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Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
PM to host major press conference with French President after intense No10 talks
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will hold a major press conference this afternoon. The Prime Minister and the French President will address their countries at 3:30pm in the UK, as part of Mr Macron's landmark state visit. The pair embraced and shook hands out side Downing Street this morning, before entering No10 for the Franco-British summit where they are expected to locked in talks over migration. Mr Starmer is hoping the French president will sign up to a "one in, one out" deal. It would mark the first returns deal with France for the first time since Brexit in a desperate bid to stop small boat crossings. Speaking at the start of the summit this morning, Mr Starmer said the UK will address illegal migration with "new tactics" and a "new level of intent". The Prime Minister said: "In uncertain times, we achieve more by strengthening our relationship with our allies, so that is what today is all about working together on the priorities that we share as two nations." Attendees at the meeting in Downing Street included Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. The leaders have been negotiating a deal that would see one failed asylum seeker exchanged for someone with a legitimate claim to live in Britain. French newspaper Le Monde reported that some 50 migrants a week would initially be returned to France under the terms of the proposed deal, which it described as largely symbolic. If such a deal were struck, it would only result in the return of a fraction of the 21,000 people who have made the channel crossing so far in 2025, a record for this point in a year. But it would also represent a concession by the French that such returns are possible, after years of MPs on the right of British politics insisting France is a "safe" country where migrants can be sent back to. Following the summit, the two leaders will also host a call of Coalition of the Willing allies prepared to support a future peace deal in Ukraine. In a sign of close alignment on defence, Britain and France have announced they will buy new supplies of Storm Shadow missiles, which both have loaned to Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia. On Tuesday in an historic speech to Parliament, the French President said Brexit was "deeply regrettable" but quitting the bloc doesn't mean Britain has left Europe. He warned the peaceful world order is being "attacked on a daily basis" and the UK and France were united in facing down these threats. He took a veiled swipe at Donald Trump by vowing Europe would never abandon Ukraine. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. The French President was invited to give a speech to MPs and peers in Parliament's Royal Gallery on the first day of his lavish state visit, hosted by King Charles. To laughter, he joked: "We love monarchy, especially when it's not at home." He closed his speech to a standing ovation, saying: "Let's be sure we will meet again for years and decades because we are linked by our geography, by our past, but we are linked by our common future. And the only way to overcome the challenges we have, the challenges of our times, would be to go together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder." Mr Macron's state visit is the first by a French President in 17 years, when Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of the late Queen Elizabeth. The French President and his wife Brigitte were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales when they arrived at RAF Northolt on Tuesday morning before travelling to Windsor Castle to join the King and Queen for lunch. He also visited Westminster Abbey, where he laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, and then travelled the short distance to Parliament.
Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Patients face NHS chaos as junior doctors announce exact date of strikes
Resident doctors will strike for five days from 7am on July 25 to 7am on July 30, the British Medical Association has announced. The band of medics - previously known as junior doctors - have demanded Health Secretary Wes Streeting come to the negotiating table "in the next two weeks" to avoid major disruption. In a statement, BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: "We met Wes Streeting yesterday and made every attempt to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration. Unfortunately, the Government has stated that it will not negotiate on pay, wanting to focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be. Without a credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay, we have no choice but to call strikes. "No doctor wants to strike, and these strikes don't have to go ahead. If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks we can ensure that no disruption is caused. The Government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs." We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name. You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us for all the latest updates. Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at . See all our social accounts you can follow here:
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Resident doctors vote in favour of strike action sparking chaos for NHS
Resident doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action which could see walks outs last until January next year, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced. The band of doctors - previously known as junior doctors - are urging Health Secretary Wes Streeting to immediately negotiate a new pay deal after the vote result. NHS leader this week raised the alarm over possible strike action with fears thousands of appointments and operations could be cancelled again. Some 90% of resident doctors voted to take industrial action on a turnout of 55%. The ballot has provided a mandate for industrial action for six months, up to January 2026. Leaders of the resident doctors committee (RDC) at the BMA are clear that there is still time to avert strike action. RDC co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly: they won't accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008. Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong. 'We now find ourselves at a crucial crossroads. Last year when in opposition Mr Streeting said that the solution to strikes was to talk to resident doctors. It was as true then as it is now. He made a point of acting quickly to grasp the issue and negotiate a solution. Only a few weeks ago he again said he wanted to get back round the table with us. 'Now we will see if he can once again make the right decision. He needs to come forward as soon as possible with a credible path to pay restoration. All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike. 'Doctors don't take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. The next move is the Government's. Will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors' confidence in our profession's future?' We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name. You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us for all the latest updates. Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at . See all our social accounts you can follow here:
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Top Tory grandee Norman Tebbit and close Margaret Thatcher ally dies, aged 94
Tory politician Norman Tebbit has died at the age of 94. Lord Tebbit was a close ally of Margaret Thatcher, serving in multiple high-profile government roles during her time as Prime Minister. His son William said his father died "peacefully at home''. The Conservative grandee, who was an MP for more than 20 years for Epping and then Chingford, served as Employment Secretary, Trade Secretary and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After leaving the Commons in 1992, he was appointed to the House of Lords. We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name. You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us for all the latest updates. Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at . See all our social accounts you can follow here:
Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
'I know the struggle to bring up a family on low and unpredictable pay'
Like many Mirror readers, I know what it's like working hard and struggling to bring up a family on low and unpredictable pay, never knowing if I'd be able to make ends meet. Just over a year ago, we came into government with a commitment to deliver change for working people – and we're getting on with the job. Interest rates have been cut four times – a cost-of-living boost for every single person in Britain with a mortgage. Three and a half million people got a huge boost to their pay packets in April thanks to our changes to the national minimum wage. We're creating new jobs – 384,000 since the election – and helping hardworking families by rolling out breakfast clubs, meaning a £450 boost for parents. But I get that people are impatient for change. That's why our plan to Make Work Pay is so personal to me. We committed to waste no time once we were in government to making work fairer, more secure and more family-friendly, especially for the lowest-paid and facing poor working conditions. Our landmark Employment Rights Bill going through Parliament will go even further to change lives. This includes an end to the kind of disgraceful fire and rehire practices we all remember from the P&O scandal in 2022 that become a byword for business at its worst. That's why today I can tell Mirror readers we are going further – this week we will be amending this landmark Bill to close loopholes so that people cannot be fired and replaced with agency workers. Businesses will still have the flexibility to hire contractors or agency workers to meet their needs. But these new changes will stop employees being replaced by others doing essentially the same job under worse conditions. We promised to call time on scandals like P&O and with this amendment we are removing any doubt. It's about time. Because for years, the good and secure jobs our parents and grandparents relied on have been replaced by low paid, insecure work. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. That's been bad for workers and bad for the economy. But thanks to our pro-growth Bill, over 15 million people stand to benefit. That's why, as well ending disgraceful fire and rehire tactics, we're also banning exploitative zero hours contracts and giving every worker basic protections from their first day on the job – making sure they can't be sacked unfairly or threatened with dismissal for refusing lower terms and conditions, and can get sick pay when they need it. These historic changes will deliver for millions. More job security means more money spent on our high streets, more people able to get on the housing ladder and more prosperity across the UK. This is what we promised to deliver, as part of our Plan for Change. It's a promise made, and a promise kept.
