Latest news with #SeemaMalhotra
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Ravi Shankar Prasad led all-party delegation briefs UK minister on Operation Sindoor and India's fight against terrorism
London [UK], June 3 (ANI): The all-party Indian delegation, led by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, met UK Minister for Citizenship and Migration and Minister for Equalities Seema Malhotra at the UK Parliament to brief her on Operation Sindoor and reaffirm India's strong commitment to fighting terrorism. The delegation also held discussions with key UK thought leaders on the global threat of terrorism, its social impact, and the growing issue of radicalisation. Ravi Shankar Prasad shared a post on X after the meeting. He wrote, 'Alongside my colleagues from the all-party delegation, I met with Minister for Citizenship and Migration, and Minister for Equalities @SeemaMalhotra1 at @UKParliament. We briefed her on #OperationSindoor and India's unwavering commitment to combating terrorism. Furthermore, we engaged with prominent UK thought leaders to discuss the global threat of terrorism, its far-reaching social implications, and the correlated rise of radicalisation.' Meanwhile, following a meeting with the delegation yesterday, the Conservative Party's Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, expressed her satisfaction with the discussions. She noted that 'significant areas of discussion were covered,' underlining the shared commitment to combating terrorism, enhancing UK-India defence and security cooperation, deepening economic ties, and strengthening the enduring partnership between the two nations. In her X post, Patel wrote, 'A pleasure to meet with a cross-party delegation of senior Indian MPs @HCI_London.' The High Commission of India in London also shared a picture of the meeting, stating that the delegation underscored India's firm resolve in combating cross-border terrorism and highlighted how #OperationSindoor exemplifies the new normal set by India in this ongoing effort. The Indian delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Samik Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran. Earlier, the all-party delegation interacted with the Indian diaspora at India House in London, reaffirming India's united stance and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms. This diplomatic outreach follows Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, which claimed 26 lives. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. As part of this initiative, seven multi-party delegations are visiting countries worldwide, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, the UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the UAE, Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone, the US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa. These delegations aim to inform international partners about India's response to terrorism and its broader fight against cross-border terror threats. (ANI)
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Isn't Ruling Out Making Immigration Restrictions Retroactive
Immigration minister Seema Malhotra said it is still too soon to know whether the government's plans to make it harder for migrants to claim settlement in the UK will apply retroactively to those already in the country, potentially extending the wait for millions who arrived in the country since the pandemic. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK would be tightening its immigration system. One proposal was to prevent migrants from claiming settlement — a status that allows them certain benefits and the right to work in the UK permanently — until they had lived in the country for 10 years. That's double the current period.
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Minister defends PM's ‘island of strangers' claim amid Labour backlash
A minister has defended Sir Keir Starmer's claim that Britain risks becoming an 'island of strangers' without toughened border controls amid a growing backlash among Labour backbenchers and charities. The Prime Minister used a Downing Street speech on Monday to lay out plans to 'significantly' reduce net migration as the ruling party seeks to head off the electoral threat from Reform UK. He suggested that without better integration, the country risks 'becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. Left-wing MPs including Labour's Nadia Whittome, along with migrant campaign groups, have condemned Sir Keir's rhetoric as 'dangerous' and divisive. Migration minister Seema Malhotra dismissed suggestions that Sir Keir's choice of language was anti-migrant when pressed on what the Prime Minister's underlying message had been during an interview later on Monday. 'What that really recognises is that without ways in which we've got common ties that bind us together, the way in which we can communicate well with each other, neighbours can talk to each other, people can play a part and play a role in their communities, that we risk being communities that live side by side, rather than work and walk together,' she told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme. Asked whether the Prime Minister had been saying there were too many people moving to the UK and integration cannot happen fast enough, Ms Malhotra said: 'Well no, that's not what he was saying. 'I think what he recognised as well in the press statement this morning was how much migration has been and remains a vital part of our identity.' Ms Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said: 'The step-up in anti-migrant rhetoric from the Government is shameful and dangerous. 'Migrants are our neighbours, friends and family. To suggest that Britain risks becoming 'an island of strangers' because of immigration mimics the scaremongering of the far-right.' Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill Bell Ribeiro-Addy appeared to endorse the message by reposting Ms Whittome's statement on social media site X. Labour MP for Luton North Sarah Owen warned that 'chasing the tail of the right risks taking our country down a very dark path'. She said: 'I am proud of what immigrants like my mum and those across Luton North have given to our country. 'The best way to avoid becoming an 'island of strangers' is investing in communities to thrive – not pitting people against each other. 'I've said it before and will say it again: chasing the tail of the right risks taking our country down a very dark path.' Zarah Sultana, the Coventry East MP who sits as an Independent following a rebel vote over the two-child benefit cap, accused Sir Keir of imitating Enoch Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood speech' in the 1960s. 'That speech fuelled decades of racism and division. Echoing it today is a disgrace,' she said. 'It adds to anti-migrant rhetoric that puts lives at risk. Shame on you, Keir Starmer.' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was elected last year as an Independent, said: 'The problems in our society are not caused by migrants or refugees. 'They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires. 'If the Government wanted to improve people's lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.' Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said the language was 'divisive' and 'lifted straight out of Reform's playbook'. Care4Calais, a refugee charity, said the Prime Minister's 'dangerous' rhetoric risked fanning the flames of the far-right, and called on him to apologise. 'This is dangerous language for any prime minister to use. Has Starmer forgotten last year's far-right riots?' Steve Smith, the charity's chief executive, said. 'Shameful language like this will only inflame the fire of the far-right and risks further race riots that endanger survivors of horrors such as war, torture and modern slavery. 'Starmer must apologise.' Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: 'It's right that ministers look to address concern over immigration, but the public wants principled competence rather than populist performance.' Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: 'Successive governments have been hooked on the cheap political points they can score by punching down on migrants, and it appears that this Labour Government is no different. 'Instead of more appeasement to the right wing, this Government should focus on building an effective and humane immigration system, including a fair and effective asylum process that's capable of making the right decision quickly, so that survivors of torture can recover in safety and rebuild their lives in strong and united communities.'
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
UK Reports 90% Decrease In Mail-Order Cannabis Imports From Thailand
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 18: Staff work in the packet and parcel section of the Royal Mail's ... More Swan Valley mail centre on December 18, 2013 in Northampton, England. This Friday the 20th is the last day for first class mail for Christmas. This will be the first Christmas since privatisation, Royal Mail is also set to join the FTSE 100 only two months since its debut. (Photo by) Cannabis shipments from Thailand to the UK have plunged by 90% in just three months as a crackdown led by Thai Customs and British officials starts to bite. The Home Office revealed last week a sharp drop in cannabis arriving by post from Thailand to the UK. In just three months, the volume fell by 90%. The Home Office credits the decline to a new partnership with Thai Customs. Since Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022, illegal shipments to the UK have surged. By the end of last year, Border Force had intercepted 15 tonnes in the mail alone. However, following intense diplomatic engagement, the UK Border Force and Thai Customs set up a new agreement, requiring parcels from Thailand to be checked before they are shipped. Border Force detected 1.5 tonnes of cannabis coming through the post in the first quarter of 2025. This marks a 90% reduction. The drop is a result of the extra checks now taking place in Thailand. Seema Malhotra, Minister for Citizenship and Migration, called it a 'prime example' of what cooperation can do. She said it supports Labour's focus on making streets safer. 'This collaboration is delivering real results and it's a prime example of how international cooperation is crucial to our Plan for Change, safer streets mission,' she said in a press statement. As Thai Customs also tightened border checks, that move led to more than 800 cannabis smugglers being caught between October 2024 and March 2025. During the same period, Thai officials seized over nine tonnes of the drug. Last year saw a record number of illegal drug seizures in the UK. Border Force and the police seized 119 tonnes. This was worth £3 billion ($4 billion) on the streets. The figure represented a 52% increase from the year before. In another operation, the Home Office stopped £6 million ($8 million) worth of cannabis at Bangkok Airport. Border Force and the National Crime Agency also worked together on the ground in Thailand. Operation Chaophraya began in July 2024. Since then, more than 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempting to smuggle cannabis. Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, said their work starts long before the UK border. He said they rely on global partnerships to stop drugs from ever getting near. 'We are using advanced intelligence more than ever before and last year we made a record number of drug seizures, including the highest harm substances,' he said in a press statement. While the UK and Thailand are working together to stop cannabis smuggling, as the drug is still illegal in the UK, Thailand is reassessing its own cannabis laws. In 2022, Thailand became the first country in Asia to remove cannabis from its narcotics list. Although cannabis decriminalization was meant to support farmers and boost the economy, it allowed people to grow and possess cannabis, creating an unregulated gray market. In fact, cannabis businesses quickly popped up across the country, making Thailand's cannabis status attractive to tourists. Cannabis directory records more than 10,000 cannabis shops across the country. However, at the same time, public health concerns began to rise, leading the government elected in 2023, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, to reconsider the legal status of cannabis and move toward ending decriminalization. After the removal of Srettha as Prime Minister by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on 14 August 2024, the new government, led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, introduced in late 2024 a bill to regulate the cannabis trade. It didn't directly ban recreational use, but it marked a new direction after years of debate following decriminalization in 2022.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
UK claims 90% drop in mail-order cannabis from Thailand
The amount of cannabis posted to the UK from Thailand has dropped by 90% in three months thanks to cooperation with Thai Customs, the Home Office has said. When Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, a surge of illegal shipments threatened to overwhelm UK Border Force - which uncovered 15 tonnes of the drug in the post in the final quarter of last year. But a new deal requiring parcels from Thailand to be checked before they are shipped meant just three months later the figure had dropped to 1.5 tonnes. Border Minister Seema Malhotra hailed the deal as a "prime example" of international cooperation helping Labour's mission for "safer streets". Millions of vapes seized in illegal trade crackdown Man arrested on suspicion of organising £600k cannabis import Malhotra said: "By stopping these drugs at source, we're disrupting organised crime, protecting communities, and freeing Border Force to focus on other priorities. "Together with our partners in Thailand, this government will continue to take tough action against those attempting to smuggle illegal drugs across our borders." Thai Customs have introduced stricter screening measures at the border which has led to over 800 cannabis smugglers being intercepted between October 2024 and March 2025, the Home Office said. More than nine tonnes of cannabis were seized by Thai authorities over the same period. Last year saw a record number of illegal drug seizures in the UK, with Border Force and police uncovering 119 tonnes, with a street value of £3bn, in the 12 months to March 2024 - an annual increase of 52%, according to the Metropolitan Police said. Separately, the Home office intercepted £6m of cannabis from passengers at Bangkok Airport in a joint operation that saw Border Force and the National Crime Agency (NCA) officers stationed in Thailand. Since Operation Chaophraya began in July 2024, over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling. Border Force Director General Phil Douglas said: "Our work doesn't stop at the border, we work internationally with our partners to prevent illicit goods from even reaching the UK. "We are using advanced intelligence more than ever before and last year we made a record number of drug seizures, including the highest harm substances. "Border Force remains fully committed to securing our borders and keeping our streets safe."
