel from entering the Gaza Strip independently since the start of the war nearly two years ago. Some journalists have been taken into Gaza by the IDF under controlled access. At least 192 journalists and media workers, the vast majority of them Palestinian, have been killed since then in the deadliest conflict for journalists ever documented, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).Thursday's statement, the first of its kind to be made jointly by countries, says their call is in light of "the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe", adding they "oppose all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists".It says that "deliberate targeting of journalists" is unacceptable, calling for all attacks to be investigated and followed up by latest such attack occurred earlier this month when four Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif, were killed in a targeted Israeli strike near Gaza City's al-Shifa and another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was struck, the broadcaster said at the other freelance journalists were killed - Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".However, the CPJ said Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations. Al Jazeera has also denied Israeli claims. With no international journalists allowed into Gaza, local reporters have continued throughout the war to provide coverage directly on social media and working for Palestinian or international media High Court of Justice last year ruled that restrictions on entry were justified on security grounds. The Foreign Press Association, which represents journalists operating in Israel, has been petitioning the court to lift the ban, arguing that "unprecedented restrictions" had "hindered independent reporting". For the journalists still in Gaza, the situation is dire. As well as Israeli air strikes, many have faced the threat of month, the BBC and three news agencies - Reuters, AP and AFP - issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the territory, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have warned of mass starvation in which controls the entry of aid supplies into Gaza, has accused the charities of "serving the propaganda of Hamas". But its own government figures show the amount of food it allowed into the territory between March and July was significantly below what the World Food Programme (WFP) says is needed for even basic assistance needs. There are more fears about Palestinians after the Israeli military began the first stages of a planned ground offensive in Gaza government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Asylum figures a mixed bag for UK government
Newly released Home Office data paints a mixed picture of how the government's asylum seeker strategy is working the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels - a current political flashpoint - the new data shows that the number has risen slightly compared to when it came to power. However the figures are far below the 2023 peak, when the Conservatives were in number of asylum applications in the UK during the year to June also reached a new record of 111,000 - though the government has reduced the backlog of claims by processing them addition, in the year to June, about 38% more small boats landed on UK shores than the previous correspondents Jack Fenwick and Dominic Casciani assess what the figures tell us about the effectiveness of the government's asylum strategy. How many people cross the Channel in small boats?Why do Channel migrants want to come to the UK? Strategy could be working but long way still to go By political correspondent Jack Fenwick Headlines about record numbers of asylum applications and an increase in hotel use since Labour came to power clearly don't make comfortable reading for the overall view in the Home Office on Thursday morning, according to one source, was "not disappointed".And behind those headlines there is evidence that elements of the government's strategy could be is the first data that takes into account the huge rise in small boat crossings since March.A few months ago, some people inside the Home Office had been worried that hotel use could spike as a that hasn't happened. The number of asylum seekers in hotels actually went slightly down between March and have been trying to find alternative sources of accommodation, like regular houses and flats within communities - but those numbers haven't gone up processing claims more quickly, the Home Office has been able to ensure that the big rise in small boat crossings hasn't had much of an effect on asylum the use of hotels was a Labour manifesto pledge and ministers have a long, long way to go before they get close to achieving they'll be hoping they've now broken the link between small boats crossings and hotel parties give that claim short say the government's record on illegal immigration will ultimately be judged on the small boat crossing numbers, which remain at stubborn, record-breaking Home Secretary Chris Philp claims the numbers would be at zero if his party's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda had been Office accounts released last month show the Conservatives had around 1,000 civil servants working on the Rwanda scrapped the idea and a senior Home Office source says they've been able to speed up initial asylum applications by moving many of those staff over to that same source also tried to shift some of the political onus going forward onto the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).While initial asylum claims are being processed more quickly, there's increasing concern over what's happening in the appeals from March 2025 shows a record level of appeals being made against failed asylum Home Office source said "courts are definitely a pinch point and we do need the MoJ to step up and help us with that".A former justice secretary told us these types of appeals backlogs are often caused by "poor casework management" from the Home Office during the initial application clear potential for tension between two parts of government there in the coming months. Ending hotel use still a huge challenge By home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani The government's aim, ultimately, is to convince the public that it has better and greater control of the immigration and asylum system than its predecessors - and thanks to the rise of Reform it knows it has to send a signal that even if it does not achieve all its aims, that it is going in the right is why these stats are complicated for both them and their opponents - and why both sides will highlight different good news for the government is that officials are taking decisions on asylum applications quicker than of June there were 91,000 cases in the asylum backlog. That's down a fifth on a year - and is almost half the peak of two years smaller the backlog, the less the government needs to spend. The total asylum support bill has fallen to £4.8bn in 2024-25, down from £5.4bn the year now for the bad news. More people who have been told they have no case are appealing against that decision. There are some 51,000 appeals before asylum and immigration judges. Those people are stuck in the system until they either win their appeal or are given a final decision to be that's part of the reason why the Home Office is making only modest progress on the use of hotels - establishments which were brought in by the last government after it ran out of alternative accommodation around the government can show it has increased removals from the UK of people at the end of the process. But more than half of removals are not failed asylum applicants but foreign national offenders leaving of small boat migrants are modest and many of these are legally low-hanging fruit, such as the brief phenomenon of a rush of Albanian though - and this is a win for government - the number of people voluntarily leaving has gone up by 13% to 26,761. They are generally paid up to £3,000 to go - but that's far cheaper than battling through the other critical factors will play a huge role in this government's plan to strengthen counter-smuggling gang powers is still in Parliament. TBC on whether that works. Ministers are waiting for the French to stop dinghies leaving the shore and a separate German commitment to change its law so it can seize boats being warehoused final factor relies on global events. People will keep leaving their homes around the world to come to Europe if they feel of these things needs to come together - and keep going in the right direction - for the government to meet its commitment to end hotel use by the end of the Parliament.
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Former MP Dame Annette Brooke dies
Dame Annette Brooke, who became the longest-serving female Liberal Democrat MP, has died aged Annette served the constituency of Mid-Dorset and North Poole in Parliament from 2001 to 2015 and was voted MP of the year in economics teacher in Aylesbury and then Bournemouth, she was also a tutor with the Open University for 20 constituency was won back by the Conservatives in 2015, though she supported the leader of BCP Council Vikki Slade in recapturing it in 2024. Dame Annette Brooke had a strong interest in developing countries and campaigned for microfinance to help the world's poorest people become Parliament she spoke on Home Affairs under Charles Kennedy, and then moved on to develop the Liberal Democrats' position on children, schools and lobbying on equal access for disabled children led to the final Harry Potter book being released in Braille on the same day as the print spent 17 years as a Poole councillor, overseeing the council's move to a unitary authority. Dame Annette listed her interests as reading, going to the gym, and shopping with her she stepped down from Westminster politics she kept a strong interest in Dorset political life with her husband Mike, a Poole councillor, while also supporting Dementia campaigning often spread to others. Hosting a refugee family from Ukraine she took to the media to support their argument to change the rules on the use of cars from Annette Brooke never fulfilled a childhood ambition to be the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, but as a campaigning Liberal Democrat she made a distinctive contribution to local and national public life. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
