Reform candidate calls for ‘gunfire' at migrant boats
Farage has said his party's use of artificial intelligence techniques to vet potential councillors meant that there would be no one 'who persistently has said things that we would find fundamentally offensive'.
However, The Times has uncovered comments from several candidates that rival parties have called 'disturbing' and 'loony'.
• Local election results: follow live
John Birch, a candidate in Warwickshire, reposted a message on the seventh day of last summer's far-right-led riots that described the violence as Britons insisting that 'we have had enough'. It read: 'Now our patience
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Sky News
14 minutes ago
- Sky News
The latest migration stats are going in the wrong direction - and the argument might get more vicious
The UK government won't find much in this latest dump of migration data to back up its claim that it is restoring order to a broken asylum system. In a competitive field, perhaps the most damaging stat is the rising number of small boat crossings - up 38% on 12 months previously and close to the peaks of 2023. That has helped push up asylum applications to record levels, which in turn has led to a rise in the use of hotel accommodation. Deportations are up, but more than half of the total figure is foreign national offenders rather than failed asylum seekers. The backlog for initial decisions is coming down. But the approval rate for those applying for asylum after arriving on a small boat is still hovering around the 65% mark. Another bottleneck is also forming as more people appeal their initial rejections - and require accommodation while they wait for an outcome. This all helps explain why people are still taking the risk of crossing the channel in the first place. It's still highly likely that if you get to the UK, you'll be able to stay. The row over the use of hotels is a product of this underlying problem. And if you thought that argument was vicious, just wait for the one that could follow if asylum seekers start to be moved out of hotels and into houses and flats in areas that already have a shortage of homes. It's why the only real endgame for the government is to find a way to stop people coming in the first place. Increased numbers of returns, including through the UK-France deal, could provide some deterrent. 2:47 Beefed-up action to dismantle smuggling gangs and reforms to the time it takes for appeals to be heard will help too. So far though, all the figures that count are going in the wrong direction. What's more, there's some evidence that the data is looking particularly painful for Labour in some of its most vulnerable areas. A look down the list of councils with relatively high numbers of asylum seekers reveals several key election battlegrounds in the Midlands and North. These are regions where Reform is already campaigning hard. The stakes are high, and as it stands the government is being found wanting.
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man charged with murder after ice cream seller stabbed to death
A man has been charged with murder after an ice cream seller was stabbed to death in north-west London. Shazad Khan, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene after officers responded to reports of an altercation in Monks Park in Wembley at 6.10pm on Tuesday. Zaher Zaarour, 26, of Brent in north-west London, has been charged with murder and possession of a bladed article, the Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday. He is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Friday. A 31-year-old woman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of conspiracy to murder – but has been bailed pending further inquiries, the force said. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller said: 'I would like to thank the community for their help and support during this investigation. 'Residents can expect to see an increase of officers in the local area over the next coming days as the investigation continues.' Local residents told the PA news agency that Mr Khan was well known in the area for selling ice creams in a van. Asim Mahmood Butt, 39, who lives in nearby Tokyngton Avenue, said he was childhood friends with the victim. Speaking at the scene on Wednesday, he said: 'I got a call from one of my cousins. 'This guy, we know him – he's a famous ice cream guy. He got stabbed yesterday. 'I came here and his body was still here, and police had cordoned off the area. 'I know his brothers as well – they're all local. We all used to play cricket and football here in Monks Park. 'He started (selling) ice cream about a year ago.' Mr Butt said Mr Khan was married and had a young daughter. The ice cream van, which had been parked on the road at the time of the incident, was well known locally for having a large teddy bear, the witness added.
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Police arrest jockey over alleged assault of a fellow rider which left them with ‘serious injuries'
POLICE have arrested an apprentice jockey after they allegedly assaulted a fellow rider, leaving them with 'serious facial injuries'. The jockey, who is 21 and based in Newmarket, has been placed on bail until November while Suffolk Police continue their investigation. 1 Earlier this month, cops were called to an address in Exning, near Newmarket, following reports of an assault. A man in his 20s, understood to be another apprentice jockey, required hospital treatment with what police described as 'serious facial injuries', though no arrests were made at that point in time. Suffolk Police said in statement sent to the Sun on August 7: "Police were called 5.07pm on 4 August to reports a man aged in their 20s had been assaulted the previous night in Exning near Newmarket and had attended hospital with serious facial injuries. "Police investigating. Currently no arrests. Anyone with any information is asked to contact police quoting crime reference 37/43761/25." On Thursday, police issued a second statement which said: 'A 21-year-old man was arrested on 18 August on suspicion of assault (GBH). He was subsequently bailed to return to police on 18 November. The investigation continues.' Police policy is neither to confirm nor deny the identity of any individual before the point at which a charge is issued. The Crown Prosecution Service defines GBH as "really serious harm. The harm does not have to be either permanent or dangerous" and, if found guilty, perpetrators can face jail sentences.
