
Gaza immigration judge's father is ex-Guardian journalist who campaigns against Israel online
The immigration judge who made the controversial decision to grant a Palestinian family
On Tuesday,
The judge's father, Richard Norton-Taylor, who spent years writing for
Last March, the 80-year-old journalist, who now writes for the Declassified UK website, endorsed a petition on X calling for Haringey council, in north London, to 'stop supporting
Two months later, he urged his followers on X to write to their MPs demanding that the Government '
In December, he reposted a video of a huge banner covering Parliament Square by Led By Donkeys, the campaign group,
Meanwhile, in a video for BBC Two's Daily Politics show in January 2016, he had argued that Britain should return
The decision to grant the Gazan family of six permission to live in Britain is not the first controversial judgement made by Hugo Norton-Taylor.
Last November, he granted an Albanian man the right to stay in the UK because of his 'very close bond' with his Portuguese wife's children, despite them being from her previous marriage to a Romanian.
Ramazan Morina, 27, had smuggled himself into Britain when he was 16, but failed in an attempt to claim asylum in 2014 and again five years later, MailOnline reported.
The
He had developed a 'very close bond' with Soraia Dias's children, a social worker told the tribunal, meaning separation would cause them emotional harm despite the biological father still playing an 'active' part in their lives.
The judge told the hearing he placed 'significant weight' on the social worker's conclusion that sending Mr Morina back to
Home Office lawyers argued that there was no reason why Ms Dias and her children could not move to Albania with Mr Morina, but the hearing was told that she wanted to remain in the UK in order to be close to her ex-husband's extended family.
The judge concluded that it was in the 'best interests' of the children to have 'both biological parents' in their lives along with Mr Morina.
Richard Norton-Taylor has been contacted for comment.
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The Herald Scotland
39 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
SNP's Kate Forbes on Scottish business relationship and income tax
The Scottish Government's relationship with the business community was sharply in focus at that point and, while the spotlight on this is probably slightly less intense, it is still bright. Asked if she believed the overall relationship between the Scottish Government and business had improved over the last year, Ms Forbes replied: 'I think so. I mean, the first meetings I had when I became Economy Secretary was with all the business organisations one by one, to understand what their top asks were.' Ms Forbes declared the Scottish Government had since then worked through the first programme for government, then the Budget last December, and now the most recent programme for government 'to try and deliver against those asks'. She said: 'I think the business community understand that we can't do everything overnight, but we can either stop doing things that would otherwise have made the cost of business higher, or do things that lower the cost of business. The most recent programme for government led with economic growth and prosperity. So our sentiment, my sentiment is pro-economy, pro-prosperity, pro-business.' Of course, the greater income tax burden for higher earners in Scotland relative to the rest of the UK has been very much in focus over recent years. Ms Forbes said in the exclusive interview last June that this would be kept 'under review', taking into account 'how easy it is for taxpayers to shift'. These comments appeared at the time to be a signal of the stance of the then new leadership team on this crucial issue, and that turned out to be the case. Ms Forbes noted last week: 'The First Minister was very clear when he became leader that he didn't believe that you could continually raise income tax, and that we should provide certainty. And that's what last year's Budget delivered - the Budget announcement last year for this financial year. And the programme for government then built on that in May - being very clear that there wouldn't be further divergence from the rest of the UK on income tax for the remainder of this parliament. 'And the reasons for that is because certainty matters in a world that seems to be constantly in flux with lots of global headwinds and challenges of recruitment for businesses. The more certainty that we can provide, the better. And the only changes to income tax was essentially a small reduction for the basic and intermediate rate-payers because of the above-inflationary increase to the thresholds.' Income tax would appear to be one of the key issues when it comes to what some in the business community think of the Scottish Government. Asked about the reaction of business to the income tax stance, given this was an issue that had been highlighted previously, Ms Forbes replied: 'I think we have seen a lot of positive comments from the business community.' Taking the previous comments from people in business about Scottish income tax at face value, you would certainly have thought they would have been happy that there has been no further divergence when it comes to the burden on higher earners north of the Border. Read more Offering further thoughts on her perception of the reaction of business people to the stance on income tax since she took up her current roles and John Swinney became First Minister in May last year, Ms Forbes said: 'They have indicated that they feel the Scottish Government is listening, that they are taking any concern seriously and that we're on their side in navigating these choppy waters. Now, we obviously only…have limited powers over taxation.' The Deputy First Minister has been heavily critical of the UK Government's decision to raise employers' national insurance contributions. This move, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Budget last October, is aimed at raising about £25 billion a year. Ms Forbes last week contrasted this national insurance move with the stance on income tax in the wake of the change at the top of the Scottish Government last year. She said of people in Scotland's business community: 'What's really hit them hard this year was the increase to employers' national insurance contributions, which is essentially a jobs tax, and it was, for many of them, a total surprise because it hadn't been flagged in Labour's manifesto. 'So I think in that context, the more that the Scottish Government can do to provide stability and certainty, the better, and the strong signals from the business community is they feel they are getting that now from the Scottish Government.' It will be interesting to watch how the relationship between the Scottish Government and business develops. Ms Forbes also highlighted the importance of restoring confidence in the Ferguson Marine shipyard at Port Glasgow, which has been owned by the Scottish Government since 2019. She said: 'I have been crystal clear that Ferguson Marine's future relies on them being able to competitively bid in the open market for new work.' And, in one of many attention-grabbing comments, Ms Forbes added: 'I would like to think that all parties in the Scottish Parliament want to see Ferguson Marine succeed and survive, which is why we need to build confidence, not knock it.'

South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Key points announced ahead of Rachel Reeves' spending review
The review, which will set out day-to-day spending plans for the next three years and capital spending plans for the next four, is expected to see boosts for the NHS, defence and schools. But it is also likely to involve squeezes for other departments as the Chancellor seeks to keep within the fiscal rules she has set for herself. Her room for manoeuvre has also been further constrained by the Government's U-turn on winter fuel payments, which will see the benefit paid to pensioners receiving up to £35,000 per year at a cost of around £1.25 billion to the Treasury. The full details will be revealed in the Commons on Wednesday, but several announcements have already been made. They include: – £15.6 billion for public transport projects in England's city regions; – £16.7 billion for nuclear power projects, including £14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C power plant in Suffolk; – £39 billion over the next 10 years to build affordable and social housing; – An extension of the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027; – £445 million for upgrades to Welsh railways. The Chancellor is also expected to announce changes to the Treasury's 'green book' rules that govern whether major projects are approved. The Government hopes that changing the green book will make it easier to invest in areas outside London and the South East.


Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Key points announced ahead of Rachel Reeves' spending review
The review, which will set out day-to-day spending plans for the next three years and capital spending plans for the next four, is expected to see boosts for the NHS, defence and schools. But it is also likely to involve squeezes for other departments as the Chancellor seeks to keep within the fiscal rules she has set for herself. Her room for manoeuvre has also been further constrained by the Government's U-turn on winter fuel payments, which will see the benefit paid to pensioners receiving up to £35,000 per year at a cost of around £1.25 billion to the Treasury. The full details will be revealed in the Commons on Wednesday, but several announcements have already been made. They include: – £15.6 billion for public transport projects in England's city regions; – £16.7 billion for nuclear power projects, including £14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C power plant in Suffolk; – £39 billion over the next 10 years to build affordable and social housing; – An extension of the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027; – £445 million for upgrades to Welsh railways. The Chancellor is also expected to announce changes to the Treasury's 'green book' rules that govern whether major projects are approved. The Government hopes that changing the green book will make it easier to invest in areas outside London and the South East.