Latest news with #AndrewMacAskill
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK plans to double permanent settlement wait for some migrants already in the country
By Andrew MacAskill and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - The British government is planning to make some immigrants living in the country wait up to five years longer to qualify for permanent settlement under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plans to cut immigration numbers. The government announced migration reforms on Monday which would, among other measures, double the amount of time required before a person automatically qualifies for the right to stay in Britain or can apply for citizenship, from five to 10 years. It had not been immediately clear whether the rule change would apply to those already living in Britain, or for people just moving to the country and due to start the process. Government officials said on Thursday that while those who arrived on a family visa or as a dependent would retain the five-year route, interior minister Yvette Cooper wanted the longer timeframe to apply to everyone else. One law firm, Farrer&Co, said the change may also not apply to migrants from the European Union who applied for settled status after Brexit, because their treatment was agreed as part of Britain's departure from the bloc in 2020. A spokesman for Starmer said that the migration plans would be consulted on before any changes are introduced. Immigration has long been one of the most important issues for voters in Britain. Controlling the number of arrivals was a key factor in the 2016 vote to leave the EU, yet net arrivals hit record levels after it left the bloc, helping to boost Nigel Farage's right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party. Starmer, in setting out proposals to reduce immigration, has been heavily criticised by some in his own party and beyond after he warned that Britain risked becoming "an island of strangers" and said immigration had run out of control. His language has drawn parallels to a former right-wing politician Enoch Powell who warned in a now-infamous 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech that Britons would find themselves "strangers in their own country" - a speech that is widely regarded as one of the most divisive in modern British politics. Starmer's spokesperson said he completely rejected the comparison, adding that migrants had made a massive contribution to Britain but that numbers needed to be controlled. Some Labour members of parliament have also raised concerns about the possibility of longer qualifying periods applying to people already in Britain. Florence Eshalomi, a Labour member of parliament who chairs the Commons housing, communities and local government committee, said she had been contacted by several constituents, who were working towards getting permanent settlement in Britain. She said one was now considering leaving.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK charges exiled Myanmar ambassador with trespassing at diplomatic residence
By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - British police charged Myanmar's former ambassador to the United Kingdom with trespassing on a diplomatic residence in London that he has refused to leave since being ousted for opposing Myanmar's 2021 military coup. Kyaw Zwar Minn was locked out of his embassy a few months after the February 2021 coup, and was later replaced by the junta's representatives, after calling for the release of Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Since his protest, praised by the British government at the time, Kyaw Zwar Minn has stayed at the northwest London ambassador's residence, a mansion surrounded by razor wire and CCTV cameras. He has refused to hand it back to the embassy, which he says is now run by representatives of an illegitimate government. London's police said Kyaw Zwar Minn was charged last week with trespassing on a diplomatic premises. He must appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 30, the police said. Kyaw Zwar Minn declined to comment. Britain's Foreign Office and Myanmar's embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Britain has urged Kyaw Zwar Minn to leave the residence, citing pressure from the junta, Reuters has previously reported. Chris Gunness of rights group Myanmar Accountability Project urged Britain's attorney general to intervene to stop the case. "It is clearly not in our national interest to allow a junta which the UK has condemned and sanctioned to take over diplomatic property in London, not least because it undermines Britain's policy of supporting democracy in Myanmar," he said. Britain is among several Western countries that have called for democracy to be restored in Myanmar and sanctioned members of Myanmar's military and some of its business interests. Most democratic nations, including Britain, have not formally recognised the junta. But in July 2021, Myanmar's junta appointed a new temporary head of its London embassy, a move which did not require the consent of the British government under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK dismisses idea that British workers being 'sold out' in India trade deal
By Sachin Ravikumar and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's trade minister on Wednesday defended a contentious tax break for some Indian workers agreed as part of a landmark free trade agreement with India, saying the idea that he had undercut British workers was "absolute nonsense". The trade deal, which includes a range of tariff cuts on British imports to India, also exempts some short-term workers from India from paying into Britain's social security system for three years. The exemption under the so-called Double Contributions Convention also applies to British workers in India, but while Britain barely made mention of this element of the trade deal, India hailed it as a "huge win". British opposition parties accused the government of signing up to a deal that would unfairly benefit India. "This is absolute nonsense... No-one is being undercut," Reynolds told LBC Radio, stressing that Britain had similar agreements with 50 other nations so that workers didn't have to make contributions in two countries at one time. "If you are a business that needs to temporarily put your staff in the UK or India if you are a UK business, it's a little bit easier to do that." Reynolds also told other media that the changes would affect a "very small number" of people. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, which is currently leading in the opinion polls, said the government had "sold out British workers". He said, without elaborating, that Indian workers and firms would pay 20% less tax than their British counterparts. India said during negotiations that its workers and companies should not pay social security contributions on staff if they lived in Britain for fewer than three years because they would have to make social security payments in both countries. British officials could not initially say how many Indian workers would benefit or how much it would cost the British government in lost revenue. Official data shows Britain granted more than 81,000 work visas to Indians last year, more than any other nationality, although many represent health and care or other non-temporary workers who would still be expected to pay social security in Britain. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Andrew MacAskill)
The Print
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Farage's Reform UK Party support surges, wins closest ever by-election
In the most closely watched contest for the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby, a full recount of votes was ordered because the result was so close. The populist Reform, led by the Brexit campaigner Farage, hopes a strong performance in English local elections to be announced through Friday will mark the start of the breakdown of Britain's century-old two-party political system, dominated by the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives. By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) -Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party made early gains in local English election results on Friday and won a parliamentary by-election by the smallest ever margin in the first major electoral test since last year's general election Reform's Sarah Pochin beat Labour's candidate by just six votes. Labour won the seat in last summer's national election with a majority of almost 15,000 votes. The tight race in what was previously a safe Labour seat underlines the way Britain's political landscape has fractured since the general election. Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in British history last summer but has suffered the fastest decline in popularity of any newly elected government. Starmer, a former lawyer before turning to politics, has seen his government suffer a steep fall in support after it raised taxes, cut benefits for the elderly, and got into a row over the use of donations, giving an opening to Farage, who is a friend of U.S. President Donald Trump. Voters cast their ballots on Thursday for more than 1,600 seats on local authorities across England and six high-profile mayoral elections. Runcorn and Helsby was the only parliamentary seat up for grabs after the Labour lawmaker quit following his conviction for punching one of his constituents. The former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns, who lost her seat at the national election last year and defected to Reform, also won the race to become the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. That makes her Reform's most powerful elected position yet with responsibility for an area covering about a million people. Reform also came close to toppling Labour in three other contests in North Tyneside, the West of England, and Doncaster. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Kate Holton) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party ahead by four votes in key election race
By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's right-wing Reform UK party made early gains in local election results on Friday and was ahead by just four votes in a battle for a seat in parliament in the first major electoral test since last year's general election. The populist Reform, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, hopes a strong performance in English local elections to be announced through Friday will mark the start of the breakdown of Britain's century-old two-party political system, dominated by the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives. In the most closely watched contest for the parliamentary seat of Runcorn and Helsby, a full recount of votes was ordered because the result was so close. Farage said his party was ahead by four votes in the first count. "Labour have demanded a recount. We are very confident we have won," Farage said on X. If the contest is decided by that margin, it would be the closest by-election result in British history. The tight race in what was previously a safe Labour seat underlines the way Britain's political landscape has fractured since the general election. Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in British history last summer but has suffered the fastest decline in popularity of any newly elected government. Starmer, a former lawyer before turning to politics, has seen his government suffer a steep fall in support after it raised taxes, cut benefits for the elderly, and got into a row over the use of donations, giving an opening to Farage, who is a friend of U.S. President Donald Trump. Voters cast their ballots on Thursday for more than 1,600 seats on local authorities across England and six high-profile mayoral elections. Runcorn and Helsby was the only parliamentary seat up for grabs after the Labour lawmaker quit following his conviction for punching one of his constituents. The former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns, who lost her seat at the national election last year and defected to Reform, was far ahead in the race to be named the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. If she wins, this would be Reform's most powerful elected position yet with responsibility for an area covering about a million people. Reform, founded as the Brexit Party in 2018 and written off in its early years as a one-issue party only interested in immigration, has seen a surge in its support over recent months, overtaking Britain's two main parties in some opinion polls. The party hopes the results on Friday will give it a chance to build up its local infrastructure and cement its place as the best positioned party to challenge Labour and the Conservatives at the next national election expected in 2029.
